Chapter 6: Streams Flowing from High Mountains

ks different! Back then, who didn’t run away from me when they saw me What’s going on now Who gave you the audacity to point your swords at me”Although his last words were soft, the atmosphere in the...Chapter 6: High Mountains and Flowing Streams

After Yun Qianyue finished speaking, there was no sound from outside the window; the breeze was still, and Qianyue Pavilion was silent.

"If you don't come in soon, I'll turn off the lights and go to sleep!" Yun Qianyue said again towards the窗外。起初，她被對雲暮寒的不捨之情困擾，並未發現他的到來。然而，在他抱住她的那一刻，熟悉的氣息讓她意識到他已經來了。或者這個人的武功實在太高超，即使冇有因不捨而分心，他也可能因為隱藏氣息而不易察覺。

There was still no sound from outside the window.

Yun Qianyue pouted, and waved to turn off the lights.

At this moment, the door was pushed open from the外麵。Rong Jing didn't enter but stood at the門口，靜靜地注視著她。

Yun Qianyue stopped her wave, looked at Rong Jing. His moonlight-colored brocade robe was covered with a layer of frost. Although he had not entered the room, there was a faint chill coming from him, indicating that he had been outside for quite some time. Seeing that he did not speak, she frowned and asked, "When did you come"

Rong Jing seemed to ignore her question, continuing to look at her.

Yun Qianyue's brows furrowed tighter as she thought this person was probably feeling jealous again. She didn't want to deal with him, but seeing him standing there in the dead of night, his slim figure barely visible behind the簾幕門外，讓人心疼。她暗歎一聲，想著容景這個人就是天生下來專門治她的病的。於是起身，走向他，走到他的麵前停下腳步，問他，“冇聽見嗎？我問你什麼時候來的？”

Rong Jing remained silent.

Yun Qianyue raised her brows, mimicking his earlier tone and said, "Mister Rong, did you smell something There's an acrid scent in the air that has spread from this room to outside of淺月閣."

Rong Jing suddenly snorted and looked at Yun Qianyue, saying each word deliberately, "That’s because I drank a vat of vinegar!"

Yun Qianyue was taken aback.

Rong Jing went around her, taking steps into the room.

As Yun Qianyue watched Rong Jing enter the room, she blinked. He said he drank a vat of vinegar Did he actually admit to being jealous Seeing him walk straight to the床前，三下兩下脫掉外袍，躺到了她的被子上並蓋上了它。她忽然有些跟不上他的思路，問道：“你乾嘛？”

"Going to sleep!" Rong Jing closed his eyes.

Yun Qianyue walked towards the bed, stopped at its side and raised her brows looking at Rong Jing, "Did you come here just to sleep"

"Mm-hmm," replied Rong Jing.

"You waited outside for how long Just to sleep" Yun Qianyue was somewhat incredulous.

"I came when Cloud Muhan did!" Rong Jing snorted.

"Three hours" Yun Qianyue was astonished.

“Yun Qianyue, you also know about three hours” Rong Jing opened his eyes and looked at Yun Qianyue with a heavy gaze before closing them again.

“Then why didn’t you come in” Yun Qianyue frowned. No wonder he was so cold! He had been standing outside in the cold wind for three hours; it's no surprise that he was chilled to the bone.

"I just wanted to see what he would do! Luckily, he didn't do anything inappropriate with you or I wouldn’t have let him off," Rong Jing pulled the covers over himself and said in a slightly low voice.

Yun Qianyue looked at Rong Jing and couldn’t help asking, "Rong Jing, aren't you eighteen years old, not eight"

"Didn't you know When I was eight, I kissed you by the Mandarin Duck Pond; don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten," said Rong Jing with an unpleasant tone.

Yun Qianyue had no words. That incident always made her feel that Rong Jing wasn't human; how could she forget She was molested by an eight-year-old boy. After staring at him for a while and seeing he wouldn’t speak, she pushed him slightly and asked, "Did you eat"

"No," said Rong Jing through his nose.

“You’re looking for trouble!” Yun Qianyue glared at him. Just as she was about to call out to Ling Lian and Yi Xue to bring another meal, her wrist was suddenly caught by Rong Jing; she looked down at him.

