After My Death, The Villain Blackened Again: Chapter 7

ARC 1: THE EMPEROR SCHEMES TO GRAB A MAN’S WIFE (4)

The hour was no longer early, and so the three had a meal together in the bamboo house by the forest.

The emperor wanted to play three matches with the youth, but he could not open his mouth. As his eyes narrowed at the darkening sky, he was not able to taste any of the food he ate.

Yan Ge gracefully finished her meal. Standing up, she ignored the emperor that would not speak up and exchanged farewells with Master Liaofan.

When Ji Zai saw her give up such a good opportunity, it couldn't understand: "This emperor likes to play chess. Why don't you play a few more games with him and become chess friends? Maybe he’ll find the truth, goodness, and beauty under your skin bag."

Yan Ge declined to comment. There was nothing special about obtaining something easily, especially when it came to people like Emperor Yuan, who was the pride of heaven. The best person was most likely the one he constantly thought about.

This can be said to be a good start. When Yan Ge returned to her own side room, she slept soundly all night.

She no longer spent time with Master Liaofan. Instead, she made an effort to visit all the well-known places in Jingcheng in the following days.

Early one morning, she made a plan to visit the somewhat famous Deng clan’s suckling pig shop. She had just entered and was right in the middle of greeting the shopkeeper at the front desk when she turned her head in time to see Emperor Yuan walk inside.

Yi, why did this guy run over to such a place instead of attending the morning assembly?

"Qi Xiong¹?” Surprised, Yan Ge cupped her fist in a greeting: "I did not expect to see you here. What a pleasure to meet you.”

Emperor Yuan’s courtesy name² was Qi'an, but no one dared to call him this. Since few people knew this name, he used it whenever he was incognito.

"Yan Xiong!" Over the past few days, Emperor Yuan failed to ‘accidentally’ meet him at Dajue Temple. Left with no other choice, he went down this route. "A chance encounter is better than an invitation. Why don’t we secure a table?" He made an invitational gesture.

"All right." Yan Ge clasped her hands and laughed: "It would be an honor."

Roasting suckling pigs took time and so Emperor Yuan seized the opportunity to suggest: "Rather than wait like this, why not chat over a game of chess?

Yan Ge echoed agreement: "That couldn’t be better."

The private room was quite luxurious. Not only were the four treasures of the study³ available, a chess table had also been prepared. There was no need to waste time.

The pair relapsed into silence once the match began. Only the occasional drop of a piece sounded in the private room.

Yan Ge had lived for thousands of years. She also had the cheat-like system along with the commandeering Ji Zai. Although it was somewhat strenuous to go against the darling of Tiandao, she wasn’t vulnerable.

It was already noon when the game ended.

Yan Ge barely won by one piece.

Emperor Yuan felt very upset. He still had some confidence in himself and wanted to play one more time. However, he saw that Yan Ge had already called a waiter to serve the food and could only look on helplessly as the chessboard was put away.

The heart was regrettable, and Emperor Yuan came to think more highly of Yan Ge. "Where is Yan Xiong from? People with such amazing talent and admirable character should not be unknown in Jincheng."

"It would be an undeserved praise to think of me as a crouching tiger or hidden dragon⁴.” Yan Ge waved her hands and spoke humbly: "I am not a Jingcheng native. I have been traveling since childhood; where I went was where I ate. I am but an ordinary person who holds no ambition.”

Emperor Yuan and Yan Ge had several conversations, and a fondness for this capable individual welled up in his heart. He sincerely offered her a recommendation. "Yan Xiong is still young, why not take the scholar’s exam? On one side your name can spread through the world, and on the other, you can serve the people."

Yan Ge shook her head. "My body has been very poor from a young age, and living to this age has been difficult. I dare not think of a future.”

After a pause, she chuckled: "Qi Xiong thinks too highly of me. I may be better at chess, but there are no other skills.”

The roasted suckling pigs and side dishes came to the table one after another. Their stomachs were empty and naturally, no words were passed in the dining room.

---

1. Xiōng (兄)a polite form of address among men. It literally means 'elder brother', but peers use this regardless of who is older↩︎
2. Courtesy name (字 — zì)name given to a man when he turns 20, the age of an adult↩︎
3. Four treasures of the study (文房四宝 — wén fang sì bǎo)expression that denotes the writing tools:-paper, ink slab, ink stick, and brush↩︎
4. Crouching tiger, hidden dragon (卧虎藏龙 — wò hǔ cáng lóng)idiom that means a talented individual in hiding↩︎

   Previous    ||    ToC    ||    Next   

 

You know, if you think of Yan Ge's 'disease' as her gender, then she's not really lying given the era of this arc.