On the peak top, the Duke Of He leaned against the railing, his body leaning forward as much as he could, as if he wanted to see the scene in the pavilion more clearly.
Seeing this scene, the official felt worried and hurried over to support him, but he saw the shocked and incredulous expression on his face.
It seemed that the chess game had been decided, but who was the winner?
…
…
In the Three-Purities Temple, Zen Master stood in front of the doorsill, looking at the new mountain after the rain, a gratified smile on his face.
Behind him, the Daoist priest had finished arranging the chess pieces, but he couldn't see the final position of the chess pieces.
…
…
The atmosphere in the Royal Palace was a bit tense. The eunuchs were doing the final check on the royal sedan.
It didn't take long to fly from the Royal Palace to the Chess Board Mountain, but it was too troublesome to prepare for the journey of the Emperor.
More troublesome was that the estuary of the lower reaches of the Muddy River had suddenly collapsed last night, and the Emperor had called for a temporary court meeting, which delayed the preparations.
The gate of the palace hall was opened. Before the Prime Minister and the Minister of Works, who had been summoned to the Royal Palace in a hurry, came out, a bright yellow flash flashed in front of their eyes.
The royal sedan hovering half a foot above the ground sank slightly. The eunuchs knew that the Emperor was already seated, so they felt relieved and were ready to depart.
In their impression, the chess games between highly achieved chess players usually took a long time, so they should be able to arrive at the Chess Board Mountain in time.
A commotion suddenly occurred at the distant gate of the palace hall. A eunuch ran over with a trail of light smoke at his feet and knelt down in front of the royal sedan, saying something in a low voice.
A meaningful laugh came out from the royal sedan, followed by a crisp voice.
"Now that the winner has been decided, let's go to the Royal Concubine Palace."
…
…
There had been four royal concubines in the Royal Palace. Two of them had reached the end of their lifespans and were sleeping in the East Hill. The third one was very old and seldom appeared in public.
Speaking of the royal concubines, it was none other than Royal Concubine Hu, who was favored by the Emperor.
Royal Concubine Hu had already dressed herself up, and was waiting for the order to depart.
The Emperor didn't forget what he had promised her. After deciding to go to the Chess Board Mountain to watch the chess game, he sent someone to inform her.
Such favor was rare in the Royal Palace, but she didn't show any complacency on her face. Instead, she looked a bit anxious.
It was she who persuaded the Emperor to go to the Plum Meeting to watch the chess matches, because she wanted to see Jing Jiu humiliated by Tong Yan or other highly achieved chess players.
Things developed better than she had imagined. Jing Jiu met Tong Yan at the beginning.
What happened next was beyond her imagination.
She kept walking in front of the window. She was not in the mood to look at the crabapple flowers outside the window. She said to herself, "What's going on? Why haven't we lost yet?"
Somehow, she didn't want to go to the Chess Board Mountain anymore.
A palace maid hurried in and said, "His Majesty is about to arrive."
Royal Concubine Hu was taken aback slightly, asking, "Aren't we going to the Chess Board Mountain?"
The palace maid looked at her hesitantly and said, "That game of chess is over …"
Royal Concubine Hu was famous for her naivety and straightforwardness, but she was also very smart. She could guess the result as soon as she saw the expression on the face of the palace servant girl. "How could it be possible?" she yelled in surprise.
…
…
Tong Yan's white chess piece did not land on the chessboard in the end. Instead, it was gently placed back into the urn.
The outcome had been decided.
It was deathly quiet.
The sound of the rainwater dripping down from the eaves of the pavilion was breathtaking.
Buzz!!! The crowd burst into an uproar.
It was not the sound of discussion. It was because they didn't know what to say or how to comment on the game and the final result.
Those sounds were all interjections or onomatopoeia.
Tong Yan was considered the best chess player in the world. In the eyes of many people, including Grand Scholar Guo, he was the best chess player since ancient times.
Yet, he lost to Jing Jiu that day.
Who wouldn't be shocked?
