Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

Outside the Southern Palace, in the huge garden of the Situ Mansion's front courtyard.

A stone path paved with small blue stones leads to an octagonal stone pavilion deep inside the garden.

The stone pavilion is surrounded by rugged rocks covered with green plants and emerald moss.

An exquisitely crafted artificial mountain stands on a fishpond island covering several acres.

The pond's water was clear, and ripples spread across it under the sunlight.

The octagonal stone pavilion stands secluded by the pond, shaded by towering trees and green plants, surrounded by flowerbeds with buds about to bloom.

The pavilion was covered with light gauze, which kept the bees and butterflies flying by.

Four maids stood around the pavilion with their eyes lowered.

A small table is placed in the pavilion.

Outside the pavilion, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.

Yuan Shu, clad in armor, strode quickly toward the pavilion.

Upon reaching the pavilion, Yuan Shu saw Yuan Wei and Yang Ci sitting inside.

"Uncle, news has arrived," Yuan Shu said, bowing.

Yuan Wei waved his hand gently and said, "No rush, we can talk about it later."

Yuan Shu's anxious expression faltered for a moment, but he still chose to obediently shut his mouth and stand aside.

A chessboard is laid out on a table in the pavilion.

Yuan Wei and Yang Ci put aside their differences and each had six pieces, and were engrossed in their game of chess.

The chessboard has nine lines, which are interwoven.

Yuan Wei's side is black.

Yang Ci's side has white pieces.

In front of each of them was a bamboo tube containing six bamboo sticks, which were also divided into black and white sides.

Yuan Wei held the bamboo tube and poured out all the bamboo sticks inside.

All six sides are white.

Seeing this, Yuan Wei couldn't help but smile.

"Lord Yang, it seems I'm going to take the lead in this round," Yuan Wei said with a smile.

Yang Ci stroked his beard and smiled, then gestured for him to enter, saying, “The first move is not necessarily advantageous. Master Yuan has been playing chess for many years and knows that there are countless variations in chess. This small chessboard may seem to have only nine lines, but it contains sixty-four variations of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.”

Yuan Wei nodded as he played his chess pieces.

With the six tribes defeated, it was Yang Ci's turn.

Yang Ci picked up the bamboo tube and then shook it gently.

Only two of the bamboo skewers on the ground had a white side; the rest had a black side.

However, upon seeing that there were only two blank signatures, Yang Ci smiled.

Pick up a chess piece, move it two steps, and you'll just happen to encounter the chess piece that Yuan Wei moved.

Then eat it.

“Look, Master Yuan,” Yang Ci said with a smile, “Although you have the first move and have moved six steps, I can still use this fish in my hand to strike back.”

Yuan Wei smiled nonchalantly and said, "Yang Gong is right. The variations between the pieces are endless, and naturally, the fun is endless too."

Yuan Shu, standing outside the pavilion, was completely bewildered.

Yuan Wei waved his hand lightly and said, "Speak, what is it?"

Yuan Shu then turned around, cupped his hands, and said, "Uncle, Wang Yun died before entering the city."

“Uncle, I suspect it was Duan Yudong who did it. He doesn’t want Wang Yun to return to Luoyang alive.”

Yuan Wei's gaze fell on the fish that Yang Ci had eaten, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Does Lord Yuan think it's a pity to lose this fish?" Yang Ci asked, fiddling with the fish in his hand.

Eat one fish, gain two benefits.

Yuan Wei generously handed over two coins to Yang Ci, then said with a smile, "Lord Yang, you are mistaken. It's just one fish; it doesn't change the overall situation."

"Moreover, sometimes losing a child and raising money may not be a bad thing."

Yuan Shu stared blankly at Yuan Kui, who was playing a game of chess in the pavilion.

Losing a child isn't a bad thing?

Duan Yu was practically trampling on their heads.

In the Battle of Dongjun, Duan Yu won the greatest merit, and the emperor was overjoyed, issuing an edict to appoint Duan Yu as General of the Vanguard.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun spent two months in Yingchuan, but ended up gaining nothing.

Instead, he was reprimanded for his poor performance in combat.

The failure to claim credit made the two of them a complete laughingstock.

What's most infuriating is that Duan Yu even used an unknown nobody to remove Wang Yun, the governor of Yuzhou.

These were the pawns they had painstakingly placed in Yuzhou.

How did this turn out to be a good thing?

While Yuan Shu was speculating, the power struggle within the pavilion continued.

Yuan Wei made two moves in a row, but both times the more experienced Yang Ci made the first move.

The two pieces fell back into Yang Ci's hands, and Yang Ci's chips now numbered six.

Once you get two more, the game is practically won.

Yuan Shu watched as his uncle Yuan Kui was about to lose, but Yuan Kui remained completely unconcerned.

In the next two steps, he even deliberately fed the fish in his hand to Yang Ci.

He lost all his chips.

"Haha." Yang Ci laughed and said, "Yuan Gongcheng has conceded. I have won this game."

Yuan Wei looked at the two chips he had left and smiled as he replied, "Lord Yang, I only have two chips left."

"But Master Yang has so many. If there were one more person in this game, would Master Yang prefer the two chips in my hand or the chips in his hand?"

Yuan Wei pointed to the twenty tally sticks placed in front of Yang Ci.

For a moment, a glint seemed to flash in Yang Ci's eyes.

"hehe."

Yuan Wei chuckled softly, then picked up the teacup beside him and said, "No matter how much the fish jumps, it can never escape this game of chess."

"No matter how much it eats or how fat it gets, it will eventually be unable to escape the fate of being put on the chopping board."

"In this game, I am playing against Yang Gong. But what if this opponent were someone else?"

Yang Ci suddenly fell into deep thought and understood the meaning behind Yuan Wei's words.

"Does Master Yang mean... let him be strong as he pleases?" Yang Ci said thoughtfully.

Yuan Wei smiled and nodded, then slowly stood up.

"Former General..."

"The Governor of Liangzhou..."

"The Xiliang troops are so fierce and brave, doesn't His Majesty worry?"

"hehe."

Yuan Wei stroked his white beard, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Then…” Yang Ci hesitated for a moment and said, “What if he’s not the kind of person Yuan Gong predicted, and just blindly follows the will of Heaven?”

Yuan Wei shook his head and said, "Lord Yang, sometimes, once you're caught up in this game, you're no longer in control of your own destiny."

"If he can do this, doesn't he have any family?"

"I think Dong Zhuo would be very suitable."

"This person is worth using."

Yuan Shu, standing outside the pavilion, was completely bewildered by what he was hearing—what fish, what water, what bargaining chips?

Yuan Shu did hear the name Dong Zhuo clearly.

However, before Yuan Shu could ask how he intended to use Dong Zhuo, Yuan Wei spoke up.

"Lord Yang, Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo are also having a rather unsuccessful campaign in Ji Province."

"Why not write a letter tomorrow and have Dong Zhuo, who failed in battle, brought to Luoyang in a prison cart?"

"Now that Duan Yu has led his troops north to Ji Province, there is no great use in keeping Dong Zhuo in Ji Province."

"Let Dong Zhuo suffer a bit first," Yuan Wei said, squinting his eyes.

............

Jizhou.

Anping Kingdom, outside Guangzong City.

"Ah."

Sitting in the central command tent, Dong Zhuo sneezed and wiped his nose.

"Damn it, who's talking about me?"