"Report!" A secret agent from the Black Ice Guard rushed to Ying Zheng. "Your Majesty, there is important news!"
Ying Zheng, who was reading the memorial, didn't even look up: "Speak."
"We...we seem to have found the whereabouts of Afang Maiden in Xinzheng!"
"Smack!"
The bamboo slips in Ying Zheng's hand fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. He jumped up, nearly overturning the table: "Really?!"
"Absolutely true!" the informant declared confidently. "According to our investigation, she has always lived in a mountain village thirty miles outside of Xinzheng, leading a very low-key life."
Ying Zheng could no longer contain himself: "Prepare the carriage! Let's go to Xinzheng now!"
"Wait, Your Majesty!" Meng Tian quickly dissuaded him, "This matter needs further consideration..."
"What are you planning?!" Ying Zheng rarely swore. "I've searched for so long and finally got some news, and you want me to take my time to plan?"
Having said that, he strode out, shouting, "Men! Prepare the horses!"
...........
The news quickly reached the ears of the wicked husband.
"Hahaha!" The wicked husband slapped his thigh, laughing so hard he almost fell over. "You're usually such a composed person, but you become so excited after finding your white moonlight?!"
Zhang Erhe couldn't help but chuckle, "Grand Commandant, do you think we should stop her? After all, the Princess is pregnant."
"Stop me?" The wicked man glared. "Do you want a beating? This is someone the Great Dynasty has been longing for. Anyone who tries to stop me is doomed!"
As he spoke, he picked up a pen and quickly wrote a letter: "I was greatly pleased to hear that Your Majesty has found your old flame. Over the years, whenever you mentioned Miss Afang, your eyes would light up like those of a young man in his prime. Now that we have finally met, I am overjoyed!"
"As for the Princess Consort, you can rest assured. Although she is six months pregnant, she is very energetic, playing mahjong with the palace maids every day! You can go and see Miss Afang without worry, I will keep an eye on her here for you."
When Ying Zheng saw the letter, he had already arrived outside Xinzheng City. He couldn't help but laugh and scold, "That brat, spouting nothing but nonsense!"
But then I thought about it again, and what he said was actually true. I really need to be more mature and not act like a naive kid.
He took a deep breath and straightened his clothes. After so many years, his childhood sweetheart was finally about to reappear before him.
"Let's go," he said, suppressing his excitement. "Let's go take a look at that mountain village."
As soon as we entered the mountain village, a familiar melody drifted from afar, still the same familiar tune.
Ying Zheng quickened his pace involuntarily. Turning past a grove of trees and bamboo, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before him.
A woman dressed in coarse linen clothes is playing the zither. Even though her clothes are ordinary, they cannot hide her gentle temperament. She is still as beautiful and refined as she was back then.
The music stopped abruptly.
"You...you are Zheng Ge'er?" She looked up, her eyes flashing with surprise and joy...and a trace of sadness.
Back in the Zhao state, that's how she always addressed him. At that time, Ying Zheng was merely a hostage trapped in an enemy state.
"It's been a long time..." Ying Zheng felt a tightness in his throat, "Afang."
She gently placed the zither aside, stood up, and said, "Do you still remember when we were in the State of Zhao..." Ripples of memories welled up in her eyes.
Ying Zheng looked at her quietly.
Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to this woman. More than a decade has passed, and her appearance remains as beautiful as I remember, though her eyes now show a hint of weariness.
"I remember," Ying Zheng's voice was somewhat low. "Back then, you would always be playing the zither under the eaves, and I would listen from the side."
Afang smiled faintly: "Back then, you always had a furrowed brow, looking preoccupied. Only when you listened to me play the zither would you relax a little."
"Yes," Ying Zheng took a few steps closer, "Back then, we were in an enemy country, living in constant fear. Only when I listened to you play the zither could I temporarily forget those troubles."
His gaze fell on the guqin that Afang had placed to the side: "This guqin..."
"It's the same one from back then." Afang gently stroked the body of the zither. "When I left Handan, I only took this one with me. Over the years, wherever I've gone, it's been with me."
Ying Zheng's fingers trembled involuntarily. This zither carried too many memories; it was the only ray of light in his darkest days.
"Why..." he finally asked the question that had been buried for so many years, "Why did you suddenly leave back then?"
Afang was silent for a moment before softly saying, "I can see that you are no ordinary person. Even though you were a hostage back then, you had the world in your eyes. I... I'm afraid I'll become a burden to you."
"A burden?" Ying Zheng smiled bitterly. "Do you know that I've been searching for you all these years?"
"I know," Afang's voice lowered further, "That's why I've been hiding. Zheng Ge'er, you've swept across the land, unifying the world. And I, am just a woman playing the zither..."
"Enough!" Ying Zheng interrupted her. "In my heart, you will always be Afang, the one playing the zither under the eaves."
He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking, because he saw tears welling up in Afang's eyes.
"Zheng-ge'er," she gently wiped away her tears, "how have you been all these years?"
A simple greeting stirred up complex emotions in Ying Zheng, leaving him with many feelings.
As the saying goes, others care about how high you fly, but only those who love you care about how tired you are.
"I'm fine." He tried to keep his voice steady. "I met a close friend who helped me achieve great things; otherwise, I don't know when I would have made it. He even designed a new palace for me... called the Epang Palace."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
