Chapter 623: Defeated Female Chess Player, Treasures from the Former Dynasty
Inside the chess club.
When the lady walked in, she attracted many surprised looks. It was obvious that such ladies were not common here.
Zhao Duan, wearing a gray wolf mask, looked at the other person with strange eyes. With his current spiritual power, the little veil on Princess Chen's face could not block his sight at all.
Well, even in theory, clothes can't stop it...
Considering the low-key and noble scene before him, Zhao Duan nodded calmly:
"Add a chair."
Without waiting for the waiter from the chess club to take action, the servant beside the princess immediately brought a chair.
The empress was originally sitting opposite Zhao Duan. Seeing this, she moved her butt, pulled the chair, and sat next to Zhao Duan.
She looked like the "personal female bodyguard of the emperor's husband".
"Thank you." Princess Chen thanked him with a smile and sat down with her plump buttocks.
The raccoon cat in her arms was instinctively a little shy and kept trying to get into her arms, causing the situation to become quite chaotic.
Zhao Duan, however, did not look away. He picked up a piece of dried fruit from the plate, put it in his mouth and whispered:
"I originally thought that Prince Chen was too arrogant and had never shown up, but I didn't expect that the first person to arrive would be the famous Princess Chen."
Princess Chen smiled and said:
"Your Highness has been ill recently and can't go out. I also heard that some misunderstandings occurred while the Governor was at Binhai, so he had no choice but to send me here to explain."
Zhao Duan listened attentively.
Princess Chen couldn't tell his expression through the gray wolf mask, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"I heard that many reckless men in Binhaidao's martial arts world, led by Zuo Tang, the junior brother of Qingshan Wuxiankui, once tried to intercept the governor. Fortunately, they were stopped by a hidden master. May I ask if this master is the one?"
She naturally looked at the empress wearing a fox mask, her eyes full of temptation.
Very strange.
Perhaps it was the attraction of the temperament of a woman with a strong personality, but after entering the chess club, the first person she paid attention to was not Zhao Duan, but the female worshiper in white clothes and red silk.
There was no information about this female priest in the intelligence of Prince Chen's Mansion.
The empress was too lazy to pay attention to her and said nothing, focusing on playing the role of "cold bodyguard".
"I don't like to talk nonsense. If you have nothing to say, Princess, please go back."
Zhao Duan said in a cold tone:
"If you want to discuss government affairs, you are not qualified to come to King Chen."
Unceremoniously derogatory.
Princess Chen did not look annoyed at all, but apologized:
"I heard that Zuo Tang actually raised the banner of our Prince Chen's Mansion, claiming that he was intercepting in the name of the Prince. But although the Prince recruited these people, this scoundrel is not loyal to the Prince's Mansion, and what he said is completely false..."
Zhao Duan interrupted her rudely and said calmly:
"So, are you here to apologize? Or to explain?"
The princess said cautiously: "It's both an apology and an explanation."
Zhao Duan smiled. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes full of arrogance and condescending attitude, and said playfully:
"I've heard that Prince Chen's mansion relies on the princess for management, and today I see that the rumors are true. Prince Chen didn't even bother to explain to this governor, but instead asked my wife to take charge. Isn't that ridiculous? It's a disgrace to the royal family."
"This..." Princess Chen looked embarrassed.
Although she is old enough to be a mother, she looks rather pitiful and seems to be at a loss as to what to do.
Damn it... This is an opponent who knows how to use his gender and identity advantages... Zhao Duan was joking on the surface, but he felt emotional in his heart.
Seeing that the princess was trying to overcome the strong with the soft, he suddenly smiled, pondered for a moment, and said:
"However, Prince Chen is not a man, but this governor is not lacking in courage. I won't embarrass you. How about this..."
He suddenly looked up and called to the waiter in the distance: "Bring the chessboard."
Immediately, he looked at Princess Chen and said jokingly with a smile:
"I heard the princess is also good at chess. So, if you beat me, I'll forget about this interception and pretend it never happened. How about that?"
The lady holding the raccoon cat showed a nervous look on her face:
"How can I be a match for you, sir..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"If you can't win before nightfall, I will lead my troops to bring King Chen from his sickbed tomorrow and put him on trial."
Princess Chen's heart trembled.
This clever woman saw the murderous intent in Zhao Duan's eyes and no longer dared to act rashly. She agreed silently.
At this time, the waiter put the chessboard up, and the two of them guessed who would go first, and the princess went first.
But when she picked up the chess piece, the temperament of this woman standing behind King Chen, who could be regarded as the true master of the entire Binhaidao, suddenly changed.
It was as if she had transformed into a rare female chess player.
Xu Zhenguan sat aside with great interest, acting as a referee, and a little bit of evil taste arose in her heart, because she knew that Zhao Duan's chess skills were terrifying.
