Chrysanthemum Terrace commanded exceptional scenery, and Hillside Pavilion was elegant and secluded. Those among the farewell party who enjoyed go watched the game in the pavilion; those who did not stood below it, gazing out over the great river and taking in the mountains and waterways. For this moment, all the turmoil of worldly affairs lay beyond their concerns. Look at the stones upon the board, and drain the wine within the cup.
Chen Caozhi and Jiang Sixuan had played over a hundred moves in this game two months earlier, with neither side holding the advantage. Because Emperor Sima Yu had fallen ill and gone mad after taking elixirs, Jiang Sixuan had needed to hurry back to Taicheng to await orders, interrupting their game. Since then, they had found no opportunity to resume it. Jiang Sixuan had kept thinking about this game, and knowing that Chen Caozhi was leaving today to take up his post at the Western Headquarters, he had reserved a seat and waited at Hillside Pavilion, intending to finish it.
The bright sun shone overhead, and the stones clicked against the board. Within an hour, they had played another fifty-odd moves, and black and white stones now covered most of the board. Sacrificing a group on the right, Chen Caozhi's white stones fiercely attacked Jiang Sixuan's isolated group at the top. Sweat appeared at Jiang Sixuan's temples. His position was perilous; the slightest carelessness would see his great dragon die in fury. Several times, Jiang Sixuan picked up a stone to play, only to draw his hand back. He had yet to calculate all the complicated variations-
Just then, three more swift riders came galloping from the direction of Jiankang. Remembering what had happened last time, Yuan Dan, chief clerk of the Minister of Works' Office, immediately