Xu Fengnian left Diaoyutai and strolled through the city with Youwei. They came across an alley packed with people, many of them young scholars in green robes. As Xu and Youwei drew closer, they noticed people engaged in a game of weiqi. People were crouching, sitting, and standing all around the alley, playing their games. Xu Fengnian suddenly remembered that besides Premier Alley, Yongzi Alley too was known for its gaming dens. The alley was filled with street go players, sitting along the walls, each displaying a go board and stone bowl. The amounts they staked depended on their skill level, luring idle passersby and go enthusiasts to give it a try. Such casual games, of course, weren’t taken seriously by seasoned players but were perfect for passing time for common folk and impoverished scholars. With stakes of just a few copper coins, it was a small gamble, just enough for amusement.
Xu Fengnian smiled and took a bite of the sauce beef wrapped in oil paper. In the past, when he was penniless and starving, he earned his meals for a while by playing go in alleys. Trained by the national scholar Li Yishan and honed by Xu Weixiong, Xu had little trouble winning. Yet often the same alley would have fellow go players trying to make a living, and some of them were more reasonable, keeping to their own corners without interfering, while others, being local boys, tried to chase the prince away. Winning had its nuances too, and he couldn’t just obliterate the opponent for entertainment’s sake. He had to allow small wins with self-restraint. If he crushed them outright, his opponents would be too disheartened to keep playing for money. These were all little insights Xu Fengnian was forced to learn over time.
Prince Xu had Lü, Yang, and Shu stand further away, leaving only Ning Emei behind while he and Youwei found an empty spot to squeeze in. The go player taking bets was a young man with the air of a destitute student—his clothes were patched, and his shoes were faded white. On the empty board before him were ten stones. This meant that if he lost, he would have to pay ten times the stake. In a usual game of chance, people would stake only two or three, or perhaps five stones, so this street go player was clearly quite confident. As Xu Fengnian squatted down to consider how much to bet, he looked up and noticed that his opponent was blind. How could such a person play?
The blind go player seemed very familiar with this situation and gently said: “That’s fine. I can tell where the stones fall by the sound.”
Xu Fengnian nodded and said, “I’ll bet ten copper coins.”
The blind man took a small money pouch from his sleeve, weighed it in his palm, and said apologetically, “Young sir, if I lose, I’ll owe you sixteen copper coins. If you don’t mind, I do have a family heirloom go manual that should cover the difference.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, “Alright.”
He had no real interest in the go manual; at Tiaochotting, there were countless go manuals that could send renowned players into a frenzy—works like the “Taohuaquan Manual,” “Nanhai Linglong Set,” and “Manual of the Fairy’s Stones”—enough to pile into a small mountain. Besides, the boards had gone from fifteen to nineteen lines, and the older manuals were practically worthless.
Generally speaking, the strength and tactics of go masters had gradually increased over time. The blind go player, sitting cross-legged against the wall, had a box of black stones placed beside him. He gestured slightly with his hand, signaling for Xu Fengnian to lead with white stones first. Though this street go player was dressed shabbily, his bearing was impressive—his every motion exuded the elegance of a true aristocrat.
Before the formal game began, both sides placed two stones each on diagonal star points, a practice called “Shizi” or seat stones, which largely limited the advantage of moving first and ensured an intense battle in the center during the middle stage.
Xu Fengnian handed his sauce beef to Youwei and opened with a “Sanliu” move, which was considered the best way to invade a corner, as praised by Huang Sanjia, the great master Huang Longshi. The young blind go player remained serene, confirming Xu’s suspicion—he truly could play just by listening. He placed his black stone at “Jiusan” to counter Xu’s white, resulting in a balanced confrontation.
The following nine moves from both black and white didn’t deviate from traditional patterns. Youwei’s late father was a renowned go master from Xichu, a student at the Shangyin Academy who had only been narrowly defeated by the formidable warrior Huang Longshi. Raised in this environment, Youwei inherited her father’s style and was well versed in the game’s logic. Perhaps even Green Ant, the young go expert of Wutong Garden, would hesitate to claim a certain victory over Youwei. But after ten moves, she began to feel disappointed.
However, when Xu Fengnian cut with his eleventh white move, Youwei’s eyes lit up. The blind go player also showed a moment of surprise, no longer playing at his previous rapid pace, pausing briefly before placing his next stone.
As the saying goes, “Go is born at the point of a cut.” Xu Fengnian’s next few moves all stemmed from this cut, which could not be described as anything but original and unique. The blind player, remaining restrained throughout, finally chose to strike at the black eighteenth move, launching an aggressive attack even while his corner remained unsettled. He leapt to the “Liwu” position. Youwei furrowed her brow and immersed herself in thoughts. This pattern could result in as many as forty-four variations.
