Chapter 938: Hair-Raising

Xie Daoyun finally let out a small sigh of relief, then her attention returned to the musical score. She showered it with unreserved praise. Hearing her, Zu An nodded inwardly, thinking, "A talented woman truly is a talented woman. Where does she find so many ornate adjectives? If it were me, I'd probably just exclaim, 'Amazing!' or 'That's incredible!'"

The group returned to the waterside pavilion. Xie Xiu asked curiously, "Sister, you're usually so quiet and reserved. Why do you like such a martial piece today?" Zu An smiled and said, "While Daoyun is gentle and refined, a large part of that is due to necessity. As the City Governor's daughter, she was raised to be a proper young lady, so it's natural for her to appear more serene. However, though Daoyun and I haven't spent much time together, I can sense the passion and longing for life in her eyes. I felt she would enjoy tales of heroes and chivalry, which is why I specifically composed this piece. I'm delighted Daoyun likes it."

Xie Daoyun's delicate body trembled. She gazed at him in disbelief. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure of her own feelings, but his words suddenly made her realize the truth, and she felt an immediate sense of profound understanding. Yet, why did he understand her so well? They had barely interacted. Could this be the legendary soulmate? "Brother Zu truly understands me!" Thinking of the romantic novels she had read, her heart began to pound rapidly.

Xie Xiu had been about to scoff, thinking, "My sister couldn't possibly be the type you describe." But seeing her expression, he immediately understood everything and stared at Zu An in shock. "Does this guy have mind-reading abilities?"

Zu An secretly congratulated himself on his luck. He had merely guessed based on Xie Daoyun's historical personality from his past life. He hadn't expected to be right, and for a moment, he felt a little dazed. Snapping out of it, he said, "Actually, there's a story behind this piece."

The Xie siblings immediately looked at him. Xie Xiu eagerly urged, "Brother Zu, don't keep us in suspense." Zu An began, "In ancient times, there were several hermits known as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. One of them was named Ji Kang. He advocated for 'transcending conventional rites and embracing nature,' and spent his days playing the zither and composing poetry in the bamboo grove. Unfortunately, his wife, whom he married early in life, was a princess of the reigning dynasty. Later, a powerful minister usurped the throne and, fearing Ji Kang's reputation, repeatedly summoned him to serve in court. The minister hoped to use this to undermine the resistance of the former imperial clan and make the new regime more accepted by the people."

"Ji Kang naturally refused. The powerful minister hated him intensely but found it difficult to deal with him due to his fame. One day, the elder brother of one of Ji Kang's friends developed illicit desires, intoxicated his sister-in-law, and assaulted her. To prevent the matter from being exposed, the elder brother preemptively accused his younger brother of being unfilial. Because the elder brother was a court official, he used his connections to have his younger brother imprisoned."

"Ji Kang was furious about this and stepped forward to vindicate his friend. Since the case involved a court official, the powerful minister suspected Ji Kang had ulterior motives, so he used this case to execute both Ji Kang and the younger brother."

"Upon hearing this, three thousand students from the Imperial Academy collectively petitioned on his behalf. However, seeing his high reputation, the powerful minister only became more determined to kill him."

"Before his execution, he requested an ancient zither and calmly played the piece 'Guangling San.' Everyone present was awed by his composure, and from then on, 'Guangling San' became a lost masterpiece, never to be heard again."

After listening, Xie Xiu indignantly exclaimed, "What a refined and elegant scholar! It's a pity he fell into the hands of a powerful minister. That shameless scoundrel who violated his sister-in-law and then falsely accused his brother is even more hateful. If I ever saw him, I'd chop off his head!"

Xie Daoyun added with emotion, "Ji Kang's state of mind at that time must have been very similar to that of the knight-errant in the earlier story. He must have wanted to charge straight in and assassinate the powerful minister, just like the knight-errant."

"Daoyun is truly a master of the zither, able to discern his feelings from the very essence of the music." Zu An clicked his tongue in amazement. In his previous life, many knew Ji Kang's story, but few knew why he played "Guangling San" at that moment. For Xie Daoyun to grasp it merely from the sound of the zither was truly admirable.

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

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Unsure why she asked, he replied, "I read it in an ancient book. Why do you ask?"

Xie Daoyun didn't answer directly. Instead, she first waved her hand, signaling the nearby servants to withdraw. Only then did she said, "I just recalled something. When this dynasty was founded, the way the throne was acquired wasn't entirely honorable. It's somewhat similar to the powerful minister in your story."

Zu An looked puzzled.

"Moreover, this Ji Kang you mentioned reminds me of someone," Xie Daoyun said with a solemn expression.

"Who?" Zu An asked hastily.

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

Zu An's pupils contracted slightly when he saw the two characters, for they read "Jijiu" (Grand Tutor)!

Xie Xiu, standing nearby, also gaped, wanting to say something, but his mind simply couldn't process it.

After wiping away the tea stain, Xie Daoyun finally spoke, "I only heard about it once when my teacher was recounting an academy anecdote. That person seems to have deep ties to 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 required to maintain a neutral stance."

Xie Xiu felt his throat go dry. "Did our dynasty's founding ancestor usurp the previous dynasty's foundation? How come I don't know any of this?"

Xie Daoyun rolled her eyes. "You spend all day chasing women. Of course you wouldn't know these things if you don't study. In fact, even if you did study, you might not know, as it's not a glorious matter. The court keeps it a closely guarded secret, destroying countless unfavorable books, and even powerful figures have placed seals to make those who knew forget this past."

"Furthermore, after our dynasty's emperor achieved a great victory against the demon race, his reputation soared, and gradually no one mentioned it anymore."

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 past doubts in his mind gradually found clues. Unfortunately, he was likely still some distance from uncovering the final truth.

"Brother Zu, what's wrong?" Xie Daoyun, though chatting with her brother, had been glancing at Zu An from time to time and couldn't help but ask when she noticed his unusual state.

"Nothing, I'm just quite 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 dinner, Zu An stood up, said his goodbyes, and left. Xie Daoyun noticed he was preoccupied and didn't try to keep 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 matters he needed to verify. It was already late, and the palace gates should have been closed, but with his new identity as the Imperial Guard Commander, he had much more freedom entering and exiting the palace. After entering the palace, he found a place to change into the uniform of Golden Token Eleven, then headed straight for the Embroidery Building.

In the Embroidery Building, he found Xiao Jianren reading late into the night by the dim light of an oil lamp. Zu An inwardly mused, "If anyone's eyes are going to get nearsighted, it's his."

"Lord Eleven!" Seeing Zu An, Xiao Jianren quickly stood up and bowed, while also wondering why he was visiting at such an hour.

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

Xiao Jianren smiled and said, "Lord, if there's anything you want to look up, just ask me directly." Although he wouldn't dare claim to have read all the books stored there, answering most questions was easy for him.

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 Zu An didn't want him to know what he was looking for. He naturally wouldn't make a fool of himself by pressing the matter further and quickly pointed the way. "Lord, you can go directly. With your Golden Token status, you can freely access most archives, except for some top-secret ones, which require the Grand Commander's personal approval."

Zu An thought to himself that what he was looking for probably wasn't top-secret. He nodded at Xiao Jianren and walked straight to the archives room.