Chapter 65

Chapter 65

◎ Beauty of the Lute Under the Starlit Night ◎

As he spoke, Cui Heng led Luo Wanqing down from the roof and onto the main street. They quickly made their way to a nearby clothing store where they bought a set of clothes and changed into them. Only then did Luo Wanqing remove her veil and let out a sigh of relief as she walked down the street with Cui Heng.

"How did you get here?"

"As soon as I returned to the East Capital, I heard that you were causing trouble," Cui Heng said casually, fanning himself. "So, I came to save you from the mess?"

"I didn't cause any trouble," Luo Wanqing hurriedly explained, frowning. "I just didn't expect Li Guiyu to take action personally."

"With a face like yours, it's enough to make him do anything ten thousand times over."

Cui Heng glanced at her, and Luo Wanqing pondered for a moment. "Unfortunately, Young Master doesn't plan on killing him. Otherwise, my face would be useful in ambushing him."

"It's not time to kill him yet."

Cui Heng's tone was indifferent. "If Young Master kills him now, it would be looking for trouble. The Wang family will fall eventually, and he'll die naturally. You should focus on your tasks." As he spoke, Cui Heng warned her, "Don't scheme too much."

"I know," Luo Wanqing touched her nose, then changed the subject. "Where are we going now?"

"Is there anywhere you want to go but haven't been before?"

Cui Heng turned to look at her, curious. "You were quite young when you left the East Capital. You probably didn't have a chance to explore the streets much, right?"

"You knew I used to live in the East Capital?"

Luo Wanqing was surprised, and Cui Heng gave a meaningful smile. "What do you think?"

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing quickly understood. It was easy for someone from the Supervision Division to find out information.

She didn't delve deeper and instead looked up at the bustling street ahead. "I've wandered around a bit, but there are many places I haven't visited. Back then, my brother always told me that once he grew up and had money, he'd take me to these places. But we never got the chance to return."

"What kind of places did he say he'd take you to once he grew up?"

Curious, Cui Heng asked, and Luo Wanqing thought for a moment before answering seriously. "The Zhenxiu Tower, I heard it has delicious food, but it's very expensive. And the Wanjuan Pavilion, I heard it has many rare books, but my mother said the collection is too diverse and not suitable for me. She would pick out books for me to read."

"Then, how about we go there now?"

Luo Wanqing turned around, slightly surprised. "Now?"

"Yes," Cui Heng nodded. "It's conveniently located on this street. Why not?"

"That works perfectly," Luo Wanqing smiled. "I haven't had dinner yet, and I'm quite hungry."

"Tsk," Cui Heng raised an eyebrow. "Director Zhang didn't even invite you to dinner?"

"How did you know that?"

"I do," Cui Heng said with a hint of sarcasm. "And the Si Shi even sent a white jade hairpin as a gift."

Luo Wanqing realized he must have gotten the information from the Supervision Division.

Informants for the Supervision Division were everywhere in the East Capital. Perhaps it was because of this knowledge that he arrived just in time.

Luo Wanqing smiled without responding, and seeing her tacit agreement, Cui Heng couldn't help but ask, "Did you also give him the sound-transmitting flute from the division?"

"It's useful for him."

Luo Wanqing then recounted everything that had happened recently, from the assassination attempt on the crown prince to taking on the task of a Fifth Rank Si Shi and dueling Xing Ling to obtain the case. She mentioned her suspicion that there was a mole in the Supervision Division, which led her to pretend to abandon the investigation. Finally, she described her plan to test the mole today.

"Now, I can confirm that Zhao Sanhu is the mole. Since I didn't catch Lin Shuzhi tonight, they must assume that I don't have evidence to arrest Lu Lingchan and wouldn't hide anything. Tomorrow, when I apply for the arrest warrant, I'll go directly to apprehend them."

Luo Wanqing sounded pleased as she turned to Cui Heng. "What do you think?"

