Chapter 50 The Adorable Kid Wins Chess So Much He's Going Crazy
Evenings at Princess Anguo's residence always have a sweet scent.
It doesn't smell like osmanthus, nor does it taste like pastries.
It was the scent emanating from Princess Mu Yu of Anguo herself, a milky fragrance mixed with the sweetness of candy.
She sat on the cushions under the eaves, her chin resting on her knees, curled up in a ball.
"I'm so bored..."
Her baby voice was drawn out.
The big, furry cat brought its head close and rubbed its cheek against her, making purring sounds as it tried to comfort its little owner.
"Big Kitty, you're bored too, aren't you?"
Mu Yu reached out and hugged the tiger's neck, burying her face in its warm fur.
Just then, two clear voices came from afar.
"Little Yu'er!"
It was Qin Zheng and Princess Jianing.
Two little girls, hand in hand, came running like two butterflies.
When they saw Mu Yu's listless appearance, their hearts clenched.
"Little Yu'er, what's wrong?" Princess Jianing squatted down and asked softly.
"I can't see, so I can't play anything," Mu Yu pouted, her voice muffled.
Qin Zheng, as expected of a daughter of a military family, couldn't stand seeing such a dejected scene.
Her eyes darted around, and her gaze landed on the stone table beside her.
On the table was an ivory chessboard, a gift from the palace, with chess pieces as smooth and lustrous as jade, clearly of superior quality.
Qin Zheng waved her hand with a heroic air.
"What's there to be afraid of if you can't see!"
"Let's play something more sophisticated!"
Her voice was bright and clear.
"I have a new way of playing, called 'Blindfold Chess'!"
Mu Yu's ears twitched, and her little head lifted out of the tiger's fur.
"Blindfold chess?"
“That’s right!” Qin Zheng puffed out her little chest proudly. “You can’t see the chessboard, but I’ll tell you where all the pieces are, and you tell me how you want to move them, and I’ll move them for you! How about that?”
Princess Jianing clapped her hands, thinking the idea was brilliant.
"Yes, yes, yes! This way, Xiaoyu can play too!"
She thought for a moment and added, "We can also add a prize!"
"Whoever loses has to hand over all the candy in today's allowance!"
The word "candy" was like a golden ray of light, instantly cleaving through the dark clouds in Mu Yu's heart.
Her ears immediately perked up.
A sly smile, imperceptible to others, appeared on Mu Yu's small face.
Although her Eye of Fortune cannot see the physical chess pieces, it can clearly "see" other things.
For example, the bright red light above Qin Zheng's head, representing "good luck," was flashing without warning at that moment.
The pink halo above Princess Jianing's head was as pure as a blank sheet of paper, filled with the joyful atmosphere of "long live friendship".
Faced with a "cheat code" that allows one to "predict" the next move in their opponent's fortunes...
What's the difference between having candy in these two little cuties' pockets and feeding it directly to them?
Her sweet, childlike voice feigned hesitation.
"Oh, I see... But I haven't played in a long time, I'm sure I'll lose."
Qin Zheng immediately patted her chest and assured them, "It's okay, it's okay! Even if we lose, it's still fun! Having fun is the most important thing!"
Princess Jianing nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes! I brought osmanthus candy, you can have it if you lose!"
Mu Yu chuckled inwardly, but put on a reluctant expression on her face.
"Oh well."
"But it's a deal, you can't go back on your word!"
She could almost see a huge pile of colorful candies, with tiny wings, lining up and waving at her.
The game begins.
Qin Zheng volunteered to be the "chess player" and Mu Yu's opponent.
Princess Jianing, resting her chin on her hand, acted as both referee and spectator.
"Alright, Little Fisherman, it's time to start the game. Your 'cannon' is on the second rank, and my 'horse' is on the eighth rank," Qin Zheng announced the positions.
Mu Yu listened quietly.
In her mind, the entire chessboard was not made up of lines and squares.
It is an energy field composed of various kinds of light.
Every move Qin Zheng makes stirs up a ripple of energy on the chessboard.
"I'll go for 'Horse Two into Three'!" Qin Zheng's voice was full of confidence.
In Mu Yu's "vision," a bright red dot immediately appeared, leaping from Qin Zheng's side to the center of the chessboard with menacing momentum.
This is a good move, with a strong offensive intent.
“Hmm…” Mu Yu pretended to think, her little finger unconsciously drawing circles on the stone table, “Then…then I’ll move ‘Cannon 8 to 5’.”
A very solid defensive move.
Qin Zheng was stunned for a moment; she hadn't expected Mu Yu's chess style to be so steady.
"Well done, Little Yu'er, you've got some skills!"
