The Emperor's command of chess far surpassed the Crown Prince's, and he immediately grasped the essence of the game merely by inspecting the board.
Unable to conceal the admiration in his eyes, he exclaimed, "So that's how you solve it... Why didn't I think of this?"
The Prince, wearing a gratified smile, replied, "The Emperor is preoccupied with the affairs of the state and lacks time to deliberate on chess games. Linlang has been recovering from her injuries in the East Palace and has spent her free time sharpening her chess skills."
In saying this, he not only provided an excuse for the Emperor but also took the opportunity to praise the brilliance of Wo Linlang - the problem was neatly solved given there was no prior time, and now there was ample time to solve it.
Who else in the world could be so intelligent?
Perhaps his late cousin could I guess.