Chapter Sixty-Three: The Chess Case in Xuzhou - Part 3

Upon hearing this, Fang Guohuan hurriedly said, "There is no time to lose. We should go and take a look right now, lest someone disturb or clear away the chess position."

Zhang Linping nodded in agreement and said, "That is very true. With a chess grandmaster of your eminence, you should be able to perceive the clues."

With that, Zhang Linping led Fang Guohuan on a detour toward the residences of Xue Yong and Wang Guofu.

After walking past two streets, the two men arrived in front of a courtyard gate. A strip of white cloth hung horizontally across the lintel, signifying a family in mourning. From within came bursts of weeping, sorrowful in the extreme.

Zhang Linping explained, "Because Xue Yong and Wang Guofu shared the same passions for martial arts and chess, they lived together in this courtyard. This is the place."

Having spoken, he led Fang Guohuan inside through the pushed-open gate.

Head-on, they encountered a seductive woman clad in mourning. Upon seeing Zhang Linping, the woman burst into loud wailing, crying, "Master Zhang, how bitter is my fate!" Yet she shed no tears.

Zhang Linping offered words of comfort: "Mistress Xue, please restrain your grief and take care of yourself."

This woman was none other than Lady Wang, the wife of Xue Yong. Zhang Linping then continued, "Mistress Xue, it is a great tragedy that our two worthy brothers, Xue Yong and Wang Guofu, have passed away. Zhang is deeply grieved. I have brought a friend here today to look at the game of chess they played yesterday, to see what reason could have sparked such a fierce dispute between them."

Upon hearing this, Lady Wang suddenly started, a flash of panic crossing her eyes. Fang Guohuan noticed this look and felt a slight sense of astonishment. Recovering from her startled state, Lady Wang hurriedly said, "The officials have just withdrawn their men, and everything remains untouched, exactly as it was yesterday. Since you are people brought by Master Zhang, just go in and take a look."

Uttering a brief "Many thanks," Zhang Linping led Fang Guohuan further into the courtyard.

After taking a few steps, Fang Guohuan could not help casting a glance back at Lady Wang. Meeting his suspicious gaze, she hastily lowered her head and hurried away. Fang Guohuan shook his head, paying it no further mind.

Bloodstains were still visible everywhere on the courtyard ground, testifying to the terrifying carnage of yesterday's fight. On one side of the courtyard, a mourning shed had been erected for Xue Yong and Wang Guofu, where relatives were offering sacrifices and weeping bitterly.

Zhang Linping stepped forward to the coffins and bowed three times. A woman stopped crying, stood up, and came forward to welcome them, saying, "So Master Zhang has arrived."

Zhang Linping said, "Mistress Wang, things have reached this point; please restrain your grief."

This woman was naturally Lady Zhang, the wife of Wang Guofu. Her eyes were red and swollen from weeping, and she was choked with sobs.

Zhang Linping consoled her, saying, "For such a sudden and tragic accident to occur is truly a misfortune. Mistress Wang should take good care of her health. Later on, I will send some of our brothers from the association to help manage some of these affairs."

Lady Zhang bowed gratefully in thanks. Hearing that Zhang Linping had come to inspect the fatal game of chess, she pointed out a parlor before breaking down in renewed weeping, whereupon those nearby stepped forward to comfort her.

Zhang Linping shook his head and led Fang Guohuan to the door of the parlor. The seal of the Xuzhou Magistrate's Office was still pasted across the doors, as the case had just been closed and the seals not yet removed. Zhang Linping peeled away the seal, opened the door, and invited Fang Guohuan inside.

The parlor was clean and unpretentious. On a table in the center of the room sat a chessboard, flanked by two bowls of chess pieces. Clearly, no one had touched them yet, but the sight of them evoked an inexpressible sorrow.

When Fang Guohuan stepped forward to examine the position on the chessboard, he was suddenly startled and exclaimed in astonishment, "This chess arrangement defies all rules and conventions. It is placed haphazardly, with no strategy or formation to speak of at all."

Upon seeing it, Zhang Linping was likewise taken aback. The pieces on the board—both black and white—were arranged in a simple and bizarre manner, bearing no resemblance to any known moves. In fact, over twenty black pieces were neatly aligned in a row, possessing neither "eyes" nor "breaths," tightly surrounded on all sides by two rows of white pieces. The formation was dead and rigid, violating all principles of the game.

Fang Guohuan thought to himself in shock, "Could it be that some bizarre sorcery has been born from this chess? Just like the murderous ghost chess of the grandmaster eunuch Li Ruchuan—not only disturbing one's peace of mind, but driving people to madness and mutual slaughter?"

Then he secretly shook his head, thinking, "No, that is not the case. I have seen Li Ruchuan's murderous chess manuals in the past, and there was still a discernible logic to them. This board cannot even be called a game of chess; it is truly nothing more than what a child would casually throw together for play."

At this moment, Zhang Linping shook his head and said, "This is certainly not a game played by Xue Yong and Wang Guofu. Both of them have studied chess for many years and may well be considered masters. When playing against each other, their games naturally possessed grand momentum and distinct styles. I have watched them play many times."

Puzzled, Fang Guohuan said, "The two of them surely would not have argued and fought to the death over such a formation. Could the original position have been altered by someone?"

Hearing this, Zhang Linping said in surprise, "Why would anyone bother to tamper with this chess position? Besides, apart from Xue Yong and Wang Guofu, no one else in this courtyard understands chess. Even if someone had moved the pieces, the game would have fallen into disorder; how could it possibly have been rearranged so neatly?"

