The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 233
by Little PandaExtra 8
Playing Chess
Qu Ning sat across the chessboard, looking completely at ease. She had received instruction from a master, after all. The Eldest Maternal Grand-Uncle Liang1 scratched his head, his demeanor nothing like that of a prefectural prefect, racking his brains for how to counter Qu Ning’s latest move.
After arriving at the Liang Family Mansion, Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng had settled into their own loving routine. At night, Qu Ning didn’t stay with them.
Back at the inn, it had been partly to strengthen the mother-daughter bond, and partly because it was always safer to stick together when traveling.
In the middle of the day, Qu Sheng had Lin Xizhao trapped in the bedchamber. Though they weren’t doing anything in particular, just being with Lin Xizhao made Qu Sheng perfectly happy.
Qu Sheng peeled a grape and brought it to Lin Xizhao’s lips. Lin Xizhao was reading a travel journal; without even looking to see what the food was, she took the sweet grape Qu Sheng had chosen into her mouth.
The fresh, juicy grape burst across her tongue. Qu Sheng watched her expectantly. “Sweet?”
Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved into crescents as she ate. She answered softly, “If my Sheng’er picked it, of course it’s sweet.”
Praised like a child, Qu Sheng’s face remained composed, but her heart was blooming with joy. A smile tugged at her lips as she bent her head and diligently peeled another.
Qu Ning had played three games of chess against the Eldest Maternal Grand-Uncle Liang and won all three, claiming the Liang family’s treasure sword as her prize. She couldn’t lift the sword herself, so she had a guard carry it over to Qu Zhimu.
At that moment, Qu Zhimu was training with the long spear under Xiao Bingying, while Zhao Ningying watched from the side, thoroughly absorbed.
Qu Ning walked over with the guard, carrying herself with the bearing of a crown princess. She stood in the corridor, watching Qu Zhimu’s spear work, her bright eyes following the polearm’s movements.
“Ning-jiejie.” Zhao Ningying spotted her first and rose with a smile, walking over.
Qu Ning nodded as the girl came around. When Zhao Ningying drew close, she noticed the treasure sword in the guard’s hand. “Ning-jiejie is so amazing! You beat the Eldest Maternal Grand-Uncle?”
Qu Ning nodded, a hint of pride in her expression.
Qu Zhimu was in the middle of a spear maneuver when she turned her head and saw Qu Ning and Zhao Ningying talking in the corridor. She was about to continue her sequence, but her gaze snagged on the sword. She set down her spear and ran over.
Being older, Qu Zhimu didn’t need to go around. She leaped onto the veranda, strode across, and said excitedly, “Quick, quick, let me see!”
Seeing Qu Zhimu’s excitement, Qu Ning smiled and had the guard hand the sword to her.
But when Qu Zhimu reached for it, she couldn’t hold it—it nearly crashed to the ground. The guard quickly caught it and lifted it back up.
The three little girls were puzzled for a moment. None of them could believe Qu Zhimu couldn’t lift that sword.
Qu Ning had only touched it earlier, and she knew she couldn’t lift it. But Qu Zhimu had martial arts training—if even she couldn’t lift it, that seemed hard to believe.
“Is it really that heavy?” Qu Ning asked.
Qu Zhimu’s hands were empty. She looked at Qu Ning and nodded, muttering to herself, “Why is this sword so heavy?” She was just as confused.
Xiao Bingying came around the corridor and walked over. She looked at the longsword, took it, and drew it. The blade was razor-sharp, a sword that could cut through iron as if it were mud.
“Mother, what sword is this?” Zhao Ningying stood nearby, staring wide-eyed.
Xiao Bingying looked down and replied, “It’s a heavy sword. If I’m not mistaken, it was modeled after the Juque sword2. A fine blade like this is rare in the world.”
“Really?” Qu Zhimu’s excitement flared at the mention of a rare sword. “Auntie, can I train with it?”
Xiao Bingying glanced at her and smiled. “Of course, but you’ll have to be able to lift it first.”
