Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 16

Jin qing sat in her room in the palace as the other servants brought her things from her old house into this one. 

Xi jian has offered to give her more servants and maids, but she refused, saying the two she has is already good enough. 

It has been around three days since she moved in, and the only thing she was happy about was the fact that no one in the family moved in as well, that includes Huan le and her mother. 

They were still allowed to visit, but now at least she had the privacy of her own room with little people to bother her.

"Jin qing." 

She mentally sighed. Who could it be now?

She looked up and there Shang ye was, a small smirk on his face. He had his hand upon the wall as if he was knocking just a few seconds before. 

"Shang ye." Jin qing lifted up her pale robes and stood up as her maids curtsied. "What brings you here today?"

"Do you always stay in your room?" He asked. 

Jin qing closed her eyes, a small smile on her face. "Well, yes."

"I have nothing to do. Xi jian Is trying his best to negotiate a peace with the Song, so the army is currently at rest, meaning I have nothing to do."

"Well, if you came to me in search of something to entertain yourself with..." Jin qing shook her head "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I have nothing here."

"Oh?" He tilted his head "Then what do you do all day?"

"Sit around, being a good lady."

"Then a good lady should know how to keep company." Shang ye countered.

Jin qing looked up with an amused grin. "And you expect me to do that? I was raised a tactician, not a housewife."

"No!" Shang ye said, aghast. "I don't mean that! What I mean is I'm terribly bored and I came here for some better company."

Jin qing nodded to her maids, an idea clicking in her head. "Bai yan, fetch a game of XiangGu. Ye bing, get us some tea and snacks. We'll be here for a while if we play that game." She said quietly. She then looked up to see Shang ye already seated at the table, and she sat down on the opposite side. 

"So?" He asked. "Your maids scurried off. What did you tell them to do?"

"We are both people that control armies and oversee strategies. A game of Go would be ideal, but I believe we would like a game that requires more thinking." Jin qing smiled slyly. She reminded herself to calm down. "So," She said, waving her hand as Bai yan set the pieces "Let's play a game of Xianggu."

Shang ye chuckled. "To warn you, I'm quite good at this game." He warned.

"Let the game speak for itself." Jin qing said. 

"Let us raise the stakes." Shang ye said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. 

"What do you mean?"

"If I win, I get something from you. A favor, a piece of jewelry, anything." He said. "And same if I lose."

"Anything that is proper and possible." Jin qing said, excitement bubbling up within her. Oh, she loved this!

A game of Xiang gu is simple.  Players will attempt to capture squares to increase the amount of the game board that they hold by using their pieces. Differently from Go, the board is smaller and with a river in the middle. 

Jin qing loved this game. When evenly matched, this game can go on for hours without an end. The smallest of a mistake can result in a disadvantage for you and a huge advantage for your opponent.