Dare you?
"As Shun's son Shang Jun was dull-witted, Shun taught him through the game of Go."
Playing Go was an elegant pastime, but more than that, it tested one's intellect and strategy.
Jiang He remembered that when she accompanied her father on diplomatic missions to the Six States, he would take note of how many officials in each state excelled at the game, using it to judge the quality of that state's advisors.
Although the Yong Kingdom valued martial prowess, playing Go had now become fashionable.
Jiang He rose and paid her respects to the Empress Dowager.
"When this consort was in Qi, I only learned the rudiments of hand conversation. To say this consort is skilled in this art is merely because everyone was mindful of my status and yielded excessively during play. To claim I 'excel at Go'—that is absolutely not the case."
She seemed somewhat guilty, somewhat worried, her eyes seeming to seek help as she looked toward the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager gently toyed with a jade pendant in her palm, her expression smiling yet thoughtful.
At that time, Zhao Zheng—who had not yet succeeded to the throne—had wished to form a marriage alliance with Qi. Among the civil and military officials, many opposed while few approved. Officials led by Chancellor Wei believed that although women of Qi were beautiful, beauty was the easiest thing to bring ruin to a state. It would be better to select a fine lady within Yong to be queen.
It was the Empress Dowager, Ji Man, who withstood the pressure, approved of Zhao Zheng's strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, and facilitated this marriage.
Sure enough, Jiang He had only just married into Yong when Chancellor Wei's daughter came to probe her.
But to meet the challenge and lose was still better than to retreat without fighting.
Thinking to this point, the Empress Dowager flicked her sleeve and smiled. "This girl Nanxu merely wants to get close to you. Who doesn't know of her chess skills? Three years ago, the monarch played Go with Nanxu and was forced to win by only half a stone. Needless to say for you. The Queen should just treat it as playing with her; this Dowager will also join the fun. Whoever wins, this Dowager has treasures to bestow."
She specifically mentioned that even Zhao Zheng could only win against Wei Nanxu by half a stone to lay the groundwork that it would be no big deal even if Jiang He lost.
Surely you couldn't be more skilled than the monarch, could you?
Jiang He nodded upon hearing this and said in compromise, "Then please."
A Go board was set up, and the stones presented by Wei Nanxu were placed into pottery jars. Jiang He walked over slowly.
Her steps were steady as ever, her bearing beautiful yet not vulgar. A red silk ribbon, one zhang long and one cun wide and inlaid with eastern pearls, fell from the crown of her head, trailing along with her skirt hem as it drifted lightly against the ground.
Like drifting clouds veiling the moon, like flowing wind whirling snow. No fragrance applied, no cosmetics used.
This caused the noble ladies who had only seen Jiang He's appearance from afar just now to involuntarily praise her. Meanwhile, Wei Nanxu had already approached Jiang He and paid her respects.
"Since everyone says Nanxu is skilled at Go, why don't Your Majesty the Queen take the black stones?"
Go had its rules of square and circle. Under this dynasty's rules, the player holding black moved first, which was considered seizing the initiative. To speak strictly, the player holding black had to return four stones when calculating victory or defeat at the end.
Now that Wei Nanxu said this, it meant she was yielding four stones.
Jiang He smiled without speaking. Lifting her skirt hem, she sat down and picked out a black stone from the pottery jar.
The cool, delicate touch—it was a fine piece of black jade.
With a crisp *pa*, like a starry sky spreading before one's eyes, the black stone landed on the board in orthodox fashion, occupying the southeast corner.
When discussing major military affairs, only Chief Palace Attendant Li Wenzhou attended upon Zhao Zheng.
Li Wenzhou handled matters steadily and flawlessly.
The tea in Zhao Zheng's cup was never empty. But if one tried to recall when Li Wenzhou appeared to refill it, it wasn't so easy to remember.
When he should appear, he was an attendant serving at one's side; when he should leave, he vanished without a trace.
But today, Zhao Zheng felt something was off.
He noticed Li Wenzhou's hesitant expression when adding tea. He noticed him standing outside speaking with someone, then frowning and shaking his head without a word.
"What is it?"
Finally, after the ministers departed, Zhao Zheng asked.
"It is the legitimate daughter of the Chancellor's manor, Wei Nanxu," Li Wenzhou set down his horsetail whisk, put away the memorials bearing imperial vermillion annotations, opened the pastry box, and offered it. He said softly, "Taking advantage of today's audience, she wants to play Go with the Queen."
A rare smile appeared on Zhao Zheng's face.
"This is going to be a massacre."
"This servant worries it will damage the imperial family's dignity." Li Wenzhou observed Zhao Zheng's expression and said apprehensively.
Zhao Zheng let out a cold laugh. "Whether the princess of Qi has a good brain or not, what does it have to do with my Great Yong?"
Just as the words left his mouth, his fingers pinching a scone paused in midair, as if remembering something.
Someone else had said this before, hadn't they?
—"Whether Jiang Yuheng is a virgin or not, what does it have to do with me, Jiang He?"
Back then, when he wanted Jiang He to fake the virginity blood, this was what she had said.
Hearing Zhao Zheng's words, Li Wenzhou looked up at him in confusion.
Was this a joke? The monarch had never seemed willing to crack jokes before.
And the expression on Zhao Zheng's face was also somewhat strange. He cleared his throat and said, "Send someone to ask how much she lost by."
Wei Nanxu's playing style was steady, combining offense and defense appropriately in all directions. She must have started studying under a Go teacher from a very young age. Jiang He's teacher had only ever been one person—her father.
The carriages on diplomatic missions to various states always required more than a month of travel to arrive.
And along the way, the pastime of this father and daughter was playing Go.
