Dusk fell.
Dressed as an ordinary scholar, Li Gongpu made sure no one was watching before alighting in a dark alley behind the Four Directions Inn. He followed He Man, the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian, through the back entrance, with Du Mushan following behind.
The Four Directions Inn was quite large and filled with foreign envoys. The evening banquet had yet to begin, and the Crown Prince was resting in the Emerald Cloud Pavilion behind the banquet hall. As heir to the throne, he was under extremely tight security.
Following a winding series of turns, Li Gongpu soon arrived outside the Emerald Cloud Pavilion. He entered the hall alone and saw the Crown Prince, clad in a bright yellow robe, studying a game on the chess couch. He hurried forward to pay his respects. Though a second-rank official, he was as humble as a servant:
"Your humble subject, Li Gongpu, pays his respects to Your Highness."
Zhao Jing Huan studied the board and gestured to the seat opposite:
"Dispense with the formalities. Sit, Vice Minister Li. You can help me finish this game."
Li Gongpu sat sideways opposite him, with only half his backside touching the seat, and glanced over the board...
What fucking bungler set up this position?!
How the hell was anyone supposed to play this...
But Li Gongpu said nothing. He picked up a white stone and calmly placed it:
"Come to think of it, I watched Your Highness grow to adulthood, yet this is the first time we have spoken."
With an overwhelming advantage, Zhao Jing Huan naturally placed his stones swiftly:
"Not quite. When I was six, I fell, and you rushed ahead of the attendants to pick me up, Vice Minister Li. You said a few words to soothe me. But Father disapproved, so