A palace servant whispered into the Crown Prince’s ear, delivering a message. The Crown Prince’s expression changed. The already worried Eldest Mistress saw the Crown Prince’s eyes show anxiety and anger. Seeing that none of the three daughters came out of the palace room, she became nervous yet as she was born and raised in a noble family, she did her best to maintain a calm exterior. Her hands clenched into fists under the table.
The Crown Prince forced a smile, “Fourth Brother, you all should go and enjoy. Elder Brother will go and see why Lei’er and the others are taking so long.”
Just as the Crown Prince stood up, he saw Qing Lei, Qing Fei, and Qing Luo walk in. There were still tear stains on her face. Her left hand was hidden inside her long sleeve. The Crown Prince raised her hand lightly and seeing it was wrapped in a white cloth with faint blood stains, he asked, “What happened?”
With a flustered and pained smile, Qing Lei replied, “Your Highness, Lei’er accidentally broke a vase when she was changing clothes and carelessly hurt her hand.”
The Crown Prince couldn’t help but scold, “Why so careless? Does it hurt?”
Qing Lei squeezed out a smile and softly said, “It doesn’t hurt, but I can’t play the zither and His Fourth Highness will return home in disappointment.” When she finished saying this, she lowered her head pitifully.
Wang Yan Hui said lightly, “Elder Sister has already forgotten the melody of <Autumn Water>. At long last, for the Fourth Brother’s sake, I thought I could hear it again. How unfortunate.”
Qing Lei lowered her head and confessed, “Disappointing Elder Sister, Qing Lei is at fault.” Tears rolled down her pretty face and the Crown Prince was clearly distressed. Without regard to the rest of the people in the room, he quietly placated, “It’s alright, there will be other chances to play for Fourth Brother in the future.”
Qing Lei cried harder and suddenly said miserably, “This hand is crippled, Your Highness!”
When everyone in the hall heard this, they were shocked. The Crown Prince couldn’t believe it, “What are you talking about? Imperial physician!”
The imperial physician stepped forward trembling and knelt onto the ground, saying, “Her Highness’ wound is not deep, but her finger meridians are injured. She can move fine, but I’m afraid she won’t be flexible enough to play the zither.” After he said this, Qing Lei burst into even louder cries, “How can Qing Lei serve the Crown Prince, it would be better to let me die.”
When he heard the imperial physician say this, the Crown Prince’s expression instantly changed, “How could she be injured so badly from accidentally knocking over a vase?”
Qing Lei lowered her head and cried without saying anything. Everyone in the hall pricked up their ears and it seemed like something was being hidden.
Seeing as no one answered, the Crown Prince roared at the shaking palace servants, “How were you serving her?! Drag them out and beat them until I tell you to stop!”
The several palace servants kneeled on the ground and cried, “Have mercy Your Highness! Her Highness told us that she didn’t need us to serve her, your servants are wronged!”
Qing Lei cried and pleaded, “Your Highness, it’s because Qing Lei was chatting with her sisters and wasn’t careful, it really wasn’t their fault.”
Ah Luo watched her coldly, thinking that Qing Lei was half trying to put the blame on herself and half actually upset. The Crown Prince valued her zither skills so much. She had just wanted to hurt herself a little, yet she ended up hurting her meridians and wasting many years of zither practice.
The Crown Prince was irritated, feeling both affection and pity for Qing Lei. Thinking about how he could never listen to her playing the zither again, rage and frustration accumulated in his heart. Yet he couldn’t throw a fit during the banquet. He could only hug Qing Lei and comfort her.
Ah Luo kept waiting to see how Qing Lei would lay the blame on her. Up until now, she hadn’t made a move, which was strange. Suddenly, Qing Fei raised her voice as though she couldn’t bear it any longer, “It was because Ah Luo was naughty.”
As soon as her voice sounded, Qing Lei pulled out of the Crown Prince’s arms and glared at Qing Fei, “Hold your tongue, what nonsense are you talking about!”
