Chapter 7
The hour was not early, and the three had a meal together in the bamboo house next to the forest .
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The emperor wanted to play three matches with the youth, but he couldn't open his mouth . His eyes narrowed at the darkening sky and the meal he ate at this time could not be tasted .
Yan Ge gracefully finished her meal . Standing up, she ignored the emperor that could not speak up and exchanged farewells with Master Liaofan .
When Ji Zai saw her give up such a good opportunity, it could not understand: "This emperor likes to play chess . Why don't you play a few more games with him and become chess friends? Maybe he’ll find the truth, goodness, and beauty under your skin bag . "
Yan Ge declined to comment . There was nothing special about obtaining something easily, especially when it came to people like Emperor Yuan, who was the pride of heaven . The best person was most likely the one he constantly thought about .
This can be said to be a good start . When Yan Ge returned to her own side room, she slept soundly all night .
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She no longer met and chatted with Master Liaofan . Instead, she made an effort to visit all the well-known places in Jingcheng in the following days .
Early one morning, Yan Ge made a plan to visit the somewhat famous Deng clan’s suckling pig shop to have a taste . She had just entered and was right in the middle of greeting the shopkeeper at the front desk when she turned her head in time to see Emperor Yuan walk inside .
Yi{eh?} why did this guy run over to such a place instead of attending the morning assembly?
Qi Xiong[brother]1?” Surprised, Yan Ge cupped her fist in a greeting: "I didn’t expect to see you here . It’s a pleasure to meet you . ”
Emperor Yuan’s courtesy name2 was Qi An, but no one dared to call him this . Since few people knew this name, he used it when incognito .
"Yan Xiong[brother]!" Emperor Yuan wasn’t able to ‘accidentally’ meet him at Dajue Temple over the past few days and had no choice but to go down this route . He made a gesture of invitation to Yan Ge: "A chance encounter is better than an invitation . Why don’t we secure a table?"
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"Alright . " Yan Ge stroked his hand and laughed: "It would be an honor . "
Roasting suckling pigs took time and Emperor Yuan seized the opportunity to suggest: "Rather than wait like this, how about talking over a game of chess?
Yan Ge echoed agreement: "That couldn’t be better . "
The private room was quite luxurious . Not only were the four treasures of the study3 available, a chess table had also been prepared . There was no need to waste time .
The two played against each other and once the chess match started, they were silent . Only the occasional drop of a piece sounded in the private room .
Yan Ge had lived for thousands of years . She also had the cheat-like system along with the commandeering Ji Zai . Although handling the darling of Tiandao was somewhat strenuous, she wasn’t vulnerable .
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It was already noon when the game ended .
Yan Ge barely won by one piece .
Emperor Yuan felt very upset . He still had some confidence in himself and wanted to play another game . However, he saw that Yan Ge had already called a waiter to serve the food and could only look on helplessly as the chessboard was put away .
The heart was regrettable, and Emperor Yuan thought more highly of Yan Ge: "Where is Yan Xiong[brother] from? People with such amazing talent and admirable character should not be unknown in Jincheng . "
"It would be an undeserved praise to regard me as a crouching tiger or hidden dragon4 . ” Yan Ge waved her hands and spoke humbly: "I am not a Jingcheng native . I have traveled since childhood; where I went was where I ate . I am an ordinary person and holds no ambition . ”
Emperor Yuan and Yan Ge had several conversations, and a fondness for this capable individual welled up in his heart . He sincerely offered her a recommendation: "Yan Xiong[brother] is still young, why not take the scholar’s exam? On one side your name can spread through the world, and on the other and you can serve the people . "
Yan Ge shook her head: "My body has been very poor from a young age and keeping this life has been difficult thus far . I dare not think of a future . ”
After a pause, she chuckled: "Qi Xiong[brother]thinks too highly of me . I may be better at chess, but there are no other skills . ”
The roasted suckling pigs and side dishes came to the table one after another . Their stomachs were empty and naturally, no words were passed in the dining room .
1 Xiōng (兄): a polite form of address between men . It literally means elder brother, but peers use this regardless of who is younger/older .
2 Courtesy name (字— zì): name given to a man when he turns 20, the age of an adult .
3 Four treasures of the study (文房四宝—wén fang sì bǎo): expression that denotes the writing tools:-paper, ink slab, ink stick, and brush .
4 Crouching tiger, hidden dragon (卧虎藏龙—wò hǔ cáng lóng): idiom that means a talented individual in hiding .