Under the sky

Chapter 243

Xie Yunjin accepted Master Jin's apology because, firstly, it had happened and was irreversible, secondly, he needed Master Jin's care, and thirdly, he had deep feelings for Master Jin after all.

His condition was that he hoped that Master Jin could intercede with Prince Hu Gen and allow the Priesthood to open up and allow him to take the exam.

"Entering the priest's courtyard is the only job I can do." Xie Yunyan said, "When I become the chief priest, or even the chief priest, it is to make my father look good." He tried his best to comfort Jin Fuzi, "If...what if I become the priest?" Where is Si? Dad, you are Si Si’s father, and we are the kings outside the pass."

"Does dad think I'm incompetent?"

Master Jin was so coaxed that he still sighed: "Impossible, Arien Palace and the Priestly House are not so harmonious. They will not help the people in the Priestly House. They will be unhappy if you enter the Priestly House. "

Xie Yunjin believed this reason. Prince Hugen's father Gulie, his predecessor Yalian, was exiled for trying to resist Gulthas, and in the end he could only commit suicide.All the princes in the Arien Palace, including Arien, were respectful and afraid of the Priesthood, and even a little bit wary.

He had to think of another way, time was running out, less than two months left... There were many people in the priesthood who were qualified to write letters of recommendation, but he didn't recognize any of them.

To be recognized, he had to let powerful people recognize him as soon as possible, and it was best to attract the attention of the Priesthood.

The next day he went straight to the priest's house and delivered the letter of recommendation.He took a chance, but was severely rejected, and any unsealed letters of recommendation became ineffective.They asked Xie Yunjin to go back to find the recommender, but Wala Xiaoji was no longer there.

Xie Yunjin started walking on the street, heading towards the busiest part of the city, where it was easier to meet nobles and high priests.Trying to strike up a conversation was impossible, most nobles were surrounded by guards, and it was difficult to even get close with the way he was dressed.

Stores selling expensive items in Baduli wouldn't even let him in.

Seeing that time passed by, he became more and more embarrassed, and couldn't help but talk to a noble lady, trying to gain sympathy.The lady screamed in surprise, and he was driven away by the guards and kicked to the ground, hurting his chest and butt in vain.

Just when he was losing hope, he saw a familiar large carriage with a silver roof and a red-striped carriage.He recognized that this carriage had appeared in front of Prince Hugen's alley, and the person who could take this carriage was definitely of high status.

The carriage stopped in front of a grocery store, and a young man got out of the carriage.The Sa people are very mature, and children aged eleven or twelve often look like they are fifteen or sixteen. Xie Yunjin cannot tell his age.I saw him walking into the sundry store. He had neatly trimmed brown hair, a tall nose, and was quite handsome.

Xie Yunjin decided to wait and stood at the corner of the street waiting for a long time. Behind the young man, a guard walked out carrying a wooden box. Xie Yunjin stepped forward to take a closer look.

It was an exquisite wooden box.After the carriage left, Xie Yunjin asked the store owner who the young man was and what he bought. The store owner was confused as to why he asked, but Xie Yunjin said he was curious.

The store owner refused to disclose the identity of the young aristocrat, but said that it was a chess set made of jade. It was a chess piece from the customs. Many people loved to play it, especially the aristocrats and Sasi who liked various chess games and Shuanglu.

The store manager said: "Only nobles can play well because they are all smart."

Xie Yunjin's eyes lit up.

He was good at gambling, which was one of the few entertainments he had during his 14 years in Guigu Palace, and it was also one of the games he could play with his father when he came.In order to defeat his father, he spent a lot of hard work and study. Although the only opponents were his father and Jin Fuzi, he was extremely confident in himself.

Occasionally, people can be seen playing endgames on the streets of Nabu Batu. Xie Yunjin is familiar with those endgames and knows that no matter whether he chooses black or red, it is a draw. It is a scam. No one can win money from scammers.

He had to find another way.

