“Zhong Li, what do you mean?” Shen Nong was choked and naturally felt her dignity completely lost, her voice filled with anger as she questioned.
Zhong Li’s expression was cold and detached, as if she were an outsider. “Your Highness should understand. I have no intention of marrying the Heir.”
“Hmph!” Shen Nong stood up, looking at Zhong Li in disbelief.
Zhong Li bowed to Shen Nong and said, “Your Highness, I acknowledge everything you asked before, regarding my relationship with the Heir and my promises to him. However, from beginning to end, I never accepted the Heir’s proposal. Am I correct, Heir?”
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie opened his eyes and looked at the woman not far away. Though separated only by Shen Ying, he felt as though they were worlds apart, as vast as the sea. He could not reach her, nor could he feel her warmth.
“Yes!” he answered crisply and decisively.
At this moment, Lu Fengyang, who was seated, stood up. He understood the implications of Lu Wuxie’s answer. The Prince Xian’s mansion was not worthy of proposing to a female coroner, which was a complete loss of face.
Zhong Li curved her lips into a smile, pushed aside her sleeve, and revealed a jade bracelet.
Lu Wuxie’s pupils contracted; he already knew what she was about to do.
“Miss Shen!” Zhong Li took off the bracelet, took Shen Ying’s hand, and placed it in her palm, saying, “I had forgotten to return this to the Heir before. I give it to you now, as a blessing.”
With that, she bowed to Shen Nong and Lu Jing’an, then rose and returned to her seat.
Lu Jing’an seemed to have anticipated this outcome. He raised an eyebrow and lowered his gaze, remaining silent. Shen Nong, however, was so furious she almost gnashed her teeth.
However, she quickly regained her composure. Separating Zhong Li from Lu Wuxie was her wish all along, and this conveniently saved her the trouble of finding other ways.
“Since that is the case, then I must have been overthinking things.” Shen Nong gave herself an out. Her gaze then fell upon Shen Ying, and she said, “Today’s date is auspicious, and the moonlight is abundant. Prince Xian, I wish to arrange a marriage for the Prince Xian’s mansion. Do you consent?”
Lu Fengyang actually held no animosity towards Zhong Li. On the contrary, he rather admired her, as it was rare for a woman in Nan Yue to be so understanding, righteous, and aware of the common people’s suffering. However, after today’s events, he harbored some reservations about her.
“Replying to Her Majesty the Empress, Your Highness…”
“I do not consent.” Lu Wuxie interjected, finishing Lu Fengyang’s sentence.
The banquet erupted into chaos once more.
Lu Fengyang’s face darkened, his hands trembling with anger. He pointed at Lu Wuxie, about to speak, when Lu Wuxie continued, “My heart belongs to only one person. Whether that person accepts or not, I will not change my mind. If that person truly does not wish it, as she claims, then I would rather remain unmarried for life than find someone I am not fond of.”
Having said that, Lu Wuxie stood up and, with a flick of his sleeve, left the banquet.
Seeing this, Lu Fengyang made to rush forward and stop him but was pulled back by another hand.
“Imperial Uncle.”
Lu Fengyang turned his head. Lu Yuanfeng was sitting beside him, looking at him intently.
Lu Fengyang came back to his senses, his gaze fixed on Shen Nong. He cupped his hands and said, “As the ancients say, it is by the command of parents and the words of a matchmaker. I thank Your Majesty the Empress for bestowing this marriage.”
Shen Nong’s eyes snapped back to Lu Fengyang, a faint smile playing on her lips. Lu Fengyang had accepted the marriage.
The farce was overshadowed by another performance of song and dance.
In the time it took to steep a cup of tea, everyone seemed to have forgotten what had happened. Ministers and ladies of the court chatted and laughed heartily.
Lan Heng glanced at Zhong Li, wanting to comfort her with a few words. However, seeing her composed expression, he feared his words might upset her and swallowed them.
After the dancers finished, the program proceeded to an ancient music performance.
Zhong Li sipped her clear wine, watching the many court musicians busily working before her. As several musicians carrying bronze “bells” half the size of a person passed by her,
Zhong Li’s expression stiffened, and she quickly retrieved a small pouch she had tucked into her robes.
