Chapter 104: Play Chess
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
When He Changping arrived at the Ying Manor to deliver the thank-you gift, Ying Siling was still kneeling in the ancestral hall of the Ying family, receiving a scolding.
"You, you, you— you are really going to anger me to death!"
The head of the Ying family, Ying Yaowu, was currently the head of the standing army in Yecheng. Usually, in front of the soldiers, General Ying was dignified and stern. But at this moment, he was nothing more than an irritable old father. He was gripping a feather duster, pacing back and forth beside Ying Siling. Yet he could not bring himself to actually strike Ying Siling with it. He only pointed it at her with a trembling hand and scolded her.
"Tell me, who allowed you to get involved in their business?! Let them fight however they like, let them struggle and stir up trouble all they want, what does the Princess and the Prince Consort being alive or dead have to do with you?! Did I let you enter the military camp just to fool around?! Do you know what kind of situation you have pushed our Ying family into with your actions today?! Do you know how many soldiers' lives have been affected by your selfish decision?!”
Even though she had already been kneeling for a long time, Ying Siling still kept her back straight. Facing Ying Yaowu’s scolding, she responded without arrogance or submission.
“Father, but you should not forget either, how the Prince of Yu has pressed you step by step all these years. If I had not stood with Her Highness today, do you think we would still have a chance to escape the Prince of Yu? I believe, rather than becoming the Prince of Yu’s claw and fang, it would be better to go with the flow and sell Her Highness a favor. That way, we would not let down the name of the heroic spirits of our Ying family’s past generations.”
“Do you think this is something a child like you needs to worry about?! I can handle the Prince of Yu on my own!”
Ying Yaowu irritably shook the feather duster in his hand, and continued, “You foolish child, why can you not see the situation clearly? All these years, within Yuzhou, except for the Demonic Sect and a few large sects that have not been bought over by the Prince of Yu, most of the other martial sects only follow his lead now. And that Princess, what does she have left by her side besides the Qingyang Clan? If the Prince of Yu wanted to kill her in Yuzhou, would it not be an easy thing? The heavens are high and the Emperor is far away—who would care about the Princess’ life then? And you? Originally, as long as our Ying family did not stand against him, even if we only gave him perfunctory support, he would still give me some face. But now that you have taken this stand—if the Princess loses, do you think he will spare you?”
Over the years, how many imperial envoys had been sent to Yuzhou, both openly and secretly? Yet none of them ever returned.
If not for the fact that this envoy was the Prince Consort, and he was traveling together with the Princess—his status and position unlike those of ordinary officials—he would have already been chewed down to the bone by now.
Now that those two are openly going against the Prince of Yu, how many officials in Yuzhou dare to get involved in their fight?
Are they not all pretending not to know and only watching in silence?
After all, seeking benefit and avoiding harm is only human nature.
In Ying Yaowu’s eyes, the fact that he had not colluded with the Prince of Yu was already enough to show he had not let down his ancestors.
Who would have thought that his own child would be so troublesome, daring to make her own decision behind his back and directly help Li Qiubai...
Seeing her father so angry, Ying Siling only let out a soft sigh.
“If Father is unwilling, then it is fine. You can just beat me and throw me out of the house. That way, the Prince of Yu will know your stance, that it was my decision alone and not your intention, so the people in the residence will not be dragged down by me.”
Hearing this, Ying Yaowu became even angrier.
“You! You little brat, are you trying to anger me to death? Is that what I meant? I have not even said much to you, and you already want to cut ties with me, is that it?!”
Seeing Ying Yaowu raise the feather duster again, Ying Siling had already closed her eyes, ready to take the beating.
“General, General!”
Before Ying Yaowu could finish struggling over whether to teach her a lesson, the ancestral hall doors were already being pounded on loudly from outside: “The Prince Consort seeks an audience, General, please come out and take a look!”
Just as they were talking about him—Ying Yaowu was still fuming and shouted at once, “I will not be seeing him, tell him to get lost!”
“This…” The steward outside, Fu Bo, who had come to call him, could not help but feel troubled. “Are we really going to drive him away so directly? But he even specially brought back the Young Miss’ Red Hare horse…”
Ying Yaowu froze. Once he reacted, he gritted his teeth and glared at Ying Siling. “Why is your beloved horse in their hands? Do not tell me you delivered it to them yourself!”
