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The passage of time smoothed out everything, and even though she was still trapped in the palace, she was free.
No matter what she thought, she did not hate Lang Linling.
Just as I was about to find an excuse to leave, Lang Linling suddenly asked:
"Qiaochu, are you interested in playing a game of chess?"
Qiaochu was stunned for a moment. There were no computers or televisions for any entertainment here, and she couldn't be depressed because of someone. This suggestion was very creative, and she didn't refuse it in the end.
But she still asked why.
"I want to see how capable you are."
Lang Linling looked at her and smiled softly, feeling somewhat complacent, somewhat proud, and also somewhat sad.
…
At first, the only people watching were Lang Linling's maid Shan'er and the three men from Qiaochu's side. Later, the idle slaves who passed by the garden came over to watch.
The two of them did not shy away from anything and just did what they had to do and said what they had to say.
In the first game, Lang Linling won in a very short time. In the second game, Qiaochu took a long time to win back a game.
Now it's the third game.
Lang Linling glanced at the area where Qiaochu was surrounded and said, "Sister, I have a feeling that it will soon be a life-and-death battle."
Qiaochu thought about the meaning of her words and responded.
"Some money is useful now, and it will be useful even after you fight for your life or death."
"After a life-and-death struggle, it's time to finally get there. Is it still useful?"
"Don't forget that the next round begins again."
Lang Linling smiled and placed a piece on the chessboard. Qiaochu now understood her meaning completely and smiled softly, "The one holding the piece understands."
"No, the person holding the pieces is smart, and because of his ability, he doesn't take these pieces seriously, so he needs others to remind him."
Qiaochu looked at the chessboard. She was holding the white pieces, and the situation for white pieces was extremely unfavorable. She thought for a moment and waved her hand to ask the onlookers to step back.
Everyone was watching with great interest. Although not many people knew how to play chess, there were some servants who were older and could explain the game. The main reason was that the two masters were playing chess. They were all very interested and wanted to know who would win or lose. At this time, seeing Qiaochu had given the order, they all reluctantly retreated. Jingqing was the most active. It was his turn to be on duty today and to protect Qiaochu. Seeing this, he immediately growled, "Retreat, retreat, retreat quickly."
When everyone saw this, they recalled that Shangguan Jinghong's temperament had become increasingly gloomy recently. Although it was heard that the emperor had praised him several times in the court for his capable handling of various departments' affairs, for some reason he was not happy about it. Instead, he looked cold and frosty. His love for Concubine Qiao seemed to have not diminished. He always ordered General Fang and others to wait for his orders, but he never went to Concubine Qiao's room.
Since the master stayed overnight in Lang Fei's room, Qiaochu was in a bad mood. Although he was usually gentle and easy to talk to, he did not dare to offend her. When she suggested staying where she was and watching the game, she immediately retreated a few meters away and watched from a distance. Because at the end of each game, Lang and Qiaochu would use the sycamore leaves to determine the winner, and the winner would get the leaf.
Qiaochu watched everyone retreat, and then said, "Qiaochu understands the power of these chess pieces, and sister is just the right person to remind them."
Lang Linling's expression also straightened up at this time. "My grandfather knew his ability, but he always had concerns in his heart. He must have hoped that my family would help him, but he was arrogant and could not bring himself to ask for it."
"Although he treated you the best, he still had feelings for me, otherwise he wouldn't have taken me home and stayed in my room every night. It's just that I... I also disappointed him before, so he stayed in my room every night even though he didn't want to..."
Qiaochu's heart tightened, and he heard Lang Linling lower her voice and said, "If my sister also has a child, sister, what do you think my grandfather will do?"
The front corner of the garden.
The two gardeners knelt on the ground, trembling.
"Whoever says another word will be punished by this king."
Just now, several old gardeners came to help persuade them, but they were interrupted by the cold-hearted master in front of them.
In fact, there are many insect pests at this time of year, and some flowers were not punished if they were not well taken care of in the past.
The master had just returned from court, and while walking, he seemed to be in a very good mood. I don't know what great things he was thinking about. He had been gloomy and cold these days. While I was still guessing, his eyes suddenly darkened, and then he ordered a severe punishment.
Fang Ming and Jing Ping looked at each other. Jing Ping frowned and tried to persuade him to leave. Fang Ming looked at Lao Tie. Lao Tie frowned. After a while, his eyes moved and he said, "Since he has said it, I am afraid that no one can persuade him. I will find someone who he will never punish to intercede. I have been patient for many days, and today I got good news. But he has not said a word to him these days..."
——————————
378
As soon as Lao Tie left, Fang Ming and Jing Ping realized that something was fishy. Shangguan Jinghong used a small shovel and a medicine pot to take care of the flowers and plants, and did not let the guards beat him with a cane.
This is not the first time. It happened before in the Ministry of Justice. But Shangguan Jinghong's purpose was more complicated. Now Shangguan Jinghong's purpose is simple, but the situation is much more difficult. Suddenly, things got awkward. No one knew what happened to the two people by the stream. Shangguan Jinghong refused to say anything. Fang Mingjingping asked Qiaochu privately, but Qiaochu refused to say anything.
