The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 170

Chapter 170: A Genius, Giving Her a Sudden Blow

At this time, the main hall was silent, so Mu Tipo’s questioning voice was particularly loud, so much so that many refined scholars who were good at Go became somewhat angry!

“Young Master Xie played against Assistant Minister Zu using blind Go, yet was still able to play Zi Chong’s aggressive strategy and Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon technique. Such superb Go skills, even if they cannot be classified as the highest realm of ‘Entering the Divine,’ have reached the level of ‘Reflecting the Light’!”

The nine grades of Go, from highest to lowest, are: Entering the Divine, Reflecting the Light, Taking Shape, Penetrating the Mysteries, Using Intelligence, Small Cleverness, Fighting Strength, Seemingly Foolish, and Sticking to Simplicity.

‘Reflecting the Light’ is the second grade, where the player can respond effortlessly, without thinking!

Let alone the realm of ‘Entering the Divine’, even the second grade of ‘Reflecting the Light’ is rarely achieved by anyone in this world, not to mention receiving the evaluation of “Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon”!

“Mother, what is ‘Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon’?” Mu Tipo asked Lu Lingxuan, somewhat embarrassed and puzzled.

Lu Lingxuan replied, “It is a kind of invasion tactic. After the opponent has established their formation, the player directly enters the opponent’s territory, a lone army going deep, tearing apart the enemy’s formation. It is also an extremely sharp attack tactic!”

After saying this, even she herself felt a jolt in her heart, as if she had thought of something. She then cast an incredulous and suspicious gaze at “Xie Zhen” in the hall, who was taking off the blindfold silk gauze!

“Assistant Minister Zu, I observed the game, and you haven’t completely lost. Why did you concede?” At this time, Grand Tutor Gao Guiyan also stood up and asked.

Zu Ting sighed sincerely and explained, “Even though Young Master Xie played blindfolded, I still fought with all my might. Although it ended in a draw, in reality, I, Zu Ting, still lost!”

“Such Go skills are indeed worthy of the first grade! I, Zu Ting, willingly admit defeat!”

Hearing that Zu Ting had conceded defeat wholeheartedly, Prince of Lanling and Li Mi, who was beside the Emperor in the hall, both let out a sigh of relief, almost imperceptibly!

He Shikai’s face showed dejection and panic. He turned to look at Gao Zhan and saw that Gao Zhan’s eyes were filled with unspeakable admiration and appreciation for Xie Zhen.

“I wonder who Young Master Xie studied under. How can you be so skilled at Go at such a young age? It’s truly unbelievable!”

Zu Ting asked curiously.

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, “A deceased person!”

“Chen Qingzhi!”

Chen Qingzhi!

Was it that Chen Qingzhi from the Southern Liang Dynasty who often played Go with Emperor Wu, Xiao Yan, until dawn, tirelessly, and gained the Emperor’s favor with his superb Go skills?

Was it that Chen Qingzhi who, in his forties, led an army north and achieved the mythical feat of annihilating 500,000 enemies with 7,000 white-robed soldiers, capturing the Northern Wei capital of Luoyang in one fell swoop?

Famous teachers and great generals, don’t be complacent, a thousand troops and ten thousand horses avoid the white robes!

This was a true genius who applied the Way of Go to military strategy!

This young master actually claimed to have learned Go from Chen Qingzhi?

“Young Master Xie, don’t joke. General Chen has been dead for many years. You weren’t even born when he died, were you?”

Zu Ting thought she was joking.

Xiao Jinyu didn’t mind and also laughed, “Then consider it a joke!”

Although her tone was lighthearted, there was no mirth in her expression. Although Chen Qingzhi wasn’t her teacher in her previous life, she had come to regard him as such through their numerous games. She had honed her Go skills, including the art of blind Go, through their countless matches.

“This Xie Zhen is truly a genius. The reputation for debating skills from the Pure Conversation Gathering on Mount Fahua in the Southern Dynasty is not unfounded. Such Go skills and character are truly admirable!”

