◎Pipa Beauty, Reflecting a Night of Starlight◎

With that, Cui Heng led Luo Wanqing down and onto the main street. The two quickly went to a nearby clothing store, bought a set of clothes, and changed their appearance. Only then did Luo Wanqing remove her veil and breathe a sigh of relief as she walked the street with Cui Heng.

“How did you come?”

“Just returned to the Eastern Capital and heard you were causing trouble.” Cui Heng fanned himself lazily: “So I came to rescue you?”

“I wasn’t causing trouble.” Luo Wanqing quickly explained, frowning: “I just didn’t expect Li Guiyu to personally take action.”

“Just with that face of yours, it’s worth him doing it ten thousand times.”

Cui Heng glanced at her. Luo Wanqing pondered: “What a pity the Young Master doesn’t plan to kill him; otherwise, this face of mine would be quite useful for ambushing him.”

“It’s not time to kill him yet.”

Cui Heng’s tone was flat: “If the Young Master killed him now, that would be looking for trouble. When the Wang family falls, he’ll naturally die. You do your job well,” he warned, looking at her, “and stop scheming in your head.”

“I know,” Luo Wanqing touched her nose, then changed the subject: “Where shall we go now?”

“Is there anywhere you wanted to go but never did?”

Cui Heng turned to look at her, asking curiously: “You weren’t very old when you left the Eastern Capital—you probably didn’t get to explore much, right?”

“You know, I lived in the Eastern Capital before?”

Luo Wanqing asked in surprise. Cui Heng smiled meaningfully: “What do you think?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing realized—for someone from the Supervision Department, finding out anything was too easy.

She didn’t delve deeper, looking up at the street ahead and saying gently: “I did explore some, but there were many places I never went. My brother always told me that when he grew up and had money, he’d take me there, but then we never returned.”

“What places required waiting for your brother to grow up before he could take you?”

Cui Heng was curious. Luo Wanqing thought carefully and said seriously: “Zhenshuan Tower—I heard the food there is delicious but very expensive. Also, Wanjuan Pavilion—I heard it has many rare books, but my mother said the books there were too miscellaneous and inappropriate for me, so she always went to select books for me.”

“Shall we go now?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing turned back, somewhat surprised: “Now?”

“Yes,” Cui Heng nodded, “they’re right on this street—might as well.”

“Perfect,” Luo Wanqing smiled, “I haven’t eaten dinner yet and I’m quite hungry.”

“Tsk,” Cui Heng raised an eyebrow, “Master Zhang didn’t even buy you a meal?”

“You know about that, too?”

“Of course,” Cui Heng said sarcastically, “The Inspector even gave him a white jade hairpin.”

Luo Wanqing heard this and knew he had gotten information about her from within the Supervision Department.

The Eastern Capital was full of Supervision Department informants—probably because he knew the news that he had arrived in time.

Luo Wanqing smiled without responding. Seeing her silent agreement, Cui Heng couldn’t help asking: “Was the message flute from the department also for him?”

“It’s useful for him to have.”

Luo Wanqing then told him everything that had happened recently in detail.

From the Crown Prince assassination, to taking on the Fifth Rank Inspector mission, dueling with Xing Ling for the case, suspecting there was an informant in the Supervision Department, and deliberately pretending to abandon a thorough investigation, to today’s scheme to test the informant.

“Now I can confirm Zhao Sanhu is the informant. Since I didn’t catch Lin Shuzhi tonight, they think I don’t have evidence to arrest Lu Lingchan and won’t make any moves to hide things. When I apply for the arrest warrant tomorrow, I’ll go straight to his door.”

Luo Wanqing spoke somewhat excitedly, turning to look at Cui Heng: “What do you think?”

“Very good.” Cui Heng’s eyes were gentle: “In the time I was away, Inspector has become even more capable.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing felt somewhat embarrassed and only said, “I learned from you.”

“I didn’t teach you these things, did I?” Cui Heng was puzzled.

Luo Wanqing didn’t dare look at him, speaking honestly: “It’s just… every time I make a decision, I think about what Cui Heng would do. With every decision I make, I feel,” Luo Wanqing’s voice grew quieter, “that you’re beside me.”

Cui Heng smiled without speaking.

After Luo Wanqing finished, she felt her words might have crossed a line and hurriedly said: “Alright, we’ve reached Zhenshuan Tower—let’s not talk about this.”

Cui Heng chuckled softly. Luo Wanqing felt even more embarrassed, lowering her head and quickening her pace as she entered Zhenshuan Tower: “A private room.”

