The Eldest Young Master did a quick mental calculation and realized that the time he had spent entering and leaving the Langyuan in the heart of the lake amounted to less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.
In such a short span of time, nothing could have possibly happened. It shouldn't arouse any suspicion.
...Right?
Pro-probably... it should... be fine... right...?
However, the excuse of using Yue Changsheng probably couldn't be sustained much longer, and he had no idea what to do in the future. Lacking any immediate inspiration, he figured he might as well lie down for a couple of days, feigning illness to avoid the spotlight.
Although his brief plunge into the water hadn't actually given him a cold, his current haggard appearance meant he could play the part of a sick man without a single flaw.
Yet, he had barely lain down and hadn't even pulled up the covers when the Second Young Master arrived, having caught wind of the news. The Eldest Young Master immediately felt his "illness" grow several degrees more severe.
"I heard a performer pushed you into the water."
The Second Young Master sat by the bedside, lifting a cup of clear tea for a shallow sip. Once he finished speaking, a heavy, stifling silence fell. He suppressed his fury, pressing his thumb against the rim of the cup and rubbing it; a piece of white porcelain was forcibly sheared off and ground into powder.
The Eldest Young Master huddled into the soft brocade, clutching his quilt and trembling, utterly at a loss.
A mere actor, arrogant and ungrateful. If his brother was willing to dote on the man, the Second Young Master usually couldn't be bothered to interfere. But to push his brother—who couldn't swim—into the lake and put him in such danger was truly an act deserving of death.
After a long while, the Second Young Master spoke in a frigid voice, "This Yue Changsheng certainly has some nerve."
The Eldest Young Master firmly believed that for his brother, snapping Yue Changsheng’s neck would be no harder than crushing that porcelain cup.
He had no choice but to spring up from the bed like a leaping carp, feigning vitality with a dry laugh. "Oh, it’s nothing like that! I was just so happy that my dream came true that I wanted to jump into the cold water to clear my head, hahaha! I jumped in myself; it has nothing to do with him, hahahaha! I’m going back to listen to more music now, ahahaha... Goodbye, Xiao Xi...!"
The Eldest Young Master kicked off the covers and hopped onto the floor, bolting away while still clad in his loose inner robes.
Filled with anxiety, he returned to the Jade Tower at the eastern end. He was a regular guest here, and since his silver was paid up through the following year, the tower was always kept vacant for him.
The deserted water pavilion maintained its usual tranquility. But as soon as he entered, he stumbled upon Yue Changsheng. The man sat curled on the vermilion railing overlooking the water with his eyes closed. Resting across his knees was a glass guqin—entirely translucent, lacking both strings and studs. His long, slender fingers, with their distinct joints, fluttered and plucked at the air as if music were truly playing. He looked as though he were blooming amidst the full moon, possessing both the vigor of a martial artist and the charm of a performer. His silk and gauze robes cascaded down, dipping into the lotus pond, capturing the starlight of the Milky Way, flickering in and out of the moonlight.
True to his nature, the Eldest Young Master stood there, dazed by the sight.
Coming back to his senses, he crept toward a corner and sat down quietly.
Yue Changsheng stopped his movements, resting his hands lightly on the body of the zither. He looked up and stared fixedly at the visitor without a word.
His eyes were deep and dark, his emotions unreadable. The Eldest Young Master immediately grew nervous. "Did I... interrupt you?"
Most people, upon seeing a stringless zither, would react with surprise or mockery. Since there was no sound, how could there be an interruption? Yue Changsheng asked tonelessly, "Oh? You understand it?"
The Eldest Young Master shook his head. "The greatest sound is silence; the ultimate music is wordless. I am a vulgar man; naturally, I cannot hear it."
Melody and rhythm were but forms. As the saying went: *If one understands the delight of the zither, why bother with the sound of strings?* Since he claimed he couldn't hear it, it meant he understood the essence.
Yue Changsheng was somewhat surprised. He had thought the man was a worthless profligate, yet he actually knew the refined sentiment behind Tao Yuanming’s stringless zither.
Yue Changsheng tapped his finger against the body of the instrument, musing, "So you aren't a fool after all."
The Eldest Young Master recalled his nearly idiotic behavior from that morning and felt a bit ashamed. He stammered, "About this morning... can you... just... pretend nothing happened?"
Yue Changsheng said bluntly, "No."
The Eldest Young Master thought that was fair. He let out a long sigh and refused to speak further.
Yue Changsheng grew a bit impatient. Tilting his chin slightly, he asked, "Aren't you going to explain?"
