After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

However, chess games are usually played one-on-one, so Wen Tingzhu's actions just now were truly shocking.

"Now that we're one person short, do we still want to continue the competition? Does this mean we've conceded defeat? Or do you want to find someone else to replace us?"

Seeing the rather unpleasant expressions on the faces of the people from Sheng Kingdom, King Su finally felt a little relieved of the frustration in his chest, and deliberately dragged out his question.

His smug look was truly unappealing, but their retreat at the last minute was indeed in the wrong, and the Crown Prince's expression was also unpleasant.

Originally, it was thought that Yang Bo and Li Xuan, who had been trained in chess since childhood, would have an edge. The worrying one was Wen Tingzhu. Judging from their seating arrangement, it seemed that they understood his plan, but unexpectedly...

With Prince Su being so aggressive, wouldn't it be shameful to find someone else? He glanced at Wen Tingzhu and decided to...

Wen Tingzhu stood up and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I think that if we look for someone now, it might be seen as a series of attacks. Lord Yang's illness was just a coincidence. To avoid giving others cause for gossip, I dare to request a try."

Emperor Sheng looked at the young people below, his bent posture unable to conceal his determination. Although it was just an ordinary court robe, he wore it with a unique flair. Then he looked at the Crown Prince, and the father and son exchanged a glance. He said in a deep voice, "Then let's do as Wen Qing says."

"Heh, kid, you've got quite the nerve!"

Prince Su looked at Wen Tingzhu and realized that he might have misjudged him. This man was not like a soft sheep, but rather like a cunning and arrogant wolf.

Wen Tingzhu did not speak, but simply bowed slightly to Prince Su before sitting down again.

The fact that Prince Su remained silent did not mean that others had no thoughts.

Although no one dared to speak loudly, they kept whispering among themselves.

"This guy is too arrogant. How can he handle playing two games at the same time?"

"You'd be right! If you're not careful and lose both games, that would be really embarrassing."

"You're still so young! You're only thinking about showing off, not considering the consequences!"

"That's right, it's just that Lord Li is in a terrible predicament. No matter whether he wins or loses, he's going to lose in the end."

"Ugh……"

If the people of Shengguo were like this, the ministers of Anguo were even less optimistic about Wen Tingzhu. They not only predicted his downfall but were also very angry.

"Is he looking down on our Anguo? He actually thinks he can take on both of us by himself, he's really ignorant of his own limitations!"

"We should let Young Master Su and the others dampen his arrogance and let him know what it means to be outdone by others. He should stop thinking about showing off all the time."

"Yes."

Although everyone tried to keep their conversations down, it was impossible not to hear them at such a close distance.

Wen Tingzhu, who was at the center of the conversation, remained calm, as if he wasn't the person everyone was talking about. On the contrary, the reactions of the other main characters were not as others expected.

Li Xuan knew that although the difference in strength between him and Su Zizhi was not significant, he was indeed slightly inferior to Su Zizhi. The fact that he had managed to hold on until now was already the result of a hard-fought battle.

He couldn't be the first to lose the competition, whether for himself or for the sake of the nation.

Wen Tingzhu's sudden action startled him. Was he absolutely certain of success in doing this?

Should I continue to persist?

His gaze shifted to the other two chess games...