Chapter 314: The Fourth Master's Closing Disciple, Ten-Game Six-Win System!

【Su Yun hears this, and his gaze is instantly attracted by the two jars of black and white chess pieces beside the tea table, immediately becoming interested.】

【Go!】

【Su Yun cannot help but look at Chen Jiuyan; others do not know this person's background, but he is clear about it.】

【Chen Jiuyan is naturally a pseudonym; she is the daughter of the King of Qing, the younger brother of the Qi Yuan Emperor.】

【After the Qi Yuan Emperor died, his eldest son Chen Yan succeeded to the throne, who is the current Xianhe Emperor.】

【The woman still has to respectfully address the current Emperor as cousin, and in the second year of her birth, she was enfeoffed as the Princess of Kangle.】

【Her real name is Chen Yanjiong, and this "Jiu" is her ranking as the ninth in the family.】

【Such a status is naturally noble among the common people, but it is slightly insufficient for the current Su family.】

【Su Xiang now holds power over the court and the public; officials in the court and outside, in every prefecture, are all his students and former subordinates.】

【As the head of the Nine Great Surnames, the Su family's power is immensely prominent; the sedan chair Su Yun rode in his childhood was even more magnificent than those of several princes in the palace.】

【Su Yun's father even had two princesses as concubines, but they failed to give birth to a son.】

【Su Yun's mother was a woman from the common people, but unfortunately, she passed away shortly after Su Yun was born.】

【Although his father married subsequently, he never established a formal wife position again, and even never touched them.】

【The two princesses were both supported like "golden houses hiding beauties," and they repeatedly went to the Xianhe Emperor to cry and complain, but they were all ignored.】

【Since experiencing that palace coup with the Xie family, the Xianhe Emperor Chen Yan has been devoted to mysterious cultivation, indifferent to his own flesh and blood.】

【Among the Nine Great Surnames, if one does not marry a few "princesses" or "princesses of the commandery" as caged canaries, it seems one cannot manifest one's noble status.】

【Therefore!】

【In Bianjing City, a princess of the commandery is not a rare thing.】

【What's more, that King of Qing has always been known for being "cowardly and incompetent," addicted to cockfighting and monkey shows in his youth. His fief is located in Anbei Dao, often harassed by rebel thieves. Once, three thousand thieves easily broke through the magnificent King of Qing's mansion; the King of Qing was forced to crawl through a dog hole to escape, and finally, he had to ask the Great Qi court to send troops to quell the rebellion in Anbei Dao.】

【This matter spread widely in Bianjing City, and the King of Qing was therefore jokingly called the "Dog Hole Prince," the "Prince Who Asks for Troops," and the "Paper-Paste Prince."】

【The reason Su Yun can treat this Princess of Kangle with such "courtesy" is only one.】

【That is, this Princess of Kangle is the closing disciple of Su Yun's grandfather, the current Su Xiang, and the former Fourth Master of the Academy.】

【In the Su family, grandfather is heaven; Su Yun only has reverence for his grandfather, and his grandfather sometimes examines his studies.】

【No matter how Su Yun answers, his grandfather will praise him as "clever and intelligent."】

【Su Yun does not want to study for the imperial examination; when his father and uncles learned of this, they all strongly opposed it, only his grandfather smiled and nodded, saying, "Living according to one's own ideas is a great matter; if you don't study, then don't study."】

【After that, there was no more opposition in the family.】

【The origin of his founding the Grass Hall Poetry Gathering is that his grandfather once told him an anecdote about his youth; his grandfather was just a scholar playing chess in a dilapidated alley.】

【The happiest thing at that time was when the nearby Poetry Gathering held a "Poetry Tasting Gathering" and set up a banquet, and his grandfather could mix in to eat a good meal.】

【His grandfather's greatest vision at that time was to join the Poetry Gathering and receive a few taels of silver every month, which was very happy; unfortunately, his grandfather knew nothing except playing chess, writing poetry, and writing lyrics, so he was naturally rejected by the Poetry Gathering.】

