The Gu family head and the Se Elder hurried off, but of course the gathering had to go on.
The fire in the east wing was only growing fiercer, but everyone present had seen enough of the world not to take such a disturbance too much to heart.
What interested them far more was how this tune-guessing drinking game had escalated to such an extreme—Bai Feiyao’s earlier triumph had already cost him any real advantage.
And though Yu Xiao had Han Ziqing’s help now, he still had no way to turn the tables completely—at least he no longer had to keep force-feeding himself wine!
How would this whole spectacle end?
The zither player continued playing, and though he clearly knew he was being influenced by Ziqing’s melody, he still couldn’t help but follow along despite himself.
As the piece drew toward its close, both Bai Feiyao and Yu Xiao fell silent.
“Ah, the fire in the east wing seems to be growing worse!” Bai Feiyao remarked, unable to resist testing the waters.
Ziqing immediately looked up at him—though her hands never stopped playing.
Bai Feiyao wasn’t in any hurry. At least she’d looked over—that meant she cared. He had plenty of time to keep provoking her slowly.
“Such a huge fire, so sudden too—if people aren’t careful, they’re bound to get trapped and die. Good thing everyone came to the gathering tonight!”
“Young Master Bai, aren’t you guessing the tune? Why the sudden concern over that fire? It’s just a fire—surely the esteemed young master of the Bai Shi needn’t make such a fuss over it?” the Qin Elder said, displeased.
Bai Feiyao fell silent at once, pretending to listen intently to the music.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, seated beside Ziqing, was already secretly overjoyed. Go on, Han Ziqing, endure it—stay right here and save Yu Xiao! Either way, there was no way she’d make it in time to save Jun Beiyue now—he and Gu Suying had spent the whole night preparing, and they’d already set fire to that sleeping princeling!
Having stayed behind to serve the eldest Miss Bai ever since their falling-out at the main residence, he now dared to speak to Han Ziqing directly, out of unexpected friendliness. He leaned in and helpfully reminded her, “Young Madam, the young master is right there in that building!”
“What should I do?” Ziqing asked, unprecedentedly engaging with him.
Jiang Chen’s heart leapt with delight, and he pressed on at once. “With a fire that big, even Yingzi and Imperial Physician Gu might not be able to get out. Why don’t you go take a look!”
“If I leave, what happens to the Yu Shi? Won’t Bai Feiyao just destroy them?” Ziqing asked, perfectly earnest.
“Young Madam, which matters more—the young master, or Yu Xiao? What exactly are you—” Jiang Chen said gravely.
But then Ziqing simply sneered coldly. “Making Bai Feiyao lose matters more.”
At those words, Jiang Chen was instantly baffled. What did she mean by that?
She showed no anxiety at all—that wasn’t how this was supposed to go!
Could there be some trick to this?
In an instant, realization struck him—but by then, it was already too late.
That single word “lose” from Han Ziqing wasn’t just about who lost this drinking game, was it?
This woman—what did she know? What exactly was she planning?
Jiang Chen’s mind went blank with panic. But even if he had an idea now, what good would it do—he had no way to warn Bai Feiyao!
The piece drew to a silent close, and just then, Yu Xiao suddenly called out loudly, “I know this piece! It’s ‘Flowing Water’!”
A flash of delight crossed Ziqing’s eyes—Yu Xiao had guessed correctly, and her test had succeeded too!
If Bai Feiyao had dared to issue this challenge, he must have been prepared with some scheme in advance.
As for Yu Xiao—if he’d dared to accept the challenge in the first place, he must have had some genuine musical foundation of his own.
Both of them understood the rules of the drinking game perfectly well.
The piece Ziqing had just played wasn’t one that was widely known—but the piece it could be shifted into was a famous one. Yu Xiao, foolish as he was, had still managed to recognize it, while Bai Feiyao truly had no ear for music at all!
“Heh, Young Master Bai—you managed to recognize that difficult piece earlier, so how did you lose to Yu Xiao on this one?” the Qin Elder asked coldly, finally sensing something amiss.
No doubt some of his own precious disciples had been bribed.
“That’s because the fire in the east wing was distracting me. Such a huge blaze—who knows if it might have already killed someone,” Bai Feiyao sneered coldly, no longer caring in the least about the outcome of the contest.
Ziqing said nothing, deliberately furrowing her brow, putting on a troubled expression—while inwardly laughing to herself. Bai Feiyao, such a low, cheap trick, and you still managed to pull it off. If Jun Beiyue could actually be burned to death that easily, would he even be Jun Beiyue at all?
Seeing Ziqing’s conflicted expression, Bai Feiyao immediately, generously hoisted another jar and drained it in one gulp, slamming the empty jar to the ground with a crack and calling out loudly, “Zither player, continue!”
Go on, Han Ziqing—go save him!
As long as you leave, no one will save whoever’s in the east wing—and here, Yu Xiao will still end up dead all the same!
Ziqing’s expression grew ever more troubled, and Bai Feiyao watched with delighted anticipation, no longer paying the music any mind at all.
Another well-known tune came and went, and Yu Xiao quickly guessed it correctly again. Bai Feiyao kept drinking, never taking his eyes off Ziqing.
Finally, after Bai Feiyao had downed his fifth jar, Ziqing rose to her feet. “Han Ziqing, giving up already? Your playing is far lovelier than the zither player’s, you know,” Bai Feiyao said with a smile—five jars downed in the blink of an eye!
But when it came to a fire, that same blink of an eye could easily mean several lives lost.
Ziqing ignored him entirely, turning instead to the Qin Elder with a smile. “Elder Qin, this drinking game has gone on rather long. Why don’t you take over and play for them yourself?”
The Qin Elder understood Ziqing’s meaning perfectly well at once—this woman had clearly long since seen through Bai Feiyao’s bribing of the musicians. If such a thing were ever exposed publicly, what would become of Qinse Valley’s dignity and authority?
No matter how many people present were versed enough in music to have noticed something was off, aside from the Gu Shi and the Yu Shi, none of them would dare speak up about it.
By saying this, Han Ziqing was clearly conceding ground. The Qin Elder agreed at once.
Bai Feiyao truly had no ear for music at all—but by now, it hardly mattered to him anymore. He didn’t believe for a moment that, once the Gu family head returned carrying his own son’s corpse to demand answers, this drinking game could possibly continue, or this banquet could possibly go on! Tonight, he was in a fine mood—what did a few more jars of wine matter? However formidable Han Ziqing might be, without Jun Beiyue, she’d be nothing at all within the Gu Shi.
Ziqing put away the Wuzheng and said flatly, “Elder Qin, there’s something rather important I need to attend to—please allow me to excuse myself for a moment to check on it. If anything comes up, Son-in-law Jiang will handle it.”
“Go on, go on,” the Qin Elder said graciously, while Jiang Chen’s expression flickered between pale and flushed, shooting frantic glances at Bai Feiyao—who, however, had his full attention fixed on Han Ziqing, barely able to contain his excitement.
The Qin Elder shot the zither player a sharp glance, then turned back to Bai Feiyao, still perfectly courteous. “Young Master Bai, shall we continue?”
This young man, relying on his natural talent and the favor shown him, had truly overstepped all bounds! It wasn’t that Qinse Valley favored the Gu Shi or the Yu Shi—it was that this young man’s arrogance had crossed a line the valley simply could not tolerate. If they didn’t take this chance to properly discipline him, he’d truly come to believe Qinse Valley was a place where he could run rampant unchecked.
Bai Feiyao finally tore his gaze away, answering generously, “Of course!”
…