Zhou Shimin did not come to the library again.
However, Princess Changning and Prince Cheng’an often came to play.
As time passed, He Chuan gradually began to adapt. He would miss them even after not seeing them for a long time.
Could it be the so-called ‘scumbag’?
Spring passed, and autumn came. In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.
During this period of time, his cultivation progress was somewhat slow.
In such a long period, his cultivation as a saint cultivator had only advanced one level, reaching the second grade.
From this, it could be seen that after breaking through to a martial saint, every advancement was challenging, and the time it took would be longer.
Even with the help of the system, it was impossible to break through in a short period of time.
He rubbed the space between his brows with his thumb, knowing he could not be anxious.
“Little Eunuch He!”
“Little Eunuch He!”
A familiar voice sounded. Princess Changning and Prince Cheng’an had arrived.
He Chuan had already noticed them when they stepped into the library’s main entrance.
As a saint cultivator, no matter what happened in the library couldn’t be hidden from him.
He walked out of the room to welcome them.
“Little Eunuch He, the story about the seven dwarfs and Snow White is only halfway through. Hurry up and tell us the rest!” Prince Cheng’an could also raise his head. He liked the story He Chuan told very much.
“I won’t tell you a story today. I’ll play something interesting with you guys first.” He Chuan held the hands of the two people and said with a smile.
“What interesting thing?” Princess Changning blinked her eyes and asked with curiosity on her baby fat face.
He Chuan brought them to the room. There was a chessboard on the table.
Beside it was a jar of black stones and a jar of white stones.
Those who knew how to play go understood one thing. Go was the number one game in the world. It was a metaphor for philosophy, values, connotation, and profound culture.
In the past, He Chuan liked playing Go. He would play a few games with his friends from time to time.
Although black and white were not the most beautiful colors, they gave birth to many colorful and beautiful things in the world of black and white.
The Go pieces landed on the chessboard. On the surface, they seemed to be still.
The connection between the pieces allowed the blood to be connected. However, once it became active, thousands of horses would gallop, and a thousand miles would be lost!
The small chessboard contained the principles of the Great Dao.
It was a pity that there was no Go in this world.
Under He Chuan’s guidance, Princess Changning and Prince Cheng’an could understand the rules quickly.
He was in charge of being the referee, and the two children were playing against each other.
“Remember to place your index on the side and middle fingers on top of the stone. It would be best if you used your fingertips to clamp the stone and put the stone silently. This will show your self-restraint!”
“Life is like chess. There is no regret in placing the pieces. You need to be careful with every step you take!”
“There are gains and losses when playing chess. There are offense and defense, block and retreat, connect and break…”
He kept teaching them, hoping the two children would understand the principles of life in chess.
It could not just be entertainment.
Cheng’an might inherit the Zhou Dynasty in the future.
As the Eldest Princess, Changning also needed to have great wisdom.
He could finally relax for a while so that they would not wander around him and their eyes would not easily blur.
The unsatisfied Changning and Cheng’an play the Go in a dignified manner.
He Chuan smiled at this.
When they returned to Jingyang Palace, neither Changning nor Cheng’an was convinced by the other. They started playing chess again.
Their biological mother, Qin Lihua, was conferred the title of Empress.
Every time Qin Lihua returned to her bedroom, the two children would pester her.
However, it was unusually quiet today, which puzzled her.
She walked to the table curiously and found that they were taking a black and white stone and placing them on the square chessboard.
To be able to enter the inner palace, a woman had to be proficient in all kinds of arts.
However, she had never seen the chess the two children play before.
“Aiya, I made a mistake just now!” Changning saw that his younger brother Cheng’an wanted to seal off the path of retreat, so she quickly used a shameless move.
“Little Eunuch He said that life is like chess. There is no regret when placing a piece! Moreover, you have to be silent when placing the pieces in order to reflect the restraint of the royalties. Let’s not talk about how loud you put your pieces were. Why would you regret it?” Cheng’an looked like he was about to win. How could he let his sister regret her move?
“Hmph? Eunuch He said that a man has to give way to a woman!” Changning continued to act shamelessly.
“I’m still a child!”
“Who isn’t?”
“What kind of chess are you playing? Why haven’t I seen it before?” Qin Lihua asked.
“Mother, Eunuch He said that this is Go. Initially, we wanted to hear the story of how the seven calabashes saved the grandfather, but who knew that he would take out Go…” Changning explained in detail.
Qin Lihua knew a little about He Chuan telling stories to her children.
Every time they came back, they would discuss the story and sometimes they would look for her to reason with them.
But she didn’t expect that a eunuch could invent a new game of chess.
And there were many other philosophies.
Life was like chess. There was no regret in making a move!
Could a eunuch really say that?
Princess Changning rolled her eyes. “Mother, why don’t you play a game with me?”
Since she was no match for Cheng’an, then she would bully the newbie.
“What a little brat.” How could Qin Lihua not know her daughter’s thoughts? However, she was indeed a little curious.
She slowly sat in the seat in front of Cheng’an.
Cheng’an was in charge of explaining while Qin Lihua and Changning began to play Go.
After a game, as a newbie, Qin Lihua was naturally no match for her.
However, a trace of curiosity rose in her heart toward He Chuan.
No wonder the emperor liked this little eunuch so much.
He still had some tricks up his sleeve.
When Zhou Shiming came to Jingyang Palace to spend the night, Qin Lihua told him about Go.
When Zhou Shiming heard about this, he pulled the empress to play a game of Go.
From then on, he was out of control and gradually became obsessed with Go.
The Emperor liked Go, so the officials naturally had to learn from him.
He Chuan did not expect Go to become a hot topic suddenly, especially for students. They liked it very much.
Gradually, Go became one of the six arts the Great Zhou Dynasty had to learn.
…
Time was hard to keep up.
In the blink of an eye, it was the 12th year calendar of the Xuanzong sect.
He Chuan had already been in the library for more than ten years.
He had also started to approach the third year of the best age of youth.
After days and nights of bitter cultivation, his strength had risen to the fifth stage of the saint cultivator.
Actually, this speed was already very shocking.
One had to know that He Chuan had signed in with the system, and with the help of the reward pills, he had only managed to rise to the fifth level after seven years.
Princess Changning and Prince Cheng’an were already over ten years old.
The descendants of the royal family had too many things to face, and the time they spent playing with him was gradually decreasing.
He Chuan could not help but feel myriad emotions in his heart.
While he was feeling emotional, Zhou Shimin, in the imperial study, had a helpless expression on his face.
Opposite him was the current prime minister, Fang Yuanqing.
He was Zhou Shimin’s trusted aide.
At the same time, he was also a vassal minister left behind by the late emperor.
His loyalty and ability were impeccable.
“Withdrawing from the vassal states is not child’s play. The benefits involved are huge. Furthermore, the vassal kings have been in contact with various major sects over the years. If the vassal kings join forces to rebel, the Zhou Dynasty will definitely experience unprecedented turmoil!” Fang Yuanqing advised earnestly.
The vassal kings held military power and guarded the borders.
Although the disadvantages were huge, withdrawing from the vassal states was undoubtedly courting death.
Additionally, the barbarians outside the borders were eyeing the middle kingdom with covetous eyes.
If withdrawing from the vassal states failed, the Great Zhou Dynasty would truly be finished.
It was even more dangerous than the nine Princes fighting for the throne.