Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 168: The Palace Strategy Test, Undercurrents Surge in Blind Chess

"Princess, there are indeed about five or six people hiding outside the palace! Some are selling candy figures, some are pretending to be beggars, and there are some street vendors..."

Ling Ye reported the situation outside Prince Lanling's Mansion to Xiao Jinyu and Gao Changgong.

Xiao Jinyu nodded.

"This Lady Lu is so arrogant that she ignores the law and even uses the power of the emperor at will. Since the law cannot punish her, we should take another approach!"

There was a hint of guilt and sadness in Fenghuang's expression.

"Brother Qing, is there anything I can do?"

Xiao Jinyu shook her head.

"No, you can't leave the house these few days, just dress up as Ah Xiu."

Turning to look at Ling Ye:

"Ling Ye, I need you to help me assassinate someone. However, I don't need to kill him. I just want him to be half dead and lying on the couch!"

As he spoke, he asked Fenghuang to take out a medicine bottle and handed it to Ling Ye, "The medicine in here can temporarily put him in this state."

Ling Ye took the medicine bottle and did not ask what was inside. He only asked, "Who does the princess want me to assassinate?"

Xiao Jinyu paused for a moment and replied:

"Zhongshu Sheren Xin Deyuan!"

As he spoke, he stood up, looked at Gao Changgong and Fenghuang, and explained, "The Secretary of the Central Secretariat can be considered as a close minister to the emperor. Since Lady Lu has controlled all the close ministers around His Majesty in her hands, I will remove these chess pieces of hers one by one!"

"Then let's start with the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Xin Deyuan, and then..." She smiled, "I will be the Secretary of the Central Secretariat!"

The Zhongshu Sheren was responsible for drafting imperial edicts and was also involved in confidential matters. Whenever there was a memorial, the Sheren would bring it in and participate in the decision.

This is a true minister close to the emperor. Although his power is not as great as that of He Shikai, a third-rank minister, he also needs to be by the emperor's side all the time.

Gao Changgong was a little worried when he heard this, but seeing her bright eyes, white teeth and clear smile, he couldn't bear to offend her, so he could only nod with a smile.

At this time, Ling Ye accepted the order and said, "Yes!" and was about to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Xiao Jinyu: "Wait——"

"There is one more thing, Chang Gong, Fenghuang, I need to confess to you!"

Gao Changgong and Fenghuang looked at her in surprise, and then she said, "I have some connection with the Xie family..."

"I know!" Gao Changgong continued, with relief and trust in his eyes.

Fenghuang also said with tears in her eyes: "I know too, Brother Qing, you don't need to say more. No matter what little secrets you have in your heart, to me, you will always be my Brother Qing!"

Xiao Jinyu nodded with a smile, then looked at Ling Ye solemnly:

"Ling Ye, I need you to send a letter to Azhen and Axuan of Zhou. I want them to help me build our own intelligence network in Northern Zhou!"

Then, he looked at Gao Changgong and said with a smile, "Then, we also want to build our intelligence network in Yecheng!"

Gao Changgong smiled and said yes.

Ling Ye was stunned for only a moment, then he bowed and replied, "Yes!"

But he thought in his heart: It turns out that the girl trusts Lanling King and this Xianbei boy to this extent. The identity of Chenjun Xie is a secret that she cannot reveal to outsiders. Now, she is willing to share this secret with them.

I hope these two won't use and betray her like Chen Xu did. If so...

Ling Ye secretly clenched the hilt of the sword and remained silent for a long time, as if he remembered something from the past. His heart was struggling and surging, until Xiao Jinyu called him again, he suddenly came to his senses.

"Ling Ye, what's wrong with you?" she asked.

Ling Ye shook his head.

"It's alright, take care of yourself, young lady. Ling Ye will go and clear the obstacles for you now!"

……

The residence of Xin Deyuan, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, is in Zhongtanli alley, not far from Li Mi's residence in the capital. Today, a wedding is being held in Xin's mansion. Xin Deyuan brought several concubines into the house. The house is decorated with lights and is very lively. When the wedding chamber is lit at night, the beauty of the night and the noise and the music that permeate the night are even more fascinating!

