As night fell, in the magnificent imperial bedchamber, Qiao Qiu, who had been washed and rouged by Hong Lan, sat on the bed with her hair disheveled, wearing only a white undergarment and a bright red gauze draped over her, looking around.

No matter how many lifetimes she had reincarnated, she had only ever heard of this imperial palace, never actually seen it. Seeing it today, she was indeed different from the concubines' palaces; everything was gold, and the poems and paintings on the walls were all genuine works by famous artists.

Qiao Qiu kicked her small, jade-like feet around, having a great time. Suddenly, she saw a guzheng (a traditional Chinese zither). The guzheng was placed behind a gauze curtain in the corner of the wall, and it was not easy to see if you didn't look carefully.

The person who has been monitoring her every night for the past two days is almost obvious.

Qiao Qiu couldn't understand. In the emperor's eyes, she was nothing more than an insignificant woman. What was there about her that deserved his attention? Wasn't the emperor quite busy?

Before she could figure it out, a eunuch's voice came from outside, announcing, "The Emperor has arrived!"

Qiao Qiu pulled the light veil up, got out of bed barefoot, and bowed to the person who entered, saying, "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you."

The red gauze was like smoke, her jade-like skin was as white as snow, her black hair was draped over her shoulders, her eyebrows were like ink paintings, and her eyes were like black lacquer. When the emperor entered and saw Qiao Qiu like this, he was breathless and a look of amazement flashed in his eyes. He stepped forward and helped her up with his own hands, saying, "My beloved concubine, there is no need for such formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As soon as Qiao Qiu stood up straight, the emperor put his arm around her shoulder. He glanced at her with his bright eyes, and Qiao Qiu resisted the urge to brush the hand away.

The emperor dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, then took Qiao Qiu's arm and walked towards the guzheng, saying gently, "My beloved concubine, do you know why I chose you to serve me tonight?"

Qiao Qiuming narrowed her eyes slightly. Indeed, serving the emperor was like walking on thin ice. Even with such a gentle tone, she could still detect a hint of danger in her words. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, not an ordinary person. How could I possibly guess what Your Majesty is thinking?"

The emperor lowered his eyes and looked at her. Her face was clearly not as good-looking as Qiao Dong's, so why did he find her so pleasing to the eye?

"Can you see a guzheng over there?"

Qiao Qiu nodded; she had already seen it.

"I've heard you play the zither beautifully; I'd like to hear it."

"Your Majesty, I will play it for you now."

Qiao Qiu stepped out of the emperor's embrace, curtsied, and was about to go over when the emperor suddenly grabbed her. Qiao Qiu lost her balance and fell back into his arms.

"Qiao Qiu, you haven't forgotten what happened in the Imperial Garden today, have you?"

The emperor's magnetic and pleasant voice kept tempting Qiao Qiu. She bit her lower lip. She wasn't thinking about dating yet, especially not this kind of jerk. She didn't want to.

"I have certainly not forgotten what happened in the Imperial Garden."

Qiao Qiu struggled to stand up, but the emperor pressed her down, leaned close to her ear, and said, "You dare to insult me, I will punish you tonight."

Warm breath brushed against her neck, and Qiao Qiu shrank back, her jade-like ears turning red.

When the emperor saw her snuggle into his arms, he felt as if his heart was filled to the brim, as if a warm current was flowing through his heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

Qiao Qiu couldn't stand this ambiguous and Mary Sue-esque scene. She broke free from the emperor and knelt down. "Your Majesty, I have never cursed you. If that's what Your Majesty thinks, then I have nothing to say. Please punish me."

The emperor bent down, helped her up with one hand, and said with a smile, "My dear consort, you are indeed quick-witted. Go and play the zither. I will not tell you to stop, so keep playing."

Qiao Qiu understood. So this was what was waiting for her. Playing the zither all night... would be better than serving this emperor.

"yes."

Sitting behind the guzheng, she tested the strings. A few simple notes were enough to determine the pitch; this guzheng was excellent.

The emperor lay on the bed, turned to his side, propped his head up with his hand, and looked at the person behind the gauze curtain who was almost invisible.

As she began to play, a melodious note suddenly rose, and as the last note faded, another sound followed, ethereal and boundless, yet perfectly timed. The piece Qiao Qiu was playing was "High Mountains and Flowing Water," the most suitable piece for calming her emotions.

Qiao Qiuqin's skills were superb; the emperor recognized her talent from the very first note. It was likely that no one in the palace music bureau could match her. Such excellent playing suggested she was no ordinary person; she was probably not as the rumors suggested. She had even fooled his secret guards; she was truly a hidden talent.

As he pondered, the emperor's usually tense heart relaxed, his mind became increasingly muddled, and he finally fell into a deep sleep.

Qiao Qiu's eyes were as clear as the sun and moon; a gauze curtain could not block her view at all. Seeing the emperor fast asleep, she felt a little annoyed. This emperor really intended to make her play music here all night.

But she dared not stop. The emperor was asleep, but everyone outside could hear her. Tomorrow morning, anyone she randomly picked up would know whether she had played all night.

Qiao Qiu's face turned pale. She silently made a mental note of this debt, knowing that she would get her revenge someday.

...

As dawn broke, a piercing sound suddenly ripped through the emperor's bedchamber, jolting the emperor awake and causing him to sit up abruptly.

Behind the gauze curtain, Qiao Qiu slowly played the zither while saying calmly, "Your Majesty, I dare not leave the zither without Your Majesty's permission. With the time for court approaching, I have no choice but to resort to this measure."

The emperor then realized it was already Chen Shi (7-9 AM), turned over and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the person behind the gauze curtain. "In that case, you don't need to play the zither anymore. Come and help me change my clothes."

A flash of anger crossed Qiao Qiu's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She stopped playing the zither but did not rise. "Your Majesty, please forgive me for not being able to help you change your clothes. Your Majesty should summon Xiao Shunzi instead."

"You're so angry because I made you play the zither all night?" The emperor sighed helplessly. He had only intended to punish her slightly, but she had fallen asleep. Seeing that she wasn't coming over, the emperor stood up and went to her.

"I am not angry."

The closer the emperor got, the more uneasy he felt. His thick brows furrowed slightly, and he strode to the curtain, lifting it aside. In that instant, he witnessed a scene he would never forget.

Qiao Qiu sat behind the guzheng, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her face pale, her eyes tired, her eyes dark, and her lips colorless. Her hands on the guzheng trembled slightly, her fingers covered in blood, which gushed out and dripped onto the guzheng and onto the table.

When Qiao Qiu saw him coming, she tried to stand up and bow, but the moment she stood up, she felt dizzy and collapsed.

"Qiao Qiu!"

The emperor's eyes were bloodshot. He rushed to Qiao Qiu's side and caught her. He picked her up and carried her out of the gauze curtain, shouting towards the door, "Xiao Shunzi, summon all the imperial physicians to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Shunzi outside the door replied and hurriedly left.

The emperor gently placed her on the bed, took one of her hands in his, and saw that her fingers were covered in blood and flesh. His heart felt like it was being twisted in pain.