The next morning, Luo He entered the imperial court as if nothing significant had happened the night before. The emperor however did not share that calm.
"You've done well," he said. His voice carrying both relief and admiration. "Very well." The court murmured in agreement. Reports had already spread cities taken, armies turned, rebellions crushed with almost insulting efficiency.
The emperor leaned forward slightly.
"Tell me," he continued. "What do you want as your reward?" Luo He didn't hesitate. "Nothing." He said confidently.
That answer drew more attention than any request could have. "I do what I do," he added casually, "because I enjoy it."
The emperor studied him for a moment, then laughed.
"No one moves without desire." The emperor said. Luo He met his gaze evenly. "Then I am an exception."
That only amused the emperor more.
Still he would not leave it there.
"A man like you must carry a title," he declared. "Something fitting." And so Luo He was granted a higher official status within the court rank, recognition, position.
To everyone else it was a great honor.
To Luo He it was a label. A hollow one.
A name without substance. Exactly the kind he disliked. He accepted it anyway.
"As long as it comes without duties," he said flatly.
The emperor waved a hand. "No administrative burden. Only presence."
That was acceptable. Barely.
Not long after Luo He found something far more appealing than court politics.
A chess tournament. Organized within the capital sponsored by the Crown Prince himself. The grand prize six thousand gold coins.
Luo He didn't care for the money. But the game that interested him. The next morning he arrived at the venue accompanied by Jin Mulan, Fei, little Lin, and thirteen personal guards.
The hall was grand filled with scholars, officials, strategists, and nobles. Each convinced of their own brilliance. Luo He took his seat quietly. And began to play.
Round after round he advanced.
Effortlessly.
Not by overwhelming force but by control. He didn't dominate the board.
He shaped it. Opponents left their seats confused unsure of when they had lost control.
By the time the final stage arrived only a handful remained Luo He, A quiet peasant from the back alleys, Three seasoned scholars, One minister.
In the next round the difference in level became clear. Luo He dismantled his opponent without effort. The peasant did the same. The scholars men who had spent their lives studying the game were eliminated in silence.
And so as the rounds narrowed, the atmosphere shifted. Luo He advanced.
A scholar advanced. And the peasant quiet, unremarkable advanced as well.
Now only three remained Luo He. The peasant. The Crown Prince. Then the disruption. Midway through preparations the peasant suddenly clutched his stomach his face draining of color.
Sweat formed instantly across his brow.
"I am not feeling well," he stammered barely able to stand. Without waiting he rushed toward the washroom. He never returned. Luo He watched him go.
His expression didn't change. But his eyes sharpened just slightly. Moments later a court official approached quietly.
"If you concede," the man murmured. "His Highness is willing to grant you three times the grand prize." Luo He didn't even look at him. "No." So the final was set. Luo He. And the Crown Prince.
The board was placed between them.
But from the very first move it was clear
This would not be a clean game.
At first, the Crown Prince played clean.
Measured. Precise. Almost elegant.
Anyone watching would have believed they were witnessing a fair contest between two masters. But then he began to lose ground.
It wasn't obvious to the crowd. Not yet. But to anyone who understood the board the shift had already begun. And the Prince felt it. That was when the game changed.
A servant approached bowing low offering wine to both players. "Courtesy of His Highness." The gesture was polite.
Expected. Luo He glanced at the cup… then pushed it aside. "I don't drink while playing." The hall stirred.
Refusing the prince's offering. Refusing something presented under the emperor's presence bordered on disrespect. Several voices murmured urging him to accept it. But Luo He didn't move. The Prince smiled faintly and drank his own.
Moments later his play sharpened unnaturally. Faster. More aggressive.
More precise. Prepared. As the midgame deepened Luo He placed a piece. A perfectly legal move.
The Prince leaned back immediately.
"Illegal." The word rang out clearly. The arbiter stepped forward examined the board briefly then nodded. "A foul." The crowd murmured again.