"It's excellent," Cui Heng's eyes were gentle. "The Si Shi has become more capable while I was away."

Luo Wanqing felt a little embarrassed and said, "I learned from you."

"But I didn't teach you these things, did I?" Cui Heng was puzzled.

Luo Wanqing avoided his gaze and admitted, "Every time I make a decision, I think about what Cui Heng would do. Every decision I make, I feel like…" Luo Wanqing's voice trailed off. "You're by my side."

Cui Heng smiled without saying anything.

After finishing, Luo Wanqing realized that her words might have crossed a line and quickly said, "Alright, we've arrived at the Zhenxiu Tower. Let's not talk about this anymore."

Cui Heng chuckled softly, making Luo Wanqing feel even more flustered. She lowered her head and quickened her pace, entering the Zhenxiu Tower. "To the private room."

She led Cui Heng upstairs.

Once seated in the private room, she weighed her purse of coins while the waiter brought tea. Then, she turned to him and said happily, "I'll treat you to a meal."

"Sure."

Cui Heng propped his chin up lazily and started ordering dishes. "I want to drink Pear Blossom White, eat Pine Nut Fish, Lotus in Bloom, Sea and Sky as One…"

He continued listing dish after dish, and although Luo Wanqing clutched her purse nervously, she didn't stop him.

Cui Heng ordered a full table of exquisite dishes. After tasting one, Luo Wanqing became delighted. "It's really delicious!"

Cui Heng nodded. "Of course, they're all signature dishes here."

After they finished eating, Luo Wanqing called the shopkeeper to settle the bill. Before she could speak, Cui Heng directly said, "Charge it to the Supervision Division's account."

The shopkeeper agreed without hesitation and hurriedly left.

Luo Wanqing was somewhat nervous as she turned around. "Isn't it bad to hang up on the Supervision Division?"

"There's no harm. Xuan Shan will come to settle the bill."

Cui Heng stood up and led Luo Wanqing out. "Come, let's go to the Ten-Thousand-Scroll Pavilion."

The Ten-Thousand-Scroll Pavilion was at the end of this street. After walking for a while, they arrived at its entrance.

As the most famous bookstore in all of Great Xia, the Ten-Thousand-Scroll Pavilion did not close even at night. Instead, it would light a room for scholars to read in.

The two walked through the vast sea of books. Luo Wanqing held a lamp and looked at the books in the room, feeling as if she had returned to the past for a moment.

Those days that had nothing to do with swords and blades.

They each walked around the bookshelves that interested them. She picked out a few rare medical books, then went to find Cui Heng. She saw him standing in a corner, looking down at something.

Luo Wanqing curiously walked over and asked, "What book are you reading?"

"A book your mother doesn't want you to read."

Cui Heng flipped a page, smiling.

This piqued Luo Wanqing's curiosity. She held the lamp and walked to Cui Heng's side. When she looked down and saw the picture on the page, her eyes widened.

Then, she pretended to be calm as she took a few steps back and mumbled, "W-Why are you reading this kind of book?"

When Cui Heng heard this, he looked at her without changing his expression. "The art of lovemaking is also a form of Daoist cultivation. I've read quite a lot about it in the past. Now that I've seen a new edition, why not take a look?"

"You…"

Luo Wanqing blushed and after a long pause, she said, "I'll go pay first."

With that, she hurriedly turned around. Suddenly, she thought of something and leaned over to warn him, "I won't pay for this one!"

Hearing this, Cui Heng laughed. He closed the book, put it back on the shelf, and turned to catch up.

In fact, this was indeed not a proper Daoist scripture, but rather the rumored Pleasing Women Scripture that was circulating among the people.

He had never been interested in such books before, but today, he had taken it down on a whim when he saw it.

It did indeed broaden his horizons.

He slowly followed Luo Wanqing out and said with a smile, "Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

Luo Wanqing didn't say anything. In fact, by now, Li Guiyu's ambush should have long since left.