Fang Guohuan frowned and said, "There must be something bizarre hidden within this."

Just then, a maidservant named Qiufeng walked in carrying tea. Bowing slightly, she said, "Master Zhang, my mistress asked me to serve tea to you both."

Recognizing her as the maidservant who had been interrogated at the public association, Fang Guohuan asked, "Tell me, girl, has anyone touched the chessboard and pieces on this table?"

Qiufeng shook his head and replied, "No one has touched them. Ever since the tragedy yesterday, no one has entered this room. After elder brother Song Qian reported the crime, some officials from the yamen came and sealed up everything in the courtyard. Only one official entered and took a few pieces from the bowls; no one touched the pieces on the board. Afterward, this room was sealed. Just now, because the case was closed, the government officials withdrew, and before this room could even be cleaned up, the two of you came in."

Hearing this, Fang Guohuan and Zhang Linping exchanged a glance, both feeling completely bewildered. Still unwilling to give up, Fang Guohuan asked Qiufeng again, "Have any children been to this courtyard?"

Qiufeng shook his head. "Neither the master's family nor the Xue family has any children. Now that such a major disaster has happened, children from outside wouldn't dare to come near."

After saying this, Qiufeng offered a slight bow and withdrew.

Perplexed, Fang Guohuan remarked, "The strangeness of this chess position completely violates all norms. The problem must lie within this very board. Yet what on earth was the reason that drove Xue Yong and Wang Guofu to quarrel and slaughter each other? This... I cannot fathom."

Zhang Linping said, "Xue Yong and Wang Guofu would never invent some bizarre style of play, nor would they scatter the pieces at random like a child playing. Wait..."

Recalling something suddenly, Zhang Linping hurried to say, "The two of them frequently argued over their games in the past. When they had major disagreements, they often transcribed the game records to serve as evidence for verifying who was right and wrong later on. Over time, these compiled into a volume, which they named something like *The Xue-Wang Right and Wrong Chess Manual*. That's it! Mistress Wang should have this item in her possession. Please wait a moment, Master Fang, while I go fetch it."

With that, Zhang Linping turned and left.

Before long, Zhang Linping indeed returned holding a booklet of paper records. With a sigh of regret, he said, "Mistress Wang hates how chess destroyed both families and has already burned this manual. Fortunately, a few pages survived. Have a look, Master Fang."

Fang Guohuan took them, studied them carefully, and nodded. "Their chess strength is indeed formidable, and the points of contention between them were all very subtle. Judging from these few game records, the opening moves of their standard layouts were identical for the first five steps, with very little variation. The position on the table in the room—assuming we can even call it a chess position—does not match the style of these records. This shows clearly that the game on that table was not played by Xue Yong and Wang Guofu."

Hearing this, Zhang Linping said in astonishment, "If they didn't play it, then who did? Could someone have tampered with the board and altered the original game? But that's impossible; why would anyone alter this position? Even if someone did move the pieces, it would be a pointless act. In any case, Xue Yong and Wang Guofu would never have gone to war over rights and wrongs in a game of chess. I suspect there must be some other reason entirely."

Fang Guohuan said, "Even if there were other reasons, the trouble still arose because of this chessboard. Yet this board is bizarre, and we do not know what they were disputing. By the way, why did the government investigators only take away a few chess pieces without questioning this strange formation?"

Zhang Linping replied, "How many of those bailiffs understand chess? Who would pay attention to the outcome of a game? Naturally, no one bothered with it."

Fang Guohuan shook his head. "There are far too many suspicious points in this case. We should consider every aspect and not close the case so hastily."

Zhang Linping said, "We are merely suspicious. We simply do not know what exact reason drove the two of them to fight to the death yesterday, or what caused them in their frantic rage to murder their three apprentices as well. Even if we showed this misshapen chessboard to Magistrate Lin Gui right now, it would prove nothing. Besides, Magistrate Lin is extremely stubborn; once a case is judged, he tolerates no reversals."

Fang Guohuan once again carefully examined the chessboard on the table, then suddenly cried out in surprise, "Why are there five extra black pieces? Could they have been playing a handicap game?"

Zhang Linping shook his head. "That cannot be. The chess skills of Xue Yong and Wang Guofu were evenly matched. If there were any handicap between them, they would never have argued over the game in the first place, let alone giving a handicap of five pieces all at once. Given their pride, neither of them would have accepted it. Asking them to play a handicap game is quite impossible."

At this, Fang Guohuan nodded and said, "Viewed in this light, this game was certainly not played by the two of them. The calamity of their mutual slaughter did not stem from a dispute over the game itself, yet it is intimately connected to this altered chess position, while rooted in some entirely different cause."

Zhang Linping nodded in agreement. "What you say makes sense, Master Fang. Beneath the many mysteries of this case, the true truth must lie hidden."

Then, shaking his head with a sigh, he continued, "However, apart from this strange chessboard, there are no other clues to investigate. Moreover, two people witnessed the entire process and provided testimony, proving that Xue Yong and Wang Guofu quarreled over chess and fought to their deaths because of that quarrel. The case has already been closed, and we have no conclusive evidence to prove otherwise. Ah! Things have come to this; what can we do?"

After speculating for a long time without reaching any conclusion, Fang Guohuan and Zhang Linping had no choice but to withdraw.