Chapter 453 Thrown into Disarray by Abandoning a Chess Piece

Once Lin Mengya set down the chess piece, she breathed out deeply.

The chess game could turn around any moment, just like what she was experiencing at this moment. There were dangers at every corner and she had to put in her all every step of the way.

“You’re spinning a cocoon around yourself, making things difficult for yourself.”

Zuo Qiuyu did not really get what Lin Mengya was trying to do. Her style was decisive and it caught him unprepared.

Why then did she back away after she almost struck?

Although Zuo Qiuyu did not understand her thoughts, he thought he had found an opportunity to use his white chess piece to regain lost ground.

Zuo Qiuyu seemed rather content now, for the black chess pieces seemed to have taken half the territory. It appeared that the game had turned around in his favor.

Lin Mengya, on the other hand, appeared to have lost her direction. Zuo Qiuyu thought that her subsequent moves were wasting her chances.

When it looked to Zuo Qiuyu as if she was going to lose one of her chess pieces, Lin Mengya quickly set down a chess piece decisively and the game turned around once again.

The player holding the black chess pieces seemed to have been raised from the dead. After a few rounds, the white side, which seemed to be winning, looked to be losing.

Zuo Qiuyu could not be more shocked. By this time, it seemed that there was no way for him to salvage his situation.

When he looked up at Lin Mengya’s eyes, which were sparkling, he still hardly had time to make sense of how he was defeated.

“I see that you’ve given up small benefits, strengthened your base, and lured the enemy into the trap, thereby destroying them completely. My dear cousin, nothing escaped you. You’ve thought about every detail. In this case, I felt much assured.”

Lin Mengya looked up from the chessboard and was surprised to see Zuo Qiuchen, who had left but was heading back again.

However, in contrast with the way he left in a rage, Zuo Qiuchen was wearing a smile on his face this time. He was crossing his arms in front of his chest and there was a look of admiration in his eyes.

“When did you arrive? Did no one see you?”

Lin Mengya glanced at the spot behind him out of habit. They were all very cautious. Seeing that he walked in openly, she concluded that nobody must have seen him.

Zuo Qiuchen did not reply but simply smiled.

Nevertheless, he had kept his eyes on the chessboard all this time.

Lin Mengya had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had not noticed how much time had passed.

Long Tianyu and Zuo Qiuchen had waited for the two of them for four hours.

“My emperor brother, why didn’t you help me out when you’ve been watching?” Zuo Qiuyu protested.

He had always been a rather good chess player among his peers since young.

Little did he expect this novice to rob all the glory from him. How could he not feel frustrated?

“You didn’t really completely mess up in this chess game. Mengya was definitely not as skillful in chess as you. However, you’ve been fickle-minded since the beginning of the game, and you lost the opportunity to strategize early. This was why she grabbed that chance to defeat you. If you had remained steady right from the beginning, there was no way she could defeat you. Am I right?”

In terms of the skill in playing chess, Zuo Qiuchen was definitely an expert.

Zuo Qiuyu, whose weakness had been pointed out by the expert, could only swallow his pride even if he did not want to resign to his fate of being the loser.

After all, he had started off being careless.

“Cousin Chen’s eyes are wickedly sharp. To be honest, I learned a lesson through this game of chess. I must have advanced rashly in the beginning. I hope I’ve not ruined Cousin Chen’s plan.”

Lin Mengya smiled. With Baishao’s help, she moved her legs to loosen them.

Little did she expect herself to be so serious in this game of chess. She finally understood the reason why the enemies in television dramas would almost always start their confrontation with a game of chess.

The movements of the black and white chess pieces would be the initial battle. Victory and defeat could more or less be decided based on the game of chess.

Zuo Qiuchen was slightly taken aback, but soon any sign of shock disappeared.

The lass was indeed very smart. The speed at which she grasped concepts was faster than what he imagined.

It appeared that in order to salvage the game, they needed Lin Mengya, this certain chess piece.

“There’s no harm. Anyway, they are small fry and would not shake the foundation. By the way, the more important is whether you’re all set for the day after tomorrow when you will set out?”

It was as if he had given them a riddle, but only Zuo Qiuyu and Baishao did not understand his point.

One of them had been restricted by his IQ, while the other, had always stuck with the principle of not probing as long as her master did not mention it to her.

When Zuo Qiuyu saw that his brother, the emperor, and his cousin, Lin Mengya and her husband seemed to understand each other without conversing, he rolled his eyes and went away. He wanted to start preparing the things he needed for the journey.

As Zuo Qiuchen watched Zuo Qiuyu left, there was a worried look in his eyes.

Lin Mengya had caught the expression in his eyes.

The two men were after all blood brothers. Zuo Qiuchen might have been blunt with the words he spoke to Zuo Qiuyu, but there was no denying that his brother meant a lot to him.

“Actually, he is more suited for a place like the Pavilion of Herbs.”

Lin Mengya spoke her mind after pondering for a moment.

