Chapter 88: A Game of Chess

The light at night was already insufficient, and under the addition of candlelight, the makeup on A Jiao's face appeared even paler. A Jiao didn't expect Liu Che to suddenly reach out and touch her face, and could even sense so keenly that she had applied foundation.

The reason her complexion appeared so gray and white was because A Li had painted it with that makeup. Now that it had been detected by Liu Che, A Jiao's heart tightened slightly.

"Cough, cough, cough." She hurriedly used coughing to cover up her panic, and then said weakly: "It's A Li."

Liu Che was puzzled: "What's wrong with A Li?"

"My original complexion was too poor, and I was afraid of scaring Mother, so I applied some fine powder on my face to make my complexion look better." A Jiao explained while panting, looking as if she were about to stop breathing at any moment.

Liu Che's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said: "Don't talk, rest well." He leaned over slightly and reached out to pat A Jiao's back: "Tomorrow I will go find Chu Fu and have her break the witchcraft cast on you."

A Jiao's expression froze slightly, then she replied in a low voice, closed her eyes, and said: "Rest."

"Alright."

Early the next morning, the first to wake up was Liu Li. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a beautiful sleeping face. She was stunned for a while before realizing it was Liu Che.

In fact, she hadn't fallen asleep while lying on the bed board last night. When Liu Che entered the bedchamber to pick her up, she was pretending to be asleep. She remained awake the entire time until Liu Che placed her between himself and A Jiao, and the three of them—a family of three—lay together.

Liu Che said: "It seems our family has never slept together like this before."

Liu Li's heart was also inexplicably touched.

She thought of all the things that had happened since she traveled through time, from the moment he protected her from falling off the cliff, she had already regarded this Emperor Wu of Han, who left a heavy mark in history and was evaluated by later generations as the Emperor through the ages, as her own father.

If possible, she really hoped that such a peaceful and calm moment could be preserved forever.

"A Li is awake?" At this time, Liu Che also woke up. He reached out and poked his daughter's cheek: "A Li snored while sleeping last night, like a little piglet."

Piglet, a little pig.

Liu Li reached out to cover her cheek: "I'm like a little piglet because of Father."

Liu Che found it funny: "How is it because of me?"

"Because Father is a big pig." Liu Li said, suppressing a smile.

Liu Che: "?"

He didn't get angry, but instead seemed very happy and curious: "Why say I'm a big pig?"

Liu Li: "..."

Oh, she had forgotten that in the Western Han period, the word "pig" wasn't a derogatory term, and to a certain extent, it could even be considered a compliment. After all, the pig was also in the twelve zodiac signs of ancient legends, symbolizing moving forward bravely.

So saying someone was like a pig at this time was equivalent to praising the other person for being very brave.

"I once flipped through some folk miscellanies, which recorded some interesting stories about Father. The miscellanies said that Father's name when he was a child was Liu Zhi, is that so?"

Liu Che laughed out loud upon hearing this: "Where did this miscellany come from? Why have I never seen it?"

Liu Li naturally wouldn't say that this miscellany hadn't been written yet, so she asked coquettishly: "Then was Father's childhood name Liu Zhi? Tell your daughter."

"No such thing." Liu Che raised his eyebrows: "I have always had this name."

Official history may not be official, and unofficial history may not be unofficial. It seemed that the miscellany *Stories of Han Wudi* wasn't entirely fictional. At least in this space-time, the story of "Golden House for A Jiao" was true.

"The name Liu Zhi sounds quite good." Liu Che thought thoughtfully: "In the future, I can name my legitimate Imperial Son Zhi."

Liu Li: "???" Wild boar Emperor, are you serious?

"Absolutely not." Liu Li hurriedly stopped him: "Although the wild boar symbolizes bravery, but... but if it's taken as a name, it's too childish. Father, think twice."

She shouldn't have mentioned the name Liu Zhi to Liu Che.

Seeing Liu Li react so strongly, Liu Che had to say: "Alright, alright, let's talk about it later."

A Jiao, sleeping on the other side, listened silently to their father-daughter conversation and curled her lips quietly.

If it were before, Chu Fu would definitely be dead.

But today, Liu Che suppressed the killing intent in his heart and ordered people to capture Chu Fu and bring her to Wenshi Hall. Liu Che sat in his seat, looking coldly at Chu Fu kneeling before him, and said: "For your method of cursing the Son of Heaven, even the punishment of being torn apart by chariots and beheaded would not be too much."

