Let Me Pursue You

Chapter 22 – The Game

Yuan Cixian turned her head when she heard the movement, and smiled when she saw him: “Mr. is here!”

Lu Shiqing avoided looking at her, nodded and lowered his eyes as usual: “Xu has met the county master.”

She waved her hand to indicate that there is no need to be too polite, and showed him a red sandalwood birdcage inlaid with gold wire in front of the window: “Do you think it looks good, sir?”

He glanced at it and asked, “Are you asking about the bird, or the cage?”

Yuan Cixian gave a pretty smile: “It seems that the master thinks that the bird is as beautiful as the cage, and the same is not good.”

“Yes. Xu thinks the birdcage looks good, but the bird doesn’t look good.”

“Why?”

“Because the bird is in a cage.”

“Mr. is really a man of temperament. The bird in the cage loses its vitality, so it is naturally not as good as the one outside.” Yuan Cixian opened the cage door, glanced at the thrush that was still parked obediently inside, and said, “Look, in It has been in the cage for a long time, even if I am willing to let it go, it will not go away.

Lu Shiqing said “yes”.

She then handed the birdcage to the maidservant, told them to take it down, stretched out her hand to signal him to sit across from the chess table, and said, “I don’t like raising birds, so I asked my elder brother to buy one for me, just to have a look. Is the thrush easy to feed.”

Lu Shiqing seemed to have realized something: “The county lord is strange, why did the thrush bird that His Highness the Sixth Highness gave to Brother Ling die within a few days?”

She smiled: “Nothing can be hidden from sir.”

He explained: “The thrush has been specially domesticated, and it can send messages by calling. His Highness didn’t fully trust Brother Ling earlier. Although he sent the news, he also fed poison to the bird to avoid being caught.”

Yuan Cixian seemed very satisfied with his frankness, nodded and said: “It is much safer for a thrush to send a message than a parrot with words. Later, the master asked my brother to send a letter to southern Yunnan. The bird was mentioned in the book, and the spies of the sage saw it on purpose, so as to reassure him. It is really wonderful.”

Lu Shiqing was silent for a while, imitating what she said earlier: “You can’t hide anything from the county lord.”

She smiled lightly, and attracted two chess boys: “I won’t talk about this anymore, I invited Mr. to come to watch the chess.”

“What kind of chess game do you want to watch?”

She pondered for a while, and said: “Sir, do you still remember the game of chess that defeated Mr. Xu in Xunyang? My father was obsessed with chess, and spent a lot of money to find the chess records of that battle, but he met some charlatans.”

Lu Shiqing said with a slight smile: “It’s an old story twelve years ago. That day, Xu and Mr. Xu ran into each other at the head of the Xunyang River. The outcome is determined by the law. Naturally, there is no chess record left.”

Yuan Cixian suddenly realized: “No wonder.”

“Since the county magistrate wants to see it, Xu will dictate it again. If your father needs it, you can draw a game record for him.”

“So, won’t it break Mr.’s rules?”

He smiled lightly: “Xu has no rules.”

Two chess boys came forward, each holding a chess pot in his hand, as Lu Shiqing said, one landed black pieces and the other white stones.

“From east five south nine, east five south twelve, from west eight south ten, west nine south ten…”

The surroundings were quiet, the voices of people were deep and gentle, and the sounds of the sons were crisp and bright. Listening to this, Yuan Cixian felt itchy in his heart, as if being brushed by fine grass. She seemed to lower her eyes and rest her cheeks, watching the chess game, but her mind wandered somewhere.

The Xunyang River must be beautiful, she thought suddenly.

There are willow banks in the spring breeze, a vigorous young man and an old man with white beard and long eyebrows. There are peerless chess records that have not been sung in the world, but there is no intrigue in the imperial city, just like the southern Yunnan she is very greedy for.

It was at this time when her mind was wandering, she suddenly heard the person on the other side calling her: “County Lord?”

She came back to her senses in an instant, seeing that the chess board was densely packed, she hurriedly said: “I am here.”

Lu Shiqing didn’t seem to understand the longing that flashed in her eyes, and asked: “Xu has already made a move to decide the outcome, do you want to try to solve this chess game?”

She didn’t answer for a while, and asked Qitong and the servants on all sides to retreat, and then asked: “Sir, are the mountains and rivers in Xunyang beautiful?”

Lu Shiqing was taken aback for a moment, and said, “It looks good.”

“You used to be there, what did you do in your free time?”

“Fishing.”

Yuan Cixian smiled: “Then why did you come to Chang’an? Even the fish and shrimp here are more cunning than other places, and it is difficult to catch.”

Lu Shiqing was silent for a long time before saying: “The world is turbid and the body is hard to clean. The county lord feels that if one day the mountains in Chang’an collapse and the water dries up, what will happen to Xunyang?”

“There will be no more fish and shrimp in Xunyang.”

