Chapter 93: Playing Chess

"Don't interrupt."

Zhu Yuanzhang was clearly dissatisfied with Zhu Gaoxu's pointers.

He decided to make a risky move; once the old man opposite him failed to respond properly, he could quickly win the entire game.

Zhu Gaoxu also saw through Zhu Yuanzhang's intent, but he felt that Zhu Yuanzhang's move was too overbearing, lacking a touch of moderation.

Once the old man opposite saw the danger in it, as long as he responded correctly, Zhu Yuanzhang would have no power left to counterattack.

Having watched these few moves, Zhu Gaoxu felt that the old man's chess skill far surpassed Zhu Yuanzhang's, and it was impossible for him not to see the killing move behind Zhu Yuanzhang's play.

But the reality was not as Zhu Gaoxu had thought; the old man seemed not to have noticed at all, and instead fell directly into Zhu Yuanzhang's trap.

As the old man placed his piece, Zhu Yuanzhang let out a loud laugh, and with the final piece placed, the old man had absolutely no room left to counterattack.

With this, the old man, holding the black pieces, conceded defeat.

"Your Majesty's chess skill is a cut above; this old subject is impressed."

Having received the old man's praise, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed very happy and began to laugh again.

"No matter, no matter; playing chess with you, Minister, is always this enjoyable."

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu frowned slightly; even he could see the killing move behind Zhu Yuanzhang's play, so with the old man's chess skill, it was impossible for him not to see it.

He looked up at the old man and, seeing the slightly playful expression on the other's face, he immediately understood that the other party was intentionally letting Lao Zhu win.

The two looked at each other and smiled, tacitly remaining silent.

Truly, the older people get, the more shrewd they become; Zhu Gaoxu indicated that he had learned something.

With this game of chess finished, Zhu Yuanzhang finally had the time to pay attention to Zhu Gaoxu.

"You little monkey, didn't you say you wanted Song Lian to be your teacher? I've brought him here for you now, why haven't you come over to pay your respects?"

Hearing these words from Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Gaoxu finally realized that the old man before him was none other than Song Lian, whom Zhu Yuanzhang called the head of the founding civil officials and later generations called one of the three great masters of poetry and prose in the early Ming!

He had mentioned it to Lao Zhu before, but he had forgotten about it these past two days because he was too busy; who would have thought that this Song Lian had actually come.

However, Zhu Gaoxu also knew of this man, Song Lian, and in his heart, he held great respect for him.

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu stood up, walked before Song Lian, and bowed respectfully and properly: "Student greets the Grand Historian!"

That Zhu Gaoxu addressed him as Grand Historian showed the respect Zhu Gaoxu had for him.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes; he really had never seen this little monkey be so well-behaved before, so it seemed he had found the right person this time.

Seeing this, Song Lian stood up and returned the salute: "This old subject cannot possibly bear the title of Grand Historian; this old subject greets the Prince."

Zhu Gaoxu turned slightly to avoid Song Lian's salute and said, "Old Master Song is the head of the civil officials of our Great Ming; this student cannot possibly accept this salute from you."

Hearing this, Song Lian smiled slightly, and just as he was about to say something, Lao Zhu spoke up.

"Enough, since when have you little monkey been so well-behaved? You two don't need to be so polite; are you really treating me as if I don't exist?"

"You brat are better at showing respect to the worthy than I am; it's a bit too early to be currying favor with my Grand Secretary now, as he might not even take you on yet."

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Song Lian again and said, "This is the little monkey I told you about; how is it, does he catch your eye?"

Hearing these words from Lao Zhu, Zhu Gaoxu immediately broke into a cold sweat.

He felt that in Lao Zhu's mouth, he really was like a little monkey, and he was even asking Song Lian to see if he caught his eye...

Song Lian looked at Zhu Gaoxu and, following Zhu Yuanzhang's lead, smiled slightly: "Haha, this little monkey of yours is indeed very spirited."

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he knew there was a chance.

Before Zhu Gaoxu arrived, Lao Zhu had told Song Lian the purpose of inviting him to the capital this time.

Song Lian had initially refused.

Later, he couldn't withstand Lao Zhu's repeated requests, so he reluctantly agreed to meet once.

Unexpectedly, after meeting, Song Lian's attitude did a complete turnaround; there was none of the previous hesitation, and instead, his eyes were full of approval.

Lao Zhu was naturally happy in his heart; after all, Zhu Gaoxu was his own grandson, and he was the student he had found for Song Lian.

If Song Lian could like Zhu Gaoxu, he would also have face.

Understanding Song Lian's meaning, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said, "Little monkey, why don't you hurry and pay respects to your teacher."

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu did not hesitate and was about to pay his respects to Song Lian.

But at this moment, Song Lian reached out to stop him and said, "Prince, do not be in such a hurry. This old subject just saw that the Prince also understands chess; for such a young age, it seems your skill is not shallow. Might you first play a game with this old subject?"

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu naturally did not refuse.

Just now, watching Lao Zhu play had already stirred his craving for chess, and seeing Song Lian mention it, he immediately said, "How could I dare to disobey?"

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang also became interested and ordered the eunuchs outside to clear the chessboard; then the two took their seats, and he sat to the side as a spectator.

After Song Lian sat down, he said to Zhu Gaoxu, "This old subject will be bold and give the Prince a four-piece handicap."

Zhu Gaoxu knew that Song Lian's chess skill was profound, so he did not decline out of modesty; he nodded happily and then began to take the white pieces and place the four handicap stones first.

Subsequently, the two's game officially began, and Lao Zhu sat to the side with his hands behind his back, watching silently.