“Indeed, having witnessed the ‘Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon’ technique today, I have no regrets in this life!”

Chu Yin’s Go skills were ranked as one of the “Five Excellences” by Emperor Wen of Song during the Southern Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, he was later implicated in a political turmoil that led to his family’s execution. Although Chu Yin’s life was spared due to the intervention of Minister He Shangzhi, his Go career was cut short, and his unique “Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon” technique became an unknown legend!

‘Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon’!

Amidst the continuous exclamations of amazement, Gao Zhan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he couldn’t help but feel a desire to recruit such talent!

After a long silence, he quietly asked He Shikai and Li Mi beside him, “In your esteemed opinions, what kind of official position would be suitable for such a genius?”

“Your Majesty, hasn’t the competition ended yet? They have only competed in Go!” He Shikai said with a smile.

Li Mi glanced coldly at He Shikai and also smiled, “Your Majesty, I heard that the position of Assistant in the Secretariat is vacant. I wonder…”

“Who said the position of Assistant in the Secretariat is vacant? Isn’t that Xin Deyuan a person? Although he has been on leave for the past few days due to a happy event at his home!” He Shikai retorted.

Li Mi didn’t bother with him and spoke solemnly in Gao Zhan’s ear, “Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Assistant Xin has indeed been at home for a happy event these past few days. He has taken several concubines in a row, and last night he even had three women in one night. Perhaps due to excessive excitement, he has become somewhat…deranged!

Your Majesty, you should understand!”

Gao Zhan didn’t know what to think and simply asked:

“What does deranged mean?”

“It means his mouth is crooked, his eyes are slanted, his whole body is trembling, and he’s drooling. In short, his appearance and demeanor are extremely ugly and unpleasant to look at!”

After saying this, He Shikai almost spat out his water!

Lu Lingxuan, who was standing aside, looked at Li Mi in astonishment and then turned her gaze towards “Xie Zhen.”

At this time, Li Mi didn’t care about their reactions and looked at Gao Zhan very seriously, explaining further, “I live near the Xin Residence, so I know this happened last night. I heard that early this morning, someone from the Xin Residence delivered his resignation letter to the Ministry of Personnel!”

Gao Zhan didn’t know what to say for a moment, and the expression on his face was quite peculiar!

He Shikai seemed to have thought of something and suddenly pointed at Li Mi, shouting, “Li Yonghe, this matter is your…”

“You, what are you doing? So loud, you scared His Majesty!” Li Mi quickly interrupted.

Noticing that Gao Zhan was indeed somewhat impatient, He Shikai hurriedly bowed his head and said, “I deserve to die. However, I don’t believe Assistant Xin would suddenly suffer from such a strange illness. There must be something fishy about this! I implore Your Majesty to investigate!”

Lu Lingxuan also wanted to speak up, but unexpectedly Gao Zhan waved his hand and said, “If he’s sick, then he’s sick. It’s not like the position of Assistant in the Secretariat absolutely has to be filled by Xin Deyuan. Since he has already submitted his resignation, let’s drop this matter. In a couple of days, we’ll see if his condition improves. You two can go and check on him on my behalf!”

Lu Lingxuan’s face darkened, and He Shikai nodded and replied, “Yes!”

“It’s getting late today. We’ll continue the Xiucai Imperial Examination tomorrow. You may all return now!”

Half a day had been spent on a single Go match, but none of the scholars present felt that it was a long time. Such an exhilarating game was a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, and they might not have the opportunity to witness it again!

“It was truly blind Go! You didn’t see it with your own eyes, it was even more intense than a battle on the battlefield, so exciting!”

“Yes! This Xie Zhen is truly a genius, living up to his reputation!”

“Famous in the Southern Dynasty for his debating skills, and now shocking the Qi court with his Go skills, I wonder how many more surprises he has in store for us?”