【Su Yun kept it in his heart, and making the Grass Hall Poetry Gathering famous in Great Qi became his vision.】

【He wants to make the name of the Grass Hall Poetry Gathering spread throughout the world, and then "uprightly" invite his grandfather to join the Poetry Gathering.】

【It is just that recently his grandfather's health has become worse and worse, his complexion has declined, and he is already an old man with white hair; the matter of the Poetry Gathering becoming famous has become more urgent.】

【Su Yun withdraws his thoughts; "Chen Jiuyan," as his grandfather's closing disciple, Su Yun loves the house and its crow.】

【His grandfather was proficient in the "Black and White Dao" all his life; unfortunately, Su Yun himself has no talent in this regard. His father and uncles in the family are often jokingly called "stinky chess baskets" by his grandfather.】

【This Princess of Kangle, however, inherited five parts of his grandfather's chess skill; this is what his grandfather said himself.】

【Having five parts of his grandfather's chess skill, even the chess-recruiting attendants in the palace do not have this ability.】

【The princess was taken by his grandfather by his side since childhood, carefully taught, until the King of Qing was sent to the fief, and she left Bianjing.】

【Different from ordinary daughters, the Princess of Kangle has liked dressing in men's clothes since childhood and is keen on dancing with guns and sticks.】

【Su Yun was curious about his grandfather's closing disciple when he was a child and talked to her, but was bullied by her instead.】

【He was too embarrassed to complain to his grandfather; Su Yun has been a bit afraid of this Princess of Kangle since he was a child.】

【Fortunately, in the four or five years since leaving Bianjing, this princess's temper has converged a lot.】

【This Qunfang Banquet, the King of Qing returned to the capital, and the Princess of Kangle also accompanied him, and then she moved directly into the Su Mansion.】

【These few days, his grandfather has been busy with cabinet affairs, and the Princess of Kangle felt bored, so she followed Su Yun to the Xie family to relax.】

【His grandfather's closing disciple naturally has the confidence to say "I will not lose."】

【Su Yun thinks to himself, this chess game is sure to be won; if he wins, he can let Xie Guan participate in the Poetry Gathering, isn't that wonderful.】

【Su Yun looks at you with burning eyes.】

【"Young Master Guan, what do you think?"】

【At this time!】

【The woman opposite has already picked out a chess piece with her fair and slender fingers, weighing it lightly.】

【Chen Jiuyan looks through the sunlight from the window, raises two chess pieces and says: "The white pieces are warm and moist like jade, soft but not transparent, slightly with a light yellow or emerald green color; the black pieces look like jasper when looked up at, and like lacquer when looked down at, pitch black and moist."】

【"This is a tribute from Yun'an Dao; it is worth a thousand gold on the market."】

【Chen Jiuyan turns her head and smiles: "However, I see some dust fallen on it; it shouldn't belong to Young Master Guan. A true lover of chess shouldn't treat chess pieces like this; one should love chess like a child."】

【You nod lightly; this was left here by Xie Yuan when he played chess with you last time, thinking he would play a few more games with you next time, so he simply didn't take it back.】

【You just say: "I only know the rules of chess roughly, I am not very good at it, and I rarely play against others."】

【Xie Xuan glances at the chess pieces and seems to have guessed something. Given your poor situation, it is naturally impossible to own such expensive chess pieces; these chess pieces mostly come from Xie Yuan.】

【In the Xie family, Xie Guan already has some fame, and the one who interacts with him most closely is Xie Yuan, this "Sixth Brother" of Xie Xuan.】

【He has long been quite dissatisfied with him, but there is nothing he can do.】

【Xie Yuan's biological mother comes from the Zhuge family, one of the Nine Great Surnames, and the Old Matriarch in the family dotes on him even more.】

