activa-t Chapter 436 Once a move is made, there's no going back; once a move is made, there's no go
Chapter 436 Once a move is made, there's no going back; once a move is made, there's no go
With his father, Emperor Kangxi, who was so biased towards him, spoiling him, Yinzhi's life was simply wonderful. Every morning he would sleep until he naturally woke up, wash up, and then go to his father's house for breakfast. If he wanted to go out, he would take people to wander around the huge summer resort. If he didn't want to go out, he would ask Liang Jiugong to find him a couple of travelogues, history books, or memorials annotated by Emperor Kangxi in his study to pass the time. If he was really bored, he didn't even need to say anything; his biased father would naturally invite Yinti and the others over to play with him.
"I made a mistake, I made a mistake, Second Brother. I misplaced the chess piece. Can you put it back in the wrong place?"
Yinreng was clearly used to Yinzuo's cheating and taking back his move. Hearing this, he very patiently picked up the chess piece he had already put down, then smiled at Yinzuo, indicating that he should do as he pleased.
Yin Zuo, who was equally indulgent towards Yinreng, never held back. He picked up the black piece that had been misplaced on the chessboard and looked at Yinreng opposite him with a smile in his eyes. The meaning was obvious: "Second brother, where should I put this black piece?"
To be fair, Yinreng was truly kind-hearted. If it had been the hot-tempered Yinti, Yinzuo would probably have been beaten black and blue by now. Following his second brother's instructions, Yinzuo put down the chess piece and then raised his hand towards Yinreng.
"Second brother, it's your turn."
Compared to Yinzuo, who was terrible at Go, Yinreng was exceptionally talented in the game. Even when he had to occasionally distract Yinzuo to give him some guidance, Yinreng's thinking remained perfectly clear. When Yinzuo said it was his turn, he picked up a white stone from the Go box and placed it on the Go board.
"Ugh... I'm dead, I'm dead! Second brother, you've ruined me! Look, with just one of your pieces, a whole bunch of my black pieces are dead! I don't care, move that white piece away, I need to move it..."
Although it is said that a true gentleman does not speak while watching a game of chess, even though Emperor Kangxi's heart was already biased towards Yinzhuo, he couldn't help but raise his hand and give him a big whack on the back of the head when faced with such a scoundrel as Yinzhuo.
"Yinzuo, you've studied for so many years. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Once a move is made, it cannot be taken back'? If you know your chess skills are poor, then practice diligently in private. What kind of behavior is this, constantly taking back moves like this..."
If it were anyone else, being reprimanded by Kangxi like that would have terrified them, or at least made them too afraid to breathe. But look at Yinzhuo! After hearing Kangxi's words, he wasn't scared at all. Instead, he grabbed his father's arm and started complaining.
“Father, you still have the nerve to say that? My second brother and I are both your sons. Why did you pass on this Go talent to him when you gave birth to him, but then you forgot about it when it came to me? Is it my fault that I can't play Go? In the end, it's all your fault. If you hadn't given our son such a terrible Go talent, would I be hesitating over my moves now? You don't reflect on your own actions, and you even blame our son for not trying hard enough. This was destined the moment I was born. What's the use of me trying?”
Well, what a convenient way to turn the tables! I have to say, Yinzhuo's words made Kangxi feel incredibly frustrated. So, you've become such a terrible chess player and it's all my fault? Your Go talent was chewed up by a dog, huh? Fine, they say diligence can make up for lack of talent, so I'll go after you. I refuse to believe I can't teach you how to play chess.
So, did the exasperated old father, Emperor Kangxi, actually teach his eldest son how to play chess? Hehe, just listen to this commotion and you'll know.
"Yinzuo, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? How many times have I told you not to doze off, not to daydream, and not to interrupt when I'm giving you a lesson? Have you been ignoring me? Get up and stand on the ground. Come back to me when you've woken up."
There's a saying that goes, "Teaching children is bound to drive you crazy." Emperor Kangxi was a master of all trades, but he suffered a major setback when it came to teaching himself chess. The distraught father looked at his son, who was dozing off with his eyes half-closed. If he hadn't still had some sense, he probably would have kicked the unfortunate boy off the stage long ago.
Yinzhuo has always been a capable man. With Kangxi already furious, Yinzhuo naturally wouldn't add fuel to the fire and make things difficult for himself. So what if he has to stand down? It's no big deal. He doesn't believe his father would make him stand there forever.
To be honest, Yinzhuo really overestimated himself. Forget about standing there forever, he hadn't even stood for half an hour, and he was already starting to feel unsteady. He looked up at the kang (a heated brick bed) not far away and saw that his father was resting with his eyes closed and hadn't noticed his movements at all. So he reached out and waved to Liang Jiugong, who was standing by the kang.
Having served Emperor Kangxi for so many years, Liang Jiuneng could certainly distinguish between the major and minor princes. No matter how vast the world was, or how many people held higher status than him, he only needed to obey Emperor Kangxi.
Yinzhuo was huffing and puffing as he practiced his moves for a long time, while Liang Jiugong seemed to be in a trance, completely oblivious to everything. Yinzhuo wasn't stupid; the other party had made it so obvious, it would be strange if he still didn't understand what was going on.
As the saying goes, it's better to rely on yourself than on others. Yinzhuo finally understood that his father was determined to punish him today, and now he had no choice but to save himself.
"Father, can you hear your son? If you can, could you please open your eyes and look at your son? Or at least ask me to forgive this punishment so you can go back to sleep, Father~~"
Even if Kangxi wasn't asleep at all, with Yinzhuo's booming voice, he would have been woken up by Yinzhuo's shouts by now, even if Kangxi was really asleep. But there's a saying: you can never wake someone who's pretending to be asleep. Yinzhuo's voice was practically hoarse from shouting, but Kangxi remained motionless with his eyes closed, as if he had a protective shield.
"Really asleep? That's great! Wan Quan, hurry up and bring me a chair, and also bring me that plate of fruit on the table. I was shouting so hard just now, my throat is burning, I need some fruit to soothe it..."
Yinzhuo deliberately said this to his father, who was pretending to be asleep, so he didn't hold back at all. Kangxi's ears were fine, and the two were so close, so Yinzhuo's words naturally reached Kangxi's ears without missing a single one. Well, now the old father couldn't keep up the act anymore.
"Hey, I told you to stand in the corner as punishment, and what's with you eating, drinking, and slacking off here? I'm talking to you, and you still have the nerve to laugh? Get your ass over here right now..."