But when Cui Heng asked, she was somewhat reluctant to mention this. Instead, she said, "D-Do you know any other fun places?"

"Of course," Cui Heng nodded and then said, "Shall I take you there?"

"Okay."

Luo Wanqing nodded. Cui Heng turned and led her forward.

The place Cui Heng took her to wasn't far away. As they walked along the street, he detailed every stall and every building.

He took her to see shadow puppet shows, bought her sugar figurines, and told her which shops had been making braised offal for a hundred years and which ones had family recipes for dumplings.

He knew how to eat and play. Everything on the streets of East Capital was familiar to him.

She couldn't help but look up at him. Cui Heng took her to a mask stand. Sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her. "What are you looking at?"

"I was wondering," Luo Wanqing gazed at him, "how do you know so much?"

"Haven't you ever gone out to play?"

Cui Heng placed a white cat mask on her face and smiled. "In the past, I had two older brothers who loved to play. They knew every street and alley in East Capital."

This was the first time Luo Wanqing had heard Cui Heng talk about his family. She felt that she shouldn't ask, but she couldn't help but speak up. "So?"

"They loved to play, and everyone in the family knew it, so they were often confined to their rooms. Luckily, my sister and I had a good reputation at home, so they always had to use our names to bring my sister and me out with them," Cui Heng said with a smile on his face. "Every time, they forcibly took us around to play, so naturally, we became very familiar with East Capital."

"You have a sister?"

Luo Wanqing was curious. Cui Heng smiled and his eyes showed a hint of bitterness. "Yes, she looks like an incredibly nice girl, but deep down, she's very strong-willed. She's good with a sword and could be considered a female hero. She was almost married…"

When he said this, Cui Heng stopped talking.

Luo Wanqing sensed something and didn't dare to ask further. She only said, "No wonder you know everything. Back then, you must have liked to play too, right?"

"Back then?" Cui Heng thought about it and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I did like it, but I didn't think it was important, so I always pretended not to like it while following them to play. I would scold them for being unlearned and tell them—"

Cui Heng put on a serious face, showing a hint of youthful arrogance as he imitated what he used to do. "This is the last time. Next time, I won't help you lie to go cockfighting."

"Really?"

Luo Wanqing was puzzled. Cui Heng laughed. "How could it be? We still went next time."

Luo Wanqing couldn't help but laugh. She said, "Then what did you do back then if you didn't go out to play?"

"I did some useless things," Cui Heng walked slowly. "Back then, I wasn't much different from ordinary people. I liked to compete and vie for attention. Whatever others thought was impressive, I had to strive to be the best at. I had to stand out in everything, whether it was poetry, painting, or perfumery, or swordsmanship, archery, or pot throwing. There was nothing I wouldn't compete in."

"What about now?" Luo Wanqing looked at him. "Do you still like to compete?"

"Now that I'm older, I keep a low profile," Cui Heng glanced at her. "I don't waste my time on useless things."

"That's true."

Luo Wanqing nodded.

Cui Heng thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "What about you? You were young in the East Capital; surely you went out to play in the Jiangnan region?"

"It was alright," Luo Wanqing recalled, "I had to accompany my mother on her rounds every day, so I didn't have much time to go out and play."

"Didn't Jiang Shaoyan take you out to play?" Cui Heng's tone was indifferent. "If you followed him, you didn't have many happy days, did you?"

"Well, not really. It's just that I was too busy," Luo Wanqing spoke truthfully. Reflecting on the past after the family upheaval, she felt a newfound peace. "The happiest times I had while strolling around were when he took me out."

"Oh, what made you so happy?" Cui Heng idly fanned himself.

"Winning things," Luo Wanqing smiled, remembering the young Jiang Shaoyan. Her tone carried a hint of nostalgia. "He was very skilled. Throwing pots, guessing riddles, shooting darts, ring toss... He always won a lot of prizes, and everyone envied me. At that time, I thought I would never meet such an amazing man again."