Chu Fu hurriedly prostrated herself, shivering.

"What witchcraft did you cast on the Son of Heaven to make her unable to be cured until now?" Liu Che said in a deep voice: "I order you to break the curse immediately."

"Yes." Chu Fu said with a trembling voice: "As long as the Emperor is fed rootless water for three consecutive days, she can recover."

"Rootless water?" Liu Che frowned: "What is rootless water?"

"The so-called rootless water is water that has not been contaminated by the earth, such as first snow, morning dew, and fine rain," Chu Fu said to Liu Che according to Liu Li's words. "This water can clear heat and detoxify. After collecting a pot of rootless water, boil it and let the Emperor drink it."

"Really?" Liu Che hesitated in his heart. Having been deceived by Chu Fu once, he naturally wouldn't believe it easily.

"This servant's words are true. Deceiving the Empress before was a last resort. If Chu Fu's clan were not in the hands of the Huainan King, Chu Fu would never have dared to practice witchcraft to curse the Son of Heaven," Chu Fu said with a stern face, full of true feelings. "Now I only hope the Son of Heaven recovers early, so I can save my clan from fire and water."

Liu Che narrowed his eyes: "I will believe you one more time. If the Emperor does not improve, I will definitely make you feel the punishment of being torn apart by chariots."

It was already early spring, the first snow had long melted, and for some reason, there was very little rain this year. The only rootless water that could be obtained was morning dew. After Liu Che asked Chu Fu how to obtain morning dew, he arranged for more than a dozen palace maids to hold bowls and go to the garden to catch morning dew while it was still dark before dawn.

It wasn't until the sun came out that the morning dew collected by more than a dozen palace maids was gathered together, and they barely managed to fill a small pot. Afterward, the palace attendants boiled the morning dew and fed it to the Son of Heaven.

Repeating this for three days, Liu Che watched A Jiao's complexion improve day by day, and only then did the breath he was holding in his heart gradually relax.

Of course, the news of the Son of Heaven's recovery was not spread, and it was still claimed to the outside world that the Son of Heaven was seriously ill and not recovering.

Relatively speaking, A Jiao was much more relaxed, at least she didn't have to pretend to be sick in front of Liu Che. She thought that if she continued to pretend, she would probably be exposed very soon.

Liu Che was naturally happy to see A Jiao's illness gradually improve, but now that the Huainan King hadn't made any moves, he could only let A Jiao continue to pretend to be sick.

——Huainan Kingdom Palace

The Huainan King Liu An and his guests continued to secretly discuss the rebellion, and the people sent to Chang'an to inquire about news returned to report the situation in Weiyang Palace and the Son of Heaven's recent condition.

Liu An was very surprised upon hearing this: "Liu Che actually handed the tiger tally to the Empress? This Empress actually tricked the Empress Dowager? Now on the surface, the Empress Dowager is still presiding over the government, but in reality, the Empress is handling government affairs?"

Not only was Liu An a bit confused when he heard this news, but even the guests who were planning with him didn't expect things to develop like this.

Liu Ling, who was on the side, laughed out loud: "Truly worthy of Elder Sister A Jiao, she actually has such ability."

The Huainan King Crown Prince Liu Qian said: "Father, now the court is not developing in the direction we expected, what should we do?"

"It doesn't matter who is presiding over the government." Liu An said: "Now it is true that Liu Che is terminally ill, and he hasn't established a Crown Prince. Once he passes away, he will inevitably attract other feudal princes to enter the palace. As the grandson of the Gaozu Emperor, how can I not fight for it?"

The guests Wu Bei and Zuo Wu, who were sitting on the side, looked at each other. Regarding the King's idea, they really didn't know how to persuade him.

Speaking of the former Huainan King Liu Chang, no one knew what he was thinking, taking seventy people and wanting to kill his way into Chang'an to rebel, only to be caught by Emperor Xiaowen and sentenced to exile and starvation on the road.

Why did the current Huainan King still want to follow his father's old path? Wasn't it good to be a feudal prince peacefully?

Hearing the spy report that the court had arranged for the Lieutenant Yin Hong to visit the Huainan Kingdom, the Huainan King was puzzled: "Why did the Son of Heaven arrange for someone to come to my Huainan? Could it be that the matter A Ling planned before was exposed?"

