Chapter 26: A Game of Chess
“You saved the life of our young prince, now you teach at the Imperial Academy, and even lecture on classics in the male academy. You are both the savior and respected teacher of the young prince, so Princess Yun will naturally treat you with great honor,” Chen Si tilted her head slightly, glancing at Lu Yuner, and continued: “However… I wonder what Dr. Lu desires?”
Originally today, according to Princess Yun’s wishes, Lu Yuner was invited to the mansion with the purpose of discussing the young prince’s lifelong affairs. Since the lord’s passing, finding someone suitable for the young prince to entrust his life to had been a constant concern for Princess Yun.
Although many wealthy and powerful families had personally come to propose marriage to the young prince, Princess Yun refused them all, simply because the young prince didn’t like any of them.
Now that the young prince finally had someone he admired, choosing a good match for him was indeed a significant matter. For noble families, finding a suitable match usually meant considering social status first. They thought Princess Yun would be particularly strict, but unexpectedly, she directly chose Lu Yuner.
Princess Yun was experienced in worldly affairs and had met countless people. She had always had a unique insight in judging people and situations. Moreover, from Princess Yun’s demeanor, it was evident that she quite favored and valued Lu Yuner.
From the moment the young prince met Lu Yuner, his words, actions, and even his gaze revealed his fondness for her.
The look of liking someone cannot be hidden, but neither can dislike be concealed.
The observant Chen Si noticed that Lu Yuner remained calm and reserved, outwardly respectful, but clearly intending to avoid suspicion. She obviously knew of the young prince’s feelings for her. Just now in Qinghua Garden, she had seen the young prince’s reddened eyes and the wet stains on his clothes.
Without a doubt, Lu Yuner had no romantic feelings for the young prince.
Lu Yuner’s gaze gradually focused. It seemed that, as she thought, Princess Yun already knew everything. She didn’t try to hide it anymore. “I do indeed have a request.”
So she did have ulterior motives!
Chen Si’s expression changed slightly. Although somewhat surprised by Lu Yuner’s direct answer, the little goodwill she had felt earlier instantly vanished. She voiced her suspicions, pulling her lips into a slight smile, “Wealth or power? Or perhaps both?”
Lu Yuner naturally heard the mockery in her words. Her face remained cold, and she didn’t bother to explain. She said in a deep voice: “Regarding young prince Su.”
Chen Si frowned slightly, not understanding. Suddenly realizing, a look of disbelief flashed in her eyes.
This Lu Yuner was truly an extraordinary woman.
Huanxi Pavilion.
The pavilion was quiet and serene. On the sandalwood table sat a purple copper incense burner, silently emitting fragrant smoke that swirled up and down with the wind.
At this moment, Su Bai was sitting comfortably at a small table on a soft couch. A chessboard was set on the table, with vegetables, fruits, and pastries placed beside it.
She lightly tapped the table with her fingertips. Those deep, dark eyes carried an unfathomable gaze as they fell on Lu Yuner. She smiled faintly and said, “Dr. Lu, please don’t be formal, have a seat.”
“Yes.” Lu Yuner noticed that although Princess Yun wore a simple white robe, appearing outwardly scholarly, she actually concealed a rebellious spirit within.
Although feeling somewhat nervous, Lu Yuner still sat down opposite the chessboard. Her observant gaze fell on the chessboard before her, and her eyes couldn’t help but flicker.
“Dr. Lu is exceptionally intelligent, and I’m sure you already know the purpose of inviting you to the mansion today. Firstly, you saved the young prince’s life, so I will naturally thank you generously. If you have any requests, you can make them to me,” Su Bai held a white jade chess piece in her slender hand, her eyes narrowing slightly with an indecipherable look. She continued slowly: “Secondly, I’m planning to ask Her Majesty to issue an imperial decree for your marriage to the young prince.”
As she spoke, her eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, fixed intently on Lu Yuner.
An imperial decree for marriage? This absolutely cannot happen.
Lu Yuner’s brow twitched slightly. Gathering her courage, she immediately knelt to the side, lowering her head slightly, and said carefully: “Wait, please reconsider this matter, Princess Yun.”
“What! Do you think the young prince isn’t good enough for you!?” Hearing this, Su Bai frowned, her gaze turning cold with apparent displeasure. Her voice, though weathered by time, remained strong and forceful.
Chen Si, waiting quietly outside the door, maintained a calm expression, not at all surprised.
Having experienced much in life and being decisive in her actions, the current pressure, as if facing a tiger or wolf, made Lu Yuner’s scalp tingle. At this moment, her palms were damp with sweat, but no matter what, she wouldn’t give up due to fear today.
Once an imperial decree for marriage was issued, her carefully maintained plans would be completely disrupted.
Until now, she had consistently avoided matters of love and affection, not wanting too many entanglements. Of course, she could still marry a husband and have children as usual, and at worst, she could leave it all behind.
But when that time came, could she really abandon everything here?
No… she couldn’t do it.
Although she didn’t consider herself a particularly good person, she wasn’t a bad person either.
In all things, one must be able to face one’s conscience.
Lu Yuner steadied herself and said boldly: “What I mean is, the young prince is of noble birth, it is I who am not worthy. Moreover, I have no romantic feelings for the young prince.”
Lu Yuner didn’t want to explain too much and simply stated her thoughts directly.
