The spring days lingered, flowers and trees flourished, and Hillside Pavilion, with its upturned corners and soaring eaves, resembled a solitary boat rising from the flowering thickets, sailing through the mountain's verdure on the balmy spring breeze.
The voices of those seeing the travelers off below the mountain were barely audible. The clink of stones against the Go board rang as clearly as the chirping of mountain birds.
Princess of Xin'an Sima Daofu, dressed in a long white silk skirt, stood on Chrysanthemum Terrace for a while. Seeing that the players and spectators in the pavilion were intent on the game, with no one casting a glance her way, she could not help feeling embarrassed and annoyed. She said to her father, Sima Yu, Prince of Kuaiji, "Father, I want to go up to the pavilion to admire the scenery." Without waiting for his permission, she gathered her snow-white skirt in both hands and headed up.
Too late to stop her, Sima Yu could only follow.
Chen Caozhi glanced at Wang Xianzhi, who was watching the game beside him. Wang Xianzhi was turning to look at Princess of Xin'an, but after a single glance, he turned back and fixed his eyes on the board. His slender fingers tapped lightly against his knee, as though playing a zither.
With the Prince of Kuaiji right before them, they could hardly pretend not to see him. Jiang Sixuan, Chen Caozhi, and Wang Xianzhi each bowed to Sima Yu in greeting, but said nothing. Go was Sitting in Seclusion; mundane courtesies could be dispensed with.
Princess of Xin'an Sima Daofu did not make a scene at Hillside Pavilion, but stood quietly to one side in subtle appreciation. She looked at Chen Caozhi, then at Wang Xianzhi, feeling that their looks were like spring orchids