Seeing this, Ying Siling could only guiltily admit, “That was what I originally intended… But who would have thought, before I even got the chance, that Her Highness would cause such a stir and deliver this token of loyalty to me herself. If you really want to count it, it is hard to say who took advantage of whom…”
Now, Ying Yaowu understood everything.
The child had grown up and would always have ideas of her own.
He had thought that it was that shameless princess who set her sights on the Ying family. Who would have known it was this child who had made the first move to show goodwill?
Ying Yaowu glared fiercely at Ying Siling with gritted teeth, but in the end, he swallowed all the curses and reluctantly rubbed his brow.
“Forget it, forget it, do as you please.”
Ying Siling’s eyes lit up.
Before she could open her mouth to praise her father for being reasonable, that hot-tempered old man had already nudged her foot with his toe and shouted, “Why are you still kneeling there like a fool? Hurry and go settle your mother and younger sister! This was all caused by you. It is enough that I go along with your nonsense. But if your mother or sister gets hurt because of this, I will break your legs myself!”
Seeing him like this, Ying Siling could not help but smile and recall what he once told her when he taught her martial arts as a child.
“We, the sons of the Ying family, if we do not fight, then fine. But if we fight, we must give it our all to win!”
Now that she had her father’s support, she no longer had anything to worry about.
The news that the Ying family had accepted the Prince Consort’s gift and even held a banquet to host him spread to the Prince of Yu that very same day.
But the Prince of Yu did not try to stop it.
As a result, the advisors in the imperial manor could no longer sit still.
One of the Prince of Yu’s most trusted advisors, a man named Chen Ruiyun, found the Prince of Yu outside the study of the imperial manor the following afternoon. The prince had lowered himself to oversee the repairs personally. Chen Ruiyun handed him the intelligence gathered over the past few days.
“Your Highness, the Princess and the Prince Consort have caused quite a stir these past two days. Shi Hongzhang and Ying Yaowu have likely already been swayed to her side. As for He Ziyi, the master of Qingyang Clan, he has also begun reaching out to several sect leaders under the title of the Wulin Alliance Leader. His intentions do not seem innocent.”
Over the past two days, Li Qiubai had continued to send invitation letters to the Prince of Yu’s manor, but all of them were rejected without exception.
After the imperial manor’s study was burned down, the Prince of Yu sent men to repair it overnight. The workers had labored day and night for two days, yet the room had still not been restored to its original state.
Staring at the ruined tiles and broken beams before him, the Prince of Yu only sneered and said coldly,
“Hah, does she think she can overturn the heavens like this? It is nothing more than the petty tricks of ignorant children. Let them play—there is no harm in that.”
With that, the Prince of Yu turned away, no longer watching the repairs. He led his advisor toward the main hall instead, glancing at the message in his hand and asking as he walked,
“How are things progressing on the other side?”
Chen Ruiyun replied,
“Everything is proceeding smoothly, Your Highness. They have already begun taking action according to your instructions.”
“Very well.” The Prince of Yu’s eyes grew colder. “Looking at the current situation, it seems it will not be long now.”
Chen Ruiyun hesitated for a moment, but ultimately asked, “But Your Highness, the Heir Apparent* is still trapped in the capital. If we act now, is it not...a bit hasty?”
*世子 (Shìzǐ) - eldest son and heir apparent of a 1st rank prince. English equivalent title: Hereditary Prince, Princely Son. But I think it sounds awkward so I’ll be sticking with ‘Heir Apparent’ or ‘Heir’. Anyone who watches historical CDramas, how do the subs translate this?
“What do you think?” The Prince of Yu sneered. “Do you really think Li Qiubai would dare act against me? If it were not for that person’s instructions, how would a mere princess dare to act so arrogantly?”
For the Prince of Yu, his anxiety did not stem from Li Qiubai’s intentions to deal with him. Rather, it was because his dear imperial brother had already set his sights on him and was about to take action.
Although this was not the best timing, considering the principle of "strike first to gain the advantage," coupled with the intense battle for succession in the capital, if he did not act now, there might not be a better opportunity later. He would only be left to wait for his death.
Thinking of other families’ capable children, then thinking of his own useless son, the Prince of Yu could not help but let out a cold laugh and said with disdain, “Besides, if that child cannot even escape on his own, then what use does this Prince have for such a good-for-nothing?”
Hearing this, Chen Ruiyun could only give an awkward laugh and agree, “What Your Highness says is true.”
