Chapter 430: A runny‑nosed kid who single‑handedly challenges a Great Qin chess player

……

It's possible! As long as you defeat the Great Qin chess player, bring glory to the country, become a champion marquis, with a fief of nine thousand!

The Grand Tàijiān, with a group of little Tàijiāns, returned again to the outside of Princess Taiping's mansion, the Eastern mansion, and Heng Xian's room, as respectful as possible!

Inside the room, Xu Lulu looked at Heng Xian with bright eyes.

Heng Xian coughed once: 'You wait outside the door, I'll come shortly!'

Yes!

A group of Tàijiāns turned and left.

Heng Xian stretched lazily and walked out the door.

Xu Lulu followed behind, saying: 'I'm really curious just how strong your chess skill is; if you're bluffing, in front of the whole capital's populace, be careful not to make a fool of yourself!'

Heng Xian didn't speak, just kept walking forward.

Xu Lulu limped along silently, but after a while she suddenly noticed Heng Xian wasn't heading for the main gate, but to the servants' quarters, and couldn't help wondering: 'Where are you going?'

Heng Xian pointed ahead.

There was a small pavilion where two seven- or eight-year-old children were playing xiangqi; one wore thick cotton clothing, the other wiped his nose, upper body in a tattered sweater, lower body bare-bottomed, exposing his little chicken outside.

Xu Lulu looked bewildered.

Heng Xian asked: 'You say, why isn't this child afraid of the cold?'

Even though Xu Lulu had seen much of palace rules and the vicissitudes of officialdom, with a deep scheming mind, she couldn't help but feel angry— the whole capital's populace is waiting for you to save the day, yet you run over to worry about whether a child fears the cold? She suppressed her anger and said: 'In the Great Zhou, the Five Elements belong to fire; Qijing is a land of fire virtue; when fate and opportunity align, children with fire-virtue bodies are born, naturally unafraid of the cold— nothing surprising!'

Heng Xian nodded and walked over.

The two children playing xiangqi, upon seeing him, hurriedly stood up and nervously leaned to one side.

Heng Xian squatted down, smiling, and asked: 'Why aren't you sleeping?'

The bare-bottomed child, bolder, wiped his nose with his sleeve, eyes darting: 'My mother works in the kitchen ahead; at midnight, when the master sleeps and doesn't eat, she'll come back and secretly bring us chicken legs!'

The other child smacked him: 'Mother doesn't allow us to say that!'

The bare-bottomed child hastily covered his mouth.

Heng Xian laughed, pointing at the xiangqi board: 'You know how to play chess?'

The bare-bottomed child said: 'Yes, we've been able to play since we were four!'

Heng Xian said: 'Then how many moves can you remember?'

The two children looked at the board together; the child beside whispered: 'I can remember twenty moves!'

The bare-bottomed child said: 'I—I can remember forty moves!'

'No bragging!' Heng Xian felt moved; in his previous life, at this age he could barely remember a hammer move, and keeping track of three or five steps was already impressive— no wonder these children raised with spiritual energy!

The bare-bottomed child wiped his nose again: 'Tie Dan doesn't brag!'

Xu Lulu at the side had been watching coldly; now she faintly sensed something, her face full of 'you've got to be kidding': 'You wouldn't… let them go, would you?'

Heng Xian said: 'What do you think?'

Xu Lulu widened her eyes: 'I think your… miraculous method… is very strange!'

Heng Xian ignored her, looking at the bare-bottomed child, smiling: 'Go help me do something; I'll give you a hundred chicken legs, and then let your mother come home earlier each day— dare you?'

The bare-bottomed child tilted his head, thought, and said: 'A hundred chicken legs, I dare!'

Heng Xian rose, formed seals with both hands, pressed on the child's crown, and forcibly infused the final calculation of the 'Profound Yellow Heavenly Hexagram' into him.

Then he released his hands: 'Remembered it?'

The bare-bottomed child's eyes were a bit dazed, but quickly cleared; he nodded and said: 'Remembered!'

Heng Xian turned, looking at the group of palace maids and granddaughter officials who had been following: 'Let Mulan and this child's mother take the child to outside the West Palace Gate to play a match against the Great Qin chess player!'

That granddaughter official opened her mouth wide, as if seeing a ghost, stunned for half a moment: 'Okay…!'

Soon, Mulan and the child's mother were summoned, together with a group of black cavalry, they grudgingly hurried to outside the West Palace Gate.