"I have nothing to explain," the Eldest Young Master sighed. "Just consider me an idiot with ill intentions."
Yue Changsheng was silent for a while, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "What are you afraid of?"
The Eldest Young Master didn't want to involve others and had intended to say nothing, but having his secret suddenly guessed made his hair stand on end. "I'm not! Absolutely not!"
Yue Changsheng gave a faint smile. "It seems I've hit the mark."
Eldest Young Master: "..."
"This is strange." Yue Changsheng withdrew his gaze, looking down at the stringless zither. "In the Central Plains, everyone looks to Zhongli Manor as their leader. You are clearly the Eldest Young Master of Zhongli Manor. Who in the martial world wouldn't fear you at least a little? Not to mention you have a brother who commands the winds and clouds..."
The Eldest Young Master’s heart skipped a beat. He thought he had hidden his identity perfectly, but Yue Changsheng had guessed the edge of the truth after only two meetings. He hurriedly said, "Don't guess anymore! Let's just put today's events behind us. I'm doing this for your own good, lest you bring disaster upon yourself—"
"...Wait a moment." Yue Changsheng suddenly interrupted him. He leaned over the railing and pulled up a length of hemp rope from the lake, hauling up a soaking wet object and tossing it in front of him. "The 'disaster' you're talking about... surely you don't mean this?"
The object tossed before him was actually a soaking wet youth. His hands and feet were tied in dead knots, and he was coughing violently from the water he'd swallowed.
The Eldest Young Master was shocked. "Ze Que?! Why are you here?!"
No wonder he hadn't seen Ze Que at all since returning home today; the boy had been tied up here all along. Ze Que’s lungs were full of water, and he couldn't respond. His reddened eyes looked at his master with tears, though it was unclear if it was from anger or a sense of grievance.
The Eldest Young Master hurriedly patted his back to help him breathe, fumbling with the knots to untie him. Unable to find the trick to the rope, he had to look up at Yue Changsheng for help. "Can you let him go?"
"This person suddenly broke into the Langyuan and disturbed my peace with foul language. You expect me to just let him go?" Yue Changsheng took a silk handkerchief and slowly wiped the water from his hands, asking calmly, "Do I look like someone with a particularly good temper?"
Yue Changsheng had been pampered like a star since childhood. Countless noble sons and lords begged in vain for a single meeting; he had never suffered such insults. The fact that Ze Que was still breathing was already proof of his "good temper."
Ze Que finally caught his breath and cried out tentatively, "Young Master..."
The Eldest Young Master brushed the hair from the boy's face and said helplessly, "What did you come to Ye Workshop to find him for?"
"He... he was disrespectful to the Young Master, *cough cough*, and he even pushed the Young Master into the lake. I wanted to get revenge for the Young Master, *cough cough cough*..."
As expected, it was his own fault. The Eldest Young Master felt deeply ashamed but had to say, "You can't blame Master Yue. It was my fault; I committed an improper and rude act against him."
Ze Que dazed. "Huh?"
The Eldest Young Master forced himself to explain, "I tried to force him to sleep with me and even tore his clothes... *cough*."
Ze Que slammed his hand against the floor in indignation. "No matter what the Eldest Young Master wants to do to him, it is his blessing! He should have just accepted it!"
The Eldest Young Master was despondent: *Where exactly did my education go wrong? How did Ze Que’s moral compass become so skewed?*
Yue Changsheng was amused by this, and his mood suddenly improved. He waved a hand. "Fine, I'll spare him this once. I'll have someone send him back."
The small boat at Ye Workshop couldn't hold a third person, so the untied Ze Que was sent off first.
Once the boatman had rowed Ze Que into the distance, Yue Changsheng suddenly said, "That little fellow likes you."
The Eldest Young Master immediately denied it. "Don't talk nonsense. That is absolutely not the case."
Yue Changsheng added, "Oh... it seems you don't like him."
The Eldest Young Master replied in a deadpan, robotic voice, "Of course, because the one I like is you."
Yue Changsheng smiled with satisfaction. "Then your taste is at least normal."
The Eldest Young Master gave a bitter smile. "Naturally."
"You refused to see me because you were afraid your little guard would cause trouble for me?" Yue Changsheng continued. "His martial arts are indeed decent. If I were an ordinary zither player, I would be the one soaking in the water right now—unfortunately for him, I am the superior one."
The Eldest Young Master heard the hidden meaning in his words and felt a bit confused.
Yue Changsheng looked at him sideways and asked gently, "Can your doubts and fears be put to rest now?"
***