Instinctively, she glanced at Xu Fengnian. He remained expressionless, his pace of play unchanged. At move forty-three, Xu gently pressed outward, and in an instant, the board was filled with danger, making Youwei’s heart race. This move was too fierce. At move fifty-nine, he flew up to attack again, and at move eighty-three, he made a sharp diagonal move. The moves were aggressive and relentless. Unexpectedly, the blind player handled the situation as if his position was a small boat on the ocean—rocking and rolling, but never capsizing. By black one hundred and eighty moves, the situation was already clearly in his favor, with a commanding lead heading into the end game. Calmly, Xu Fengnian threw in the towel.
Xu Fengnian took out ten more copper coins and said, “Still ten coins.”
This time, the blind player played white and took the initiative. Xu Fengnian once again started the battle early, and the blind player calmly countered. Youwei was beginning to understand the pattern—Xu was very aggressive, while the blind player was quite different from most. He focused on building up his territory, his moves, which might appear careless at first, always harmonized with both the mid-game and endgame. If it weren’t for Xu’s constant innovations and bold, unreasonable attacks, the games wouldn’t have lasted so long—neither would have reached two hundred moves. With the recent reforms led by the brilliant Xu Weixiong, changing the board from fifteen to nineteen lines and abolishing the seat stone system, Youwei believed the blind player, whose skill slightly exceeded the prince’s, would soon make a name for himself. Moreover, it was uncertain whether he was concealing his true strength. Indeed, the streets and alleys harbored hidden dragons and sleeping tigers.
“Let’s play again.”
Losing two games in a row, Xu Fengnian laughed softly. This time, he played white and opened with a double flying pincers formation, a classic layout that had once been popular. However, for the past fifty years, the top national players had abandoned it during their most intense matches. Huang Longshi even criticized that starting with double flying moves was too tight, losing its refined flavor, effectively sentencing the formation to obsolescence.
Xu Fengnian simply sat on the ground, adjusting his position for comfort. The result came even faster as he easily lost three games in a row. In no time at all, thirty copper coins had piled up in front of the blind player. Xu Fengnian glanced at the sky through the eaves of Yongzi Alley and noticed it was already dinnertime. Yet, having rarely encountered such a skilled street go player, he called Shuxiu over and asked her to fetch some food from a nearby tavern. Soon, Shuxiu arrived, bearing a large food tray with four sets of bowls and chopsticks. Only after Qingfeng Yang had tasted the food to confirm it wasn’t poisoned did Shuxiu dare to place it in front of Xu Fengnian. Smiling, Xu asked, “I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. Would you like to join us for a meal?”
The blind go player, who cared little for decorum, nodded with a smile. Youwei, an indulged, delicate young lady, didn’t mind sitting on the ground with Xu Fengnian as they ate together. Big spear Ning Emei stood nearby and devoured his meal in just a few bites. While slowly eating, the blind go player even initiated a conversation about the strengths and weaknesses demonstrated during the three games. He openly praised Xu Fengnian’s clever and masterful moves and straightforwardly pointed out the flaws in a few moves that were played without much thought. Xu Fengnian nodded continuously, feeling he gained a lot from their conversation, and the atmosphere was pleasant. He then asked the go player if he had studied under any famed go master. The blind man shook his head and replied that he came from a humble background and only started learning go as a child before losing his sight. After that, he had nothing else but go to keep him company. He had been gambling for a living in Yongzi Alley for nearly a decade, barely earning enough to survive. Any spare money was used to purchase manuals by famed players, and he had barely managed to save a penny. Suddenly, the blind player slapped his head, remembering something, and pulled out several Confucian classics from his bag. He handed them to Xu Fengnian, who sat on the floor, and chuckled, “Use these as a cushion.”
Xu Fengnian took the books and gave two of them to Youwei, whose feet had already gone numb from sitting for a long time. He laughed and said, “Isn’t this improper? It might insult the teachings of the sages.”
The blind go player smiled and shook his head. “Propriety, righteousness, honesty, and shame aren’t written in books.”
Xu Fengnian didn’t insist further. Together with the go player who had beaten him for thirty copper coins, they ate heartily and then resumed their game on the nineteen-line board. Xu lost repeatedly but showed no signs of fatigue, while the blind player remained composed, blocking Xu’s attacks like a river damming the flood, playing each stone with a crisp sound and a calm demeanor.
Ten games were played in Yongzi Alley, a fierce battle from midday to dusk and then into the moonlight. When it finally ended, Xu Fengnian had suffered ten straight losses and paid out a hundred copper coins. The street go players in Yongzi Alley had already packed up and left. Xu Fengnian sat cross-legged on a Confucian classic, gazing at the defeated board and letting out a heavy sigh. “With this kind of skill, you could compete directly with Xu Weixiong from the Shangyin Academy.”
