Chapter 81
A countryside manor in Wudu.
In the courtyard, a few chickens pecked incessantly at scattered grains of rice. A dog wandered around lazily, lifting its leg to urinate at the edge of the vegetable garden whenever the urge struck.
“Old Zhang, your moves these days are getting humbler and humbler. This place doesn’t match your status at all,” said a voice, half-joking.
An elderly man sat across from a young man, playing a game of chess.
The elder was none other than Zhang Lu, one of the most esteemed figures in the Wu Kingdom.
The younger man, however, was the controversial “favored minister,” Xiao Mo Chi, currently under siege from all sides by the imperial court.
The chessboard was carved directly onto the stone table by Zhang Lu himself.
The chess pieces were handmade by Xiao Mo Chi in his idle moments.
“What status?” Zhang Lu chuckled as he placed a white piece on the board. “Just an old commoner with a bit of cultivation to his name. Besides, at my age, what use is a grand estate? I’d get lost wandering through the halls.”