In fact, from how Zuo Qiuchen appointed Zuo Qiuyu to escort them to the old capital and how he wanted Lin Mengya to help out during the medical conference in the Pavilion of Herbs, she could more or less guess his intention.

Emperors were almost always suspicious, which was why they would kick somebody out after his services were no longer required.

This was especially true in the Pavilion of Herbs, where it held sovereignty over the citizens of the Nation of Lintian.

The person in charge of the Pavilion of Herbs should be Zuo Qiuchen’s confidante, or someone who would not be a threat to his status and would not collude with a foreigner to usurp his power.

Otherwise, as the new emperor of the Nation of Lintian, he would have suffered insomnia and impairment in his taste bud because of anxiety.

Even a trusted subject personally nurtured could become ambitious once he had been holding powers for a long time.

People not of the same blood would not be united in their hearts. This was not a prejudiced thought.

This was especially true under the present circumstance when power was supreme.

As the emperor of the Nation of Lintian, the only candidates he would use would be the woman, Lin Mengya, and his blood brother, Zuo Qiuyu.

Obviously, Lin Mengya would be eliminated. Zuo Qiuyu, his always loyal brother, would be the best candidate.

More importantly, Zuo Qiuyu was a simple man whose only passion was to be immersed in the study of medicine.

Yet at the same time, having grown up within the royal family, he obviously had an upper hand over the physicians in the Pavilion of Herbs in terms of his experience in devising schemes against others as well as dealing with the ploys of others.

If Lin Mengya was in Zuo Qiuchen’s shoes, she would have chosen likewise.

This way, he would be able to secure his power over the nation within a short period of time.

As for the next step he should take, it would no doubt be to weaken the authority and reputation of the Pavilion of Herbs. Thereafter, he would be able to win over the hearts of all the people.

Zuo Qiuchen had always been ambitious. What he lacked at this moment was the time for him to grow.

On this point, Lin Mengya and Long Tianyu had arrived at a consensus.

It would be much more beneficial to them to befriend someone who was especially ambitious than to make one more enemy.

Otherwise, why would Long Tianyu readily agree to let Lin Mengya take this risk?

“Of course I know. Compared to being an idle prince, it would be best for Yu to go to the Pavilion of Herbs. Nevertheless, I’m sure those people would not let us have our way so easily. I’m most concerned about Yu’s safety and yours.”

Zuo Qiuchen was speaking the truth.

No one would be happy if he were to have a foreigner who appeared suddenly to snatch away what he was about to lay hold of.

However, with Zuo Qiuyu’s special status, Lin Mengya and Long Tianyu, who was a powerful help, they stood a big chance in winning.

“You don’t need to worry about this. While there are many things that could take away a man’s life, there are also many things that could save a man’s life. There are definitely many ambitious people in the Pavilion of Herbs, but most of them don’t have strong backing. There shouldn’t be a problem as long as you provide us with sufficient protection.”

Lin Mengya said, smiling. For some unknown reason, she had mustered her self-confidence over the last few days when she should have been anxious about visiting the Pavilion of Herbs.

Perhaps it was because the Shen Nung System in her had been updated to the 2.0 edition and so its effect had increased exponentially.

This certainly was like a cheating device that preserved her life and was a secret that should never be made known to anyone.

“Oh yes, did Sumei tell you that I’m not my mom’s own flesh and blood?”

Lin Mengya asked in a casual tone. Sumei was a joke to them anyways.

Zuo Qiuchen composed himself and said in an indifferent tone, “Yes, her master taught her well. Unfortunately, she is rather a dimwit who couldn’t even express herself properly. I suppose they will try to produce some evidence to prove that my aunt is not your real mother. Nevertheless, this dimwitted girl is getting very impatient. Not only did she said that you’re not a princess of Lintian, she even tried to pass off as you.”

Lin Mengya dazed for a moment, and then shook her head in disbelief.

She even gave Long Tianyu, who remained silent by her side, a cheeky look.

“Oh my, she is acting so rashly without considering the consequences, all for the sake of the handsome Mr. Long. Prince Yu, you’re indeed very charming.”

Long Tianyu instinctively gave Lin Mengya a look of warning at her strange way of addressing him.

However, the number of times he managed to scare Lin Mengya had seemingly decreased.

Alas, did they not agree that Long Tianyu should be submissive towards her? Now it seemed that it was an empty promise.

Long Tianyu coughed softly and pretended not to see. He turned away to look out of the window and ignored what Lin Mengya’s teasing.

“She’s being very stupid. I believe her master’s intention was for her to make use of some clues which seem like proves to plant doubts in you. In this way, you just have to hesitate a moment when I meet with any danger, I would die. Unfortunately, a chess piece had messed up a good game.”

Lin Mengya said regretfully. A chess game would be delightful if one met his match.

If there was a great disparity between the skills of the opponents, it would only result in one party prevailing over the other.

Apparently, Lin Mengya would only derive fun from challenging a difficult opponent.