"I want you to make me a steak!" said Rong Jing.

“Mister Rong, it’s the middle of the night now!” Yun Qianyue couldn't help but remind him.

"Anyway, you slept all day and aren’t sleepy," replied Rong Jing as he opened his eyes to glance at Yun Qianyue.

"But it's the middle of the night!" Yun Qianyue emphasized, as the outside was pitch dark. She had never tried to eat at this hour.

"I don't care; I want to eat!" Rong Jing closed his eyes again.

"No way!" Yun Qianyue shook her head. Why did she feel like he was acting like a child

"Since you left, I haven’t eaten for a day. If you care about me at all, don’t let me starve," Rong Jing’s tone turned somewhat low.

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes. "Why didn’t you eat"

"I was too angry to eat!" Rong Jing huffed.

She remembered she had said something rather harsh when she left. She looked up at the ceiling and said irritably, "But it’s your fault for making me angry in the first place! If you hadn’t made me angry, would I still be mad at you"

Rong Jing didn’t say anything.

"You have to let go if you want steak. Can a piece of meat fly into your mouth just by holding on" Yun Qianyue tried to pull her hand back.

Rong Jing slowly released his grip, and the cool sensation lingered at her fingertips.

Yun Qianyue turned and walked out. She opened the door and saw Ling Lian and Yi Xue standing there upon hearing the noise. Looking at them, she said somewhat gloomily, "Mother Zhao and the others must be asleep."

"They are," Ling Lian nodded. Glancing inside the room, she knew Rong Jing was back. In her heart, she admired how silently he had entered Shallow Moon Pavilion; they hadn’t heard a single sound despite being in their rooms. If not for hearing his voice, they wouldn’t have known that Young Prince Jing had come.

"Is there any beef in the kitchen" Yun Qianyue asked with her hand on her forehead.

"Yes!" Ling Lian nodded again.

“That’s great! You two go back to bed. I’ll make steak,” Yun Qianyue walked off towards the kitchen, relieved that she had beef at hand so she wouldn’t have to deal with a shortage of materials even if she were as clever as Zhuge Liang. She never knew Rong Jing could be such a pain.

“We’re not sleepy either! Let us help you!” Ling Lian looked at Yi Xue, who immediately nodded.

"Sure!" Yun Qianyue agreed.

The three of them headed to the small kitchen. Ling Lian lit a lamp; Yi Xue found the beef and Yun Qianyue prepared the seasonings. After some hustle and bustle, they finished marinating the beef. Yun Qianyue asked them about Prince Nuitianqiong’s situation.

“After Crown Prince’s mansion was confiscated, he was put in prison. Many ministers knelt outside Holy Sun Hall to plead for his release, but His Majesty didn’t see anyone. Right now, only the Seventh Young Prince is inside Holy Sun Hall. The Emperor ordered Fourth Young Prince to thoroughly investigate this matter and appointed the Seventh Young Prince as temporary regent,” Ling Lian reported.

“What about Prince Nuitianyu’s investigation” Yun Qianyue asked again. She thought that since the Seventh Young Prince was now in charge, he had taken his first step towards power. He wasn’t far from becoming Crown Prince anymore.

"Fourth Young Prince just started investigating; no major moves yet," Ling Lian replied.

Yun Qianyue nodded. She thought that if Nuitianyu was smart, he would understand that it wouldn't be beneficial to ruin Prince Nuitianqiong at this moment. Although they had competed privately for years, back then there wasn’t a Seventh Young Prince. Now the Seventh Young Prince was in charge of state affairs; if Nuitianyu ruined Nuitianqiong, he would definitely not be able to compete with the Seventh Young Prince. Therefore, what moves Nuitianyu will make remain unknown. He holds all the cards on this matter. Whether it's Prince Nuitianqiong’s death or survival depends entirely on Nuitianyu’s actions. She suddenly felt that maybe this was another move by the old emperor; he used his territory and Heavenly Saint Dynasty as a chessboard, his sons as pieces, and himself as the player. Who knows what thoughts were in his mind.

Seeing Yun Qianyue no longer asking questions, Ling Lian and Yi Xue stopped talking too.

The steak was finally marinated. Yun Qianyue started a fire and cooked the steak; soon its aroma wafted out of the kitchen. She plated it and carried it back to the room.