Ah Luo remained silent and sneered in her heart, wanting to see just what Li Qing Lei and Li Qing Fei were going to say!
She saw Zi Li leave his seat and make his way over, “Elder Brother, today’s banquet is meant to be joyous. It was just an accident between the sisters while they were playing together, Her Highness the First Concubine loves her younger sister and couldn’t bear to blame her, so let it be.”
Ah Luo was secretly grateful. Zi Li really was good. She took this opportunity to confess, “It was Ah Luo’s fault that her sister was injured, Ah Luo really feels sorry. For my sister to not blame me is because she loves her younger sister. I’m ashamed to face my sister.” She wanted to turn this large problem into a trivial matter, letting it pass by.
Then she heard Qing Fei’s seemingly straightforward voice, “Hmph, if it weren’t for you knocking over the vase and tripping our sister on purpose, how would our sister have fallen and hurt her finger meridians! You’re just jealous of our sister! Sister is kind and still protects you.”
As soon as Qing Fei said this, the atmosphere in the hall that should have dissipated suddenly became tense. The Crown Prince glared angrily at Qing Luo. Coldly, he said to Eldest Mistress, “So the Third Miss of Minister Li’s family is so malicious!”
When Qing Lei heard how furious the Crown Prince was, she hastily grabbed the Crown Prince’s sleeve and pleaded, “Your Highness, Ah Luo is still young. Qing Lei just can’t play the zither anymore. Could it be that Your Highness only loves Qing Lei for her zither playing?” Her tears welled up again.
The Crown Prince felt grieved and consoled, “Lei’er is virtuous with good morals, so what if you can’t play the zither.” Then he became stern, “But wanting to harm her sister at such a young age is truly unforgivable!”
Wang Yan Hui followed up and said, “It is unforgivable indeed. How about crippling her fingers, so that she may never play the zither again for the rest of her life?”
The Crown Prince nodded, “The Crown Princess is right, just see how jealous she is of Lei’er! Just break her fourth right finger and discipline her well back at the Minister’s residence!”
When Ah Luo heard this, oh heavens, her face went pale with fright and she couldn’t help but send a pleading gaze towards Zi Li. A trace of alarm flashed across Zi Li’s eyes and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Yet, he didn’t speak. Ah Luo thought inwardly that Li Qing Lei was truly cruel, pretending to be pitiful, innocent and kind hearted. Then there was Li Qing Fei, playing the role of the bully to frame her for the sake of Cheng Si Yue’s future.
Ah Luo’s eyes swept across the faces of everyone in the hall and saw Liu Jue with a calm expression, also remaining silent. She thought to herself that this was good now, everything would be avenged.
At this moment, two palace maids walked into the hall, wanting to pull Ah Luo over and grab her right hand to break her finger. Zi Li raised his hand and shouted, “Wait!”
The Crown Prince looked at Zi Li, “Fourth Brother still wants to plead mercy for her!”
Zi Li sneered coldly and said, “I had just thought that the sisters had an accident when playing around, yet I didn’t expect her to be so vicious! The fine banquet set up for this Prince had been disturbed by this girl, it can’t be taken lightly! It’s nothing to just break her finger, let this Prince do it personally!”
Ah Luo was terrified at the thought of having her finger broken. She would die of pain! Hearing that Zi Li would break it personally, she stared at Zi Li in astonishment. She watched him approach step by step. Ah Luo’s heart suddenly erupted in anger. She had originally wanted to live a quiet and stable life and at the first opportunity, she would leave the Minister’s residence and find a peaceful place to live. She hadn’t thought that neither this nor that would work! Years of oppression finally accumulated to a climax. She had warned herself to be tolerant in the past, yet this was truly intolerable! She yelled, “Wait a moment!”
Everyone was shocked by her loud yell. They saw Ah Luo standing in the hall, her face filled with arrogance. The Crown Prince was stunned. Wang Yan Hui said coldly, “What more do you have to say?!”
