Why are you even here?

"How's your Weiqi skills?" Yinyue asked Ronghe, who trailed a respectful distance behind her, distracted by what Lang had told him.

'Careful, the Grand Prince is a woman.' Those were the words Lang mouthed to him. Ronghe had his suspicions about the small petite body of the Grand Prince before him. He had waived his suspicions aside because small sized men, her size, existed but not common.

Women were the last things Ronghe needed entangled in his life. Especially the ones from the Imperial Dayan family. The princesses took male companions from his memory.

What troubled him more were the few women servants he'd seen roaming around the Grand Prince's residence. Most women servants of the nobles were attractive and young. Here, they were matured or plain looking.

The male servants were also plain, but not her bodyguards or aides he had seen. Ronghe noticed that even those with the scars on their faces were pleasant looking.

He cussed his luck. Why couldn't it be Hushiyi he dealt with? Then again, Hushiyi's implication in the case meant he must keep away to reduce any accusations of a cover-up.

He wondered why she called him aside to her study to speak in private. Was it about Ahan, his servant? She still held him in her residence. But why can't she talk about Ahan in front of Lang?

"Are you listening?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

"To reply the Grand Prince, my weiqi skills are average at best," he replied with utmost courtesy and formality.

"Fake modesty." Yinyue smirked as a passing patrol stopped and bowed to her. "What were you thinking of?"

"Lang, the town physician. His patients must be waiting for him," Ronghe replied while looking at the clear late afternoon sky, hoping Lang would be released from the residence. Weiqi took a long time to play.

"Don't worry, my men already arranged for his return to Bian town."

Ronghe furrowed his eyebrows but said nothing. He wanted to leave the Grand Prince's residence before dusk. Dusk made the mountain path treacherous for both rider and horse. Unless she planned on holding him hostage.

Ronghe clenched his fists and hoped she didn't plan on playing weiqi. That game took hours or even days to finish. Any direct refusal may send him to an unpleasant place. Residences of the nobles often have a hidden dungeon. Yinyue's status as a Grand Prince meant no one would question his disappearance.

She walked on as though she didn't notice the patrolling guards and continued down the path leading around the courtyard. A grand double storey building came into view against the leafless trees and dried shrubs. No guards were present. The doors remained shut.

In most residences of both officials and nobles, visible guards stood outside their study rooms.

The building looked unguarded, but Ronghe knew better from sensing several pairs of eyes watching them. His eyes swept through the surroundings. Those hidden guards are highly skilled. Even he can't pinpoint their location in bright daylight. They left no clues.

She pushed open the creaking door and Ronghe recognised a mild burnt pine fragrance which came from stale ink. At the end of the cavernous room was a large study desk with a chair. Writing brushes and scrolls scattered across its top.

On the right were lower tables with cushions on the floor, meant for visiting officials, or scribes. Lining the wall were bookshelves filled with scrolls and parchments. There were a few bound books on one shelf, made of precious paper. He couldn't afford that luxury.

On the left, a silk screen stood, partitioning the room. Ronghe noticed the table set up for a game of weiqi on the daybed-turned-couch in front of the screen.

He could make out a bed from the gaps between the joints of the silk screen. Nothing unusual since most study rooms of the wealthy and powerful had rest areas.

Ronghe stood at the entrance, careful to stay near the door.

Yinyue sat down on the couch and pointed to the spot opposite the weiqi table. "Don't worry, there's no trap here. Or poison."

Ronghe coughed politely. "The skies are darkening soon."

He hoped she got the hint. Yinyue pretended not to hear as she took out two pots laid at the side.

"White or black?" She asked.

With a faint sigh of resignation, he took the seat opposite her. He glanced at the pots. One filled with black seeds and the other white.

"After you," he answered.

It didn't matter if he started first or second. Weiqi was a test of strategic thinking skill. The goal is to surround the opponent with control over territory. And the art of winning depended on how well the person could control through the moves.

"You start." She placed the pot of white seeds in front of him.

He glanced at the white seeds. Those were not ordinary painted round seeds but made out of white jade. His fingers picked the cold jade seed up and made his move.

Both Yinyue and he went back and forth, making their moves in silence with neither speaking. Ronghe noticed how aggressive her moves were, like those military officers. Although aggressive, she calculated her moves carefully.

He spotted a few traps she laid out and his fingers, holding his white seed, hovered over one trap on the board. If he wanted to go home before dusk, he had to lose fast. Yet, she deliberately delayed the game.

"You seem to enjoy losing," she finally spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"Grand Prince, sometimes there are always those who can best one's ability. You are the better player." Ronghe gave her a faint smile.

Yinyue rolled her eyes. She had observed his moves. Ronghe hesitated to counter her seeds when he could, choosing a worse position than where he was about to place the seed.

"Which makes me wonder about a man of your talents would actually come to Yandi when there are better opportunities in the Capital."

Ronghe stiffened at what she said.

"I checked your background. Had you stayed in the Capital, you won't be a lowly magistrate of some small rural border town but at a higher rank," she continued speaking.

Ronghe could sense the danger in her voice. It almost felt like she was accusing him of something.

"And your father's position is high up there, trusted by the Emperor. So why are you even in my territory?"