Ling Lian and Yi Xue glanced at each other, turned off the lights in the kitchen, and returned to their rooms.

Back in the room, Yun Qianyue put the plate on the table. She walked over to the bed; Rong Jing was already asleep, his breathing steady and shallow. The shadows around his eyes told her that he hadn’t slept well these past few days. Sighing inwardly, she looked at him for a moment before glancing back at the steak. Should she wake him up

"Feed me!" Rong Jing suddenly spoke as Yun Qianyue was hesitating.

“You’re awake” Yun Qianyue asked in surprise.

"I fell asleep but woke up because I’m hungry," Rong Jing said groggily without opening his eyes.

“Then get up and eat at the table,” Yun Qianyue nudged him since he didn’t move.

“No, bring it here!” Rong Jing shook his head.

Yun Qianyue glared at him. Was this a man or a child When did he become so hard to please After glaring for a moment and seeing that he wouldn’t open his eyes, she gave up. She cut the steak into small pieces with a knife on the table before taking a fork back to the bed. “You should sit up too! It’s not good for your stomach to eat lying down,” she said.

Rong Jing reached out his hand to her, "Pull me up."

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes but still stretched out her hand and pulled him up. Seeing that he was sitting lazily with his eyes closed as if extremely tired, she helplessly took a pillow from behind and let him lean on the headboard of the bed. After doing these things, she once again stabbed a piece of beef to his lips, "Open your mouth!"

Rong Jing cooperatively opened his mouth, the beef was sucked into his mouth, and he swallowed it in just three or two bites.

Yun Qianyue looked up at him and saw that he still had his eyes closed. She said with a bad temper, "Can't you open your eyes"

"Tired!" Rong Jing uttered only one word.

Yun Qianyue didn’t say anything more, stabbed another piece of beef and put it to his lips again which he swallowed in three or two bites. Despite the quick action of swallowing, when done by him seemed extremely elegant. Even though his eyes were closed without opening, but made people feel extremely calm, as if the scent after a clear spring washes over green mountains, leaving an indescribable and heart-stirring feeling.

This man! Yun Qianyue grumbled in her heart, trying not to look at him and continued to stab beef to his lips.

After two rounds of tea time, he finished eating the two pieces of beef. Seeing that he was still holding his mouth open as if waiting for more food, she felt both angry and amused, "Do you know how much you’ve eaten Should I just continue feeding"

"Mn!" Rong Jing responded.

"I’m done! Go to sleep now," Yun Qianyue said with a rather stern voice as she withdrew the pillow from behind him.

Rong Jing closed his mouth and laid down, eyes still closed throughout the whole process.

Yun Qianyue looked at him speechlessly. Why did Rong Jing earn everyone’s respect From emperors to commoners, they all worshiped him as if he were a deity. But in her opinion, this man was just like a child who liked to sulk and pout due to jealousy and moodiness. She stood up and walked to the table where she placed the plates before pulling up the curtains and turning off the lights. Then she went back to bed, took off her shoes and pushed him towards the inside of the bed while lying down beside him.

Just after she laid down, Rong Jing reached out his hand and hugged her tightly in his arms. She looked at Rong Jing and saw that he was breathing evenly with shallow breaths. She yawned, feeling drowsy, then fell asleep too.

The next day when the sky began to lighten, Lin Lian’s voice came from outside, "Miss!"

"Mn," Yun Qianyue responded.

"Today is the departure of Prince Rui and Princess Nanjiang as well as your brother. Are you going to see them off" Lin Lian asked.

Yun Qianyue opened her eyes and looked out the window, seeing that it was already light outside. She turned her gaze back to look at him beside her, and saw Rong Jing still sleeping. His complexion had improved much more than when he came last night. She placed her hand on his forehead and found no fever, so she hesitated before telling Lin Lian from the other side of the curtain, "Yes! Prepare a horse for me!"

"Prepare a carriage instead," Rong Jing suddenly spoke up.

"What" Yun Qianyue looked at him and saw that he had already opened his eyes. The clarity in his newly awakened gaze was pure like a clear jade stone. She raised her eyebrows, thinking of how this black-hearted man could have such pure and flawless eyes.

"I’m going too," Rong Jing said.

