Chapter 234: Lanling Tune and a Girl's Heart!

Chu Junyi sat at the end of the princes’ seats, but he had been secretly watching Baili Jinchuan.

Everyone knew Baili Jinchuan coveted Ninghua. Now that he returned with honor and was made a royal prince with double salary and the title of De, he could be said to reach the height of his life.

Most importantly, he seemed to have completely changed. From the moment he entered the main hall until now, he had behaved exceptionally coldly. Only when facing Baili Qingcang did he change his expression slightly.

This was undoubtedly a signal to the Emperor that although he had military merits, he was not greedy for rewards or proud of his contributions. He was only loyal to the Emperor, unwilling to build his own power or make friends with officials. This kind of performance justified his title of De.

In addition, his appearance had been damaged. Even if he was healed, it would affect the succession to the throne. Such a person was easier for the Emperor to use and could make the Crown Prince feel at ease.

In the past, Baili Jinchuan would never be able to behave in such a restrained manner. It seemed that he had used everything he had done in the past as steppingstones and succeeded in refining a treasured sword into a peerless divine weapon bit by bit.

Dangerous was simply not enough to describe such a person.

The daughter of the official who had spoken walked to the center of the hall. The eunuchs swiftly brought up the qin and the table and then quickly retreated.

Shen Ninghua had seen this woman several times, but they never talked. She only knew that she was the Assistant Minister of Work’s legitimate daughter. The woman looked extremely quiet. She sat behind the qin, gently drew her fingers over the strings. Although she was just testing the instrument, the tune was very pleasant to the ear.

After the test was done, she began to play. The music was soft and lively, like spring rain that moistened creatures silently. It was as if it could purify and refresh one’s mind.

Many people were still lost in the music even after the tune was finished.

Baili Qingcang nodded. “Nice play, reward her!”

The Assistant Minister of Works hurriedly stood up and bowed, and his face was full of joy. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.”

Baili Anning was also stunned. She came back to her senses and felt extremely relaxed. She was very surprised and asked, “Ninghua, did you feel it? That tune is extremely moving.”

After she finished speaking, she discovered that Shen Ninghua’s expression remained clear and unaffected.

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “That tune is really good.” However, it was only good. Many people present weren’t affected.

The Crown Prince Baili Jinyi said, “Second Younger Brother, it seems that you are not satisfied with the tune. You are the center of attention today. What kind of tune do you want to hear? We’ll see if any of the young ladies present can play it.”

Baili Qingcang nodded. “That’s right. Jinchuan, what do you want to hear?”

The smile on Baili Jinyi’s face subsided. He had wanted to hint that Baili Jinchuan’s merits were too high, but Father Emperor didn’t seem to care at all.

Baili Jinchuan raised his eyes and looked at Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat as she faced Baili Jinchuan’s cold gaze. Her gaze was as calm as a pool of clear water without any ripple. But their gazes halted only for a second and she immediately lowered her eyes. Although she knew in her heart that the enmity between her and Baili Jinchuan could not be resolved, it was better not to have a direct conflict. After all, she was not alone now.

However, while she was unwilling to have a conflict, Baili Jinchuan was unwilling to let her off easily. Especially when she avoided his gaze, the anger in his heart suddenly rose.

She rejected him, married someone else, and was willing to bear children for that man, but she didn’t even want to look at him. Shen Ninghua, you really were ruthless!

The muscles and veins of his wrist started to ache again. He took a sip of the liquor and suppressed the pain on his wrist. He looked at Shen Ninghua and said, “Speaking of which, I have known younger sister Ninghua for so long but I haven’t heard her play the qin. How about playing a tune as a welcome gift for me, Ninghua?”

Zhao Huiying’s eyes moved slightly as a faint smile flowed out. She knew that there would be a good show when Baili Jinchuan returned. It was indeed true.

Baili Qingcang did not notice the turbulent waves on the scene. He only smiled and said, “Jinchuan, Ninghua is expecting now. Don’t bother her.”

Baili Jinchuan paused for a moment, as if he had just heard the news. “Sorry, I was so rude. I didn’t have time to prepare a gift for my little nephew. I will definitely make it up later.”

“Haha, good. Speaking of which, I didn’t prepare any gift for my little grandson. I should also make up for it.”

Little grandson? Shen Ninghua’s identity was the Emperor’s foster daughter. Her baby had not yet been born but the Emperor was beginning to reward it and the Emperor was even certain that it would be a boy. Who knew what kind of favor she would enjoy after the baby was born!

The officials had many thoughts in their hearts, but one thing was certain. They had to properly handle the relationship with Princess Zhaohua. When the baby was born, if it was a girl, it would be titled a princess, and if it was a boy, it would at least be titled a royal prince. Even if the Crown Prince or other princes ascended to the throne, as long as the Emperor conferred a title to the baby, nobody dared to hurt it.

Moreover, neither Princess Zhaohua nor Chu Junyi was stupid, so it wasn’t a problem at all for them to keep the title.

