Chapter 267: A Game She Can't Lose
Chapter 267: A Game She Can't Lose
Is it really that simple?
This man, with his deep and intricate schemes, had gone through so much trouble to bring her here in the middle of the night, just to gamble with her?
Meng Qianqian felt that the game wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.
"Is there any restriction on how I take them?" she asked. "What if I don't take any?"
The man replied, "You must take at least one, but you can't take them all. You must leave at least one piece in the chess box."
In other words, there was no possibility of a draw.
Meng Qianqian's idea of taking all twenty pieces in one go was blocked.
"Is there anything else?" she asked.
"You must also tell the truth and not lie," the man added.
What kind of rule was this? Even if she lied, how would he know?
The man clarified, "Each of us has one chance to forfeit, where we can choose not to answer, but it will cost us one of our own pieces."
Forfeiting seemed like a small price to pay, as it only resulted in the loss of one piece.
However, if it happened to be the last piece and she couldn't answer, she would undoubtedly lose.
Therefore, this opportunity to forfeit must either be used early or not at all.
Meng Qianqian asked, "Which is worse, lying or having all my pieces taken?"
"Lying," the man answered.
Meng Qianqian looked into his eyes and said, "Good. I'll gamble with you. Who will be the third person?"
The man glanced at Bai Yuwei and said, "I had intended for one of my people to do it, but since Miss Bai is here, why don't we ask her to be the third person?"
"Okay," Meng Qianqian agreed.
Bai Yuwei glared at Meng Qianqian, wanting to say that if she were to agree, it would be her decision. But with a formidable opponent before them, they couldn't afford internal strife. She understood this much.
She reached for the black cloth on the tray.
"Wait," Meng Qianqian stopped her, then turned to the man and said, "I don't trust your things. Little sister, use your own hairband."
Bai Yuwei pouted and took off her hairband.
"I'll have my person blindfold her," the man said.
He called in a female guard who blindfolded Bai Yuwei tightly, ensuring she couldn't see a thing. Even if she wanted to cheat, it was impossible!
Meng Qianqian chose the black pieces.
The man gracefully said, "As the player with the black pieces, you have the first move and the right to ask the first question."
Meng Qianqian calmly replied, "Since it's a blind pick, it doesn't matter who goes first. There's no need to act as if you're yielding to me."
"Ask him how many hairs he has on his head," Bai Yuwei suggested. "He'll definitely not know the answer, and he'll lose for sure!"
The man smiled at Meng Qianqian.
Meng Qianqian also smiled and said, "Wouldn't that be too boring? How many of the Shier Wei are under the Prime Minister's command?"
A hint of surprise flashed in the man's eyes. "I thought you'd ask who I am."
Meng Qianqian replied indifferently, "It doesn't matter who you are. Anyone other than Xun Yu is just a dog under the Prime Minister's command."
The man smiled and said, "Four."
Meng Qianqian frowned inwardly. Besides Chen Long, Wei Yang, and Hai Zhu, who was the fourth?
"Hey, you said four, but what if you're lying?" Bai Yuwei asked.
The man spread his hands and said, "If you have evidence that I'm lying, you can declare me the loser."
Bai Yuwei spoke in a cold voice, "Where would we find such evidence?"
The man smiled and said, "If you don't have evidence, then I'm not lying."
"You—" Bai Yuwei started.
Meng Qianqian suddenly realized, "So that's how it works. I understand. Continue."
The man said, "I've answered your question, so it's time to take the pieces. I'll take four."
Bai Yuwei reached for the chess box, which contained a mixture of ten white and ten black pieces, and after feeling around, she placed four pieces on the table.
Three black and one white.
Meng Qianqian instantly lost three black pieces.
The score was now seven to nine.
"How is it?" Bai Yuwei asked.
Meng Qianqian calmly replied, "Not bad."
The man laughed and said, "It's my turn. Who has the tactics manual for the Shier Wei?"
The tactics manual for the Shier Wei was not an ordinary military strategy book but a secret manual for training the Shier Wei and the Black Armor Army, also known as the Black Armor Army's heritage.
If Xun Yu obtained it, he could establish his own Black Armor Army.
Meng Qianqian couldn't afford to forfeit, as she already had few pieces, and forfeiting would reduce her pieces even more.
But if she told the truth, she didn't have the answer herself. After all, her memory was incomplete.
"It's not in anyone's possession," Meng Qianqian said.
She chose to lie, as he had no evidence anyway.
The man sighed and said, "It seems I've given you an opening."
Meng Qianqian told Bai Yuwei, "Four."
Bai Yuwei took out two black and two white pieces.
The score was now five to seven.
It was Meng Qianqian's turn to ask a question.
"What hold does Chen Long have over the Prime Minister?" Meng Qianqian asked.
Surprisingly, the man chose not to answer and instead took a white piece from the chess box.
The score was now five to six.
"Hey, why would he rather lose a piece than answer?" Bai Yuwei asked. "He could have lied! He's a scoundrel anyway!"
Meng Qianqian looked at the man with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Chen Long has been living in the Governor's Mansion for so long. He suspects I already have the answer, and he's asking a question he knows the answer to. If he lies, he loses. But suspicion is just suspicion. What if I'm tricking him, and he tells the truth, then he'll really reveal Chen Long's hold over the Prime Minister."
Bai Yuwei suddenly understood, "So in this round, he must forfeit!"
"Exactly," Meng Qianqian said.
The man took a deep breath and said to Meng Qianqian, "You're even smarter than I imagined. I'll have to take this more seriously."
Meng Qianqian bluntly replied, "There's no need to save face."