Cui Heng said nothing, his expression indifferent.

Luo Wanqing noticed his silence and couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Which lantern do you like?"

Cui Heng suddenly stopped.

Luo Wanqing looked up in confusion and saw Cui Heng playing with a row of flower lanterns at the stall in front of them. He turned to look at her, somewhat arrogantly. "Which one do you like? I'll guess it for you."

Luo Wanqing stared at him blankly. Although the youth wore a mask that covered half his face, his exposed jawline and eyes still revealed his beauty and madness. The light from the nearby lanterns flickered on his face as he urged her, "Choose one."

Luo Wanqing came back to her senses, retracted her gaze, and pointed to one at random. Cui Heng turned around and only said to the vendor, "I want to guess the hardest riddle."

The vendor was taken aback and glanced at the rabbit lantern beside them, saying, "Young Master, this lantern isn't worth the hardest riddle."

"I insist on using the hardest riddle to guess this lantern."

Cui Heng persisted. The vendor was speechless and could only give him the hardest riddle.

Luo Wanqing found it amusing watching Cui Heng solve the riddle and hand her the lantern. Then, he continued walking forward, saying, "I'll take you to Linglong Street. There are lots of games where you can win prizes."

Luo Wanqing suppressed her laughter and softly replied, "Alright."

Cui Heng led her to Linglong Street and picked up some bamboo rings, asking, "How far could he throw them?"

Luo Wanqing didn't want to lie and pointed to the furthest spot, saying, "There."

Cui Heng saw this and took ten bamboo rings from the vendor. With a single throw, all ten rings landed at the furthest point.

Luo Wanqing was a little surprised. Cui Heng turned around and then took some feathered arrows from another stall, turning to look at Luo Wanqing. "What was his best level at throwing pots?"

Luo Wanqing rubbed her nose and could only say, "Actually, there's no need to compete..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Cui Heng closed his eyes and threw the arrow. Immediately afterward, they heard the surprised shouts of the nearby vendors: "Ten points for leaning against the pole!"

Then, Cui Heng straightened up and looked at Luo Wanqing. "Can anyone be as good as this?"

Luo Wanqing looked at the arrow leaning against the pot and knew that Cui Heng wouldn't rest until he had compared himself tonight. She could only nod and say, "No one is this good."

Cui Heng raised his eyebrows and smiled, seemingly pleased.

Leading her forward, he won at every stall they visited. There wasn't a game he didn't compete in.

Even arm wrestling, he insisted on competing in.

Luo Wanqing found it amusing, but looking at Cui Heng among the crowd, she felt for the first time that he had finally come to her side, like a vibrant and bright life, rather than a phantom.

They walked to the end of Linglong Street, carrying a pile of prizes, and saw a tall building.

In front of this tall building hung a zither and a bow. The entrance was deserted, and inside, various musical instruments were displayed.

At the top and sides of the building, copper plates hung from the eaves. They were hard to see if you didn't look carefully, but Luo Wanqing and Cui Heng's eyesight allowed them to notice them immediately.

Compared to the bustling Linglong Street, this tall building seemed particularly quiet. Luo Wanqing stopped and looked up, feeling curious. "What is this place?"

After asking, she didn't hear a response from Cui Heng and turned to see him staring into the building.

Luo Wanqing followed Cui Heng's gaze and saw an ancient zither with a phoenix carved on its tail. This zither was exceptionally beautiful, and Cui Heng gazed at it silently, losing his smile.

Luo Wanqing had a hunch that something was wrong with the zither and looked questioningly at the attendant standing at the door. Seeing Luo Wanqing's interest, the attendant hurried over and said cheerfully, "Miss, would you like to see the zither?"

"That zither," Luo Wanqing pointed to the one Cui Heng was looking at, curious. "What kind of zither is it?"

