The zither was placed on the shelf. From its color and luster, down to its other details, it was indeed a good zither that suited the well-known legend.
It was the real Mark of the Moon without an ounce of forgery. Heng Yuqing had made sure of that when she took Ning Xueyan to a zither appraisal expert on their way home.
The handful of well-known zither players in the capital came to the same conclusion.
In other words, this antique zither wasn’t a fake. It was the real thing.
The zither was sitting inside Ning Xueyan’s room at the moment, right beside the incomplete zither piece. One could hardly find the book containing the zither piece in the market anymore, and the remedied zither piece was as good as a complete one. Most importantly, the zither piece wasn’t difficult to play.
With these two advantages in hand, anyone with even the slightest zither proficiency would have leaped at the chance to perform. Madam Wu Yao’s banquet was the gathering of politically neutral literary and talented young women, a complete one-eighty from typical banquets that prioritized riches, honor, glory, and splendor.
The banquet would give her a chance to promote her status and dignity. From experience, she knew this sort of promotion was what she needed at the moment.
Temptation was right before her.
If she was the real Ning Xueyan, she might not be able to stop herself from going down the train of thought…
But she wasn’t just Ning Xueyan!
Her knowledge of zither pieces was better than Heng Yuqing, who had been educated since young. She was able to detect the intention in the zither piece that Heng Yuqing couldn’t and ponder more.
Her mother had been proficient in zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting and owned a few out-of-print books from the palace. Since she had locked Ning Ziying in the inner courtyard and minimized contact with other people, she paid greater emphasis on the four arts. Ning Ziying was also a quiet person and enjoyed dabbling in zither, Go, and calligraphy.
Her mother’s careful education, the out-of-print books that only she had seen, as well as her talent, made her zither expertise in her past life far beyond that of noble ladies who were carefully educated to gain fame for their talent.
The continuation of the zither piece was decent but the problem lied in the piece itself. One could not play it at will, and if she were to finish the piece in public, the sound would become “proof” of her crime…
Ao Chenyi entered the room. He had been preoccupied lately but no matter how busy he was, he would return to Prince Yi’s Manor once to check on Ning Xueyan. His ornate robe trembled as he moved, his beautiful eyes on the Mark of the Moon resting solemnly in the room. His well-defined lips curved into a smile as he asked, “Yan’er, are you going to play the zither?”
Few people knew that Ning Xueyan could play the zither, and play it well. She wasn’t interested in the arts in her current life. She had spent all of her energy on protecting the people around her and getting revenge. Still, she had played the zither in front of Ao Chenyi a few times.
“Not me. It’s someone else who wants me to play the zither.” Ning Xueyan stood up and walked up to him. She stood on her tiptoes and adjusted Ao Chenyi’s cape.
“Oh, I wonder who it is. But one thing for sure, that person must have something to do with Grand Tutor Ya.”
Ao Mingyu seemed to have lost influence because of Honored Consort Ya. Moreover, Ao Chenyi’s hold on the Crown Prince position seemed solid. Truth was, Ao Mingyu’s influence didn’t suffer all that much. With Grand Tutor Ya playing his strategist, he still stood a chance at rising again.
This was especially true in this climate when Ao Chenyi had yet to ascend the throne. The elderly Emperor might be ill but he wasn’t dead. History had proven how common it was for a Crown Prince to be appointed only to be abolished, over and over.
Ning Xueyan knew Ao Chenyi wouldn’t be an easy opponent for Grand Tutor Ya and Ao Mingyu but it always paid well to be careful. She knew this much.
When Ning Xueyan put down his cape, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the couch. A fierce look crossed his face as he smiled and said, “What’s that old man up to now? Why don’t I send my men to clean out his stronghold?”
Ning Xueyan’s eyes, seemingly brimming with ice and snow, lit up with a smile. Her hand was still in Ao Chenyi’s hold, so she shook his hand. “It’s alright, at least for now. You’ve just become the Crown Prince. Now isn’t the time for you to revolt. Since Grand Tutor Ya wants to orchestrate a show between women, why don’t we let him succeed for once?”
“But I don’t want to!” Ao Chenyi sneered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
“It’ll happen whether you want it or not. I noticed something but I don’t know if it’s true until I investigate it. I want to unveil the truth,” Ning Xueyan said softly, with a sweet smile on her face. She shook Ao Chenyi’s hand again as if she was placating him, persuading him to agree with her plan.
Knowing that Ao Chenyi was worried about her safety, she said coquettishly, “I have Xinmei and Liu Feng with me. They’ll help me deal with this beautifully.”
Emotion flickered in his eyes. He looked at her and replied, languidly and helplessly, “Should I send you a few more subordinates?”