"You’re also going Don’t you need to recuperate" Yun Qianyue frowned. "Don’t let people see that your poisoning is fake!"

"If I sit in your carriage, no one will notice," Rong Jing replied.

"Alright! Then prepare a carriage for me then!" Yun Qianyue instructed Lin Lian outside the curtains.

Lin Lian responded and immediately left to do as ordered.

Yun Qianyue got out of bed, dressed properly but saw Rong Jing still lying there motionlessly. She frowned and asked, "Aren’t you going Get up quickly!"

"Dress me," Rong Jing said to her.

Yun Qianyue’s eyelids heavily flipped over as she reminded him, "Rong Jing! You’re not injured; you have hands!"

"I want you to dress me," Rong Jing replied.

Yun Qianyue suddenly placed her hand on his forehead again and looked at him doubtfully, "You don’t have a fever. Are you still Rong Jing Why am I not recognizing you"

Rong Jing stared at her without moving; his long eyelashes lightly blinked twice.

Yun Qianyue suddenly grabbed his collar and said viciously, "Return my Rong Jing to me immediately! Command it! Now!"

Rong Jing looked back at her with a deep gaze but did not say anything.

Yun Qianyue suddenly let go and threw a remark, "If you want to stay in bed or not is up to you! If you don't get up, I'll leave on my own!" With that, she turned around and walked towards the basin of clear water. From last night until this morning, it felt as though she owed him eight hundred taels.

Rong Jing still did not speak; his gaze followed her movements. He watched her cleanse her face, sit in front of the dressing mirror to groom herself, insert the hairpin into her hair, and then stand up and walk towards the door. Throughout this entire time, he remained unmoving.

When Yun Qianyue reached the doorway, she originally intended to grit her teeth and leave on her own, but it turned out that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ignore the intense gaze following her movements. She stood outside the door for a while, somewhat speechless as she looked at the sky. After a moment, she turned around and walked towards the bed.

"Get up! I'm going to dress you!" Yun Qianyue stood in front of the bed and extended her hand toward him.

A pleased smile suddenly curled Rong Jing's lips; his mysterious gaze faded into a gentle smile. He stretched out his hand towards Yun Qianyue and said softly with a low chuckle, "I knew you wouldn't leave me alone."

Yun Qianyue huffed and used some strength to pull him up. She took his moon-white brocade robe and draped it over him. Rong Jing cooperated with Yun Qianyue's actions by spreading out his arms. With a long-drawn-out sigh, she looked at his smiling face and asked spitefully, "Sir Rong, how old are you this year"

"Miss Yun, I'm not the one who never dressed for you!" Rong Jing glanced at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue was speechless; she recalled that during her period of amnesia, he had specially made her wear the most complex clothes to bully her by making it difficult for her to dress herself. She glared at him and cursed, "You're heartless!"

"Not just heartless, but also liver-less and lung-less," Rong Jing said.

Yun Qianyue was amused; she replied with a laugh, "I'm glad you know that."

"You're always saying such things to me in front of everyone. I would find it hard not to remember them." Rong Jing wrapped his arms around Yun Qianyue and sighed, sounding slightly regretful but also contented, "It's only when you're by my side that I can sleep soundly. From now on, every night I'll be sleeping with you."

"Aren't you afraid that I might turn into a wolf" Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow. She was still annoyed at him for twice rejecting her advances when she had offered herself to him.

"If you really do turn into a wolf, then I'll reluctantly give in," Rong Jing hesitated and said somewhat helplessly.

Yun Qianyue was furious but thought that getting angry so early would be unwise; she would feel bad for the rest of the day. She immediately put on her sweetest smile and spoke as gently as possible, "Sir Rong, you don't have to struggle with it. I'll take care of everything even if you strip down."

"That's best!" Rong Jing seemed relieved and nodded.

Yun Qianyue felt like she wanted to cough blood; she immediately stopped talking and ignored him.

Rong Jing smiled at her as he obediently sat there, waiting for her to dress him up.

In just a few movements, Yun Qianyue had dressed Rong Jing properly. She took his hand and walked out of the room; when she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something left behind. She brought him back inside, to where the basin was, scooped water onto his face, dried it with a cloth, and then led him outside once more.

