Chapter 69

Qin Jiyi is the eldest grandson of the emperor. The younger grandsons have already married, and Qin Yunchu almost even had a child. Compared to his cousins, Qin Jiyi is really lagging behind...

The emperor has mentioned Qin Jiyi's marriage several times, and the women selected for him as his main wife all come from distinguished families. Marrying any of them would bring great benefits, but Qin Jiyi has rejected them all...

No matter how much the emperor favors him, he will still be dissatisfied if Qin Jiyi repeatedly disobeys him. The case of the Six-Fan Gate was a lesson from the emperor to Qin Jiyi, to make him understand that a single tree cannot make a forest, and to achieve something in the court, he must compromise.

Unfortunately, Qin Jiyi is a proud and stubborn person at heart. He refuses to compromise, and without support in the court, he acts on his own...

After the verdict on Gu Chengyi's case, the entire Gu family was waiting for the King of Qin to take action, but the King of Qin showed no signs of doing so. Uncle Three and Third Madam were almost driven mad with worry, and the old master also looked worried.

Ever since Gu Qiancheng lost his temper at the wedding, the Gu family's reputation has plummeted, and the empress and the Fifth Prince have also been affected. If Gu Chengyi's murder case can be overturned, the Gu family's reputation might be somewhat salvaged.

After waiting for three days with no results, the old master could no longer hold back. He called Gu Qiancheng to his courtyard, ostensibly to play chess with him.

Whether Gu Qiancheng knows how to play chess or not is not important; the old master never thought about it. He just wanted to have a chat with the young lady.

At this moment, Gu Qiancheng's excellent psychological素质 was evident. Summoned by the old master, she was not anxious, even though she knew what it was about. She leisurely brought a chessboard over.

"Grandfather, I know you love playing chess, so I specially brought out this chessboard. It was part of my mother's dowry. Aunt Sun said it is made of white marble and is an old item from the previous dynasty. I don't appreciate such things, so I brought it for you to appraise." Gu Qiancheng ignored the old master's dark face and placed the chessboard and pieces down.

"Grandfather, do you want to play black or do I play black?" The player with the black pieces goes first, giving them an advantage. Gu Qiancheng dared to ask this, naturally indicating her exceptional chess skills.

Born into a red third generation, she could not read books, but to please the old man at home, she needed some skills. In the modern era, Gu Qiancheng did a job that her family disapproved of, yet she still received the family's protection, which was not without reason.

In a large family, fairness is never the norm. It's not that you have a position in the family and thus have status. If you can catch the eye of the head of the family, even if you have no skills, they will pave a smooth path for you, making you the focus of attention.

In her previous life, Gu Qiancheng refused the family's arrangements, not engaging in business, politics, or the military, and worked as a forensic doctor, which brought no benefits to the family. Yet, her status in the family was not low, all because of the old master's favor.

As for now?

Gu Qiancheng has thought about pleasing the old master, but she is very clear that the old master is completely different from her grandfather.

Her grandfather was content with the current situation, not seeking further advancement for the family, only hoping that the descendants would be ambitious and truly loved the children in the family. The old master, on the surface, has stepped down, but deep down, he still yearns for power. To him, the descendants are either useful or not.

Perhaps the old master genuinely likes a certain grandson or granddaughter, but Gu Qiancheng knows that this child will not be her. Because she cannot be as obedient as he wants, and she cannot make sacrifices for the Gu family.

Gu Qiancheng set up the chessboard and waited for the old master to speak. The old master was stunned for a moment before realizing that Gu Qiancheng was serious. He carefully examined her and realized that he had never truly understood this granddaughter.

When he thought she only had this much skill, she showed another side...

It must be said that the old master did have a bit of a liking for Gu Qiancheng.

No one dislikes a smart and capable child.

"You play black." The old master was still very gentlemanly, placing the white pieces in front of him and indicating for Gu Qiancheng to go first.

"Grandfather, I won't be polite then." Gu Qiancheng made the first move. After the old master made his move, Gu Qiancheng immediately followed, without any hesitation. The old master once thought that Gu Qiancheng did not know how to play chess, but...

When the black and white pieces were interwoven on the board, and Gu Qiancheng's moves were still sharp, the old master realized something was wrong.

This granddaughter is not that she doesn't know how to play, but that she is very good at it.

"Who did you learn from?" The old master became more and more shocked as the game progressed, focusing all his attention on the board and forgetting why he called Gu Qiancheng.

"From books." Having a good mother is great. Gu Qiancheng attributed all her knowledge to the books she burned.

"The books you burned?" Gu Qiancheng didn't mention the books, and the old master felt a pain in his heart.

"Yes." Gu Qiancheng made another move.

A little stimulation is good for the blood circulation, and it makes the elderly more spirited. See how filial she is.

"Wasteful!"

"Wasteful is better than being cold." Gu Qiancheng muttered softly. The old master grunted and continued to focus on the board. The old master's face turned sour.

How did his large group of pieces get blocked by Gu Qiancheng in just a moment?

"Wait, where did you just place your piece?" The old master asked Gu Qiancheng to take out the piece she just placed. Gu Qiancheng pointed to a position: "Here, I just placed it. The previous move was here, and you placed your piece here. Grandfather, if I were you, I wouldn't have made that move. I would have placed it here..."

Gu Qiancheng's finger moved around the board, her tone light and playful, like a spoiled little girl, without any ulterior motives.

The old master also played along, decisively taking back his move: "Qiancheng is right, I'll place it here."

"No, Grandfather, you can't take back your move. That's unfair." Gu Qiancheng quickly stopped him, like a child being bullied. The old master also tried to take back his move, insisting: "I'm old, why can't I take back my move?"

The old master smiled kindly, like a benevolent elder, but his eyes sparkled with cunning.

As the ancients said, those who are good at chess are good at strategy. He didn't believe this granddaughter had no ulterior motives.

Gu Qiancheng pretended not to notice, reluctantly nodding: "Fine, just this once, no more."

"Okay, okay, just this once." The old master nodded and urged Gu Qiancheng to hurry up. But when similar situations arose later, the old master still took back his moves, and Gu Qiancheng still tried to stop him. After the old master threatened her with his authority, she reluctantly nodded, adding that it was the last, last time.

The two of them didn't mind the hassle, and each time the old master took back his move, they had a little argument, which made the servants in the old master's courtyard peek in, wondering what this young lady had that could make the old master so happy.

The old master is not easy to please. In the past, Miss Qianxue and Master Chengzhi were often scared to tears, and even the Duke and his wife were often scolded by the old master until they couldn't lift their heads...

Message to the readers:

There is one more chapter that will be a bit late. Don't wait. It's the weekend... I had a small gathering with friends and came back a bit late, so I can only write it in the evening.