So, just three or four days into their journey, Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer found themselves with something to do. They held onto blocks of wood, rubbing them against fine files to smooth out the burrs. Although they had spread a large cloth in the carriage, it still ended up full of wood shavings.
Ye Xinyan, who was traveling with them, arranged various official positions based on ancient military registers. For any rank she was unsure about, she had to consult the guards and Hongzhi.
Jinrong learned that Ye Xinyan was making a set of game pieces for children to play with and, noticing that all four of them in the carriage had wood shavings on their clothes to some degree, couldn't help but find it amusing.
During lunch that day, Jinrong said to Ye Xinyan with a laugh, "Ye Zi, you're muddling through this. If you want to play chess to pass the time, why not just buy a Go set in town? There's no need for all this fuss."