He asked Jin Fuzi to buy a box of chess, a handmade product, not cheap, but as Kaler's chief bodyguard, Jin Fuzi still had some money.He set up a stall on the road leading to Prince Hugen's palace, put up a sign and invited people to play chess. If you win a game, you can win ten copper coins from him, and if you lose, you don't have to pay.

This method worked at first. You would make money if you won, and you wouldn't have to pay anything if you lost. The stall was crowded with curious people.The problem came quickly. He had only played chess with three people all morning. He made quick moves, but the opponent was too slow.Someone asked him: "Why didn't you prepare an hourglass?" He then learned that in Nabu Batu, chess players use hourglasses to time official games.

The next day he got an hourglass and it was much faster. He won ten games in a row in the morning, but it was of no use and could not attract attention. Because the prizes were cheap and the loser did not have to pay, most of the people he attracted were mediocre players. He had to be sure a threshold.

From the third day onwards, you have to pay ten copper coins to play a game of chess with him, and if you win a game, you can take away a raw sheepskin.Sure enough, there are fewer people who dare to challenge, and the opponents are much stronger. Most of them are old men who can afford ten cents. Although they are old, they have experienced hundreds of battles. Everyone knows that young people should not challenge the old men playing chess under the shade of the trees. He was killed and his armor was thrown away.

Xie Yunjin still won easily. Even he himself did not expect that his chess skills were so superb.

The generous reward spread the news, and Xie Yunjin hoped that the person would pass by and play chess with him, but before that person came, chess players who set up stalls on the street to play with broken scores had already arrived. These people were better at chess. , it will not be so easy for Xie Yunjin to win.

The unexpected reward was that he made a lot of money. It was the first time that he had made money on his own. Master Jin's colleagues all said that his son had found a way to live.Some people disliked waiting so long. Xie Yunjin wanted to show off, so he asked him to bring a chessboard and play with up to three people at a time.

An old man who lost at chess was very angry: "I won't lose if I play a bigger game."

Big chess refers to Go, and Xie Yunjin is just asking for it: "Bring the chessboard tomorrow, and I will play a game with you."

Playing chess and Go at the same time, the news finally spread by word of mouth in Naibubadu, saying that there was a prodigy outside the alley of Prince Hugen's palace, who had been undefeated for ten days in all major chess and chess.

But the person he wanted to see still didn't come. Maybe the young noble was just having fun and was not addicted to playing chess.But there is still a chance. As long as his carriage passes by, it is still possible to stop and maybe have a chance to talk to him.

He had no better idea.

At noon on the 11th day, a strong man came. Although his clothes were like those of ordinary people, the knotted muscles on his body and his expression showed that he had learned Kung Fu, and he should be a bodyguard protecting the courtyard.

"My master wants to play chess with you," the strong man said, "but it's not convenient for him to come, so he wants to invite you over." He took out a small silver ingot, about three ounces in weight, which attracted the attention of the onlookers.

Xie Yunjin guessed that the owner of this man was either rich or noble, so he asked: "Is it big chess or chess?"

"It's your choice, you can play both games together," said the strong man.

"Then let's go together." Xie Yunyan said, "I will set up the chessboard here and play chess from a distance, without delaying playing chess with other people."

The strong man said: "I suggest you focus more and respect my master."

Xie Yunjin did not refuse, packed up his chess equipment and stood up. He desperately needed to rely on the powerful.Seeing that there was no chess to play, the onlookers couldn't help but sigh and dispersed one after another.

Xie Yunjin was put on a carriage and taken to a very ordinary room near the priest's courtyard.He was a little disappointed. Such an ordinary cabin was not the residence of a wealthy family.

"Please come in." The strong man greeted him to enter.

There were only two chess boards in the room, one for Go and one for Xiangshu. There were no other people or furniture. The room was so empty that it didn't look like anyone was living in it.

The strong man pointed at the chessboard: "Please go first."

Xie Yunjin felt strange: "Where is your master?"

