Chapter Thirty-Seven

Zhong Zihe, who was leisurely enjoying his snacks, suddenly turned around when he heard his name. His eyes lit up when he saw who it was, "Xiao Mo'er!"

He immediately jumped up and tried to grab the man's clothes, but was dodged and received a glare in return.

"How long have you been in Qin? Didn't someone say they'd come to find me after arriving in Qin? Are you looking for me here?"

He chuckled, "I just arrived, didn't I? It's obvious we're on the same wavelength. You saw that I just got here and you already spotted me."

Zhong Zihe is still the same; he can spout nonsense without batting an eye.

Three months ago, when Si Yanmo was betrothed to Zhou Yanqing, she wanted to run away, but this guy's twisted logic persuaded her to come back, and he always spoke on Zhou Yanqing's behalf.

She still remembers the way that person seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold:

"I must remind you, running away from an arranged marriage is a capital offense, Xiao Mo'er."

"Ha, we'll die anyway if we don't run! Maybe we can survive if we run."

"Tsk tsk, I heard that the Prince of Qin personally petitioned the Southern Emperor for your hand in marriage, and even ceded two plots of land to the Southern Capital before His Majesty finally agreed..."

"Since the King of Qin is so sincere, why don't you just give in?"

At that time, Si Yanmo's impression of Zhou Yanqing was still that of a jinx in everyone's eyes, and she only felt that he wanted to kill her to silence her.

Before she could even finish arguing with Zhong Zihe, the procession delivering the betrothal gifts had already arrived.

Zhong Zihe pushed her back, saying, "Little Mo'er, I think you should just go back obediently. Judging from his attitude, if you don't marry him, he'll drag you back to the ends of the earth."

"Don't worry, I'll visit you when I have time to go to Qin to see Qiuhe."

Now it seems he only remembers looking at Qiuhe, and has completely forgotten about looking at himself.

Si Yanmo snorted coldly and turned back to her room.

Zhong Zihe hurriedly followed, "Little Mo'er, don't be angry!"

He squeezed through the door with lightning speed and immediately spotted Wu Zi'ang sitting at the table.

This person had bright eyes and white teeth, and a beautiful, ethereal appearance. Even the hand holding the teacup was like white jade, with a slight reddish tinge.

Even though Zhong Zihe had seen many beauties, he was immediately attracted to her.

"Oh, where did Xiao Mo'er meet her little sister? She's so beautiful."

As he spoke, he moved closer to her, opened his fan, and asked, "Young lady, are you married? What year were you born? Where do you live?"

"Zhong Zihe, that's enough!" Si Yanmo really wanted to kick him out.

After all these years, this guy still can't shake the habit of being unable to walk past pretty girls.

The problem is...

“Brother, I am…” Wu Zi’ang took a sip of tea and smiled amicably, but before he could finish speaking, the other person’s smile cracked when he heard the slight roughness in the voice. “A…a man? How can you be a man???”

Wu Zi'ang was used to this kind of reaction. Since he was a child, his appearance had caused many misunderstandings, so he had gotten used to it.

After saying this, the man stood there stunned for a long time, as if he had suffered a great shock. He finally couldn't help but ask, "Mo Li, is your friend alright?"

"It's alright, this is his retribution." Si Yanmo raised her hand and pushed the man. "Hey, stop lingering here and go back."

Zhong Zihe was pushed a few steps, then suddenly grabbed her mysteriously and asked nervously in her ear, "Little Mo'er! You're too bold! How could you sneak around eating outside behind the King of Qin's back? Are you out of your mind?"

"..."

Can't this person have something serious in their head?

"Big brother, please go, I beg you, please?" She just wanted to push him out; it was just too humiliating.

The man plopped down in the chair and refused to leave. "Why are you chasing me away? We haven't seen each other in ages. Besides, Qiuhe will be out soon. You have a good spot, I'll just listen from here."

"Qiuhe?"

The female musician Zhong Zihe described as having the appearance of a celestial being, but in reality, he had never actually seen what she looked like.

Since Zhong Zihe started occasionally coming to Qin to make purchases a few years ago, Si Yanmo had always heard this name from him.

She couldn't understand the zither, but according to Zhong Zihe, this person's zither skills were so smooth and superb that she was curious about what kind of amazing person he was.

I never expected this person to be in Yunjianxuan.

Just as Si Yanmo was about to ask another question, Wu Zi'ang, who was standing next to her, became very interested and grabbed Zhong Zihe's hand, as if he had seen some rare treasure.

"You like Qiuhe too!"

"you also……"

In an instant, it was as if a long-awaited rain had come after a drought, or an old friend had been found in a foreign land. Si Yanmo held the hands of the two people in front of her, and tears welled up in her eyes with joy.

"Brother, you have excellent taste!"

"No, you..."

Just as she was about to speak, a graceful figure appeared behind the screen opposite her, slowly sitting down while holding a zither.

Zhong Zihe and Wu Ziang immediately interrupted her in unison, "Shut up!"

"Qiuhe is out!" Zhong Zihe said.

Si Yanmo was completely speechless at the two of them. If she had known this would happen, she should have agreed to go to the horse farm with Zhou Yanqing!

Her thank-you banquet has now completely turned into a music appreciation event for the two music lovers.

The light, melodious sound of the zither drifted out from behind the screen. Although Si Yanmo wasn't very good at listening to music, she could still sense its deep and gentle tone, as if it were weeping and lamenting.

