Chapter 171: Victory

The Eldest Princess first glared at him, then elbowed Xie Wuya, all the while smiling broadly at Su Wan and saying, “Don’t mind your cousin, he’s obsessed with chess, and his life revolves around it.”

Xie Wuya pressed his lips together and remained silent.

“It’s fine. Young Master Xie just wants to confirm whether I’m the one who solved the chess problem,” Su Wan saw through it all easily. What could she not understand? She reminded him, “From now on, please address me as Mrs. Gu, Young Master Xie.”

She had no connection to the Crown Prince, so it didn’t feel appropriate to keep calling each other cousin.

Xie Wuya agreed readily, saying, “Alright, Mrs. Gu.”

After a brief pause, he asked without hesitation, “Can we play now?”

The Eldest Princess couldn’t help but hold her forehead. Seeing Su Wan again, she felt that Su Wan had changed. But what exactly had changed? There was an indescribable feeling, as if she now emitted a certain radiance, drawing people’s attention even more.

“Let’s do it now.” Su Wan intended to ask Xie Wuya to teach Gu Jingyun the arts of qin^[1]“The arts of qin” refers to the skills and knowledge associated with playing the guqin (古琴), a traditional Chinese musical instrument. The guqin is a plucked seven-string zither that … Continue reading, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and planned to use this opportunity to make her request. She instructed Xiao Tao, “Go to the storeroom and fetch a Go set.”

Xiao Tao took the key and went to the storeroom.

Mother Gu brought in some refreshments.

Gu Huaizhi brought in a small heated table, placing it in the center of the room, with a cushion on each side.

Su Wan and Xie Wuya each took their seats.

Xiao Tao, panting, ran over and placed the Go board on the heated table.

“Please,” Su Wan made a gesture of invitation.

Xie Wuya grabbed a handful of Go stones from the basket and offered them for Su Wan to guess.

Su Wan casually said, “Odd.”

Xie Wuya opened his hand, revealing six stones in his palm.

Su Wan guessed wrong and was assigned the white pieces.

“Thank you for letting me win,” Xie Wuya said, picking up the black pieces.

Following the rules, black moves first. He pinched a piece between his fingers and placed it on the board.

Su Wan followed with a white piece.

A hint of amusement appeared in Xie Wuya’s eyes, confirming that Su Wan had some skill.

Seeing him open with a diagonal 1-3 point strategy, Su Wan raised her eyebrow slightly. This was Xie Wuya’s favorite opening move.

Without changing her expression, Su Wan placed another piece down.

The smile on Xie Wuya’s face gradually disappeared as he focused intently on the board. Her twelfth move was a large diagonal joseki^[2]The phrase “large diagonal joseki” suggests a specific series of moves that involve diagonal placements of stones, which lead to many possible variations and traps, making it both complex … Continue reading.

The large diagonal is known for its countless variations, with every step being a trap and each move a scheme. Coincidentally, over the past month, he had found a scroll of Go techniques in the Sutra Pavilion, where he had discovered and studied this very method.

Xie Wuya skillfully broke Su Wan’s formation, subtly gaining an advantage.

Only now did Su Wan begin to take it seriously. After a brief moment of contemplation, she placed a piece down, and the situation became delicate. It was as if the game had calmed after a fierce battle, yet undercurrents raged, with danger lurking at every corner.

Xie Wuya’s brows furrowed as he pinched a piece between his fingers, hesitating for a long time before making his move.

Gu Huaizhi placed an incense stick nearby.

This was to set a time limit.

Xie Wuya paused for a moment, then proceeded to encircle Su Wan’s white pieces with great momentum, already taking the lead.

The Eldest Princess, having some knowledge of Go, believed by this point that Xie Wuya was likely to win.

Gu Huaizhi remained calm, pouring tea for the two players.

The Eldest Princess whispered, “Wanwan is going to lose this game, such a pity.”

Gu Huaizhi smiled and said, “Not necessarily.”

Before the Eldest Princess could speak again, Gu Huaizhi calmly remarked, “One should not speak while observing a game.”

The Eldest Princess, however, didn’t believe him, as the black pieces had an obvious advantage.

Suddenly, her expression changed.

Su Wan captured seven black pieces in a row, causing the black formation to collapse.

Xie Wuya’s fighting spirit was ignited, and he felt as if he had met a worthy opponent, with his blood boiling in excitement.