"The master won't come over. You play chess, and I will listen to the master's instructions and come back to answer the pieces. Just play chess from a distance."

This gave Xie Yunjin hope again. The opponent was so mysterious and must have a lot of background. He might not come forward because he was afraid of losing face.He then said: "I guess your master must be a well-connected person. If I win, I have a gracious favor."

"I hope to meet your master."

He thought that if this person was a noble from the Arien faction, he might be rejected if he directly asked the other party to let him enter the priesthood. He would need to talk deeply, persuade, and even exchange terms.

There were only 20 days until the summer solstice, and he was in a hurry. It was at this time that he realized a truth.

The more anxious you are, the more you need to slow down and calm down.

The strong man did not give him any guarantee, but only urged him to make moves. Xie Yunjin decided to use his unique weapons to challenge, starting with the extremely biased nine-tailed turtle, and then made three moves in the upper left corner of the Go board.The man left the hut and returned to the house after a while to make a move. He first read the positions and responded to the situation. He really didn't know how to play chess based on the gestures.

Xie Yunjin is very focused. These are the two games he is most focused on. If he wins, he will have the opportunity to meet the people he plays chess with.As long as he enters the priest's courtyard, he can find out how to enter the barrier. He will try his best to become a flame and return to the barrier.

He still wanted to see his father and ask him why he was so cruel. He also wanted to see his eldest brother, the one who had everything.

The car is six and five, and the road is six and three.

The opponent's chess position was quite moderate and conservative. Xie Yunjin focused on responding and was a little unable to grasp the opponent's strategy.

There is no distinction between the two chess courses of Xiangqi and Go. However, in Go, more and more pieces are played, while in Xiangqi, fewer and fewer pieces are played. In Xiangqi, the pieces are divided into high and low, and in Go, each piece has an average price. In Xiangqi, synergy is emphasized, and in Go, the big game is won. There is a big difference between the two.

If Go is a competition on the general trend, chess is a battle on the battlefield, and the battle must be ruthless and take the lead.Xie Yunjin launched an attack, but the Go side could win steadily.

He pressed forward step by step, hoping to force the opponent into chaos. Just as he was fighting for the lead, the opponent suddenly launched an attack on Go, forcing him to distract himself from the fight.

He was okay. Although the opponent was quite strong, he thought this was not an invincible enemy.But before he could block his opponent's offensive in Go, the opponent had already launched a counterattack in chess.

Surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao?Xie Yunjin meditated, while consolidating his territory in the corner, while dealing with the opponent's tough offensive in chess. After a few rounds of exchanges, he found that he was at a disadvantage.He immediately launched a fierce attack on Go to seize the central hinterland, but the opponent held it extremely firmly.

Xie Yunjin couldn't help but fell into deep thought and suddenly discovered something.No matter how long he thinks, the time it takes for the opponent to go back for a message and come back is the same every time. In other words, his opponent spends the same time thinking every time - or in other words, the same short time.

Have your attacks ever embarrassed the other party?
He has never seen such a master of chess.

Xie Yunjin was very smart and a little proud, but his pride did not make him dizzy.Intelligence does not mean talent in chess. A chess champion must be extremely smart, but the smartest person may not be a chess champion.

In the way of chess, intelligence is just an introduction, talent is a tool, and study is serious. The only people that a person can defeat by relying on intelligence alone are ordinary people who have never really studied chess. If you meet a national player or a talented person who has studied for many years, you want to rely on it. Winning smartly is a pipe dream.

Could it be that his publicity attracted real chess players?Not too possible.Regardless of Go or Chess, one of them has been exhausted. This person plays chess on both sides. At least there is one thing that he is not specialized in. He still has the opportunity to win one and lose the other.

You have to find the weakest aspect of the opponent. Judging from the situation just now, the opponent lost a move in chess before fighting for a victory in Go. Maybe chess is his weakness.Xie Yunjin concentrates on competing in chess and attacks fiercely, while in Go he adopts a defensive stance, sometimes even giving in, avoiding disputes to buy time and strive to win in chess.