"What's there to be proud of? I'm just a lowly maid from a brothel. My husband is just interested in me for a while, but he will abandon me in his mansion and ignore me after a while!"

A beautiful woman was tearing flower petals and talking to herself by the pond not far from the bridal chamber. Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky, a cold aura approached from behind, and a sword was placed across her neck.

The woman was so frightened that she lost her soul and stammered, "Don't... don't kill me, I'll do whatever you want..."

At this moment, a hand reached out from behind and handed her a packet of medicine.

"No matter what method you use, make your husband take this pill. I will be watching you from behind until you accomplish this!"

It was a man's voice, so deep and cold, with a chilling murderous intent revealed between the lines!

"Yes, sir, I will do whatever you say. Please sir..."

Ling Ye retracted the sword, and the woman was so scared that she ran forward quickly. But before she ran far, she saw a man in black wearing half a mask standing in front of her.

He didn't draw his sword, but he looked like a cold sword, which was intimidating!

The woman fell to her knees again in fear.

"My dear, please don't kill me. I will do it right now without any hesitation!"

The next day, the first thing Xin Deyuan did after waking up from a night of ecstasy was to have sex with the two new beauties again. As if it was not enough, he called a maid in.

"My dear, this is the Wushisan you requested!"

The maid respectfully held up a green-glazed porcelain plate and placed a pill in front of him.

Xin Deyuan slightly opened his sleepy eyes and saw that the pill seemed a little different from before, so he asked, "Why does the Five Stone Powder look a little different today?"

The maid raised her head and smiled and replied, "My dear, this is the new tribute of Wushisan from the East China Sea. I heard it has special benefits. I got it from my brother!"

"Oh? What's the good thing?"

"I heard from my brother that this thing can increase the fun between us in bed, and it can make my husband..."

Before the maidservant could finish her words, Xin Deyuan had already swallowed the food on the plate. After swallowing the pill, Xin Deyuan felt even more powerful and his desire surged. He suddenly pulled the maidservant into his arms and pressed her down on the couch.

"You are Shu'er, right? I remember you came into the mansion three months ago. It seems that I haven't favored you for a while..."

After saying that, the curtains flew down, the bed shook, they made love, and screamed continuously.

But what no one expected was that what was originally an absurd romantic affair turned out to be a tragic event that made people laugh and laugh.

After having sex with three women in one night, Xin Deyuan, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, suddenly suffered a stroke and was bedridden!

When this news spread, Emperor Gao Zhan of Qi was personally selecting scholars in the Taiji Hall. At that time, nearly a hundred famous students from all over the world gathered in the Taiji Hall after being recommended!

The gates of the Northern Qi Imperial Palace were majestic and towering, with majestic eaves and decorated with precious bells that rang with the movement of wind chimes.

The Qianghe Gate in front of the Taiji Hall was also the place where the emperor lectured on military affairs, inspected soldiers, and examined scholars in the imperial examinations. It could accommodate thousands of people.

The towering old trees on both sides of the imperial road block out the sun, making the hot summer heat come to an end, making people feel refreshed and comfortable.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu followed Gao Changgong into the Northern Qi Palace in the identity of Xie Zhen. After passing through the Qianghe Gate, he saw from afar a magnificent palace supported by 120 large pillars and with a base about nine feet high. The entire roof was painted with walnut oil, and there were tassels hanging around it. It was even more dazzling in the sunlight, and he couldn't help but feel awe!

It turns out that the private life in Yecheng Palace is no less romantic than that in Jiankang!

Xiao Jinyu was moved, and felt a slight warmth on her shoulders. She felt Gao Changgong's concern and encouragement for her. She turned around, smiled slightly, and whispered, "Don't worry, Changgong!"

"it is good!"

Gao Changgong also nodded, and then took her to the Taiji Hall. At this time, the hall was already full of people. In addition to the civil and military officials, there were also many white-clothed scholars who had been exempted from punishment.

After being recommended, all the scholars of Qi State had to take an examination in front of the palace. Of course, if the emperor himself did not want to take the examination, the Ministry of Personnel could directly issue the appointment document.