With that, she led Cui Heng upstairs.

Once seated in the private room, when the waiter brought tea, she weighed her money pouch, then turned to look at him happily: “I’ll treat you.”

“Wonderful.”

Cui Heng rested his chin on his hand and lazily ordered: “I want pear blossom wine, pine nut fish, lotus emerging from water, sea and sky in one color…”

He continued nonstop, ordering a string of dishes. Luo Wanqing nervously clutched her money pouch but didn’t stop him.

Cui Heng ordered a full table of dishes, each one a specialty. Luo Wanqing tasted a bite and became delighted: “It is delicious!”

Cui Heng nodded: “Of course—these are all their signature dishes.”

After they finished eating, Luo Wanqing called the manager to settle the bill. But before she could speak, she heard Cui Heng say directly: “Put it on the Supervision Department’s account.”

Hearing this, the manager immediately agreed and hurried out.

Luo Wanqing turned back nervously: “Putting it on… the Supervision Department’s account isn’t good, right?”

“No problem—Xuanshan will settle the bill.”

Cui Heng stood up and led Luo Wanqing outside: “Let’s go to Wanjuan Pavilion.”

Wanjuan Pavilion was at the end of this street. After walking for a while, they reached the entrance.

As the most famous bookstore in all of Great Xia, Wanjuan Pavilion didn’t close at night—instead, it lit lamps in one room for scholars to read.

The two walked through the vast sea of books. Luo Wanqing held a lamp, looking at the room full of books, momentarily feeling as if she’d returned to the past.

Those days are unrelated to swords and blades.

Each browsed through bookshelf sections that interested them. She selected a few rare medical texts, then went to find Cui Heng, seeing him standing in a corner, looking down at something.

Luo Wanqing curiously walked over and asked, puzzled: “What book are you reading?”

“Books your mother wouldn’t let you see.”

Cui Heng turned a page, his face showing a smile.

This made Luo Wanqing curious. She walked to Cui Heng’s side with the lamp, looked down at the page, saw the images on it, and immediately widened her eyes.

Then she pretended to be calm and backed away a few steps, mumbling: “You… why are you reading such books?”

Hearing this, Cui Heng looked up at her with an unchanged expression, only saying: “Bedroom arts are also a form of Daoist cultivation. I’ve read quite a few on the mountain before. Seeing a new edition today, I thought I’d see how it was.”

“You…”

Luo Wanqing blushed, holding back for a long time before only saying: “I’ll go settle the bill first.”

With that, she hurriedly turned around, suddenly remembering something, poked her head back and warned: “I’m not paying for that book!”

Hearing this, Cui Heng laughed aloud. He closed the book and put it back on the shelf, then followed her.

This wasn’t any proper Daoist scripture, but a popular, rumored “Classic of Pleasing Women.”

He’d had no interest in such books before, but today, possessed by some spirit, when he saw it, he took it down.

It did broaden his horizons indeed.

He leisurely followed Luo Wanqing out, smiling: “Anywhere else you want to go?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t speak. Actually, by now, Li Guiyu’s ambush should have long dispersed.

But when Cui Heng asked, she felt somewhat reluctant to mention these things, only saying: “Do you… Know anywhere else fun?”

“I do,” Cui Heng nodded, then said: “Shall I take you?”

“Yes.”

Luo Wanqing nodded. Cui Heng turned to lead her forward.

The place Cui Heng took her wasn’t far—just along the street, giving her a detailed account of every stall, every building.

He took her to see shadow puppet shows, bought her sugar figurines, told her which family’s braised dishes had been made for a hundred years, which family’s dumplings were inherited craftsmanship.

He knew how to eat, how to play—everything on the Eastern Capital streets was treasured knowledge to him.

She couldn’t help but look up at him. Cui Heng took her to a mask stall, noticing her gaze, and turned back: “What are you looking at?”

“I was thinking,” Luo Wanqing gazed at him, “how do you know so much?”

“Haven’t you been out to play?”

Cui Heng placed a white cat mask on her face and smiled: “In the past, I had two elder brothers who loved to play. There wasn’t a place in the Eastern Capital’s streets and alleys they didn’t know.”

This was the first time she’d heard Cui Heng talk about his family. She felt she shouldn’t ask, but couldn’t help speaking: “And then?”

“Everyone in the family knew they loved to play, so they were often confined to quarters. It just happened that my sister and I had good reputations at home, so every time they had to use us as cover, taking my sister and me out,” Cui Heng spoke with a smile appearing on his face, “each time they’d forcibly drag us around everywhere, so naturally I became familiar with all of the Eastern Capital.”

