A Maiden's Heart

Seeing Yang Qing's expression turn courteous yet distant in an instant, Murong Qian felt her breath catch.

A moment later, a smile settled over her face once more.

"I never imagined you shared this fondness, Lord Yang."

With that, Murong Qian playfully waved the item she had taken from Yang Qing's sleeve at him twice.

"I have a close relative who cannot drink, but who also dislikes making others lose face in public. Before attending a banquet, he would prepare a thick handkerchief to pour his wine into."

As Murong Qian spoke, she gently wrung the handkerchief in her hands, and a thin stream of wine trickled from it.

The steady drip, drip, drip filled their ears. A faint scent of wine slowly spread through the narrow alley.

"I never imagined you had the same habit, Lord Yang."

After wringing the wine out of the thick handkerchief, Murong Qian raised her hands and unfolded it. "And like that relative of mine, you also like cutting brocade into handkerchiefs."

Murong Qian stepped out of the dark corner, one pace at a time. "Besides, I learned earlier that, just like my relative, you count boneless crystal pork knuckle among your favorite foods."

"Lord Yang, there truly would be no story without coincidence."

Yang Qing smiled faintly. "I never expected to receive so much attention from you, miss."

As he spoke, Yang Qing took the now half-dry handkerchief from Murong Qian's hands. "I spent several years studying in the Shu Region and grew very fond of the Shu brocade produced there. That is why I have made a habit of carrying a piece with me all these years."

"As for crystal pork knuckle, my parents were busy with various affairs when I was young, so I lived with my maternal grandmother for a time and developed a fondness for meat."

"If there is someone else in this world with such similar tastes, I would very much like to make your relative's acquaintance. Would that be possible?"

At his words, Murong Qian's heart ached again. "Do you truly wish to see him, my lord?"

Yang Qing nodded. "Of course I do."

Murong Qian gave a sorrowful smile. "Sadly, that relative of mine passed away ten years ago. By now, I fear all that remains of him is a bowlful of yellow earth."

The faint smile on Yang Qing's face vanished in an instant. He was about to say something when Murong Qian interrupted him again.

"But although everyone says he is gone, I do not believe it."

Murong Qian suddenly fixed her gaze on Yang Qing. "My lord, do you believe it?"

Yang Qing sighed softly. "If your relative knew how deeply you missed him, his heart would ache for you too."

"But Miss Murong, death is like a lamp going out. The departed are gone, and however tightly you cling to them, it is all in vain."

Murong Qian took a step back, sorrow on her face. "But I think perhaps he was in a difficult situation and did not want to implicate anyone else, so he used death as a way to escape."

Yang Qing looked steadily at her. "Your unusual conjecture is truly admirable, miss. But there is no way in this world to have the best of both. It would be better for you not to cling so tightly."

Having said that, Yang Qing silently looked toward the old Yang Residence deep within the alley and spoke in a quiet, distant tone. "Just as I chose to live in the old Yang Residence because I once heard of the Yang Family's heroic stand against those powerful bandits."

"I shall fulfill the aspirations they left unfinished. In doing so, I can set His Majesty's mind at ease above and soothe the grievances of the departed below."

After those words, Yang Qing and Murong Qian fell silent for a long while.

In the end, Murong Qian spoke first. "I have been presumptuous. Please forgive me, Lord Yang."

With that, she lifted a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Hidden in the shadows, Yang Qing's hand clenched tightly. His voice remained steady. "Miss Murong, this place is rather secluded. Shall I arrange for someone to escort you home?"

Murong Qian shook her head slightly. "There is no need to trouble yourself, my lord. There is nowhere in Yan Prefecture City I do not know. I have troubled you long enough. It is time I took my leave."

With that, Murong Qian dipped into a slight curtsy before Yang Qing, then turned and left.

As he watched her somewhat frail figure disappear at the mouth of the alley, Yang Qing suddenly felt a chill across his back.

That exchange with Murong Qian had actually left him drenched in sweat.

"Young master, why are you standing outside?"

After settling Jiang Zhizhou in, Bu Er had been about to come out and check on Yang Qing, only to find him standing alone at the entrance to the alley.

Yang Qing did not answer Bu Er's question. Only after a long while did he return to his senses and say to Bu Er, "It is nothing. Let us go back."

Puzzled, Bu Er craned his neck to look toward the mouth of the alley, but there was not a soul in sight.

"What happened here?"

Bu Er muttered to himself. When he looked up, he saw the corner of Yang Qing's robe disappearing through the gates of the Yang Residence. With no time to ponder anything else, he hurried after him.

Meanwhile, at the Yan Prefecture Post Station.

After receiving treatment, Wei Li, who had been wounded all over, no longer showed the slightest trace of an injured man's listlessness, apart from the white bandages wrapped around his entire body. Instead, his face was filled with fury.

When his personal guard brought him a bowl of freshly brewed medicine, he knocked it to the floor. "Get out! All of you, get out!"

The guard spoke tremblingly. "Deputy General, Physician Chen specifically instructed that you take this medicine. Though the condition of your wounds can no longer be judged from the outside, you have not fully healed within. You must still take care, Deputy General."

Wei Li's eyes bulged. "Take care? Take care, my ass! I planned for so long, thinking I could succeed in a single strike. Who knew it would all fall apart at the final hurdle!"

At those words, his personal guard trembled even harder.

He raised his head slightly and looked at Wei Li. "Deputy General, this is not our Yan Pass Garrison, and not everyone around us is your trusted confidant. You must beware—walls have ears."

Wei Li gave a heavy snort, but restrained his anger somewhat. "Go and fetch paper and a brush!"

The guard bowed his head. "Please wait a moment, Deputy General. I shall fetch them at once."

Before long, the guard returned to Wei Li and presented a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

A short while later, Wei Li folded the densely written sheet, sealed it with wax, and handed it to his guard. "Send this by eight-hundred-li express courier. Make certain it is delivered into my uncle's hands in person."

The guard accepted it with both hands, then turned and disappeared through the doorway.

As Wei Li watched his guard vanish, his expression darkened once more.

Yang Qing's sudden appearance and interference in the affair at Yan Pass had disrupted their entire plan.

There was no telling what consequences this would bring.

Whatever those consequences might be, Wei Li knew his own situation would not be pleasant.

Unless he removed that stone blocking his path, he would never know another peaceful day.

Wei Li's face was as dark as the blackened sky beyond the window.