Baili Jinchuan looked at Shen Ninghua with a deep gaze. His gaze swept across her body with a trace of coldness. “It’s a pity that I can’t hear younger sister Zhaohua’s performance this time. I hope that I will have a chance next time.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes were calm. “There are plenty of opportunities. Speaking of which, I’m not good at qin, but my elder cousin is very proficient in it. Father Emperor, how about letting her play a tune instead of me?”

“Your elder cousin?”

Yang Yingxue clenched her fists tightly and forced herself to calm down. She stood up and walked out of the crowd in front of everyone.

“Yang Yingxue greets Your Majesties.”

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Baili Qingcang’s gaze moved. “Oh, you are Yang Yingxue. I remember you. Since Ninghua has recommended you, you can play for us.”

Zhao Huiying frowned. This woman should be the daughter of Shen Ninghua’s aunt. Her eyes and brows were very similar to Xia Jingyan’s.

Yang Yingxue noticed Baili Jinchuan’s nonchalant expression and felt a burst of sullen pain in her heart. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The qin was not moved down. She stood up and walked to the qin, her fingertips trembling with nervousness.

This was a good opportunity for her to show off, and also a great opportunity to get close to Baili Jinchuan. If she missed it, she didn’t know if she could have a second chance, so no matter what, she couldn’t make a mistake.

However, the more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt. She only felt that the strings weighed almost half a ton, making it extremely difficult for her to pluck them.

Shen Ninghua looked up and said, “Cousin, I remember you once played a Lanling tune. How about playing it this time?”

Yang Yingxue looked at Shen Ninghua with tears in her eyes. She bit the tip of her tongue and nodded fiercely.

Her slender fingers brushed across the strings, and a slightly ear-piercing sound splashed out like a silver screen exploding in all directions.

Everyone present was shocked, and they unconsciously straightened their backs and frowned.

As the tune rang, Yang Yingxue felt as if she had found an outlet to vent her frustration and her emotions rushed towards the qin.

Intense qin notes followed one after another, outlining the scene of banners and horses on the battlefield. Immediately after, two armies were at war, and there were the sounds of fighting, horns, blood, and cries in sorrow.

Yang Yingxue was already absorbed in the qin tune. Tears flew down her cheeks.

From the beginning, her mother had been in favor of her marrying the Second Prince, and she had been working to make it happen, slowly losing her heart.

However, the Second Prince had an accident, had his title removed and his appearance destroyed, and lost his candidacy for the throne. Her mother told her not to think about entering the Second Prince Mansion, but her lost heart could never be retrieved.

She was willing if her heart could be exchanged for some love, even under the pressure from the clan. However, no matter how genuine her love was, the Second Prince ignored it. She was like dust on the ground looking up at the lofty man. She worshipped him day and night and held him in her palm, only hoping for a good end, but he did not even look at her…

How could she be willing to accept such a result!

The qin tune gradually changed from excitement to sadness. People began to visualize the scene of the battlefield filled with burned corpses after the war.

Since ancient times, soldiers had risked their lives on the battlefield. Would they know that their wives and children were looking forward to their return…

Many people couldn’t help but have tears in their eyes. Their hearts were sour and uncomfortable. Especially the generals who had been on the battlefield, they gulped down the liquor and felt high spirited.

Just as everyone’s hearts ached, the qin sound suddenly stopped. Immediately after, they heard a snap, and two qin strings suddenly broke.

Yang Yingxue was stunned for a long while. She felt the pain in her fingers and finally restored her senses. She lowered her head and looked at the bleeding fingers. Tears rolled down her eyes and dropped onto the qin.

Baili Qingcang gritted his teeth tightly to control himself from losing his composure.

Zhao Huiying’s face was deathly pale, and she could barely control her twisted emotions.

Eighteen years ago, there was also such a beautiful woman sitting in the hall and playing a Lanling tune with tears all over her face. After that, she left the Palace without hesitation and married an obscure man named Shen Dong.

The woman also had a sad expression, mourning her misplaced love and her unfortunate fate. Three days later, the Xia Clan was exterminated.

That woman was Xia Jingyan!

A watery light appeared in Shen Ninghua’s eyes, and she closed her eyes to suppress her emotions.

Immediately after, a series of cheers rang out in the hall. “Good!”

“Well played!”

“Unparalleled in the world.”

Baili Qingcang looked at Yang Yingxue with a clear gaze. After a while, he said gently, “Yang Yingxue, your qin skills are indeed outstanding. Do you have anything you want? I will reward you.”

Yang Yingxue suddenly trembled. She raised her head to look at Baili Qingcang, who was on the throne. A light flashed in her eyes. “Your Majesty, I have nothing else to ask for. I only hope for a marriage.”

“Marriage?”

Yang Yingxue’s palms were sweating, and tears appeared in her eyes once again. “I want to enter the Second Prince Mansion to serve His Highness.”

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