“You have a sister too?”

Luo Wanqing was curious. Cui Heng smiled, his eyes showing some bitterness: “Yes, she appeared to be an incredibly good-tempered girl, but had an extremely resilient character deep down. She was skilled with a sword and could be considered a female hero. She was about to marry… “

At this point, Cui Heng’s voice stopped.

Luo Wanqing sensed something and didn’t dare ask more, only saying: “No wonder you know everything. Back then, you actually enjoyed playing too, didn’t you?”

“Back then?” Cui Heng thought about it and smiled self-mockingly: “I enjoyed it, but I felt it wasn’t serious business, so I’d always play with them while pretending not to like it, lecturing them about being unambitious, then telling them—”

Cui Heng straightened his face, showing some youthful pride, imitating his past manner and speaking formally: “This is the last time. Next time, I absolutely won’t help you lie to go cockfighting.”

“Really?”

Luo Wanqing was puzzled. Cui Heng laughed: “How could that be? We’d go again next time.”

Luo Wanqing also couldn’t help laughing, only saying: “Then what did you usually do when you weren’t going out to play?”

“Useless things,” Cui Heng walked leisurely, “Back then, I was no different from ordinary people—I liked to compete and fight for things. Whatever others thought was impressive, I always had to compete for first place. I had to show off in everything—competing in poetry, painting, incense blending, swordplay, archery, and pitch-pot games. There was nothing I wouldn’t dare compete in.”

“What about now?” Luo Wanqing looked at him: “Do you still like competing?”

“I’m older now, keeping a low profile,” Cui Heng glanced at her, “I don’t waste time on useless things anymore.”

“That makes sense.”

Luo Wanqing nodded.

Cui Heng thought for a moment and couldn’t help asking: “What about you? You were young in the Eastern Capital, but you must have gone out to play in Jiangnan, right?”

“Not bad, I suppose.” Luo Wanqing thought back, recalling: “I had to accompany my mother on medical rounds every day, so I didn’t have much time to go out and play.”

“Jiang Shaoyan didn’t take you out to play?” Cui Heng’s tone was flat: “Then following him, you didn’t have any happy times?”

“That’s not true—I was just too busy,” Luo Wanqing spoke honestly. When recalling past days after the family tragedy, she felt peaceful for the first time: “The happiest times shopping were all when he took me out.”

“Oh, what made you happy?” Cui Heng casually fanned himself.

“Winning things.” Luo Wanqing smiled, remembering the young Jiang Shaoyan with some nostalgia in her voice: “He was very capable—pitch-pot, riddles, dart throwing, ring tossing… he could always win lots of things back. Everyone envied me. Back then, I thought I’d never meet such a capable young master again.”

Cui Heng didn’t speak, his expression indifferent.

Luo Wanqing noticed his silence and couldn’t help asking: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Which lantern do you like?”

Cui Heng suddenly stopped.

Luo Wanqing looked up, puzzled to see Cui Heng reach out to fiddle with a row of lanterns at the stall in front of them, then turned to look at her with some frivolity: “Which one do you like? I’ll solve the riddle for you.”

Luo Wanqing stared at him blankly. Though the young man covered half his face with a mask, his exposed jaw and eyes still showed he was a beautiful madman.

The lantern light around them flowed and reflected on his face as he urged her: “Choose.”

Only then did Luo Wanqing come to her senses, withdrawing her gaze and casually pointing to one. Cui Heng turned around and simply told the owner: “I want to solve the hardest riddle.”

The owner was somewhat taken aback, looking at the rabbit lantern beside them and only saying: “Young master, this lantern isn’t worth the hardest riddle.”

“I want to use the hardest riddle to win this lantern.”

Cui Heng insisted. The owner was speechless and could only give him the hardest riddle.

Luo Wanqing watched from the side, amused, as Cui Heng solved the riddle and handed her the lantern, then walked forward, continuing: “I’ll take you to Linglong Street—everything there can be won.”

Luo Wanqing suppressed her laughter and said quietly: “Alright.”

Cui Heng led her to Linglong Street and took ring-tossing hoops, only asking: “How far could he throw?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t have the heart to lie, pointing to the farthest position: “There.”

Seeing this, Cui Heng took ten bamboo rings from the owner and threw them all at once—all ten rings landed at the farthest spot.

