At the gate, aside from a few guards, only Shiliang stood waiting alone.
Ziqing was immediately puzzled—could something have happened, that this girl would be waiting out here?
Just then, a palace guard hurried up. “Prince Yao, Master Situ, His Majesty requests your presence—please come to the palace at once!”
The Prince of Nanzhao truly was in a hurry, giving no one a moment to breathe.
Jun Beiyue glanced once at Shiliang, a flicker of distaste crossing his eyes, though he said nothing—he’d already had Yingzi arrange everything.
Now that he’d made up his mind that Ziqing needed to know about this girl’s betrayal, rather than tell her himself, it would be better to let Ziqing discover it on her own.
Even though Ziqing had left something as important as Wuzheng in Shiliang’s care, he never would have.
Shiliang wasn’t foolish—she’d simply been utterly blinded by her own delusions, believing all too readily.
Jun Beiyue was about to leave, but Ziqing stopped him. “Wait. This girl seems a bit odd—let me question her first.”
“Yingzi’s here, nothing will happen. You’re tired too—I’ll go to the palace, you rest up properly,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.
Ziqing sensed something was off, but she didn’t stop Jun Beiyue, watching him leave before finally walking over to Shiliang.
Shiliang had been standing there for a very long time already—not for any other reason, but because she’d heard the news about the Ancient Music Cavern, and was so anxious she had no idea what to do.
Wuzheng had already been sent away!
And it wasn’t only the Empress of Eastern Qin who wanted Wuzheng—her own most loyal master, Xuanyuan Lige, wanted it too.
The Empress of Eastern Qin, so utterly confident in everything, had designated a specific time and place for Shiliang to deliver Wuzheng. But Xuanyuan Lige had instructed her to give the Empress a fake Wuzheng, delivering the real one into his own hands instead.
Shiliang had no idea what exactly the Empress of Eastern Qin had planned at the Ancient Music Cavern. Xuanyuan Zhaoxi had only told her that once she delivered Wuzheng, by the time Han Ziqing returned, it would be Shiliang’s moment to rise and become mistress herself.
And it had been Xuanyuan Lige who’d instructed her to deliberately reveal the Ancient Music Cavern to the Empress of Eastern Qin—Xuanyuan Lige had promised her that Jun Beiyue would absolutely come to no harm.
Shiliang glanced instinctively at the Empress of Eastern Qin several times. She had no idea what state things were in now, following the failure of the plan at the Ancient Music Cavern, and she couldn’t find Xuanyuan Lige anywhere either.
All she knew was that Han Ziqing had returned safe and sound—and the Wuzheng locked away in her room was a fake.
If Han Ziqing asked her for the real Wuzheng, she would have absolutely nothing to give her!
Everyone else had come through unscathed—she alone was about to face ruin.
Shiliang’s gaze searched desperately through the crowd, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find Xuanyuan Lige anywhere. What should she do now?
Soon, Ziqing stood before her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… my lady must be tired. Why has His Highness left again?” Shiliang asked quickly, feigning composure.
Ziqing found this rather curious—the girl was clearly tense, and these words sounded exactly like something Hongyi would say, rather than Shiliang, who normally responded to everything with nothing more than a simple, “My lady.”
“If nothing’s wrong, let’s go inside. It’s been a long, exhausting day,” Ziqing said flatly.
Shiliang instinctively glanced once more at the Empress of Eastern Qin—she now held Wuzheng as her final bargaining chip, the leverage she needed to trade for the antidote, and had no intention of bothering with Shiliang any further.
Wasn’t this girl supposed to be deeply favored by Jun Beiyue? Why hadn’t she received even the slightest bit of information?
Whatever had happened at the Ancient Music Cavern, Jun Beiyue had clearly prepared for it well in advance—he must have suspected the Second Beast Young Master all along.
What a waste—Shiliang had served as their mole for so long, yet uncovered absolutely nothing useful. A person like this served no purpose being kept alive any longer.
The Empress of Eastern Qin didn’t even bother glancing at her again, turning and heading straight toward her own quarters. Shiliang followed alongside Ziqing, growing more and more terrified with every step.
She knew Han Ziqing’s habits well enough—no matter how exhausted she was, she’d touch Wuzheng and practice on it every single day.
Sure enough, the moment the door closed, Ziqing leaned back indolently onto the couch and said flatly, “Shiliang, bring me Wuzheng.”
She wanted to practice that sacred melody—if she played it according to the score from the cavern, pausing at the blank spot before continuing, she wondered what effect it might produce.
Her trust in Shiliang was absolute. Though she’d sensed something was off about her, she hadn’t jumped to any dark conclusions, her mind entirely absorbed in wanting to practice.
“Yes…”
Shiliang answered flatly, turning toward the cabinet. Things had come to this point now—what else could she do? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t searched, but Xuanyuan Lige was nowhere to be found. Where was she supposed to find a real Wuzheng from?
She gritted her teeth and, steeling her resolve, retrieved the Wuzheng, placing it on the zither stand. Ziqing sipped her tea leisurely, eyes lowered in thought, pondering something unknown.
The room fell silent. Guxi waited quietly nearby, watching Shiliang’s clean, cold little face in silence, his heart aching bit by bit, his eyes growing moist, though he said nothing at all.
Outside the door, Yingzi and Imperial Physician Gu kept watch just as silently. Their lord had said this was something to let the Princess Consort discover on her own.
Ziqing drank slowly, her mind occupied with weighty matters, not even glancing at the Wuzheng.
Shiliang stood very close to the zither stand, her eyes fixed on Ziqing’s face, biting her lip until it flushed red, her heart pounding wildly. She truly had never imagined how Han Ziqing would react upon discovering her betrayal.
In her anxious waiting, she’d once considered fleeing—but she’d never been someone who ran from things, and besides, she knew full well that there was nowhere in this world Jun Beiyue couldn’t find someone if he wanted to.
Since she couldn’t hide it forever, better to face Han Ziqing directly—at least that way, she could speak everything in her heart aloud.
Finally, Ziqing finished her tea, emerging from her deep contemplation of the score. Though Shiliang had braced herself mentally, seeing Ziqing’s gaze finally land on Wuzheng, she still couldn’t help but freeze in shock.
Ever since Jun Beiyue had first placed this Wuzheng in her hands back at the Triple Realm’s territory, there hadn’t been a single day Ziqing hadn’t stroked this zither at least once.
And besides, a musician always felt a special connection to their instrument—even an identical copy could never feel quite the same.
Suddenly, Ziqing’s brows knitted, and with a sharp “crack,” she slammed her palm down and rose to her feet abruptly.
“Shiliang, who’s touched this zither!”
However great Shiliang’s resentment, she couldn’t help but feel a jolt of alarm at Ziqing’s commanding presence, instinctively stepping back twice. She hadn’t planned on defending herself at all, but seeing Han Ziqing so fierce for the first time, she found herself involuntarily gripped with fear, blurting out a defense despite herself. “I… I don’t know either!”
Guxi finally lifted his head, not looking at Shiliang, but at Ziqing instead. He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry. Who said his lady was the cleverest woman in the world? In truth, she was the most foolish, most naive one of all.
Even now, she still hadn’t suspected Shiliang at all!
Why did Shiliang have to betray her, why did she have to fail her? Where else in the world could you find a mistress who trusted her subordinates so completely?
Ziqing truly hadn’t suspected Shiliang at all, instead calling out sharply, “Yingzi, come in!”
Shiliang had no idea—wait, where was Yingzi? Shiliang had been guarding this room, but wasn’t Yingzi supposed to be guarding the courtyard?