"Whoever loses cooks."
Though her father was honored as an envoy of Qi, before her he was like a mischievous child.
And Jiang He often took advantage of the carriage jolting to secretly move her father's pieces. But no matter how she moved them, she always lost.
"Little silly girl, hurry up and cook!" Father laughed as he fell backward, happy even when he bumped his head.
"The envoy team has people to cook!" Jiang He protested.
"Your cooking tastes better." He often said this.
But now, the one who taught her to play Go was no longer here.
While she was slightly lost in thought, Wei Nanxu had already gained the upper hand.
Soldiers clad in white armor formed battle arrays and ranks, wielding long spears and sweeping all before them. Like massive war chariots rolling across the plains, they put all to the sword and sent all fleeing. Wei Nanxu directed the war like a fierce general, gradually nibbling away at the enemy and expanding territory, majestically invincible in every battle.
A proud smile appeared on the young woman's face.
But Jiang He's playing style was incomprehensible.
Clearly she could attack, yet she chose to retreat. Clearly she should build ponds and defend, yet she chose to dig under her own walls. Finally having gained a bit of advantage, she should have turned defeat into victory, yet she used brute force and fell short of success at the last moment.
Though the Empress Dowager and Lady Wei watching the game did not speak, their expressions were opposite.
The Empress Dowager somewhat regretted it yet forced a smiling face, while Lady Wei felt the gratification of shared glory and false modesty.
Wei Nanxu lowered her head with a focused expression.
Almost winning—just drive the dog into a dead-end alley, and this battle could be ended.
The white-armored warriors charged into battle, pressing step by step. The black-armored warriors fled in panic, their chariots in disarray. They retreated to a dead end. Wei Nanxu raised her butcher's knife, but just at this moment, the wall collapsed.
Behind the black-armored warriors were cavalry armed with crossbows, standing upon war horses.
Cavalry.
As swift as the wind, as gentle as the forest; as ravaging as fire, as immovable as the mountain.
Wei Nanxu turned pale with fright and retreated, but the mountain path that Jiang He had yielded was rugged and uneven. The city wall that Jiang He had dismantled blocked the road, and the positions Jiang He had occupied through brute force had instead become fortresses blocking her retreat.
The woman in black robes sat steadily opposite Wei Nanxu, holding a Go stone without the slightest hesitation.
Wei Nanxu's face was pale, her lip bitten tight.
She did it on purpose! Everything was calculated from the moment she placed her first stone!
Jiang He was not a general leading an army. She was the monarch who laid out the mountains, rivers, and landscape of this world.
One begets two, two begets four, four begets eight; heaven is round and earth is square; the netherworld and yellow springs—if I slaughter you, you have no road to escape!
Wei Nanxu's vision went dark, nearly fainting.
"She won!"
The Empress Dowager clapped and rose. The excitement of surviving a desperate situation made her chest heave unceasingly. Finally catching her breath, she did not forget to reproach Jiang He. "Where did the Queen learn this playing style? Who is your teacher? You nearly scared this Dowager to death."
Jiang He rose with a smile and curtsied. "This consort's clumsy scheme. Merely making a fool of myself."
The palace attendant had already finished counting the stones and delivered several black stones into Jiang He's hand.
Wei Nanxu looked up at her, suddenly remembering that she held white. After a game, the black stones should return four stones before one could determine victory or defeat.
Jiang He also seemed to remember this.
She held the black jade stones in her hand, turned around to face Wei Nanxu, and one by one, threw those stones onto the board.
The stones fell with sound—*pa, pa, pa, pa*.
These sounds extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Wei Nanxu's heart.
Four stones returned, yet Jiang He still held two in her hand.
She bent down, placed those two stones beside Wei Nanxu, and with a smile that looked down upon all living beings, said softly, "I accept your concession."
Wei Nanxu shot to her feet with a sharp sound, anger and humiliation nearly causing her to lose composure before the court. Lady Wei took her hand and laughed to smooth things over. "The Queen is indeed skilled at Go. Nanxu has such an unwilling-to-lose temperament; she will certainly come to the palace often to visit and bother you in the future."
Startled by the force transmitted from her palm, Wei Nanxu gathered her senses and curtsied to concede defeat.
"Certainly, certainly," Jiang He said as she stood beside the Empress Dowager, smiling lightly. "You first win against His Majesty, then come play with me again."
Wei Nanxu raised her head, a bright light flashing through her eyes, and this expression happened to fall into everyone's view.
"Such a sharp tongue!" The Empress Dowager made a show of patting Jiang He's shoulder. For a time, the room was filled with laughter and joy, host and guests alike celebrating.
After seeing off the noble ladies who had come for audience and receiving many rewards from the Empress Dowager, Jiang He then proceeded to return to Zhiyang Palace.
She was in a good mood.
Just after walking out of the Empress Dowager's Dazheng Palace, she suddenly smelled the scent of sandalwood and borneol rushing toward her. Jiang He stopped and stood still, then saw Lord Chang'an Zhao Jiao turn in from the corridor. Seeing Jiang He, he was immediately overjoyed.
"Greetings to the Royal Sister-in-law."
Unlike the teasing of their last meeting, this time he was very proper.
"Is Lord Chang'an going to the Empress Dowager's palace to pay respects?" Jiang He asked with a nod.
"No," Lord Chang'an shook his head with a warm, elegant smile. "This brother knew that today the noble ladies were here paying respects to Royal Sister-in-law, so I specially brought something for you."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, holding a gourd half an inch in size.
Seeing Jiang He's puzzled expression, Lord Chang'an approached her mysteriously and placed the gourd in her hand.
It was heavy, and she didn't know what was inside.