Is it really this simple?
This calculating man, after exhausting countless sches to lure her here in the dead of night, is it just to gamble with her?
ng Qianqian couldn’t shake the feeling that the gamble wasn’t as straightforward as it seed.
"You can take pieces any way you want? What if you take none?"
The man replied, "You can’t take none, and you can’t take all. At least one piece must remain in the chess box."
That ant there could be no ties.
ng Qianqian’s idea of taking all twenty pieces at once was completely ruled out.
"Is there more?"
The man answered, "Yes, you must tell the truth. No lying allowed."
No lying? What kind of rule was that?
Even if soone lied, would the opponent really be able to tell?
The man added, "Each of us has one chance to pass on answering a question, but it will cost us one of our pieces."
Passing just costs one piece, which doesn’t seem like a heavy price.
But if it happens to be the very last piece, and you still can’t answer, then defeat is certain.
So this one chance to pass must either go unused or be employed early.
ng Qianqian asked, "Between lying and losing all your pieces, which has a greater chance of losing?"
The man replied, "Lying."
ng Qianqian looked straight into his eyes. "Fine, I’ll gamble with you. Who will act as the third party?"
The man glanced at Bai Yuwei. "Originally, I planned for one of my people to do it, but since Miss Bai is here, may I suggest Miss Bai act as the third party?"
ng Qianqian: "Fine."
Bai Yuwei glared at ng Qianqian, wanting to say, "Shouldn’t I be the one to agree to this?" But facing such a formidable adversary, it wasn’t wise to cause internal discord—this much she understood.
She reached for the black cloth on the tray.
"Wait." ng Qianqian stopped her hand and said to the man, "I don’t trust your stuff. Yuwei, use your own hairband instead."
Bai Yuwei pouted and took off her hairband.
The man said, "One of my people will blindfold her."
He summoned a female guard, who entered and tied the blindfold tightly over Bai Yuwei’s eyes.
Bai Yuwei fud internally. The blindfold was so tight that she couldn’t see anything—not even a chance to cheat!
ng Qianqian took the black pieces.
The man, with an air of gentlemanly decorum, said, "Those playing black go first. You may ask your question first."
ng Qianqian replied coldly, "Since it’s blind drawing, it doesn’t matter who starts. There’s no need for you to pretend like you’re being courteous to ."
Bai Yuwei chid in, "Ask him how many hairs he has on his head. He definitely won’t be able to answer, and then he’ll lose!"
The man cast a smiling glance at ng Qianqian.
ng Qianqian smiled faintly in return. "Wouldn’t that be a little dull? How many Twelve Guards does the Pri Minister have in his hand?"
The man’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. "I thought you’d ask who I am."
ng Qianqian said indifferently, "Who you are doesn’t matter. After all, apart from Xun Yu, everyone else under the Pri Minister is just a dog."
The man chuckled, "Four."
ng Qianqian subtly furrowed her brows. Other than Chen Long, Sheep, and Hai Pig, there was one more?
Bai Yuwei interjected, "Wait, you just say four and we’re supposed to believe you? What if you’re lying?"
The man spread his hands, "If you have evidence proving I lied, you can declare the loser."
Bai Yuwei retorted coldly, "Where are we supposed to find evidence?"
The man smiled, "If you don’t have evidence, then I didn’t lie."
Bai Yuwei: "You—"
ng Qianqian suddenly understood. "Oh, so that’s how it works. I see now. Continue."
The man said, "I’ve answered your question. Now it’s ti to draw pieces. I’ll take four."
Bai Yuwei felt the chess box in front of her, containing ten black and ten white pieces mixed together, and carefully picked out four to place on the table.
Three black, one white.
ng Qianqian lost three black pieces in a single move.
Seven to nine.
"How does it look?" Bai Yuwei asked.
ng Qianqian replied calmly, "Not bad."
The man chuckled, "Now it’s my turn. Who holds the Twelve Guards’ military manual?"
The Twelve Guards’ manual wasn’t an ordinary book on warfare. It was a secret manual for training the Twelve Guards and the Black Armor Army—a legacy of the Black Armor Army.
If Pri Minister Xun got his hands on it, he would be able to establish his own Black Armor Army.
ng Qianqian couldn’t pass on this question. She already had fewer pieces; losing one more would leave her in an even worse position.
But to be honest, she didn’t know the answer to this question herself—her mories were incomplete.
ng Qianqian said, "It’s not in anyone’s hands."
She chose to lie—the man wouldn’t have evidence anyway.
The man sighed and shook his head. "Seems like you’ve found the loophole."
ng Qianqian turned to Bai Yuwei, "Four pieces."
Bai Yuwei picked out two black and two white pieces.
Five to seven.
Now it was ng Qianqian’s turn to ask a question.
ng Qianqian asked, "What leverage does Chen Long have in the Pri Minister’s hands?"
Unexpectedly, the man chose not to answer, drawing one white piece from the chess box himself.
Five to six.
Bai Yuwei questioned angrily, "Hey, why would he rather lose a piece than answer? Can’t he just lie? He’s a shaless scoundrel anyway!"
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