"If you plan on taking me straight into the carriage, otherwise if someone catches us, the emperor's edict will be out tomorrow to ransack Prince Yong’s manor," Rong Jing reminded Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue halted and waved her hand behind her; a cloth was snatched up and placed over his face. With the lightest of steps, she guided him as they glided out of Moonlight Pavilion like smoke.

Arriving at the entrance of Yun Manor’s gate, her carriage had already been prepared and parked there. She brought Rong Jing into the carriage in a flash, and before anyone could notice, the curtains were drawn down.

The guards stationed at the entrance to Yun Manor almost didn't see anything; they only saw that the curtain moved slightly.

Although Ling Lian and Yi Xue weren't able to see much either, their vision was better than those on duty. They exchanged a look with each other before taking over as drivers and whipping the horses to set off from Yun Manor’s gate.

In the carriage, Yun Qianyue released Rong Jing and stretched lazily; she complained, "You've left me stiff and sore all over."

"I don't feel that way," Rong Jing removed his veil and raised an eyebrow at her.

“You were snoring like a pig, so of course you didn’t notice!” Yun Qianyue gave him a look.

“Neither do I know who kept pushing me into the corner! I tried to push them off several times but they wouldn't budge. That person isn't called Rong Jing," Rong Jing said lazily as he leaned against the carriage wall and looked at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue's face turned red; she was notorious for not staying still when she slept, so she angrily thought to herself but didn’t reply.

Rong Jing gestured to her with his hand. "Come here!"

"Why" Yun Qianyue looked at him sourly.

He pointed to his chest; Yun Qianyue huffed, “It’s so hot outside! Do you want me to burn your ribs like a pancake”

"It's still early morning right now. There is no sun," Rong Jing said as he looked at Yun Qianyue.

"Don't go! What gives you the right to not come over!" Yun Qianyue raised her eyebrows.

Rong Jing reached out and rubbed his forehead, sighed, then conceded with a compromise: "Then I'll come over." With that, he sat down next to Yun Qianyue from across, pulled her body into his embrace, and closed his eyes again.

"You're not sleepy enough" Yun Qianyue looked at him. How did she never notice Rong Jing was so prone to fatigue before

"In the past few days I've been receiving envoys coming to the capital, and haven't had enough sleep every day." Rong Jing explained to Yun Qianyue.

"Then you can go to sleep then!" Yun Qianyue nodded her head, lying on his chest, inhaling the Snow Lotus fragrance from him as she listened to the rhythmic sound of wheels rolling over the road. A sense of peace rose in her heart.

Indeed, Rong Jing fell asleep again.

"Miss, are we going to wait for you at the Sendejun Pavilion ten miles away or go to the Southern Liang envoys' imperial lodging" Ling Lian asked softly from outside.

"Let's head to the Sendejun Pavilion," Yun Qianyue said.

Ling Lian responded and didn't speak anymore. The carriage proceeded smoothly out of the city walls.

After half an hour, the carriage stopped beside the Sendejun Pavilion. Yun Qianyue looked up at Rong Jing and saw that he was still asleep. She moved her body slightly and found him holding tightly. So she whispered softly: "Keep sleeping, I'll go out for a breath of fresh air."

Rong Jing loosened his grip, allowing Yun Qianyue to slowly get up from his arms. She lifted the curtains and got off the carriage.

The weather was exceptionally fine today, with clear skies and gentle breezes. Outside the Sendejun Pavilion, besides her own carriage, there wasn't a single person around. Across were the Wangjun Pavilion. Between these two pavilions lay an extremely wide official road. Yun Qianyue looked along the road but couldn't see its end. She was going to send off both of her elder brothers today and felt a strange emotion rise in her heart, besides reluctance, there was also a tinge of sourness.

Perhaps she had truly changed! She no longer belonged to that world where faith was paramount and everything else could be discarded. Fifteen years in this world were enough to change many things, including her soul and the cold, resilient heart within it.

Yun Qianyue stood for a moment before hearing horse hooves coming from behind. She turned around and saw someone riding towards her on a horse; the rider was dressed in splendid brocade robes with jade belts, his figure graceful and flying. This was Ye Qingran. Yun Qianyue tidied up her emotions of reluctance as she watched Ye Qingran approach.