After speaking, she secretly observed Princess Yun’s reaction. Seeing her raise an eyebrow, a ripple passing through her deep gaze, but showing no sign of anger or warmth.
Lu Yuner seized the opportunity and continued: “I believe that the longevity of a beautiful marriage, which is the best love in this world, is nothing more than mutual affection and growing old together. The young prince is pure and kind, he will surely find a worthy partner who loves him in return. I also believe this would be the lord’s wish. As you just said, Princess Yun, if I have a request, it would be for you to withdraw this decision.”
Su Bai’s eyes were deep, as still as a thousand-foot cold pond. She said calmly: “I have always been a woman of my word. How can I withdraw it just because of Dr. Lu’s words! Where would my authority be then?”
Hearing this, Lu Yuner lowered her eyes in disappointment, her gaze instantly darkening. Indeed, her position was low and her words carried little weight. Why should Princess Yun listen to her? Suddenly, a sense of helplessness and unwillingness arose in her heart.
Su Bai continued to look at Lu Yuner, taking in all the changes in her expression. Suddenly, a meaningful look appeared in her eyes. After a while, she said: “However, if you play a game of chess with me, and if you can win, I might reconsider.”
Lu Yuner looked up, hope reigniting in her heart. Her long eyelashes fluttered lightly, and a trace of doubt crossed her eyes. “Princess Yun, do you mean what you say?”
Su Bai’s lips curled into a faint smile, difficult to read. “What! Are you afraid I’m deceiving you?”
Having reached an agreement, they then called Chen Si in to witness.
Princess Yun took the white pieces, Lu Yuner the black. With the chessboard as their boundary, the two sat facing each other.
The original owner had been educated from a young age. Besides having famous teachers lecture and guide her, she had also had an unexpected period of learning chess when she accompanied her mother on a trip south to visit Aunt Mu.
After the original owner’s parents passed away, leaving her without any relatives, she often traveled between the two places to visit Aunt Mu, continuously improving her chess skills. In recent years, she had also frequently played chess with sister Ranzhi, though she had never beaten her.
While she couldn’t claim to be a chess master, she was certainly quite accomplished.
On the small chessboard, the game could change in myriad ways, the situation ever-shifting.
The ancients said: “Chess embodies the image of heaven and earth, the principle of yin and yang, the order of stars, the extremes of wind and thunder, the power of life and death in spring and autumn, the terrain of mountains and rivers, the rise and fall of the world, and the prosperity and decline of human affairs.”
The chessboard was like a battlefield, with both sides using black and white pieces as their soldiers. At first, the black and white pieces on the board were scattered, but soon the two began to engage in fierce combat on the board.
Chen Si, watching from the side, changed her expression with each shift in the ever-changing game.
In the first half of the game, both sides were testing each other’s chess skills, which could be considered as an appetizer. The real excitement came in the second half.
As the pieces continued to fill the board, the situation gradually became tense. The challenge of the game also increased, testing not only the players’ memory, judgment, and imagination, but also their ability to control the trend of the game.
At this point, the pieces were in a complex arrangement, and Princess Yun was clearly starting to struggle. However, Lu Yuner’s moves were unpredictable, obviously still full of energy. The black pieces under her command constantly switched between attack and defense, sometimes like thousands of troops surrounding and slaughtering, sometimes like a fierce tiger breaking out of its cage, charging straight in.
She could attack when advancing and defend when retreating.
In the end, Lu Yuner won the game.
Su Bai and Chen Si exchanged a knowing look, a flash of amazement in their smiling eyes.
After the game, Princess Yun changed from initially considering to directly withdrawing her decision.
However, Lu Yuner would need to visit Princess Yun’s mansion once every half month to play chess with her. Lu Yuner found this arrangement acceptable and agreed.
With this matter settled, Lu Yuner then took Princess Yun’s carriage back to her residence.
At this time, the night was as dark as ink, the moonlight hazy like mist.
Just as she lifted the curtain, she met those familiar beautiful eyes in the moonlight outside. Lu Yuner’s body stiffened, her outstretched hand still suspended in mid-air. She asked, “Young Prince Su, why are you here so late?”
Su Qingwan’s cheeks flushed, his eyes curving into a smile. “I… I wanted to see Sister Yuner home.”
“This is really not appropriate.” Lu Yuner recalled what had happened in Qinghua Garden earlier that day and was about to lower the curtain and step out.
Suddenly, an inexplicable force from behind pushed her in, followed by Chen Si’s urging voice, “Dr. Lu, it’s already late. Don’t delay any longer, you’d better return to your residence soon, lest your servants worry.”
At that moment, Chen Si clapped her hands, smiling triumphantly. There was no help for it; their young prince was so spoiled. To give the two some space to interact, she deliberately moved as far away from the carriage as possible and began to drive the horse.
Pushed so suddenly, Lu Yuner’s body tilted forward uncontrollably, her entire form falling towards Su Qingwan. Fortunately, Lu Yuner reacted quickly, her hands bracing against the carriage walls on either side of Su Qingwan, preventing her full weight from pressing down on him.
However, they ended up in an ambiguous position with her above and him below.
Su Qingwan, worried about Lu Yuner falling, had his hands helping to support her waist. But he clearly felt something soft brushing against his face, wrapped in clothing, carrying a faint cool fragrance that rose and fell noticeably with each breath.
This is…!?
Su Qingwan suddenly came to his senses, his fair face quickly burning up, the tips of his ears instantly turning red.