"Lord Tang, you've got it backwards. You're the one trying to force me. There are plenty of pipa players who are prettier than Song Jiao. If you like beautiful women, why don't you go to the music hall and take a look? I'm sure the girls there like you very much."
Qiu Yan wondered what Tang Yi's expression would be after seeing Song Jiao's disfigured profile.
Tang Yi clenched his fist, his face showing anger.
Hearing the conversation between the two on the second floor, Song Jiao's fingers trembled slightly. Then, she began to play the pipa in her hands.
Tang Yi went upstairs to the second floor, went to the private room where Song Jiao was, and sat down opposite her.
"Jiaojiao, tell me, wouldn't it be wonderful if I had been the one who met you first?"
Song Jiao smiled faintly, "Song Jiao is just a courtesan, not worthy of your concern, sir."
With past mistakes still fresh in her mind, Song Jiao now only wants to enjoy the rest of her life in peace.
Furthermore, she didn't like Tang Yi.
"In my eyes, no one can compare to you." Tang Yi moved a few steps closer, about to touch Song Jiao's cheek, but she skillfully dodged him.
"What music would you like to hear today, sir?"
Tang Yi sat up straight and looked at Song Jiao with a smile. "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix."
Tang Yi grew increasingly fond of Song Jiao's reserved demeanor.
"Okay," Song Jiao replied, and began to pluck the strings with her hands.
Tang Yi smiled, gazing intently at the beauty before him.
One day, he will win this woman's heart and make her completely his.
Qiu Yan witnessed what was happening on the second floor, but had no interest in paying attention to their affairs.
Right now, all she can think about is her younger brother.
Before we knew it, noon was approaching.
When Qiu Yan arrived near the academy, Lin Shu and Qin Wu had already been waiting for a long time.
As the college gates slowly opened, the examinees walked out one by one.
Qiu Xu and Zhou Zifang were walking together when they spotted his sister waving at them, and they both quickened their pace.
Seeing her younger brother's smiling face, Qiu Yan felt much more at ease.
She didn't ask Qiu Xu how the exam went, but Qiu Xu himself told her the exam questions, which surprised Qiu Yan.
At noon, Zhou Zifang and Qiu Xu sat facing each other at Xingyuelou Restaurant, discussing today's exam questions.
In the woodshed, Qiu Yan slowly opened the door, holding ten chicken legs.
The beggars were so hungry they were dizzy and disoriented. Clutching their fire sticks, they lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep.
In a daze, they smelled the aroma of meat.
Qiu Yan kicked Lu Jia with her foot, "Wake up."
"Run! Someone has released dogs..." Lu Jia woke up from a nightmare and was about to run away, but the woman in front of him brought him back to reality.
"Dog, where is the dog!" The other beggars grabbed their fire sticks and were about to run away when they realized it was Qiu Yan. They breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, there were no dogs.
Once the beggars calmed down, they immediately noticed the chicken leg in Qiu Yan's hand.
They stared at the chicken leg on the plate, their mouths watering.
The rich aroma wafted into their noses, and the hungry beggars inhaled deeply the scent of the chicken legs, their eyes filled with longing.
They were really starving to death.
Lu Jia licked his lips. "Grandma, please have mercy and give me something to eat."
The beggars groveled before Qiu Yan, pleading, "Please, give us some food, we're so hungry, so hungry..."
They stretched out their dark arms, about to touch the chicken leg, when Qiu Yan subtly moved her hand, and the chicken leg moved much further away.
"If you want to eat it, you have to do it the way I say."
“No matter what you ask us to do, we will do it willingly. As long as you are willing to give us a bite to eat, we will do whatever you ask.” Lu Jia and the others nodded vigorously.
They knew, of course, that Qiu Yan wouldn't give them meat for nothing.
Qiu Yan smiled and brought the chicken leg closer to the beggars. Instantly, the chicken leg was snatched up.
The golden and tender chicken drumsticks are numbing but not overpowering, spicy but not harsh, and have a subtle sweetness in the mouth.
It leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth, with a rich aroma that makes you want to eat more and more, even the bones are fragrant.
This taste was a delicacy that Lu Jia and the others had never tasted before.
Just as they were enjoying their meal, Qiu Yan said:
"Aren't you afraid I'll poison the food?"
Lu Jia and the others were stunned, but even so, they still refused to give up the chicken legs in their hands.
They devoured the chicken legs with gusto, sucking out all the broth and chewing every last bit of meat and bone. Only then did Lu Jia ask:
"Young lady, what do you need us for?"
...That night, at the border.
Gu Qian lay reclining on the tree, gazing towards the direction of Baiyang.
"Gu Qian!"
A shout broke his thoughts. Gu Qian turned around and saw He Lin standing under the tree, looking up at him.
Gu Qian was startled. He leaped down from the tree and looked at the man in front of him. "Why are you here?"
He Lin ground his back teeth. "Hmph, you've got quite the attitude! I'm afraid I couldn't get you to come if I didn't!"
Gu Qian's eyes turned cold. "Go back. This harsh, desolate border region is not suitable for you."
"Gu Qian, you have become increasingly presumptuous lately. I have summoned you back to Shangjin City many times, but you have refused me time and time again. What is the meaning of this?"
"You know that if I leave, the two countries will surely go to war."
"The Northern Qi Kingdom sent a messenger to sue for peace, and they wanted to send a princess to marry you. That princess specifically asked for your hand in marriage."
Gu Qian sneered, "Would you feel comfortable marrying me?"
"Because it's you, I feel at ease."
"Aren't you afraid I'll lead the Northern Qi soldiers to rebel against you?"
He Lin's face darkened. "Only you would dare to say something like that."
"Go back, the border cannot do without me."
"Gu Qian, as long as you agree to the marriage alliance, we can both rest easy. When our Dongjin army is strong and well-equipped, we can take advantage of the Northern Qi's unpreparedness and wipe them out in one fell swoop."
He Lin has nothing to fear from the surrounding small countries; his biggest rival right now is Northern Qi.
The reason why Dongjin's national strength is weak is entirely due to the war in the previous years, which consumed a lot of their manpower and financial resources.
Not only was he poor, but the entire Dongjin was poor.
Gu Qian chuckled, "As expected of you, you're so thoughtful."
"You agree?"
"disagree!"
"Gu Qian, think it through before you answer me!"
"I am not you, and I will not marry a woman I do not love for political gain!"
“You…” He Lin’s expression suddenly turned cold, and he punched Gu Qian in the face.
Gu Qian leaped up and sat back down in the tree.
"I'm tired, I don't have time to play with you!"
He Lin suppressed his anger, stood quietly for a long time, and then turned and left.
As Gu Qian watched He Lin's departing figure, he thought of that small figure and the girl he loved.
They were only about 500 miles apart, but to him, it felt like an eternity.
He looked up at the starry sky, wondering what she was doing or if she was thinking of him.
At this moment, the woman he was thinking about was appearing at the entrance of an alley in Baiyang City.
This alleyway is the place that Manager Gao must pass through.
Qiu Yan looked up at the trees in the distance, their branches swaying in the wind. In a daze, she seemed to see a figure reclining on one of the trees.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the newcomer.
She counted silently in her mind.
Five, four, three, two, one...
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