“Smack—”

Everyone’s pupils constricted as they all snapped back to attention.

Young Master Pei rushed before his own father, eyes flashing with the intense love of a filial son. “Father, I really want to kneel down and kowtow three times to you.”

Xie Zhifei: “Include my three as well.”

Li Buyan: “And mine.”

Zhu Yuanmo: “Add me—that’s one more.”

Yan Sanhe: “Count me in. Fifteen total.”

Pei Yu: “…” Were they worshiping ancestors?

Xie Zhifei’s eyes asked Yan Sanhe: Anything else to ask?

Yan Sanhe shook her head slightly.

Xie Zhifei immediately stood and pulled open the door. “Zhu Qing, Hero, immediately escort Uncle Pei home. Be respectful—Uncle Pei is our great benefactor.”

Now that sounded more like it!

Pei Yu stood up, squeezing his eyes at his son: Follow along, your father has words.

“Father, set your heart at ease. We won’t act recklessly.”

Pei Xiao’s eyes still hadn’t lost their filial piety. “Even less will we cause trouble for the Pei family. If you don’t trust me, you should trust Yan Sanhe.”

Now you’ve become a tapeworm in this old man’s belly?

Pei Yu mentally cursed “scoundrel” and swept his sleeves as he left.

Once Pei Yu departed, the entire study exploded.

Zhu Yuanmo was excited as a child, unable to sit still.

“Miss Yan, he was in the Crown Prince’s palace, he played qin for the Crown Prince. It can’t be wrong—this time it absolutely can’t be wrong.”

Xie Zhifei was beyond excited—his heart surged with emotion. “Using qin music to induce sleep must have been in the Crown Prince’s bedchamber. Private, most private.”

Yan Sanhe felt new hope rising in her heart. “He should have seen Shen Duruo and also seen Cairen Xia. We can learn many things from his mouth.”

“Right, right, right!”

Zhu Yuanmo rubbed his hands vigorously. “Finally someone from the Crown Prince’s palace is alive, someone is alive.”

“Wait!”

Stars of curiosity flashed in Young Master Pei’s eyes.

“Everyone, I just want to ask—was his relationship with the former Crown Prince one of playing qin to induce sleep, or after playing qin, could they also go to bed together?”

Xie Zhifei held his forehead: Why is this ancestor only interested in such things?

Zhu Yuanmo sighed: Young Master Pei mustn’t go astray!

“Pei Mingting, put something useful in that brain of yours.”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes suddenly turned toward Xie Zhifei, her tone extremely serious. “Everyone died. Why is he still alive?”

Xie Zhifei choked.

Yan Sanhe: “Did the Crown Prince release him in advance?”

Xie Zhifei: “…”

Yan Sanhe: “If he played qin for the former Crown Prince, then at this moment is he with Prince Han intentionally or unintentionally?”

Xie Zhifei’s eyes sharpened, keen light shooting from within.

No one spoke again. Each person remained motionless, as if frozen by something.

Yes.

This Dong Chengfeng clearly knew the former Crown Prince. How did he end up with Prince Han?

How could Prince Han employ someone from the former Crown Prince?

Wasn’t he afraid the Emperor would learn of it and charge him with the crime of defying imperial authority?

After a long while, Xie Zhifei said in a deep voice, “I dare not say anything else, but I dare say Prince Han definitely doesn’t know Dong Chengfeng’s origins. He doesn’t have that much audacity.”

“Since Prince Han doesn’t know…”

Young Master Pei pondered, “That means… Dong Chengfeng concealed his identity when he became Prince Han’s advisor.”

Zhu Yuanmo had grown accustomed to their speaking style and even integrated himself. “Then… what is his purpose in being an advisor?”

Right—what was Dong Chengfeng’s purpose in being an advisor?

Yan Sanhe gazed at the dancing candlelight, lost in thought.

After a long while, she called softly.

“Xie Chengyu.”

“Present!”

Xie Zhifei hadn’t heard her call him by his courtesy name in ages. Warmth showed in his eyes.

“For someone unruly like a wild horse to suddenly and silently enter the Crown Prince’s palace as a qin master, playing qin to help the Crown Prince sleep—I think there’s only one possibility.”

Xie Zhifei: “He wasn’t coerced but acted willingly.”

Young Master Pei raised his brows. “Reason?”

Reason?

There was one!

Yan Sanhe met the light in Xie Zhifei’s eyes.

“After I lost consciousness, he saw the former Crown Prince’s white jade pendant in my embroidered pouch. His heart was moved, so he played that piece ‘High Mountains, Flowing Water’ for me.”

“‘High Mountains, Flowing Water’ speaks of how rare it is to find a true friend.”

Xie Zhifei: “If the former Crown Prince was Dong Chengfeng’s true friend, Dong Chengfeng would certainly act willingly for his friend.”

“So the feelings between him and Zhao Rongyu don’t involve romantic love.”

Young Master Pei continued with furrowed brow, “They’re just another Boya and another Zhong Ziqi.”

Zhu Yuanmo’s expression changed dramatically. “If that’s true, then this person and the Crown Prince were on the same side.”

Pei Xiao’s heart jumped suddenly. “Then, then his purpose as advisor is…”

No one answered his question. Everyone looked at Yan Sanhe with bewildered gazes.

Yan Sanhe had some speculation in her heart.

Long ago, after Zhong Ziqi died, Boya was devastated, believing no true friend remained in the world. Thus he “broke his qin and severed the strings,” never playing qin again for life.

Zhao Rongyu was Dong Chengfeng’s true friend. Dong Chengfeng even gave up his carefree life for him, entering the Crown Prince’s palace to play qin.

So after Zhao Rongyu’s unjust death, what would Dong Chengfeng do?

Logically, he should “break his qin and sever the strings,” but he didn’t;

Logically, he should remain unruly and free-spirited to the end, but he didn’t.

He restrained all the pride, wildness, and aloofness on his person, entered Prince Han’s manor, and became a reserved, sinister, reclusive advisor to Prince Han.

With so many princes in the four-nine city, why choose Prince Han?

Because Prince Han was a military general, simple-minded and easy to control?

Because Prince Han was the Emperor’s most favored son, able to bring him glory and wealth?

Or because Prince Han had a restless heart, wanting to eliminate the Crown Prince and claim the dragon throne?

What do advisors scheme for?

They scheme for the realm!

Gaining the realm meant Prince Han would have to eliminate the Crown Prince, then ascend.

Wouldn’t this repeat his father’s—the former Prince Zhao, current Emperor’s—path?

Wouldn’t this be another human tragedy of fratricide?

A stage slowly appeared before Yan Sanhe’s eyes, and “clang, clang, clang” of gongs and drums seemed to reach her ears.

Lu Shi in opera robes, singing on stage;

In the private box stood a stick of incense, its smoke transforming into the shape of a woman’s eyes, gazing obsessively at Lu Shi on stage;

Lu Shi, to avenge the Tang family, lived as a lone seed;

What about Dong Chengfeng?

Would Dong Chengfeng, because of one piece “High Mountains, Flowing Water,” transform himself into a ruthless, heartless advisor, then…

“Avenge. The. Crown. Prince!”

Yan Sanhe lightly bit out these five words.

Her voice could even be described as calm, yet it made everyone’s hearts race wildly.

Pei Xiao’s throat constricted unbearably, his voice thinning. “Xie Wushi, pinch me.”

Xie Zhifei pinched hard.

Damn!

That really hurt!

So it wasn’t a dream.

Pei Xiao quickly walked before Yan Sanhe, asking cautiously, “Are. You. Certain?”

Yan Sanhe’s chin lifted slightly.

“I should be certain!”

—