Lao Tie quickly turned back and said, "Master Qiao is in the middle of a killing spree, I'm afraid he won't move for a while."
He would not say these words to Shangguan Jinghong, but to Fang Ming and Jing Ping.
The two were greatly surprised, but Shangguan Jinghong threw away the shovel, stood up and said coldly: "Kill? What is she killing?"
This was the first time in many days that Shangguan Jinghong took the initiative to ask about Qiaochu.
"I'm playing chess with Lang Fei." Lao Tie said with a wry smile.
****puppet*
Lang Linling's words left Qiaochu stunned for a while, and then he smiled bitterly.
Lang Linling put the interests in front of her, hoping that she could persuade Shangguan Jinghong...
Just now, Lao Tie came over and seemed to have something to talk to her about. She made a gesture from a distance, indicating that she would look for him later and finish the game of chess with Lang Linling first.
A difficult chess move.
"Qiaochu, you and I used to have a grudge against each other, but since you wanted to leave the mansion, I have been willing to befriend you. I am not afraid to tell you some things to my sister."
Lang Linling glanced at the servants in the distance, put down a piece, and said softly: "I have been back to the Lang Mansion for a few days and heard some things. Recently, there were guests in my cousin's house. Sister, do you know who the guests are? "
When Qiaochu heard her say this, he knew that this guest must be no ordinary person. He suddenly remembered the man in purple clothes whom he had seen in Xuanxiang Restaurant many days ago... His heart beat faster.
Seeing her concentrating, Lang Linling continued, "This man is Yan Zixi, the son of the youngest brother of the King of Yanxiang, my father's lifelong friend."
"Yan State and Dongling have a city bordering each other. For many years, the city-state was tacitly considered to belong to Dongling. However, a few years ago, the ruler of Yan State saw that the city-state was becoming increasingly prosperous and said that the city-state should belong to Yan. The two countries then went to war, which ended with Yan's defeat and the signing of a peace treaty. In fact, the Prince of Yan did not agree with this war."
"Yan Zixi came to Dongling to find his wife who had been missing for a long time after leaving the country, and secondly, he came to Dongling to help my cousin, the virtuous king, at the request of his father and the invitation of my grandfather. Yan Zixi is extremely capable and has the style of his father, the Prince of Yan. After the defeat of Yan State, the father and son worked together to make plans and quickly restored the national strength of Yanxiang in a few years, and they were deeply supported by the people."
"The internal affairs of Yan are now complicated. The ruler of Yan is old. As the Yan prince and his son grow stronger and control half of the country's troops, the ministers in the court are divided into two factions. One supports the Yan emperor and the crown prince, while the other supports the Yan prince as the next emperor."
Lang Linling finished the last word slowly, and Qiaochu was startled, and the piece in his hand almost slipped.
This time, she was finally completely certain that the purple-robed man she saw that day was Yan Zixi. It turned out that he was such a prominent figure.
She immediately remembered what she asked Jingping later.
wrong.
Jing Ping must have lied to her later. At that time, Shangguan Jinghong must not have said something like "You are Ninth Brother's person".
Yan Zixi was another wall and power of the Lang family! Such a connection meant that he could not possibly be the young King Xia's man.
There was only one possibility that Jing Ping was hiding something, and that was that Shangguan Jinghong had already noticed in the restaurant that she had seen through the clues, so she ordered Jing Ping to say that to divert her attention.
He didn't want her to worry.
Shangguan Jinghong's situation is not as good as it seems, with internal and external troubles.
He rejected Cai Ning. Although there is no news that Cai Ning is on good terms with the prince, the virtuous king alone has the help of the Lang family army and half of Yanxiang's national strength to seize the throne.
He always kept everything from her, including government affairs and love affairs...
Lang Linling observed Qiaochu's expression and saw that he was lost in thought, so she slowly said, "I understand a lot about Fang Jing's matter. I am willing to love him and help him with all my heart, and you are the same, right? The emperor's health is getting better and better, and the time for a life-and-death struggle is indeed approaching. You see, my cousin has been allowed to attend the court again. In the eyes of the emperor, this is nothing, it's just a favor for my grandfather, but the return of the virtuous king to the court is of great significance to the Lang family."
"Since the Emperor has allowed the Virtuous King to participate in government affairs, he is no longer a deposed king. Once the Emperor passes away, the Lang family will not be criticized by the people for supporting the Virtuous King, who is the eldest son and grandson, to succeed to the throne. It will be more legitimate." Qiaochu immediately interjected without hesitation.
Lang Linling praised: "Okay, sister is indeed a wise person. Unless my grandfather changes his impression of him, even if he succeeds to the throne, with the Crown Prince, the King of Xia, the King of Ning, and my cousin, surrounded by powerful enemies, can he sit firmly on the throne?"
Qiaochu smiled, without saying yes or no, but just said softly: "Sister, be careful."
