……
……
Slap! A chess piece was slammed onto the board.
The middle-aged scholar opposite wore a cold smile: “Miss Chu, you’ve lost.”
Chu Zhao paid no attention to the scholar’s mocking expression. She bent slightly to study the board for a moment, thinking it over—there truly was no way to turn defeat into victory. Only then did she nod and bow: “I’ve lost. You’ve won, sir. I’m not your equal.”
Having said this, she extended her hand. A maid beside her immediately handed over a written acknowledgment. Now she didn’t need to write them on the spot—they were all printed, stamped with her seal. When she lost, she just took one out to present. Much more convenient than before—
But the scholar took it and didn’t hold it up to display to everyone. Instead, he tore it to shreds in two or three motions.
“I didn’t come to participate in a literary gathering. I came to teach you a lesson.” He sneered. “Little woman, you don’t know what’s good for you!”
Having said this, he swept his sleeves and turned to leave.
Mocking laughter erupted from the surrounding spectators. This wasn’t the first time. Ever since Chu Zhao had arrogantly humiliated losing scholars, she had suffered the scholars’ arrogant retaliation.
Chu Zhao’s expression remained impassive as paper scraps fell around her. She walked to another seating area—competing against ten people at once, this session wasn’t over yet.
“Your move, sir.” Chu Zhao said.
The young master sitting opposite wore a disdainful expression, placing his piece with ease: “Miss Chu, please hurry. I have an appointment and need to rush off for drinks.”
Chu Zhao said nothing, concentrating deeply before placing a piece.
Their game—every move was held up on a large display board by servants for everyone to see.
Seeing this move, several girls became anxious: “Oh no, oh no!” “That Chu Zhao, wrong, wrong!”
Another girl angrily slapped a corridor pillar: “Does Chu Zhao even know how to play chess! She’s so stupid!”
Besides eating refreshments and watching excitement, quite a few girls seriously watched the competitions. Most of these girls came from good backgrounds with deep family learning.
For instance, the girl watching chess now, surnamed Zhou—her family elders were skilled at chess.
Other girls comforted Miss Zhou: “She can’t compare to you.” “If she loses, she loses. The one losing face is her.”
Miss Zhou frowned: “She loses face, and so do we.”
This confused the other girls: “What does it have to do with us?” “We’re not competing.”
Miss Zhou looked toward the platform over there: “Just because she’s a woman, and we’re also women.”
……
……
On the platform, the chess game indeed ended quickly. Chu Zhao lost.
The young master opposite laughed heartily. Even more excessive than the previous winner, he didn’t even accept the acknowledgment slip.
“Chu family daughter, I just came to defeat you. Not for the world to see, but for you alone to know—you’re arrogant and ignorant, you don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth!” He said, pointing at Chu Zhao. “A mere little woman—read a few books, know female virtues, that’s enough. Yet you boast shamelessly. Win against one man and you become arrogant, thinking all scholars in the world are inferior to you. How laughable, a little woman.”
Chu Zhao’s expression remained calm as mockery poured down on her head.
The girls standing in the corridors also fell silent, their faces flushing red and white alternately.
Mere little woman.
Mere little woman.
That young master finished scolding and turned to stride away, but a delicate voice sounded behind him.
“Sir, please wait!”
The young master turned around, thick eyebrows raised. Having already lost, did this Chu family daughter still dare to debate him? But he saw Chu Zhao also turning to look in one direction.
There in the corridor were quite a few girls, their expressions now somewhat tense and uneasy, pulling one girl backward. That girl’s face was flushed red, looking as if she was about to suffocate.
What?
Hmm, not surprising though. The young master lightly stroked his temples. He had both talent and looks—it was natural for these women to be infatuated.
However, he wasn’t a casual person.
“This is a competition venue.” He said haughtily and distantly. “Not for you women to play, much less to select good husbands.”
Miss Zhou had acted on impulse in calling out and already regretted it. Hearing this young master say such things, her head buzzed.
The meaning was very direct and not new—the Third Prince had already scolded the princesses, saying that women attending literary gatherings were just there to select husbands.
The Third Prince’s gathering was one thing—he was a prince, so they dared not object.
But this Chu Garden—any random scholar dared to humiliate them, when they clearly hadn’t done anything!
This was infuriating!
The girls beside her felt a strong pull and could no longer hold on, leaving only a startled cry: “Ah Jiang!”
Miss Zhou, whose familiar name was Jiang, charged out from the corridor like a young bull.
“Sir.” She shouted loudly. “I’m also a mere little woman. Do you dare compete with me!”