Chapter 918 The Way of the Game
In the chess game, the Emperor of Dajin was definitely a master.
Because he was good at strategy and was always able to win by a surprise move.
He had won three games in a row today.
Although he had the upper hand, for some reason, the Emperor of Dajin felt as if he had been manipulated.
While drinking tea, he looked up at the girl.
She was not complacent, nor was she sinister or cunning.
She looked as usual with a faint smile on her face and focused on the chess game.
“Your Majesty, you won.”
Lin Mengya had lost three games in a row, but she was so calm that she didn’t even raise her eyebrows.
“It’s just a game of chess. There’s no winning or losing.”
For some reason, the Emperor of Dajin, who had always been astute, felt a little uneasy.
It seemed that he could not see through this girl.
“That’s right. It’s just a chess game. No matter how much effort one puts in, it’s just a game. Besides, you’re an expert in this field, so it’s natural for me to lose.”
Lin Mengya gave him a gentle smile. The Emperor’s eyes were heated, but he couldn’t find any flaw in her smile.
“I haven’t played chess so happily for many years. Your chess skills are very good.”
He was a crafty man after all. Before he saw the target, he wouldn’t easily show his means.
Lin Mengya chatted with him for a while. It was not until the servants outside reported that the lords had arrived at the imperial study that the Emperor left Ningqing Hall.
“It’s so tiring.”
As soon as the Emperor left, Lin Mengya’s face darkened.
She didn’t like to confront these people because they would always keep a straight face and plot against each other.
Baisu, who had disguised herself as an ordinary maid, brought up a cup of tea and asked in a low voice, “Princess, whom do you think will know that His Majesty was here?”
“The ones who should know will learn about it. But what they will know is that their honorable emperor spent the whole afternoon here.”
Lin Mengya picked up the tea and elegantly placed it in her mouth.
If it was within her expectations, in the next few days, the one who claimed to be the great emperor would come to her Ningqing Hall often.
Humans were like this. They wanted to see through the things or people they couldn’t understand.
Especially the ones like the Emperor of Dajin, he would never allow the things that he could not control to exist.
To put it simply, he had a strong desire to control everything around him.
In the past, he wanted to control the Jin State, but now he wanted to manipulate his son.
Unfortunately, not everything would go as he wished.
For three days in a row, once the Emperor of Dajin left the court, he would find an opportunity to play chess with her.
Even if Lin Mengya usually lost, she would spend the whole afternoon with him.
They didn’t say anything other than playing chess.
However, in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, it seemed that the Emperor of Dajin and Princess Rongan had some secrets.
Unfortunately, in the past few days, the Emperor had only been thinking about the chess game with that girl. He was thinking about how to turn the situation around.
The atmosphere in the palace was a little subtle. For the first time, the astute Emperor ignored the minute details beside him.
In the evening, just after sending off the Emperor of Dajin, Lin Mengya went back to her bed to chat and have tea with Baisu.
It was the first snow of this year, and no one knew when it started snowing outside.
“It’s said that snow indicates a good year, but this year’s snow seems to be a little earlier than the previous years.”
Baisu knew that her master was afraid of the cold, so she did not open the window to enjoy the snow.
But the outside was soon covered with a thick layer of snow. Because of the warmth of the ground, it melted quickly.
“Yeah. The things that would come always arrive. It doesn’t matter if they come earlier. Go to the kitchen and check how the things prepared for His Majesty are.”
Lin Mengya’s words implied something. She covered herself with the quilt tightly. The weather suddenly cooled down. She really wanted to move away from here.
However, it would be soon.
His Majesty had played chess with her for three days. He had given her enough face.
It was impolite not to return the favor. Lin Mengya specially asked someone to make some special pastries from the Nation of Lintian, hoping to present them to the Emperor of Dajin.
The bright red cloak was still conspicuous even under the dim light.
The big cyan umbrella also made her the focus of everyone’s attention in the snow-white world.
Stepping on the snow, there were continuous creaking sounds.
Although all the roads in the palace had been cleaned out by the palace servants, the road was still a little slippery because of the falling snow.
Lin Mengya personally carried a square wooden box with dark red patterns. It was obvious that the box was for the use of the royal family.
She walked very carefully, but she kept holding the box tightly.
She was so careful as if there was something very important in it.
After coming out of Ningqing Hall, they walked to the Emperor’s imperial study room. It was quite a long distance, and along the way, they passed many courts.
She didn’t take the sedan chair. If she fell off from one at this crucial time, she might as well walk on her own.
They walked very carefully, but as soon as they reached a secluded place, a black shadow suddenly flew out.
“Ah!”
After a scream, Lin Mengya was hit heavily on the ground. The wooden box flew out, and the things inside were scattered all over the ground.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Several maids immediately helped Lin Mengya up, and the servant who had offended the noble knew that he was in trouble and knelt there shivering.