Hearing the rumors spreading outside, Lu Lingxuan’s face turned livid. This was the first time Mu Tipo had seen so much anger and helplessness on her mother’s face.

“What exactly happened to Xin Deyuan?” she asked.

A spy who had returned after gathering information replied, “One of his neglected concubines wanted to regain his favor and used an excessive amount of Five Minerals Powder. Perhaps the powder was too strong, so Assistant Xin…became like that!”

“A neglected concubine…huh…” Lu Lingxuan laughed dismissively. “I’m afraid this concubine was also a pawn used by someone else! Was the Five Minerals Powder collected for examination?”

The female spy bowed her head in shame, “No, the Five Minerals Powder has already been consumed by Assistant Xin, and that concubine was also beaten to death by the mistress of the Xin Residence for bewitching her husband!”

With a “slap,” Lu Lingxuan slammed her palm on the table, seemingly suppressing the anger in her heart with great effort, barely maintaining her composure.

“What a clever move, ‘Chu Yin’s Hanging Cannon’! He played this move for me to see, didn’t he? Taking advantage of my unpreparedness, he infiltrated our camp and silently took out one of my wings!”

✿✿✿

Mu Tipo was still somewhat confused and asked, “Mother, are you saying that Xie Zhen played that game specifically for you to see? How could he be that capable…”

“Then tell me, why did Xin Deyuan have a stroke neither earlier nor later, but precisely at the moment when Xie Zhen walked into the Taiji Hall and gained His Majesty’s favor with his Go skills?”

“Mother, do you mean…they…had planned this all along, setting up this trap specifically for us?”

“Yes! It seems they want to plant their own people by His Majesty’s side! And this Xie Zhen is the perfect candidate!”

Thinking up to this point, Lu Lingxuan asked, “Where are the people you captured from the Yecheng Post Station?”

Mu Tipo led Lu Lingxuan to a dark and cramped secret prison. Inside, there were seven or eight boys around eleven or twelve years old, some dressed as merchants, others in rags like beggars. Each of them looked at the woman with her high bun and luxurious clothes outside the iron bars with fear.

Lu Lingxuan swept her gaze over each boy’s face, then suddenly turned around and slapped Mu Tipo across the face!

Mu Tipo was stunned by the slap and looked at Lu Lingxuan with grievance, crying out, “Mother!”

“Do you think Prince of Lanling and his Princess Consort are so stupid? Would they let Murong Jue disguise himself as a child? If it’s to deceive others, they would definitely choose an identity you wouldn’t expect!”

“Not to mention there’s also Xie Zhen now…”

Mentioning Xie Zhen, Lu Lingxuan gritted her teeth in hatred!

“How many people have left the Yecheng Post Station in the past two days?”

Mu Tipo hurriedly called a scout over and asked. The scout replied, “There were old people, women, children…mostly traveling merchants, and also soldiers transporting grain and supplies…but not Prince of Lanling’s army, but Prince of Zhao, Gao Rui’s…”

Prince of Zhao, Gao Rui, was currently acting as the governor of Bingzhou, and due to his outstanding achievements, he had been promoted to Minister of State Affairs. It wasn’t strange for him to send people to transport grain and supplies to Bingzhou.

And for Prince of Lanling to use his connection with Prince of Zhao to insert a boy among the soldiers transporting supplies, that would be even less strange!

Lu Lingxuan was filled with doubts, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. She was so angry that she raised her hand again, but before the slap could land, Mu Tipo had already lowered his head and curled up into a ball.

“There’s no need to search for Murong Jue anymore. He has probably already left the city with Prince of Zhao’s army. Release all these children!”

“Mother…without interrogating them, just release them directly?”

“A group of ignorant children, what could we possibly get from interrogating them?”

Lu Lingxuan snapped, flicking her sleeves and striding towards the passageway ahead. Mu Tipo ordered the clerk beside him to release the children immediately and followed her footsteps out of the secret prison!

