Piano Sound
Zhao Chunfang had already realized that the emperor, seemingly doting on her, was actually seeing someone else through her, and that she was a stand-in for that other person. Her gambling father, who had initially made his fortune by marrying into a wealthy merchant family with his good looks and eloquence, had fallen into bad habits, often drinking and gambling in wine shops and on the streets. Dissatisfied with his wife's discipline, he had an affair with her mother. Later, under pressure from his wife's father-in-law, he cut ties with her and her, ignoring her.
Somehow, the next time she saw him, he had transformed into a sorcerer at the emperor's side, extremely popular. That night, he quietly came to her house and told her about an opportunity to become rich. As long as she was willing to endure the pain for a while, she could be rich and prosperous and enjoy endless pleasures.
She looked at the leaking tiles and the moldy spots in the corners, and her father's luxurious robes. She endured the severe pain in her palm. A few months later, a scar had formed on her palm, and the mark of a standard copper coin was clearly visible before her eyes.
Her father said that the emperor must not be let to know that she had been branded with this mark, otherwise she, her father and even the entire family would be in dire straits.
At first, she thought it was just a fake auspicious seal, but later she realized that it might be the mark of a certain person. With it, she seemed to become her, and Liu Che seemed to see that person.
He spent a month, patiently talking and eating with her every day, supporting her, allowing her to be arrogant, and bringing her to relive the old dreams of the past. She almost indulged in this strong tenderness and supreme power, but after all this, his eager eyes immediately made her sober up, and this was just an illusory dream.
After Liu Che finished playing the zither, he took her hand and sat down in front of the desk, placed it on the strings, and picked up the jade flute to continue playing the previous song.
Zhao Chunfang looked at him in confusion, not knowing what to do with her hands.
Liu Che played the opening melody, a look of disappointment on his face. "Why don't you continue? Listen, does this piece sound familiar to you?"
Zhao Chunfang couldn't recall the tune of the piece, but she still managed a smile. "It seems somewhat familiar, but... Your Majesty, I can't play the piano."
Liu Che said nothing, pursing his lips and staring at her hands. He almost wanted to put her hands on the strings and pluck them for her, or he wanted to curse, but he felt powerless. She couldn't remember. He did everything he could think of, but she just couldn't remember. What could he do?
He suppressed his anger, stood up, opened the window and looked out.
The intermittent sound of the piano drifted from afar, making him stop.
Zhao Chunfang asked, "Isn't this the music your Majesty just played? Who is playing the piano there?"
There is a lake in front of Tsukuba Tower and a dense forest on the other side of the lake. One can only hear the sound of the piano but cannot see the person.
"Sir, can this really attract His Highness?"
Qingping always felt something was strange, but this man was so sincere that he spent a lot of time teaching her to play the piano. He also personally prepared clothes and jewelry for her, and even designed her makeup.
Zhang Yannian assured her, "His Highness loves zither music and often rests in the woods in the afternoons. Your music will surely reach his ears."
Qingping was wearing an old-style palace dress today. Her eyebrows were painted black and long, and she had three or four gold hairpins, two jade combs, and a large gold necklace on her head.
Zhang Yannian said that the prince would come here at this time, and she played the piano while looking forward to it.
However, a small boat drifted across the lake in the distance. She thought it was the prince, so she paid no attention, lowering her head and pretending to be immersed in the music. After the storm, the waters were calm, gurgling, and the grass was lush. From the music, she could almost hear the sound of horses galloping across the grasslands, their red manes tossing, their light steps.
The emperor's face suddenly appeared in her sight. He was standing at the bow, his eyes burning.
The familiar tune echoed throughout the dense forest, getting closer and closer...
He saw Gillian wearing the red dress, playing the piano with her head down.
As the boat approached the shore, the blurry figure became clearer and clearer. Zhao Chunfang followed closely behind him. When he saw that the person playing the piano was Qingping, he was shocked and angry.
"He Qingping! How dare you disturb His Majesty's peace here!"
The music stopped abruptly, and Liu Che woke up from the music. He grabbed Zhao Chunfang's raised hand, walked to Qingping in front of her surprised face, and stared at her without blinking.
Qingping could hear her heartbeats. She swallowed hard and said, "Your Majesty, I didn't know you were here. I..."
"continue."
"ah?"
"I ask you to continue playing."
She bravely finished the piece under Liu Che's gaze. Zhao Chunfang was apprehensive, terrified that Liu Che would see the copper coin imprint on her palm, while Qingping was unsure of what was going on. A moment of silence fell, and Liu Che finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "Ah Jiao?"
Qingping didn't know what he was talking about, so he didn't respond and just stood there with his head down.
"Why aren't you talking? Are you back?"
"Your Majesty, I am the Crown Prince's new bride, He Liangdi. My zither skills are poor, and I am afraid that I will pollute your Majesty's ears. I will leave now."
Qingping felt that the emperor might be mentally ill. She picked up the zither and ran away in fear.
Liu Che looked at her flustered back, glanced at the familiar clothes, her bun, her jewelry...
Everything is the same as her, except for that face...