His attacks didn't work. After several rounds of fierce attacks, he still couldn't gain more than one advantage.At this time, chess has reached the end of the game, and it is the final fight. As long as one wrong move is made, the game will be lost. In Go, there is no retreat, and a head-on confrontation is inevitable.

No, you have to divert the opponent's attention, Xie Yunjin thought, you have to make the opponent spend more energy on Go, so that you can have no time to be distracted on chess.

He should not respond to his opponent's attacks, ignite fire in other corners, launch simultaneous attacks in three places on the board to disrupt his opponent, and then focus on dealing with the last few moves of chess.

At least win a game first, wait for the opponent to be confused, and then return to Go to win. There is still a lot to be done.

However, in the last few rounds of attacking Xie Yunjin, even though he tried his best and believed that he had made no mistakes, he had already seen the results.

"My master said it was a draw." The strong man asked, "What do you think?"

Xie Yunjin could only nod.The most irritating thing was that the strong man did not slow down in and out because of the final fight. He felt that the opponent had not tried his best.

Since the chess game has been drawn, the game of Go cannot be lost.It's only the middle game, and there's still a lot to be done. Xie Yunjin is consolidating his territory while cleaning up the mess he left behind - he set fire to everything before, but now he has to take it back one by one.

This game of chess was played for a long time, and Xie Yunjin realized that he had exceeded the time of answering pieces several times, but the opponent did not care.He began to feel that he would lose this game.

You can't just admit defeat. Losing a piece of sheepskin is nothing, but you will never see this big man again, and a defeated chess player will no longer attract attention. The noble boy may not pay attention to him when he passes by.

Whether you can enter the Priesthood depends on this game of chess. If you can't win...

He suddenly saw an opportunity. An extremely rare "bone-free" chess shape appeared in the lower left corner.

"Did you remember correctly?" Xie Yunjin said, "Are you sure it's here?"

He determined that the strong man who sent the message was a layman who knew nothing about Go. Sometimes he even had to count the grids to determine which position to report.

The strong man couldn't help being stunned after hearing this: "I remember it right, I remember it very clearly."

"He should want you to be in this position." Xie Yunjin pointed to the position next to him, "Or was there a mistake in the chess path you just sent back? Or was there a mistake in the previous message? Or..."

Xie Yunjin pointed to the chessboard: "Look, if you play here, I will play here, and the piece here will be picked up by me. On the contrary, if you play next to it, you won't be able to pick up your piece." He shook his head, "Your master would never make such a mistake."

The strong man couldn't help but be stunned.

"Tearing off bones" is also known as "taking off boots upside down". You sacrifice a few of your own pieces first, and then place pieces on the open space to lift the opponent's pieces upside down. This chess shape is very rare, and people with low chess skills will not be able to handle it even if they see it. .This strong man doesn't know how to play chess. He only knows that it is definitely not good to have a piece taken away, let alone several pieces taken up at once.

The strong man wavered and said, "I'll go back and ask my master."

Xie Yunjin said: "The time has passed and your master will lose."

The strong man blushed: "What do you mean?"

Xie Yunjin said: "This is a rule, otherwise I am about to lose. I just hang on and delay every move for an hour or two. Isn't this a shameless move?"

The strong man said: "I must have remembered correctly."

Xie Yunjin spread his hands: "Then go ahead and remember that you will have no regrets if you make a move, and you are not allowed to go back on your word."

The strong man said: "I know!" He held the chess piece and was about to put it down.Xie Yunjin held the chess piece in his hand and smiled, as if waiting for him to make a mistake.

The strong man hesitated again. Seeing his hesitation, Xie Yunjin took advantage of the victory and pursued the victory: "If you didn't remember this step wrong, you remembered it wrong before. According to what I said, if I lie to you, your master will definitely find out that I am cheating. Can he still blame you? But if you do it, I can't control that much. The other game of chess has already ended, and your master knows that you made a mistake in remembering and caused him to lose. I don't know if he will punish you. "

The strong man thought for a moment and said, "Don't lie to me." He followed Xie Yunjin's instructions and stood beside him.