The Tàijiāns outside the gate instantly fell into chaos: 'Lord Heng?!'

'My son-in-law! What are you doing?!'

'You're not bringing this kind of thing! Aren't you going yourself?!'

'Let a child go?!'

……

Xu Lulu calmed down a bit, also staring fixedly at Heng Xian: 'Do you think this unenlightened child, after you've infused him with a bit of chess skill, can defeat the Great Qin chess player?'

Heng Xian said slowly and deliberately: 'Can!'

Xu Lulu really couldn't believe it: 'You haven't even seen the Great Qin chess player yourself, so how can you be certain a child can win?'

Heng Xian exclaimed: 'How do you know I haven't seen him? Maybe I'm quite familiar with him!'

Xu Lulu hesitated a moment, unable to suppress her curiosity; she pushed off with her foot and dashed straight to outside the West Palace Gate, wanting to see for herself.

……

Outside the West Palace Gate.

Lights blazing, beneath the massive edifice celebrating the Holy Grace Heavenly Empress's birthday, the dense crowd did not disperse!

Because the person set up by the Great Qin state to challenge is still there!

Without having defeated the opponent, no one can let go of their worries!

They are even less willing to leave!

Under the chessboard, Hu Ye Ming's face already showed a hint of impatience, his words somewhat disrespectful: 'Having surveyed the entire Great Zhou capital, I find no worthy opponent, wasting my time for nothing!'

'Hahaha…' Ying Zhuhou's smile had already grown numb, yet having first arrived in the Great Zhou and immediately traversed horizontally and vertically, he was truly delighted!

'Alas! The Great Zhou capital disappoints me!'

In the corner, the Fourth Prince of Great Zhou, Ying Zhiqie, had also arrived; beside him stood a red‑clad, bright‑eyed, white‑toothed Han Fuyao and the clingy Princess of Weiguo.

Wei State Princess wore a proud look: "What land of etiquette, talented people and auspicious land—all just bluff; I certainly don't want to marry into this place!"

Han Fuyou lightly laughed and shook his head, saying: "Don't say that, Master Hu Ye Ming has been immersed in the Map of Rivers and Mountains for 180 years, familiar with all manner of alliances and strategies, and the possible developments of a game number 16,730; there is no one who can beat him even in the Qin capital!"

Cannot deny a great Eastern nation just because of a trivial game of chess!

On the other side.

Ji Yaoyue and her siblings were also surrounded by people from the Xianqing Palace, standing in an inconspicuous corner, silently watching.

Ji Yaoyue tried to leave several times, but was stopped each time by Granny Su.

In the distance, Ye Xingruo gazed foolishly over.

Soon, Jiang Xiaoyu, Sun Qianqian, and a large group of talented elites and noble young ladies from the Imperial Capital Academy swarmed over.

Jiang Xiaoyu said dejectedly: "Why did you only come now? I've lost fifty-one games, so frustrated!"

Ji Yaoyue glanced at the crown prince and Ying Zhihou on the high platform, their faces pallid, and shook her head: "There must be a way!"

At that moment, beneath the chessboard, Hu Ye Ming shouted again: "Great Zhou, is anyone still there? According to the rules, if no player steps up, after half an incense stick I will count as the victor!"

The crowd of 100,000 spectators became somewhat restless.

Jiang Xiaoyu loudly said: "As the saying goes, circumstances create heroes; at this moment there should be a hidden peerless master who steps forward to defeat him..."

No sooner had the words fallen than a weak child's voice came from an inconspicuous corner of the crowd: "I'll come!"

"Swish..."

This voice was especially different, like timely rain and holy light, illuminating everyone's hearts; the 100,000 spectators all turned their heads in unison,

Then,

one saw a seven- or eight-year-old naked-bottomed child timidly wiping his nose on his dark sleeve, the "Screw Little Chicken" standing stubbornly in the cold wind.

Beside her, Mulan's face was flushed red, while the child's mother's face turned deathly pale; they still hadn't recovered from the "Prince Consort's" behavior.

"Uh..." the crowd collectively froze.

The Qin princes Ying Zhi Hou and Ying Zhi Qi, Han Fuyou, and the Wei State Princess all looked bewildered.

Hu Ye Ming was also a bit dazed, then burst out laughing: "Did the Great Zhou send a child just to amuse us?"

(End of chapter)