There was a loud bang, and the zither suddenly fell to the ground, the strings broke, and the body of the zither broke in two, making a loud bang.
She began to tremble all over, her face turned purple, and she struggled by grabbing Liu Che's strong arm with both hands.
"Your Majesty, I wonder what I have done wrong?"
Liu Che looked at her coldly, his eyes gradually filled with anger, "You don't know?"
His grip tightened, tightening until Qingping almost suffocated. She couldn't understand what was going on. She had just been playing the zither, waiting for the crown prince, and now, for no apparent reason, the emperor was trying to strangle her to death.
"I...I really don't know, Your Majesty. Even if I die, I will know the truth."
"Dong Shi is trying to imitate Xi Shi, she deserves to be torn into pieces." Liu Che gritted his teeth and increased his strength.
Qingping could hardly breathe, her eyes began to turn white, and fragments flashed through her mind. She suddenly felt a splitting headache. She didn't know where she got the strength from, but she struggled frantically, kicking and biting Liu Che, and kicked him away.
She lay on the ground and tried to escape, but Liu Che chased her like a mad dog.
"She composed the second half of that piece of music. You're wearing the same clothes and jewelry as hers, playing her music, and you still dare to say you don't know!"
"I really don't know." Qingping was confused. "It was Zhang Yannian! It was Master Zhang who taught me the song, and it was also he who bought me the dress. Your Majesty, I am innocent. If you don't believe me, you can arrest Master Zhang and interrogate him. I am only here to wait for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and I never intended to offend Your Majesty."
She tried to defend herself, but Liu Che didn't seem to believe her at all. There was only anger in his eyes, only a rage of destruction. He even drew the sword at his waist, and with a flash of cold light, he rushed towards her.
At this moment, she had already thought that all this might be a setup. From the moment Zhang Yannian appeared, not only could the Crown Prince and Zhang Yannian not tolerate her, they all wanted to kill her!
She didn't even have time to feel angry. Facing the emperor's wrath, her life was in danger.
What should I do? What should I do?
"His Majesty!"
She suddenly thought of something, "I have a secret to tell Your Majesty!"
The cold blade had already landed on her throat. "Mrs. Zhao's father is the wizard Lu who is by your side! There is nothing auspicious about her. You have been deceived by them!"
Han Feng ultimately didn't advance any further, but held the sword in the emperor's hand. He stared at her, causing her to shudder. Holding back her fear, she continued, "Madam Zhao used to live in the courtyard in front of my house. She has the same last name as her mother. Wizard Lu hadn't been here for ten years, but suddenly visited her home the year before last. Not long after, we heard the news that she had become the emperor's concubine. There must be something fishy going on!"
"You're talking nonsense! He Qingping, you can't stand seeing me become rich and powerful, so you went to great lengths to enter the Queen's palace and even cling to the Crown Prince. You're clearly jealous of me! Your Majesty, don't listen to her nonsense!"
Zhao Chunfang's voice gradually weakened. She saw Liu Che walking towards her with a sullen face, the sword still in his left hand. He took one step at a time, staring at her.
She clenched her hands in her sleeves, her legs weakening. Her father had said that even if she died, she must not let the emperor know of their relationship, or else her family would be annihilated.
She thought of the way Liu Che had pinched Qingping just now, which was completely different from the gentle way he usually looked at her. He was like a wolf out of control, fangs bared, as if he was about to pounce on her...
Liu Che grabbed her hand, spread out her palm, and stared at it without blinking.
Zhao Chunfang's heart began to beat wildly. "Your Majesty, she has long harbored inappropriate thoughts about you, and she also holds a grudge against me for having tried to kill her so many times. That's why she's been spouting nonsense, trying to sow discord between you and me. Would you rather trust her than doubt me?"
Liu Che cast a cold gaze at her, "Why did you kill her? Besides the incident in the Imperial Garden, when else did you do that?"
Zhao Chunfang was stunned for a moment. "I just saw that she had evil intentions and wanted to seduce Your Majesty. I was so angry..."
"I ask you when else?"
Liu Che did not lightly expose the matter as usual, but seemed to be particularly concerned about her harming this person, which made Zhao Chunfang feel uneasy. She realized that she had said the wrong thing unintentionally, so she lowered her head and said no more.
Qingping seized this opportunity. It turned out that the emperor was unaware of this woman's numerous murders. She suggested that the rumors might not be true. The maids in the empress's palace had all told stories about how vicious Madam Zhao was, how she had poisoned the harem's concubines, yet the emperor ignored them and allowed them to go on. It turned out that he had been kept in the dark by this woman.
She supported her knees and half-crouched. "A month ago, on the Xinyou day, I was washing clothes by the river. My wife and I had no grudges and no worries. I don't know why I angered my wife, so she hired an assassin to push me into the river. Fortunately, the Queen saved me."
Xinyou Day...
A strange feeling flashed through Liu Che's mind, as if something was happening quietly. His mind was a little confused, but he couldn't piece together a complete picture for a while.
He held Zhao Chunfang's hand tightly and said to his entourage, "Come here, bring Madam Zhao and He Liangdi back to the palace."
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