Chapter 142 Xie Yu Plays Chess with the Emperor

Chapter 142 Xie Yu Plays Chess with the Emperor

Shen Nanzi was surprised; this was the first time he had told her about his past.

He pointed to a dark brown patch, about the size of a bowl, at the rounded corner of the stone basin.

Further down the edge, there appear to be dark brown marks left behind.

"These are bloodstains left from his fight with the eldest prince."

Shen Nanzi was somewhat shocked. It had been so long; one could only imagine how much blood Xue Yubai had shed back then.

Xie Yan didn't tell him that the palm-sized stain on the bluestone pavement where he walked was the blood he had shed years ago.

There were far more than Xue Yubai, but now, washed away by the rain, very little remains.

Xie Yan continued walking forward without saying another word.

Shen Nanzi watched his retreating figure; it seemed as if he was explaining something to her.

—His relationship with Xue Yubai.

Their relationship was extremely good; it turned out they had a life-or-death bond before, which explained why he was so kind to the Xue siblings.

Shen Nanzi could somewhat understand his actions.

While I understand, everyone has their own difficulties.

…

I didn't see Xie Chengze when I walked up to the loquat tree, but there was an old palace maid there.

He was holding a hoe, as if he were clearing weeds.

Upon seeing them, he was about to come over and pay his respects when Xie Yan stopped him.

The old palace maid received her order and continued with her duties.

Xie Yan turned around and walked back.

Shen Nanzi followed and walked out of the loquat tree. She suddenly remembered that the old palace maid from earlier was the one who gave her the boy bow.

The duties in the palace are divided into areas. The old palace servant who was just here was responsible for sweeping this area.

The Abandoned Flower Hall is located here, and Xie Yan was also here in his youth.

Could it be that the bow was given to him by Xie Yan?

Shen Nanzi tilted her head and asked, "Did you ever win a shooting competition when you were a child?"

Xie Yan glanced at her, pursed his thin lips, and firmly denied it, "No."

Shen Nanzi looked at him suspiciously, "Did you give that child bow to Cheng'er?"

"No," Xie Yan replied curtly.

Seeing his attitude, Shen Nanzi had no choice but to give up. He did a good deed but didn't want to leave his name; so be it!

Although she hated him, he had helped her, and she wasn't an ungrateful person.

However, if she had known it was from him, she probably wouldn't have accepted it.

She would suspect that he had tampered with it.

Xie Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that she no longer mentioned it, given Cheng'er's attitude towards him.

If he knew that the bow belonged to him, he would surely break it and throw it away.

The two returned to the inner courtyard of the Harmony Palace.

It is an open-air area between the main hall and the side hall, where a sycamore tree is planted.

The sycamore tree is quite old, with dense branches, providing a large shady area and a stone table with a chessboard.

The Emperor sat under a tree, playing chess with the Sixth Prince.

There were quite a few people surrounding it.

Even if there are no people gathered around, people bring out chairs and stools, sit under the eaves, chat, and admire the flowers.

It looked just like a typical family gathering.

The inner courtyard, once planted with famous and precious flowers and plants, has been completely replaced today, making it exceptionally lively.

Shen Nanzi loves flowers and plants, and she was already attracted to them before. Now that she saw Cheng'er and Wei Ji'an playing in the inner courtyard, she naturally didn't leave.

I found a place to sit down.

Xie Yan didn't go to watch the Emperor play chess; instead, he went to the front hall.

After looking at the flowers and plants for a while, Shen Nanzi ate some pastries out of boredom, her gaze falling on the paulownia tree.

"Father, once a move is made, there's no going back." Xie Yu's cheerful voice carried through the crowd.

"Wait a minute, you brat, you're the most impatient one."

Shen Nanzi could vaguely see through the gap that the Emperor's hand was pressing down on the white pieces, refusing to pick them up.

"Father, you've already placed your pieces; I must now collect them," Xie Yu urged, his tone suggesting a ruthless battle between father and son.

However, Shen Nanzi saw the Fifth Prince's eyes on the other side.

Standing on the sidelines watching the game, his gaze wasn't fixed on the pieces, but rather occasionally drifted to Xie Yu.

He would occasionally glance at the Emperor, but his gaze was mostly fixed on Xie Yu's face.

Especially when the emperor jokingly scolded Xie Yu, and Xie Yu still recklessly defied the emperor.