“Many apologies! Your Highness, please forgive me for offending you!”
The maids who surrounded Princess Rongan were naturally furious. They immediately slapped the servant hard on the face and scolded him aggressively.
“Are you blind? I don’t know that the servants of the Jin State are like this! Let me tell you, if anything happens to Her Highness, you’ll have to pay for it with your life!”
The maid’s words were not polite, and the servant did not dare to reply. He could only kowtow heavily until his head was broken and bleeding.
“Just let it go. He’s not our man after all. It’s not good to send him away. Ask him to be careful next time. He’s so reckless. Was he bewitched or something?”
However, Lin Mengya didn’t feel much pain because she fell in the snow and wore a lot of clothes.
But she looked a little anxious. Under the flickering light, she didn’t look good.
The maid, who had just slapped him, said in an evil voice, “Get lost! If you dare to offend Her Highness again, you will suffer!”
The young servant who had been spared immediately kowtowed repeatedly and knelt on one side as if he had been scared out of his wits.
Lin Mengya took a few steps forward, put away the things in the wooden box, and held it in her arms again.
They continued to walk in the direction of the imperial study. However, the servant had been kneeling on the side of the road. It was not until their figures disappeared that he slowly got up and went back to the dark place.
The snow fell all night.
Lin Mengya’s pastries were naturally praised by the Emperor.
However, from then on, she did not step out of Ningqing Hall again.
She thought that the early snow wouldn’t last long, but she didn’t expect that it would last for three days.
The palace was wrapped in silver as if it was a fairyland.
However, Lin Mengya ordered Baisu to restrain the servants and not let anyone go out at ease.
There were people who sent necessities to them every day.
Except for that, she spent the rest of her time writing and drawing in the hall.
Except for the maids who were close to her, no one was allowed to see what she was writing when they entered the hall.
If someone were to ask, her maids would tell them that Princess Rongan was drawing plum blossoms.
There was indeed a plum tree outside her window, but the blossom time had not yet arrived. It looked bare and listless.
Three days later, the snow stopped, and so did Lin Mengya’s writing and painting.
“Present my writings to His Majesty.”
Lin Mengya asked someone to send her writings over. Although she was not very talented, she had been educated in modern times.
A few poems about plum blossoms could be regarded as stunning in this era.
Of course, the Emperor of Dajin was also pretentious. These poems would definitely win his favor.
As expected, she had her writing delivered in the morning, and the Emperor ordered Eunuch Wang to send a large number of gifts to her at night.
He also wrote a poem in person, which could be regarded as a kind of elegance.
Lin Mengya squinted her eyes, looked at the maids who were busy sweeping the snow outside, and ordered in a low voice, “His Majesty’s poem must be kept well. Somebody get the mahogany box on the top of the bookcase. Remember, no one is allowed to move it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
On the 15th day of October, Princess Rongan had been in the palace for half a month.
She was supposed to be sent here for marriage.
The person who wanted to match her was either a prince or a prince’s heir.
However, she didn’t have good luck. Those imperial concubines only asked people to send a lot of gifts, but they didn’t dare to come to visit her so easily.
Of course, it was also because she was seriously ill.
However, the Emperor of Dajin doted on her very much. From time to time, he would go to Ningqing Hall to have a seat or reward her with some delicate little things.
According to the rumors from the people around the Emperor, the Emperor valued his daughter-in-law very much. He must find someone important to match her.
These few words were enough to make her stand out from the others.
Unfortunately, there came two pieces of news at this time.
First, the Crown Prince fell in love with this princess at first sight and told everyone that he would marry her.
Secondly, Prince Yu was chosen by His Majesty, and it was said that Princess Rongan was very satisfied with this arrangement.
It was hard for her to have a good reputation while two men were fighting over her.
Therefore, none of the concubines in the palace would like to talk to her first.
If they made His Majesty, the Crown Prince, or Prince Yu unhappy, they would not have a bright future.
However, in such a dilemma, Princess Rongan wasn’t worried at all.
She stayed in the courtyard every day to recuperate, and she didn’t see anyone other than the young Duke.
However, on this day, she had no choice but to tidy up her appearance and prepare to welcome the honored guest.
Apart from the one in the central palace, the most powerful woman in the Imperial Palace was Prince Yu’s birth mother, the Imperial Noble Consort.
The Imperial Noble Consort was born into a noble family, and she had raised three princes, so she was favored by His Majesty.
However, she was modest. Other than staying in her own palace, she rarely interfered in other matters.
But His Majesty valued her and asked her to assist in the affairs of the imperial harem.
She was fair in dealing with things, and she also cared for the maids, so she had a good reputation for being virtuous.