A few days after the Bai clan’s tree-worship ceremony, Mu Fusang finally brought Ziqing the very thing she’d been longing for all along — the secret hidden within the mulberry sacred tree itself.

This secret lay carved into the very trunk of the tree — no one could possibly have found it without first stripping away the tree’s entire outer bark.

And had Mu Fusang never revealed this secret himself, even with the mulberry sacred tree now firmly in Jun Beiyue and Ziqing’s possession, they would likely never have discovered its hidden contents at all.

Like Qinse Valley, the mulberry sacred tree could never be destroyed. Qinse Valley sat at the lowest point of Liuxian Island, connected directly to the sea itself — should it ever be destroyed, the ocean waters would surge upward and drown the entire island beneath the waves.

And the mulberry sacred tree, an ancient, primordial tree whose roots spread throughout the entirety of Liuxian Island’s soil, was equally impossible to destroy.

“This is the musical score copied down from the mulberry sacred tree itself, Boss. Please, take a look.” Mu Fusang presented it with both hands, deeply respectful.

Ziqing could barely contain her eagerness, quickly taking it and unfolding it to examine. Everyone waited anxiously for her verdict — but the moment she finished reading, without a word, she immediately retrieved the Lishang score to compare the two side by side.

Jun Beiyue watched from beside her, and at first glance, the passage from Lishang’s climax and the score copied from the mulberry sacred tree appeared perfectly identical, with nothing unusual to note at all.

But Ziqing quickly spotted the discrepancy. “Here!”

Following the direction of her finger, Jun Beiyue finally noticed a blank space — very small, easy to overlook entirely if one wasn’t looking carefully. Ziqing’s fingers lightly tapped out the rhythm on the table’s surface, and the difference between the two passages was immediately, unmistakably clear.

The first passage was complete. The second, it seemed, was missing something.

“The score is incomplete again?” Jun Beiyue asked, startled.

“Yes. There should be a note here, in this exact spot,” Ziqing said, deadly serious.

“Could it be the yang emblem?” Though Jun Beiyue wasn’t well-versed in music theory himself, he had seen the scores from Nanzhao’s ancient music cavern with his own eyes.

In the ancient music cavern, the score copied from the yin-aligned cavern had contained an emblem entirely absent from the standard Lishang score — precisely the same emblem they now held in their possession.

And the score copied from the yang-aligned cavern had left an empty space instead — no emblem, no note, simply a blank gap.

They had theorized this gap most likely represented a missing yang emblem.

And now, the mulberry sacred tree’s own score had left behind an identical empty space. Could it possibly be the same missing yang emblem after all?

Ziqing said nothing, spreading the climax section of Lishang out across the long table, and everyone immediately gathered around to look.

For anyone unfamiliar with music theory, or without deep expertise in the subject, this score would have revealed absolutely nothing meaningful, no matter how long they studied it.

But the annotations Ziqing herself had made across it, at least, everyone present could clearly understand.

Across Lishang’s hundred-scroll climax section: the first ten scrolls, drawn from the ceremonial music of the ancient music cavern, had been marked by Ziqing with an added emblem. The following twenty scrolls, drawn from the sacred music of the same cavern, bore Ziqing’s notation indicating a missing element. The next thirty scrolls, containing the sound of the waves from Qinse Valley, had likewise been marked by Ziqing with an added emblem. And the ten scrolls after that were precisely the score taken from the mulberry sacred tree.

Ziqing picked up her brush and carefully marked this section as well, indicating another missing element.

Viewed this way, the pattern became remarkably clear.

Every section was missing something, alternating strictly between yin and yang — and the emblem itself was clearly the key to it all.

These sections combined added up to sixty scrolls in total, leaving forty scrolls remaining before the climax concluded. Could the secret hidden within those final forty scrolls lie at Mingsha Mountain?

Those remaining forty scrolls were critically important, holding the key to the positions of the missing notes — and the meaning of the emblem itself was equally vital. Knowing merely the position, and recognizing the emblem, without understanding what specific note it represented, would still leave the secret of Lishang unsolved.