The Fifth Prince lowered his eyes slightly, his eyes revealing an undisguised ferocity.

It was a light mixed with jealousy and hatred, both craving the tenderness the Emperor showed when looking at Xie Yu and resenting that this tenderness had never been shared with her.

His gaze swept across Xie Yu's profile, carrying a fierce, burning intensity, as if he wanted to burn two holes in the other man.

But in an instant, he suppressed it, leaving only a deep darkness in his eyes, like rain-laden clouds, ready to brew a storm at any moment.

Shen Nanzi observed him with great interest, yet subtly.

The same gaze wasn't limited to just one pair; it also fell upon some young princes, who, though not yet of age, were also being watched.

But the longing and jealousy in his eyes were heartbreaking to see.

Perhaps this is the tragedy of royalty, and the root of all misfortune.

Xie Yu was undoubtedly lucky; his mother was favored, and the emperor visited Hele Palace frequently.

He naturally had a lot of contact with his sons, and it was easy for them to develop feelings for each other, especially Xie Yu, whose feelings were genuine and pure.

The emperor's favoritism towards him naturally aroused jealousy among others.

Shen Nanzi wondered if the murderer who had tried to assassinate Xie Yu twice was hiding among these people.

The Fifth Prince's gaze was venomous, like a snake lurking in the grass, flicking its tongue.

This man's brother said he had a deep and reserved nature, much like the wild grass growing on the wall.

Lost in thought, she noticed a gaze falling on her. She looked up and saw her twelfth uncle sitting at the table next to her.

He smiled slightly at her, "Princess Jing."

The sound was just right for her to hear.

He had a handsome appearance and a faint smile on his face, like a spring breeze brushing across a lake.

When he looks at people, his eyes are gentle, as if they can encompass all the troubles of the world.

He exuded an air of nonchalant leisure, like a hermit living deep in the mountains.

If Shen Nanzi hadn't had any contact with him, she would have thought he was a gentleman as pure as green bamboo.

Shen Nanzi didn't even bother to maintain basic etiquette and looked away.

I searched for Xie Chengze in the courtyard, but after looking around, I couldn't find him.

"Qinghe, where is Cheng'er?"

Qinghe: "Your Highness and the young master of the Wei family went to the front hall."

Shen Nanzi quickly got up and went to the front hall to look for it.

In the side hall to the east of the main hall, the women of the Pingyang Marquis's household were all sitting.

Several children were crawling around under the table.

They were all relatives of Consort Wei, so Consort Wei naturally felt close to them, and they had endless things to talk about from the moment they entered.

"Has Yu'er's marriage fallen through?" The one who spoke was Consort Wei's mother, Old Madam Wang.

She sat next to Consort Wei, her face serious.

When Xie Yu's marriage was mentioned, Consort Wei's joy waned somewhat.

“When he got into that situation, Miss Li didn’t say she minded, but he said he did.”

"Isn't that infuriating?"

Madam Wang, in the manner of a respected elder, rebuked Consort Wei, "You shouldn't have gone along with his wishes. Whose marriage isn't arranged by parents and matchmakers?"

“You love your son so much that you let him make the decision. He’s already twenty-five.”

“Kids his age are all ten years old, and they’ll all have grandchildren in a few years.”

"How long is he going to keep putting it off? He must get his wedding done this year."

Since it was her mother who had spoken, Consort Wei had no choice but to listen. After a moment of silence, she said again, "If he doesn't want to get married, can we force him into it?"

"Then let's force them to get married!"

One child said, "Wouldn't that be like slaughtering a pig!"

The children under the table burst into laughter.

"Children shouldn't interrupt adults!" a woman who looked like a young mistress said.

Wei Ji'an crawled out from under the table and said to Consort Wei, "My imperial cousin has someone he likes, so of course he doesn't want to marry Miss Li."

"He likes..."

"You child, you're talking nonsense!" Old Madam Wang interrupted immediately.

She glared at Wei Ji'an's mother and said, "Look at the child you've raised, he has no manners at all."

Outside the side hall, Xie Yan was talking with several royal brothers.

Upon hearing the reprimands from the side hall, everyone stopped talking and listened intently.

It mainly concerns Xie Yu's marriage, and everyone is very concerned about it.

Only Xie Yan remained expressionless.