“It’s alright. I don’t need so many people for my plan.” Ning Xueyan smiled, knowing that Ao Chenyi had given into her. She pulled him up by his hand and brought him to the antique zither called the Mark of the Moon.
“This is the antique zither, Mark of the Moon. Commandery Princess Muling gifted it to me when we were at the zither store. I didn’t want it but she was so polite and insisted.” Ning Xueyan raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully, “But since she was so persistent, I had no choice but to accept it.”
She let go of Ao Chenyi’s hand and placed her delicate hands on the zither strings, producing a melodious and languid sound. She had just plucked a few strings without making much of a tune but it was enough to make one infatuated with the sound. Of course, it was partially because of the quality of the zither but Ning Xueyan’s skill played a part too.
“The sound is a little dull.” Ao Chenyi was a well-learned zither player in his own right. It didn’t take him long to notice the intricacy of the sound. A sneer appeared on his face as his beautiful hand grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand on the zither strings. “I’ll find out who was the original owner of this antique zither.”
Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to own such beautiful antique zither.
The plotters had gone all out in using such an expensive zither. When he recalled the fact that they dared to harm Ning Xueyan, a sinister and blood-thirsty look appeared on his face. How could these people scheme against a woman who he couldn’t even bring himself to punish? From the look of it, the scheme wasn’t Grand Tutor Ya’s plan alone.
Suddenly, he remembered the news he obtained the day before yesterday and his face became gloomier. How dare they try and steal his woman! They must have a death wish!
“Since you’re going to investigate, I’ll leave it to you. And if you’re already doing me a favor, why not a second one? Can you help me find out what happened to Madam Wu Yao back then? How did her scholar husband die? Where did he die? Why was she willing to stay faithful to her husband but chose to leave with her dowry instead of staying at her husband’s home?”
Ning Xueyan smiled softly, her eyes unreadable.
There were still things that she was suspicious of but she became increasingly certain after seeing the current situation. What circumstances would make a woman change so drastically and step out of the shadows? Why would Wu Yao work for Grand Tutor Ya?
Perhaps, a better question was why Grand Tutor Ya was willing to trust her.
Was it simply because Wu Yao was a noble lady of the previous dynasty? Her status was relatively high among other noble ladies of the previous dynasty, seeing as she was able to enter the private circle of Ning Xueyan’s biological mother. But she wasn’t the only noble lady who fitted the bill. What drew Grand Tutor Ya to Wu Yao? What made him trust her?
Why would Wu Yao work for Grand Tutor Ya?
Wu Yao was just a childless widow. What would she want? Even if she wanted to seek shelter from Grand Tutor Ya, she didn’t have to go so far as to scheme for him.
There must be another reason driving her actions and Ning Xueyan was slowly confirming her speculation. Still, there was something that she needed to confirm.
“Alright. Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to investigate it. You don’t have to attend the banquet either. It’s just a widow’s banquet,” Ao Chenyi said coldly. A sinister smile appeared on his face when he abruptly pressed two fingers together and pulled the zither strings in the opposite direction.
Ning Xueyan knew there was trouble when she saw his face. She immediately pulled him back and cried, “Your Highness, don’t…”
“Why should my Crown Princess fawn over a widow?” Ao Chenyi shot her an unhappy look. When he saw tears pooling in her beautiful eyes and flowing down her delicate face, he put his hand down helplessly and pulled her into a hug.
“I’ll protect you, so you don’t have to entertain those people.” He didn’t even realize that he had softened his voice.
“I know.” Ning Xueyan nodded in his embrace, looking like an obedient child. Her heart was soft and mushy. She didn’t understand why she cried either. It was as if she would turn coquettish every time she was with him. She felt upset and pitiful when facing his anger earlier.
She wasn’t like this before. It was because of Ao Chenyi that she became increasingly soft-tempered.
For some reason, her mood improved significantly after he eased his attitude and a smile soon appeared on her face.
Her long lashes fluttered as she slowly closed her eyes and said firmly, “But I want to deal with these backyard matters myself.”
Yes, she liked Ao Chenyi. She liked the man before her.
Before she knew it, the ruthless man who put her on the edge had slowly, quietly entered her heart.
Ao Chenyi lowered his head and listened to her answer. Gentleness eased his face, warming up his icy expression from before.
He tightened his arms around her with a soft smile on his beautiful lips. He could sense how the woman in his arms relied on him. Her wholehearted reliance improved his mood considerably. He lifted her chin and planted a soft kiss on her…
“Yan’er…” A gentle murmur emerged from his lips, the sound imbued with his deep affection and happiness. It was almost as if he was going to make a tyrannical announcement. If she hadn’t experienced this herself, she wouldn’t have believed that a cold, heartless man like Ao Chenyi would have such a passionate side. He wouldn’t have acted like this if he wasn’t truly in love…
