Chapter 115: Disgraced

Su Mixue was bewildered.

She only had a vague idea about the endgame on the stone tablet.

Even after it was solved by Gu Huaizhi, she reviewed the solution twice and could only grasp a bit of it.

Xie Wuya used a similar strategy to create a different endgame, complying with Su Jihong and the Eldest Princess’s words. However, to Su Mixue, it was like a book written in a foreign language; she couldn’t understand it at all.

Qinglan, upon hearing this, felt that although Xie Wuya was straightforward and had a peculiar temperament, he was easy to talk to.

She urged Su Mixue, “Xue’er, Mr. Xie’s endgame is similar to the one you solved before. Hurry up and solve it so we can finish early. You still need to return to the palace.”

She placed her hands on Su Mixue’s shoulders, pressed down slightly, and hinted for Su Mixue to quickly end the game. Qinglan wanted the Eldest Princess to accompany her back to the palace to help elevate her status while there was still time.

Su Mixue’s fingers trembled slightly as she picked up a white piece, her vision darkening as she stared at the board.

She regretted deeply, knowing that if she had anticipated Xie Wuya’s test following the endgame solution, she would never have claimed the credit.

If she couldn’t solve it, the humiliation from Xie Wuya would not only bring her no benefits but also result in her utter disgrace.

No, no, no—she couldn’t afford to be disgraced. She had to solve it!

Holding the chess piece, Su Mixue couldn’t bring herself to make a move. Cold sweat broke out on her palms, and her mind kept replaying the previous endgame. The more she thought, the less clarity she had, her mind becoming increasingly chaotic. And the cold sweat blurred her vision.

She couldn’t panic. She mustn’t panic!

As Su Mixue tried to calm herself, her chaotic mind turned blank.

She struggled desperately, and at the moment Xie Wuya made a move, she gritted her teeth and placed the piece.

Xie Wuya looked at the piece Su Mixue had placed, half-lifting his eyelids to seriously observe her. “The endgame was not solved by you.”

“No! It was me!” Su Mixue sharply retorted.

Xie Wuya slowly began to put the pieces back into the chess basket, one by one. “Tell me, what was the thought process behind solving the endgame?”

Su Mixue clenched her fingers and weakly argued, “I… I stumbled upon it by accident.”

After finishing collecting the pieces, Xie Wuya pointed to Su Mixue’s pale face. “When people lie, their eyes wander and they don’t dare to look the person in the eye. Moreover, my endgame has remained unsolved for years.

If it were truly you who solved it, you should be very confident. When I proposed playing a game with you, you could have shown any emotion except fear.”

“You retreated,” Xie Wuya pointed out bluntly, “Your eyes show regret. Regret for what? Regret for lying, for taking credit for someone else’s achievement?”

“No, it’s not true! I didn’t!” Su Mixue knocked over the chess pieces with a “smack,” and her face drained of color. She said in panic, “I told you, every time I go to Guo Temple, I try to solve the endgame. This time, it was just a lucky accident. If someone else solved it, why would they hide and not show themselves, letting me take the opportunity to gain fame?”

“Not everyone is as greedy for fame and fortune as you are,” Xie Wuya said mercilessly, “What is not yours, even if you steal it, will never truly belong to you.”

He gave a glance at the servant.

The servant, understanding the cue, began to tidy up the chessboard.

Xie Wuya stood up, preparing to leave.

In her desperation, Su Mixue grabbed Xie Wuya’s sleeve.

Xie Wuya raised his hand to avoid her touch, and said curtly, “Dirty.”

Su Mixue’s face turned deathly pale, looking utterly humiliated.

The Eldest Princess had not expected such a turn of events. She feared Xie Wuya might return to Guo Temple to investigate further. She wanted to speak on Su Mixue’s behalf, but seeing his demeanor, she knew he was angry.

Feeling distressed, the Eldest Princess decided not to insist on Xie Wuya going down the mountain: “Wuya, let’s return to the residence. If you want to stay there, you can. If you want to stay at Guo Temple, Mother will visit you there whenever I miss you.”

“I won’t go to Guo Temple,” Xie Wuya said seriously. “I need to find the person who solved the endgame.”

“Alright, alright. Mother will send someone to help you find them,” the Eldest Princess said indulgently, and they left together in the carriage.

The entrance of the Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion fell silent for a moment before erupting in chaos.

“The endgame wasn’t solved by Su Liangyuan?”

“How can there be any doubt? Who is Mr. Xie? Does he need to falsely accuse Su Liangyuan? The same endgame with a different approach, and she doesn’t know it? It definitely wasn’t her who solved it.”

“Like mother, like daughter. They both like to steal others’ achievements.”

“I wonder how the person whose credit she took is doing now.”

The crowd suddenly fell silent, their gazes at Su Mixue filled with disdain, as if looking at something dirty.

Someone, whose identity was unclear, started throwing rotten vegetable leaves at Su Mixue. Others followed suit, peeling the vegetables from their baskets and hurling the remains at her.

“Ah—”

Su Mixue grabbed the rotten vegetable leaves off her head, and the stench of decay making her nauseous.

“Someone, come quickly and arrest this group of lunatics!”

Su Mixue was on the verge of collapse, screaming sharply as she hid behind Qinglan and Su Jihong.

Someone spat on the ground, “Shameless wretch, always scheming for wealth and harming others. The emperor was wise to demote you, knowing you are undeserving of your position.”

Su Jihong’s face turned ashen, and with a wave of his hand, the mansion’s guards poured out.

“Murderer! The Marquis of Dingyuan is bullying us, killing people!”

The common people shouted as they scattered in all directions.

Su Mixue’s face turned as white as a sheet, and her whole body trembled. Looking at her disheveled self, her eyes reddened, and she weakly called out to Su Jihong for help, “Father…”

Su Jihong, filled with disappointment, said, “You should return to the Eastern Palace. With your status, you cannot stay at your maternal home for long. The Crown Prince allowing you to visit is already a great favor.”

Without waiting for Su Mixue to respond, Su Jihong strode back into the mansion.

Su Mixue felt as if her heart had fallen into an icy pit, and tears streamed down her face. “Mother, father, he…”

“Smack—”

Qinglan slapped Su Mixue across the face, her whole body shaking with anger. She pointed at Su Mixue’s nose, and cursed, “Useless thing! You can’t even solve a single chess problem. What use are you? Don’t call me mother; I don’t have such a disgraceful daughter!”

The whip wounds on Qinglan’s body split open, causing her face to contort with pain. She shouted at Xiu Juan, “Are you dead? Standing there doing nothing, hurry and help me back to the courtyard.”

Xiu Juan helped Qinglan to leave tremblingly.

Su Mixue’s tears were streaming down her face. Looking at the mess and the stench at the entrance, she sank into deep despair and was unable to imagine the consequences she would soon face.

At that moment, a carriage stopped at the gate, and two stout old women jumped down. One grabbed Su Mixue by the arm. “Su Liangyuan, we are here on the Crown Prince’s orders to take you back to the palace.”

Su Mixue’s eyes filled with terror as she struggled. “You wretches, let go of me, or I’ll have you beaten to death with a stick!”

The stout woman with a stern face, pinched Su Mixue’s waist hard, and laughed coldly. “Su Liangyuan, you’ve made such a grave mistake. So, you’ll spend the rest of your life rotting in the Cold Palace.”