The concubine is soft and delicate, making her the treacherous minister's white moonlight

Chapter 82 Success or failure is always decided by the king
In a trance, Lin Mowan's thoughts were forced to return to their original state. She raised her eyes and looked at the closed carriage door in confusion. According to the distance from here to Zither Garden, they must not have arrived yet.

"Yuzhi, what's wrong?" Lin Mowan asked.

There was silence outside for a moment before Yuzhi's voice came: "Miss, someone is looking for you."

Lin Mowan felt a little strange. This was not the tone Yuzhi would normally use. If she encountered someone blocking her way on normal days, she would have quarreled with the other person or even fought with him.

But this time, the other party seemed to be of great importance.

Lin Mowan thought about it and didn't ask any more questions. She got up and walked out of the carriage and stood on the deck outside the carriage. Before she went down, she looked up and saw a table in the middle of the road. The person in front of the table was Xiao Sheng.

He was drinking and eating peanuts in front of him. When he saw Lin Mowan coming out, he just raised his eyes and smiled leisurely. Lin Mowan looked at him without any reaction, and just got off the carriage calmly.

"Lord Xiao, is there something wrong?" Lin Mowan didn't want to say anything more to him, so she asked straight to the point, just wanting to resolve the matter quickly and go back.

Xiao Sheng finished the last sip of wine, exhaled refreshingly, and said: "Yes, but it's not me, it's a noble who wants to talk to the girl alone."

“Noble?” How noble can it be?
Lin Mowan was a little confused, but after thinking about it again and again, she thought that based on the relationship between Xiao Sheng and Shen Weiyuan, Shen Weiyuan might also know about this matter.

After a brief moment of thought, Lin Mowan confirmed again: "Are you looking for me?"

Xiao Sheng nodded, and Lin Mowan did not refuse and followed Xiao Sheng obediently.

After passing through the woods in front of us, we came to a forest with more luxuriant branches and leaves. Soon, a large courtyard appeared in front of us. The ivy almost covered the entire wall, which looked particularly refreshing in this hot summer.

Lin Mowan was standing outside the yard surrounded by a fence, looking lost in thought. She was startled by the sound of a door being pushed open not far ahead. She turned around and saw that it was Xiao Sheng who had pushed open the fence door.

Lin Mowan did not hesitate and followed him into the courtyard. As soon as she stepped into the yard and took a few steps, she raised her eyes and saw the old man sitting under the huge Bodhi tree.

His hair was already gray, and his clothes were simple and elegant. Although they were not as gorgeous as those of the royal nobles, it was not difficult to tell that he was of high status. The aura he exuded made people inexplicably respectful.

"Master." Xiao Sheng walked forward and nodded slightly, looking extremely respectful. However, the old man did not raise his eyes. He just stroked his beard and looked at the chess game in front of him intently.

After a long time, he waved his hand to signal Xiao Sheng to leave. Xiao Sheng did not ask any questions. After receiving the order, he immediately turned around and left.

When passing by Lin Mowan, Lin Mowan couldn't help but feel a little curious, and her eyes followed him until she could no longer see his figure, then she withdrew her eyes.

Yuzhi did not come with her, so on the surface, it seemed that there were only her and the old man here.

Just now she heard Xiao Sheng calling him Master, which meant that the person sitting in front of her was Qu Xiangru, the Grand Tutor.

She thought this as she slowly walked over, but the person in front of her had no intention of paying attention to her. He just studied the chess game in front of him.

Lin Mowan was not in a hurry. Seeing how serious he was, she simply lowered her eyes to take a look, studied it carefully, and took the initiative to say, "Old sir, the white piece seems to have won this game." Qu Xiangru did not speak, but hesitated for a moment, then dropped the black piece in his hand. The situation on the chessboard in front of him was instantly reversed, and Lin Mowan was a little surprised.

Although she was not proficient in it, she knew a little bit, but it was obvious that the old man in front of her was much better.

Until the black piece in his hand fell, Qu Xiangru just exhaled heavily and said, "Young man, don't be too impetuous."

Perhaps it was the reversal of the situation just now that made Lin Mowan realize the majesty of the old man in front of her. She didn't dare to say anything else. She just glanced at him and lowered her eyes again.

Qu Xiangru didn't seem to care at all. He just called Lin Mowan: "What are you standing there for? Come on, sit down and talk."

He invited her warmly without any airs of an imperial teacher. Lin Mowan was flattered and sat down in front of him hesitantly. He took a sip of the tea, then began to collect the chess pieces and separate them one by one.

Lin Mowan just sat there and didn't intend to help, but Qu Xiangru didn't mind at all and just asked her, "Can you play chess?"

Lin Mowan hesitated for a moment, but after thinking about it, she realized that since she had just spoken, it would be a bit too fake to say that she didn't know it now, so she said softly, "I know a little bit, but I'm not very proficient in it."

But when these words fell into Qu Xiangru's ears, it was as if he could only hear the word "understand". He immediately said with great interest: "Okay, okay, it's fine as long as you understand it. Play a game with me."

After saying that, without waiting for Lin Mowan to refuse or agree, a whole box of white pieces was pushed in front of her. She opened her mouth to refuse but the words were instantly stuck in her throat.

Seeing that the opponent's black piece had already fallen, Lin Mowan was still hesitating. When she raised her eyes, she met Qu Xiangru's expectant eyes, so clear and even a little... stupid?
Lin Mowan was a little hesitant, and even suspected that she was dreaming, but after a little hesitation, she still obediently picked up the piece and placed it on the chessboard. Seeing this, Qu Xiangru smiled with satisfaction. Looking at him, he really didn't look like a 70-year-old old man, but more like a 7-year-old child, who actually started to play chess with Lin Mowan with great interest.

Lin Mowan was surprised and speechless at the same time, but she couldn't refuse the other party's kindness. Since she was already there, she could only bite the bullet and finish the game.

It has to be said that Qu Xiangru is worthy of being the emperor's teacher and he does have his strengths. Several times, Lin Mowan had no way out, but he always gave her a way out while preventing her from seeing any flaws.

After a game of chess, the sky gradually darkened. In the evening, the heat of the day faded away, and the wind from the forest blew into the yard, making the leaves rustle.

Looking at the draw in front of her, Lin Mowan actually knew very well in her heart that she had already lost a long time ago and was just trying to survive. The other party had repeatedly given her a way out, and this draw was also what the other party wanted, otherwise she would definitely lose.

In the end, Lin Mowan didn't know what to say, and she didn't know what the point of him asking her to play this game was. She could only say lightly: "Grandmaster is a great chess player. I am ashamed to be inferior to him."

Qu Xiangru stroked his beard and chuckled, but didn't say anything immediately. Lin Mowan was a little puzzled. She really couldn't believe that this man asked Xiao Sheng to bring her here just to play a game of chess with her?
This is simply unbelievable. If she was a chess master, it would be understandable, but she is not. She just knows more than ordinary people and has not thought about it carefully.

Just as he was thinking, Qu Xiangru suddenly said, "The chess game is not important. What is important is whether the girl has learned something from it."

As he spoke, he looked at her hopefully, as if expecting her to give him an answer that would satisfy him.

But Lin Mowan just lowered her eyes, her mind churning, her eyes swept across the chessboard in front of her, thinking about how hard she had just dealt with it, and said lightly: "As long as the power is great enough, you can easily play with others in the palm of your hand. Success or failure has always been decided by the king."

After she finished speaking, Qu Xiangru's face froze, and the words he had prepared to praise her for her intelligence instantly became choked in his throat.