Chapter 190 - 189: Another Member Added! Young Master Shows His Love
Chapter 190: Chapter 189: Another Member Added! Young Master Shows His Love
"..."
Cui Jinghan was left speechless. In an instant, his anger had completely vanished.
"However, we should still thank Young Master Pei," Xie Qingshi said, his eyes curving into crescents. "If he hadn’t recognized us, we wouldn’t have known that other people besides us could also come to this future era, right?"
This was their biggest blind spot. If they hadn’t known this, even if they met Shi Changying and found her incredibly familiar, they wouldn’t have believed she was Her Majesty. Such a blind spot was not easily broken. From this perspective, Pei Xuan was truly the greatest contributor.
Seeing Cui Jinghan remain silent, Xie Qingshi unhurriedly pulled out a few tickets. "You are welcome to attend this week’s concert, Young Master Jing Han. With your abilities, I’m sure you won’t attract Pei Xuan’s attention, right?"
Cui Jinghan stared at him for a few seconds before finally taking the tickets. "He merely listened to one of your concerts and saw me visiting his grave with green bristlegrass, yet he guessed both our identities. How can you be so certain he won’t discover Her Majesty?"
Xie Qingshi’s voice drifted lightly. "To be honest, I’m also quite curious. Why is it that he alone fails to recognize Her Majesty?"
Cui Jinghan didn’t answer the question, instead saying, "I will attend the concert."
The smile in Xie Qingshi’s eyes deepened. "I look forward to cooperating with you, Mr. Cui. Shall we go watch Her Majesty’s performance?"
Cui Jinghan replied in a low voice, "You go first. Let me be alone for a while."
Xie Qingshi didn’t disturb him, exiting the lounge and closing the door.
The sun had already set in the west, and night was about to fall. Outside, neon lights flickered to life one after another. The bustling streets were a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors. The weather was excellent today, leaving the evening sky cloudless. At this exact time, both the moon and the sun could be clearly seen in the sky simultaneously.
Staring blankly at the sun and moon that had remained unchanged for millennia, Cui Jinghan once again recalled the snow from The Eighth Year of Taichu.
At that time, he was reporting his work to Ye Yu. Since the Empress was out on a military campaign, all memorials were handed over to Ye Yu for review and approval. Looking back over the past twenty-plus dynasties, any powerful minister who reached Ye Yu’s position would have either turned the Emperor into a puppet or held the Emperor hostage to command the feudal lords. Despite holding immense power, he never rebelled. Ye Yu truly had no desire for fame or wealth, remaining completely unchanged over the past eight years.
The snow started falling suddenly, quickly dyeing the world white.
Someone laughed. "It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such heavy snow. The last time was on the day Her Majesty ascended the throne."
Others chimed in. "Indeed. Back then, so many people said the heavens thought Her Majesty... But without Her Majesty, how could there be a prosperous Da Xuan?"
"By now, Her Majesty should have already advanced to the central part of the Southern Region, right?" another person sighed with emotion. "When Her Majesty returns in triumph, the entire Southern Region might just become Da Xuan territory."
Ye Yu listened with a smile, not stopping their conversation until a confidential letter was presented to his desk.
At that moment, Ye Yu—who wouldn’t have blinked even if Mount Tai collapsed before him—underwent a drastic change in expression, his face turning deathly pale. In the next second, he spewed a mouthful of heart’s blood, scattering spots of crimson everywhere. The dripping blood was a shocking sight.
Everyone was greatly alarmed and hurried forward. "Lord Ye!"
He had worked under Ye Yu for seven years and had never seen him lose his composure like this. After spitting out that mouthful of blood, Ye Yu fell into a coma and was quickly taken away by a Xuan Doctor.
What happened? He and the other cabinet members were somewhat bewildered until they heard the ringing of a bronze bell roaring in their ears. Usually, the reverberations of this bronze bell would never be heard, for its tolling signified the passing of the sovereign.
The Empress was gone.
As these words surfaced in his mind, Cui Jinghan heard his own voice say, "Impossible." After a moment of silence, he heard himself say again, "I don’t believe it."
But the bell’s toll carried further and further, until it rang throughout thousands of cities across Jiuzhou.
Looking back on that year now, he actually couldn’t remember much. During that year, they had all lived in a daze, unable to accept the fact that the Empress had left them, yet having no choice but to accept it. Much later, he only remembered that the snow that year was incredibly heavy—heavy enough to bury him. Even after being reborn for a second lifetime, the snow hadn’t stopped. This snow had been falling in his heart for two lifetimes. And now, it had finally ceased.
Unconsciously, Cui Jinghan’s face was once again covered in tears. After sitting in a daze for a long while, he wiped away his tears and composed his expression before heading to the dance studio.
The students of Class 17, Grade 12 recognized him, looking a bit confused, as if they couldn’t understand why he would appear here. But soon, their attention was drawn away.
Shaoyuan placed the ancient zither on his lap. With his head slightly lowered, he gently plucked the strings. TWANG. The sound of the zither rang out, melodious and pleasing to the ear.
To Cui Jinghan’s surprise, the one playing the zither wasn’t Xie Qingshi, but a young man he had never seen before. What shocked him even more was that this young man’s zither skills were not the slightest bit inferior to Xie Qingshi’s.
Cui Jinghan walked silently to Xie Qingshi’s side and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "It seems you are no longer the only one. To think he actually understands music."
Xie Qingshi was noncommittal, but his expression dimmed slightly.
Seeing him deflated put Cui Jinghan in an excellent mood. "What is he playing?" he asked.
"Phoenix Seeking Phoenix," Xie Qingshi said coldly.
Cui Jinghan’s expression changed abruptly. He indeed didn’t understand music and couldn’t recognize the tune. But as a scholar, he knew the allusion behind Phoenix Seeking Phoenix better than anyone. What else could it mean to play Phoenix Seeking Phoenix right in front of Her Majesty?
Both Xie Qingshi and Cui Jinghan looked rather displeased.
Shi Changying actually couldn’t recognize the tune either; she just genuinely found it pleasant to listen to. Thus, after the song ended, she clapped her hands. "That was beautiful. Play another one."
Shaoyuan raised his eyes and asked methodically, "What do you want to hear?"
Shi Changying thought for a moment. "Anything is fine."
Shaoyuan nodded and started a new tune.
Cui Jinghan pressed his brow and asked again, "What song is this one?"
Xie Qingshi was also a bit surprised. "It’s a folk ballad from the Xianyan Period. It has no name."
"The Xianyan Period?" Cui Jinghan’s brow twitched. "That truly goes back a long way."
The Yan Dynasty was the first dynasty that unified the realm of Jiuzhou. The time before the Yan Dynasty was referred to as Xianyan. Due to it being so ancient, many tunes from that era had been lost to history.
Cui Jinghan frowned, scrutinizing Shaoyuan closely as the displeasure in his heart deepened. This face made him look even more like a bewitching seductress who beguiled the sovereign than Xie Qingshi.
Xie Qingshi glanced at him, instantly knowing what he was thinking. "Mr. Cui, it seems we are indeed allies."
BEEP. A message popped up on his phone. Cui Jinghan looked down.
[Xie Qingshi has invited you to join the group chat: "Alliance of Pei Xuan’s Mockers and Shaoyuan’s Crusaders"]
[Qingyuan]: Welcome to our group, Mr. Cui.
[Ning Liuyu]: Clap clap, tossing flowers!
[Cui Jinghan]: ???