The go player shook his head. “Ordinary people play one side of the board. I barely can manage two sides, while master players of today’s go circles can think about three sides. Mr. Weixiong and Huang Sanjia can handle four sides at the same time. How could I dare to challenge such a formidable opponent? Still, if I could ever have a game with Mr. Weixiong, I would die content.”
Xu Fengnian helped pick up the stones and put them back into the bowl. Then he stood up and joked, “I don’t have your kind of dedication, dying with the knowledge gained the same day. It’s only fair I lose to you. This was a fair bet. Hey, there’s the famous Danghu Ten Game in the Shangyin Academy, while we have the Yongzi Ten Game. With that, we part ways.”
The blind go player smiled and said, “I’ll give you these books.”
Xu Fengnian immediately caught on. Two of those books had been under Youwei’s bottom for a while. Obviously, the blind go player could tell by the sound and smell that they had come from his companion and were not his own. Out of respect, it would be awkward to ask for them back. Xu Fengnian took out ten more copper coins and handed them to the go player, who had just stood up, and playfully added, “These last ten coins are to buy two jin of propriety, righteousness, honesty, and shame from you.”
The go player hesitated for a moment but still took the coins with a gentle smile. “You don’t need these, sir,” he said.
Xu Fengnian laughed loudly and walked away.
The blind go player tidied up his belongings and stood alone in the quiet alley, facing the entrance with a deep bow, his head bowed all the way down.
※※※
After leaving Yongzi Alley and riding his horse back, Xu Fengnian whistled in admiration. “Such a small alley has such a formidable figure!”
Youwei frowned and asked, “Was he an assassin?”
Xu Fengnian laughed in disbelief, resting his chin on Youwei’s head with a helpless expression. “You’re thinking too much. I was just amazed by that blind go player’s extraordinary skill. He claimed he could only play two sides of the game, which was excessive modesty. I’d say even my second sister would lose two or three out of ten games against him. Surely, he has never faced top national players, so he doesn’t know his own strength.”
Youwei nodded. “His go strategy is adept at taking by letting go, yielding for strength, with a broad vision. But it’s more than that. In the ninth game, when he was provoked by your irrational moves, he revealed an impressive strength even in direct confrontation. If he truly came from an ordinary background and became self-taught after going blind, then unquestionably, he is a naturally gifted grandmaster of the game.”
Xu Fengnian said softly, “His eyes were pierced out.”
Youwei was taken aback.
Xu Fengnian sighed. “Every family has their own unspeakable hardships. That’s not something this prince is interested in.”
Youwei petted Wumeiniang’s head and asked, “Didn’t you think about inviting him as a strategist?”
Xu Fengnian shook his head. “Being good at go doesn’t necessarily mean he’d be a successful official. I’ve already lost a hundred copper coins gambling. I won’t gamble anymore.”
Youwei smiled silently, thinking the prince’s go skills were quite impressive. Losing ten straight games was already a great hit to his pride, so he probably didn’t want to interact with the blind go player any further.
Xu Fengnian suddenly remarked, “Let’s see how the Prince of Jing’an, Zhao Heng, fares in gambling.”
Frowning, Xu Fengnian suddenly groaned, “Damn it, my gambling luck is so bad today. This imbalance means Zhao Heng, that old turtle, will likely profit greatly.”
Confused, Youwei asked, “What happened?”
Muttering a few curses under his breath, Xu Fengnian didn’t say anything further.
Back in Yongzi Alley, the young blind go player struggled to carry his belongings. Besides the go board filled with two boxes of stones and a few go manuals, he wasn’t carrying much, yet he was already fatigued. The go player silently chuckled at himself for being such a helpless scholar. He took a few steps forward and brightened his face with a warm smile. Winning ten games brought a decent reward—enough to sustain him for quite a while. These past years, besides intentionally showing weakness once in a while, he hadn’t actually lost a single game in Yongzi Alley. Local go enthusiasts in Xiangfan had stopped gambling with him unless it was some out-of-town visitor to Yongzi Alley who fell into his trap. Hence, earning a hundred copper coins in one day was a rare luxury. Moreover, that young nobleman was quite amusing. Though blind, he could tell the gentleman must have come from a distinguished background since he played such an impressive game. He hadn’t enjoyed a game with such intensity for years. During his childhood, he used to be happy when he won and even happier when he lost. Now, he always won and never lost, and his passion for the game had diminished. He was afraid that one day he would play solely for survival, and that would mark the end of his journey in go. Reflecting on his tragic past, the blind go player displayed a cold expression, as if having forgotten how to feel sorrow.
