Whether Yingzi was doing it on purpose or was genuinely oblivious, hearing Baili Weisheng ask so earnestly, he actually asked back with apparent curiosity, “Miss Meng isn’t important?”
In that instant, Ziqing clearly caught a flash of something sinister flicker through Baili Weisheng’s eyes. She thought to herself that if it weren’t for Jun Beiyue’s presence, Yingzi probably would have already been slapped senseless by that annoying bookworm!
As for how this annoying bookworm truly felt about Duo’er deep down, even Ziqing couldn’t quite figure it out.
Watching him seem almost afraid of Meng Duo’er, seemingly avoiding the subject at every turn—yet wasn’t it precisely this abnormal avoidance that revealed just how much he actually cared, both about her and about the whole matter?
It was just that, in ordinary times, unless someone else brought up Meng Duo’er first, this annoying bookworm never mentioned her on his own, never even hinted at asking about her indirectly—as though he’d completely forgotten the girl existed.
So Ziqing simply couldn’t figure him out.
To be fair, there were plenty of things about this fellow that Ziqing had never been able to fully understand or guess at, let alone something as complicated as matters of the heart.
Faced with Yingzi’s counter-question, Baili Weisheng felt a flash of displeasure, though he didn’t let it show. He simply arched an eyebrow, regarding Yingzi with an amused, knowing look.
Before long, Yingzi found himself unable to bear that gaze any longer, and without further prompting from Baili Weisheng, obediently laid out the full account of events.
Throughout the chaos in Nanzhao, aside from the merfolk who had retreated to the seas and stayed out of the conflict entirely, the Dream Clan had also remained neutral, staying put on their island archipelago and refusing to take sides.
Over these past ten years, ever since parting ways with Baili Weisheng, Meng Duo’er had remained in seclusion, rarely concerning herself with outside affairs. Even the Dream Clan’s own disciples had had few opportunities to see her at all.
Ten years had passed—Meng Duo’er, once a girl of sixteen or seventeen, was now twenty-six or twenty-seven, and there was no telling how much she might have changed.
When Jun Beiyue had sent word to Elder Meng informing him of their return, and requested his help in locating Baili Xiaosheng, Meng Duo’er had immediately left the Dream Clan’s archipelago.
The only lead uncovered so far was that, two months earlier, someone had heard the sound of a sheng flute being played near the Xiao clan’s estate.
“The sound of a sheng?” Baili Weisheng, having already dropped his earlier amused expression, asked thoughtfully.
It had to be understood that during Nanzhao’s turmoil, the Sheng clan had gone from an initially unstoppable force to being nearly wiped out entirely—a mystery that had persisted ever since. Five years ago, it had been widely believed the Sheng clan had been completely annihilated, with not a single survivor remaining.
And now, hearing the sound of a sheng again was, without question, a genuinely unexpected development.
“Could it be the phoenix-tail sheng?” Ziqing asked urgently.
Unfortunately, Yingzi shook his head. “Miss Meng asked the witness several times, but they said they couldn’t quite make out the specific instrument.”
“Was it heard only once? And are we certain the sound came from within the Xiao clan’s estate?” Baili Weisheng pressed further.
“Just once. If it wasn’t from within the Xiao clan’s main residence, it must have been from somewhere very close by. It was heard at night,” Yingzi answered.
“Could I have missed something?”
Baili Weisheng frowned, murmuring to himself. He’d kept watch around the Xiao clan’s estate for a considerable time, and had searched the main residence itself on several occasions, yet had found absolutely nothing.
Could he really have overlooked something?
Yingzi glanced at Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, then answered honestly, “Young Master Baili, Miss Meng and the young master are both waiting for you to join them. The young master said that if you don’t come, he’ll begin taking action on his own.”
“And what exactly does he plan to do?” Baili Weisheng rolled his eyes—he simply couldn’t believe that boy Jun Buli could find anything he himself hadn’t already discovered.
“The young master didn’t say exactly, only that if you don’t arrive within ten days, this matter will…”
At this point, Yingzi trailed off, and Baili Weisheng, seeming to sense something, narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Will do what?” Yingzi forced an awkward smile, “Heh heh… what the young master meant was, you’ve been at this for months now and must be exhausted—why not go back to the capital with the prince and princess consort, and get some rest instead?”
