Qin Yiheng didn’t say what it was about, just told me to wait.

A maid came and dressed me up. Looking at myself in the bronze mirror, cool and aloof yet with a unique charm, I felt a strange unfamiliarity.

Someone led me to a sedan chair, but I didn’t see Qin Yiheng, hidden in the night.

He gazed deeply in my direction, his lips tightly pressed, the light in his eyes dimming little by little.

The sedan chair swayed and rocked, and I felt a little uneasy.

I didn’t know what Qin Yiheng could possibly need me for, but I was willing to face this unknown for him.

After an unknown amount of time, the sedan chair stopped, and I saw an elegant small courtyard.

Everyone respectfully withdrew. I walked through the door and saw a man of peerless elegance.

He was dressed in white, and for a moment, I thought I was seeing an immortal.

The man didn’t look up. Instead, he casually flipped through the book in his hands. “You can play the guqin, can’t you?”

I gave a soft affirmation. The hand flipping the book paused, then he looked up at me, smiling meaningfully. He pointed to the guqin behind the screen nearby. “Go on. Any tune will do. Don’t stop until I tell you to.”

All this trouble, just for me to play the guqin?

I shot him a puzzled glance, suppressed the questions in my heart, and went behind the screen.

The guqin was an ancient one, rarely seen in the world. In fact, this elegant residence looked simple, but every detail was incredibly expensive.

Suppressing all my doubts, I began to play the guqin. But my mind was in turmoil, and most of what I played was out of tune.

I played for the entire night. By the time he told me to stop, my hands were almost stiff.

The man came before me, looking at me with great interest, and remarked with great emotion.

“Qin Yiheng is quite trustworthy. I asked for a Lan family girl, and he really sent one. It’s just not Lan Nianhua. After all, she has the Phoenix Fate; he still can’t bear to part with her.”

Hearing this, my mind reeled as if struck by lightning.

I couldn’t even process the meaning of his words. All I knew was that Qin Yiheng had given me to this man.

My face instantly drained of color, and my limbs began to feel weak.

I couldn’t help but stumble a few steps, tripped over a stool, and a piercing pain shot through my foot.

The man gave me a pitying glance, then turned and left. “Never mind. You can go back. Tell Qin Yiheng I’ve agreed to help him.”

A maid came in to help me change my clothes, then escorted me out.

As I sat in the small sedan chair, my mind was a blur, his words kept replaying in my mind.

Suddenly understanding something, I grabbed the maid’s hand and asked her, trembling, “What’s the relationship between the Little Prince and Lan Nianhua?”

The maid gave me a strange look but still replied, “The Little Prince is engaged to the Lan family’s legitimate daughter. The wedding is in three days.”

In that instant, I felt as if a sharp sword had pierced my chest. A dense, throbbing pain surged through me, almost making it impossible to breathe.

Qin Yiheng and Lan Nianhua were engaged… So many things suddenly made sense.

Rumor had it that Lan Nianhua had the Phoenix Fate, destined to marry an emperor. Qin Yiheng’s ambition, hidden deep within his heart, was now laid bare.

Yes, compared to his ambition, what was I?

It took all my strength to hold back so I wouldn’t break down. I sat back in the sedan chair, feeling only an empty, icy void in my heart.

I wanted to hear Qin Yiheng’s explanation directly from him.

Qin Yiheng didn’t say what it was about, just told me to wait.

A maid came and dressed me up. Looking at myself in the bronze mirror, cool and aloof yet with a unique charm, I felt a strange unfamiliarity.

Someone led me to a sedan chair, but I didn’t see Qin Yiheng, hidden in the night.

He gazed deeply in my direction, his lips tightly pressed, the light in his eyes dimming little by little.

The sedan chair swayed and rocked, and I felt a little uneasy.

I didn’t know what Qin Yiheng could possibly need me for, but I was willing to face this unknown for him.

After an unknown amount of time, the sedan chair stopped, and I saw an elegant small courtyard.

Everyone respectfully withdrew. I walked through the door and saw a man of peerless elegance.

He was dressed in white, and for a moment, I thought I was seeing an immortal.

The man didn’t look up. Instead, he casually flipped through the book in his hands. “You can play the guqin, can’t you?”

I gave a soft affirmation. The hand flipping the book paused, then he looked up at me, smiling meaningfully. He pointed to the guqin behind the screen nearby. “Go on. Any tune will do. Don’t stop until I tell you to.”