In this world, it helped to be blind and not see.
Perhaps if he met more noble gentlemen who were willing to play ten games with him, he might regret blinding himself all those years ago. Yet, after his family’s downfall and his reduced circumstances, like a stray dog struggling to survive, how many such noble gentlemen had he encountered?
As he approached the corner of the alley, he was blocked by someone.
A solemn voice came from ahead: “My master wants to meet you.”
The blind go player calmly replied, “I won’t go.”
Not far away, a horse carriage stopped. Inside, a dignified man held a document detailing the blind go player’s life. The ink was still unfried, clearly freshly written. In Yongzi Alley’s ten games, hundreds of onlookers had gathered, yet the young player involved in the games didn’t think much about it. He only assumed he had met a generous young gentleman. However, unbeknownst to him, right after the first game ended, news had reached the most powerful places in Xiangfan. By the third game, go manuals were already delivered to the mansion marked with stone lions. By the fifth game, its master had ordered his servants to thoroughly investigate the blind player’s identity. By the eighth game, the man in the carriage was still hesitating on how to handle the situation. It wasn’t until the ninth game when he witnessed the young blind man’s real go playing talent that he smiled and personally decided to leave, patiently waiting until now. When he finally held the last few pages detailing the blind man’s scattered ten-year gaming career, he felt his patience could stretch even further. Therefore, when his personal guard whispered outside the carriage that the man refused the meeting, he didn’t get angry with the young man’s ignorance of his importance, after all, the young man was blind.
The man burned the piece of paper—merely a few hundred words summarizing the life of a mere ant, as far as he was concerned—and then personally got out of the carriage, walking slowly to the blind go player with an unbendable will, and said, “Lu Xu, from Haichang County, Qingzhou. Your grandfather Lu You was a former great scholar; your father Lu Xiong was no less distinguished. Your family of three geniuses specialized in classical studies and historical records. Unfortunately, when compiling the official history of the Xichu Kingdom, your father spoke up for the scholars, was falsely accused by malicious men, and nearly faced execution. You pierced your own eyes and abandoned your future in officialdom to preserve your life. For ten years, by day you’ve gambled in Yongzi Alley, and by night, you’ve played the zither for courtesans in Premier Alley, earning tainted silver. Did you know one of your enemies is now the county governor of Haichang?”
The blind go player calmly said, “That silver isn’t tainted.”
The middle-aged man smiled and asked, “Whether the silver is tainted or not aside, I ask you, wouldn’t you like to display your talents rather than eke out a living in two alleys?”
The young player laughed and said, “Though it is now evening, I still prefer not to dream.”
The man laughed and said, “I’ve heard you once said: We have a thousand jin of knowledge and ten thousand jin of talent, all meant to be sold only to the royal court.”
The blind go player furrowed his brow and said, “That was a pretentious nonsense from a few days of reading. It’s not to be taken seriously.”
The man said firmly, “I will take it seriously this time!”
The young go player sighed bitterly. “Even now, won’t you let the Lu family rest in peace?”
The man, with a string of prayer beads in his hand, spoke calmly. “My name is Zhao Heng. What qualifies as royal? Is a Prince of Jing’an enough?”
※※※
In the Jing’an Palace, Prince Zhao Xun was puzzled and found his father, who was copying sutras in his study. He asked softly, “I heard Father brought back a blind go player with a guqin to the palace. What’s the meaning behind this?”
Prince Jing’an chuckled. “This young man is the last of the Lu family from Haichang County. In terms of go skills, there’s no one in our palace who can defeat him. Hand him over to you to take care of; it won’t cost much. If he’s just someone who plays well but has no real ability, consider him a harmless pet dog. But if he truly has talent, bring him into our court, polish his skills, and have him devise plans for you. When you deal with the governor of Haichang County, Yu Hanliang, he’ll then be more committed to strategizing for you. As the ancients say, a scholar dies for one who knows him. Xun’er, you must always remember this principle. Also, when dealing with these scholars, don’t rely on your status for camaraderie. Not every scholar is foolish. They have the sharpest perception; maybe they don’t grasp grand meanings, but they can easily discern someone’s haughty or self-doubting attitude.”
Zhao Xun smiled, “Understood. Father’s understanding of others is truly that of a Buddha’s heart.”
Prince Jing’an Zhao Heng grinned with narrowed eyes: “No need for flattery.”
Zhao Xun carefully retreated from the study.
Zhao Heng continued transcribing the sutras with a soft brush, and after finishing, he said coldly, “Lu Xu, I’ll keep you around simply to share a tale with you in a few days. With the moves I’ve made, it’s only appropriate to have an impartial spectator. Otherwise, it would be too dull.”
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