Gao Zhan was indulging in pleasure and was not interested in this matter. However, he was really curious about Xie Zhen, so he took this opportunity to take a look at the elegance of these literati!

Seeing Gao Changgong bringing a young man in black clothes into the hall, Gao Zhan's expression changed slightly, and he squinted his eyes to look at the slender young man in black clothes.

"It is said that Jiangzuo is a romantic place, and the children of the Wang and Xie families are the best. Today I get to meet the children of the Xie family, and they are indeed very elegant!"

Gao Zhan praised him sincerely, and then asked, "I wonder what Mr. Xie is good at?"

"Your Majesty, my Xie family has a collection of hundreds of thousands of books. Zhen has loved reading since he was a child. I am not familiar with all the schools of thought, but at least Confucius, Mencius, Zhuangzi and Laozi are my teachers. Therefore, I have dabbled in Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Legalism, and medicine. I am also good at chess, musical instruments, calligraphy and painting!"

As soon as she said this, there was a whisper in the hall. Some were surprised and sighed, while others sneered and did not believe it.

It is not easy for a talented person in this world to stand out by being proficient in one thing, let alone being proficient in all schools and being good at all of them.

This kid from the Xie family is so arrogant at such a young age!

Gao Zhan's eyes were filled with interest, surprise and curiosity: "You also know medicine?"

“Xie Zhen” said: “Yes, I understand a little bit!”

"Well, my Qi State's Zu Zhongshu is also a man of many talents, and he is proficient in musical instruments, painting, divination, medicine, and so on. How about you compete with Zu Zhongshu in today's exam?"

"That's what I want, I will obey your orders!"

Seeing the young man answer without hesitation, and his rather elegant and graceful features seemed to reveal a strong confidence and control that was no less than that of a real man, Gao Zhan was a little surprised.

After a while, he said, "Then let's start with the way of chess!" Then he turned to Zu Ting and asked, "What do you think, Zu Zhongshu?"

Zu Ting also cupped his hands and replied: "That is exactly what I wish for!"

As he was speaking, Gao Zhan had already ordered people to prepare the chess pieces. When seven or eight eunuchs breathlessly brought in two pieces of chess, everyone was dumbfounded. How big could the chess pieces be to be so heavy!

When the eunuchs moved the chess pieces out of the box, they discovered that each chess piece was as big as a bowl!

At the same time, everyone discovered that there was a drawn chessboard within ten steps of an area in the hall.

Could it be that Gao Zhan actually wanted the two of them to use the floor of this hall as a chessboard and let the two of them play chess against each other?

What should I do?

With Mr. Xie's slender body, it would be difficult for him to lift such a bowl-sized chess piece!

Thinking of this, some people couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.

At this time, He Shikai said, "In order to let Your Majesty see the fighting on the chessboard better, I specially drew this chessboard for Your Majesty to make it easier for Zu Zhongshu to play against this young Master Xie!"

Is this convenient?

That's true, it will make it easier for Your Majesty to observe the overall situation from a high vantage point!

Gao Zhan watched Xie Zhen's reaction with great interest. To be honest, this idea was thought up by He Shikai yesterday. It was enough to dampen Zu Ting's enthusiasm and test the intelligence of this talented Xie!

At this moment, he saw the extremely rich expression changes on the face of the talented Xie, but it was definitely not an embarrassed expression due to being overwhelmed by the momentum, but a sudden realization of "interesting", "original", and "different". That expression seemed to say: Hmm! The emperor of the Gao family is indeed extraordinary!

"In that case, let's play blind chess! I won't take the chess pieces. Your Majesty's two eunuchs, please help me move them!"

As soon as the word "blind chess" came out, the whole hall was in an uproar!

Even Li Mi, who was taking notes beside Gao Zhan, looked up in surprise and looked at "Xie Zhen" who was standing proudly in the hall.

The sport of chess flourished during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Almost every emperor was fond of chess. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a national Go player named Chu Yin. He entered the high-level ranks at the age of seven and was the best of his time. Before he reached the age of twenty, he had already reached the highest level of chess. He was also the first Go player in history who could record chess scores and review them!

