Observing Go was like observing people. When Xiao Huayong wasn’t deliberately concealing it, his playing style reflected his way of doing things. He not only calculated human nature thoroughly and meticulously but also dug one pit after another, making every piece on the board move along his planned route.

Shen Xihe lowered her gaze to look – her pieces were basically trapped by Xiao Huayong. The remaining path couldn’t retreat a single step, or half her territory would immediately be consumed. Her gaze followed the only path that could temporarily delay things, but in the end, it reached the edge of the board – still a dead end.

Pressing her lips in a smile, Shen Xihe had no choice but to place a piece. Xiao Huayong’s piece followed immediately after, looking at her with smiling eyes.

Shen Xihe continued placing pieces, Xiao Huayong closely following. After each had placed five pieces this way, Shen Xihe’s piece landed where she should have continued escaping. Her fingers holding the piece hadn’t let go. As she looked up, her bright eyes gleaming, her fingertip swept across – she abandoned that territory and placed a piece in another location.

Xiao Huayong’s thick sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed as his gaze swept across, taking in the entire board. He couldn’t help but smile silently, his smile like flowers swaying in the wind, gentle and quiet. He still placed his piece in the original position, trapping a group of Shen Xihe’s pieces.

He gently picked up the captured pieces and placed them in Shen Xihe’s container, only to see Shen Xihe place another piece. With this move, a small group of Xiao Huayong’s pieces fell into the same predicament Shen Xihe had faced earlier.

“Playing Go with Youyou is truly meeting a worthy opponent – thoroughly enjoyable,” Xiao Huayong liked playing Go with Shen Xihe.

At first, Xiao Huayong had deliberately gone a little easy on her, but Shen Xihe grew stronger and stronger, quickly reaching the point where he didn’t need to let her win. Although their win-loss ratio was still seven to three, he knew it wouldn’t be long before it became six to four, and eventually, they would be evenly matched.

“Your Highness, I wanted to remind you that this move is called ‘abandoning the chariot to protect the king,'” Shen Xihe said gently.

Xiao Changtai wasn’t easy to deal with, like a desert viper hiding in the sand – one might not even see it when stepping on it, but once truly stepped on, it would suddenly strike back, injecting deadly venom into whoever harmed it.

“Do Youyou think Fourth Brother can still escape the trap I’ve set for him this time?” Xiao Huayong fingered a Go piece thoughtfully.

“I don’t know much about Fourth Prince, but I feel that someone who could silently help Munuha escape from the Capital Prefecture’s prison and only now be discovered by Your Highness is no ordinary person,” Shen Xihe said noncommittally.

Xiao Huayong nodded upon hearing this: “Thank you for the reminder, Youyou.”

“Let’s end this game here for today, and continue another day with Youyou,” Xiao Huayong said, taking out a booklet and handing it to Shen Xihe. “This is the betrothal gifts list drafted jointly by the Ministry of Rites and the Department of Internal Affairs. Youyou can review it first.”

Shen Xihe’s face warmed slightly, not from embarrassment, but because she didn’t place much importance on betrothal gifts.

The Crown Prince taking a consort was equivalent to an emperor taking an empress – this was the custom. Without looking, one would know how generous the royal family’s betrothal gifts would be, especially since Emperor Youning hadn’t established an empress himself. This might be the highest-ranking wedding during His Majesty’s reign – why did Shen Xihe need to examine it closely?

“His Majesty and the Ministry of Rites’ arrangement surely won’t be wrong. Your Highness shouldn’t interfere with these trivial matters in the future, to avoid people’s notice.”

Getting the betrothal gifts list so early, just like getting the marriage date from the Imperial Astronomers before, required using connections.

“Youyou are overthinking. I asked for it openly and properly, not secretly,” Xiao Huayong smiled.

Why hide such things? The Crown Prince being fond of his future consort and wanting to personally oversee everything, big or small, was only natural.

“You…” Shen Xihe’s face grew hotter.

She had always thought Xiao Huayong obtained these things secretly from others, but he had requested them openly. Wouldn’t this mean everyone in the palace knew how eager he was to marry?

“My eagerness to take a wife isn’t a scandal – why fear others knowing?” He had come of age; being eager to marry was normal for a man – what was there to hide?

“You…” Shen Xihe almost blurted out “You might not fear it, but I do.”

In short, men marrying and women being married off was natural, but she felt Xiao Huayong’s behavior somehow made her want to hide in embarrassment, though she couldn’t explain why. She usually didn’t care about others’ views, but this inexplicable frustration made her glare at Xiao Huayong.

“Youyou must also have expectations about marrying me to be so embarrassed,” Xiao Huayong smiled triumphantly and provocatively, leaning closer to Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe pushed Xiao Huayong’s head away: “Xiao Beichen, you are the Crown Prince!”

Always being so frivolous and flirtatious annoyed her.

“If you didn’t have feelings for me in your heart, even if I undressed in front of you, you could remain calm,” Xiao Huayong understood Shen Xihe’s temperament if not completely, then at least eighty percent.

“Get out!” Shen Xihe couldn’t bear to hear such talk from him, angrily embarrassed.

Xiao Huayong laughed with delight, angering Shen Xihe into throwing the Go piece container at him.

Precisely catching the container with both hands, Xiao Huayong quickly retreated behind the screen: “Don’t be angry, Youyou. I’m leaving now. Remember to check the betrothal gifts – if there are any items taboo to your family, let me know early.”

Giving her the list had no other intention. The Northwestern Prince’s mansion was also a wealthy family, established in the Northwest for over a hundred years with generations of accumulated wealth – even as Crown Prince, he couldn’t show off his wealth. Nor was it to make her feel his eagerness to marry or show his attention to the marriage.

He just wanted her to personally check if there were any taboos in the Shen family. Although the Ministry of Rites would send people to inquire in detail from the Northwestern Prince’s chief administrator, not all sensitive matters would be truthfully disclosed. Some taboos people would rather be offended by than reveal, though they wouldn’t show their displeasure at being offended.

Xiao Huayong just hoped their marriage would be perfect, and flawless from beginning to end.

He put down the container, then bent down and poked his head out from behind the screen, winking at Shen Xihe with his mole-decorated eye before leaving with a satisfied smile.

“Seal the Go board properly,” Shen Xihe instructed Zhenzhu. Since Xiao Huayong said they would continue another day, they would determine the winner then.

“Yes,” Zhenzhu and Biyu immediately got busy, carefully avoiding the thick booklet beside them, which they dared not touch.

Shen Xihe glanced at it several times intentionally and unintentionally, but didn’t reach for it until Mo Yuan brought back Duanming.

To prevent Duanming from losing its instincts and becoming like other nobles’ pet cats that could be manipulated at will, every three days Shen Xihe would have Mo Yuan’s people take it to roam in the deep mountains and forests.

After bathing, the fragrant Duanming immediately ran toward Shen Xihe, almost stepping on the betrothal gifts booklet. Shen Xihe picked it up just in time.