【Both his background and the favor he receives are above him.】

【Xie Xuan sees Su Yun's expression and guesses that the woman's chess skill is mostly extraordinary; he has the intention to see Xie Guan make a fool of himself, so he says:】

【"Brother Guan, don't be modest; you once played blind chess in the courtyard and even won against Sixth Brother; Sixth Brother says to everyone that you were pointed at the head by an immortal."】

【The woman hears this, her mouth corners rise slightly, revealing a light smile, saying: "Pointed at the head by an immortal? This saying is quite interesting."】

【"Playing chess is originally a battle of mental calculation, needing to see a few steps ahead, anticipating the enemy. Blind chess relies even more on mental calculation to be able to control."】

【After speaking!】

【Her gaze flows, looking at Xie Guan, and she continues: "How about this, I will give you nine pieces, how about that?"】

【In a chess game, if there is a difference in chess skill between the two sides, for the sake of fun and fairness, one can narrow the gap between each other through "giving pieces."】

【If the chess skills of both sides are on par, they will adopt the "giving first" method, which is "the black chess player goes first without sticking to the goal," and finally use the 181 pieces of both sides as the standard for victory or defeat.】

【And if the gap in chess skill between the two sides is too large, they will adopt the "giving pieces" method, ranging from two to nine pieces; any more belongs to the category of instructional chess.】

【Xie Xuan provokes: "Brother Guan, how can you show weakness at this moment? You don't even dare to accept nine pieces; wouldn't that make people laugh?"】

【Su Yun also agrees with a smile: "How about, Jiuyan, you be more generous and give a few more pieces, how about that?"】

【You ponder slightly; facing this matter... you decide.】

1. Agree to play chess, three games two wins. (Hint: May lose a chance at the Qunfang Banquet, may be unfavorable for the future.)

2. Do not agree to play chess. (Hint: May lose an important chance, may cause an unfavorable situation for the future.)

3. Agree to play chess, ten games six wins. (Hint: May get a chance at the Qunfang Banquet, favorable for the future.)

4. Participate personally. (0/3)

The Great Cauldron reveals ten thousand rays of auspicious light, and the words above slowly settle.

Yu Ke looks at the four options above.

This Qunfang Banquet seems to have far-reaching implications; the several options triggered are all related to the Qunfang Banquet.

"Xie Guan" has already been invited, going to the Qunfang Banquet via the Sima family.

Once choosing the top courtesan, the Academy, the court, the Thirteen Continents, and even demons and the Demon Sect all gather.

This matter does not seem so simple.

And Xie Hong, Lu Hua, and the demon seed of Deze Lake, why did they all come here?

Yu Ke cannot understand, and judging from the hints, he chooses directly without hesitation.

3. Agree to play chess, ten games six wins. (Hint: May get a chance at the Qunfang Banquet, favorable for the future.)

【You shake your head.】

【Su Yun's face cannot hide his disappointment; the purpose of his coming today was to invite Xie Guan to the Qunfang Banquet to make the Poetry Gathering famous, but it seems to have fallen through.】

【The woman gently puts the chess piece in her hand into the chess jar, making a crisp sound, sighs, and says: "It's a pity for this set of chess pieces."】

【You continue: "I don't need Young Master Yan to yield; we can play chess normally."】

【"Oh?"】

【The woman hears this, and a look of interest flashes in her beautiful eyes; she examines you carefully, as if trying to read something from your eyes; after a moment, she smiles slightly and says: "Good, just as you say."】

【Su Yun's expression is happy: "Young Master Guan, you are not allowed to go back on your word; once a piece is placed, there is no regret; a gentleman's word is as good as a team of horses."】

【You smile: "Naturally."】

【Su Yun is overjoyed, urging the servants to set up the chessboard.】

【Xie Xuan watches the two with ease; he also wants to know the woman's background. He even more wants to see Xie Guan's "disarmed and armored" embarrassed expression later.】

【A chessboard is soon placed on the tea table, with nineteen black and white vertical and horizontal lines intertwined, and two black and white chess jars placed quietly on both sides of the chessboard.】

