Wu Congxian was probably the one who cared the most about the outcome of the game. With a complicated expression, he looked at Fan Zhanghou, who had played against him many times, and felt bitter. Fan Zhanghou, a remnant of the Spring and Autumn Period, also known as the Son of Buddha, was a thorn in Wu Congxian's heart that he could not remove. No matter how much they talked in public or in private, Wu Congxian knew that he both despised and envied this person. He despised Fan Zhanghou for ignoring the imperial examinations, and envied Fan Zhanghou for having "heavenly beings by his side to scheme for him". Before and after he had defeated three national chess players in a row, Wu Congxian had not once mentioned Fan Zhanghou. However, the well-informed capital quickly learned that there was a Fan Shiduan in Xiangzhou. Before the Emperor summoned Fan Zhanghou to the capital, he had a relaxed monarch and minister question and answer session with him. Wu Congxian could only bite the bullet and say something insincere: "Fan Yuetian and I are evenly matched." Unfortunately, he still could not stop the Emperor's curiosity, especially after he had suffered consecutive crushing defeats to the child who was practically the reincarnation of a chess immortal. According to Jin Saban, the Emperor had urged the Ministry of Rites almost every day to ask when Fan Shiduan would enter the capital. To be able to receive such special treatment, the previous one was the Prime Minister who had said, "If I don't come out, what will the common people do?"
When Fan Zhanghou returned to the capital alone, Wu Congxian went to the courier station that night and "earnestly and earnestly" told Fan Zhanghou about that child prodigy's style of chess. "The first move looked sloppy, unintentional and powerless, but in the middle of the game, it suddenly changed. It was as if a towering building had suddenly risen from the rubble and ruins, with the momentum of a lion hunting down a rabbit from above." Of course, Wu Congxian knew that this kind of illusory saying was equivalent to not saying anything. After Fan Zhanghou heard it, it was useless. As for why he only said the middle game and not the end game, it was not that Wu Congxian wanted to hide it, but that Wu Congxian had never played more than 200 games with the child. Wu Congxian, who valued face and reputation the most, was too embarrassed to say anything.
Wu Congxian had, with great difficulty, made a name for himself in the capital, so how could he be willing to let Fan Zhanghou steal his limelight in Grand Peace City? He wanted nothing more than for Fan Zhanghou to suffer a crushing defeat. Simply put, Wu Congxian, one of the top nine chess players in the world, could lose to the genius youth rumored to have come from the Imperial Astronomer. It was like the world's top martial artist losing to an immortal on earth, without any damage to his reputation. But he absolutely could not lose to Fan Zhanghou by too much. This was just like how Li Chungang had lost to Wang Xianzhi, and then Wang Xianzhi had lost to Hsu Fengnian.
Fan Zhanghou's "slow" play was only compared to the lightning-fast speed of the Imperial Astronomer's little bookcase. Two hours later, after Fan Zhanghou had made more than a dozen consecutive moves, he had made his first decisive move. The child with a carefree expression seemed to have seen his opponent for the first time. He no longer rested his chin on his hand or looked left and right. He sat up straight, but he did not look at the game. Instead, he stared straight at Fan Zhanghou, who was rolling up his sleeves with his head lowered. Everyone present, including Wu Congxian, could not see the essence of this move, let alone the other spectators. Among them, Jin Lanting could not help but turn his head to ask Wu Congxian in a low voice. The latter did not dare to speak carelessly.
Sun Yin stretched out two fingers to rub his earlobes and yawned. Song Keli narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips tightly. Chen Wang was carefully observing the changes in the expression of the Imperial Astronomer. Li Jifu carefully looked at the Emperor, who was leaning forward with a frown. Yan Chiji, whose mind was on the chessboard, bent down and whispered to his sister, Yan Dongwu.
If the calm and composed Fan Changhou was included, not counting the Emperor Zhao Zhuan, the Empress Yan Dongwu, and that Imperial Astronomer Jian Zheng, then today under the green paulownia tree of the Hanlin Academy, there were as many as four people from the Northern Liang Dao: Chen Wang, Sun Yin, Yan Chiji, and Jin Lanting. Gangnam-do had Wu Congxian, Guangling had Fan Zhanghou, Liangliao had Li Jifu, and the capital had Song Keli. From this, it seemed that the current Emperor was more magnanimous than the previous Emperor towards Beiliang.
The Emperor looked at the little bookcase with interest. For the first time, he showed a fierce expression towards a certain person. He tried to smooth things over, "Let's close the game for now. You two can play later. Little bookcase, Fan Zhanghou, try your best to make this game a famous one. If the ending is even better, I will ask the masters in the palace to paint for you. I have to go attend a small court meeting. If I am late, I will be nagged by Tantanon for half a day. "
Jin Lanting, dressed in purple robes, quickly bowed slightly and made a path for the Emperor and the Empress.
The Emperor held the Empress's hand and left with a smile. Yan Chiji saw them off alone. As the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, Jin Lanting also had to attend the small court meeting. However, the Emperor did not say anything, so he could not stick to the Emperor's side. After all, he could be suspected of using the Emperor's power to intimidate others. After the three "families" left, he purposely pulled Wu Congxian out of the Hanlin Academy. The latter had been observing politics at the Ministry of Rites. Compared to the quiet Li Jifu, who had a higher ranking in the court examination, Jin Lanting favored Wu Congxian, who was also a pillar of the poetry club. He also had a higher opinion of Gao Tingshu, who had already made a name for himself in the Ministry of War.
Yan Dongwu asked softly, "Why do you think so highly of Fan Zhanghou?"
The Emperor turned his head and winked at the Empress. He said softly, "Winning in chess is just a small matter. What benefit does it bring to the country? However, King of Jing An, Zhao Xun, has a blind chess player, Lu Xu. As the Emperor of a country, how can I not have a Fan Zhanghou by my side? "
Yan Dongwu could not help but laugh. "You can be angry over this? Your Majesty, are you still a child? "
The Emperor said with a face full of resentment, "Am I old in your heart?"
Yan Dongwu suddenly remembered that his younger brother, Yan Chiji, was still following behind him. He coughed lightly. The Emperor laughed out loud and did not take it to heart. He purposely slowed down his pace, allowing his brother-in-law, who had been snubbed in Ji Bei, to catch up with him. Then, he comforted him softly, "I won't advise you to do anything regarding Ji Bei, I just want you to not be anxious. I heard your sister say that she does not want to stay in the Ministry of War anymore. Where do you want to go? The Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Appointments? "
Yan Dongwu was about to speak when the Emperor tightened his grip on her hand. She could only swallow her words.
Yan Chiji was obviously afraid of his sister who was becoming more and more imposing. He hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "Your Majesty, I want to come to the Hanlin Academy. There are many books here."
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