Old Lu was not in a good mood, and his chess skills were also poor, so he couldn't understand it at all.
But seeing that everyone said that Crown Prince Namtae was amazing, I patiently watched it.
He recognized the man playing chess with Prince Namtae; he was a very skilled old man. Usually, he seemed relaxed when playing chess with others, but today he was unusually serious.
"This young friend is truly remarkable! How come I've never seen him before?"
"Yeah, they don't look like locals either."
"Not an accent either."
...
As these voices rang out, Old Man Lu looked at Prince Nan Tai and felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
I'm not sure, I'll think about it some more.
Old Lu squinted and memorized the appearance of Prince Nantai, then began to recall where he had seen him before.
"Oh dear, this young friend has won! Excellent!"
"The younger generation surpasses the older generation!"
"What a wonderful child!"
...
Amidst the praise, Old Man Lu came to his senses, his expression turning somewhat somber.
He recognized the Crown Prince of Nantai at the banquet last night. However, he was initially nervous and later got into trouble by drinking with the old emperor, so his memory was somewhat confused.
I only remembered this person after thinking carefully.
Prince Namtae is a person of high status. Why would he suddenly come to a teahouse like this?
This isn't a place that young people like to come to either.
After last night's lesson, Old Man Lu became much more vigilant, constantly worried that he was being targeted.
My wife has repeatedly told me to think carefully about what I say and do, so as not to implicate the children.
He had just sent his son to submit a letter of apology that morning. The Emperor and the Crown Prince were kind and did not take it to heart, but he could not ignore it because of this. Instead, he took it as a warning.
The old man Lu now is not the old man Lu of the past!
It wasn't that he was narcissistic, but he had a feeling that the Prince of Nantai was after him.
He frowned and immediately tried to slip away.
“Brother Lu, haven’t you always wanted to learn chess? I think this young master is quite good; perhaps he can teach you.”
The old man who had been talking to him smiled and suggested that if Old Man Lu could find someone with good chess skills to teach him, he should be able to learn very quickly.
Most of the noblemen here are in their fifties or sixties, and have reached the age of enjoying their retirement. They rarely concern themselves with court affairs anymore, and even if there are banquets in the palace, they rarely attend. Therefore, they do not know the identity of the Prince of Nantai.
As soon as someone spoke up, someone else chimed in, "Yes, this young friend is quite skilled at chess, even though he is young. You could ask him to teach you."
Everyone present had given guidance to Old Man Lu, who was still a beginner. It would be good if someone more skilled could teach him.
Everyone meant well, and it wouldn't be good for Old Man Lu to refuse, so he smiled and said, "Gentlemen, you're joking. I'm just killing time because I'm bored. How could I possibly delay the young master's work?"
Then everyone remembered that the other person was still young and had things to do, while they, the old folks, had nothing to do.
"Oh right, right, then it still counts as..."
Someone spoke up, wanting to express their apology to Prince Nantai, since they hadn't asked him if he was willing to teach when they made those remarks, which was really inappropriate.
Before he could finish speaking, Prince Nan Tai interrupted him, saying, "It's alright. I happen to be free of work lately. If you don't mind, Uncle, I'd like to make a fool of myself."
Since they had already said that, it would be impolite of Old Man Lu to refuse, so he smiled and said, "Then thank you very much!"
The other party did not intend to reveal their identity, and Old Man Lu was not making a fuss either. He didn't know what to do, so he thought he would go back and ask his son and daughter-in-law first.
After everyone dispersed, Old Man Lu sat down, listening nervously as the other man explained some techniques to him. He was initially wary, but seeing that the other man was genuinely just teaching him chess skills, he gradually relaxed.
Old Man Lu arrived late, and after sitting for a short while, it was time for dinner. He prepared to leave and said gratefully, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. Please come to my home for dinner another day."
Last night, the delegations of envoys from various countries sat opposite them, and Crown Prince Namtae, by virtue of his status, naturally sat in the prominent first row, so it was not surprising that he was recognized.
Importantly, he never intended to hide his identity, otherwise he wouldn't have shown his true face.
"Mr. Lu, you are too kind. It is my honor to be a guest at your esteemed residence."
Prince Nantai bowed respectfully to Old Man Lu, and did not refuse Old Man Lu's invitation.
Old Lu instantly realized that it was all over.
He was just being polite, so why did the Prince of Nantai agree?
Previously, when the Crown Prince of Dongting first arrived in Beiyan, he said he wanted to pay a visit, but his third son's wife refused, just to avoid suspicion and not want to have any dealings with these nobles from other countries.
He's really gone too far, letting the wolf into the house!
Oh no, oh no, oh no, my wife is going to pull my ear when I get home!
Old Lu had a bitter face, almost as if he was telling him that he was just joking.
However, he knew this wouldn't work, so he forced a smile, bowed slightly, and hurriedly went back.
Prince Namtae found it amusing to see him like this. Did he think he was some kind of monster?
However, it seems that starting with Master Lu is a good choice, at least he has already received an invitation to visit his residence.
Although he knew the other person was just being polite, he naturally had to keep his word and wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.
Old Man Lu jogged home and hurriedly went to find Lu Baichuan, but Lu Baichuan was out on business and hadn't returned yet, so he rushed to find He Jiuniang instead.
It wasn't appropriate for him, as a father-in-law, to barge into his daughter-in-law's yard, so he took his wife with him.
Sun had no idea what trouble he had done this time. He was so anxious that it couldn't be anything good. He kept cursing and swearing the whole way.
He Jiuniang had been researching a new formula in her study. When she heard that Old Man Lu and Madam Sun had arrived, she immediately sent someone to the study to find her.
"Father, what's making you so anxious? Don't worry, have some tea and tell me slowly."
He Jiuniang smiled and poured a cup of tea for Old Man Lu and Madam Sun respectively. Madam Sun also scolded, "Who knows what trouble that old man got into this time? He hasn't learned his lesson from yesterday yet, blah blah blah..."
Old Lu didn't even bother to drink his tea. After catching his breath, he told the story of his encounter with the Prince of Nan Tai, and of course, he also said some polite words at the end.
"Oh, you old fool, you might as well just drive me crazy! How can you be so unreliable! You caused such a big mess last night, and you can cause trouble even when you're only gone for a short while. What am I supposed to say about you!"
Madam Sun was extremely anxious. Even a woman like her could tell that the Lu family was in the eye of the storm and it was best not to associate with those people.
But this old man doesn't think before he speaks. He invites people who are usually avoided to his home. Isn't that putting his son and daughter-in-law in a very difficult position?
Old Lu was also ashamed. He had clearly noticed something was wrong from the beginning, but he still said the wrong thing in the end.
He really didn't expect that his polite remark would actually be accepted; he had miscalculated!
"It's alright, Dad, it's nothing serious. He's willing to teach you chess, so why not use free labor?"
He Jiuniang didn't think anything of it. Anyway, Lu Baichuan had been sending people to keep an eye on these envoys. Even if they had any ideas, they wouldn't dare to openly attack the Lu family, let alone approach the old man Lu directly without any disguise.
"ah?"
The elderly couple were completely baffled by her statement. Could this really be true?
"Don't worry, it's alright. He just wants to get in touch with our family by contacting you. He won't have any ill intentions. You also said that he's good at chess, so don't miss this opportunity. Just learn from him."
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