The tone was so sorrowful that it caused the two who had been excited just moments before to become solemn.

Wu Zi'ang was a sentimental person, and tears fell first. The beauty shed tears, and the teardrops hung on his delicate face like pearls on a woman's makeup.

Just as the entire Cloud Pavilion quieted down to the mournful zither music, the music suddenly shifted, becoming high-pitched and subtly revealing a murderous aura, making the listeners' blood boil.

“An adaptation of the Battle Formation Song!” Zhong Zihe recognized it.

He has always been knowledgeable about music, and Si Yanmo felt that what he heard was always right.

But... a musician in a restaurant actually likes to play the "Breaking the Formation" tune?

She felt something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The music grew increasingly louder, like a battle drum signaling the charge on the battlefield, making everyone's heartbeats quicken.

The melody abruptly stopped at its highest point, then returned to its gentle, melodious tone, gradually calming down and fading away...

The crowd erupted in applause, and Zhong Zihe and Wu Ziang stood up to cheer.

Si Yanmo, however, stared intently at the shadow behind the screen, curious about the musician's fate.

Unfortunately, you can't calculate it if you can't see the person.

She didn't dwell on it too much.

When the song ended, Qiuhe left.

It is said that she only plays one piece a day, and even if someone offers her a fortune to play another piece, she refuses.

Wu Zi'ang had some other matters to attend to, so he left first, leaving Si Yanmo and the gossipy Zhong Zihe sitting in the pavilion.

"Little Mo'er, how are things between you and the King of Qin? I heard he joined the army when he was ten. Is he very strong? Can your body handle it?"

His mouth is full of vulgar and offensive language!

Si Yanmo didn't want to pay any attention to him and got up to leave.

How could Zhong Zihe let her succeed?

He followed her everywhere, clinging to her shamelessly, and she couldn't shake him off.

"Oh, little Mo'er, don't be shy! Tell me! I'm just worried he won't treat you well!"

Seeing that his younger sister was still ignoring him, Zhong Zihe set his sights on the candied hawthorn vendor across the street.

If we're talking about the person who understands Si Yanmo the most from childhood to adulthood, Zhong Zihe wouldn't be second, and few would dare to be first.

His little Mo'er can't resist candied hawthorns whenever she sees them.

He immediately darted over and handed the vendor a one-hundred-tael silver note, saying, "Boss, I'll take all these candied hawthorns."

Without waiting for the shopkeeper's reaction, he stuffed the money in, grabbed the candied hawthorn rack, and chased after Si Yanmo.

"Little Mo'er, wait for me! This candied hawthorn is so heavy, I can't even lift it!"

Si Yanmo slowed down when she heard about candied hawthorns. She glanced at them out of the corner of her eye with a haughty air and when she saw a whole shelf of candied hawthorns, she completely forgot why she was feeling awkward. She picked up a skewer and took a bite.

"I'll wait for you a while, for the sake of the candied hawthorns."

"Thank you very much, Miss Si!" Zhong Zihe immediately echoed obsequiously.

The two jokingly boarded Zhong Zihe's carriage, unaware that this scene was being observed by a figure in black...

——

An hour ago, after being refused a trip, Zhou Yanqing could only wander around the nearby market.

There seem to be more vendors in Qin'an City lately. A new silver shop has opened on a street corner, selling women's jewelry or men's accessories.

He would never have entered such a place in the past, but today, as he watched many young ladies from prominent families coming and going at the entrance, the image of Si Yanmo appeared in his mind.

When he saw her in Nandu, her hair ornaments were always different. Now, in Qin, she only has a plain hairpin by her side, as if he has mistreated her.

She is, after all, a princess in name only; she should have what others have.

With that thought in mind, Zhou Yanqing strode through the door.

The interior of this jewelry store looks even more impressive than the exterior, with gold, silver, and jade artifacts all gleaming together.

Although he did not reveal his identity, the shopkeeper could tell at a glance that he had an extraordinary bearing, and the black robe he was wearing was something that only high-ranking officials and nobles could wear, so he quickly moved closer.

"Is this for yourself, or for the women in your family?"

“Give me…” Zhou Yanqing paused, wanting to say “Madam”, but suddenly felt his face burning and couldn’t say it.

The shopkeeper, a man of many experience, immediately saw through his intentions. "I understand, it's for your sweetheart. Why don't you go upstairs and take a look? There are mostly women's hairpins and hair ornaments, as well as some jade pendants and other tokens of love." He then led him upstairs.

Upon hearing the words "beloved," Zhou Yanqing's face flushed even more, but for some reason, she didn't refute them and followed them upstairs.

"These hairpins are from the Southern Capital, and they are inlaid with the finest agate."

"These hairpins are from Qi Valley. The tassels are made of pearls, and several newlywed ladies like them very much."

"Most of the pendants here are made of jade from our Qin region, and they come in purple and green."

...

After listening to the shopkeeper's introduction for a long time, Zhou Yanqing felt dazzled. He really couldn't understand these things that belonged to girls, so he simply waved his hand and said, "Wrap them all up, I'll have someone come and pick them up later."

"Okay!"

As expected of a big customer, the shopkeeper immediately revealed the monthly profit upon hearing it, and quickly instructed his assistant to pack up the jewelry. "I wonder which young lady is so lucky to have met such a generous young master like you."

Zhou Yanqing was quite pleased with his flattery and said proudly, "I also think she's lucky."