After a few steps, Qin Zheng realized something was wrong.
She felt as if she were playing chess with an unseen ghost.
No matter how ingenious her schemes were, Mu Yu always managed to anticipate them and block her path perfectly.
"I fly like an elephant!"
I advance my pawn.
"I'll drive!"
"I am a sergeant."
The red light above Qin Zheng's head began to show signs of impatience.
She bit her lip and stared at the chessboard.
No, she hid this move so well, how did this blind... Little Fisherman discover it?
"How did you know I was going to attack your mid lane?" Qin Zheng couldn't help but ask.
Mu Yu tilted her head, her sweet little voice full of innocence.
"I guessed."
"Your voice sounded a bit fierce just now, and I knew you were up to something."
Qin Zheng: "..."
What kind of twisted logic is this!
Unconvinced, she took a deep breath and decided to unleash her trump card.
A trap move where the pawn is sacrificed to save the king.
As long as Mu Yu captures her "chariot", her "horse" and "cannon" can form a decisive attack!
"I'll go for 'Rook 9 forward'!" Qin Zheng's voice was filled with nervousness.
In Mu Yu's "vision," a dazzling red light suddenly burst forth on the chessboard, but beneath this red light lay a wisp of gray-black line.
That's the smell of a "trap".
Mu Yu wrinkled her little nose.
"Sister Qin Zheng, are you trying to trick me out of my candy?"
Qin Zheng's heart skipped a beat.
"No, no! I'm just walking normally!"
"Oh." Mu Yu nodded. "Then I won't eat your 'car'."
She said casually, "I went for 'horse eight to seven'."
A seemingly insignificant move.
A seemingly useless step actually landed right on the most crucial point of Qin Zheng's subsequent killing move.
Qin Zheng's entire plan was aborted.
She stared blankly at the chessboard, feeling like her brain wasn't quite processing what she was seeing.
This is no longer within the scope of chess skills.
This is metaphysics!
"I...I concede!" Qin Zheng, on the verge of tears, pushed over the "general" on the chessboard.
She took out her daily allowance from her pocket—a piece of malt candy wrapped in oil paper—and reluctantly placed it beside Mu Yu.
Mu Yu fumbled for the candy, then took a satisfied lick.
"Thank you, sister."
Princess Jianing was stunned; she felt that Xiao Yu'er was simply possessed by a chess god.
"Little Yu'er, you're so amazing! I want to play a game with you too!"
The naive Princess Jianing enthusiastically joined the ranks of those "giving candy".
The result was predictable.
Princess Jianing's chess moves were like a blank sheet of paper in Mu Yu's "vision".
The pink orb above her head would flash happily with each step she took, as if saying, "Look how great my move was!"
The energy fluctuations corresponding to those chess pieces were faint and straightforward, devoid of any conspiracy.
Mu Yu didn't even need to "calculate".
You can win even with your eyes closed and just following your instincts.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the three pieces of osmanthus candy from Princess Jianing's allowance had obediently entered Mu Yu's "bank".
As the sun sets and dusk approaches, the sky grows dark.
Qin Zheng and Princess Jianing are returning to the palace.
When the two little girls left, their pockets were empty, their eyes were blank, and their faces seemed to say, "Who am I? Where am I? What have I been through?"
Princess Mu Yu of Anguo sat contentedly on a stone bench, a small pile of spoils in front of her.
She carefully put the candies into her little purse, intending to take them home and hide them under her pillow.
Just as she was happily calculating how many days she could eat these candies, a small, golden ripple suddenly appeared on the surface of the originally calm "Pond of Blessings" in her sea of consciousness.
Doing good deeds can accumulate good fortune.
Making your friends happy is a good thing, isn't it?
Although the process... seemed a little bit unethical.
Mu Yu stuck out her tongue guiltily.
Who cares, having candy is the best thing!
She was immersed in the joy of the harvest when she heard familiar footsteps at the gate of the courtyard.
The footsteps were steady and powerful, with a slight metallic clanging sound.
It's Xiao Beichen.
Mu Yu immediately looked in the direction of the sound.
She saw the silhouette of her brother Xiao Beichen, enveloped in a brilliant golden light.
That light was warm and bright; it was the "light of merit" belonging to upright soldiers.
But today, there are some other things beside this golden light.
It was some clanging, rattling... noise?
She saw that Xiao Beichen was followed by two guards.
In their hands, they were carrying a large, heavy object covered with a black cloth.
The thing was making a series of crisp metallic clanging sounds.
"Brother Beichen, what good things did you bring?"
Mu Yu's curiosity was immediately piqued.
Could it be something delicious again?
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