He nodded: “That’s why I came.”

“You wanted to save the fish and shrimp in Xunyang, but why did you choose His Highness Six?”

“When His Royal Highness came to look for Xu, Xu had three questions. The first question was why he came. He answered it was the world. The second question was that the world is in the hands of a sage, what should he do with this unfavorable concubine prince. He said ——’My dad likes to be in power, but the tricks can cure dad’s heart disease, but can’t cure dad’s world. I want to make the rotten trees all over the world rejuvenate, the withered grass regenerate, capable people with lofty ideals have talents, and the common people are blessed and able to enjoy , all the countries in the eight directions congratulated me on the prosperity of the Great Zhou, but did not dare to go one step further.’”

Yuan Cixian’s eyes flickered, and she blinked very slowly: “What about the third question?”

“Xu asked him, if one day wins the world, how will it be governed? It is not a trick, so, is it a horse with a bow, or gold, silver, money and food.”

“How does His Highness answer?”

“Dealize the people with virtue, treat scholars with righteousness, protect the country with respect, rule the country with law, control the four regions of Wuzhen, and cultivate the world with benevolence.”

Yuan Cixian was silent for a while, and then laughed: “How do you know, sir, what His Highness said is not empty words?”

Lu Shiqing also seemed to smile a bit: “The words are empty. Xu listens to the empty words with his ears and sees the facts with his eyes.”

She pulled the corner of her mouth, lowered her head and said nothing.

Seeing this, Lu Shiqing lowered his eyes slightly, and changed the subject: “Is the county master still watching chess?”

“Of course.” Her gaze scanned the chessboard, “You just asked me if I would try to solve this decisive move… If I solve it, will there be a reward?”

An ominous premonition suddenly appeared in Lu Shiqing’s heart. But he knew that she could not solve this difficult situation, so he said with confidence: “What reward do you want?”

“I’m joking, you showed me this chess game, I should thank you. In a few days, my brother and I will have a small banquet, would you like to honor it?”

He shook his head and declined politely: “It’s just a game of chess, why bother to mobilize everyone.”

“Then I will make a bet with you. If I solve the next move, you will have to go to the banquet.”

Lu Shiqing paused, still not believing that she had such extraordinary abilities, he stretched out his hand and said, “Please.”

Yuan Cixian didn’t study the chess game any more. She got up and picked up a pen. After dipping in the ink, she returned to the chess table, rolled her eyes around, painted a white piece into a black piece with the pen, and looked at it with a smile. Lu Shiqing: “Sir, I have unlocked it.”

Lu Shiqing stared at the chess game and choked in place for a moment. This rascal is really…!

…

Yuan Cixian successfully made a return appointment with “Xu Shan”, and after sending him away, he called to pick a branch, picked up a chess record that he had drawn in his hand, and said: “There is something important, you run south for me and lie down in Xunyang.” , take this chess record to visit Mr. Xu, to find out his tone, and remember not to be watched by others.”

Picking up the branch, he asked, “Young lady, do you want to verify Mr. Xu’s identity?”

She nodded and sighed: “I heard that Xu Congxian lost his father and mother when he was young, and has no old relatives. Now he is thirty, but he has never had a wife. Those who know him better are probably the Xu family.”

Seeing her looking sleepy, Caizhi asked with concern, “Little lady, is she in a bad mood?”

She shook her head.

She was just thinking about what Xu Shan said just now. Since Zheng Zhuo has such bright ambitions and innocent ideals, how can he do such cruel and dirty things as killing donkeys and crossing rivers and demolishing bridges? Why did he and her Yuan family have a grudge? Is it really as simple as a change in the marriage contract?

Seeing that she didn’t answer, Picking Branch explained: “I don’t know what Mr. Xu said to you, but in the final analysis, he used to be an idler in the mountains and rivers, but now he is a politician. Every word of a politician’s words is offensive, intended to persuade the other party , for your own benefit, don’t be swayed by common sense and trust him.”

Yuan Cixian was silent and noncommittal, and changed the subject after a while, asking: “Choice, I haven’t been out for a few days?”

“It’s been about ten days.”

She smiled: “I stayed at home recently and didn’t bother Lu Shilang. Firstly, I really had to act for the sage, and secondly, it was because my brother taught me how to play hard to get. Do you think this day is enough to make him miss me?” ?”

“As the saying goes, if you don’t see each other for a day, it’s like three autumns. The maid feels that if Lu Shilang’s heart is not made of stone, he will miss you to some extent. But if you don’t bother him anymore, he will have to misunderstand that you are retreating in spite of the difficulties.” gone.”

“That’s right.” She knocked on the table and asked, “Is there a court meeting tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is not the day to go to court, but Lu Shilang may go to teach the thirteen princes how to learn essays.”

Yuan Cixian pursed her lips and smiled: “Okay.”