Looking at the two in the pavilion, He Zhan had a complicated emotion. Then, he restrained his emotions and bowed to them with a solemn expression.
Que Niang and Shang Jiulou bowed to him as well.
About half of the people present bowed to the seemingly ordinary pavilion.
They were expressing their respect and gratitude.
They thanked Jing Jiu and Tong Yan for playing this game of chess.
Gu Yuanyuan had finally woken up. Looking around, he asked in bewilderment, "Is the result out? Who won? "
Before the others could answer, he shook his head and murmured, "Who can beat them …"
Though he was in a trance at the moment, he had a certain idea in his mind.
The likes of Jing Jiu and Tong Yan were undefeatable on the Go board.
…
…
Tong Yan's tender face was devoid of any expression, looking rather numb. It was hard to tell what he was feeling at the moment.
Jing Jiu was still as calm as ever, as if he didn't take this matter seriously.
Noticing these details, Bai Zao revealed a strange expression in his eyes. Then, he found unexpectedly that Guo Dong had already left.
The disciples of the Zhongzhou School by Bai Zao's side were quite disappointed. They had never thought that Big Brother Tong Yan would lose.
However, the result on the Go board was obvious, and his Big Brother had already put down the white Go piece.
There was no excuse, no other reason; he had lost.
Xiang Wanshu was the most upset.
Nominally, he was Tong Yan's Young Brother, but in fact, he was taught by Tong Yan in both Cultivation and Go playing.
He couldn't accept the fact that his Big Brother had lost.
He remembered what had happened in Haizhou a year ago.
At the Four-Seas Banquet, he had said a few words, and the young girl with the conical hat had retorted.
Why did such a game of Go happen? It must have started from that moment.
Thinking of this, he felt sorry for what had happened, feeling even sadder. He looked in a certain direction reflexively.
Zhao Layue was standing there.
Her line of sight fell on the pavilion.
Xiang Wanshu knew that she must be looking at Jing Jiu.
Her temples were a bit wet, and she was smiling slightly.
The pear blossom in the rain was pitiable.
How could anyone not like her when she had a faint smile?
Xiang Wanshu saw admiration and intimacy on her face.
He felt even sadder.
Besides Zhao Layue, many people were looking at Jing Jiu.
He sat in Silence, his expression indifferent. His wet black hair looked a bit messy, but it added a kind of beauty to his appearance, as if he were a fairy.
The crowd had a feeling.
He was sitting here, but he was not in the mortal world.
…
…
Tong Yan got up and walked to the railing.
He looked at the scenery outside the mountain. Silence.
Then, he closed his eyes slowly and raised his head.
Closing his eyes didn't mean that he was arrogant.
His eyebrows were a bit sparse.
The raindrops dripped down slowly, sliding down the corners of his eyes and his pale and tender face.
The crowd moved their gazes away from Jing Jiu and looked at the back of Tong Yan in silence.
Tong Yan had lost, but he had played a game of Go that could change the world. He deserved everyone's respect.
The crowd was waiting to hear what he would say.
The Go game that day was destined to be the most famous and legendary Go game in history.
At the moment, every word and action of him and Jing Jiu would be recorded.
After a long while, Tong Yan finally opened his mouth.
He didn't turn around, nor did he open his eyes. The words came out from his lips without any inflection, but they were indescribably stiff.
"Having played such a game of Go, I have no regrets in my life; what else can I be dissatisfied with?"
…
…
Hearing this, the crowd felt a great deal of admiration.
He was indeed the Young Master Tong Yan. His demeanor and breadth of mind were both admirable, and his love and respect for the Go game were still admirable.
Yet, the crowd didn't expect what Tong Yan wanted to say next.
"But how can I be satisfied?"
Tong Yan's voice started to tremble imperceptibly.
It contained the pain that he had suppressed with a great deal of willpower.
This was the real pain.
"I've still lost."
…
…
(As I wrote this, I thought of the five-set Wimbledon match between Federer and Nadu.
Yes, it was great.
But he had lost.
Of course it was painful, and he had to cry bitterly.
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