There was a subtle fluctuation in the air between the two. Shen Ruoxuan, who was sitting not far from them, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Crown Prince Feng Zixiao and Xi Lingfeng.
In fact, Shen Ruoxuan's real friend was Xi Lingfeng. Later, through Xi Lingfeng, he met Feng Zixiao, the crown prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The two had frequent contact and became friends.
Shen Ruoxuan knew more about Xi Lingfeng than others. He was not someone who easily got close to others, and he was always unfathomable. Unexpectedly, he had just sensed a rare fluctuation in Xi Lingfeng's demeanor.
Shen Ruoxuan suddenly became very interested in the Crown Princess. What kind of person was she?
He had heard many rumors about her, all of which were negative.
But yesterday a rumor suddenly spread that she was a rare talented woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Now that she has passed all three levels of the Precious Chess Game, it shows that she is no ordinary woman.
Shen Ruoxuan was eager to see what kind of abilities this woman possessed that had managed to stir up Xi Lingfeng's emotions.
Xi Lingfeng had always been expressionless when facing Princess Jingyue, the most beautiful woman in the world, which showed how cold and indifferent he was. But now, however, he showed a slight fluctuation.
"Watch out for any activity below and report back immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Ruan Ye accepted the order and left. Inside the private room, everyone fell silent.
Grand Secretary Yan Zhan spoke up: "The person who set up the Zhenlong Chess Game is no ordinary person. We in the Great Zhou have never seen such a person before. What is his background? Should the Crown Prince investigate his origins? If he is useful, why not win him over?"
Chapter 56 Enemies meeting are filled with intense hatred
The Crown Prince was determined to recruit extraordinary talents, firstly to rejuvenate the Great Zhou Dynasty, and secondly to deal with the Jiang family.
As soon as Yan Zhan spoke, Feng Zixiao became interested. Indeed, this person was capable of setting up this intricate chess puzzle that no one could solve, which showed that he was a remarkable person. If he could be used by him, it would definitely be a good thing.
Thinking of this, he called out to someone outside: "Someone come here."
Ruan Ye went downstairs to keep an eye on things. Another person came in, also a first-class guard of the Crown Prince's residence, Xi Jian. Xi Jian was over thirty years old, with a burly build, calm and composed. As soon as he came in, he respectfully waited for the Crown Prince's orders. Feng Zixiao ordered him: "Immediately go and investigate the person who set up the Zhenlong Chess Game, and find out what his background is."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Xi Jian withdrew, and inside the private room, the group drank tea while keeping an eye on the commotion downstairs. These individuals were all highly skilled in martial arts, and the sounds of conversation from the downstairs hall occasionally drifted up to them. They could roughly estimate the current progress of the chess game. In addition, Ruan Ye would occasionally come in to report on the progress below, and the expressions on their faces grew increasingly incredulous. Finally, Crown Prince Feng Zixiao stood up and said, "Let's go down and take a look."
His Highness the Crown Prince gave the order, and no one dared to disobey. Besides, everyone wanted to see if the Crown Princess was really that powerful. With 32 killer pieces, she devoured 168 guardian pieces, and has now broken through ten levels. That's amazing.
The group walked out together, from the second floor to the first floor, but instead of going downstairs, they stood at the corner, where they could see the situation in the center of the hall from above. They remained still, hidden in the shadows, and no one downstairs noticed them. Everyone was focused on the two people playing a game in the center.
In the hall, bright lights illuminated the two people in the center, both of them completely absorbed in their final battle.
The handsome man was completely focused on the chessboard in his hands. His long, black eyelashes cast shadows that obscured his dark eyes, but his hands gripped the white pieces tightly, refusing to put them down. He seemed to be deep in thought, perhaps a little troubled, but a slight twitch at the corner of his lips revealed an expression that others could not understand.
As for Hailin, who was sitting opposite him, she had long forgotten everything around her and was focused entirely on the moves on the chessboard.
Her once chubby and unappealing face, under the light, had skin as white as a handful of snow. A small wisp of her black hair slid down and was casually tucked behind her ear, revealing a lively and charming beauty that left many people stunned and secretly thinking to themselves.
The third young lady of the Jiang family is not as bad as the rumors suggest; she is actually quite lovely.
As she focused intently on her game of chess, she displayed a captivating playfulness that set her apart from others.
As everyone was deep in thought, a sharp sound rang out from the center, as a chess piece slammed onto the board, accompanied by a crisp voice: "Kill!"
Hailin broke the Zhenlong chess puzzle with lightning speed, taking advantage of everyone's distracted thoughts.
Everyone was stunned, and then the whole hall erupted in deafening cheers.
Although these honors did not belong to them, they were still happy and excited. The intricate chess game that this person had been setting up for three days had finally been broken, and by the future Crown Princess no less! This was truly exhilarating.
After the applause subsided, many people began to chat happily.
"The Crown Princess is so amazing!"
"Yes, yes, did you know? She defeated Ye Xiuying, the young lady of the Ye family, and also the eldest young lady of the Jiang family at the Banana Garden Bookstore."
Do you know?
"The young lady from the Ye family and the eldest young lady from the Jiang family even barked like dogs!"
"Really?"
Someone asked suspiciously, and immediately someone next to her started gesturing wildly, spitting as they spoke, vividly recounting what happened that day, praising Hai Ling's poetry, painting, and flute skills as unparalleled in the heavens and on the ground. Hai Ling felt guilty and quickly stood up to look at the man opposite her.
"Now that I've solved this intricate chess puzzle? What about this intricate chess puzzle?"
Hai Ling gazed at the exquisite chess set on the round table. When she played chess with this person earlier, she knew that the set was indeed precious. It was smooth to the touch, as soft as snow, and cool to the touch. Holding it in her hand made her feel comfortable all over.
Since this person said that breaking this puzzle would grant her the Zhenlong Chess set, she saw no need to be polite.
However, the thought of what would happen to the chess piece later still made her feel a pang of regret.
The man opposite Hai Ling did not renege on his promise after hearing her words. His clear, dark eyes sparkled with tiny sparks as he gracefully bent down to tidy up the precious chess set and handed it to Hai Ling.
Hai Ling didn't stand on ceremony, reached out and took it, smiling as she thanked the visitor: "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome."
The man spoke in a good-natured manner, but something seemed to be hidden in his deep, clear eyes, making Hai Ling uneasy. She only wanted to take the Zhenlong Chess and leave.
She thought this in her heart and acted accordingly, taking the things and turning around to leave.
As she moved, her eyes caught sight of a shadowy figure at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Several intimidating gazes shot over, carrying a powerful and oppressive aura.
She only needed one glance to know who the person hiding in the shadows was.