“Our biggest opponent now is that advisor Xie Zhen under Prince of Lanling. If we can prevent this Xie Zhen from entering officialdom, or simply kill him, we can cut off an arm of Prince of Lanling and his Princess Consort!”

Saying this, Lu Lingxuan looked at Mu Tipo,

“So the most urgent task is to find a way to kill this Xie Zhen!”

“Leave this matter to Gao Anagong. Consider it an opportunity for him to redeem himself!”

“Yes, Mother!”

✿✿✿

In the Prince of Lanling’s Residence, Xiao Jinyu, having bathed and changed into a woman’s attire, sat by the Go board, carefully reading a book.

The sky had darkened, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast a warm hue on her jade-white, translucent face. Her white undergarments made her look like a celestial fox spirit.

The white and black stones on the Go board were already locked in a confrontation, but she was so absorbed in her book that she didn’t even notice Prince of Lanling walking up behind her.

It wasn’t until she felt a warmth around her waist and a pair of warm arms embracing her from behind that she slightly lifted her head to look up, meeting Gao Changgong’s doting eyes.

“Changgong—” she called out softly with a smile.

“A’yu,” he asked, “Why do I have this feeling of unreality?”

“What’s unreal?” Xiao Jinyu asked with a smile.

Gao Changgong said, “I always feel like you’re not from this mortal world. A’yu, how do you know so much, and you do everything better than anyone else? Now everyone outside is saying that Xie Zhen is a genius, and sometimes even I can’t believe it. Did I really marry you?”

Xiao Jinyu wrapped her arms around his neck and covered his lips with hers.

“How could it be fake? Am I not with you every day?”

After saying that, she pulled him to the Go board and said with a smile, “I haven’t played Go with Changgong yet. How about a game?”

“I wouldn’t dare. You can even play blind Go, almost reaching the realm of ‘Entering the Divine.’ I’m afraid I’ll lose miserably!”

“Changgong, don’t underestimate yourself. Playing Go is just like armchair strategizing! Since ancient times, scholars have loved to use flowery words and cunning schemes to criticize and slander those generals. But how can these armchair strategies compare to a real battlefield?”

“On the battlefield, the situation changes rapidly. Those soldiers, those comrades, are all living beings of flesh and blood. They are not just pieces on a Go board. No one should be treated as a pawn to be discarded or sacrificed!

Changgong, am I right?”

Xiao Jinyu’s words stirred Gao Changgong’s emotions. He thought of the comrades who had fought alongside him on the battlefield over the years. Many of them were no longer alive, and he himself had narrowly escaped death countless times, often surviving thanks to the protection of his soldiers from blades, spears, and arrows.

“So, Changgong, being good at Go isn’t anything special. The truly remarkable ones are those generals and soldiers who risk their lives on the battlefield to defend our home and country!”

At this point, she smiled again and added, “However, A’yu still hopes that her husband can live a long and healthy life! That way, A’yu won’t feel lonely!”

Gao Changgong was deeply moved by her words. Overwhelmed with emotion, he covered her cherry lips with his own, expressing his unspoken words through their passionate kiss.

Fenghuang sat on a locust tree in the residence, watching their silhouettes projected onto the window paper through the window lattice. He felt a pang of sadness but also a hint of relief.

At that moment, Lu Yu rushed into the courtyard of the residence, seemingly with important news to report. He barged straight into Prince of Lanling’s usual resting chamber, only to find his lord kissing the Princess Consort…

Lu Yu quickly turned around and dashed out!

Before he could run a few steps, he heard Xiao Jinyu call out, “Did Li Langjun send any news?”

Lu Yu stopped in his tracks, turned around with an embarrassed smile, and walked back to Prince of Lanling and Xiao Jinyu, his face flushed. He reported:

“Yes, I heard that His Majesty is planning to send Lady Yang, Yuwen Hu’s paternal aunt from the Zhou state, out of Yecheng to the Zhou state…”

“That’s a good opportunity. Do you know who His Majesty is sending?”