Others guessed: "Could it be to attend the Crown Prince's wedding?"

"That's also possible." Liu An looked at Liu Qian: "My child, how is the preparation for your wedding?"

Liu Qian said: "Father, rest assured, everything is prepared."

"This future Crown Princess is after all the Empress Dowager's granddaughter, so we must be on guard." Liu An said: "Find a way to send her back to Chang'an."

Liu Qian said: "After the wedding, I will ignore her for a few months and see what face she has to stay."

Liu An nodded with satisfaction. He turned to look at his Neishi: "Neishi Dafu, in your opinion, when should I use troops?"

The Neishi Dafu in the feudal kingdom was equivalent to the Imperial Censor in the central court. Except for the Kingdom Prime Minister who was sent by the court to monitor the feudal princes, the others could be said to be confidants promoted by the Huainan King himself.

The Neishi Dafu said: "This subject believes that no matter what this Lieutenant envoy came to Huainan for, he must be dealt with."

Liu An nodded in agreement: "Neishi's words are reasonable."

Wu Bei, a guest on the side, said: "Absolutely not, Your Majesty."

Liu An looked at Wu Bei: "What high opinion does Mr. Wu have?"

"The Lieutenant envoy was sent by the court after all. If something happens to him, I fear the Son of Heaven will arrange for more people to investigate." Wu Bei said: "At that time, I fear it will bring more trouble."

"Then what if he finds out something? Wouldn't our previous deployment be in vain?"

Wu Bei: "Your Majesty can pretend to receive him and finally send him away."

Liu An thought about it and felt Wu Bei's statement was also correct. After thinking for a moment, he said: "Since that's the case, when this envoy comes, let Liu Qian be responsible for receiving him."

Liu Qian replied: "Yes."

Liu Ling, who had been silent, suddenly said: "In my opinion, the uprising should be stopped for now."

Liu Qian looked at his younger sister: "What does A Ling mean by this?"

Liu Ling said: "Since the court can arrange for a Lieutenant envoy to come, it shows that the Son of Heaven is not yet terminally ill. Chu Fu was arranged by me to be by the Empress's side, and this matter was originally a hidden danger. It's better to wait until the court concludes the witchcraft case before we make plans."

Others heard this and felt it made some sense, so Liu An decided to shelve the rebellion for now and wait to see the court's direction and the Son of Heaven's condition.

Liu An asked: "Will Chu Fu's matter really not implicate us?"

"It will." Liu Ling said with a smile.

Liu An: "?"

"So the court arranged for someone to investigate." Liu Ling said: "But without evidence, why should Chu Fu's personal behavior be elevated to our entire Huainan Kingdom? When the envoy comes, we can just make up a reason and distance ourselves from Chu Fu."

Liu Qian heard Liu Ling's heartless words and sighed: "A Ling is truly heartless, Chu Fu followed you for quite a few years."

"If Elder Brother feels sorry for her, you can go and admit to the envoy that it was you who ordered Chu Fu to do so, and save her life." Liu Ling sneered.

Liu Qian: "..."

Liu Ling didn't bother to look at her two stupid brothers fighting, and left first.

Liu Qian and Liu Ling, brother and sister, walked out of the deliberation hall and happened to meet Liu An's eldest son, Liu Bu Hai.

Liu Qian said contemptuously: "The deliberation hall is an important place, why are you still wandering around here, you illegitimate son? Don't you have anything else to do?"

Liu Bu Hai, as Liu Qian's elder brother, was treated like this and felt resentful in his heart. But because he was an illegitimate son and not favored by his father, he could only swallow his anger in the face of Liu Qian's humiliation.

Liu Ling didn't bother to watch her two stupid brothers fight and left first.

A Jiao's illness was disguised until May before it was considered completely recovered.

There was no other reason, just because the Lieutenant Yin Hong did not

Liu Che was also so angry at this result that he laughed. This uncle, the Huainan King, had already harbored ulterior motives back during the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms. Yet, he had plotted for so many years only to take no action.

Now that he had finally found a breakthrough with Chu Fu, the Huainan King had hidden away again because they had startled the snake by beating the grass. It was truly infuriating.