When the Buddhist team entered Beijing, the young monk beside the Red Sect master once swept the chess world in Beijing. However, at that time, he was defeated by Zhao Duan who was in disguise.
This incident caused a sensation in the capital.
But afterwards, the news that Zhao Duan was the mysterious chess player was only circulated among a very small number of people and did not spread widely.
Therefore, in the eyes of Princess Chen, she probably didn't know how good Zhao Duan was at chess.
As both sides made their moves quickly, the situation on the chessboard became increasingly complicated, and the empress became slightly surprised.
Because she realized that the wife of Uncle Chen Wang was also extremely good at chess, and was not inferior to the chess players in the palace.
Who would have thought that in this coastal royal residence, there is such a person hiding, perhaps the best female chess player in the State of Yu?
Zhao Duan also became a little more serious from his initial indifference.
“Pah.”
“Pah.”
The chess pieces fell one by one. Zhao Duan looked natural and made his moves very quickly, as if he didn't need to think.
Princess Chen was not much behind at first, but gradually she began to feel overwhelmed and sweat began to seep out of the tip of her nose.
When both sides reached the middle stage, Zhao Duan said calmly, "You lose."
Princess Chen was silent, looking at this powerful and mysterious man in horror, realizing that the chess skills of this empress's husband were unprecedented in her life.
She gritted her teeth, looked at the sun outside the chess club, and said:
"One more round!"
Zhao Duan nodded: "Okay, but according to the rules of the chess club, the loser has to pay, right?"
Without hesitation, the princess took out a gold leaf from her waist pouch and pushed it towards Zhao Duan.
The second game begins.
This time, Princess Chen did not dare to be careless at all. She took every step carefully and was extremely focused, as if her life and property depended on the chessboard. However, Zhao Duan remained calm and casual.
This time, before the middle stage, the princess took the initiative to admit defeat and gave the second gold leaf.
Then the third round began...
At first, the guests in the chess club were just curious about the identities of both parties, so some people looked over curiously.
But after the first few games, the chess players in the club were completely attracted by the game between the two sides, which attracted more and more people to watch.
Gradually, no one paid attention to the two chess players fighting in the hall. All the chess players in the chess club became spectators. Some curious people even copied down the chess game, causing the crowd to exclaim in surprise.
However, the male and female chess players playing against each other seemed unaware.
The fading red sun shining through from outside the chess club gradually sank below the horizon, and the golden leaves in Zhao Duan's hands piled higher and higher.
When Princess Chen lost the tenth game, Zhao Duan calmly stood up, brushed the hem of his robe, and yawned:
"That's all for today."
Princess Chen was no longer calm at this moment. She was like a gambler who had lost all her money. She even dropped the civet cat on her thigh.
The back of her dress was soaked, and her nose was covered in sweat. She fluttered at the words, and the chess piece on her fingertips fell. She glanced nervously at the setting sun outside:
"There's still... there's still time... I still..."
"That's what I said." Zhao Duan turned and walked out, leaving her with a tall back.
"Then..." Princess Chen was really a little panicked. Based on the information she had learned, this King Zhao was capable of doing anything.
Thinking that her attempt today might backfire, this female chess player, who believed that her scheming ability was no less than that of the temple giants, felt a rare fear in her heart.
"Since King Chen is ill, he should rest well." Zhao Duan said and walked out.
Hearing this, the lady breathed a sigh of relief, her heartstrings relaxed, and a strong sense of fatigue came over her.
The energy she had exhausted from playing ten rounds in a row made her vision go black, and the servants beside her hurried forward to support her.
“Madam…Madam…”
The empress stood up, reached out to pick up all the gold leaves on the table, put them in her sleeves, and then followed him out. From beginning to end, the empress did not say a word.
All that was left was a chaotic chess club.
…
…
In the streets illuminated by the setting sun.
Xu Zhenguan caught up with Zhao Duan, a smile on his face:
"What does Princess Chen look like? Is it fun to play games with her?"
Zhao Duan felt a chill running down his spine. His image as a chess master collapsed. He said blankly:
"What does it look like? I am face-blind and don't know what is beautiful or ugly."
Empress: “…”
Zhao Duan said righteously:
"This Princess Chen is a bit clever, but she's still timid. She wants to test us, but she's been staying at home all year round.
Even if he can manipulate the puppet Prince Chen and command the Binhai Road, without experiencing the real bloody trials of the court and the battlefield, no matter how cunning he appears, he will still be full of flaws.
The Empress said with a straight face: "Oh? What did you find out?"
Zhao Duan pondered for a moment and said:
"I now have some doubts that the group of people led by Zuo Tang might not have been arranged by Qingshan.
Well, before, I thought the same as Your Majesty, that it was Prince Jing who was instigating the situation, but after meeting the princess today, I feel that this may not be the case.
