“Ching…”

The very first note rang out mournful and desolate, and despite being nothing more than the sound of a guzheng, it somehow conjured images of the deep autumn frontier’s desolate stillness, the low, plaintive cries of eagles wheeling overhead.

Sorrow, from the very first strike!

This was Lishang!

Situ Haonan recognized it at once, while Yelu Qianqian remained motionless, listening intently, the dancers around her moving slowly, poised and ready.

Yet soon, she closed her eyes and murmured softly, “Autumn of Sorrow,” and the dancers immediately understood, their movements gradually slowing to a crawl!

Yelu Qianqian stood at the center, her movements agonizingly slow, delicate arms and long, slender legs moving in exquisite languor, paired with that mournful melody—it drew every watcher’s heart along with it, slowing inexorably, sinking deeper and deeper, growing heavier and more oppressive, tinged with an inescapable sorrow!

An inexplicable sorrow, whether from the music or the dancer herself—the melody was beautiful, the woman was beautiful, and yet somehow, hearts ached without reason, painful memories long buried surfacing slowly to the mind’s eye.

Yelu Qianqian had begun with a smile still lingering on her lips, but the moment the dance began, that smile faded entirely. From start to finish, no matter the angle, her gaze remained perfectly still, never once straying from Situ Haonan.

A boisterous, chattering girl growing suddenly, unnervingly quiet was enough to unsettle anyone. Situ Haonan looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

A wave of bitterness surged through his heart as Yelu Qianqian seemed to deliberately, slowly, drift closer and closer toward him with her dance.

Situ Haonan couldn’t dodge away even if he tried, couldn’t bear to look yet couldn’t help but watch—he had no idea what outrageous thing this girl might do in front of everyone!

He should have known better than to leave East Splendor Palace and come join this gathering at all!

Yet the moment he finally met Yelu Qianqian’s gaze directly, he froze completely!

He could see plainly that her eyes brimmed with unshed tears—she was crying!

Beneath the thin, translucent veil, he could faintly make out her smile, and yet her eyes—those bright, captivating eyes that always carried a naive, innocent light, at most tinged with a hint of playful willfulness—were now brimming with tears, the whites turning red.

She drew gradually closer, sweeping the gauze veil in her hand, like a lost little celestial fairy fallen from the heavens, as though seeking rescue.

“Situ, a maidservant will come find you. I want to speak with you for a moment.”

Yelu Qianqian said in a low voice. Situ Haonan heard her clearly enough, yet found himself unable to recover, an unconscious protective instinct welling up within him, wanting nothing more than to pull this girl—who seemed on the verge of tears—into his arms, to shelter her, to ask her why she was so desperate to marry off so soon.

But… just as his hand began to instinctively rise toward her, the melody suddenly shifted, turning sharp and urgent, and Yelu Qianqian abruptly stopped, spinning around in an instant.

The dance shifted abruptly, growing frantic and urgent in step with the melody’s sudden intensity, gentleness giving way to fierce sharpness, elegance transforming into razor-edged precision. She danced and danced, her figure blurring into a whirl of motion, her face and expression completely obscured, visible only as a white shadow spinning wildly, streaked through with flashes of ruby-red light like a shooting star!

Every gaze in the room was drawn along with the melody, following this whirling figure, breath catching faster and faster, tightening almost to the point of stopping entirely!

Finally—”Ching”—the qin fell silent in a single sharp note, and the dance stopped just as abruptly!

Everything returned to stillness, save for the single crimson veil that drifted slowly down to the floor.

Everyone present remained stunned, still absorbed in the sheer brilliance of what they’d just witnessed, unable to recover for a long moment. Only Jun Beiyue remained composed, silently setting aside the Wuzheng, raising an eyebrow as he glanced across at the Xiliang envoy.

The Xiliang envoy sat utterly transfixed, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, practically drooling—with that thick beard framing such an expression, “unseemly” hardly began to describe it.

A disdainful smile curved at Jun Beiyue’s lips as he raised his cup in a toast toward the Xiliang envoy—though unfortunately, the envoy never noticed, his eyes still fixed unblinkingly on Yelu Qianqian.