Luo Wanqing was somewhat surprised. Cui Heng turned around and took arrows from a nearby stall, turning to look at Luo Wanqing: “What was his best level at pitch-pot?”

Luo Wanqing touched her nose and could only say: “Actually, there’s no need to compete…”

Before she finished speaking, Cui Heng closed his eyes and threw the arrow. Then they heard the nearby stall owner shout in amazement: “Ten arrows leaning on the rod!”

Then Cui Heng straightened up and looked at Luo Wanqing: “Could he be this good?”

Luo Wanqing looked at the arrow leaning diagonally in the pot, knowing that tonight Cui Heng wouldn’t settle down unless he competed, so she could only nod: “No, not this good.”

Cui Heng raised his eyebrows and smiled, seeming somewhat pleased.

Leading her forward, he won at every stall he visited. There was nothing he wouldn’t compete in.

Even arm wrestling—he had to compete with people in that, too.

Luo Wanqing found it amusing to watch, but seeing Cui Heng in the crowd, she felt for the first time that this person had finally come to her side as a vivid and bright life, not a phantom.

They carried a pile of prizes to the end of Linglong Street and saw a tall building.

In front of this tall building hung a zither and a bow. The building was deserted, and looking inside, it was filled with various musical instruments.

At the top of the tall building and on both sides of the eaves hung copper plates. Unless you looked carefully, you couldn’t see them, but with the eyesight of Luo Wanqing and Cui Heng, they noticed them immediately.

Compared to the bustling Linglong Street, this tall building seemed particularly quiet. Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but stop and look up, asking somewhat strangely: “What is this for?”

After asking, she didn’t hear Cui Heng respond. Turning her head, she saw Cui Heng’s gaze fixed on something inside the pavilion.

Luo Wanqing followed Cui Heng’s gaze and saw an ancient zither with a phoenix carved on its tail inside the pavilion. This zither was exceptionally beautiful. Cui Heng stared at it quietly, his face also losing its smile.

Luo Wanqing instinctively felt there was something wrong with this zither. She looked questioningly at the shop assistant standing at the entrance. Seeing Luo Wanqing’s interest, the assistant quickly came forward happily: “Miss, would you like to see the zither?”

“That zither,” Luo Wanqing pointed toward the zither Cui Heng was looking at, asking curiously, “What zither is it?”

“Oh, this is ‘Feng Hui’ that our master bought back. This zither has quite an origin—it was,” the assistant looked around and lowered his voice, “personally made by the current Supervision Department Director Xie and given as a gift to the then number one beauty in the world, Cui Changxi. This zither has an excellent tone and was bought back by our master at great expense after the Cui family was raided. A beauty’s legacy zither—extraordinarily precious.”

Cui Changxi.

Hearing this name, Luo Wanqing couldn’t help glancing at Cui Heng beside her. Cui Heng smiled and only said, “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” the assistant hurriedly stopped them both, “This zither only requires one tael of silver. If you can completely play the music score upstairs, you can take any zither from the shop. Won’t you two try?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing turned to look at Cui Heng carefully: “Won’t you compete?”

“What’s there to compete in?” Cui Heng smiled and only said: “It’s late—let’s go.”

“Do you want this zither?”

Luo Wanqing blocked Cui Heng, asking seriously. Cui Heng was silent, then only said: “This zither is useless—I don’t want it.”

“I’ll win it for you!”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing acted as if she hadn’t heard anything. She stuffed everything into Cui Heng’s hands, gave the assistant one tael of silver, and turned around: “Let’s go.”

With that, Luo Wanqing followed the assistant upstairs.

As the assistant led Luo Wanqing upstairs, he reminded her: “Miss, though this one tael of silver is little, please don’t think this zither is easy to get. The music score upstairs was specially sought by our master. This score is extremely difficult—we’ve been open for years and no one has ever played it successfully. If you can’t play it, please don’t be angry—everyone is like this.”

“I understand, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Luo Wanqing knew the assistant’s concerns and comforted him, following him to the second floor.

The second floor was full of musical instruments. The assistant gestured: “Miss, choose a zither you like.”

Luo Wanqing turned her eyes and looked around. There weren’t just zithers here, but many other instruments too.

She looked up at the pipas and said gently: “May I use a pipa?”

“Of course.”

The assistant smiled: “There are few people in the Eastern Capital who can play the pipa. Today, miss can let this humble person enjoy the music.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing paused, smiled without saying much, and turned to take a pipa.

In stringed music, Jiangnan favored the pipa while the northern regions favored the zither.

And originally, she couldn’t play anything.