All this trouble, just for me to play the guqin?

I shot him a puzzled glance, suppressed the questions in my heart, and went behind the screen.

The guqin was an ancient one, rarely seen in the world. In fact, this elegant residence looked simple, but every detail was incredibly expensive.

Suppressing all my doubts, I began to play the guqin. But my mind was in turmoil, and most of what I played was out of tune.

I played for the entire night. By the time he told me to stop, my hands were almost stiff.

The man came before me, looking at me with great interest, and remarked with great emotion.

“Qin Yiheng is quite trustworthy. I asked for a Lan family girl, and he really sent one. It’s just not Lan Nianhua. After all, she has the Phoenix Fate; he still can’t bear to part with her.”

Hearing this, my mind reeled as if struck by lightning.

I couldn’t even process the meaning of his words. All I knew was that Qin Yiheng had given me to this man.

My face instantly drained of color, and my limbs began to feel weak.

I couldn’t help but stumble a few steps, tripped over a stool, and a piercing pain shot through my foot.

The man gave me a pitying glance, then turned and left. “Never mind. You can go back. Tell Qin Yiheng I’ve agreed to help him.”

A maid came in to help me change my clothes, then escorted me out.

As I sat in the small sedan chair, my mind was a blur, his words kept replaying in my mind.

Suddenly understanding something, I grabbed the maid’s hand and asked her, trembling, “What’s the relationship between the Little Prince and Lan Nianhua?”

The maid gave me a strange look but still replied, “The Little Prince is engaged to the Lan family’s legitimate daughter. The wedding is in three days.”

In that instant, I felt as if a sharp sword had pierced my chest. A dense, throbbing pain surged through me, almost making it impossible to breathe.

Qin Yiheng and Lan Nianhua were engaged… So many things suddenly made sense.

Rumor had it that Lan Nianhua had the Phoenix Fate, destined to marry an emperor. Qin Yiheng’s ambition, hidden deep within his heart, was now laid bare.

Yes, compared to his ambition, what was I?

It took all my strength to hold back so I wouldn’t break down. I sat back in the sedan chair, feeling only an empty, icy void in my heart.

I wanted to hear Qin Yiheng’s explanation directly from him.

Qin Yiheng didn’t say what it was; he just told me to wait.

A maid came to dress me up. Looking at my reflection in the bronze mirror—cold and aloof, yet possessed of a unique charm—I felt like a stranger to myself.

Someone led me to a sedan chair. I didn’t see Qin Yiheng, who was hidden in the darkness of the night.

He watched intently in my direction, his lips pressed thin, the light in his eyes fading bit by bit.

The journey was a series of ups and downs, leaving me feeling apprehensive.

I didn’t know what Qin Yiheng could possibly need me to do. But for him, I was willing to face this unknown.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the sedan chair stopped. I saw an elegant little courtyard.

Everyone withdrew respectfully. I stepped through the door and saw a man of peerless elegance.

He was dressed entirely in white. For a moment, I dazed, thinking I was looking at an immortal.

The man didn’t look up. Instead, he casually flipped through the book in his hand. “Can you play the zither?”

I gave a word of affirmation. The hand he used to turn the pages paused, and then he looked up at me. He followed this with a meaningful smile and pointed to a zither placed behind a nearby screen. “Go on. Any piece will do. You are not allowed to stop until I say so.”

All this trouble just to have me play the zither?

I glanced at him doubtfully, suppressed the questions in my heart, and went behind the screen.

The instrument was a guqin, a rare specimen. In fact, while this elegant residence looked simple, every corner of it was clearly built at an exorbitant cost.

Pushing aside my confusion, I began to play. However, my mind was in turmoil, and most of the notes I struck failed to form a coherent melody.

I played like this for the entire night. By the time he told me to stop, my hands were nearly frozen stiff.

The man came before me, looking at me with great interest and a sense of lament.

“Qin Yiheng is a man of his word. I asked for a daughter of the Lan family, and he truly delivered one. It’s just that it isn’t Lan Nianhua. After all, she has the ‘Phoenix Fate’; he still can’t bear to part with her.”

Hearing these words, my mind felt as if it had exploded.

I could no longer process the meaning behind his words; I only knew that Qin Yiheng had given me away to this man.

The color drained from my face instantly, and my limbs began to lose their strength.

I couldn’t help but stagger back a few steps, tripping over a stool. A piercing pain shot up from my foot.

