Chapter Sixty-One: Wrongfully Imprisoned (Part 2)

That day, Jian Liang and Min Fengshan were drinking tea and chatting behind a folding screen in the chess pavilion of the Yellow Crane Tower, while Xie Guyuan stood guard outside. Because Min Fengzhong had pestered him to practice martial arts early in the morning, Huang Yan stayed behind at the Lotus Pavilion and did not come along, while Huang Chengyi and his sister Huang Lan had gone out to take a stroll by prior arrangement with Min Luan. As noon approached, the chess matches remained peaceful. Jian Liang's reputation in the world of Go was growing daily to the extent that even grandmasters and renowned experts dared not challenge him rashly, lest they lose and bring disgrace upon themselves.

At this moment, Min Fengshan remarked, "It has been quiet at the boards for the past few days. It seems most of the experts have arrived, and that eunuch grandmaster should be showing his face soon."

Jian Liang replied, "I hope so. However, that eunuch has accumulated heavy debts through his play and harmed too many people; he has countless enemies searching for him all over the world, eager to settle scores outside the chessboard. Therefore, he is extremely cautious right now and dares not reveal himself lightly to play against others. He may not know that I have set up this chess ambush awaiting him, but once he hears the commotion from the chess matches here at the Yellow Crane Tower, his true nature as a Go player will surely stir him to come and respond. It is only a matter of time now."

Min Fengshan sighed, "The way of chess is profound indeed! Outsiders cannot comprehend it."

Jian Liang smiled, "Even among insiders, how many truly understand? In fact, those directly involved are often the most confused, whereas outsiders, though ignorant, remain carefree and untroubled."

Hearing this, Min Fengshan nodded in agreement.

Just then, a sudden uproar broke out outside the Yellow Crane Tower. Unaware of what had happened, Jian Liang and Min Fengshan hurriedly rushed to the window and looked down, only to be struck with utter astonishment. Outside, spears and sabers stood like a dense forest as hundreds of government soldiers tightly surrounded the Yellow Crane Tower, sending tavern guests and sightseers fleeing in panic. At this moment, Xie Guyuan ran in with a face full of terror and cried out, "Master Jian, Mr. Min, this is terrible! The soldiers from Wuchang Prefecture have come to make arrests!"

Min Fengshan, seeming to have a premonition of disaster, had turned pale with fear. Jian Liang calmly said, "Do not panic, the two of you. They may not have come for us. Let us go out and see." With that, he stepped out from behind the screen.

At that moment, a military officer led a dozen soldiers bursting up the stairs, surrounding them with a sudden shout. The officer demanded in a loud voice, "Which one of you is the chess player Jian Liang? You have committed a crime!"

Startled, Jian Liang stepped forward and asked, "Official, may I ask what crime I have committed?"

The officer was momentarily taken aback. He looked Jian Liang up and down, then asked with a trace of surprise, "What? You are the chess player Jian Liang?"

"Indeed, I am," Jian Liang replied.

The officer then declared, "You have set up a chess board at the Yellow Crane Tower to gather crowds for gambling and defraud people of their money, violating the Great Ming Code. By order of my superiors, I have come specifically to arrest you all. Gentlemen, come with us."

Suppressing his inner panic, Min Fengshan took a closer look at the officer and recognized him. The man was a military commander from Wuchang Prefecture named Liu Cheng. Feeling somewhat reassured, Min Fengshan hurried forward and asked, "Commander Liu, what is the meaning of this?"

Seeing that it was Min Fengshan, a renowned local scholar from the Lotus Pavilion, Liu Cheng asked with astonishment, "Second Master Min! Why are you here as well?"

Min Fengshan cupped his hands in a salute and said, "This gentleman, Jian Liang, is a friend of mine and is certainly no ringleader of a gambling dens. He set up this chess array simply to make the acquaintance of chess masters and challenge experts, making friends through the game. How could there be any suspicion of breaking the law? Could Commander Liu have some misunderstanding?"

Seeing Min Fengshan present, Liu Cheng softened his attitude somewhat and explained, "I have long heard of Master Jian's renown in chess here at the Yellow Crane Tower. However, I have just received orders from Prefect Lu Fang of Wuchang Prefecture to arrest Master Jian for setting up chess boards to gather for gambling. Orders from superiors cannot be disobeyed."