"Oh, this one is 'Fenghui,' which our boss acquired. Its origin is extraordinary—it was..." The attendant looked around and lowered his voice. "It was personally crafted by the current head of the Supervision Division, Xie Sizhu, and given as a gift to the most beautiful woman in the world, Cui Changxi. The sound quality of this zither is superb. After the Cui family was destroyed, our boss spent a large sum to acquire it. A beauty's legacy zither, truly invaluable."

Cui Changxi.

Hearing this name, Luo Wanqing couldn't help but glance at Cui Heng beside her. Cui Heng smiled and simply said, "Let's go."

"Hold on," the attendant quickly stopped them. "For just one tael of silver, if you can play through the sheet music upstairs without any mistakes, you can take any zither in the store. Why don't you two give it a try?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanqing turned to look at Cui Heng, cautiously asking, "Don't you want to compete?"

"What's the point of competing?" Cui Heng smiled and said, "It's late. Let's go."

"Do you want that zither?"

Luo Wanqing stopped Cui Heng and asked seriously. Cui Heng was silent before saying, "This zither is useless. I don't want it."

"I'll help you win!"

Despite his words, Luo Wanqing acted as if she hadn't heard him. She handed everything to Cui Heng, gave the attendant a tael of silver, and turned around, saying, "Let's go."

With that, Luo Wanqing followed the attendant upstairs.

As the server led Luo Wanqing upstairs, he reminded her, "Miss, although one tael of silver is not much, don't think it's easy to get this lute. The sheet music upstairs was specially obtained by our boss. This piece is extremely difficult. We've been in business for many years, and no one has ever played it. Don't be upset if you can't play it; everyone is like that."

"I understand, I won't make things difficult for you."

Luo Wanqing knew the server's concerns and reassured him as she followed him to the second floor.

The second floor was filled with musical instruments. The server gestured, "Miss, choose a lute you like."

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing turned her gaze and looked around. There were not only lutes but also many other instruments here.

She raised her eyes to look at the pipa and asked gently, "Can I use the pipa?"

"Of course."

The server smiled. "Few people in the East Capital know how to play the pipa. Today, Miss, you can give me a treat for my ears."

Luo Wanqing paused upon hearing this, smiling without saying more. She turned to pick up a pipa.

Stringed instruments were popular in the south of the Yangtze River, where the pipa flourished, while the guqin was more common in the north.

And originally, she didn't know how to play any of them.

Her parents, one a martial artist and the other a doctor, had never excelled in elegant pursuits such as playing musical instruments or painting. She had studied medicine since childhood and had little time to learn these instruments.

She learned to play the pipa because of Jiang Shaoyan.

When they first arrived in the south of the Yangtze River together, Jiang Shaoyan didn't like to talk much.

He was quiet and reserved, his expression gentle, but there was always a lingering melancholy in his eyes.

One day, as they passed through a waterway on a boat, a woman leaned against a railing and played music.

The sound of the pipa evoked images of clashing armies. Jiang Shaoyan lifted his head, and a hint of a smile slowly appeared in his usually melancholic eyes.

Watching him smile, she thought he probably liked listening to the pipa, so she found a teacher and practiced day after day.

She went to find that woman specifically and learned the song Jiang Shaoyan liked, "King Yue's Sword."

This piece described the life of King Goujian of Yue.

Defeated by Wu, he endured humiliation and hardship, ultimately destroying Wu and becoming a dominant ruler.

She had played the pipa for five years, and this was the best piece she could play.

During those five years, she watched as Jiang Shaoyan gradually changed from being depressed and unhappy to becoming softer and brighter.

Every time they had a secret argument and she wanted to reconcile, she would sit in the room and play the pipa.

Before long, Jiang Shaoyan would appear.

No matter what they argued about, no matter what they disagreed on, he would always come, eventually saying, "Miss, I was wrong."

She would then murmur in response, turning her head and saying, "Mm, not again."

It seemed like he was the one apologizing first, but in reality, it was she who wanted to make amends.