In the chess game, if one mistake was made, the whole game would be lost. Since this person made a mistake, Xie Yunjin had already secured victory.

Xie Yunjin held back his laughter and said, "Report the news to your master."

The strong man died.

Since you can't win, just cheat. That person will definitely be angry when he knows that he has deceived the strong man. Let the strong man make the argument. If you start the conversation again and think of ways to induce the other party to come forward to testify, you will have a chance to meet.After all, playing chess and showing off were just ways for him to get into the Priesthood. All he had to do was meet him and find a way to convince him.

Sure enough, the strong man went back for a long time before coming back.

"The master said you are very smart," said the strong man. "He said this game of chess is a draw, and you can still say that you have never lost in the future."

Xie Yunjin was stunned: "A draw? I have a huge advantage in this game. How can you let your master just make peace?" His words were a rogue thing, but that was all he could do, "Why don't you let me see you? Master, let’s see why he made peace.”

The strong man said: "The master has left. He said peace means peace. I also gave you the chess money. I will send you back."

Xie Yunjin was stunned. The other party knew that he was cheating but didn't pursue it?This made him even more curious about this mysterious powerful man.

But obviously the line was still broken. He was a little annoyed, but there was nothing he could do.

"Please come this way." The strong man motioned for him to leave.

When he left the empty house, he realized that it was almost dusk, and the game of chess had been played for most of the day.He ate nothing and felt hungry. He was sent back to the place where the stall was originally set up and went home lonely.

The next day, the good guy came to ask about the outcome. He only said that he didn't lose, but he was a little less interested.A few days later, a middle-aged man showed up. He was a real chess player. He had been immersed in chess for decades. I heard he was a descendant of a wealthy businessman family. Without any wealth, he really couldn't focus on playing chess. After all, he couldn't make a living.He won a sheepskin in chess and was very fond of Xie Yunjin's chess ability at a young age. He wanted to train him to become a chess player and promised to give him a monthly salary and silver.

Xie Yunjin declined.He has not yet lost in the grand chess game, but chess is much more important than the grand chess game. After all, the noble boy is playing chess.

The day of Daqi's defeat may be approaching. As his fame grows, real masters will come to defeat him.He put away his chess equipment, his mood waning.It rained the next day, so he simply didn't go out to set up a stall for several days, almost giving up.

Until that day, Master Jin said that he would leave early and return late tomorrow.

"Prince Hu Gen is celebrating his birthday, and many people will come."

Xie Yunjin rekindled hope.

There are still ten days left before the summer solstice, and the examination of the Priesthood is about to begin.He returned to the alley to set up his stall, which was the road leading to Prince Hugen's palace. Luxurious carriages passed by the alley. Guards drove away the pedestrians and cleared the road. His chess stall was close to the wall and out of the way.He waited to see if a carriage would stop for him.

Passing one carriage after another, one with a red top, one with a green top, one with a blue top... Finally a carriage stopped in front of him, a huge golden carriage decorated with white balls. It was Arien - Nabu Batu. The carriage of the royal ruler.

The car door opened, and before the steps could be put up, a young man jumped out of the car, pointed at Xie Yunjin's stall and shouted, "This is it!"

The steps were put up, and a brown-haired boy stepped off the carriage.He half-covered his mouth and nose with a delicate handkerchief, straightened his back and showed an elegant posture, and asked: "Are you the one who has never lost in chess?"

Xie Yunjin recognized him as the boy who bought jade chess, shook his head and said, "I have lost before, but not just anyone can beat me." He puffed up his chest, "Do you want to play a game with me?"

The young man said: "Gao Leqi, play a game with him."

"Yes, Prince Tucker." The young man named Gao Leqi looked at Xie Yunjin and replied.

(End of this chapter)