Min Fengshan asked in bewilderment, "How can such a thing be said? Master Jian set up his boards at the Yellow Crane Tower and posted a prize purse simply to generate a certain level of momentum in the chess world and attract more experts. Where is there any intent to set up a gambling scam and defraud people of their money?"

Liu Cheng shook his head. "Now that the five thousand silver taels of prize money are sealed inside the tavern's counter, it has given people grounds for accusation. The sheer magnitude of the chess bounty far exceeds the scope of making friends through chess."

"This..." Min Fengshan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Plucking up his courage, Xie Guyuan chimed in, "Could it be that someone lost silver at this chess table, felt aggrieved, and went to the Wuchang Prefecture yamen to lodge a false accusation against Master Jian?"

Liu Cheng replied, "I am not privy to the details. I have only received orders to escort all related offenders back together."

Seeing that the incident had blown up suddenly and wishing not to implicate Min Fengshan and Xie Guyuan, Jian Liang said to Liu Cheng, "Official, the chess array was set up by Jian Liang alone and has nothing to do with others. Since you are acting on orders, I shall accompany you to the yamen to clear the matter up."

Hearing this, Liu Cheng felt a surge of secret respect. He nodded and said, "Very well, Master Jian is indeed a man of honor! Since Second Master Min is a local scholar, I have no wish to cause offense either. Master Jian, if you would just accompany us back to fulfill our orders."

With that, Liu Cheng cupped his hands again toward Min Fengshan and said, "Business is business, and I hope Second Master Min will forgive me. I shall take Master Jian away now."

Then, with a wave of his hand, two soldiers stepped forward, slipped chains over Jian Liang, and prepared to take him away.

Liu Cheng further ordered the soldiers, "Seize the five thousand taels of illicit silver as well, and escort the prisoner back to the Wuchang Prefecture yamen."

Min Fengshan and Xie Guyuan could only watch helplessly as the soldiers took Jian Liang away. Stamping his foot in anxiety, Min Fengshan muttered, "What is to be done now?" After giving a few instructions to Xie Guyuan, he hurried back to the Lotus Pavilion to inform Huang Yan.

The sightseers and tavern guests inside and outside the Yellow Crane Tower were astonished to see Jian Liang being taken away by soldiers, and they broke into heated discussions.

One person shook his head and sighed, "They say towering fame invites the wind. How is it that the Chess God, Master Jian, who was doing so well, has suddenly run afoul of the law?"

Another remarked, "The Chess God is invincible under heaven, yet he couldn't outmaneuver the government's move. Do you really think those officials came for Master Jian? They were actually after that five thousand taels of chess bounty."

A fruit vendor chimed in, "Master Jian was simply too greedy. He should have taken his winnings of a thousand or eight hundred taels and left. Why bring this trouble upon himself?"

An elderly man who had long observed the chess matches spat on the ground and rebuked him, "What do you know? A man of Master Jian's stature isn't playing for a few paltry coins on the board. He was making friends through chess and spreading his renown across the realm! Do you understand?"

Meanwhile, Jian Liang was taken by the soldiers to the Wuchang Prefecture yamen and cast straight into the underground dungeon, where no one came to summon him for interrogation. Sitting alone in his cell, Jian Liang sighed to himself, "I never expected to suffer this imprisonment. I set up my chess matches at the Yellow Crane Tower for over a month without incident; why is it that today I am suddenly slapped with the charge of gathering for gambling? Playing chess and gambling are common enough occurrences in the marketplace; could it be that if the prize money is too large, the government must interfere? That makes no sense."

Unable to find any logic in it, Jian Liang shook his head and sighed secretly.

At that moment, the cell door creaked open, and someone walked in. As Jian Liang sat meditating with closed eyes, a faint, familiar fragrance of orchids suddenly drifted toward him. Startled, he opened his eyes and was utterly astonished to see Princess Lanling standing outside the cell with a triumphant expression, looking at him with a beaming smile.

"Miss Lan!" Greatly surprised, Jian Liang stood up in haste and asked, "How did you end up in a place like this?"