The man's mouth twitched, "It's my turn. Is Lu Yuan the son of the King of Chu?"
Meng Qianqian was secretly startled.
Lu Yuan... the son of the King of Chu?
Why would he ask such an absurd question?
The rules allow lying, unless he knows the exact details of Lu Yuan's background, especially since there is already evidence.
But the answer to this question is either "yes" or "no", and there is still a fifty percent chance of guessing correctly.
If he were a true gambler, perhaps he would take the risk, but he clearly isn't one.
An intelligent person wouldn't bother with such a gamble; they seek certainty.
So, there's only one other possibility: he suspects, and he wants to find the answer from me.
I can lie all I want, but he will judge the truth from my expressions and tone.
"Yes."
Meng Qianqian answered with a flash in her eyes.
Go ahead and guess!
Bai Yuwei was completely confused by these two, unable to tell if they were telling the truth or lying.
Meng Qianqian called out for five chess pieces.
Unfortunately, Bai Yuwei took out four black and one white.
Five against one.
She only had one black piece left.
The man couldn't help but laugh, "It seems like the Yinwei Guard's luck isn't good tonight. If someone didn't know better, they might think Miss Bai is my little sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuwei immediately panicked and reached out to Meng Qianqian, "What do you mean? Did I... did I take all your black pieces?"
Meng Qianqian glanced at the remaining pieces in the chess box, "No, you took them very well, just as I wanted."
The man smiled, "There's no need to show off."
Meng Qianqian turned to the man, "For my last question, will you let me win?"
The man was stunned.
Suddenly, he realized something, and his victorious smile froze on his lips.
If he answered yes, to ensure his answer was correct, he would have to admit defeat; otherwise, he would be lying.
Lying is the biggest loss.
If he answered no, he would have to ensure that Bai Yuwei would take a black piece next.
"You've already used your chance to pass, and according to the rules, you must answer."
As Meng Qianqian spoke, she moved her fingertips and revealed a silver needle, "Little sister, I am a disciple of the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles."
Bai Yuwei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I understand! Needle hole, needle hole..."
She started searching for the piece with a needle hole in the chess box.
The man's expression darkened, "You're cheating!"
Meng Qianqian spread her hands, "How am I cheating? Did I tell her which piece to take?"
The man said, "You tampered with the pieces!"
Meng Qianqian looked completely innocent, "When I asked about the rules, you didn't say we couldn't touch them either."
Bai Yuwei pressed her hands on the pieces and said excitedly, "I found it! Young Master, how many do you want? Let me remind you, it's impossible to take them all at once, but you can't take none either!"
The man gritted his teeth, "Does it matter how many I take? Meng Xiaojiu, you win!"
Meng Qianqian smiled, "Do you mean you admit defeat? If I win against you, you won't go back on your word, will you?"
The man said solemnly, "I, Xun Qi, accept the bet and concede defeat!"
"Oh."
Meng Qianqian curved her lips, "Little sister, give him the black piece."
Bai Yuwei handed the man a piece, but it wasn't a black piece, it was a white one.
The man was shocked.
Meng Qianqian shrugged, "I didn't tamper with it. I was just tricking you, but you admitted defeat yourself, so you can't go back on your word."
The man almost spat blood.
No wonder the little maid asked, "Do you mean you admit defeat?" The difference between losing and admitting defeat is just one word, and in a state of extreme emotional excitement, it might not seem like a big deal.
At most, it was an inappropriate expression.
Plus, the next sentence was a provocation, leaving no room for further thought.
Her seemingly casual words were actually all traps.
He lost because he admitted defeat himself.
"Wow! I really won!" Bai Yuwei excitedly removed the blindfold, "I'm amazing, right? I cooperated seamlessly! I guessed your strategy right away!"
Meng Qianqian praised without hesitation, "Little sister is amazing. Thanks to you, we were able to win."
This wasn't flattery; at the critical moment, Bai Yuwei truly understood her intentions.
Bai Yuwei felt incredibly accomplished! She had helped and contributed! This family couldn't do without the little one, and the little one's rescue depended on her.
Rounding up, this family would fall apart without her!
The man's expression turned ugly, and he glared at Meng Qianqian, "You're so deceitful, aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"
Meng Qianqian admitted frankly, "I am. There's a fifty percent chance you'll go back on your word. I knew from the start that even if I won against you, I'd only have a fifty percent chance of saving my child. But if I didn't give it my all to win against you, I wouldn't even have that fifty percent chance."
The man's anger gradually dissipated, and he finally let out a long sigh, "Meng Xiaojiu, you're an admirable opponent. I finally understand why my righteous father insisted on getting rid of you. It's not just to defeat Lu Yuan, but because with you by his side, Lu Yuan truly has the confidence to challenge my righteous father."
Bai Yuwei asked in surprise, "Are you also the righteous son of Prime Minister Xun? How many sons does he have?"
Xun Qi smiled, "I'm the seventh in the ranking, the seventh son of the Prime Minister, and the youngest. My second brother is Chen Long, my third brother is Xun Yu, and Lu Yuan is the fourth."
Bai Yuwei asked, "With so many sons, where are the first, fifth, and sixth?"
Xun Qi didn't answer her question but spoke to Meng Qianqian, "My righteous father's children are all talented. He didn't plan to bring us all back to the capital, but what could he do when Lu Yuan grew up to be an unyielding hard bone?"
This sounded more like a reminder to be careful. Meng Qianqian blinked without showing any reaction and said, "I want to see my daughter."
Xun Qi replied, "Okay."
A short chapter, early birds, can you leave a comment?
(End of Chapter)
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