Sansheng

"Let's go." Chu Ao helped Lin Zhong up.

"Where are you going?" Lin Zhong still wanted to stay there for a while.

"Go back to your palace, I'll play a few games with you, let you practice first, so that you can perform well in front of the emperor tomorrow. When the emperor asks you to play chess, do you really want to relieve the boredom of the three of you?"

"Chu Ao, you are so kind! I knew you would support me!" Lin Zhong laughed through his tears immediately.

Guo'er, you look so pretty when you smile like this.But this is the first smile of yours that I don't want to see, you smiled, but my heart is cold, you are the emperor in this deep palace, where will my position be?My dream of being free in the mountains and rivers with you will always be just a dream...

But, what can I do, I don't want to see you cry, in front of your tears, my obsession with dreams will turn into my selfish guilt for this moment in the future, that's all, let you go...

Sansheng, it's really destiny...

In Lin Zhong's study room, the whole hall was very quiet, the falling palace curtain seemed to suck in all the sounds, leaving only the two teenagers inside the curtain playing chess silently. The trend hit the opponent's heart step by step.

Guoer, do you really want to be the emperor?Chu Ao landed a white piece on the left three squares, and stuck tightly next to Lin Zhong's black piece, only defending but not attacking.

I swear I won't give up until I reach my goal!Lin Zhongqi took another step forward in a fierce manner.

Guo'er, have you ever thought that the person you fight for doesn't mind whether you are a king or not?Chu Ao clamped his fingers together, and another chess piece fell beside him, without any sign of attack.

The concubine mother is too afraid of my failure, but I will not fail!Lin Zhong dropped the chess, easily picked up Chu Ao's white stones, and threw them into the chessboard.

"Chu Ao, don't play recklessly, okay, this chess is played inexplicably, are you perfunctory?" Lin Zhong looked at his disorderly moves, feeling that he was a little absent-minded.

Chu Ao smiled, "I have my own latitude and longitude in my heart, you just follow your own."

Lin Zhong didn't care about him, he just wanted to go straight to Huanglong.Step by step, step by step, seeing that Chu Ao was about to be knocked at the gate of his life, and victory was in sight, Lin Zhong sat up straight, concentrated, and watched his next move with bright eyes.

Guo'er, if... I don't let you be emperor, will you agree?Will you give up for me?Chu Ao hesitated, and dropped a son in a place that Lin Zhong didn't expect.

Lin Zhong looked at the drop, his brows furrowed. After a long time, he couldn't figure it out, so he had to throw it away, and dropped another drop on his own.

Chu Ao looked at him and laughed at himself, sure enough, you only see success or failure in your eyes, how can you understand my heart.The last move landed neatly on the chessboard, and he got up to leave.

Lin Zhong sat there blankly, with his eyes wide open, two white stones, connected end to end, lowered his own black stone to death, this black and white fight was clearly under his nose, and he was beaten up by himself He came to raise funds, but why he lost in an instant.

"Chu Ao!" Lin Zhong stopped him, "One more dish!" His eyes were full of unwillingness.

It was already raining outside the window, and Chu Ao opened the umbrella, "There is no need to play any more games, you will not win me. You break this round first, and then talk about it. Think carefully, why did you lose?" .”

"I have thought about every step carefully, but where is the problem?"

"You only stare at the distance, but you forget the inch under your feet. Everything is too late. In this game of chess, I only tell you that the last player must take three steps back to survive. You are a smart person. Think about it slowly." After finishing speaking, he held an umbrella and disappeared into the pouring rain.

Lin Zhong looked at the back of him leaving, without moving for a long time, feeling lost in his heart, unable to tell what he lost, only felt that the distance between him and that person was not as simple as a rain curtain between them.

At si o'clock the next day, the three princes gathered in the emperor's bedroom, saying that the emperor was watching chess, but there was no shortage of ministers in power, so they stood all over the room, and even the queen mother and three noble concubines sat on both sides.Everyone was sitting upright, with solemn expressions. As soon as Lin Zhong entered the hall, he was taken aback by the situation in front of him. Didn't grandmother say yesterday that the emperor just watched his brothers play chess to relieve boredom?Why are these irrelevant people here?Suddenly, he thought of what Chu Ao said, and it turned out that he really hit the mark. The situation in front of him is probably a chess game specially set up for the establishment of the reserve.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhong couldn't help sweating on his back. Although his chess skills are not bad, far better than his elder brother, but slightly inferior to his second brother, he probably won't have the upper hand in this game.He just wondered, with so many skills, why did his father choose the chess skill that he was least sure of?