Tossing her head, Princess Lanling laughed, "I came to visit the great and illustrious Chess God."

Jian Liang shook his head and sighed, "I have now suffered a wrongful imprisonment through no fault of my own; what is there to see..." Seeing Princess Lanling's smug smile, sudden realization dawned upon him, and he blurted out, "Miss Lan, could it be that you..."

Princess Lanling giggled, "Now you know my power!"

Jian Liang asked in disbelief, "Miss Lan, what kind of joke is this?"

Seeing Jian Liang's bewildered expression, Princess Lanling felt immensely pleased with herself and said with a grin, "How is it? Are you frightened, you great Chess God?"

Only then did Jian Liang realize that all of this was the handiwork of Princess Lanling. A wave of regret for ever having made her acquaintance washed over him, and he said coldly, "So it turns out I offended a princess of the Hanyang Prince's estate, which is why I was brought to this state."

Princess Lanling started slightly at these words. Hastily fading her smile, she asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Jian Liang maintained his icy tone. "It seems you truly are that princess. I was truly foolish indeed—how could I ever dare to offend Your Highness the Great Princess!"

Noticing Jian Liang's freezing demeanor and the sharp edge in his words, Princess Lanling felt a jolt of panic. Flustered, she stammered, "Master Jian, I... I..."

Jian Liang interrupted coldly, "I know not what crime I have committed. Was that charge of gathering for gambling pinned on me by Your Highness? Others may not know, but could Your Highness not know Jian Liang's true purpose in setting up his chess board at the Yellow Crane Tower?"

Seeing Jian Liang's freezing attitude, Princess Lanling already felt a twinge of regret, yet she stubbornly defended herself, "Who asked you to put on such a haughty airs? My father the Prince sent an invitation and you refused to come once; I invited you and you wouldn't come either." Then, her face brightening into a smile, she added, "Yet on that day we toured East Lake, Master Jian went along. How happy we were that day..."

Princess Lanling seemed to drift back to the painted pleasure boat on East Lake, and a boundless wave of joy and delight overflowed her heart.

Abruptly, Jian Liang's cold voice cut through her reverie: "It is only a pity that I did not know you were an overbearing princess that day; otherwise, even if I had to die, I would not have gone. When I think of it now, I regret it to the utmost."

Hearing this, Princess Lanling flared up in anger. "Jian Liang, why are you being so discourteous? No one has ever dared to be so insolent before this Princess!"

Jian Liang gave a cold laugh. "It seems I was fortunate indeed; I merely declined the Princess's invitation once, and I was dragged off and thrown into a dungeon. If I had offended you more deeply, I daresy I would have lost my life entirely."

Softening her tone slightly, Princess Lanling retorted, "Do you have any idea how much thought went into inviting you to the Changtian Tower that day? If you don't appreciate the gesture, so be it, but why must you sarcasm me so? It makes no sense whatsoever!" With that, she looked somewhat aggrieved.

Jian Liang replied indifferently, "Fortunately for me, I did not go to the Changtian Tower back then; otherwise, if I had been the slightest bit careless, who knows what other crime would have been heaped upon my head? As a humble commoner, I certainly cannot afford to bear such offenses." Having said this, Jian Liang turned away, walked to the base of the wall, sat down, and paid Princess Lanling no further heed.

Seeing that things had backfired completely, Princess Lanling was already filled with remorse. The truth was that after learning Princess Lanling's true identity, Jian Liang had refused to go to the Changtian Tower. In a fit of anger, Princess Lanling had gone straight to the Wuchang Prefecture yamen and ordered Prefect Lu Fang to send men to arrest Jian Liang. Prefect Lu Fang had been terrified upon hearing the command, having no idea what Princess Lanling intended to do. Because Jian Liang's chess prowess at the Yellow Crane Tower had shaken the realm and made him famous throughout the land, Lu Fang, as a local official, held him in high esteem. However, since Princess Lanling had issued the order, Lu Fang dared not disobey. Thus, he had hastily fabricated the charge of setting up a chess board for gambling and ordered Liu Cheng to lead the troops and bring Jian Liang in.