Chapter 934: Hair-raising

Xie Daoyun breathed a small sigh of relief, then her attention returned to the musical score, and she lavished it with praise.

Hearing this, Zu An nodded inwardly. "A talented woman truly is a talented woman," he thought. "Where does she come up with so many elaborate adjectives? If it were me, I'd just be yelling '666' or 'You're awesome, dude!'"

The group returned to the waterside pavilion. Xie Xiu, curious, asked, "Sister, you're usually so serene. Why are you drawn to such a martial melody today?"

Zu An smiled and said, "While Daoyun is gentle and serene, much of that is out of necessity. As the City Lord's daughter, she was raised to be a proper young lady, so she naturally presents herself as quiet and composed. However, even though Daoyun and I haven't spent much time together, I can sense a deep love and yearning for life in her eyes. I felt she would appreciate tales of heroes and chivalry, which is why I specifically composed this piece. I'm delighted she enjoyed it."

Xie Daoyun's delicate body trembled. She gazed at him in disbelief. In truth, she hadn't been entirely sure of her own feelings, but his words made her realize they were true, instantly giving her the sense of finding a kindred spirit.

But why did he understand her so well, when they had barely interacted before?

Could he be the legendary soulmate?

Brother Zu truly understands me!

As she thought of the romantic novels she had read, her heart began to pound with excitement.

Xie Xiu had been about to scoff, thinking, "My sister couldn't possibly be like that!" But seeing her expression, he instantly understood everything and couldn't help but stare at Zu An in shock. *Does this guy have mind-reading abilities?*

Zu An inwardly felt a wave of relief. He had merely guessed based on the personality of the historical Xie Daoyun from his past life, and he hadn't expected to be so accurate. For a moment, he felt a little disoriented.

Regaining his composure, he said, "Actually, there's another story behind this piece."

The Xie siblings immediately looked at him. Xie Xiu hurriedly urged, "Brother Zu, don't keep us in suspense."

Zu An began, "In ancient times, there were several reclusive scholars known as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove... One of them, Ji Kang, advocated 'transcending formalities and embracing nature,' and often played his zither and recited poetry in a bamboo grove... Sadly, his wife, whom he married early in life, was a princess of the then-ruling dynasty. Later, a powerful minister usurped the throne. Fearing Ji Kang's prestige, this minister repeatedly summoned him to serve in court, hoping to use him to undermine the resistance of the former imperial family and gain broader acceptance for the new regime."

"Ji Kang naturally refused. The powerful minister hated him deeply but found it difficult to deal with him immediately due to his immense reputation. Then, one day, the elder brother of one of Ji Kang's friends, overcome by lust, intoxicated and assaulted his own sister-in-law. To prevent exposure, the elder brother preemptively accused his younger brother of being unfilial. As the elder brother was a court official, he leveraged his connections to have his younger brother imprisoned."

"Ji Kang was furious and stepped forward to defend his friend. Since a court official was involved, the powerful minister believed Ji Kang had ulterior motives and used the case as an excuse to execute both him and the younger brother."

"Upon hearing of this, three thousand imperial academy students collectively petitioned for his release. However, seeing his immense popularity, the powerful minister only solidified his resolve to execute him."

"Before his execution, he requested an ancient zither and calmly performed the piece 'Guanglingsan.' Everyone present was awestruck by his composure, and from that day forward, 'Guanglingsan' became a lost masterpiece, never to be heard again."

After hearing the story, Xie Xiu indignantly exclaimed, "What a truly refined scholar! It's such a pity he fell at the hands of a powerful minister. And that shameless wretch who violated his sister-in-law then falsely accused his own brother is even more despicable! If I ever met him, I'd certainly chop off his dog's head!"

Xie Daoyun sighed with even more emotion, "I imagine Ji Kang's feelings at that time were very much like those of the knight in your earlier story. He must have yearned to charge in like that knight and directly assassinate the powerful minister."

"Daoyun, you truly are a master of the zither, able to discern his feelings from the very essence of the melody." Zu An clicked his tongue in admiration. In his previous life, while many knew Ji Kang's story, few understood *why* he played 'Guanglingsan' at that moment. That Xie Daoyun could grasp this purely from the music was truly impressive.