Her parents—one studied martial arts, the other medicine. They had no achievements in the elegant arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She had studied medicine since childhood and had no time to learn these instruments.

She learned the pipa because of Jiang Shaoyan.

When she and Jiang Shaoyan first arrived in Jiangnan, Jiang Shaoyan didn’t like to talk.

He was taciturn, and though his expression was gentle, his eyes were always shrouded with a lingering melancholy.

One day when they were traveling by boat through water alleys, a woman leaned against a railing playing music.

The pipa sounded like iron horses and golden spears. Jiang Shaoyan looked up, and in his usually melancholy eyes, there was slowly some trace of a smile.

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

She specifically sought out that woman and learned the song Jiang Shaoyan liked, “King of Yue’s Sword.”

This song describes the life of King Goujian of Yue.

Greatly defeated by Wu, sleeping on straw and tasting gall, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, finally destroying Wu and becoming a generation’s hegemon.

She played the pipa for five years, and this was the song she played best.

During those five years, she watched Jiang Shaoyan change from initially depressed and melancholy to gradually becoming gentle and bright.

Every time they had secret disputes and she wanted to make up, she would sit in her room and play the zither.

Without fail, Jiang Shaoyan would appear.

No matter what they had fought about, no matter what they argued over, he would always come, and in the end always say: “Miss, I was wrong.”

She would sullenly respond, turning her head away: “Mm, don’t do it again.”

It looked like he apologized first, but actually, it was she who wanted to make up.

Her pipa had always been played for Jiang Shaoyan, but now, for the first time, it had nothing to do with Jiang Shaoyan.

She held the pipa and heard the assistant say: “The music score is here.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing walked to the music stand where the score was placed. She opened it and smiled.

This was a pipa piece mourning the dead, naturally difficult to play on the zither.

The difficulty of the piece wasn’t great, much less than the “King of Yue’s Sword” she had learned for Li Guiyu back then.

She plucked the pipa strings and looked up at the assistant: “I just need to finish playing it, right?”

“Behind you is our zither master,” the assistant introduced, “if he says there’s no problem, you can take the zither and leave.”

“What if he deliberately makes things difficult?”

Luo Wanqing was curious. The assistant quickly said: “No, no, our shop has been selling zithers here for years. If we did such things, you could report us to the authorities.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing smiled and didn’t dwell on it. She looked down at the score and gently plucked the strings.

The resounding pipa sound rang out, and Cui Heng looked up.

At this moment, in the distance on the long street, Li Guiyu sat in a carriage supporting his forehead, listening to Zitang beside him report: “We’ve searched all the major streets, and blocked the roads the Supervision Department must take, but haven’t seen Inspector Liu. The people at Chunfeng Pavilion did say there was indeed a pair of lovers who came alone and opened a room, left silver and then disappeared. We followed and searched the whole street but didn’t find anyone.”

“No need to search anymore.”

Li Guiyu closed his eyes, somewhat weary: “If we didn’t catch her, then forget it. She’s cleverer than I thought—she knew something was wrong as soon as she entered the room. As for you all,” Li Guiyu looked up at the young man outside the carriage curtain, “you were too slow.”

Zitang felt somewhat embarrassed and respectfully said, “Yes, this subordinate will pay more attention in the future.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Lin Shuzhi didn’t fall into her hands, and in mother’s and the Wang family’s eyes, I’ve done my utmost. What happens next has nothing to do with us.”

With that, Li Guiyu asked again: “Are the people to replace the Eastern Palace Six Rates ready?”

“We’re looking.” Zitang nodded, then hesitated somewhat: “Third Prince, now that Zhao Bing and the others have all submitted to you, why do you still…”

“Wang family members,” Li Guiyu sneered, “how can I trust them?”

Hearing this, Zitang thought about it and nodded: “Your Highness is right.”

Li Guiyu responded with a sound, lowering his eyelids. Seeming casual, he asked: “The news from Yangzhou hasn’t returned yet?”

“Still on the way. They’ve now found Miss Luo’s body.”

“Mm.”

Li Guiyu’s voice was flat. After this response, only the sound of the carriage moving remained around them.

Li Guiyu closed his eyes. Only then did he notice that there seemed to be pipa music coming from the distance.

The sound was too faint and unclear. Li Guiyu heard it and suddenly said, “Stop the carriage.”

The carriage stopped, and everything around became quiet.

Li Guiyu closed his eyes and listened silently.

Zizhu curiously spoke: “Your Highness?”

