Chapter 217 - 216: A Game of Chess

Satisfied with his discussion with Bai Chen, Lin Yuan turned and walked back through the heavy doors, stepping once more into the warm, fragrant air of the master suite.

The faint scent of incense lingered throughout the room, mixing with the delicate fragrance of flowers arranged near the windows. The peaceful atmosphere was a stark contrast to the political storm brewing throughout Sky Jade City, and for a moment, Lin Yuan was content to leave all of it behind.

He walked quietly toward the grand bed, expecting to find his wife still resting after the exertions of the previous day’s culinary and musical efforts.

Instead, Bai Qingyue was already fully awake. She sat upright against the plush pillows, a thick silk shawl draped elegantly over her shoulders. Her long black hair cascaded smoothly down her back, and she gazed out through the large windows with an expression of mild, restless contemplation. The morning sunlight illuminated her delicate features, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

Lin Yuan approached the edge of the bed. He leaned down, gently brushing a loose lock of her hair behind her ear before pressing a soft, lingering kiss against her forehead.

"You did not sleep long," Lin Yuan murmured, pulling back slightly so he could look into her eyes.

"I slept perfectly, Yuan," she replied with a gentle smile, reaching up to rest her hand against his cheek. "But now that I am awake..." She released a small, deliberately dramatic sigh and allowed her hand to fall back into her lap. "I am undeniably bored."

Lin Yuan chuckled, the deep, rich sound vibrating softly through his chest. "Bored? The entirety of Sky Jade City is currently in a state of political panic because of my actions, and you find yourself bored? Such scenes should be entertaining for anyone."

"Politics are tedious," she stated matter-of-factly, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders. "It is nothing more than old men shouting about honor while secretly counting their stolen spirit stones. I have no interest in listening to the echoes of their outrage. I desire actual stimulation." Her eyes suddenly brightened with a hint of mischief as she turned her attention fully toward him. "Tell me, Husband, when was the last time we played Go?"

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, genuinely amused by the sudden shift in topic. "Go? It has been... quite some time. Not since the first few days after you were handed to me. You wish to play?"

"I do," she nodded firmly. "But not Go. Today, I insist on Chess."

Lin Yuan’s amusement deepened, though a flicker of confusion crossed his features. "Chess? A noble pursuit, Qingyue, but rather difficult to accommodate at this exact moment. I do not believe this pavilion is furnished with a chessboard, and I doubt the palace servants would prioritize finding one amidst everything else happening outside."

Bai Qingyue’s smile widened into a look of triumphant mischief. "Oh, but we do have a board, Yuan."

She reached, her hand slipping into a small storage bag tucked beneath the bed. After searching for a moment, she withdrew a beautifully crafted object and placed it carefully upon the bed.

It was a heavy, square board carved from dark wood, its surface polished to a mirror-like sheen. The intersecting lines were inlaid with pure silver, while the chess pieces rested neatly within two velvet-lined compartments along the sides. Each piece had been masterfully sculpted from white jade and black obsidian, their forms intricate and elegant.

Lin Yuan stared at the board for a moment before his brows rose in surprise.

"You have a chessboard?"

"Yes." Bai Qingyue nodded. "During the time you spent in the Rivers of Years Pagoda, Chen’er bought this board to help pass the days while we waited for you." Her eyes softened with a hint of nostalgia as she gently ran her fingers over the smooth silver lines. "I packed it before we came to Sky Jade City. I thought that perhaps, once you returned, we might have the opportunity to play together again."

A wistful little laugh escaped her, and she shook her head slowly, clearly lost for a moment in the memory. "You should have seen him, Yuan. Chen’er insisted he was a genius at strategy, that his sword instincts would translate perfectly onto the board. He was so confident the first night he set the pieces out that he wagered his favorite dagger against a single spirit fruit, certain he would win within ten moves."

"And did he?" Lin Yuan asked, settling onto the edge of the bed, clearly enjoying the story already.

"He did not win in ten moves," Bai Qingyue said, her lips curling with barely restrained delight. "He did not win in thirty moves. I cornered his general so thoroughly he did not even realize he had lost until I pointed it out to him. He stared at the board for almost an entire minute in complete silence, as though he expected the pieces to rearrange themselves out of pity."

"A dagger, lost to his own cousin," Lin Yuan mused, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I imagine he took that gracefully."

"He demanded a rematch immediately," she laughed, the sound light and unguarded. "And then another. And another after that. By the end of the week he owed me two daggers, a jade hairpin, and, absurdly, his favorite pair of boots, none of which I ever actually collected, though I did enjoy reminding him of the debt whenever he grew too arrogant." She sighed contentedly, smoothing her hand over the edge of the board. "Those quiet nights waiting for you felt a little less unbearable, with him sulking across the board from me."

Lin Yuan chuckled softly. "Then I suppose I should be wary. If you dismantled your cousin’s confidence so thoroughly, what chance does a mere husband have?"

"None whatsoever," Bai Qingyue said sweetly, already beginning to arrange the pieces with practiced, delicate fingers. "But I promise to be gentle with you, Husband. At least for the first few moves."

A faint smile appeared on Lin Yuan’s lips.

"If that’s the case, then we shall play," Lin Yuan said.