CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77 MOVED TO ZEPING

Lin Wanyi was not sleepy at all.

Stitching at such a late hour would most certainly damage her eyes.

She thought for a moment, then spoke to Xia An.

"Did you bring the black and white chess set that my father made for me?"

"Replying to my lady, yes, I brought it, but do you want to use it now?"

"Hmm, I’ve slept the whole day, and now I can’t stay in bed any longer. Why not take it out for a bit of fun?"

"But my lady, playing chess could be quite exhausting for the mind."

"No matter, I’ll just play against myself, it’s not about winning or losing, just for some amusement."

Xia An couldn’t persuade Lin Wanyi otherwise, so he complied and went to fetch it.

Mr. Lin feared his daughter would find palace life dull, so he had prepared quite a few intricate toys at the time, each requiring a lot of thought.

Perfect for passing the time.

Xia An initially thought, he had brought them to the traveling palace for novelty.

Unexpectedly, they were actually put to use under such circumstances.

Afraid Lin Wanyi would damage her eyes, Xia An specifically placed two palace lanterns on either side.

The lighting was soft yet not too dim.

Holding white pieces in her left hand, black pieces in her right, one attack, one defense.

The joy of fighting against herself genuinely helped pass the time.

Enjoying the game intensely, she suddenly heard an exclamation at the door.

She frowned while looking outside, wondering who could be visiting at this hour?

When the person entered, not just Xia An, even Lin Wanyi felt surprised.

"Your Majesty, why have you come?"

She saw the Emperor dressed in a black robe embroidered with a golden dragon, stepping beneath the moon, adding an air of solemnity.

"Why are the lights still on in your room so late?"

"I slept all afternoon and wasn’t tired at this moment, so I got up to sit for a while."

Then, Xia An brought warm water for the Emperor to wash his hands.

While wiping, Lin Wanyi asked.

"Your Majesty, shouldn’t you be resting by now?"

"Just moved into Qiqing Hall, it has many of my late father’s belongings, looking at them made me feel a bit melancholic, so I decided to take a walk."

Take a walk?

This late at night, was the Emperor planning to take a nocturnal tour of the palace?

But then, being the supreme ruler, if he intended to roam at night, no one would dare to object.

"Playing chess so late, aren’t you afraid it will make you even more awake!"

He walked to the couch, took off his shoes, and sat up.

After taking a careful look, the Emperor frowned.

"What kind of game is this? It doesn’t look like Go."

Lin Wanyi smiled and then walked to sit across from him, took a look, and said.

"It’s indeed not Go, this is a game my father and I often play during leisure, winning is based on connecting five pieces, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally."

"Winning by connecting five pieces? That’s interesting."

As he spoke, he picked up a black piece, glanced around, and immediately placed it down.

Soon, the black piece’s decline was reversed, while the white piece lost the initial advantage.

Lin Wanyi looked at Emperor Yu Wenhong in surprise.

"Has Your Majesty not played before?"

"Never."

How could he be so talented?

How could he pick it up so quickly?

Thinking about this, she heard the Emperor voice his interest.

"Play a few rounds with me."

"Yes."

Since Lin Wanyi couldn’t sleep anyway, she was also intrigued.

The two played earnestly under the lamp, reminiscent of the night conversation during the rainy evening in Wen’s former residence.

Standing outside, Dong Yuzhong and Qiu Ming exchanged glances, and both had faint smiles.

"Master, is everything arranged over in Zeping State?"

"Yes, Qiqing Hall is regularly cleaned, so we only moved the Emperor’s usual belongings there, it wasn’t troublesome."

Then, looking at the shadows of two people playing chess on the window, he spoke slowly.

"It’s just that the Emperor hasn’t been to Zeping State yet and first came to Huifang Courtyard."

With just this one sentence, Qiu Ming understood.

"Is the Emperor planning to stay over here with my lady?"

"You lad, you’ve chosen the right person to follow."

Dong Yuzhong lightly tapped Qiu Ming with a horsetail whisk and said gently.

"Go prepare some light night snacks, tonight we’re in for a long one."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Ming immediately smiled brightly.

There are fewer rules within the traveling palace, so the Emperor staying at Huifang Courtyard was not a big deal.

Moreover, they had a ready excuse.

The Emperor moving to Zeping State was, after all, for the sake of everyone in the harem.

Secondly, the Emperor, seeing things that reminded him of past times, was naturally reluctant to stay at Qiqing Hall for long, which was understandable.

Moreover, Huifang Courtyard is closest to Zeping State, so the Emperor staying here made sense too.

Therefore, Dong Yuzhong’s words made everyone in Huifang Courtyard beam with delight.

After all, the lady was poisoned at Shengjing Building during the day, and the Emperor came to comfort her at night.

This honor in the harem was quite exceptional.

Chunqi prepared the night snacks with full energy, eager to showcase her best dishes.

However, eating too much greasy food would surely result in indigestion, so after some thought, she made a bowl of noodles in a clear broth.

On top, she placed slices of beef braised during the day, and on the side, a small dish held some spicy oil chili peppers, vibrant and appetizing.

Sure enough, when Qiu Ming brought the noodles to the imperial court, the Emperor, who rarely ate spicy food, even drank the broth clean.

Although there was a slight sweat on his forehead, he was thoroughly satisfied.

"Your cooking is far superior to the Imperial Kitchen; every visit brings delightful surprises."

With that, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, then rinsed with tea to cleanse his palate.

Lin Wanyi wasn’t surprised at all upon hearing this.

Chunqi’s culinary skills were honed from a young age, and though she couldn’t say if they surpassed the Imperial Chef,

the Emperor, used to the lavish meals over the years, naturally found a simple bowl of noodles refreshing once in a while.

"As long as Your Majesty enjoys it, Chunqi has many more specialties, and she will make them for you another time."

"Hmm."

As they chatted, Lin Wanyi gave a sly smile and surrounded the Emperor’s black pieces.

A small mistake on the board could cost the entire game.

"You’re bold to win against me. Even your grandfather, when my Crown Prince’s tutor, rarely dared to win, let alone win this much."

"Your Majesty cannot use your status to oppress people; as my father said, there are no ranks in chess, only skill."

Lin Wanyi had mentioned her family for the second time tonight.

The Emperor even wondered if the person he had seen earlier was indeed the father Lin Wanyi spoke of.

How could there be such a huge difference?

He wasn’t a tyrannical ruler who indulged in slaughter, so why did Chief Lin look so apprehensive when he met him?

So, he straightened up and looked at Lin Wanyi.

"Without using status to pressure you, I will still leave you with no retreat!"

The two restarted a game, chasing and intercepting each other, indulging in the moment.

As the board filled up with pieces, Lin Wanyi lost.

And she conceded willingly.

For in the Emperor’s sequential traps, no matter her move, the outcome was the same.

Truly the machinations of an Emperor are like needles at the bottom of the sea, from this small board game one could see the depth of his strategies.

However, Lin Wanyi thought again, it made sense after all.