Harem Daily Life

Chapter 875: The Welcoming Banquet of the Xia Kingdom's Diplomatic Mission

Many families in the capital wanted to invite Mr. Shi, especially during holidays, when his schedule was packed. When he received the palace invitation and saw that it was for a reception for an embassy, ​​he naturally chose to attend the palace banquet first.

However, not many people knew that he was the Second Prince's teacher. Firstly, he did not want to be so high-profile and bear the title of "Prince's Teacher". Secondly, he believed that the Second Prince should also be low-key. Otherwise, outsiders would use the standards of a chess master's disciples to judge his chess skills, and then the Second Prince would have to work harder to learn chess.

The master and the apprentice got along well and had long been friends regardless of age difference. Mr. Shi didn't want to make things too tiring, so after entering the palace, he just treated them as casual acquaintances and did not try to get too close to the Second Prince.

He Jinan looked at the teacher pretending to be unfamiliar, his mouth twitched, and he cooperated with him.

Kang Mowan is now middle-aged. The last time he came to the Great Zhou was several years ago. At that time, Queen Tao had just given birth to the fifth prince. She was well taken care of and had a plump and beautiful face. Now seeing this peerless beauty in his memory again, he could only sigh that time never defeats beauty, and Queen Tao has become more and more stunningly beautiful.

"Prince Jingnan and Prince Ning have come a long way and must have endured a lot of hardship. Today, I've prepared a little wine to welcome you." He Linzhang raised his glass and drank with everyone else. Several court officials and the Xia Kingdom envoys also raised their glasses, and the host and guest chatted happily.

Kang Mowan put down his wine glass and introduced Prince Ning beside him, saying, "We have come here this time, specifically to have my eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Ning, accompany us. Firstly, to see more of the world, and secondly, to take this opportunity to have His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Zhou and His Majesty the Empress meet. If there is a chance to establish a friendly relationship between the two countries, it would be an even more rare marriage."

Tao Yanyan glanced at Prince Ning. He seemed quite impressive. As a member of the royal family, he had been taught all manners since childhood, so his manners couldn't be too bad. He was also handsome, with no particular concerns about his appearance. However, having seen so many handsome men in the He family, Tao Yanyan didn't think Prince Ning was a truly exceptionally handsome man.

Based on He Xuan's appearance, Tao Yanyan felt that Prince Ning was not worthy of her.

Moreover, Tao Yanyan would never accept the idea of ​​He Xuan marrying far away. Xia Country was so far away that it would take several months to travel there. If someone married in the summer, they would get married in the winter. With such a long distance, if he really married her that far away, he would never see her again in this life.

Tao Yanyan couldn't bear to part with the little girl he had raised since childhood.

She glanced at He Linzhang, who had just finished looking at Ning Wangchao and looked at her. Just by looking at each other's eyes, He Linzhang understood her unwillingness.

He Linzhang said, "Prince Ning is a rare talent, with outstanding demeanor. I admire him greatly. However, the Great Zhou has long established a rule that no princesses can marry into other countries. I'm afraid what the Xia Kingdom wants will be difficult to fulfill."

King Ning frowned. He thought that no one could compare to him in terms of family background, appearance and knowledge. He did not expect to hit a wall in the Great Zhou. Now he was very unhappy.

Kang Mowan hadn't expected the Great Zhou Emperor to reject her so bluntly. Feeling a little embarrassed, he quickly smoothed things over, saying, "The Great Zhou Princess is of noble status and outstanding character. It's only natural that Your Majesty and the Empress are reluctant to let her go. However, marriage is destined. Perhaps our Prince Ning will win the favor of your princess? We'll be staying in the Great Zhou for a while anyway, so why not give the two children a chance to meet? What do Your Majesty and the Empress think?"

He Linzhang wanted to refuse, but Tao Yanyan gently pulled his sleeve.

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Today's banquet is to welcome the Xia Kingdom delegation. Let's discuss some matters another day. There is still a long time to come, and there will naturally be plenty of opportunities to meet if we want."

She thought she could just brush it off and stop Xia Guo from thinking about it.

The situation was at a standstill for a moment, and Lord Wang, the Minister of Rites, hurriedly said, "I've heard that His Royal Highness Prince Ning is an excellent chess player. Coincidentally, Mr. Shi, the chess master, is here today. How about a game of chess to liven up the banquet?"

Mr. Shi's reputation is naturally known throughout the world, and the people of Xia naturally agreed to have the opportunity to witness Mr. Shi's superb chess skills.

King Ning said, "I have long heard of Mr. Shi's great name. Please teach me."

Concubine Xian sent someone to prepare a chessboard, but was unexpectedly stopped by Prince Ning: "This prince has been learning chess since he was young, and he has very high requirements for the quality of chess pieces. He is not familiar with all chess pieces. There is no need to trouble Concubine Xian to send someone to prepare one. I brought a set with me, so you can use mine."

After saying that, he glanced at the attendant behind him, and the attendant brought up a set of Go pieces made of black and white jade.

Not only are the chess pieces in this Go set made of fine jade, but even the chessboard and chess box are made of jade. According to the estimate, one set of chess is worth at least a thousand taels.

Tao Yanyan looked at Prince Ning, who looked very proud, and felt a little bad about him. Even his handsome face couldn't save him.

Mr. Shi was also speechless when he looked at the chess set. Although he loved money and often played chess with others to earn money, he looked down on the fact that someone was showing off a jade chess set like this, as if everyone had jade chess pieces.

He snorted coldly and glanced at He Jinan, who twitched his lips. "Master, do you really think I should take on the challenge for you? You think too highly of me, don't you? This isn't just a simple duel between two people; it's a contest representing the superiority of chess skills between two countries!"

But Mr. Shi's gaze was too firm, and He Jinan had no choice but to agree.

Mr. Shi then said cheerfully, "Our Great Zhou is a nation of chess proficiency. Children learn chess at the age of three, and those who have mastered it are among the best by the age of seven. I've been drinking too much today and have had a few extra glasses of imperial wine. I'm feeling dizzy. How about asking the Second Prince of the Great Zhou to play a game on my behalf? What do you think?"

The confrontation between the princes immediately ignited the atmosphere on the field.

"Alright, I think the eldest prince of Zhou and His Royal Highness Prince Ning are of similar age, so a chess match between them would be more suitable."

"Then why not see who is more skilled in chess, Xia or Great Zhou?"

Prince Ning glanced at the young man across from him and nodded. "Since Mr. Shi is unavailable, the Second Prince can be substituted. However, I think playing chess like this is boring. Wouldn't it be better to add a prize?"

He Jinan raised an eyebrow. "Lottery? What prize do you think is suitable, Prince Ning?"

Prince Ning said, "If I win, I will ask the Great Zhou to agree to the princess's marriage. If I lose, I will pay her ten thousand taels as compensation."

He Jinan said unhappily, "Prince Ning's offer is ridiculous. My father has already made it clear that the Princess of Great Zhou will never marry into another country. This is the bottom line of Great Zhou and it must not be violated. Besides, it is extremely disrespectful of Your Highness Prince Ning to compare a mere ten thousand taels with the Princess of Great Zhou."

Prince Ning choked, and it was impossible to take back what he had said. He had spoken on impulse and now he really regretted it.