The man gave me a look of pity and turned to leave. “Forget it. You may go back. Tell Qin Yiheng that I agree to help him.”

A maid came in to help me change my clothes and then saw me off.

As I sat in the small sedan chair, I was in a daze, his words repeating endlessly in my head.

Suddenly realizing something, I grabbed the maid’s hand and asked with a tremble, “What is the relationship between the Young Prince and Lan Nianhua?”

The maid gave me a strange look but answered anyway, “The Young Prince is engaged to the legitimate daughter of the Lan family. The wedding is in three days.”

In that instant, I felt as if a sharp sword had pierced through my chest. A dense, throbbing pain surged up, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Qin Yiheng and Lan Nianhua were engaged… so many things finally made sense.

Rumor had it that Lan Nianhua possessed the Phoenix Fate, destined to marry an emperor. The ambition hidden deep within Qin Yiheng’s heart was now laid bare for all to see.

Indeed, compared to his ambition, what was I?

It took every ounce of my strength to endure it and keep from breaking down. I sat back in the sedan chair, feeling only a hollow emptiness and a biting cold in my heart.

I wanted to hear the explanation from Qin Yiheng’s own lips.

Qin Yiheng didn’t say what the task was, only telling me to wait.

A maid came to dress me up. Looking at my cold, yet uniquely alluring reflection in the bronze mirror, I felt like a stranger to myself.

Someone led me to a sedan chair, but I didn’t see Qin Yiheng, who was hidden in the shadows of the night.

He watched the direction I was headed with a deep gaze, his lips pressed tightly together, the light in his eyes dimming bit by bit.

The journey was bumpy, and I felt a sense of unease.

What could Qin Yiheng possibly need me to do? I didn’t know. But I was willing to face this unknown for his sake.

I don’t know how much time passed before the sedan chair stopped. I saw an elegant little courtyard.

Everyone else retreated respectfully. I walked through the door and saw a man of peerless grace.

He was dressed in white, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I was looking at an immortal.

The man didn’t look up, instead flipping through a book with an air of indifference. “You can play the zither, right?”

I gave a soft affirmation. His hand paused, then he looked up at me. He smiled meaningfully and pointed to a zither placed behind a screen nearby. “Go on. Any piece will do. You are not to stop until I say so.”

Was all this effort just to have me play the zither?

I glanced at him in confusion, suppressed my doubts, and went behind the screen.

The instrument was an ancient zither, a rare treasure. In fact, while this elegant residence looked simple, every detail was incredibly costly.

Pushing aside my confusion, I began to play, but my mind was in such turmoil that most of the notes were discordant.

I played through the entire night. By the time he told me to stop, my hands were nearly stiff.

The man walked over to me, looking at me with great interest and a sense of profound sentiment.

“Qin Yiheng is a man of his word. I asked for a daughter of the Lan family, and he truly sent one. Though, not Lan Nianhua—after all, she is destined for the throne, and he still can’t bear to part with her.”

Hearing this, my mind felt as if it had exploded.

I couldn’t even process the meaning of his words; I only knew that Qin Yiheng had given me to this man.

The blood drained from my face, and my limbs went weak.

I stumbled back, tripping over a stool, and a sharp, piercing pain shot through my foot.

The man looked at me with pity and turned to leave. “Forget it. You may go. Tell Qin Yiheng that I have agreed to help him.”

A maid came in to help me change my clothes and then escorted me away.

As I sat in the small sedan chair, I was dazed, his words repeating over and over in my mind.

Suddenly, I understood. I grabbed the maid’s hand and asked, trembling, “What is the relationship between the Young Prince and Lan Nianhua?”

The maid gave me a strange look but replied, “The Young Prince is betrothed to the Lan family’s legitimate daughter. The wedding is in three days.”

In that instant, I felt as if a sharp blade had pierced my chest. A dense, suffocating pain washed over me, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Qin Yiheng was betrothed to Lan Nianhua… so many things suddenly made sense.

Rumor had it that Lan Nianhua was destined for the throne, fated to marry an emperor. The ambition hidden deep within Qin Yiheng’s heart was now laid bare.

Yes, compared to his ambition, what was I?

I used every ounce of my strength to hold back, refusing to break down. I sat back in the sedan chair, feeling only an empty, icy coldness in my heart.

I wanted to hear the explanation from Qin Yiheng’s own lips.