Li Pin had rather good fortune—that very night, the Emperor summoned Yun Jiao to attend him.
Her luck held because had it been delayed another two or three days, Yun Jiao would have completely forgotten what she had promised.
Yun Jiao originally had no intention of going.
She had eaten so much at the midday Imperial Cuisine that she lay on the couch attempting to digest through breathing. Even as the sun set in the west, she still didn’t feel hungry. Attending the Emperor meant going through the entire process of bathing and grooming from head to toe—such blessings were better left to others.
“By His Majesty’s decree, Consort Xi of Xianfu Palace is to accompany him at Weiyang Palace during the Xu hour.”
After ten sunsets, Yun Jiao yielded.
The fairy had some patience, but not much.
With this frequency of summons, one might think she was the only one left alive in the entire rear palace.
Xue Ya and Gong Mei joyfully prepared their mistress, dressing her up, bathing her, and changing her clothes. Her black hair was soft and beautiful; unlike other palace consorts who liked to apply fragrant oils, she preferred it clean and simply styled, valuing lightness and comfort.
When Yun Jiao arrived at Weiyang Palace, she happened to see the Emperor, who had just finished reviewing memorials, emerging from the inner chamber. He had changed out of his Dragon Robe into a cloud-peak white robe, which made his features appear even more strikingly handsome and cool.
“Your humble consort pays respects to Your Majesty.”
“Hmm, come here.”
Yun Jiao rose and stepped forward, only to see the Emperor raise his hand to undo the clasp at his collar.
He had well-maintained hands—clean, slender, and distinctively jointed, equally suited for drawing a bow or for flirtation. Yun Jiao, who had been slack about attending, suddenly perked up, staring intently at the Emperor’s hands. Unfortunately, he undid only two buttons before stopping.
“What are you looking at?”
Xie Zhixing cupped her head, pinching her cheeks and lifting her face.
“No-nothing… I’m not looking at anything…”
The little thing looked guilty.
Even if Xie Zhixing racked his brains, he would never have guessed that she had been staring at his hand undoing the buttons, feeling her heart flutter, thinking he was a feast for the eyes. “Stop daydreaming and come play chess with me.”
Yun Jiao was surprised. “Your Majesty, isn’t your humble consort here to attend you?”
She hadn’t expected to be a playmate!
“It’s not completely dark yet, and you’re already so eager.”
Xie Zhixing choked back a reply.
“It’s not that—it’s just that your humble consort doesn’t know how to play chess.”
“Didn’t your father teach you? I recall your father also serves as an official.”
Yun Jiao said he really hadn’t.
Entertainment for young women in ancient times was limited. Yun Jiao didn’t care for needlework, knew a little about playing the qin, and spent most of her time reading her father’s collected books to pass the time.
“Fine, I’ll teach you. Come sit here.”
Each palace had a fixed quota of white candles, and the allocation for a consort wasn’t much.
So Xue Ya and Gong Mei always finished their tasks before sunset, as doing needlework at night strained the eyes. Meanwhile, in Weiyang Palace, candles as thick as arms illuminated the room brightly. Xie Zhixing had her sit in his lap—a small figure he could easily encircle with his arm.
“Your Majesty, please speak. Your humble consort will listen attentively.”
Having said that, Yun Jiao saved her progress.
She knew she wasn’t particularly clever and her memory was average. To avoid annoying the Emperor, she saved in advance. If the Emperor showed the slightest sign of impatience, she would reload and listen to the lesson again—unilaterally.
As expected, the first time, Yun Jiao didn’t understand.
Xie Zhixing said, “Then I’ll explain it again.”
The second time, he explained the basic rules of Go to her in an even simpler and more straightforward manner, breaking them down into digestible parts. Yet, she remained utterly confused. Combined with her nervousness in front of the Emperor, she managed to absorb only about half of what he said.
The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time…
Each time, he patiently filled in the gaps for her.
“Did you understand it this time?”
