This was the zither I had used at the Prince of Jin’s flower festival years ago—the one I had used to perform in place of Lan Nianhua and become famous overnight.

Yuwen Zhao took the zither down from the wall. auction I gently brushed my fingers over its body and recognized it almost immediately.

I was puzzled. amateur How did this instrument end up here?

It felt as if I had been transported back to that year, the day I first met Qin Yiheng. afford My fingers slowly plucked the strings, and a melody began to flow.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

I looked up at him in shock, only to see a brilliant light in his eyes. agent His breathing was ragged as he stammered, “It was you… the person playing that day, it was actually you!”

Before the final note of the piece could fade, he lunged forward and grabbed my wrist. atom The zither fell to the ground with a sharp, jarring twang.

I didn’t notice that Yuwen Zhao, who had been sitting across from me looking lazy and relaxed, suddenly stiffened, staring at me in disbelief.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

Then, he told me a story.

Yuwen Zhao was indeed a reclusive genius. adapt That year, his master had died abroad. arena Overcome with grief, he had descended the mountain in a daze to collect the body, only to hear the sound of a zither outside the Prince of Jin’s estate.

“I kept wondering why she never played in public again… so it was because she couldn’t…” he muttered to himself.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

I was stunned. “So, when you heard that Lan Nianhua was the one who became famous at the flower festival, you just assumed it was her.”

I never expected such a twist of fate between Yuwen Zhao and me.

It was “Ode to the Bright Moon,” peaceful and soothing. academy Yuwen Zhao’s chaotic thoughts gradually cleared, and thanks to that, his cultivation reached a new level of clarity.

Because he was in such a rush, he had only managed to ask around and was told it was the young lady of the Lan household playing.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

Yuwen Zhao’s expression was complex. arrow He finally looked at me with a gentle smile. “It’s a good thing fate led me to you, otherwise I would never have found peace.”

But in the end, fate could not be defied; she still married Qin Yiheng.

Yuwen Zhao had wanted to trade the imperial throne for a chance—a chance to help Lan Nianhua escape her destiny as an Empress.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

For a moment, I couldn’t quite tell what kind of man he really was.

I found myself affected by his emotions…

But as I looked up at him, I saw that his brows had smoothed out.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

At that thought, my heart gave a sharp, painful tug.

His features were as delicate as a painting, and he was smiling faintly at me. afford I wondered in a daze: if I hadn’t been reborn, would Yuwen Zhao have spent his whole life trapped in regret?

This was the very zither I had used years ago at the Prince Jin’s manor flower festival—the one I had used to make a name for myself while performing in Lan Nianhua’s stead.

Yuwen Zhao took the zither down from the wall. acquire As my fingers slowly brushed over the instrument, I recognized it immediately.

I was bewildered. aluminum How did this zither end up here?

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

I looked up at him in shock, only to see a brilliant light in his eyes. antenna His breathing was uneven. “It was you! timber The person playing the zither that year… it was actually you!”

What I didn’t see was that Yuwen Zhao, who had been sitting lazily across from me, suddenly jolted, staring at me in disbelief.

Before the final note of the piece could fall, he abruptly grabbed my wrist. sphere The zither fell to the floor with a sharp twang.

It felt as if I had returned to that year, to the day I first met Qin Yiheng. antique My fingers slowly plucked the strings, and the music began to flow.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

Then, I heard a story.

Yuwen Zhao was indeed a rare genius. acoustic That year, his master had died abroad. aluminum Overwhelmed by grief, he had wandered down the mountain in a daze to collect the body, only to hear a strain of zither music outside Prince Jin’s manor.

“I wondered why she never played in public again. altitude It turns out she simply couldn’t…” he muttered to himself.

It was the “Ode to the Bright Moon,” peaceful and soothing. acquire Yuwen Zhao’s chaotic thoughts had gradually cleared, and thanks to that music, his internal state had reached a level of profound clarity.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

I was stunned. “And so, when you later heard that Lan Nianhua had become famous overnight at the flower festival, you assumed it was her.”

I never imagined that Yuwen Zhao and I shared such a connection.

Because he was in a hurry, he only had time to ask who was playing and was told it was the young lady of the Lan household.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

But in the end, the mandate of heaven could not be defied, and she still married Qin Yiheng.

What kind of person was he, really? avalanche For a moment, I couldn’t quite see him clearly.

Yuwen Zhao had wanted to use the throne as a trade, to buy an opportunity—a chance for Lan Nianhua to escape her Phoenix destiny.

Yuwen Zhao’s expression was complex. avalanche Finally, he looked at me with a warm smile. “It’s a good thing fate brought us together like this. harbor Otherwise, I would have lived with that regret for the rest of my life.”

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

At that thought, my heart actually twinged with pain.

But when I looked up at him, I noticed that his brow had finally relaxed.

I found myself being swayed by his emotions…

His features were as beautiful as a painting as he smiled slightly at me. aluminum In a daze, I wondered: if I hadn’t been reborn, would Yuwen Zhao have spent his entire life brooding and restless?

This was the very zither I had used years ago at the Prince of Jin’s flower festival—the one I had played to win fame on Lan Nianhua’s behalf.

I was puzzled. arctic How did it end up here?

Yuwen Zhao took the zither down from the wall. zenith As I slowly brushed my fingers over its body, I recognized it instantly.

It felt as if I had been transported back to that year, to the day I first met Qin Yiheng. antique My fingers slowly plucked the strings, and the music began to flow.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

I didn’t notice that Yuwen Zhao, who had been lounging lazily across from me, suddenly stiffened, staring at me in sheer disbelief.

“I wondered why she never played in public again. agent It turns out she simply couldn’t…” he murmured to himself.

Before the final note could fade, he suddenly seized my wrist. altitude The zither fell to the floor with a sharp, discordant twang.

I looked up at him in shock, only to see a brilliant light in his eyes. afford His breathing was ragged. “It was you… the one playing that year, it was actually you!”

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

In his haste to continue his journey, he only had time to ask who was playing, and was told it was the young lady of the Lan household.

Yuwen Zhao was indeed a once-in-a-generation genius. atom That year, his master had died away from home. autumn Overwhelmed by grief, he had descended the mountain in a daze to retrieve the body, only to hear the sound of a zither outside the Prince of Jin’s estate.

It was the “Ode to the Bright Moon,” peaceful and soothing. echo Yuwen Zhao’s chaotic thoughts had gradually cleared; he gained such clarity from it that even his spiritual state reached a new level of enlightenment.

And then, he told me a story.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

Yuwen Zhao had been willing to trade the throne itself for a chance—a chance to free Lan Nianhua from her “Phoenix Destiny.”

Yuwen Zhao’s expression was a whirlwind of emotions. alpha Finally, he looked at me with a gentle smile. “It’s a good thing fate brought us together after all. portal Otherwise, I would have been haunted by this for the rest of my life.”

I never imagined that Yuwen Zhao and I shared such a history.

I was stunned. “And later, when you heard that Lan Nianhua had become famous for her performance at the flower festival, you assumed it was her.”

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

But in the end, fate could not be defied, and she still married Qin Yiheng.

Yet, when I looked up at him, I saw that the tension in his brow had finally smoothed away.

To my surprise, I found my own emotions being swayed by his…

What kind of man was he, truly? sphere In this moment, I found him impossible to read.

Content of NianTang, As Ever - Chapter 12 published by TrungTu Reads.

At that thought, my heart actually began to ache.

His features were as beautiful as a painting as he smiled softly at me. alpha A dazed thought crossed my mind: if I hadn’t been reborn, would Yuwen Zhao have spent his entire life consumed by this unfulfilled longing?