Just then, Xie Daoyun suddenly thought of something. Her expression changed, and she lowered her voice, asking, "Brother Zu, where did you hear this story?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He didn't understand why she was asking. "I read it in an ancient book. Why do you ask?"

Xie Daoyun didn't answer directly. Instead, she first waved away the nearby servants, then said, "I just remembered something. When our current dynasty was founded, its rise to power wasn't entirely honorable; it was somewhat akin to the powerful minister in your story."

Zu An: "???"

"Moreover, this Ji Kang you spoke of reminds me of someone," Xie Daoyun said, her expression grave.

"Who?" Zu An quickly asked.

Xie Daoyun opened her mouth but didn't speak. Instead, she dipped a slender finger in tea and slowly wrote two characters on the table.

Zu An's pupils contracted slightly when he saw the two characters written: "Jijiu"!

Beside them, Xie Xiu's mouth also fell open. He wanted to speak but felt his mind couldn't process the information.

After wiping away the water stains, Xie Daoyun said, "I only heard this mentioned once, coincidentally, when my teacher was recounting academy anecdotes. That person seems to have deep ties with the former imperial family. So, to avoid suspicion, he generally stays out of worldly affairs, and even the teachers and students in the academy are expected to maintain a neutral stance."

Xie Xiu felt his throat go dry. "Did the founding emperor of our dynasty truly usurp the previous one's foundation? How is it I've never heard any of this?"

Xie Daoyun rolled her eyes. "All you do all day is chase women; it's no surprise you don't know these things if you don't read. In fact, even diligent scholars might not know, as it's not an honorable matter. The court has been very secretive about it, destroying numerous unfavorable books, and there were even powerful individuals who cast seals to make those privy to this past forget it entirely."

"Moreover, after our current emperor's great victory against the demon race, his prestige became unparalleled, and gradually, no one dared to bring it up again."

As the siblings discussed these matters, Zu An felt the hair on his arms stand on end. In that instant, he seemed to understand many things, and many previous doubts in his mind began to fall into place.

Unfortunately, there was likely still a long way to go before he could uncover the full truth.

"Brother Zu, what's wrong?" Xie Daoyun, though still chatting with her brother, had been glancing at Zu An occasionally. Noticing his unusual quietness, she couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, just a bit shocked," Zu An replied, masking his thoughts.

Xie Daoyun reassured him, "Don't worry, as long as you don't deliberately discuss these matters everywhere, it should be fine. After all, so much time has passed."

Zu An nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Daoyun."

Not long after their meal, Zu An stood up to take his leave. Xie Daoyun, sensing his preoccupation, did not try to detain him, only reminding him to be careful on his way.

After leaving the academy, Zu An headed straight for the Imperial Palace; he had some things he needed to verify.

Although it was already late and the palace gates were closed, his new status as Imperial Guard Commander granted him much freer access to the palace.

After entering the palace, he found a place to change into the uniform of Golden Token Eleven, then went straight to the Embroidered Building.

Inside the Embroidered Building, he found Xiao Jianren studying intently late into the night under a dim oil lamp. Zu An thought, "If his eyes aren't nearsighted, whose are?"

"Lord Eleven!" Seeing Zu An, Xiao Jianren quickly stood up and bowed, wondering why the other party had come at such an hour.

"Where is the archive room?" Zu An inquired.

Xiao Jianren said with a smile, "If there's anything you wish to check, Lord, just ask me directly."

While he wouldn't claim to have read every book in the archives, he could easily answer most questions.

Zu An shook his head. "No need, I'll go look myself."

Xiao Jianren's heart tightened. As an Embroidered Envoy, he keenly realized that whatever Zu An was looking for, he didn't want him to know about it.

Naturally, he wouldn't press the matter further. He quickly pointed the way: "Lord, you may proceed directly. With your Golden Token status, you have free access to most archives. Only the most top-secret files require the Grand Commander's personal written approval."

Zu An mentally assured himself that what he was searching for likely wouldn't be classified as top-secret. He nodded at Xiao Jianren and walked directly to the archive room.