Ah Luo glanced at Wang Yan Hui, then she turned her gaze to Zi Li and looked him in the face, asking, “Your Fourth Highness wants to do it personally, right?”
The corner of Zi Li’s mouth curled up in a smile, “Spoiling this Prince’s mood, is it wrong for this Prince to personally take it back?”
A layer of tears formed over A Luo’s eyes, “Alright, I’ll compensate you for your mood! Don’t you want to hear me play a song?”
Her eyes looked past Zi Li into the empty space behind him, “Ah Luo actually loves playing the zither the most. Since young, my zither talent was inferior to Sister, hmph, so I never touched the zither again.” Ah Luo revealed a sarcastic smile and said casually, “Seeing as I can never play the zither again, could you let Ah Luo play one last song?”
The Crown Princess smiled coldly, “If I don’t allow you to play one song, I’m afraid even if you were taken back to the Minister’s residence and disciplined, you wouldn’t submit! Someone come, bring a zither for Third Miss!”
Qing Lei trembled. Seeing as there was no objection in the hall, she wanted to open her mouth and stop them. However, she was afraid that by being too anxious, people would see through her plot. She looked nervously at Eldest Mistress.
Eldest Mistress hurriedly knelt down and sighed, “Our family had long been aware of this girl’s thoughts and she had been forbidden to play the zither again. Now Qing Lei is already like this, how could you make her sad by letting her hear the zither!”
Ah Luo didn’t wait for them to speak and said with a smile, “I’m about to have my finger broken and will never be able to play the zither again. Can’t you pity me? I’m only thirteen going on fourteen years old.”
With a steel face, the Crown Prince said, “If we don’t let you play a song on the zither, rumours will spread that my East Palace bullied a young girl!”
Ah Luo sat down gently. The zither was top-notch; there couldn’t be a zither of substandard quality in the East Palace! She tuned the zither with her fingers. She slowly looked at everyone’s faces one by one. With an iciness that pierced the bones and a smile floating on her mouth, she was like the last little flower in autumn that was about to wither. There was a loftiness in her brows, like a green pine tree standing alone at the top of a mountain.
Zi Li’s heart tightened and he wanted to take her away. Liu Jue watched Ah Luo silently. He picked up the wine and drank. He watched Ah Luo’s eyes fall onto the strings. She slowly stretched out her hands and her eyes never opened again.
After a moment, a low pitched note flew out as Ah Luo started playing the zither. From a low note to a quiet sigh, the soft vibration of the strings was barely audible. Suddenly, the zither sound became loud and the reverberations generously rang continuously. The zither melody spread across the sky and earth, floating into everyone’s hearts. Everyone was amazed! All the people present in the hall seemed to feel an endless grief and pain in their hearts. Then, it suddenly changed into a battlefield with spears and lances clashing everywhere! It rose up and sank down violently, spreading outwards then closing in, from grief to pain to indignation.
Ah Luo played <Guangling San> perfectly and expressively. Only the sound of the zither could be heard in the quiet hall, the sound of Ah Luo’s mind. This song was made famous from Ji Kang’s impending execution. Ah Luo thought to herself, could she also have Ji Kang’s calm spirit? She definitely couldn’t. However, she had something that could move people’s hearts.
She thought about how she had inexplicably arrived here, thought of her relatives from the other world and how the differences in era and spatial dimensions would make it difficult to meet. She thought of enduring humiliation for years at the Minister’s residence, and of Liu Jue’s refusal to speak out. Then she thought of how her so-called relatives in this hall were determined to harm her. She couldn’t restrain her grievances and desolation from coming out of the zither.
Thinking of how Zi Li would personally break her finger when the song ended, her eyes flashed open and she glared at Zi Li, anger roaring from the zither like a tempest destroying the vitality of heaven and earth, sweeping across Zi Li’s mind. He inadvertently took a step backwards. Did Ah Luo hate him? She really hated him? He had only wanted to do it personally so that he could control it.
