Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 14 Playing Chess
  Fang Baozhu was quite familiar with her, calling her "sister" and "meister" as if they were her old friends.

"Zhuzhu, can you tell me what you saw on your way back to Beijing?" Zhao Yuyan asked expectantly.

The girls have never traveled far and are very curious about the outside world.

Fang Baozhu fulfilled everyone's wish, "I went to Xiaoyaoguan, the place where Huangdi asked Yu Guangcheng and became an immortal. The scenery there is wonderful and the rocks are rugged."

"While passing through a small town, I met a monkey charmer. Those monkeys were very understanding of human nature."

“Eat authentic Yellow River carp, its meat is tender and tender”

I don’t know how Mrs. Zhao and Fang Wu discussed it and how they persuaded Mrs. Zhao. Anyway, Fang Baozhu and Fang Baoxiu stayed.

They also lived in the girls' courtyard and studied with the girls.

The rest of the Fang family did not live in the Zhao family. The Fang family had a house in Beijing. After Mrs. Zhao knew that her cousin was going back to Beijing, she sent someone to clean it up.

Mrs. Zhao did not treat her two nieces favorably, and arranged all the people to serve them.

In the afternoon, Zhao Wangshu took a nap, and while Lan Fen and others were waiting on him, he washed his face and dressed up. Lady Qiao came in with a box in her hands, and her expression was not very good.

"What happened?" Zhao Wangshu asked.

"The girl asked the servant to find someone to exchange the silver coins into copper coins. They have already been exchanged." Lady Qiao opened the box, "There are seven coins in total."

Five taels of silver can be exchanged for 7,500 copper plates, and one drop of money is worth one thousand copper plates.

Zhao Wangshu smacked his lips, "Ah, this is not plucking the goose's hair, this is beheading the goose."

"It's really greedy." Lady Qiao said angrily.

"Don't be angry. We'll change it next time. Let's find a way on our own." Zhao Wangshu would not be obedient and be trapped in this house.

After a few days of getting along with the girls from the Fang family, there was a difference between closeness and distance. Fang Baozhu got close to Zhao Yuyan, Zhao Yufang, and Zhao Shuangzhi, and Fang Baoxiu got on well with Zhao Shuhui and Zhao Yuxiu.

The twelve people were vaguely divided into factions.

Girls must learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

The person who taught them how to play chess was an old man in his fifties named Zheng. He had gray hair, a long beard, and wore a loose Taoist robe. He looked like a fairy.

"There are so many elegant things in the world, such as playing the piano in the leisure wind, playing chess among the pines, reading books by the window, drinking wine under the clear moon, burning incense with sandalwood, and sipping tea under the clouds. Today, I want to teach you how to play chess."

The girls sat in pairs, and the person playing chess with Zhao Wangshu was Zhao Yufang.

"The quality of chess is like the character of a person. The quality of chess is the appearance, and the character is the inside." Mr. Zheng picked up the chessboard and said, "The chessboard is square, the chess pieces are round, and the pieces cover the board, which means the sky is round and the place is round."

"When you are new to learning chess, you should memorize the ten tactics: 1. Don't be greedy for victory. 2. Enter slowly. 3. Attack the enemy and look after me. 4. Give up the pieces and strive for the lead. 10. Win the battle alone."

Mr. Zheng explained the ten tactics in detail and explained the rules, "You can play chess now."

Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Yufang guessed that the piece won, and Zhihei went first. She took one piece, clicked it, and put it on Tianyuan.

Zhao Yufang raised her head and glanced at her, taking the white piece and placing it in the corner.

Zhao Wangshu is not a beginner. She has been learning chess with Zhao Cui for three years. She has a fierce chess style, fast and accurate moves, and is offensive.

Of course, this doesn't mean that she can't defend, she just uses offense instead of defense.

Zhao Yufang didn't even understand the rules, so she was naturally no match for Zhao Wangshu and lost immediately.

But she didn't know that it was Zhao Wangshu who told her, "No need to stop, you have already lost."

Zhao Yufang was confused, "I lost? But the chessboard is still empty."