Her pipa had always been played for Jiang Shaoyan, but now it was the first time she was playing it without him in mind.

She carried the pipa and listened as the server said, "The sheet music is here."

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing walked over to the stand holding the sheet music. She flipped through it and laughed.

This was a pipa piece mourning the dead, which naturally wasn't suitable for a lute.

The difficulty of the piece wasn't great, much less than the "King Yue's Sword" she had learned for Li Guiyu.

She plucked the strings of the pipa and looked up at the server. "I just need to finish playing it, right?"

"The room behind you is where our musician is," the server introduced. "If he says it's okay, you can take the pipa away."

"What if he deliberately makes things difficult?"

Curious, Luo Wanqing asked. The server hurriedly replied, "No, no. Our shop has been selling pipas here for many years. If we did something like that, you could report us to the government."

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing smiled and didn't press the issue. She lowered her eyes to the sheet music and gently plucked the strings.

The resounding sound of the pipa rang out, and Cui Heng lifted his eyes.

At this moment, on the distant street, Li Guiyu sat in a carriage, supporting his forehead, listening to Zi Tang's report: "We've searched all the streets and blocked off the routes the Supervision Division must pass through, but we haven't seen Envoy Liu. The people from Chunfeng Pavilion did say that a pair of lovers came and opened a room alone, left some silver, and disappeared. We followed their trail down the street but couldn't find anyone."

"There's no need to continue searching."

Li Guiyu closed his eyes, somewhat tired. "If we didn't catch her, it doesn't matter. She's smarter than I thought, knowing something was wrong as soon as she entered the room. As for you," Li Guiyu raised his eyes and looked at the youth outside the carriage curtains, "you're too slow."

Zi Tang was a bit embarrassed and respectfully said, "Yes, this subordinate will definitely pay more attention in the future."

"But it's fine. Lin Shuzhi didn't fall into her hands, and in the eyes of Empress Dowager and the Wang family, I've done my best. What happens next has nothing to do with us."

Saying this, Li Guiyu asked, "Have you prepared the replacements for the Eastern Palace's Six Armies?"

"We're looking for them." Zi Tang nodded and then hesitated slightly. "Your Highness, now that Zhao Bing and the others have already submitted to you, why..."

"The Wang family," Li Guiyu sneered. "How can I trust them?"

Hearing this, Zi Tang thought about it and nodded. "Your Highness is right."

Li Guiyu acknowledged this and lowered his eyelids. Seemingly unintentionally, he casually asked, "There's still no news from Yangzhou?"

"It's on its way. They've already found Miss Luo's body."

"Hmm."

Li Guiyu's voice was calm and indifferent. After he said this, the only sound around them was that of the carriage moving.

Li Guiyu had his eyes closed. It was only now that he noticed the sound of a pipa coming from far away.

This sound was too small and unclear. Li Guiyu heard it and suddenly said, "Stop the carriage."

The carriage stopped, and everything around them fell silent.

Li Guiyu kept his eyes closed and listened quietly without speaking.

Qingzhu asked curiously, "Your Highness?"

"I want to listen," Li Guiyu said wearily. "I haven't heard the pipa for a long time."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances but did not dare to speak.

Few people in the East Capital played the pipa, and he had never sought anyone out specifically to play it for him.

He had originally thought that he would hate everything related to her.

However, upon hearing the pipa music, even though it was so far away, he felt a sense of peace.

It was difficult to hear the pipa clearly. He could only roughly make out that it was a pipa. Even with his hearing, he had to concentrate hard to hear it clearly.

This was a pipa tune mourning the dead, with gentle and sorrowful melodies.

Li Guiyu supported his forehead and looked in the direction the music came from through the carriage curtain.

However, after listening for a moment, his expression suddenly changed drastically. He threw open the curtain and rushed towards the source of the pipa music!

Everyone was shocked and hurriedly called out, "Your Highness!"

