Chapter 9: The General Loves Chess

Linglong wiped away her tears and ran out to make tea for the two big shots, while Fang Yiai stood beside the table, acting like a model student.

"Xuanling, this is the table and stool you mentioned. It’s indeed quite good. Sitting on it is much more comfortable than kneeling on the couch. It seems you’re going to make a fortune this time. If I run out of money in the future, you’ll have to help me out, won’t you?" Du Ruhui sat on the stool, experiencing the unique feeling, and joked humorously.

"Hehe, Keming, we are not vulgar people. How can we be like merchants who talk about money every day?" Fang Xuanling said with a serious smile.

"Xuanling, you’re wrong. Everything in this world has its reason for existence. I don’t think talking about money is shameful. Look at those censors, they all pretend to be so high and mighty, but who knows how they make money behind the scenes?" Du Ruhui said without any reservations.

"Keming, please be careful. If the censors hear what you said, they will definitely report you to the emperor. Although we don’t need to fear them, they are very annoying," Fang Xuanling warned with a smile.

"Hehe, I only dare to say this here. There’s no one else around, and I believe Juner isn’t a big mouth, right?" Du Ruhui said with a smile, glancing at Fang Yiai. Fang Yiai, understanding the situation, smiled and said, "Uncle, I was distracted just now and didn’t hear anything. Is there any good news? Could you please repeat it?"

Du Ruhui tapped Fang Yiai’s arm and scolded with a smile, "Little rascal!"

Looking at the chess set on the table, Du Ruhui asked with a smile, "Juner, your father and I looked at this for a while. This chess seems to have evolved from the chess of the Warring States period. I think it’s quite good. Could you tell us the rules of this chess so that your father and I can play a few rounds?"

Fang Yiai, who dared not say no, quickly explained the rules of the chess.

The two big shots, being highly intelligent, were still getting familiar with the rules in the first game. However, from the second game onwards, they were locked in a fierce battle. After half an hour, the second game was still not over. Fang Yiai pulled on Linglong’s sleeve and said with amazement, "Linglong, compared to them, we are both terrible at chess!" Linglong smiled and nodded, agreeing that the two big shots were not just playing chess but were almost waging war.

The two played for a full hour before finishing one game, and in the end, Fang Xuanling had the upper hand. Du Ruhui bowed and said with a smile, "Xuanling, I admire you. In terms of strategy, I can never match you. You used a chariot to exchange for my elephant, and I thought I was getting the better deal. Now I realize you did it on purpose to disrupt my defense and find a weakness, providing conditions for your continuous attack. I lost this game without any regrets."

"Hehe, Keming, I also admire your decisiveness. You could decisively give up a cannon and bring the chariot back to defend. If the chariot had returned a step later, I would have won already," Fang Xuanling said, admiring Du Ruhui’s decisiveness, which was something he lacked. He believed that if he had faced the same situation, he would have hesitated, but Du Ruhui did not hesitate and decisively gave up the cannon.

"Xuanling, what do you think of this game?" Du Ruhui asked with deep meaning.

"Keming, this game contains countless variations and embodies the ideas of military strategists. If it is promoted well, it will have a significant impact," Fang Xuanling said, stroking his beard with a smile.

Du Ruhui nodded and asked Fang Yiai, who was standing beside him, "Juner, did you create this game?"

"Uncle, this game is something I came up with casually. I thought there was too little entertainment, and going to bed so early every day wasn’t good. So, I combined the Chu-Han conflict and the chess of the Warring States period to create this game. I believe it can fully showcase one’s thoughts, whether attacking or defending, advancing or retreating, seeking stability or surprising the opponent, all tactics can be displayed on the chessboard," Fang Yiai explained calmly.

When Fang Yiai finished speaking, Du Ruhui clapped happily and said to Fang Xuanling, "Xuanling, to have such a talented child, you should be very proud. Our Tang Dynasty has gained another hero. I believe the emperor will be very pleased to hear this."

Fang Yiai did not understand what Du Ruhui meant, thinking he was just flattering him. However, Fang Xuanling frowned, "Keming, Juner is only a little over 14 years old. Isn’t it too early for him to be involved in these things?"

"Xuanling, we are only responsible for recommending. The rest should be decided by the emperor. There’s a saying that recommending talent should not avoid relatives. As long as someone has talent, we should recommend them to the emperor. This is our duty. Moreover, the emperor is so wise that he will make the right arrangements," Du Ruhui laughed heartily.

Fang Xuanling knew Du Ruhui’s temperament. Since he had already made up his mind, there was no point in trying to stop him.

After Du Ruhui left, Fang Xuanling led Fang Yiai to his study. Sitting on the newly made chair, Fang Xuanling thought for a moment and asked seriously, "Juner, do you have any plans? I mean, what do you want to learn?"

"Father, I want to learn martial arts!" Fang Yiai answered very seriously. He had thought about this for a long time. The Tang Dynasty valued military achievements the most. As long as he could establish enough military achievements and build a network in the military, the Fang family could be preserved. Otherwise, a noble title alone could not protect the Fang family, as it was too prominent and envied by others.

"Juner, why do you want to learn martial arts? You should know that it will be very tiring. Why don’t you learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?" Fang Xuanling asked, frowning.