Clearly, this single dance of Yelu Qianqian’s had captivated him entirely!

Though the Xiliang envoy hadn’t noticed Jun Beiyue’s toast, it hardly mattered—Jun Beiyue simply shifted his cup smoothly toward Yelu Chenyi instead, who was at that very moment glaring at him with unmistakable fury. With gracious composure, he offered the toast anyway, then drained the cup entirely by himself.

Yelu Chenyi narrowed his eyes, an unmistakable air of danger radiating from him. He finally understood—finally grasped exactly what scheme Jun Beiyue had come here to enact.

He would never allow it!

Applause rang out at last, snapping both Situ Haonan and the Xiliang envoy back to their senses. Yelu Qianqian’s eyes had already lost every trace of that pitiable, tearful glimmer from moments before. She turned back toward Situ Haonan with a playful, impish grin, then spun on her heel and walked away.

In truth, she felt utterly satisfied already. She’d once thought Nanzhao would be her final farewell performance—never imagining he would come, never imagining she’d have the chance to dance one more piece for him. That was more than enough.

If they met alone tomorrow, she would absolutely, without fail, urge him to go find himself a good wife.

Once Yelu Qianqian had left, Situ Haonan finally recovered fully, recalling her earlier words. A maidservant would come find them? She wanted to see him alone?

Situ Haonan had no idea about her house arrest, and simply found the whole thing bizarre—what was this girl playing at? If she wanted to meet, why not just meet? Why complicate things so unnecessarily?

“Heh heh, I’d long heard the Princess Consort of Prince Yao possessed exceptional skill with the qin, but I never imagined Prince Yao himself had such hidden talent as well! What a magnificent piece! Magnificent!” The Xijing prince exclaimed with delight, raising his cup in a toast—a banquet was, after all, largely just an excuse to find reasons for drinking and toasting.

Jun Beiyue raised his own cup in return, saying with a smile, “Emperor of Xijing, since this is my first visit here, this prince has specially prepared a small gift. I do hope you’ll accept it.”

This gift had already been mentioned in his earlier correspondence!

The Xijing prince had been curious about it all along, eagerly anticipating its unveiling—yet since Jun Beiyue had only now finally offered to present it, he hadn’t wanted to seem impatient by pressing the matter earlier.

“Prince Yao is too thoughtful!” The Xijing Emperor said modestly.

Jun Beiyue immediately ordered his attendants to bring it forward. Yelu Chenyi and the Xiliang envoy both watched with keen curiosity, and quite a few ministers had already begun murmuring amongst themselves. Bringing gifts on a diplomatic visit was entirely ordinary, of course—yet the fact that Jun Beiyue had specifically mentioned this particular gift in his letter beforehand suggested it was either extraordinarily precious in itself, or carried some deeper significance.

What could it possibly be?

Soon enough, the guards carried the item forward—two burly men struggling to lift it, an object standing over half a man’s height, draped beneath a large silk cloth, shrouded in mystery.

The guards set it down at the center of the hall, and an attendant standing near the Xiliang emperor’s side hurried forward to receive it.

“Heh heh, this really is quite hard to guess, isn’t it? Prince Yao, what kind of surprise have you brought for me?” The Xijing Emperor said with delight, genuinely honored to receive such a personal gift from Jun Beiyue himself.

“Open it and you’ll see.” Jun Beiyue said flatly. Beside him, Situ Haonan had already sobered up completely, staring intently at the object, his gaze turned icy cold.

“Is that so? Someone, open it up and let’s have a look!” The Xijing Emperor said eagerly, and at once every gaze in the room converged on the mysterious object. Just as the attendant reached to lift the silk cloth, Yelu Chenyi suddenly stopped him. “Wait!”

His voice rang out sharp and startlingly loud.

Everyone present—including the Xijing Emperor himself—had never once seen the Crown Prince display such intense emotion before.

What was going on?

Just as the Xijing Emperor was about to ask, Yelu Chenyi spoke first. “Since this grand gift was delivered personally by Prince Yao himself, allow this prince to be the one to open it.”

With that, he strode forward down the steps and abruptly swept aside the silk cloth, revealing…