Xu Cotoneaster, whose mind was still in the game of chess and had not come out, returned, “My cousin’s game.”
“Your cousin?”
Zhu Wen instantly recalled that legendary Song Wan Yue and instantly came to life, “Is it the cousin of your aunt’s family?”
“Mm.”
Zhu Wen took him by the hand and walked quickly towards the State Prison, “Let’s go to the chess room, you set out the game for me to see.”
Xu Cotoneaster might as well have been pulled by him and stumbled two steps, before he came back from the chess game and immediately tried to shake off his hand. However, Zhu Wen was pulling tightly, and he couldn’t shake it off after a few times, so he immediately said, “You let go of me first!”
Zhu Wen didn’t let go, he had heard many legends about Song Wan Yue over the past few days and was really curious. If Song Wan Yue wasn’t in the capital, he would have found an excuse to go to the Xu family to see the real person.
Thinking of this, he suddenly paused again and looked at Xu Cotoneaster, “That cousin of yours is here?”
Xu Cotoneaster took the opportunity to shake him off and moved two steps to the side, away from him, and said succinctly, “Yes.”
Zhu Wen’s first thought was to skip class and go to Xu’s house, but when he thought of Xu Cotoneaster’s nature he dismissed the idea and became more interested in the chess game, “It’s still early for class, let’s go to the chess room.”
It was still a quarter of an hour before class, where was it early? Xu Cotoneaster ignored him and went straight to the classroom, Zhu Wen came up to him again and was about to say something, when Xu Cotoneaster said, “There is no hurry, the third class is chess class, we will play then.”
Zhu Wen didn’t want to wait until third period, but Xu Cotoneaster was a stickler. Let him skip class? It was impossible! He could only wait, and as soon as the second class ended, he got up and dragged Xu Cotoneaster to the chess room.
The chess board in the chess room was all set up. He picked a seat inside and put both boxes of chess pieces in front of Cotoneaster, urging him to review the game quickly.
Xu Cotoneaster laid out the game piece by piece.
Zhu Wen watched attentively, and as Xu Cotoneaster repeated the game more and more, his eyes grew wider and wider, and finally almost stared out in disbelief, “This, this, this, this ……”
There were already quite a few people in the chess room, and when they heard his stammering words, they all looked over, and the Fu Zi even came over, seeing that there were already quite a few pieces on the board, thinking it was a game the two had played against each other, he took a closer look, and then was stunned.
“Who is holding the white pieces?”
“Song, Miss Song.”
The master was stunned, “Who?”
Zhu Wen pointed to Xu Cotoneaster, “His cousin, Song Wan Yue.”
The husband thought the name sounded familiar, and after a pause he remembered, incredulous. According to what he had heard, Song Wan Yue was just a young girl of about ten years old, how could she have such a majestic aura, but Zhu Wen would not lie.
“I’m not good at chess, I can only play these moves against her, cousin and grandfather play that’s what I call wonderful.”
“She can play against the old man?”
The master was surprised.
“Naturally ……”
Xu Cotoneaster had no intention of hiding it; the more her cousin’s talent became known the more famous she would become, and those who wanted to covet or scheme against her would be a little more wary of her.
“More than that, she and her grandfather won and lost by half, and my father was ashamed of himself.”
The old man’s chess skills were unmatched in the capital, and a little girl could win against him? The master was shocked, “Can you repeat the game?”
“Yes.”
Xu Cotoneaster put all the pieces away and reviewed last night’s game.
All the students gathered around, and the master even moved a stool to one side and sat down, watching with rapt attention, as the pieces fell one by one, his heart rose and fell with them.
It was wonderful, so wonderful, he had never seen such a wonderful game before.
The chess room was silent.
A passer-by felt strange and came in to see what was going on, and seeing all the people gathered around a table, he also came over curiously. When he did, he couldn’t move his feet.
Xu Cotoneaster finished his game and before he could look up, the lady asked in a trembling voice, “Is this really the game between your cousin and the old man?”
He knew that Xu Cotoneaster could not have lied, but he still could not believe that such a magnificent game of chess was played by a little girl.
“Yes, this is just one of the ways she knows how to play, a gentle style of chess, and she has more severe ones.”
The master did not believe it, everyone had their own specific habits for learning things – writing, making essays, playing chess all the same, there could not be two ways of playing, but Xu Cotoneaster would not lie, nor did he need to.
He got up, told the rest of the scholars to stand back a little, and told both Xu Cotoneaster and Zhu Wen to leave their current seats, instructing the crowd, “From now on, no one is to go near the chessboard, and I will go and ask the priest to come.”
After saying this, he hurriedly went out, and in just a moment he had invited the priestly wine over.
On the way here, the priest had already heard what the master had said, but when he saw the game of chess, he was still shocked and immediately turned around and walked out.
……
Song Wan Yue did not know that a game of chess had caused a stir in the State Prison, she had just accompanied the old man to dinner and was talking about the preparations she had made for her trip to Jiangnan.
“We will leave on the second day of March, by water, I have prepared everything we need and brought ten guards ……”
When she finished, the old man nodded his head, “Very well prepared, I have some silver tickets here, take them all with you when you arrive in Jiangnan, if there is anything you want to buy, just buy it.”
Song Wan Yue did not push back, “Good.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xu Liang walked in, “Old sir, the priest of the State Scholar’s Academy requests an audience.”
The State Scholar’s Minister was also a man of great literary merit, slightly younger than the old gentleman, and the two had often discussed their studies together before.
“Invite him in.”
Song Wan Yue got up, “I’m going to my grandmother’s.”
“Go on.”
Song Wan Yue walked outside and had just reached the door when she saw Xu Liang leading an old man in, she lifted the curtain and stood to the side.
The priest thought he was the maid serving the old gentleman and didn’t notice. After entering the door and meeting him, he said, “I am here today specifically to find your great-granddaughter, Old Sir, may I ask her to come and see you?”
“You are looking for Yue’er? Why?”
The priest told the story of the chess game; he too was a chess nerd and could not resist after seeing the game.
Hearing him out, the old man stroked his beard and smiled, happy to have the priest wine so impatient. Pointing to Song Wan Yue, who had not walked out after hearing his words, he smiled and introduced her, “This is that girl.”
The priest wine looked over, as rumoured, around ten years old, with delicate eyebrows, wearing a pink dress, standing there with a calmness different from that of her age.
Song Wan Yue bowed.
The priest wine was busy giving a false support, “I’ve heard of Miss Song’s great name for a long time, I’ve taken the liberty to come over and disturb you today, please forgive me.”
“You’re welcome, it’s an honour to have been disturbed by Lord Priest Wine on.”
The State Councilor smiled broadly, “Old sir, your great-granddaughter is really something else.”
If it had been any other woman, she would have panicked, but Song Wangyue not only didn’t panic in the slightest, she also replied in such a chic manner.