Liu Che also understood that, currently, relying solely on Chu Fu's confession was not enough to convict the Huainan King. If he were to attack without cause, it would instead provoke dissatisfaction among the other feudal kingdoms. If the feudal lords were to unite at that time, it would only increase the trouble, so he had no choice but to let it go for now.

"Pass on my decree: the witch Chu Fu has committed a great crime against the Dao by cursing the Son of Heaven, behead..." Liu Che was just about to announce the punishment for Chu Fu when he was stopped by Liu Li, who had rushed in.

"Mother, don't." Liu Li rushed in, drawing everyone's gaze.

"All of you, withdraw. I have something to discuss with Mother." Liu Li assumed the posture of a princess and ordered everyone to withdraw.

When only she and Liu Che were left in the hall, Liu Li said, "Father Emperor, could you spare Chu Fu's life?"

"Chu Fu practiced witchcraft to curse the Son of Heaven. If I forgive her, wouldn't everyone dare to do the same in the future?" Liu Che's voice was somewhat dissatisfied.

"But Chu Fu was coerced after all; she had no choice but to do so for the sake of her own clansmen," Liu Li said. "Furthermore, she truly has ability; she even dispelled the witchcraft for Mother."

"That still doesn't..."

Liu Li continued, interrupting Liu Che's words: "Father Emperor, since Chu Fu is so capable, why don't we persuade her to be used by the imperial court? I think as long as we rescue her clansmen from the Huainan Kingdom, she will definitely not be coerced into doing bad things anymore."

"Besides, this whole incident happened because you wanted to switch bodies back with Mother, which is why you fell for Chu Fu's trap and gave her the opportunity to harm Mother."

Liu Che: "..." He listened and actually felt there was some logic to it!

But Liu Che still spoke up: "The Great Han strictly prohibits witchcraft; Chu Fu must be punished."

Liu Li spoke faintly: "Then, Father Emperor, do you need to punish yourself first?"

Liu Che: "..."

"Although Chu Fu is guilty, her crime does not warrant death. If Father Emperor insists on killing Chu Fu to warn the world, why not let her fake her death?" Liu Li suggested in a low voice: "You can find a death-row prisoner to replace Chu Fu, and then secretly imprison Chu Fu elsewhere. That would also count as sparing her."

Liu Che was puzzled: "Where did you come up with this ghostly idea?"

Liu Li gave a cunning smile: "Because A Li inherited Father Emperor's intelligence." Such a matter of swapping the beams for pillars might be difficult for others to do, but for the supreme authority, it was nothing more than a single word.

"Give me a reason why I must spare Chu Fu. If you can convince me, I will spare her."

Where could there be any reason? Because the real mastermind was himself. Of course, Liu Li didn't dare say this to Liu Che. After thinking for a moment, she put her hands together and said: "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

At this time, thought and culture had not yet been unified, and Buddhism had not even been introduced to the Western Han, so this sentence meant nothing to Liu Che.

He even asked in return: "What does that mean?"

Liu Li: "..."

There was no other way, so Liu Li had to bring out Liu Che's faith: "The Heavenly God guided me; I am merely conveying the meaning of the Heavenly God to Father Emperor."

Liu Che: "Heh."

Since it was the meaning of the Heavenly God, Liu Che had to give some face regardless, so he adopted Liu Li's suggestion. On the surface, he had Chu Fu beheaded to show the public, but in reality, he secretly sent Chu Fu to Ganquan Palace to be kept under strict guard.

Liu Li quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, as a participant, Liu Che also punished himself symbolically, fining himself one year's monthly salary to show penance.

Liu Li rolled her eyes upon hearing this. What difference was there between this and "punishing oneself by drinking three cups of wine"?

Liu Che also promised Liu Li that he would find a way to rescue Chu Fu's clansmen from the Huainan Kingdom. Liu Li expressed her gratitude.

Finally, this seemingly absurd witchcraft incident, which had lasted for two months, had finally come to an end.

The Son of Heaven recovered from his illness, the Empress was fined a year's salary, and everything seemed to be a happy ending.

The only one who was unhappy was Wei Zifu, who had not participated in it. In this lifetime, Empress Chen cursed the Son of Heaven, and she was only fined money?

Liu Che, how can you be so unfair?!

Wei Zifu was shocked.

Since you can so easily let Chen Ajiao off, why were you unwilling to let go of the son you had hoped for and nurtured for so many years back then?

Thinking of this, the resentment in Wei Zifu's heart inevitably deepened a lot more.