“Li’er, what’s wrong?” Lan Heng noticed her serious expression and asked with concern.
“Are those Bianzhong?” Zhong Li pointed at the palace attendants beginning to play music in the distance.
“Yes.” Lan Heng nodded.
“Then what is this?” Zhong Li lowered her gaze to the small bells she had taken out of the pouch and arranged neatly before her.
“This…” Lan Heng followed her gaze downward and said, “Where did this come from?”
Zhong Li knew that Lan Heng had only been involved in a part of the Divine Maiden case, and his understanding of the details was limited to his area of responsibility. She explained, “These are worn by the Divine Maidens of the Divine Maiden Cult. I heard the sound of these before and was even bewitched by it. After the Divine Maiden Cult case concluded, I found these items very peculiar and took them back.”
“This is Qingzhong,” Lan Heng explained.
“What? Qingzhong? I’ve never heard of it!” Zhong Li asked. In her knowledge, a qing was a percussion instrument. As for qingzhong, she truly didn’t know.
“It operates on principles similar to Bianzhong, but this item, due to its complexity and the difficulty in remembering the sequence when struck, has been discarded by Nan Yue,” Lan Heng said.
“Then why would this item appear among the Divine Maiden Cult?” Zhong Li asked.
Lan Heng shook his head. “I don’t know. I only know that this Qingzhong was invented by Bian Yuncheng.”
“Bian Yuncheng? That name sounds familiar.”
Lan Heng chuckled and said, “Li’er, you’ve solved so many cases, perhaps your memory is failing? Do you recall the Joyful Tower case that the Heir was involved in?”
“Right!” Zhong Li exclaimed, suddenly enlightened. “Bian Yuncheng was the original author of ‘Nan Ping Diao,’ but it was later revised, wasn’t it?” Kuaishuge
“Yes, Bian Yuncheng was very famous in Nan Yue. His achievements in opera and music theory were extremely high,” Lan Heng explained.
“Since this item was invented by Bian Yuncheng, how did it end up with the Divine Maiden Cult?” Zhong Li murmured.
Lan Heng shook his head and casually picked up a wooden chopstick, tapping it a few times on the few small bells Zhong Li held. Instantly, a clear melody rang out.
Zhong Li listened for a while and said, “The sound is clear and pleasant. It’s a real shame it was discarded.”
Lan Heng nodded. “Indeed. When Bian Yuncheng was alive, only he could master the Qingzhong. What I’m doing is merely copying the master’s work.”
“Bian Yuncheng is dead?” Zhong Li caught the emphasis in Lan Heng’s words.
Lan Heng pondered for a moment before finally shaking his head. “Rumors in the marketplace say he is no longer alive, but others say he has merely gone into seclusion. So, I cannot give you a definitive answer.”
“I see,” Zhong Li said, looking at the Qingzhong in her hand and then at the Bianzhong still playing. She fell into thought for a moment.
After the performance of the Bianzhong concluded and the instruments were carried away, Shen Tu Jue, the envoy from Ying Zhou, approached Lu Jing’an again. He spoke in a mixture of Ying Zhou and Nan Yue languages, discussing many details of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Zhong Li understood some Ying Zhou language and could comprehend most of it. It was mostly about port transactions and mutual trade.
In reality, the Emperor was aware of Ying Zhou’s intentions through the Beichuan Gang incident. However, it had not escalated to the surface, and the timing was not yet ripe. Some matters were handled superficially, while the deeper issues were kept hidden as much as possible.
Those who followed current affairs news in modern times could generally understand the stakes involved.
By the time the banquet entirely concluded, it was past the hour of You (7 PM to 9 PM).
Zhong Li was sent to her residence by Lan Heng’s carriage. Since her promotion to Shaoqing, the court had allocated her a separate courtyard. Although this courtyard was not large, in her heart, it was her small home.
She had not hired any servants. Aside from the wet nurse who took care of Zhong Wuyou, who had a key, the courtyard was locked most of the time.
Zhong Li took out her key, preparing to open the door. Suddenly, the lock in her hand detached and fell into her palm. Before she could raise her guard, a hand covered her mouth.
“Li’er, it’s me!”
A familiar voice whispered in her ear.