"Playing chess is not about filling up the chessboard." Mr. Zheng came over and said.

He looked at Zhao Wangshu and said, "You are good at chess. Have you learned it before?" Zhao Wangshu stood up and respectfully replied, "I have learned it with my grandmother for three years."

"No wonder." Mr. Zheng smiled slightly, "Would you like to play a game of chess with me?"

"Please give me some advice, sir." Zhao Wangshu said with a smile.

Zhao Yufang stood up and gave way, and Mr. Zheng sat down. The two guessed the pieces, and Zhao Wangshu won again, taking the black piece first.

This time she no longer has to be humble and make a move on Tianyuan.

Mr. Zheng is not Zhao Yufang. His layout is meticulous and steady, and he weaves a large net to cover Zhao Wangshu's chess pieces that rush out like tigers.

Even though Zhao Wangshu's appearance was extraordinary, three years of chess skills could not compare to a master who had been immersed in the chessboard for decades.

Zhao Wangshu lost, and it was a disastrous defeat, but Mr. Zheng smiled and said: "Given time, we will become something great."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhao." Zhao Wangshu said with a slight smile.

The girls studied hard under the guidance of the gentlemen. After half a month, the Zhao family received an invitation from Princess Pingyang's mansion. Mrs. Zhao and others were overjoyed.

When they found out that the invitation was from Yao Shan Zhixia and that only Zhao Wangshu was invited, they felt regretful.

Mrs. Zhao sighed: "It's a pity. Wangshu is only twelve years old, and there is a seven-year age difference between him and Mr. Yao. They don't match him."

"Yes, it would be great if it were Yuzhen." Mrs. Zhao second wife agreed.

Zhao Yuzhen will be fifteen years old after the New Year, and she can get married when she has hair extensions.

"Everyone has his or her own destiny. It's a good thing that Shu Yatou can fall in the eyes of the county chief." Mrs. Zhao said.

"Actually, we can let Wangshu take Yuzhen with us." Mrs. Zhao Er thought this was a good idea and clasped her hands together, "Sisters should support each other."

"Old lady, do you think you should tell Wangshu about this and ask her to take Yuzhen and the others with her?" Mrs. Zhao did not directly make the decision and asked Mrs. Zhao for her opinion.

Mrs. Zhao pondered for a moment and said: "Let Shu Yatou go to the banquet alone this time. Her relationship with the county master is still shallow, so it is not appropriate to have too many details. We will talk about it later."

"What the old lady said makes sense." Mrs. Zhao said immediately.

Mrs. Zhao frowned and glanced at her flattering sister-in-law.

Three days later, Zhao Wangshu was going to the princess's mansion as a guest, and she decided to bring Hong Chang, Lv Zhi, Bai Rong and Cheng Xiang with her.

Before going out, the snow that had been brewing all night fell from the sky.

Mrs. Zhao deliberately showed her kindness, "I remember that in the warehouse, there is a bright red and multicolored embroidered gold satin cloak, suitable for a little girl to wear. Magpie, go and take it out."

Zhao Wangshu lowered his head and said, "Thank you, old lady, but there is no need to go to such trouble. The cloak I am wearing is also newly made and can keep out the cold."

"What's the trouble? You girls are so beautifully dressed, I just like it when I see them." Old Mrs. Zhao said cheerfully.

After waiting for a while, the magpie came in holding a big box.

Zhao Wangshu curled her lips slightly, and she knew that Mrs. Zhao had already taken it out and prepared it.

"Girl Shu, put it on and let me see." Mrs. Zhao smiled lovingly.

The colorful embroidered gold patterns on the cloak are very delicate, and Mrs. Zhao is quite generous.

"Thank you, old lady." Zhao Wangshu accepted reluctantly. Her father and brother were still white, and she could not destroy their future willfully.

Zhao Wangshu's skin was better than snow, and when he put on the bright red cloak, he looked even more radiant, just like a red plum in the snow, dazzling.

Mrs. Zhao's eyes sparkled when she saw her. With such beauty, she should marry a royal relative and help the Zhao family rise.

(End of this chapter)