Qu Zhimu was eager to try. She reached out again, and Xiao Bingying placed the sword in her hands. Before she could even release much of the weight, Qu Zhimu’s hands began to sink. “No, no, I can’t lift it.”
Qu Zhimu had already lost her nerve before she’d even begun.
Xiao Bingying chuckled, returned the sword to the guard, and asked Qu Ning, “Ning’er, where did you get this?”
“I won it playing chess against the Eldest Maternal Grand-Uncle.” Qu Ning lifted her head, her young voice clear.
Xiao Bingying seemed skeptical. The Eldest Maternal Grand-Uncle was no slouch at chess—how could he lose to a child?
Qu Ning caught the doubt in Xiao Bingying’s eyes and said, unwilling to back down, “If Auntie doesn’t believe me, you’re welcome to play a game with me.”
Xiao Bingying blinked. She was tempted to test her.
The Liang family servants brought over a chessboard. Qu Zhimu and Zhao Ningying stood watching as Xiao Bingying and Qu Ning played five consecutive games. Xiao Bingying lost every single one, thoroughly.
Xiao Bingying looked up at Qu Ning and was reminded of Qu Sheng back in the day.
When Qu Sheng had been blind, Lin Xizhao only had to tell her where the pieces were placed, and she would memorize the entire board’s layout. Even her teacher couldn’t beat her.
Perhaps because the Eldest Maternal Grand-Uncle had lost his treasure sword, the other Liang family members refused to believe Qu Ning’s skill was real. They all came to challenge her, but each one ended in defeat.
Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao arrived upon hearing the news. Lin Xizhao watched her daughter play and saw that her style was exactly like Qu Sheng’s back then. She understood immediately.
Seeing that her daughter had no worthy opponents, Qu Sheng decided to sit down and have a proper match with her.
Little fingers moved pieces, placing and lifting. Qu Sheng took the game seriously, but the little one was still a step behind. At every critical moment, Qu Sheng would encircle her, leading to total defeat.
Qu Sheng could see it now: her daughter had real talent, but she wasn’t yet comprehensive or seasoned enough.
Qu Ning couldn’t beat Qu Sheng. Unwilling to accept it, she demanded another game, but each time she was crushed completely. Her proud chess skills were utterly dismantled before Qu Sheng. Crestfallen, she went to Lin Xizhao for comfort.
Lin Xizhao held her daughter and laughed. “Back then, even the teacher couldn’t beat your mother. Ning’er, losing isn’t shameful.”
Qu Ning looked up at her mother. “The teacher who produced several top scholars?”
Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved. “That’s right. Your mother didn’t even need to look at the board to know where to place her pieces.”
Lin Xizhao recounted Qu Sheng’s brilliance from those days. Qu Ning listened, her little eyes blinking, a sense of admiration slowly growing in her heart.
Even into the evening, Qu Ning was still curled up in Lin Xizhao’s arms, listening to stories of Qu Sheng’s glorious past. Qu Sheng sat at the desk sipping tea, a little embarrassed.
“Did Mother like her back then, Mama?” A mother this brilliant—even she adored her. How could Lin Xizhao not?
“Yes, I did.” Lin Xizhao smiled as she answered, then turned her gaze to Qu Sheng.
“How much?” Qu Ning pressed.
Lin Xizhao thought back to those days. When had her feelings for Qu Sheng changed? She couldn’t pinpoint it exactly. Perhaps she had liked her from the very first moment they met.
“Your mother can’t live without her.” That was how Lin Xizhao answered her daughter.
As she finished speaking, she looked up and met Qu Sheng’s burning gaze.
Back when Qu Sheng had been blind, they had traveled far to Haichao for medical treatment. On the road, they encountered assassins, and Qu Sheng had shouted those words: “I cannot be without you.” Lin Xizhao had remembered them ever since.
She couldn’t be without Qu Sheng either.
Qu Ning didn’t fully grasp the weight of those words. She hugged Lin Xizhao, her eyes curving into crescents. “Ning’er can’t live without Mama and Mother either.”
Lin Xizhao smiled tenderly, holding her daughter close, and met Qu Sheng’s loving gaze.