“Let me listen.” Li Guiyu looked weary: “I haven’t heard the pipa in a long time.”

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other but didn’t dare respond.

Few people in the Eastern Capital played the pipa, and he never specifically sought people to play for him.

He had thought he would hate everything related to her.

However, upon suddenly hearing pipa music, even from so far away, he felt calmed.

He couldn’t really hear the pipa music clearly—could only roughly tell it was pipa. Even with his level of hearing, he had to concentrate hard to hear clearly.

This was a pipa piece mourning the dead, with a gentle and sorrowful melody.

Li Guiyu supported his forehead and looked through the carriage curtain toward where the melody was coming from.

However, after listening for a moment, his expression suddenly changed drastically. He threw back the curtain and rushed toward where the pipa sound was coming from!

Everyone was shocked and hurriedly called out: “Your Highness!”

But Li Guiyu couldn’t hear them—his ears were full of that music.

Many people in this world play the pipa.

But for so many years, only one person would lightly lift the ending note when playing the pipa.

That was a habit she didn’t know about, because when she first learned to play, she would always secretly look at him after finishing a small section.

Music expressed the heart—that irrepressible attention would transform into a small, light lift of the ending note.

It was her.

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

Like an illusion after taking large amounts of five-stone powder, or like his seventeen or eighteen-year-old self.

He heard that person’s pipa and rushed toward it regardless of everything.

Miss.

Luo Wanqing.

He didn’t know if it was the person returning or the soul returning.

But it didn’t matter.

The moment he heard the music, his mind was full of the young days when the girl held a pipa, speaking with grievance:

“In the future, if I play the pipa, you must come.”

“I forgive you.” The girl looked up: “Whatever you do, I won’t be angry anymore.”

Luo Wanqing had no awareness of the person rushing toward her through the night. She calmly finished the piece in the score and turned back to look at the room behind her: “Is it alright now?”

The assistant had been listening intently. Hearing this, he quickly came to his senses and smiled: “Please wait a moment.”

With that, the assistant walked into the room. Soon after, he came out happily, his face full of joy: “Congratulations, miss! You may take the zither with you.”

“Thank you!” Luo Wanqing smiled.

But just as her words fell, temple bells rang in the distance.

Luo Wanqing realized it was already past midnight to the next day.

She looked up toward where the bell sound came from, then remembered something.

She quickly turned back and gave the assistant another tael of silver: “Please take that Feng Hui to the gentleman who came with me at the entrance. Let me borrow the pipa for a moment longer.”

The assistant, receiving the money, beamed with joy and agreed, going downstairs.

Cui Heng heard the pipa music end and waited for Luo Wanqing with the lantern in his hands. Soon after, the assistant came out and handed him the zither: “Young master, this is the zither the miss won for you.”

Cui Heng didn’t speak. He stared quietly at the zither the assistant held.

For an instant, it seemed like the zither was covered in blood. His fingertips trembled lightly, not daring to accept the zither.

After a moment, he looked up and only asked coldly: “Where is she?”

“Cui Heng!”

Luo Wanqing’s voice rang out from upstairs. Cui Heng looked up to see, on the long corridor’s edge, a woman holding a pipa, leaning against the railing.

Gentle pipa music slowly began. Cui Heng was startled. The night wind was tender, the starry river brilliant, and the woman’s pipa music came rushing like Jiangnan willows and moon, her eyes looking at him with a smile.

This was pipa music, completely different from the mourning piece just now—joyful and fulfilling, full of blessings.

Cui Heng stared blankly at the girl playing the pipa for him while leaning against the railing on the long corridor.

All the blood around faded. His eyes held only the pipa’s beauty, reflecting a night of starlight.

Author’s Notes:

[Mini Theater] Li Guiyu: “When did you learn to play zither?” Xie Heng: “When did you learn to play the pipa?” Luo Wanqing: “…Maybe I have musical talent?” Li Guiyu & Xie Heng: “We’re asking when!” Luo Wanqing: “== When you weren’t around.”

[Mini Theater 2] Xie Heng: “Then why did you play the pipa? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to play when learning zither with me?” Luo Wanqing: “This… circumstances forced me. I couldn’t win in a music duel.” Xie Heng: “Who asked you to win?” Luo Wanqing: “But…” Xie Heng: “If you’re any slower with your mouth, I’ll go down and help you!! It’s just a music duel—I alone can destroy them all! All of them!!” Luo Wanqing: “Young Master should stay up there. If you come down, it would be beneath your dignity and lose elegance.”