Without further ado, Second Uncle Pei did not refuse and agreed to set up the chess scenarios for them to solve.
The hall was quite large, with several chessboards set up on the left side, where Second Uncle Pei went to arrange the ga scenarios.
It was the most fair and impartial approach, as if setting the questions under everyone’s watchful eyes. Once the scenarios were set up, they were brought over for the three of them to solve, leaving no room for cheating.
Setting up the questions required so skill. While Second Uncle Pei ticulously arranged the chess scenarios, others sipped tea, ate snacks, and had no worries since it wasn’t their concern. Instead, they were eagerly anticipating the upcoming competition.
Even Pei Lan couldn’t help but feel schadenfreude. As events unfolded to this point, everyone’s attention shifted away from respecting teachers and elders, and it seed that everyone might have forgotten what she had done, sparing her from accountability.
Yao Xing felt secretly glad and even prayed in her heart that the final outco would be Qu Fulan’s loss, which would be spectacular. As for the Pei Mansion’s reputation and honor, what did that have to do with her?
Third Madam also maliciously hoped for the eldest house to lose face, which would allow her to finally vent her years of pent-up anger, perhaps even make her appetite grow.
Ren Hua was worried. She didn’t know what purpose Heir Pei’s approach served or how the outco would unfold. Although Heir Pei probably wouldn’t let Qu Fulan lose face, nothing was absolute, causing her anxiety until Pei Yuan pushed so snacks towards her, which slightly eased her tense expression.
"Eat, don’t let yourself go hungry," Pei Yuan said quietly as he leaned closer.
Ren Hua couldn’t eat, but not wanting to disappoint his intentions, she took a bite of a cake but found it tasteless.
By this ti, Second Uncle Pei had already set up a chess scenario and had it moved in front of everyone, while he stayed behind to arrange the next scenarios.
The chess scenario was brought in front of everyone, and then Pei Yuan, Pei Lian, and Pei Ji’an went over together to examine it. Once they confird it was sothing they had never seen before, they allowed Qu Fulan and the others to begin solving it.
Solving it under everyone’s watch, all were witnesses.
Qu Fulan knew from the first glance at the chess scenario that it was challenging.
Master Lu and Ning Xin felt the sa.
They were only given the ti of one incense stick to think. After that ti passed, regardless of whether the scenario was solved, the match would end.
It wasn’t just one chessboard, but three identical scenarios were set in front of each of them.
The three were seated with so distance between them, unable to see each other’s thods of solving the scenarios.
But many gathered around to watch the spectacle, inevitably adding pressure to them.
However, this pressure wasn’t much for Master Lu, as her age ant she had a steadier disposition than the younger ones.
Qu Fulan was initially a bit uncomfortable, knowing this was a normal psychological state. So pressure in everything was normal, but she quickly adjusted her mindset and began seriously thinking about how to solve the scenario.
Ning Xin was in the worst state, having gone through various humiliations before, and now had to solve a difficult scenario in public. All kinds of pressure overwheld her, leaving her mind in a daze, with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.
It wasn’t only these three who found it challenging; even Pei Yuan found it difficult. It was even harder for Pei Lian, who, although not skillful in chess, knew the toughness of the scenario.
As for Pei Ji’an, his expression was unusually calm. Others couldn’t discern anything from his face.
Finally, the ti of one incense stick passed.
Master Lu solved it.
Qu Fulan also solved it.
Ning Xin couldn’t solve it, ultimately due to excessive nervousness.
Seeing Master Lu and Qu Fulan solve it, Pei Yuan couldn’t help but nod. The scenario was not simple, and although he had so ideas, solving it wasn’t easy for those two, especially for Qu Fulan, who progressed remarkably.
Pei Ji’an still showed no expression, neither happy nor sad, as if unconcerned.
Marquis Pei’s gaze, however, seed contemplative.
Regarding the others, they mostly didn’t understand, like Madam Pei, whose expertise in martial arts allowed her to see prowess at a glance, but in these aristocratic pursuits, she had always been lacking.
Mrs. Ning had also learned the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting when she was young. But even in chess, she wasn’t as good as her daughter. Now, seeing her daughter unable to solve it, she naturally couldn’t identify any flaws and began worrying for her daughter, who was too competitive, and now with this loss...
Ning Xin looked incredulously at Qu Fulan. It didn’t surprise her that Master Lu won, but sister-in-law... why?
Before she could figure out why, the second match began.
Again, Master Lu and Qu Fulan successfully solved it, but Ning Xin couldn’t, feeling as if her ntality was collapsing.
When the third match started, Ning Xin looked at the chessboard, feeling as if she no longer knew how to play chess.
Again, Qu Fulan and Mr. Lu solved it.
With two out of three wins, as it was a tie, another round was necessary.
The final round likely had a higher difficulty level, so the ti was extended to two incense sticks.
Both struggled to solve it imdiately.
So people couldn’t help but feel gloating, even without understanding the scenario, they enjoyed seeing others embarrass themselves.
Failing to solve it would be a disgrace, right?
Just as they were thinking that, soone solved it.
It was Qu Fulan.
Yet Master Lu couldn’t solve it.
As for Ning Xin?
After today’s events, she probably developed a psychological block against chess.
But she no longer had the energy to care about whether others won or not. She always thought herself skilled in chess, but today she couldn’t solve a single scenario...
Unlike Ning Xin, who was imrsed in despair, Master Lu felt as if the sky had fallen.
How could it be that the scenario she couldn’t solve, Qu Fulan managed to?
And how could Ning Xin, whom she believed had a solid foundation, not solve even one scenario... how could this be?
Could it be that Heir Pei had secretly communicated with Second Master Pei, leaking the scenarios to Qu Fulan and teaching her how to solve them in advance?
After all, they were family...
Pei Ji’an seed to see through Master Lu’s thoughts and said, "Next, please play a ga with my wife."
Saying so, he discreetly gave Qu Fulan a glance, which she understood—go all out.
Master Lu felt that this was the fairest part of the day. She surely wouldn’t lose to Qu Fulan, but what would it prove by then?
After all, until the last mont, no one understood the significance of Heir Pei’s arrangents.
While they were talking, the two began playing.
It was played under the two-out-of-three-win rule.
In the first match, Qu Fulan took less than an incense stick’s ti to defeat Master Lu.
Master Lu widened her eyes, but before she had much ti to feel shocked, the second match began.
Qu Fulan had gauged Master Lu’s level and strategy. After all, a person progresses over the years; she couldn’t judge Master Lu by her past standard. The first match was for probing, while the second match was the true duel.
Going all out, this ti, Master Lu lost even before an incense stick’s ti had passed.
"Thank you for letting win," Qu Fulan said with great modesty.
The chess piece in Master Lu’s hand fell to the ground.
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