Even as he said it, Yingzi himself felt how obviously fabricated this excuse sounded.
Baili Weisheng’s mouth twitched into a strained, dry laugh, and he turned back to look at Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, as if to say, “Look at this—this is your precious son for you!”
Ziqing looked somewhat embarrassed, while Jun Beiyue simply remained composed, smiling. “Why don’t you come back with us, then?”
Yet to everyone’s surprise, Baili Weisheng snorted coldly and said, “That little brat—I know exactly what he’s up to. Little Qingqing, just you wait—I will absolutely, thoroughly put Consort Li in her place for you!”
Jun Buli’s plan to act alone was, in truth, simply a ploy to send Baili Weisheng away!
When Jun Buli had first arrived in Nanzhao, Baili Weisheng had stayed with him for a day or two, never once even glancing directly at Consort Li, let alone doing anything to her at all—so why exactly was Jun Buli so guarded, determined to send him away?
With Baili Weisheng making such a firm promise, Jun Beiyue’s smile grew even more mischievous, and Ziqing herself couldn’t help but laugh as well. Looking at Baili Weisheng’s gleaming eyes and that wickedly sly curl at the corner of his mouth, Ziqing knew that even with Consort Li right by Jun Buli’s side, she wouldn’t have an easy time of it at all!
Given their positions, both she and Jun Beiyue were wary of upsetting their son, afraid of provoking open conflict with him, and so they truly couldn’t bring themselves to deal with Consort Li freely.
But Baili Weisheng was different!
This scoundrel of a scholar was absolutely capable of thoroughly infuriating Jun Buli, all while continuing to cheerfully call him “little bear cub” without a hint of remorse!
At this thought, Ziqing found herself almost looking forward to it, half-wishing she could go along with Baili Weisheng to Nanzhao herself.
Just as she was thinking this, Jun Beiyue took hold of her hand, seemingly having seen straight through her thoughts, gripping it rather firmly, silently telling her: absolutely not.
Baili Weisheng seemed almost impatient to leave now, making one genuinely wonder whether he was more anxious about his disciple or about Consort Li. He swung himself back onto his horse, turning it around, ready to depart.
“Hey!” Ziqing called out quickly, stopping him.
Baili Weisheng turned back, flashing that devastatingly charming signature smile of his, waving a hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back to arrange the marriage between our families! Prepare the betrothal gifts properly—if they’re not generous enough, my disciple won’t be marrying anyone!”
With that, he galloped off toward the southwest without a single backward glance.
Hearing his words, all the gloom in Ziqing’s heart instantly cleared away, and she called out loudly, “Annoying bookworm, we’ll be waiting!”
Waiting—waiting for the day Jun Buli would return home; waiting for the day his hidden secret would finally come to light; waiting for the day Prince Yao’s estate would be decorated with bright red wedding characters!
Only once Baili Weisheng’s retreating figure had faded completely from view did Ziqing finally lower her hand, though the smile still lingered on her face. Jun Beiyue, who hadn’t seen her smile this brilliantly in quite some time, couldn’t resist reaching out to affectionately pinch her cheek, utterly smitten. “Let’s head back too.”
Ziqing didn’t answer, and Jun Beiyue didn’t wait for one either. Without a word, both of them turned in unison to look back at the white jade zither monument standing not far behind them.
Under the vast, endless sky, across the boundless wilderness, the towering zither monument stood alone, aloof from the world. Though it had only just been erected moments ago, somehow, looking back on it now, it already carried an air of ancient weathering, as though this purple-inscribed zither monument had stood upon this grassland for centuries already, like a silent, banished immortal, standing apart from the world, gazing down upon the full sweep of human life, watching the years drift silently by.
Ziqing and Jun Beiyue both gazed at it for a long while, saying nothing.
At last, Ziqing smiled softly, and turning away with quiet acceptance, said, “Beiyue, let’s go.”
Ziqing climbed into the carriage, and Jun Beiyue personally took the reins, driving the horses himself. Across the vast, empty, silent grassland, the clatter of hoofbeats soon faded away into the distance.
Ziqing said, “Beiyue, someday, let’s teach our daughter to play the zither.”
[End of Main Text]