Ah Luo thought that yes, it would hurt. If a finger was broken then it would mend and it was no big deal that she wouldn’t ever be able to play the zither again, it was just them who would have no other entertainment. Modern people lived well and they would be fine without the zither! She played the final note unrestrainedly. Ah Luo stood up slowly with her head held high and walked to Zi Li, stretching out her right hand, “Break it then!”
Zi Li pressed his lips together tightly and looked fixedly at Ah Luo. Ah Luo’s small face was glowing, her expression nonchalant. Her hand was stretched out to him as though it was an ordinary day and she was mischievously asking him for money.
Silence reigned in the hall, the Crown Prince stood motionless. Qing Lei’s face was pale and Wang Yan Hui’s eyes flashed with a trace of triumph.
Zi Li slowly reached out, his fingers trembling slightly. It would be better for him to break it than for someone else to do so. He had to be resolute and forcibly break it. Ah Luo’s eyes reddened and her face turned to the side. Suddenly, wind from a fist blew past. Zi Li didn’t dodge and let Liu Jue pull Ah Luo away. Ah Luo’s fingers slipped away and Zi Li’s heart became empty, feeling as though he could never hold her hand again.
Liu Jue spoke loudly, “For this kind of zither talent to never be heard of again, I find this deeply regrettable. Crown Prince, please have mercy and let her be exempt from having a broken finger!” His expression was firm and unyielding.
The Crown Prince came to his senses. Wang Yan Hui said softly, “The melody of the zither was rather touching. Seeing as she is still young, just let it be!”
Complex emotions flashed across the Crown Prince’s eyes and with his hands clasped behind his back, he walked towards Ah Luo. Ah Luo faced him head on, unflinching. The Crown Prince glanced over his shoulder at Qing Lei. Qing Lei’s tears fell and the Crown Prince couldn’t bear to see it. He finally said, “You cannot go unpunished if you hurt my concubine…” Before he could continue, Liu Jue said, “Is Ah Luo’s zither talent truly inferior to Concubine Li?”
The Crown Prince was startled. Liu Jue spoke again, “I wonder how the Second Miss of the Li family knew that it was Ah Luo who deliberately tripped the Concubine?” His cold gaze was like that of a poisonous snake, wrapping around Li Qing Fei. The wrath and murderous aura that came out made her practically unable to breathe.
Cheng Si Yue furrowed his brows and said, “When Her Highness fell, it all happened within a moment. It’s possible that Qing Fei was confused in the midst of her panic.”
The Crown Prince asked, “Really?”
Qing Fei didn’t have the strength to respond and feeling flustered, she almost blurted out the truth. Hearing Cheng Si Yue coming to her rescue, she nodded and agreed.
Slightly out of breath, Qing Lei walked over to Qing Fei and slapped her face, “All because you spoke nonsense, the affection between us sisters was almost destroyed and Ah Luo’s finger was almost broken!”
In tears, Qing Fei held her face and whispered, “Ah Fei was just anxious about Sister’s injury. Ah Luo is usually naughty so I assumed it was her fault.”
The Crown Prince snorted and said, “Can assumptions be used to testify in court? How could you speak nonsense without seeing it carefully!”
Wang Yan Hui smiled and said, “It’s also a good thing. We weren’t able to listen to <Autumn Water>, yet we heard another heavenly melody. Fourth Highness, did you enjoy yourself to your heart’s content today?”
Zi Li sighed, “The banquet held by Elder Brother tonight will be unforgettable for life.”
Ah Luo observed them quietly, thinking that they were truly from another world. She felt like she was watching a play. She softly asked the Crown Prince, “Ah Luo is tired. Your Highness the Crown Prince, please allow Ah Luo to leave first.”
The Crown Prince was distracted and nodded dazedly.
Keeping a step ahead, Liu Jue said, “Please allow me to retire and escort Third Miss back to the Minister’s residence.” After he saluted, he took Ah Luo’s hand and walked straight out of the East Palace.