He knew he had made a wrong move earlier. Even though his mother and Gu Huaizhi had been discussing his inevitable victory in this game, what initially seemed like an easy gain had actually laid the groundwork for hidden trouble. Su Wan’s brilliant chain of three moves immediately turned the situation around.

He made a risky move, launching an aggressive attack step by step.

Su Wan, not one to stick to convention, appeared to play chaotically, but every move was filled with deep meaning. She wasn’t afraid of Xie Wuya’s fierce assault; instead, she counterattacked with equal strength, responding to each move decisively.

Xie Wuya clenched his fist, and the chess piece digging painfully into his palm. His face remained expressionless, but as he looked at the board, seeing there was no longer any chance of winning, he closed his eyes and conceded by placing down his piece.

He glanced at the incense that had just burned out. “Your chess skills are truly exceptional.”

“It’s not that,” Su Wan replied. “When Huaizhi brought out the incense burner, it unsettled your mind, which led to a careless move. If not for that, I might not have won.”

Xie Wuya shook his head. “Playing chess requires immense endurance and focus. My mindset was inferior to yours by just a bit, and that’s where I lost.”

Su Wan didn’t argue further. She didn’t care about winning or losing, so her mindset remained unaffected.

Moreover, she had grown up in the 21st century, where her grandfather and maternal grandfather were deeply knowledgeable about Go. Their collection of game manuals, which gathered the essence of ancient and modern strategies, had given her some natural talent in this area, allowing her to defeat Xie Wuya.

Given Xie Wuya’s age and the era he grew up in, his chess skills were truly remarkable.

“Another game?” Xie Wuya’s eyes were bright, staring intently at Su Wan. “This time, no time limit.”

Su Wan waved her hand repeatedly. “No, I have other matters to attend to today, so I’m afraid I can’t accompany you for another round.”

Xie Wuya was disappointed, but he remained courteous and did not press further.

He asked, “Then are you free tomorrow?”

Su Wan shook her head. “I won’t be free for the next few days.”

“How about after a few days?” Xie Wuya latched onto the key point.

Su Wan: “…”

Brother, it’s not that I’m busy—I just don’t want to play chess! She thought, exasperated.

Feeling troubled, Su Wan scratched her head and quickly changed the topic, “You all promised before that whoever solved the chess problem could request a favor with no conditions attached. Does that still hold true?”

“Of course,” Xie Wuya immediately responded, “If I agree, will you play another game with me?”

“Deal,” Su Wan replied, even though she disliked playing chess. It took too long, required too much focus, and constant thinking—too mentally exhausting. “When I have time, I’ll send you a message.”

“Agreed.”

The two of them sealed the deal with a handshake.

Xie Wuya then asked, “Have you thought about what you want?”

“I want you to teach my younger brother and sister the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Will you agree, Young Master Xie?”

“Alright,” Xie Wuya agreed, but not without negotiating for his own benefit. “Then can I regularly play Go with you?”

“Uh…” Su Wan felt that not revealing her identity earlier was a wise decision.

She could almost foresee that every time she met Xie Wuya in the future, he would pester her to play chess.

After some consideration, Su Wan said, “Once they’ve mastered qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, I’ll agree to one game with you.”

“Three games, no time limit.”

Su Wan reluctantly agreed, “Fine!”

Xie Wuya smiled and said, “I’ve bothered you enough for today. Tomorrow, I will come to the Gu Residence to start teaching.”

“No, no, no need to trouble you to make the trip,” Su Wan, as if facing a great threat, frantically waved her hands in alarm. “I’ll send them to the Eldest Princess’ residence!”

Xie Wuya nodded, “Farewell.”

The Eldest Princess was still in a daze, as if dreaming—Xie Wuya had actually lost to Su Wan.

And not only that, he had agreed to stay at the Eldest Princess’ residence to teach Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu.

The Eldest Princess held Su Wan’s hand, her tone filled with gratitude. “Wanwan, come to the Eldest Princess’ residence often. If you ever need help with anything, you can count on me.”

Su Wan politely agreed and watched as the Eldest Princess and Xie Wuya departed. She let out a deep breath.

“Are you planning to ask Zhao Wei to teach Jingyun?” Gu Huaizhi’s voice sounded quietly from behind her.