Jin Mulan's eyes narrowed. Fei clenched his jaw. Luo He said nothing. He simply adjusted the board and continued. But one tempo had been stolen.
By now the outcome was inevitable.
Three moves. That was all Luo He needed. Three moves to end it. The Prince saw it. And so he acted. His sleeve swept across the board with sudden force.
Pieces scattered. The board split along its seam. Gasps filled the hall. A disruption. An "accident." But before anyone could react, Luo He moved.
His hands blurred. In a single motion he reset everything.
Every piece. Every position. Perfect.
As if nothing had ever happened. By the time the crowd processed what had occurred the board was whole again.
The Prince's expression tightened.
For the first time he looked unsettled.
Luo He made the final sequence. One move. Two. The third victory. Checkmate. And at that exact moment A thunder of hooves. Shouting. A sudden cavalry unit surged past the outer courtyard causing a wave of panic.
Guards moved. Officials stood. Spectators shifted and scattered. Attention broke. Order collapsed. For just a few seconds no one was watching the board.
When calm finally returned the courtyard was still unsettled from the sudden cavalry charge. Dust lingered near the entrance. Nobles were straightening their robes servants hurried back into place and many spectators were still trying to understand what had happened.
The official recorder stepped forward toward the board brush already in hand.
Before he could speak the Crown Prince suddenly rose from his seat. "I won!" he declared loudly enthusiasm and authority mixing perfectly in his voice.
The crowd immediately turned toward him. The recorder hesitated. Only briefly.
Then he lowered his eyes to the board and announced, "Black victory." At first it sounded ordinary. But something had changed. Quietly. Deliberately.
Somewhere during the confusion the seating arrangement had been reversed. The records now listed the Crown Prince as black and Luo He as white despite the opposite having been true for the entire match before the disturbance.
The Prince spoke immediately calm now almost offended that there could even be uncertainty. "I was playing black." The judges exchanged glances. Then they looked at the written records.
At the board. At the Crown Prince. And finally they nodded. "The Crown Prince is the winner." The declaration echoed through the grand hall with official finality.
Undisputed. Recognized. Recorded. Some cheered instantly. Others remained silent.
A few scholars frowned faintly but lowered their heads without speaking. No one wished to challenge the heir to the throne over a game especially not publicly.
The Crown Prince suddenly laughed.
A clear confident laugh that broke the heavy atmosphere lingering over the hall.
Then in front of everyone he stood and extended his hand toward Luo He.
"Good game." He said.
The gesture itself was enough to make the crowd breathe again. Tension that had nearly turned dangerous softened instantly under the prince's casual composure. Luo He looked at the offered hand for a moment before taking it firmly.
"Yes," he replied with an easy smile. "I enjoyed it the last part the most." And to everyone was surprised. He genuinely sounded like he meant it. There was no bitterness in his voice. No resentment.
No wounded pride.
If anything Luo He looked entertained.
The two men stood there smiling at each other while everyone else in the hall remained uncertain whether they had just witnessed a rivalry beginning or two monsters politely acknowledging one another.
The Crown Prince's grip tightened slightly. "You play dangerously." Luo He chuckled lightly. "And Your Highness plays desperately." For a brief second silence returned. Then the prince laughed again louder this time.
"Well said." The prince commended.
Even the judges relaxed after that. The atmosphere shifted completely the earlier ugliness buried beneath noble smiles and courtly manners as though it had never happened. That was politics.
So long as both sides maintained appearances the truth itself became secondary. Luo He understood that perfectly. He released the prince's hand calmly.
"Next time," he said casually, "let us finish a match without cavalry charges."
A few nearby scholars nearly choked trying not to laugh. Even the Crown Prince's lips twitched faintly at the remark.
"We shall see," the prince replied. Luo He gave a small bow not overly respectful but not insulting either. "Then I'll look forward to it." And just like that he turned away from the board entirely.
No frustration. No obsession over the stolen victory. Because to him the game had already given him what he wanted.
Fun. And information. Far more valuable than six thousand gold coins.