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T H E S U N
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A grand game was currently underway in the chess club, and the reason for its grandeur was that one of the players was Master Maoshan, who had recently gained great fame.
Master Maoshan was in his early forties and wasn’t a local resident of the capital. He traveled to the capital last year and was invited to several chess clubs due to his excellent skills. Even wealthy and influential families invited him to play.
His reputation was extremely high, and all the chess players in the capital took pride in playing against him. If they were lucky enough to win one or two games against him, they could boast about it for years.
Unfortunately, not even a few had defeated him.
The Crown Princess was also an excellent chess player, it was a pity that the two hadn’t played against each other so far.
Master Maoshan only played against one person per day, and that person must either pay a large sum of money for a game or defeat all the chess players in the club on that day to be qualified to play against him.
The chess player sitting in front of him at the moment belonged to the latter category.
It wasn’t quite appropriate to call him a chess player—— "beggar" would be more fitting.
Yet, this ragged beggar had managed to sit in front of Master Maoshan today.
It was indeed a rare sight.
It was unknown whether the onlookers had come to watch the game or just to enjoy the spectacle. In any case, the chess club hall was packed with people, so much so that there was hardly any room to stand.
Within a private room, a court lady dressed as a commoner reported to the Crown Princess, "A powerful beggar has come to play against Master Maoshan. As soon as Master Maoshan beats the opponent, he can come and see the Crown Princess."
"No hurry." The Crown Princess said, not having the intention to interrupt their game, "Let him properly finish the game first before calling him."
She came here to find someone to play chess with.
For her to maintain her level, she needed to play against skilled players, and she heard that Master Maoshan was an excellent chess player.
But to her surprise, it was actually the old beggar who won in the end.
The court lady exclaimed, "What? Master Maoshan lost?!"
"Winning and losing is a completely normal thing." The Crown Princess stated. She was strict with herself but not so much with others.
The court lady asked, "Then... Does the Crown Princess still want to play against him?"
"En." The Crown Princess wouldn't deny the other party’s ability just because they lost a game once, nor would she immediately look for the old beggar because he had won the game this time. There were always some people with unusual luck in this world, and she still trusted one’s accumulated reputation more. She said, "Let him in and play a few games of chess with me."
"Yes!"
The Crown Princess and Master Maoshan played a few games of chess. Master Maoshan's chess skills were still good, and after every game, the Crown Princess did gain something, but there was still a gap between his level and the level of the masters she had in mind.
However, there were few people within the State of Zhao who had higher chess skills than him.
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I'll come back another day," The Crown Princess politely bid farewell to Master Maoshan and left the chess club.
After getting on the carriage, the court lady opened the window curtain and suddenly exclaimed, "Crown Princess, look!"
The Crown Princess took a look and saw an old beggar crouched down at the corner of the opposite street with a young girl carrying a basket on her back.
"That’s…" The Crown Princess paused.
"It's him!" The court lady thought the Crown Princess was referring to the old beggar and responded, "It was him who won against Master Maoshan at the chess club just now!"
The Crown Princess didn't say anything. She didn't even look at the old beggar. Her attention was entirely drawn to Gu Jiao.
The scene she had witnessed in the alley that night had a great impact on her. Now, every time she saw Gu Jiao, she couldn't help but recall the ambiguous and passionate image as she was pressed against the wall by Xiao Liulang.
There was a twinge of irritation in her heart.
Gu Jiao was playing chess with the old beggar on the side of the road.
She wasn't wearing a mask today, but as soon as she spoke, the old beggar quickly recognized her.
Today, the old beggar didn't mess around and played seriously against Gu Jiao. Gu Jiao was beaten badly.
The old beggar laughed heartily, "How about that, little girl? Now do you know how amazing I am?"
Gu Jiao’s face turned dark and she got up to leave.
The old beggar shouted, "Hey, you're leaving just like that? Let's play another round!"
Gu Jiao's face was cold as she replied, "Ten taels, just one more round."
The result…
Old beggar: “...”
Must he patronize the chess club again tomorrow?
Gu Jiao picked up her money and walked away. As she passed by the Crown Princess's carriage, the Crown Princess lifted the curtain and called out to her, "Physician Gu, please wait a moment."
Gu Jiao looked at her calmly, the look on her face was as if nothing in the world could surprise her.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
The Crown Princess wasn't too surprised by Gu Jiao's attitude, but she couldn't fully accept it in her heart either. After all, she was a Crown Princess while Gu Jiao was a mere female physician without any noble title.
She suppressed her annoyance and said calmly, "If you like playing chess, you can go to the chess clubs. You don't have to beg for money on the street. Physician Gu is the daughter of the Marquis Ding'an Estate, and also... the wife of Zhuangyuan Xiao. You are also favored by the Empress Dowager. It's better not to lose your identity."
Gu Jiao asked, "What does it have to do with you?"
The court lady said in anger, "How dare you speak like that? The Crown Princess regards you highly!"
Gu Jiao responded, "Do I need her to regard me highly?"
The court lady choked up and said, "You..."
"Ping'er!" The Crown Princess slightly frowned at the court lady named Ping'er, who glared at Gu Jiao in anger, making her close her mouth unwillingly.
The Crown Princess continued, "If Young Miss Gu doesn't mind, I can introduce you to a chess club. There are several renowned chess clubs in the capital. The nearby Qinghuan Chess Club is an excellent one. Of course, if Young Miss Gu wants to stay close to the medical hall, you can also go to the Haotian Chess Club."
"No need." Gu Jiao said calmly and walked away without any further words.
Ping'er exclaimed in anger, "Crown Princess, she's too much! Even though she's favored by the Empress Dowager, she shouldn't look down on you like this!"
The Crown Princess wasn't angry. She had seen too many arrogant people relying on favor. Temporary glory wasn’t important; glory for a lifetime was what truly matters.
Didn't Gu Jinyu also have a moment of fame? But in the end, she fell from grace in just half a year. Nowadays, could you still hear people in the capital talk about her with the same admiration and respect as they did before?
At most, she was able to regain some dignity by having been betrothed to An Junwang.
At the very least, Gu Jinyu was gentle, humble, and knowledgeable.
This Young Miss Gu, on the other hand, had a far worse temperament than Gu Jinyu.
Just how long could she be arrogant for?
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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