Feeling Lin Cong's smiling eyes looking at him, Lin Zhong smiled awkwardly, a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, and looked at the standing ministers restlessly. A pair of eyes, full of enthusiasm, warmed Lin Zhong's heart.

It was Chu Ao, the servant of the left, whose eyes full of encouragement met his timid eyes. Lin Zhong wanted to cry, but Chu Ao smiled slightly and made a "three" with his fingers.

Guo'er, you just remember that yesterday's chess move was three steps back.

Lin Zhong shook his head and nodded, and was urged to his seat by the palace man's loud "play chess".

With two victories in three games, Lin Lin quickly lost to Lin Cong and Lin Zhong. Angrily, he punched the chessboard with his fist and walked away. Many ministers shook their heads.

Only Lin Zhong and Lin Cong were left to play. Lin Zhong did not dare to be sloppy. He kept in mind the lesson of losing to Chu Ao yesterday. , just smiled and stroked his chin, and easily won the count.

Looking at the impasse in front of him, Lin Zhong was very hopeless, his back was drenched with sweat, Lin Zhong looked at his father's expectant eyes, and the ministers' somewhat contemptuous faces watching the excitement, and became more and more nervous, holding the chess piece. His fingers trembled a little, unable to drop them for a long time.The chessboard in front of him seemed to be blurred, his brain went blank, his ears were buzzing, and suddenly a familiar voice sounded in his mind:

Guoer, you just need to remember to take three steps back.

His thoughts were pulled back all of a sudden, and he fixed his eyes. The chess game in front of him became more and more clear. It turned out to be the game of chess played yesterday. It was not bad. Lin Zhong rubbed his eyes, a little unbelievable. Nervous, can't even see the chess game clearly?

Thinking about yesterday's chess situation, he suddenly became confident. A chess piece was raised high and fell under Lin Cong's smiling eyes. The moment Lin Cong touched the chessboard, there was no smile in Lin Cong's eyes. Surprised and flustered.

"Second brother, you lost." Lin Zhong spat out lightly, Lin Cong paused, but folded his hands and laughed: "Unexpectedly, the third brother's chess skills have improved so rapidly, and the second brother is so convinced that I lost." ah!"

The ministers sighed endlessly, and there was a lot of discussion underneath. Lin Yihuan couldn't hide his excitement, and turned to the Queen Mother, "Queen Mother, how is it? Are you satisfied with this game of chess?"

"Hmph, it's just a little cleverness, and it won't make it to the big stage. There's still a competition later on, let's see." After finishing speaking, he said he was tired and got up, saying that he was going back to the palace to rest.

Everyone was gone, only Lin Zhong and Chu Ao were left, and he went back to the original place to sit quietly, and he was still standing there quietly, the two of them had nothing to say, and looked at each other for a long time, with a knowing smile on the corner of their mouths.

Chu Ao, thank you for helping me again.Lin Zhong's smile, with gratitude, just spread it on his face from the bottom of his heart.

Guo'er, I can't help you realize your wish. How can I call it loving you? As long as you want it, even if it is the stars in the sky, I am willing to risk my life to pick them.

Chu Ao's smile carried a hint of loneliness, but he was used to hiding it, so how could he notice that stupid fruit.

Lin Zhong, who just won the chess game against his two elder brothers, couldn't fall asleep for a long time at the middle of the night. He had just won the chess game, and was told that three days later, the emperor would test the writing skills of the three princes. The joy was immediately replaced by the oncoming tension and anxiety, and all kinds of mixed feelings were surging in my heart, but it was hard to hide a trace of trembling excitement. Every time I win a game, it is like every battle on the battlefield, and I am closer to the supreme kingship. Nearly an inch, why not let him go crazy.

Outside the window, there are a few lonely bugs unwilling to let the heat recede, occasionally chirping once or twice, but unfortunately none of them are sleepy bugs.Lin Zhong put on a thin coat, lit a candle in the cool and breezy early autumn, and leaned over his desk to read a book.There are still three days to go, and if you work harder, your chances of winning will be greater. Anyway, you won’t be able to sleep while lying down, so it’s better to turn on the lamp and read at night.

It's just that sleepy people don't come to him, and they can't read any words on the paper. The paper is full of a person's smiling eyes. Those eyes are like the current night, with a little bit of starlight, and there is also a hazy corner inside. The moonlight is beautiful, exuding soft thoughts, in those eyes, deep in the pupils, I embed myself in it like night pearls, and the self inside smiles like a fool.Lin Zhong rested his chin, and also laughed idiotically, only thinking about being a fool under the moon who was so in love with nothing, he didn't even know when he fell asleep lying on the book.