"Father, there are two reasons. First, the Fang family cannot be protected by a noble title alone. To protect the Fang family, we need sufficient strength. Only by establishing a foothold in the military and with the support of my elder brother in the court can the Fang family be safe. Otherwise, once you pass away, the Fang family will be destroyed. Second, I am not very interested in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and you know my character," Fang Yiai answered seriously. He didn’t know if these words would move Fang Xuanling, but he had to speak the truth because there was no need to lie to his father.

After hearing Fang Yiai’s words, Fang Xuanling looked at his son carefully and suddenly smiled with satisfaction, his wrinkles smoothing out as if he had become younger by a decade. "Juner, do you know that I am very happy because you have finally grown up. Very well, since you want to learn martial arts, I will find the best master for you. However, I still want to say that learning cultural knowledge does not mean being weak. I am a scholar, but I can also ride horses and shoot arrows. Literature and martial arts are not separate. Do you understand?"

"Father, I will follow your teachings and strive to enrich my knowledge. However, I hope you can help me with learning martial arts," Fang Yiai understood his father’s words. A soldier without knowledge is just a brute and can never become a general.

"Juner, don’t worry. How could I deceive you? By the way, what we discussed today must not be mentioned to a third person, not even your elder brother. He is too gentle," Fang Xuanling said earnestly. He had always been concerned about the future of the Fang family. Changsun Wuji had a strong desire for power. Over the years, because of his and Du Ruhui’s obstruction, Changsun Wuji had already harbored deep resentment. As long as he was alive, Changsun Wuji could do nothing, but once he passed away, Changsun Wuji would surely destroy the Fang family. As his son said, the title of Liangguo Gong could not protect the Fang family; only strength could. The Tang Dynasty valued military achievements the most. As long as the military supported the Fang family, Changsun Wuji, no matter how powerful, could not do anything.

Fang Yiai nodded and said with a playful smile, "Father, it’s better to have you protecting me. This way, I can live a carefree life as a playboy!"

"Brat, asking for a beating, are you itching for a fight?" Fang Xuanling scolded with a smile, then asked after a while, "Juner, I have a question for you. If you had power now, would you support a prince?"

"Father, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Fang Yiai asked with a grin.

"Smart mouth, of course the truth!"

"Then I’ll be straightforward. As long as the emperor is alive, I will absolutely support his authority and won’t support any prince. But once the emperor passes away, I will definitely support a prince who has a good relationship with me," Fang Yiai said casually.

Fang Xuanling nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Juner, I only now realize that you have been pretending to be foolish all along. Do you know that if it were your elder brother, he would tell me to remain neutral and stay neutral until death. But he hasn’t thought about it. Once you step into this tide, how can you remain unscathed? Neutral people are always disliked by both sides."

"Father, actually, there’s nothing wrong with my elder brother’s character. At least others can’t harm him because he is too gentle and won’t give them any leverage," Fang Yiai said with a smile.

"Juner, you’re wrong. Do you think Changsun Wuji needs leverage? He only needs a reason, and based on that reason, he can create countless pieces of evidence," Fang Xuanling said through gritted teeth.

After hearing Fang Xuanling’s words, Fang Yiai felt as if he had been enlightened. He realized he was still too naive. He had to admire Fang Xuanling’s strategy. Wasn’t this exactly how Changsun Wuji later destroyed the Fang family? Using the name of rebellion, he fabricated a bunch of nonsense evidence, wiping out the entire Fang family and even beheading Wu Wang Li Ke, achieving two goals at once.

"Father, it seems I don’t really understand politics," Fang Yiai said with a bitter smile.

"Juner, you don’t need to understand these things. Just remember to have a voice in the military. As long as the military supports you, no one will dare to touch you, not even Changsun Wuji. Also, your marriage needs to be prepared early. Your elder brother and his wife are very loving, but their marriage hasn’t brought any benefits to the Fang family. So, after discussing with your mother, we decided that you should marry the daughter of a national duke," Fang Xuanling said firmly.

"What, Father, are you making me enter a political marriage?" Fang Yiai could not accept this from the bottom of his heart. After all, he was a modern person and couldn’t accept a marriage without any feelings.

"Juner, I know you don’t want to, but I have no choice. To ensure the continuation of the Fang family, I must do this," Fang Xuanling looked at his son’s dejected face, feeling bad, but what could he do? His elder son was already married, so the political marriage could only be arranged for the younger son.

Fang Yiai knew this was his fate, and he had no way to resist. For the sake of the Fang family and his parents, he had to accept this arrangement. He smiled bitterly and said, "Father, you can arrange my marriage, but can we talk about it a few years later? I just want to focus on learning martial arts for the next few years!"

Fang Xuanling stood up, walked to Fang Yiai, and touched his hair, saying with a sigh, "Silly child, how could I be so unreasonable? Since you want to be peaceful for a few years, we’ll talk about it later."

The next day, Du Ruhui presented the Chu-Han chess to Li Shimin, who was playing chess with Cheng Yaojin. Li Shimin was really at his wit’s end, slamming the table and cursing, "You old rascal, do you have any shame? How many times have you taken back your moves? Do you play the same way in