The Prince of Yu ignored the perfunctory tone in his words and instead asked, “How is Li Shuyao doing?”
“Everything is normal on the Third Princess’ side. As Your Highness expected, she and that Young Master of the Divine Doctors Sect have been trying to sneak out of that small courtyard to scout the way, but our people have stopped them every time.”
Chen Ruiyun paused, then hesitated to report something that had been bothering him.
“There is also the matter of the Commandery Princess. She keeps going to the Third Princess’ courtyard to mock her with sarcasm. The two have nearly fought several times…”
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The Prince of Yu was somewhat disappointed, but because Li Xinyi risked her life to save him at the viewing pavilion last time, he no longer looked down on this daughter as much as before. He only shook his head helplessly.
“That child always places too much importance on love and affection. Alright, just let her stir up trouble. Since everyone is already trapped inside this Prince’s manor, no real harm can come of it. As long as it does not lead to anyone getting killed, it is fine. Go on and arrange the rest. This time, we must ensure everything goes perfectly. We must not let those little brats find another opening.”
The two sides each harbored their own thoughts.
After three days of continuously sending visiting cards, the Prince of Yu's manor finally accepted one.
On the fourth afternoon since Shu Yao had been confined within the manor, Li Qiubai at last got what she wanted—she was able to openly step into the Prince of Yu's manor.
The manor did not prepare a banquet for her. It only set up a game of chess in the rear garden.
And the only one accompanying Li Qiubai into the garden was He Changping.
Seeing the two walking one after the other, looking nothing like the intimacy they showed that night at the Viewing Pavilion, the Prince of Yu let out a knowing smile and dismissed his attendants, leaving only one swordsman guard at his side.
Once Li Qiubai took her seat opposite the Prince of Yu and lifted the lid of the chess box on her own, the Prince of Yu finally grabbed a handful of pieces and pressed one onto the board, then spoke with a hint of meaning.
“Your Highness is indeed bold, to dare come here alone.”
"Imperial Uncle truly jests. It is just bringing the Prince Consort to your manor for a simple meal. What is there to be afraid of?"
Li Qiubai's expression did not change. She casually picked up a single chess piece and dropped it onto the chessboard, quietly waiting for the Prince of Yu to open his hand and guess who goes first. She then subtly remarked, "On the contrary, it is truly hard to get into your manor. You only let the Third Princess come as a guest, but do not let this Princess enter. It makes one feel very wronged."
Seeing that Li Qiubai could remain so calm while maintaining the surface peace with him, the Prince of Yu did not mind continuing the act.
After the first move was decided, it was the Prince of Yu’s turn to go first. He casually dropped a piece, while slowly explaining.
"Look, Your Highness, you speak so formally. I originally wanted to invite you as a guest earlier. But who told you that the fire you started the other day was too fierce? You also know that Xinyi, that child, is always hot-tempered. Because of the Prince Consort’s matter, she already does not get along with you. This time, she was even more upset because of that fire. She has been sulking for days now, and refuses to agree to let me invite you. That is why it was delayed until today. But, truly, I should blame myself for not teaching my daughter properly. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Li Qiubai pretended not to understand the veiled sarcasm in his words, still calmly picking up chess pieces and exchanging moves with him.
"Imperial Uncle is truly being distant. We are all family. There is no such thing as lingering anger. If Xinyii is upset, I will go and comfort her later. I only fear that perhaps Imperial Uncle is also angry and is holding a grudge against me."
The Prince of Yu was momentarily stunned by her shameless words and instinctively replied, "How could that be..."
"Then I can rest assured."
Li Qiubai smiled as she picked up the three chess pieces the Prince of Yu had thrown, continuing to annoy him. "After all, it was just a small joke. I knew Imperial Uncle had a broad heart, and surely would not mind."
The Prince of Yu: "..."
Seeing that the conversation was taking an unexpected turn and she seemed to be gaining the upper hand, the Prince of Yu noticed she did not mention the matter concerning the person. He decided not to continue arguing with her, shifting his gaze to He Changping, who was standing quietly behind Li Qiubai, holding a sword and observing the chess game.
"How strange, the Prince Consort today looks a bit different from the one I saw that night at the viewing pavilion."
Upon hearing this, He Changping furrowed his brows slightly.
Author's Note:
Telling a ghost story, the author has come back to life.
