Chapter 349: Chapter 218: Zheng Rang’s Request
In the Lanyuan Pavilion, after having lunch with the Fourth Prince, Zhao Yao went to see Prime Minister He and the others.
Zheng Rang, seeing Zhao Yao arrive, hurriedly prepared milk tea and the snacks he made himself, which Zhao Yao referred to as little cookies.
The method for making the little cookies was, of course, taught by Zhao Yao to Zheng Rang. The three ladies of Kunde Hall and the Fifth Princess were all able to make them, and they were extremely delicious.
Zheng Rang had recently taken a liking to making various peculiar little snacks devised by Zhao Yao. These snacks were unheard of and unseen, yet they turned out to be very tasty. Most importantly, they were not difficult to make.
The milk tea was also taught to him by Zhao Yao and was unlike any milk tea he had previously tasted. The Great Zhou, no, even since the previous dynasty, had milk tea, which was introduced from the Western Regions. However, the taste was rather strange, and it didn’t suit the Central Plains people. Meanwhile, the milk tea made by Zhao Yao was very delicious. Zheng Rang and his two brothers loved drinking it. Every morning, Zheng Rang would make a pot of milk tea for the three brothers to carry with them.
Seeing Prince Ten arrive, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu invited him to play chess.
Since discovering Zhao Yao’s proficiency in chess, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu enjoyed challenging him.
After Zhao Yao met He Lianfang, he often played chess with him. He already knew how to play chess, as there were tutors in the palace teaching the princes, though his skills were average. Later, after playing chess with He Lianfang, his skills improved greatly, and influenced by He Lianfang, Zhao Yao’s chess style became very similar to his.
He Lianfang’s chess style was like his character, deep and dangerous, making it hard to fathom. Moreover, he excelled in military strategy, and would inadvertently apply those strategies while playing chess. And after Zhao Yao met He Lianfang, he continuously learned military strategy from him, and would unconsciously use the strategies he learned from He Lianfang in chess.
Both Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu were chess masters, but defeating Zhao Yao with ease was not simple.
While playing chess with Zhao Yao, they often felt as if they were up against that madman He Lianfang.
Zheng Rang naturally knew how to play chess, and the first time he saw Zhao Yao playing chess with Prime Minister He and the others, he was startled by Zhao Yao’s skills.
In his view, Prince Ten was obviously a simple, lively, and cheerful child; yet his chess style was completely opposite, cold, deep, dangerous, and even somewhat sinister.
The style of chess reflects one’s character, but Zheng Rang did not think Zhao Yao was an unfathomable and treacherous person because Prince Ten’s eyes were very clear and pure.
Zheng Rang felt that the reason Zhao Yao had such a chess style was likely due to the influence of a very dangerous person.
He had asked Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu, who taught Prince Ten to play chess. They said it was a madman. Who this madman was, Prime Minister He and the others did not say.
"Uncle, we can’t let Prince Ten continue learning chess from that madman teacher of his." A few days ago, on his way home from work, Zheng Rang hesitated repeatedly and finally decided to talk to Prime Minister He about Prince Ten playing chess. "The teacher teaching Prince Ten chess is too dangerous. If Prince Ten continues to learn from him, he will become like his teacher."
Zheng Rang had played a game of chess with Zhao Yao before, and it left him cold all over. In the game, Prince Ten repeatedly set sinister and treacherous traps, and if he wasn’t careful, he would fall into them and suffer a miserable defeat.
Prime Minister He asked gently, "Didn’t you realize?"
Zheng Rang didn’t understand what Prime Minister He meant and asked, "Realize what?"
"Prince Ten wasn’t playing chess with you; he was waging war against you." Prime Minister He smiled kindly, "All’s fair in war."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Rang finally understood why playing chess with Prince Ten felt so strange—it was actually a battle.
"So that’s how it is."
"Prince Ten has always been using military strategy to battle against us in chess, hence his treacherous chess style," Prime Minister He said with a smile.
"No wonder." Zheng Rang finally understood why playing chess with Prince Ten gave him a sense of danger. "Then Prince Ten is very skilled in military strategy." Zheng Rang had read military books and knew a bit about strategy, but it was all theoretical.
"Prince Ten’s teacher is a divine military genius, so naturally, his disciple is not lacking." Although Prime Minister He disliked He Lianfang, he couldn’t help but admit that in terms of military strategy, He Lianfang was unmatched, a divine figure. Prince Ten hadn’t been learning military strategy from He Lianfang for long, yet his strategic prowess had already surpassed many generals.
Prince Ten himself is also intelligent. Continuing to study military strategy with He Lianfang, one day, he will become like He Lianfang.