My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Pei Ji's words, seemingly addressed to Man Xinghe, were actually meant for Wei Nanxun, who was standing next to him.

Since he entered the room, the little girl seemed to want to hide herself, standing obediently beside him with her head down, listening attentively to what others were saying, occasionally showing a faint smile, but without saying a word.

He didn't even glance at the chessboard once, whether to avoid suspicion or because he genuinely had no interest.

Pei Ji's chess skills were taught by the late emperor; to be precise, he learned them.

After all, the late emperor did not favor him, and as a child, he longed for his parents' love and did not understand why he was not favored. He tried every means to gain attention and praise.

Although the result was not entirely satisfactory, at least he learned chess skills and knowledge that were his own.

His usual chess style is also very similar to that of the late emperor, leaning towards scheming and calculating. He likes to lure people into traps step by step, and by the time the opponent realizes it, there is no way out, and they can only be devoured by him little by little.

But this time, he was like a different person, showing his aggressiveness right from the start.

Manxinghe's chess skills weren't bad; he could usually hold his own against his mother. But today, he was being utterly defeated.

This is just like going to war. You can't keep up your momentum until you're exhausted. If you suffer repeated defeats and are constantly being suppressed, he absolutely cannot tolerate it.

That's why they would abandon their armor and weapons, surrendering and admitting defeat.

Unexpectedly, Pei Ji mocked him.

He wasn't really in a hurry to get married. After all, he was only seventeen this year, a good age to make achievements and establish himself. He wasn't in a rush to talk about marriage. Even his uncle was twenty-five or twenty-six this year and hadn't gotten married yet.

But whether you want to or not is one thing, being singled out and talked about is another.

The young man was straightforward, especially since he was being lectured by his respected uncle. His face turned a little red: "Uncle, playing chess is one thing, but how can you bring up marriage?"

"Mother was just joking because she saw me praising Miss Wei."

"You're so fierce that you've scared the girl so much that she doesn't dare to speak."

Man Xinghe was the only one in the entire room who genuinely believed that Pei Ji didn't know Wei Nanxun and even came out to speak for her.

This caused Pei Ji's gaze to fall even more brazenly on the little girl.

Wei Nanxun originally wanted to hide herself away, hoping no one would pay attention, but who would have thought that after Man Xinghe's words, everyone's eyes would fall on her.

Especially that intense gaze, which seemed to want to devour her whole, left her feeling completely lost.

I wish I could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Pei Ji held the cold chess piece between two fingers, stroking it gently. The piece landed on the center of the chessboard with a thud. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "It was my fault for frightening Miss Wei."

He spoke so casually, his tone completely unreadable.

But Wei Nanxun could feel his heart racing and blood rushing to his head.

This is not the attitude one should have when apologizing. It's like he caught his wife cheating on him. Who is he trying to impress?

Wei Nanxun quickly looked up and glared at him, then hurriedly lowered her head again: "Your Highness is too kind. I was not frightened."

Even though her glance was quick, it couldn't escape Pei Ji's eyes. This little girl has gotten bold; she actually dared to glare at him.

He wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he was quite happy. This was how she should be. He disliked her the most for constantly referring to herself as a subject and distancing herself from him.

He pursed his lips and gave a slight smile: "Since you weren't scared, come here and play a game of chess with me."

Wei Nanxun was naturally surprised, but someone spoke up faster than her: "Uncle, you are playing chess with Miss Wei. Isn't this bullying the younger one?"

"There's no such thing as 'big or small' in chess. You often play chess with your mother and grandmother, don't you? Go away, go away."

Seeing that her younger brother was about to glare at her, she quickly spoke up to ease the tension.

Pei Ji ignored the mother and son, and just stared at her: "Or is it that Miss Wei is really frightened and dares not?"

Fine, they've said everything she wanted to say. If she still refuses, she'll really be disrespecting him.

After hesitating for a moment, I could only slightly bend my knees and sit down.

"My chess skills are mediocre, and I fear I will waste Your Highness's time."

Wei Nanxun learned chess from her father, who had traveled all over the country and learned some unorthodox chess techniques. He taught her out of interest.

She never said she was learning chess in a formal way like Wei Mingzhao and others, so she was serious when she said that. She was afraid she wouldn't last even half an incense stick's time and would spoil other people's fun.

Pei Ji looked into her eyes and said very seriously, "No."

With you, time is never wasted.

Wei Nanxun's heart started pounding again after just one glance at him.

What's wrong with this guy? It feels like after just a few days apart, his gaze is so intense that she can hardly handle it.

Besides, there are so many people around. What's with all this talk about the Empress Dowager? He's being far too blatant and unashamed.

Wei Nanxun quickly lowered her head and focused her attention on the chessboard.

"Then please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Wei Nanxun actually quite enjoys playing chess. She initially found it amusing that her parents were sitting and playing chess pieces, which is why she pestered her father to teach her.

However, after her mother passed away, her father became depressed, and she dared not mention the item again, for fear that seeing it would remind him of his past.

Holding the chess pieces now, I've rediscovered some of the feeling I had when I played chess with my father back then.

Pei Ji holds black, she holds white.

One by one, the smooth and round jade chess pieces landed on the chessboard with a crisp and pleasant sound.

Wei Nanxun had never formally studied chess manuals; he could only be said to understand the rules. His playing style was completely haphazard, unlike others who would consider the consequences of their moves, such as how many moves ahead or how their opponent might react.

She only cares about whether her move is worthwhile and whether she's happy.

This resulted in Pei Ji, who originally intended to subtly concede a few moves, having his rhythm completely disrupted.

Completely different from his previous style under the starry sky, his brows were furrowed, and his aura lacked the aggressiveness and offensiveness he had shown earlier.

In fact, he had already seen that she was doomed to lose at the very beginning of the game, when they had both placed more than ten pieces. He was like a hunter patiently luring her into his trap.

But her moves were completely haphazard, and he could never guess what she would do next.

Each piece seemed unrelated, operating independently, which led him to spend time investigating, only to discover that they truly were unrelated.

Pei Ji has been playing chess for so many years, and even when he was young, he could play with great skill and ease against the late emperor. But when he faced her, his chess moves were disrupted and his mind became chaotic.

I couldn't help but chuckle; her earlier comment that her chess skills were mediocre wasn't just modesty.

But as the game went on, he found it quite interesting. She didn't play according to the usual rules, and he imitated her, as if he had broken free from something.

Empress Dowager Jiang and her aunt were afraid that the younger generation would feel uncomfortable with them around, so they had already gone to the side to talk.

Man Xinghe had been watching Wei Nanxun from behind, initially thinking she was impressive.

She was surprisingly relaxed and quick at playing chess with her uncle, while her uncle looked serious with furrowed brows.

After looking closely, I realized that she didn't know anything about chess at all.

Several times he felt upset during the game, and if he hadn't been observing the game in silence, he would have stepped in to help.

What surprised him even more was that the game, which should have been over in half an hour, lasted a full half hour, and just when he thought he was finally going to be free.

His good uncle simply tossed the chess piece into the chess cup casually.

He said calmly, "I have lost."

Before Wei Nanxun could speak, he couldn't help but say, "Uncle, how can you let me win? You've never let me win before."

Pei Ji stared at him, scanning him up and down: "You're not worthy."