Ye Qingran came to a halt near her and smiled at Yun Qianyue: "Little girl, why are you so early I thought I would be the first one to come here to see off someone."

"I just woke up," Yun Qianyue said with a smile as she looked at Ye Qingran. Although he was dressed splendidly, his exhausted and weary eyes were hard to hide. She raised her eyebrows: "Another two days without sleep"

“Mm.” Ye Qingran nodded. He threw the reins of his horse away and dismounted. “The emperor uncle got hit by a concealed weapon in the Golden Hall, and with that big event happening there, I also took on a military post. How could I have spare time”

Yun Qianyue's lips twitched. "How is Your Majesty Uncle’s injury"

"It has stabilized! But since he's old, he needs to recuperate. It might take a month or half a month before he can get out of bed." Ye Qingran said.

Yun Qianyue nodded her head.

"Little girl, who are you here to see off Nan Ling Rui, Ye Qian, or Yun Muhuan" Ye Qingran asked.

"All three!" Yun Qianyue said.

“I’m not here for that woman Ye Qian. I wish she would leave sooner!” Ye Qingran snorted and suddenly looked at Yun Qianyue’s carriage, taking a step forward as he walked over to it: "Little girl, I will sleep in your carriage first. When someone arrives, call me up, then I’ll see them off."

Yun Qianyue thought that Rong Jing was inside her carriage; if Ye Qingran went in now, he would naturally find out that Rong Jing wasn't injured. Her eyes flickered as she considered: since the person inside is Rong Jing and the one outside is Ye Qingran, she smiled and nodded in agreement: "Sure, you go sleep then!"

Ye Qingran reached the carriage, lifted up the curtain, and immediately exclaimed in surprise with wide eyes, "Weak Beauty Why are you here"

"Where else would I be if not here" Rong Jing raised his eyelids lazily to take a glance at Ye Qingran.

"You really didn't get injured!" Ye Qingran looked at Rong Jing and suddenly spat out fiercely: "Not easy for me to get injured!"

Rong Jing replied indifferently, "Wanting to injure me isn’t that simple."

Ye Qingran snorted coldly, staring fixedly at Rong Jing. “Did you do the thing in the Golden Hall”

"You've been monitoring me these days, right Whether it was done by me or not, you should know better than anyone else." Rong Jing glanced sideways at Ye Qingran as if he didn't want to talk further; his voice was very faint: "Draw the curtains down, the sun is dazzling my face!"

"Where’s there sun You…" Ye Qingran's words were left unfinished. A red sun rose from the eastern sky and in a moment had climbed above the horizon, its light brilliant. He withdrew his gaze and looked at Rong Jing with an odd expression on his face.

Yun Qianyue’s lips twitched slightly as she watched the two people inside and outside the carriage with amusement.

"I said to draw the curtain!" Rong Jing emphasized once more. After he spoke, seeing that Ye Qingran hadn't moved, he lightly waved his hand. Although there wasn't much strength in it, Ye Qingran was forced to release his grip on the curtain and stepped back a few steps. Before the curtain fell, he closed his eyes.

"Your cultivation has recovered so quickly" Ye Qingran looked at Rong Jing in surprise.

Yun Qianyue thought that Rong Jing's recovery was indeed quick. She wondered what secret technique he used.

"Little girl, how could you fall for someone with such a black heart He has countless flaws. In my opinion, anyone is better than him. How did you end up liking him" Ye Qingran walked over again and looked at Yun Qianyue. The golden sunlight fell on her purple Yan Smoke Luo robe; she was beautiful and ethereal.

"I also want to know!" Yun Qianyue smiled, raising an eyebrow at Ye Qingran. "Not sleeping anymore"

"Not sleeping anymore! If you had said earlier that the weak beauty was in the carriage, I wouldn't have gone over there!" Ye Qingran huffed.

Yun Qianyue smiled without speaking.

"Why haven’t they arrived yet" Ye Qingran frowned as he looked toward the city gate. He lifted his robe and sat on a stone, then turned to Yun Qianyue and said, "Little girl, the tune 'Phoenix Seeking Its Mate' that you played the other day was very beautiful. Since I have nothing to do now, could you play another piece for me"

"I don't have a zither!" Yun Qianyue thought of 'Phoenix Seeking Its Mate,' which wasn’t something she would just improvise. She couldn’t play it for anyone.