Lang Linling was startled and looked at the chessboard. Qiaochu was at a disadvantage just now, but this sudden move was a counterattack. They each had their own strengths. She was good at attacking, ruthless, and could kill people instantly, while Qiaochu was good at defending and attacking while defending. It was hard to say who was better and stronger. The two of them should be equally intelligent.
She frowned suddenly, and was about to find a way to break it, when a faint fragrance wafted past, and a slender hand suddenly held her hand. She quickly realized who had come, and her face became hot. Thinking of what they had just said, she wondered if this person had heard it, and her heart tightened again. To this day, she was more and more deeply in love with him, otherwise she would not have said these things and done these things - at this time, the hand had taken her piece and put it down to a position on the plate.
Qiaochu was startled and quickly made a move, but the opponent made another move very quickly...
After several exchanges, the voice on the other side said, "You lose."
Qiaochu laughed at himself. He was caught off guard and was forced to move at the same speed as his opponent. He had no time to think and lost immediately.
She felt a little depressed and raised her head slowly. Shangguan Jinghong glanced at her indifferently. All the servants seemed to have stopped and now they hurriedly stepped forward to greet her.
379
"Is the bell still ringing?"
Shangguan Jinghong did not nod as usual, but only asked Lang Linling in a gentle voice. Everyone who was greeting him felt a little scared.
Lang Linling smiled and said, "It's getting late. Lunch should be ready. I will accompany you to have lunch. Sister Qiao can come with us."
Lang Linling glanced over. Qiaochu knew that she asked him to think about her previous proposal and had been thinking about how to respond. Now she had an idea and said to Shangguan Jinghong, "Wait a moment, Master. Qiaochu will talk to my sister for a few words and then let my sister accompany me to dinner."
Shangguan Jinghong said "hmm" lightly, and the two walked away a few steps. Qiaochu lowered his voice and said, "Sister Lang, Qiaochu can't say anything. Everything is up to me, but I wish you all the best."
Lang Linling was slightly shocked, and her eyes gradually turned cold. "Sister, you should understand the principle of win-win."
"Qiaochu is a loser to begin with. In fact, if my sister treats him wholeheartedly, he will know it. My wishes to my sister are from my heart." Qiaochu replied solemnly.
In the past, she would not interfere with Shangguan Jinghong's thoughts and actions.
Now, even though their feelings are no longer there, she still respects Shangguan Jinghong's thoughts and actions.
Men need pride. People can be killed, but dignity cannot be defeated.
What's more, if a man has fickle interests, how can he be worthy of someone's trust? If that's the case, Lang Linling, are you willing
Lang Linling stared at her for a long time and said, "I really don't understand you."
She didn't say anything else, very straightforward. She turned back, smiled softly, and said, "Master, let's go."
"I haven't played chess for quite some time. Since Concubine Lang is not playing anymore, Qiaochu, then you can play a game with me." Shangguan Jinghong glanced at the sycamore leaves on the stone table.
Qiaochu was about to decline politely when he heard Shangguan Jinghong say, "Is everyone idle today?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the servants. They were all shocked and knelt down in an instant, apologizing in a trembling voice.
"Master, they came to see the chess after finishing their work. It's me, the concubine, who didn't drive them away."
When everyone saw Lang Linling pleading for mercy, they all looked at her with gratitude.
Qiaochu cried out "bad". Originally, those who were watching here were servants who had some free time. It seemed unreasonable for Shangguan Jinghong to accuse them. Given their temperament that would never allow anyone to take advantage of them, everyone should have just answered "yes" and dispersed. But after being frightened by Shangguan Jinghong, they became unreasonable and rushed to admit their mistakes, and now they really became the ones who made the mistake.
Shangguan Jinghong replied, "Ling'er, go and have your meal first."
"Since Concubine Lang has begged for mercy, for Concubine Lang's sake, let's do this. If Concubine Qiao defeats me, you can do whatever you are supposed to do."
Qiaochu was embarrassed. For the sake of Lang Fei, she was the one playing chess. What was the reason? With so many people in her hands, she couldn't agree or not.
Shangguan Jinghong also instructed Fang Ming and others to bring the two gardeners over. If Concubine Qiao won, they would be pardoned as well.
Lang Linling pursed her lips and left.
Qiaochu had no choice but to sit down again.
The four beauties on the side actually gave her thumbs up and encouraged her, leaving Qiaochu at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
She didn't know whether it was because she subconsciously didn't want to stay with Shangguan Jinghong and her performance was so poor, or whether Shangguan Jinghong was indeed so powerful that she lost quickly and accurately, always losing in less than a minute.
She thought to herself with some amusement that if it was a tasteless bet to take off clothes, she would have lost so much that she would be left with only her underpants.
Everyone wailed, almost giving up all hope and kneeling on the ground looking at her. Jing Qing was a frivolous child, laughing loudly and praising the master for his ability. Lao Tie and others looked at him expressionlessly, kneeling on the ground and looking at him.