After the Son of Heaven recovered from his illness, the guard at Wenshi Hall was naturally lifted, and the Qimen Army and the Feathered Forest Guard all returned to their respective duties.

Liu Che took Liu Li and moved back to Jiaofang Hall, and everything in the palace returned to normal.

As for the gift Liu Li had promised to give Liu Che, the carpenter had already finished making it. She excitedly held this box of newly made chess pieces and presented it to Liu Che.

Liu Che opened the box and took out the chess pieces one by one to look at them. "Didn't you say you would wait until my birthday to give it to me?"

"I didn't expect things to end so quickly either." In her previous plan, this witchcraft case could have solved the Huainan King as well, so wouldn't that have taken several months?

Who knew it wouldn't.

Liu Li pouted and said: "If Father Emperor doesn't want it, then give the gift back to me first."

"Who said I don't want it?" Liu Che took out all the chess pieces and pointed at the black and red pieces on them, asking: "What do these mean?"

Liu Li: "Father Emperor, this is called Xiangqi, a type of gameplay extended from the principles of Liubo chess. Let me explain the rules to you."

As she spoke, her little face was filled with a look of triumph.

Liu Li flipped the chess box over; the chessboard was drawn on the back of the box. Then, she placed the chess pieces one by one according to their positions: "Father Emperor, look, this is Xiangqi. If the two of us are playing against each other, we each represent one side. This place in the middle of the chessboard is called the Chu River and Han Border."

Liu Che raised an eyebrow: "Chu River and Han Border?"

Liu Li nodded: "Yes, Chu represents the Chu King Xiang Yu from back then, and Han naturally represents the Great Han."

"Interesting, interesting." After hearing Liu Li's explanation, Liu Che became very interested: "A Li, how did you think of turning the game between the Chu King Xiang Yu and my ancestor Liu Bang back then into a chessboard?"

Liu Li: "... Ahem, naturally it was taught to your daughter by the Heavenly God."

Her eyes rolled around, and she said with a smile: "Father Emperor, let me tell you a legend as well."

"Alright."

"It is said that one day when the gods in heaven were bored, they saw humans fighting a war. That was exactly when the ancestor Liu Bang and the Chu King Xiang Yu were competing for the world. So the gods began to bet on which side would win this war in the human world. In the end, to commemorate it, the gods invented this Xiangqi gameplay."

Liu Che: "Why have I never heard of this legend of yours?"

Because I made it up.

"Oh my, anyway, this is how Xiangqi came to be. Do you want to learn it or not, Father Emperor?" Liu Li quickly changed the subject, no longer dwelling on this issue: "Let me teach you some basic rules. Start with the small soldiers; the small soldiers and pawns can only move forward and cannot retreat. After crossing the river, they can move sideways, and each move can only be one square..."

Liu Li taught all the rules of Xiangqi to Liu Che, and Liu Che raised his eyebrows and said: "This Xiangqi is actually even more fun than Liubo."

Liu Li rubbed her hands together and said: "Then, Father Emperor, how about we play a game?"

Liu Che: "Alright." He looked at the pieces on the board and asked: "Which side represents the Great Han?"

Liu Li: "Uh, is that important?"

"Of course it's important. As the Son of Heaven of the Great Han, I must naturally represent the Great Han."

Liu Li's mouth twitched, and she said helplessly: "Whoever wins will represent the Great Han."

Although Liu Li was not a Xiangqi master, she was at least an enthusiast. In the first game, she directly checkmated Liu Che with a double-cannon move. In the second game, Liu Che became more cautious and knew how to defend, but in the end, he was reduced to a "bare commander" by Liu Li.

After three consecutive games, Liu Che ended up in a miserable defeat.

It wasn't until the fourth game that Liu Che, having completely familiarized himself with the rules and gameplay, turned defeat into victory and even wiped out Liu Li's forces completely.

Liu Li: "..." One had to admit that Liu Che was a natural strategist; he would fully utilize every piece on the chessboard. He even learned to set traps to lure Liu Li into taking them, and then turn around to reap even greater benefits.

Having lost two games in a row, Liu Li looked at the smug look on Liu Che's face across from her and thought angrily that she would have the carpenter make a set of Mahjong another day.

When the time came, she would teach Liu Che how to play Mahjong, and she didn't believe he could still beat her at Mahjong!