Even such a person would not dare to arrogantly talk about playing blind chess!

Lu Lingxuan thought about how she had witnessed this man's chess skills three days ago, which were indeed superb, but at that time she had only tied with him. Now, when she heard that this man was going to play blind chess, one could imagine the surprise on her face!

At this moment, Xiao Jinyu's gaze also turned to her!

Lu Lingxuan saw a disturbing hint of anxiety and smile in her equally ambiguous expression.

"Blind chess!" Gao Zhan was so shocked that he almost stood up. "Okay! Today I want to see what blind chess is."

"Zu Zhongshu, do you dare to play blind chess with me?"

Zu Ting looked a little embarrassed. Before he could answer, he heard this "Xie Zhen" interrupt him and said, "Your Majesty, Zu Zhongshu can look at the chessboard. As long as Zhen has his back to the chessboard, it will be fine!"

Hearing this, Li Mi's eyes brightened!

Gao Changgong's expression changed incredibly, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat of worry!

"If that's the case, even if Zu Zhongshu wins, it's not a fair victory!" someone said.

"No, since I was the one who suggested playing blind chess, no matter who wins or loses, Zhen will be convinced!"

After saying this, Xiao Jinyu looked at Lu Lingxuan again, and Lu Lingxuan felt a chill from her slightly provocative eyes.

She suddenly called Mutipo to her side and whispered, "We must defend the Yecheng Post Station today and arrest anyone who is suspicious!"

"Yes! Mother!"

Mutibo left quietly!

The voices of surprised discussion in the hall became louder. At Gao Zhan's order, "Okay, let's start!", the hall suddenly became quiet. Xiao Jinyu, who was dressed as Xie Zhen, had already covered her eyes with a gauze, and turned her back to the chessboard, facing the emperor!

"Four out of sixteen, Star!"

With Zu Ting's voice, the chess game began!

Then, everyone in the hall looked at the black-robed young man in the hall, and heard him say loudly:

"Three out of four, Star!"

"Sixteen out of seventeen, Xiaomu!"

"Three out of four, Xiaome!"

"..."

As the pieces were placed on the chessboard, the expressions of the people watching around changed drastically, and sighs were heard everywhere. Cold sweat gradually broke out on Zu Ting's forehead, while Gao Changgong's eyes gradually showed joy. Even Li Mi wanted to applaud and silently wrote down every move on the chessboard in a book while making daily notes.

Gao Zhan didn't know what words to use to describe the expression on his face. He just stared silently at the blindfolded boy standing in front of him in front of the hall. Even he couldn't help but be moved by the boy's calmness and strong confidence.

So this is the prodigy raised by a thousand-year-old family?

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Lu Lingxuan's face became darker and darker, and she suddenly thought of the game strategy that "Xie Zhen" had mentioned three days ago:

"Rather than clinging to your child to survive, it is better to abandon your child and gain power. Rather than forcing things to happen, it is better to make up for it..."

What on earth did he mean by that?

As the saying goes, a game of chess lasts until sunset. This game of chess lasted for two hours without anyone noticing, until Zu Ting stammered and could no longer utter a single word.

Mu Ti Po also rushed back when the Golden Crow was sinking, and whispered in her ear: "We still haven't found him. Not only has the Yecheng Post Station not found him, but even in the Lanling Palace, no suspicious person who looks like him has ever entered or left!"

"But my son still managed to capture a few people who passed through the Yecheng Post Station. It is said that they were people who had come to Yecheng with Princess Lanling!"

Lu Lingxuan was startled again and stood up suddenly, looking at "Xie Zhen" with doubt and surprise.

At this moment, Zu Ting lowered his head and said, "I lost!"

"I have heard in the past that Zi Chong played the game of conquest, Chu Yin played the cannon, Che Xiang played Jing Lan played the central role. Today I know what the magic of first-class chess is!"

Zu Ting was willing to accept defeat and even sighed like this!

"First rank?" Upon hearing this, Mu Ti Po's eyes showed surprise and disdain, "Isn't what Zu Zhongshu said too much exaggeration? How can a young man like him reach the first rank in chess?"