Chapter 332 – Play Chess With Me
Fire lotus?! Ye Zhen was overcome with immense regret. Had she known this fire lotus* was going to save the life of her nemesis, she would have set it ablaze herself!
[E/D: This is the same fire lotus that was destroyed by Huang f.u.xiang and was restored by Ye Zhen using the lingquan on her palm.]
As she inwardly sizzled in ruefulness, she outwardly betrayed nary a sign. “I heard that it was a confidant of the Prince of the West that hurt my brother. Has he been caught yet?”
“Yes, but before he could be interrogated he was taken away last night.” Mo Rongzhan’s eyes were cold. It was clear that the rebellion in the west had been suppressed. The Prince of the West surrendered, so who else could be coming after Lu Lingzhi? Besides, someone could still take away the perpetrator despite strict vigilance. It must have been carefully planned, and not just something with just good martial art skills.
“He was rescued?” Ye Zhen exclaimed with a suppressed ecstasy in the heart. “But why … How could it happen?”
Mo Rongzhan snorted. “Even though he has been taken away, zhen will still have him hunted down. ”
It was better off to not catch him again. Ye Zhen lowered her head and gritted her teeth. Now it seemed that it was safe whether that guy was Tian Jiu or not, as long as he would not be caught again by the man before her.
“Don’t be disappointed. Zhen has already sent people to hunt them down.” Mo Rongzhan thought that the little girl was disappointed because he did not capture the rebels.
Ye Zhen nodded lightly. “I only hope that my brother can come back safely, the rest is nothing I can change.”
“If his condition is stable, he will be back in a few days,” he said casually.
“Imperial Physician Qi is very skillful. I believe she can cure my brother, ” Ye Zhen said against her will. Since she actually hoped that Lu Lingzhi would die, it would be best if he did not come back at all!
“Play chess with zhen.” Mo Rongzhan was discomfited to see the gloom on her face, especially because of other people, even if the man was her cousin.
In truth, Ye Zhen was lost in thought. She was glad learning Tian Jiu had been rescued, she reckoned Uncle Man had probably sent someone. However, upon being asked by the man to play chess with him, she was awash with incredulity. “Your Imperial Majesty, Empress Dowager is still waiting for me. You should ask someone else to play chess with you.”
“If you win against me, I will let you go to the library paG.o.da again,” Mo Rongzhan said as if he didn’t hear her at all.
This temptation is so strong! Ye Zhen couldn’t help waver a little. “What if I can’t beat you?”
Mo Rongzhan looked at her with a smile and said, “But you are good at almost everything.”
“No.” Ye Zhen replied simply. “I am n.o.body, so how can I compare to Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Fude, bring over the chessboard.” Mo Rongzhan smiled faintly.
She had nothing to lose, but she had what he wanted most. As for him, He didn’t want to scare her away anymore lest she avoids him even more. Only step by step could he eventually win her heart.
Ye Zhen really wanted to go to the library paG.o.da again. She glanced at Mo Rongzhan and felt that he no longer seemed as strong and dominant as before. At least, he recognized her as a princess.
He would not want to do something to his sister, right?Empress Dowager would definitely not let him get away with it!
“Your Imperial Majesty, so you promise me that if I win, you are going to let me go to the library paG.o.da again, right?” Ye Zhen said.
Her probing tone invoked a smile from him. “If you win a round, I will let you stay in the paG.o.da for an entire day.”
Ye Zhen’s eyes brightened instantly, and her eyes shone as brilliant as stars in the night sky. It was hard for Mo Rongzhan to look away, he felt the urge to hold her in his arms and kiss her fiercely.
“Are you serious? You can’t take back your words,” Ye Zhen was so happy that she did not even notice the change in the other’s eyes.
Mo Rongzhan rea.s.sured her and tried to hold himself back.
She quickly held the white pieces in her hands and said, “Okay, let’s go!”
“You seem confident.” He knew not how adept she was in chess let alone that she had won against Xu Lao before.
“I have to give it a shot before knowing the result,” Ye Zhen said calmly. She did not know how well he played either. She had spent more than two years in the palace as a spirit but she had never seen anyone play chess with him.
Mo Rongzhan smiled. “Yes, please.”
“Then I will go first,” Ye Zhen smiled, planning to finish the game quickly by winning.
Eunuch Fu was standing right outside the pavilion looking at the blue sky and worrying about the emperor. After all, only he knew how well he played. Those hands of his were the ones that had ended the games with countless victories. In order to make Princess Fu Rong happy, he was going all out.
Time pa.s.sed slowly bringing the game to a close.
Only
Ye Zhen stared at the board and could not believe her eyes. She could not believe that she lost the game.
“That was close.” Mo Rongzhan looked at her awkward face and smiled. He was also surprised that Lu Yaoyao was so good at playing chess. He thought that he would have won the game easily, it seemed that she was much more than what he knew about her.
Ye Zhen could not accept her loss. ”Let’s play another round.”
How could she lose? She really did not know that Mo Rongzhan was so much better than her at chess, she had certainly underestimated him.
Mo Rongzhan nodded. “Okay. Another round it is.”