Baili Weisheng and the Situ couple lingered at a distance for a long while, and however much they longed for what once was, however deep their regrets, in the end, all they could do was quietly approach.
In truth, they didn’t need to look to know it was Ziqing playing—it couldn’t possibly be Xuanyuan Lige.
Seeing Baili Weisheng and the others arrive, Ziqing slowly stopped playing, offering them a faint smile.
“Alright, stop smiling like that—it looks worse than crying!” Yelu Qianqian remained as blunt and outspoken as ever, with absolutely no filter.
This finally drew a genuine laugh from Ziqing. “It’s been so long. Why didn’t you bring your precious daughter along?”
Ziqing had only recently learned that Yelu Qianqian and Situ Haonan had a set of twins—a son and a daughter. The son was raised with relative indifference, kept deliberately humble, while the daughter was treated as an absolute treasure, doted upon endlessly—practically a mirror image of Yelu Qianqian’s own princess days.
“She complained it was too hot and refused to come out,” Yelu Qianqian said with a helpless shrug, moving closer to Ziqing and exaggeratedly examining her belly, exclaiming with theatrical amazement, “Oh my, if I’d known, I would have taken a trip through the Lishang illusion realm with you all before coming out—I could have shaved ten years off my age!”
Hearing this, the corners of Ziqing’s mouth tightened, unable to fully hide her sorrow, as she said quietly, “If I could, I wouldn’t want to come back at all.”
Perhaps, if she’d truly had to choose between Xuanyuan Lige and her son, Ziqing might have hesitated. But now, she genuinely wished she could return to the Lishang illusion realm, to live there instead!
As long as everyone was there together, surely Ali… would still be there too, wouldn’t he?
Yelu Qianqian had already learned the full story on her way here, and had made a point of agreeing with Situ Haonan beforehand not to bring up Xuanyuan Lige at all—yet as usual, once she started talking, she couldn’t help herself.
Just as she was struggling to find the right words of comfort, Jun Beiyue happened to finish carving the fourteen-character melody, calling Ziqing over to take a look.
“Come, let’s go see.”
Ziqing took the initiative, pulling Yelu Qianqian along with her. Upon the massive white jade pillar, the fourteen-character melody had been carved from top to bottom, every stroke of every character rendered with tremendous force, making it clear the carver had poured his heart and soul, every ounce of feeling, into each and every line.
“Ziqing, why don’t you come trace over the inscription,” Jun Beiyue said, handing Ziqing a brush dipped in a rare shade of purple lacquer.
White jade and purple lacquer—nothing could have suited Xuanyuan Lige better.
At this, everyone’s gaze fell upon that single brush. It had to be admitted, this gesture, this ritual, bore an uncanny resemblance to tracing over a gravestone inscription!
Everyone waited anxiously, worried Ziqing might refuse, worried she might not be able to hold herself together. But Ziqing was, after all, Ziqing—she simply smiled and resolutely accepted the brush, carefully tracing over the very first character. Then, she handed the brush to Jun Beiyue, saying, “Let’s all trace it together.”
Ali had long since become more than just her own friend—her Ali belonged to everyone, was everyone’s Ali, and each of them deserved to leave their own mark upon this zither monument!
After all, tracing a monument’s inscription wasn’t something just anyone could casually do—it represented a profound form of respect!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jun Beiyue carefully traced the second character, and quickly after, Baili Weisheng traced the third.
The brush was then passed to Situ Haonan!
Even now, Situ Haonan and his wife still hadn’t fully come to peace with what had happened, even after the misunderstanding surrounding Yelu Qianqian had been resolved. Situ Haonan, in particular, could never quite accept the way Xuanyuan Lige had used and hurt Qianqian back then.
And now, with the tracing brush right before him, would he accept it?
In his entire life, he had only ever traced a memorial inscription once before—for the grandfather he respected most deeply.
Situ Haonan hesitated, but to everyone’s surprise, Yelu Qianqian snatched the brush right out of his hand first. “I’ll go first! I want to thank him—he was a real man… and also… also a fool!”
With that, she boldly and generously began tracing the character.
Given the circumstances back then, that opposition, that conflict—even though Xuanyuan Lige had genuinely hurt Qianqian, in a certain sense, it was hardly unreasonable either. After all, none of them had ever been the type to show mercy toward an enemy.
Once Yelu Qianqian finished tracing, she handed the brush to Situ Haonan. With his own wife showing such generosity of spirit, what reason did Situ Haonan have left to hold onto his grudge?
He accepted the brush willingly, and just like everyone else, traced out a purple character of his own, leaving behind his own measure of remembrance and respect.
Eventually, the brush returned to Ziqing’s hands, and she silently traced out the remaining characters, one by one!
As she traced, she suddenly felt as though her entire lifetime’s connection to this man was drawing to a close with each and every stroke, coming to its final end.
It seemed as though, once the very last stroke was traced, everything would truly be over!
At this thought, Ziqing paused, her brush hovering right at the final character, the final stroke. Everyone watched, everyone waited, no one urging her onward.
It seemed this moment was the final farewell.
Yet Ziqing hesitated for so long, so painfully long, that she seemed almost ready to give up entirely, unable to bring herself to complete that last stroke, as though she had suddenly lost all her courage.
Jun Beiyue watched silently, letting out a quiet breath, and without giving Ziqing further time to hesitate, stepped forward decisively. His large, warm hand closed gently over her small one, and using his own strength to guide her, he slowly… slowly completed that final stroke together with her, bringing this final farewell to its close alongside her!
Farewell, Xuanyuan Lige!
Farewell—never to meet again!
Throughout this entire process, Ziqing had kept her eyes closed. Only when Jun Beiyue’s strength guided her hand to lift the brush away did she finally open her eyes, seeing upon the white jade stone a line of purple characters, faint and delicate, standing out against the jade’s lustrous white surface with an air of noble mystery, that soft purple hue seeming to conceal within it countless untold stories.
Soon, everyone worked together to lift the white jade zither monument, slowly raising it upright.
Lying flat upon the ground, the jade hadn’t seemed particularly imposing, but once raised upright, it revealed its true, towering majesty. Standing alone upon the boundless grasslands, it also carried a profound sense of solitude—much like Xuanyuan Lige’s own quiet reticence in life.
However long they lingered, they would eventually have to return—this was, after all, a monument, not a living person.
As the sun began to set in the west, Ziqing knew it was time for them to head back.
“Ziqing, come with me—come see my daughter…” Yelu Qianqian was the first to break the silence, chuckling softly before adding, “That girl just might turn out to be exactly the daughter-in-law you’re looking for!”
At the word “daughter-in-law,” an awkward silence immediately fell over the group. Situ Haonan tugged at Yelu Qianqian’s sleeve, signaling her to stop, but she simply shook him off, turning to Ziqing with genuine sincerity. “Don’t worry, as long as my daughter takes a liking to you as her mother-in-law, I guarantee she’ll put that Consort Li thoroughly in her place!”