short series

Unspoken Love in the Chess Endgame

share time: 2025-11-21 00:30:24

Su Wanyin, the beloved daughter of the Minister of Rites, is obsessed with chess. At 16, she meets Gu Zhaozhi, a poor scholar, under a peach tree—three games of chess spark their secret love. Before Gu leaves for the imperial exam, he sets a “life-and-death chess game” and vows, “The day I solve this game is the day I marry you.” But three years later, she learns he’s become the top scholar and is to marry the princess. Burning her chess records, Su finds a piece from that year carved with “Wanyin”—he’d cheated on purpose, using the game to promise lifelong commitment. Rushing to the palace with the piece, she sees Gu in a red wedding robe, bowing to her across the palace wall. As she turns to leave, the piece in her sleeve falls to his feet—it’s the “betrothal piece” he secretly gave her. In Gu’s eyes as he stares at it, there’s a lifetime of unspoken love and helplessness…

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