Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 280: The Unclean Eunuch

Chapter 280: Chapter 280: The Unclean Eunuch

Murong Jiu was somewhat tempted.

The Second Prince had gathered many talents under him, some were found by himself, and some were scouted and sent by the Yun Family.

Although the Second Prince was not as spirited as he used to be in his previous life, he was instead hindered at every turn, like losing the left and right arms he had before—one was a martial arts-skilled guard whom the Second Prince personally executed under suspicion, the other were the money-earning Manager Chai and Lou Zixi.

At that time, Lou Zixi was truly near demonic in his cleverness, scheming numerous benefits for the Second Prince.

Now that Manager Chai and Lou Zixi had been taken under Murong Jiu’s command, the Second Prince lost sufficient funds to bribe officials, recruit troops, train private soldiers, and also missed many opportunities to win people’s hearts.

But the Second Prince still had many useful people under him, at least, everything happening in the Capital City, especially the affairs of the major families, were clearly investigated and delivered to the Second Prince.

Murong Jiu believed the Second Prince would not miss such a good opportunity, one that could closely connect him with the veterans of three dynasties.

Because she had forgotten about this matter and had not prepared in advance, it was definitely too late to scout a chess prodigy to replace the Yun Family boy at this time.

In her previous life, she heard the Second Prince praise that Yun Family boy, who was extraordinarily talented and dearly loved by the Old Duke, even more than his great-grandchildren.

And Xiao Qin was indeed excellent; Jun Yuyan belonged to the ranks of those superb in chess skills. To speak highly of Xiao Qin, perhaps her talent was no less than that of the Yun Family boy.

"Still, better ask Xiao Qin and her family first, her parents might not agree," she said.

To her surprise, Chang Chonghai and Lady Jing immediately nodded in agreement when they heard it.

The couple had been wanting to repay the Princess Consort, and with the Old Duke being a veteran of three dynasties, having Xiao Qin gain his affection would also benefit Prince Ling’s Mansion.

Of course, if the Old Duke didn’t take a liking to Xiao Qin, then there was nothing they could do.

Chang Chonghai even joked, "Xiao Qin hasn’t really learned chess, neither Lady Jing nor I know how to play; she just learned a bit from some elders at the village entrance previously. I think Xiao Wen taught her Go."

This turn took Murong Jiu by surprise. She exchanged a glance with Jun Yuyan and said unexpectedly, "I thought Xiao Qin had already been studying for a year or two, it turns out she’s just a beginner? Then her talent is truly terrifying."

Xiao Qin shyly pursed her lips.

Jun Yuyan also said, "Studying with the Old Duke won’t be wasting such incredible talent."

He asked Xiao Qin, "Do you want to go and learn?"

Xiao Qin nodded, and said softly, "Replying to the Prince, Xiao Qin is willing."

She enjoyed playing chess, playing in the afternoon with the Princess Consort, who taught her a lot. She liked the feeling when playing chess.

Thus, the matter was swiftly decided.

The next day, Jun Yuyan personally took Xiao Wen to the Duke’s Mansion.

Murong Jiu waited at home, confident in Xiao Qin but still unavoidably worried.

After all, Xiao Qin was a girl, and some old pedants, who even refuse to teach girls how to read and write, could be very rigid.

Jun Yuyan returned very quickly, it was just a little over one Shichen Chinese hour.

The distance between the Duke’s Mansion and Prince Ling’s Mansion was not far, just a few streets away, and would take about two fifths of an hour by foot, and less than one fifth of an hour by carriage.

"How did it go, did the Old Duke take in Xiao Qin?" she asked.

She looked behind Jun Yuyan, but didn’t see Xiao Qin.

Jun Yuyan laughed, warmed his palms by rubbing them together, and then led her to sit down, "Accepted, all accepted."

Murong Jiu’s face showed delight, "That’s wonderful! Please tell me about it!"

"When I arrived, several boys were being led in. By chance, these boys were found by the steward, said to have high innate talent in chess, for the Old Duke to see if any caught his eye. I had the Old Duke test them first. Among them, a six-year-old boy surnamed Yun had the most outstanding talent. The Old Duke was so pleased upon seeing him that he nearly decided to take him as a disciple right there."

Under Murong Jiu’s expectant gaze, Jun Yuyan continued:

"I interrupted the Old Duke, and that was when I revealed my intention for him to give some pointers to Xiao Qin. Both the Old Duke and the old steward didn’t take it seriously, and the boy surnamed Yun even sneered, saying girls should not bother learning chess. Although the Old Duke didn’t say anything, he seemed to agree implicitly, showing considerable favoritism towards the boy."

He paused deliberately in his tone, Murong Jiu chided, "You’re so mischievous, purposely keeping me in suspense!"

Jun Yuyan’s smile deepened as the two of them squeezed into the same chair, he played with her boneless delicate hands, and continued:

"The Old Duke liked the boy merely because he valued talent, not that he had any particular bias against girls; he merely felt women’s skill in chess generally couldn’t reach great heights. He had the boy play against Xiao Qin. The boy was very proud and obviously talented; he started aggressively, wanting to demonstrate his strength. However, Xiao Qin was more gifted, more flexible-minded, and even set traps, probably from what you taught her yesterday. By the time the boy realized, it was too late; he was utterly defeated. You should have seen how bright the Old Duke’s eyes shone at that moment."

Murong Jiu hadn’t seen it, but she could imagine it.

The Old Duke cherished talent and loved chess as if it were his life; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so keen on taking disciples at such an old age and wanting to pass on what he had learned all his life.

That old steward had been bribed by the Second Prince’s people to bring in people scouted by the Second Prince, his face must have looked very ugly at that moment.

But the ugliest face belonged to that arrogant boy from the Yun Family.

Just as Murong Jiu expected, regarded as a genius by everyone, he had a high opinion of himself and hadn’t expected to be beaten by a younger girl. His mentality collapsed on the spot; being young, he lacked self-control. Seeing the Old Duke treat Xiao Qin with kindness and inquiry, jealousy and rage drove him mad, and he ended up overturning the chessboard, scattering pieces all over the floor.

The Old Duke originally intended to take both as disciples, but seeing such reckless behavior, he let the old steward expel him sternly.

So in the end, the Old Duke only took Xiao Qin as a disciple.

The Old Duke even wanted Xiao Qin to stay at the Duke’s Mansion right away, but Jun Yuyan tactfully declined, taking Xiao Qin back to the Prince Mansion, indicating that her parents would bring gifts the next day to perform the ceremony of honoring him as her master.

The Old Duke reluctantly saw them off personally.

After Jun Yuyan returned, he let Chang Chonghai go back to discuss with his family what gifts to bring for the master ceremony for the Old Duke.

The gifts need not be expensive; the Old Duke lacked nothing—what mattered was the sentiment.

Murong Jiu heaved a long sigh of relief.

Good, another path was cut off for the Second Prince.

"By the way, from tomorrow when Xiao Qin goes to the Duke’s Mansion daily, let Chang Chonghai personally take her, I’m afraid someone might harm her."

Being close, the back and forth wouldn’t take much effort, and naturally, there were people in the Duke’s Mansion to protect the Old Duke.

Jun Yuyan naturally agreed.

"There’s another matter I need to discuss with you. Yesterday, a group of new eunuchs entered the palace, one of whom wasn’t properly castrated, was severely tortured under interrogation, and he indeed confessed something today."

Murong Jiu’s breath hitched, "Could he be a chess piece intending to plot against the Princess Consort?"

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