【The woman looks at you and asks: "What are the rules?"】

【"Ten-game six-win system!"】

【The woman hears this, nods indifferently, and has already started to pick up the white pieces.】

【Black pieces go first, which contains the intention of yielding.】

【Generally, when playing chess, both sides play against each other; when playing with an elder, taking black pieces shows respect.】

【If the age is similar, look at the chess skills of both sides; the weaker one takes the black pieces first.】

【You smile: "Since we are not giving pieces, let's guess who goes first."】

【The woman's expression moves, and she laughs: "Let me guess first?... That's rare."】

【The woman casually takes a few chess pieces and holds them in her hand.】

【Letting you guess odd or even.】

【After you guess correctly, you take the black pieces first.】

【You are not proficient in chess, so you don't act arrogant.】

【Xie Xuan sees you take the black chess jar, and there is a look of disdain on his face; in the end, you are still playing with black pieces, why put on an act.】

【Su Yun is interested, his eyes fixed on the two placing pieces.】

【He has a family background, and his chess skill is already far beyond ordinary people, ranked in the third grade.】

【The sound of placing pieces "pipa" sounds like large and small pearls falling on a jade plate, quietly sounding in the room.】

【Outside the house, the sun is shining, and the ice and snow under the eaves melt and flow down the tiles in trickles, with a "drip-drop" sound.】

【Inside the house, there is a heater burning scarlet charcoal, and the teapot is steaming with hot steam.】

【A group of servants, although submissive, cannot help but steal glances at the chessboard. Although they don't understand chess, they are also attracted by the atmosphere of this duel.】

【After only a few dozen moves!】

【The sneer on Xie Xuan's face becomes more obvious; this Xie Guan is just a "pewter spear head"; he thought he was really proficient in chess.】

【Now Xie Guan has begun to fall into long deliberation, holding the piece in his hand, unable to decide.】

【Looking at the woman, one hand is on the tea table supporting her beautiful chin, the other hand placing a piece, her expression relaxed.】

【Xie Xuan shakes his head; Xie Guan is sure to lose.】

【Sure enough, as expected!】

【At the end of the first game, the woman wins.】

【Su Yun is also somewhat surprised; Xie Guan's chess skill is really not deep, as he said himself, maybe fifth-grade chess skill; even he himself cannot beat Xie Guan.】

【You quietly stare at the stars scattered on the chessboard, not in a hurry to collect the pieces.】

【The woman sees this and doesn't urge, just saying faintly: "I admit it."】

【You close your eyes slightly and ponder for a moment, then open your eyes again and say: "Let's start."】

【Black and white pieces enter the jar, and the second game unfolds immediately.】

【Xie Xuan examines the chessboard again; after a few dozen moves, the situation is already unfavorable for you.】

【He sees you still thinking for a while before every move, and he is even more certain that you will lose this game again.】

【Xie Xuan naturally sees that the woman's chess style is old and spicy, moving airtight; he speculates whether the woman has the chess skill of a small first grade.】

【Chess is divided into nine grades, with the first grade being the best.】

【Small first grade, that is, second-grade chess skill, is already honored as a small grandmaster in the Great Qi chess world.】

【In Great Qi, there are only a few dozen people with first-grade chess skill, most of whom are some old people among the chess-recruiting attendants in the palace.】

【There are only a dozen people in the folk who have reached the first grade "entering the god."】

【Those who enter the god in the first grade have unpredictable changes and can know in advance; their essence enters the god, and they can defeat the opponent's chess without fighting, and there is no enemy.】

【The second grade is sitting and illuminating; if you give half a move to the one who enters the god, you will hit without effort, get without thinking, and be extremely empty and good at responding.】

【The second-grade realm is basically enough to sweep across a group of noble sons and daughters of the Nine Great Surnames.】

【In the second game, you lost again.】

(End of Chapter) CHAPTER 315

(End of this chapter)