Perhaps it was this Princess Chen who thought she was clever and directed this drama, deliberately making us guess this way, so that we two tigers would fight each other and the Chen Palace would be caught in the middle to avoid disaster.
However, she was too impatient, perhaps worried that we wouldn't see through this, so she was eager to deflect the blame, but ended up being outsmarted by her own cleverness.
is that so?
This woman directed and acted in the film herself?
The purpose is to drive the tiger to devour the wolf? ...Xu Zhenguan suddenly understood.
Zhao Duan sincerely praised:
"Of course, I know Your Majesty has already seen through this, but he just didn't say it. It makes me seem like I'm talking too much."
"..." Xu Zhenguan's expression remained normal, and he nodded slightly: "It's good that you know."
The king and his ministers stopped talking for a while.
Walking in silence.
After a while, when they walked out of the bustling neighborhood, Zhao Duan asked in a low voice:
"Is anyone else following?"
The fact that the princess was able to find them accurately shows that there are many spies on Daluo Island.
The Empress said calmly, "Yes. But it's very far away. We can get rid of it after we get up the mountain."
The two of them did not forget that the purpose of this trip was to take away the treasure of Guhui Zhenren.
At this time, the two looked up and saw a well-carved mountain road going straight up in front of them.
We have arrived at Yutou Mountain.
…
As the king and his minister walked up Yutou Mountain, the sun completely went out and darkness came.
There are lights on every few hundred meters on this mountain road, which makes it seem that Yutou Mountain is a local "tourist attraction" and is maintained by special people.
Sure enough, even though it was night, there were still a few tourists on the mountain.
But the higher the gray wolf and the fox went, the fewer people there were.
"Almost." Zhao Duan said softly.
The empress said "hmm" and gently wiped the air with her hand hidden in her sleeve. The two "spies" who were following secretly from a distance behind the emperor and his ministers died instantly and their bodies fell limply.
The empress withdrew her hand and said calmly, "The eyeliner has been thrown away."
So fast? He is indeed a god!
Zhao Duan was extremely envious.
Immediately, he pointed in a direction, and the empress grabbed him and flew over without any pretense. She landed on a hill that looked like a tomb, and then entered a dense forest in the darkness.
In the dark woods, Zhao Duan frowned:
"It should be here, but I can't see the entrance. I'm afraid it's covered by some magic."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhenguan calmly put his two fingers together and tapped his forehead.
"Buzz!"
A jade seal appeared between the empress's eyebrows, and a divine consciousness spread in all directions.
Soon, fog rose in the forest, and in the fog, a previously invisible archway appeared. Behind the archway, a crack appeared in the ground, and it turned out to be a tunnel.
"Come in." Xu Zhenguan said in the tone of a domineering president, and then walked in with Zhao Duan.
All the defensive formations along the way were broken by her force.
After a while, the two of them continued to sink along the tunnel. After pushing open a stone door, a light suddenly appeared in the darkness. It was the night pearl embedded in the stone wall that lit up.
suddenly see the light.
This is actually a natural cave in the belly of a mountain. The cave has been modified except for the lighting beads around it.
There are also simple stone beds, stone tables, shelves, and several large boxes stacked in the corners.
"Bang." The empress pushed her palm through the air, and several boxes sealed with restrictions opened with a bang, and brilliant light burst out from inside!
"This is..." Zhao Duan was surprised: "Are these magical weapons? There are so many magical weapons..."
Inside the box, there were at least hundreds of various magical instruments, but many of them looked old, like ancient creations.
"There are also weapons and armor..." Zhao Duan was even more surprised to find a weapon with array patterns engraved on it in a box.
"The weapons used by warriors also have formation patterns. This style of fusing magic tools and weapons was popular in the previous dynasty, the Great Qi Dynasty."
Zhao Duan picked up an ancient sword. The sword body was free of rust and reflected a cold light. His eyes were reflected on the sharp blade.
"It's very well preserved..." Zhao Duan asked in amazement, "Where did Guhuo Zhenren get it from?"
The Empress also picked up a piece of pure black chain mail, was silent for a moment, and said:
"These should be the supplies left behind by the previous dynasty. Do you remember, historical records show that six hundred years ago, before the fall of the previous dynasty, the then Qi royal family carried a large amount of supplies with them when they retreated.
There are even records that say there was a special army to transport the large number of rare treasures hidden in the palace..."
Zhao Duan nodded and said, "I know. I heard that the team is suspected of entering the southwestern territory."
He remembered that Yuxiu had once gone deep into the territory of the Liao people to search for treasure.
"So, Guhuo, this guy, somehow found those things from back then..."
Zhao Duan exclaimed.
At this time, the empress walked to the shelf, opened an exquisite box, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Hey, there's this!"
(End of this chapter)
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