“Any word yet from Yaoshun Island?” Ziqing finally asked — the first time she’d voluntarily brought up the subject since Guxi’s departure.

Yingzi shook his head, then couldn’t help adding a gentle warning. “Princess Consort, perhaps we should send someone else instead. Guxi is still just a boy, after all, and Yaoshun Island is an extremely dangerous place…”

“I won’t disappoint the request he made of me. I only hope he won’t disappoint the trust I’ve placed in him,” Ziqing said flatly.

Jun Beiyue gave a faint smile but said nothing. This woman held a special place in her heart for Shiliang, for Guxi, for that entire band of mercenaries under her command.

She hadn’t brought up the matter of Shiliang since — but he knew perfectly well that the wound still hadn’t healed.

Yaoshun Island hadn’t originally been part of this year’s itinerary at all — that particular matter could afford to wait a while longer.

Jun Beiyue glanced at the sky and smiled. “Let’s set off tomorrow. Back to Da Zhou, to properly celebrate the New Year.”

Indeed — the twelfth lunar month was nearly at its end, and the Spring Festival would soon be upon them.

After a full year of ceaseless travel, they deserved at least a proper rest. Next year, their true battlegrounds awaited them at Western Jing and Mingsha Mountain.

“New Year…” Ziqing murmured softly to herself, then suddenly, unconsciously, turned to look at Situ Haonan.

Situ Haonan met her gaze in bewilderment, feeling distinctly unsettled under her scrutiny. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Once the New Year passed, Yelu Qianqian would be married off to Western Liang. Ziqing couldn’t help but wonder how that silly girl was faring right now.

“Situ, after the New Year, we’re heading to Western Jing. Are you coming along?” Ziqing asked.

Situ Haonan cleared his throat several times. “Why the sudden question?”

“Ha, just asking on Yelu Qianqian’s behalf!” Ziqing teased, carefully masking the sorrow lurking beneath her eyes.

“Depends on my mood, I suppose! Ha, though I can say for certain I’ll be spending New Year’s with you two back in Da Zhou first, hehe!” Situ Haonan said, casting a sly, knowing glance toward Jun Beiyue as he spoke.

The New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Da Zhou imperial court were, after all, the single most anticipated event among every dashing young gentleman across the realm!

There was one particular event that could only be described in four words: beauties beyond counting.

“Why is that?” Ziqing asked flatly, carefully putting away the Lishang score.

Jun Beiyue merely smiled without answering, while Situ Haonan spoke up eagerly instead. “The Da Zhou imperial house holds a beauty pageant every single New Year’s Eve!”

“What’s so special about that?” Ziqing had absolutely no interest in that sort of event, where women competed to outshine one another.

“Of course it’s special! The judge is none other than our own Prince Yao!” Situ Haonan announced loudly, as though delivering the most wonderful news imaginable. Jun Beiyue shot him an immediate glare, but Situ Haonan simply pretended not to notice, continuing on. “Ha, and here’s the second remarkable thing — this contest has no restrictions on eligibility whatsoever! From daughters of nobility and royalty all the way down to lowly beggars and slaves, anyone can enter! It’s a tradition dating back to the very founding of Da Zhou. Last year’s judge was the Second Prince — this year, it’s finally Beiyue’s turn!”

At this, Jiao Cha immediately perked up with interest. “Boss, you’re so beautiful, you’d definitely take first place if you entered! When the time comes, Mu Fusang and I will sneak off to come watch you!”

This remark put Jun Beiyue in an excellent mood, the corners of his lips curling upward. Though returning to Da Zhou for New Year’s would only afford them a few days of rest, at least there’d be something interesting to occupy their time — otherwise, knowing Ziqing’s restless temperament, she’d never manage to sit still for long anyway.

The New Year period would be a perfect time to travel about and see the sights.

And yet, Ziqing’s hand froze slightly as she gathered up the score — her fingers happening to land right on the very spot where she had personally added that mysterious emblem.

A beauty pageant — what qualification did she possibly have for that?

She was just about to decline, when Jun Beiyue spoke up teasingly instead. “Ha, this year’s beauty queen — there’s no one else it could possibly be but my own princess consort!”

…