Of course, Lin Zhong was not the only one who was not asleep at the moment. The seemingly peaceful palace was actually undercurrents.Lin Lin spent half the night discussing in Lin Cong's palace, and as soon as he returned to his bedroom, he called his confidant over and ordered him to go on: "Go and find out who Chu Ao is from, and go now. "

"Yes!" The person who agreed went out immediately, not daring to delay for a moment.

And Lin Cong was in his own palace, with a smile on his lips, touching a priceless white ring, and muttering: "Tomorrow, it's up to you."

His face was a little cool, as if someone was poking it lightly with his fingertips, but his ears were a little warm, as someone whispered there: "Guoer..." It was like somewhere in a dream. The sound came, accompanied by the peach blossom petals flying all over the sky, she lost her head and body.

"Huh?" Lin Zhong's eyes hadn't opened yet, but there was a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Get up, Guo'er, the sun is rising." The voice was soft and soft, but Lin Zhong couldn't get rid of his sleepiness. He tried to open his mouth, but he still couldn't say a word. After a while, he would go to Duke Zhou again.

Like falling feathers, two pieces of warmth that can almost ignore the weight, lightly tapped on his lips, Lin Zhong couldn't tell whether it was in a dream or in reality, he should have dodged it, but in his heart he didn't He didn't want to move very much, but the temperature dropped, but he couldn't sleep anymore, he opened his sleepy eyes, and really saw the person in front of him, the person in the dream, looking at him with a smile.

"Chu Ao, you... when did you come..." Lin Zhong blushed a little remembering the feeling just now.

"I've been here for a while, what are you dreaming about, smiling like this? And drooling over this book?" Chu Ao asked with a half smile, picking up the book from the table.

"Ah?" Lin Zhong saw that the paper was covered with wrinkled water stains, and suddenly felt lost, wishing to find a crack in the ground to get in.

"It's nothing, why didn't the palace people tell you when you came?" I hurriedly tried to divert the conversation.

"Yes, I have passed it several times, but you didn't answer, so I came in by myself." The man didn't seem to care about it anymore, he threw the book away, put his hands behind his head, and sat down carelessly, "Don't look at me. That's it, I won't take this book for the literary exam the day after tomorrow."

"How do you know?" Lin Zhong opened his eyes wide in shock.

Chu Ao smiled mysteriously: "I'll point out a few books to you, and you can just read these few books in the past three days, and you can set aside the others for a while, and you can read them later." He took off a few thick books and sent them to Lin Zhong's arms.

As soon as his arm sank, Lin Zhong was dumbfounded. They were all ancient classics that had been shelved, mostly articles and commentaries by Laozi and Zhuangzi, and he rarely paid attention to them on weekdays. People who hate this passive old-fashioned Taoism.

Seeing Lin Zhong's suspicious expression, Chu Ao did not argue, but spread his hands innocently, "Believe it or not, don't regret it when the time comes." After that, he lifted his foot and was about to leave.

"Ai! Ai! Ai! I didn't say I didn't believe it!" He hurriedly called Chu Ao, "I'm just wondering why you are so sure. Missed." There was a trace of worry between his brows.

"Guo'er, as I said, I will definitely give you what you want. I'm not joking." Chu Ao looked at Lin Zhong with full seriousness.

I want to ask why he treats me so well, is he a friend of the monarch and his ministers?Or the way of relatives and friends?Or the former alliance of brothers?Not like, it doesn’t seem to be, this kindness makes the relationship between the two of them precious, Lin Zhong doesn’t know it, but he dare not ask, he is afraid that there are too many precious things in the answer, and it will burn his hands.

"Don't be in a daze, read a book." Chu Ao didn't know all the thoughts in his mind at the moment, interrupted him suddenly, pushed him on the chair, and supported half of his face with his arms, biting a grass Stick looked at him.

"what are you doing here?"

"Look at you reading."

"Where can I use you to see?"

"You just fell asleep reading a book."

"you……"

"Stop rambling, read it quickly, and I'll ask you a few questions after reading a chapter to test you." Seeing that he was really awkward, Chu Ao also casually pulled the book from the side, and flipped through it pretendingly.

Lin Zhong didn't say anything, he calmed down and lowered his head to read.For a while, the study room became quiet, only occasionally one or two flipping of books could be heard.