"Ha..." Rong Jing chuckled lightly, nodding, "Alright!"
Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow. Rong Jing seemed unconcerned, casually placing a black piece on the board. Yun Qianyue picked up a white piece without a second thought and dropped it haphazardly. Rong Jing picked up another black piece and placed it randomly, and Yun Qianyue continued the pattern. The two of them, one black and one white, were quickly filling the board with pieces.
In no time, the board was a chaotic mess, devoid of any discernible strategy. Rong Jing leaned against the carriage wall with an air of nonchalance, exuding elegance, while Yun Qianyue lay sprawled on the table, occasionally picking at her fingers, yawning, and mindlessly moving the white pieces.
Xian Ge, unable to contain his curiosity, peeked inside the carriage to see how Miss Qianyue's chess skills warranted the heir's threat to summon the Crown Prince for a match. Upon seeing the disarray on the board and Yun Qianyue fiddling with her fingers, his stern expression twitched. He lowered the curtain, wondering why the heir needed to subject Miss Qianyue to such a waste of a good game! Although the Crown Prince's chess skills were far inferior to the heir's, they were still much better than Yun Qianyue's.
Yun Qianyue glanced back and caught Xian Ge lowering the curtain. She smiled, "Even your little guard can't stand to see me butcher a good game. Ah, heroes are always lonely. No more playing, no more playing. I don't want to be a laughingstock."
As she spoke, she tossed the pieces in her hand and began to mess up the board.
Rong Jing stopped her hand with a light laugh, "As long as I don't say you're ruining a good game, it's fine. Keep going."
"I won't continue. It's pointless. Isn't it just about placing pieces? Anyone can do that!" Yun Qianyue shot Rong Jing a disdainful glance, then pulled aside the curtain to look out. On both sides, lush green mountains appeared. The official road was merely a wide dirt path. There were carriages and horses moving in front and behind, forming a long, impressive procession.
She exclaimed, "What a magnificent view! Such sights only existed in ancient times and can't be seen today! I'm truly fortunate to witness it now."
At her words, a flicker passed through Rong Jing's eyes, but he remained silent. As Yun Qianyue genuinely refused to play any longer, he automatically began to mix up the pieces on the board.
"Hey, how long have we been traveling, and we still haven't arrived? How much longer?" Yun Qianyue tucked away her admiration and asked Rong Jing.
"About half an hour," he replied.
"I really want to ride a horse!" Yun Qianyue gazed enviously at the guards mounted on their horses.
"Stay put! We're about to enter the mountains, and when we arrive at Ling Tai Temple today, you probably won't have any free time," Rong Jing glanced outside through the curtain Yun Qianyue had lifted.
Yun Qianyue lowered the curtain, unimpressed, and lay back down, closing her eyes. "You'll be the one with no free time. I expect my time will be ample; I can sleep. I won't go to listen to any discussions on the law or the Buddha's teachings. I don't believe in that stuff."
"Hmm, I don't believe either," Rong Jing also closed his eyes to rest.
"Then why are you discussing the law with that monk?" Yun Qianyue admonished, "You're just seeking fame!"
"That old monk is actually quite interesting; there aren't many intriguing people left these days. You'll understand when you meet him," Rong Jing said, a hint of a smile gracing his lips, a departure from his usual elegant demeanor, revealing a different kind of charm.
"Interesting or not, he's just a monk. I have no interest in monks." Yun Qianyue yawned and warned, "Don't disturb me again! I want to sleep. Even if we arrive and I don't wake up, you're not allowed to wake me. You can do whatever you need to do and just leave me here to sleep in the carriage."
Rong Jing said nothing.
Yun Qianyue took his silence as consent and began to drift off to sleep.
Before long, the carriage began to jolt, indicating they had entered the mountain path. The wheels creaked over the rocky terrain; the sound of one carriage was small, but two or three together was loud. The cacophony of the entire line of carriages was no small matter.
Yun Qianyue found it impossible to sleep. Not only was she unable to, but the jostling also made her feel nauseous. She finally understood why this man hadn't responded to her earlier; he knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes and said in frustration, "What a horrible mountain road! I want to get off!"
"If you can get off the carriage, that's fine. I won't stop you," Rong Jing replied gently.
Yun Qianyue immediately sat up and pulled aside the curtain, revealing the winding mountains ahead. Their procession was beginning to ascend. The path allowed only one carriage to pass, with thorns lining the sides, ancient trees towering, and massive stones everywhere, leaving no other places to step. The guards were leading their horses up the mountain, staggering with every step. She clicked her tongue and turned to Rong Jing, asking, "This mountain road is completely blocked off. How does anyone get down?"
"This is the path up the mountain; there's a separate road for descending," Rong Jing replied.
"What a torment!" Yun Qianyue let the curtain drop. Walking down seemed no better than bouncing around in the carriage! She began to long for modern paved roads, train tracks, light rails, subways, airplanes, or even boats. Just any mode of transport would do! Ahhh... she wanted to go home. She wondered if there was a way for her to return?
"Here, take this; just endure it for a moment," Rong Jing returned, handing her a pill.
Feeling miserable, Yun Qianyue looked at the translucent pill being offered, a fragrant aroma wafting from it, reminiscent of snow and lotus—a scent just like the one on this person. She frowned, "It's not poison, is it?"
"It's poison; seeing you suffer looks much worse than taking this medicine, so if that's the case, don't eat it," Rong Jing began to put the pill back in the jade bottle.
"Who said I wouldn't take it? Give it to me!" Yun Qianyue snatched it from him and popped it into her mouth. Instantly, her mouth was filled with fragrance. Her churning stomach calmed down immediately. She stared in amazement at the bottle in Rong Jing's hand, "What kind of medicine is this? It works so well! Give me more!"
"You're so greedy!" Rong Jing glanced at her without much interest, tucking the medicine bottle back into his robe.
Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes. Who wouldn't love good things? Besides, whatever this person produced would surely be good. But she also knew when to be sensible; she closed her eyes and began humming a tune, which was the same one Ye Qingran had hummed that day.
"Did Ye Qingran teach you that?" Rong Jing's hand, which had just returned to his robe, paused as he raised an eyebrow and asked.
YOU ARE READING
The Dandy's Duchess
ChickLit"The Dandy's Duchess" tells the story of the youngest and most talented general of the National Security Bureau, who sacrifices his life for his country and finds his soul transported to another world, where he is reborn as Yun Qianyue, the only leg...
