NOVPUBAt that moment, the old abbot with the broken leg came over with a teapot, laboriously making his way as he called out in a loud voice:
"Look at my memory, such good people have come, and not even a cup of hot water to offer..."
Zhao Douan took the opportunity to stand up, smiling as he said his farewells, "No need for hospitality, we will be taking our leave now." 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The abbot also knew the charity house was too poor to offer proper hospitality and respectfully saw the group out.
Zhao Douan glanced at the sky, noticing there was still some time before noon, and invited,
"Your Highness, it's been a long time since you returned to the Capital, if you're free, how about I host lunch?"
Princess Wen Zhu looked at him, smile faintly, and shook her head.
Zhao Douan was taken aback.
Only to hear the Western Regions noblewoman's warm lips part in the winter sun, exhaling a mist, and she rubbed her hands together, saying softly,
"Mr. Lin has taught me a lot today, so it should be me treating. However, before that, I had originally planned to take a trip to Yellow Court Alley. If Mr. Lin is interested, he could join me in the fun."
Yellow Court Alley?
The alley in the Capital known for its gatherings of chess players?
"What excitement could there be?" Zhao Douan asked out of curiosity.
Under the reflection of the snow, Princess Wen Zhu's cheeks were almost glaringly white, her lips curving slightly upward:
"Yes, there is."
...
...
Yellow Court Alley.
A few streets from the charity house, it lay at the edge between East City and the center of the Capital.
It was a place where chess enthusiasts gathered year-round in the Capital, the street of Yellow Court Alley was home to several famous chess clubs.
Seven-tenths of the grandmasters throughout history had emerged from here, making it a well-known holy land for chess players in the Great Yu Dynasty.
The ancient, lengthy alley boasted a plum tree said to be a hundred years old at its entrance, situated near many chess clubs, making it the densest area for chess stalls in the Capital.
No matter if it was the heat of summer or the cold of winter, it was always lively.
The vendors, the players, those who came here included highbrows from the market as well as disciples from the grand chess clubs, even the grandmasters from the Imperial Palace respected as "Chess Delegations" would occasionally appear.
When Zhao Douan and Princess Wen Zhu arrived in carriage outside the alley, they saw that the snow at the entrance had already been cleared away, and they could hear the bustling noise from far off.
"It's said that this shabby alley is called 'Yellow Court' because in its depths there is a residence that was once the home of a grandmaster from the previous dynasty, hence it was named after it."
Princess Wen Zhu dismounted and walked to his side, her eyes filled with nostalgia:
"Back when I was in the palace, I learned from Chess Delegation Wang Jixin, and the first game I played was a game from Yellow Court's manuals."
Zhao Douan could hardly conceal his surprise: "Does the Princess like playing chess?"
The answer came from the tall, loosely-braided female warrior.
Unlike earlier at the charity house, by now the female warriors of the Western Regions, led by her, had taken out winter cloaks from the carriage and put on hoods, wrapping themselves up completely.
Especially their faces, which were wrapped in scarves.
Disguised in such a manner, it was hard to distinguish them as Western Regions people, and as long as they remained silent, one would simply think they were Yu Country people dressed warmly.
Clearly, they had dressed discreetly to avoid attracting attention.
"Chess is very popular in the Western Regions, and hundreds of years ago, General Zhang from the Yu Country border army introduced chess there, and it became widespread, not less than the chess players of Yu Country," said the warrior in not quite standard Mandarin.
That's right... Entertainment was scarce in the Western Regions, and chess really was a low-cost pastime... Zhao Douan nodded.
Princess Wen Zhu then asked, "Is Mr. Lin not familiar with this place?"
Zhao Douan honestly nodded, "I do play chess occasionally, but this is my first time coming here."
He indeed had never been here; the former host was a soldier who wasn't fond of chess and only roughly knew the rules.
Afterward, as a wastrel, he was even less interested in such dull places.
After Zhao Douan traveled through time, he did play quite a few games, but mostly for casual amusement or a casual pastime in social settings.
For instance, when he first visited the Imperial Palace Garden, he saw Yuann Li playing chess with the Empress...
It was then that he experienced the level of chess in this world.
How should he put it... The skill was not bad, but many of the techniques and styles were very "outdated."
Zhao Douan, in his past life, had learned a bit of chess in order to please his leaders, but his skill was quite ordinary. However, while learning, he was captivated by some stories from the chess community and commentary from abstract hosts... He read quite a bit of information.
Among this, inevitably, he watched people explain historical games known by various chess grandmasters, almost like a spectator.
Therefore, while his playing skills weren't great, his perspective was extraordinary.
After traveling through time, his view, influenced by the famous games of past grandmasters, naturally found the chess of the Great Yu Dynasty dull and outdated.
Many later world-famous strategies and sequences were completely missing.
Naturally, he couldn't develop much interest, especially since he attained the "Divine Chapter" state, and his five senses were greatly enhanced.
His memory, agility, and calculative abilities had long surpassed those of ordinary people, and his skill in chess rose drastically, further contributing to his disinterest in the game.
Why would he bother to come to Yellow Court Alley to play instructional chess with a bunch of weak players?
Indulging in pleasure houses... Bah, isn't serving the nation more honorable?
However, to Princess Wen Zhu's ears, it simply seemed that Mr. Lin was not good at chess.
"Let's go, let's take a look inside," she invited with a slight purse of her lips.
Zhao Douan stroked his disguised chin, revealing a look of genuine interest.
...
...
The arrival of the noblewoman and the young gentleman didn't draw much attention.
Because today, the entire chess community of Yellow Court Alley was captivated by a stranger who was also visiting for the first time.
When Zhao Douan stepped into the alley, he noticed the cleanly swept stone ground was empty.