But Li Guiyu couldn't hear them. His ears were filled with the sound of the music.

There were many people in the world who played the pipa.

But over the years, there was only one person who would gently raise the pitch at the end of each note when playing the pipa.

That was a habit she didn't even know she had because when she first learned to play the instrument, she would always secretly look at him after playing a short segment.

Music reflected the heart. That uncontrollable attention would turn into a slight rise in pitch at the end of each note.

It was her.

At that moment, he galloped through the night, thinking of nothing.

It was as if he was in a hallucination after taking a large amount of Wu Shisan, or like his seventeen- or eighteen-year-old self.

When he heard the pipa music, he rushed towards it without hesitation.

Miss.

Luo Wanqing.

Whether she had returned as a person or a spirit didn't matter.

None of it mattered.

The moment he heard the sound, his mind was filled with memories of when the girl held the pipa and spoke plaintively.

"Someday, if I play the pipa, you have to come."

"I forgive you." The young girl raised her head. "I won't be angry no matter what you do."

Luo Wanqing was unaware of the person rushing towards her in the night. She calmly finished playing the piece on the sheet music and turned to look back at the room behind her. "Is it okay?"

The waiter was entranced by the music. Upon hearing her question, he quickly snapped back to reality and smiled. "Please wait a moment."

With that, the waiter walked into the room. A moment later, he happily came out, his face full of joy. "Congratulations, Miss! You can take the pipa with you."

"Thank you!" Luo Wanqing smiled.

But just as she said this, the temple bell rang in the distance.

Luo Wanqing realized that it was already the next day.

She raised her eyes to look in the direction of the bell and then remembered something.

She hurriedly turned around and gave the waiter another tael of silver. "Please give this Fenghui zither to the young master waiting outside for me. Can I borrow the pipa for a little longer?"

The waiter's face lit up with a smile as he took the money and agreed, heading downstairs.

Cui Heng heard the pipa music stop and waited for Luo Wanqing while holding the lantern in his hand. A moment later, the waiter came out and handed him the zither. "Young Master, this is the zither the lady won for you."

Cui Heng didn't say anything. He quietly looked at the zither in the waiter's hands.

For an instant, it seemed as if the zither was covered in blood. His fingertips trembled slightly, and he didn't dare to take the zither.

After a moment, he raised his head and asked coldly, "Where is she?"

"Cui Heng!"

Luo Wanqing's voice sounded from upstairs. Cui Heng raised his eyes and saw the woman standing by the railing with a pipa in her arms.

Soft pipa music slowly began to play. Cui Heng was taken aback. The night wind was entangled, and the stars shone brilliantly as the woman's pipa music, filled with the willow trees and moon of Jiangnan, came towards him. Her eyes were filled with a warm smile as she looked at him.

This pipa music was completely different from the earlier tune mourning the dead. It was joyful and full of blessings.

Cui Heng stared blankly at the girl playing the lute for him by the railing in the long corridor.

The surroundings faded to bloodless hues, and his eyes saw nothing but the beauty with the lute, bathed in the night's starlight.

*Author's note:*

*Side Scene*

Li Guiyu: "When did you learn to play the zither?"

Xie Heng: "When did you learn to play the lute?"

Luo Wanqing: "…Maybe I just have a natural talent for music."

Li Guiyu & Xie Heng: "We're asking when!"

Luo Wanqing: "When you weren't around."

*Side Scene 2*

Xie Heng: "Then why did you play the lute? Didn't we agree that you'd learn the zither and not play it?"

Luo Wanqing: "Well… circumstances forced my hand; I couldn't win in a lute duel."

Xie Heng: "Who cares if you won?"

Luo Wanqing: "But…"

Xie Heng: "If you were any slower, I would have joined you in the duel!! It's just a lute duel, I could take them all down myself! All of them!!"

Luo Wanqing: "Young Master should stay seated up there. Coming down here would demean you, it wouldn't be dignified."