Ever since Qu Ning lost to Qu Sheng at chess, she seized every free moment to challenge her. Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival3, and Qu Ning followed Qu Sheng around. When she saw her mother free, she hurried over to pour tea.
Qu Sheng looked at her daughter’s eager service and smiled. “Want to play chess again?”
Qu Ning nodded her little head. She had never lost before, and now that she’d met her match, she naturally wanted to win. But even if she didn’t win, it was fine—she could learn so much from Qu Sheng.
Qu Sheng never played chess just for the sake of playing. She would teach her daughter about military strategy: playing chess was like waging war—you had to control the whole board to be undefeated.
Seeing her daughter grow more and more attached to her, Qu Sheng felt a deep comfort. She had been anxious ever since they left the palace, but now that anxiety was soothed.
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, of course, they had to admire the lanterns. Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao held their daughter’s hands as they walked along the lantern-lit street. Since Qu Ning was small, Qu Sheng soon picked her up.
Xiao Bingying and the others walked alongside. Zhao Ningying was also in Xiao Bingying’s arms. They stopped at a lantern riddle4 booth, standing still as they listened to the stallholder speak.
“A little girl, born in the water’s heart, wearing a pink dress, sitting on a green boat. Everyone, guess what this is. Guess right, and this lantern is yours.”
The stallholder gave the riddle and waited for answers. No sooner had he finished than Qu Ning and Zhao Ningying spoke in unison: “A lotus flower.”
Both girls guessed correctly at the same time. The stallholder smiled. “Two little misses guessed together. Which of you wants the lantern?”
“Give it to Ying-meimei.”
“Give it to Ning-jiejie.”
The two little ones deferred to each other. The stallholder watched and laughed. “Good, good. Knowing how to yield at such a young age. I’ll give another riddle, and whichever of you guesses it, I’ll give another lantern.”
The adults stood among the crowd, watching the daughters in their arms. Qu Ning and Zhao Ningying nodded their little heads, eagerly awaiting the next riddle.
“Wearing a green coat, belly full of water, bearing many sons, each with a black face.”
“Watermelon!” The two little girls answered in unison again.
The stallholder looked at Qu Sheng and the others, smiling as he handed two identical lanterns to the children in their arms. “Both little misses are truly clever. You’ll surely achieve great things in the future.”
“Of course! My little sister is the current—mmph!” Qu Zhimu was about to reveal their identities when Zhao Jiayu clamped a hand over her mouth.
Zhao Jiayu laughed. “Let’s go see somewhere else.”
Lin Xizhao and the others exchanged amused glances and led the children away.
They walked to where the fireworks were blooming in the night sky. Qu Ning and Zhao Ningying climbed down from their mothers’ arms, closed their eyes, and made wishes.
“What did Ying-meimei wish for?” Qu Ning asked, turning sideways.
Zhao Ningying smiled and whispered, “I hope Ning-jiejie is happy every day.”
Hearing this, Qu Ning’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. She had made a wish too—that Zhao Ningying would be happy every day.
They wandered outside for more than two hours. When they returned to the Liang Family Mansion, they saw three other familiar faces.
The Zhu couple and their daughter.
The author has something to say:
Qu Zhimu: “Wait, you two made wishes for each other. Why didn’t you make one for me?”
Qu Ning: “What wish does Mu-jiejie want?”
Zhao Ningying: “Yeah, what does Mu-jiejie want?”
Qu Zhimu: “Hmm… my wish is simple. Eat, drink, and sleep a lot!”
Seeing her two younger sisters fall silent, Qu Zhimu blinked. “Is that not allowed?”
Qu Ning hesitated for a moment. “It’s allowed!”
Zhao Ningying: “I’m going to light the fireworks!”
Footnotes
- A respectful term for one's mother's eldest uncle.
- A legendary sword from ancient Chinese mythology, one of the Ten Famous Swords, known for its immense weight and sharpness.
- The Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, associated with family reunions and moon gazing.
- Lantern riddles are a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival activity where riddles are written on lanterns for people to guess.
0 Comments