By the sixth explanation, Yun Jiao confidently declared that she had grasped it!
“Very well, let’s play a game then.”
Xie Zhihang held back his skill as he played with her, deliberately letting her win, and surprisingly found some amusement in the challenge. Making sure this novice could secure a small victory was far more difficult than utterly crushing her.
He had never coaxed a woman before, but putting in effort was something anyone could do.
Just as Xie Zhihang looked up, satisfied, he was met with her smug, triumphant face, her lips almost curling up to the sky.
“Your Majesty,” Yun Jiao’s cheeks flushed pink, “could it be that I am a once-in-a-millennium Go prodigy, held back all these years by my father?”
Is this all the Yan Chi Emperor is capable of?
She was getting far too arrogant!
Xie Zhihang: “…”
No, why does this fairy look so insufferable? He gritted his teeth lightly and said, “Since you’ve learned the game and enjoyed it, let’s move on to something else.”
But this time, it was Yun Jiao who refused. She still wanted to play: “Your Majesty, one more game, please!”
Xie Zhihang paused. “Very well.”
In the second game, he stopped going easy on her and ruthlessly crushed the black stones she controlled, leaving her with no chance to fight back.
Yun Jiao’s face slowly turned crimson.
Xie Zhihang chuckled lightly. “Shall we stop?”
He expected her to refuse, but instead, she shook her head. “This concubine still wishes to play! This concubine will not give up easily! Perseverance is my way of Go!”
Such tenacity was worthy of recognition.
Xie Zhihang regarded her more highly in his heart and began placing stones again. In no time, the black stones found themselves at a disadvantage once more.
The next moment, most of the pieces on the board vanished.
Xie Zhihang was stunned, then quickly realized what had happened—he could hardly believe his eyes. She had actually used Rewind time to take back her moves!
“Your Majesty, please make your move.”
Seeing him hesitate for so long, Yun Jiao urged him.
“…Very well.”
Xie Zhihang’s hand remained steady as he placed his stone, but his mind was in turmoil.
Who would have thought? A dignified fairy—even if not a celestial being, she ought to be a master capable of altering fate—would use her divine power to cheat at a game of Go!
And right after preaching to him about her “way of Go” and perseverance. She was persistent, all right—persistently shameless.
However, just as in life, being reborn doesn’t make one any smarter. Yun Jiao’s Go skills remained abysmal. But then Xie Zhihang reconsidered: this was merely a pastime to bond over, and she was just a beginner. What was the point in defeating her? Since she wanted to win so badly, he might as well let her have her way. Once again, he pretended to be outmatched, retreating step by step until the board was dominated by black stones.
“This concubine has won again!”
She set down her piece and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Consort Xi is indeed clever.”
Xie Zhihang forced out the praise against his better judgment.
“This concubine may be a bit too sharp-edged. Back in Chu Xiu Palace, this concubine ranked first in the written exam.”
Though she had achieved it by repeatedly reloading, it only highlighted her unwavering determination to see things through.
If Yun Jiao hadn’t brought it up, it would have been fine.
But the moment she mentioned it, Xie Zhihang remembered—no wonder he had repeated his exercises so many times on the day of the exam.
He gathered the Go pieces and said, “I had thought you lacked a competitive spirit.”
So indifferent to favor and status, yet so fixated on winning or losing on the chessboard.
Yun Jiao shyly said, “Perhaps I have some talent in chess, so I just don’t want to lose.”
Xie Zhihang: “…”
May the gods quickly take back your divine skills.
If they continued talking, the Emperor would struggle to suppress his irreverent thoughts toward deities. He took Yun Jiao’s hand and led her to sit on the couch, then loosened her hair bun.
They say overthinking turns hair white.
Yet Yun’s hair was so dark and glossy, as if she had never pondered a single thought in her life.
“Your Majesty,”
Yun Jiao lifted her face, her deer-like eyes gazing at him, “Why are you so kind to me?”