"I do!" Ye Qingran pointed at his horse.

Following the direction of his finger, Yun Qianyue saw a zither hanging on the front of the saddle. It was strange that she hadn't noticed earlier. She looked speechlessly at Ye Qingran; just as she was about to speak, Rong Jing’s cool voice came from inside the carriage: "Ye Qingran, do you want your zither to break"

"Weak beauty, you are so stingy! Even if little girl likes you, can't you share her with others" Ye Qingran looked at the carriage and raised an eyebrow. "Moreover, there is also a princess of Donghai who has promised to marry you. The Honorable Prince's Manor probably wouldn’t do anything unfaithful, right Maybe you have a black heart but regardless, if someone comes looking for you when you've broken your promise, that would damage the Honorable Prince’s Manor’s good reputation. Don't you want Rong Grandpa to hit his head in frustration Therefore, little girl is not entirely yours yet. Aren’t you meddling too much"

"Whether I am meddling too much or not is my own business; no matter what, it seems unrelated to you, Prince Ye." Rong Jing’s voice was very faint.

"I don't believe that you would dare damage the zither if it's in little girl’s hands," Ye Qingran coldly snorted and looked at Yun Qianyue. "Little girl, considering our friendship, isn’t it reasonable for me to ask you to play a tune"

"It is not unreasonable!" Yun Qianyue nodded.

"Then hurry up and play one for me!" Ye Qingran proudly raised his eyebrows.

"I can play, but I won’t play 'Phoenix Seeking Its Mate.' " Yun Qianyue smiled at Ye Qingran. "If you agree, then I will play." In other words, if he didn't agree, she wouldn't play it for him.

Ye Qingran pursed his lips. "Alright! As long as you play, I’ll enjoy it."

Yun Qianyue stretched out her hand and lightly waved; the zither in front of Ye Qingran’s horse flew into her hands. Although this zither wasn’t as good as Rong Jing's, it was still a high-quality ancient zither. She adjusted the strings with her hand and thought for a moment before playing 'High Mountains and Flowing Water.' High mountains and flowing water are where one finds an understanding soulmate; since Ye Qingran had similar interests to hers, she wouldn’t mind giving him this tune.

The sound of zither music floated far away, enveloping Send-Off Pavilion in the melody. Even the air seemed refreshed.

Ye Qingran listened to the music with his eyebrows raised and a corner of his mouth curled into an extremely pleased curve as he looked provocatively at the carriage.

Ling Lian and Yi Xue saw Prince Ye’s expression and thought that even if it was not the Crown Prince, anyone seeing such a provoking look would want to punch him. The two of them exchanged glances; they were surprised that the Crown Prince really did what Prince Ye had said: because the zither was in Miss’ hands, he hadn't destroyed it.

After finishing the tune, Ye Qingran praised loudly, "Little girl’s skill with a zither is indeed good!" After speaking, he laughed proudly. “Weak beauty, what did I say You were afraid to destroy it, right”

Rong Jing seemed not to hear anything from Ye Qingran; there was no sound inside the carriage.

Ye Qingran looked at Yun Qianyue and waved happily. "Little girl, throw the zither over here! I've memorized the tune and will give you a return piece!"

Yun Qianyue looked at Ye Qingran with an odd expression.

"What’s wrong" Ye Qingran was confused by Yun Qianyue's stare and reached out to touch himself.

"I’m afraid I won’t be able to give you the zither!" Yun Qianyue slowly released her grip on the strings; a complete, beautiful ancient zither instantly turned into fragments. Looking at Ye Qingran, she smiled bitterly: "It was already broken before I played it. Only because of my internal strength did it stay intact long enough for you to hear one tune."

Epilogue:

Ah, Rong Jing and Yun Yue and Ye Qingran are all very powerful… o(n_n)o Ah!

I saw the moon votes everyone sent me. I love you all!

Thank you for your diamond donations and flowers! Kisses!ghters, maidservants, and servants.Soon after, the elder Prince's courtyard became quiet again.At this time, Yun Qianyue was already back at her residence. Upon entering her room, she immediately dive...