Chapter 40: Past Events Over the Years

"You should have heard of the heroic deeds of the Princess of Anbei, but you probably don't know the filial piety hidden behind those deeds," Qi Sian raised his hand and beckoned to the maid to bring up the freshly roasted venison. The meat seasoned with spices sizzled temptingly on the white porcelain plate. He picked up the chopsticks, took a bite, then took a sip of the fruit wine, and put down the empty plate in satisfaction. He raised his eyes and looked at Pan Yueqing, who was quietly sipping her tea.

Pan Yueqing carefully examined the two characters "Wei Ji" in the patterns of the jadeite splendor in her hand. Indeed, she didn't know about it.

Qi Sian took another piece of venison and offered it to Pan Yueqing. "I heard this from my elders. Back then, the Princess of Anbei married into the Northern Qi Dynasty to seek protection for her homeland. Once she married in, she couldn't return. So, before she left, she left this jadeite splendor for her mother. All these gold-plated fish roe patterns were made by melting down the gold lock and collar she had received on her full moon day, piece by piece. Then, the best craftsmen in the Western Wei Dynasty were hired to create this piece of jewelry."

"That white jade," Qi Sian pointed distantly at the white jade with tassels behind the jadeite splendor, and his eyes unconsciously showed a trace of sadness. "It was the peace jade she was born with. There used to be a red silk ribbon, which was a bellyband her mother made for her when she was born. But it's been so long that it can't be found anymore. This piece of jewelry represents a daughter's pure heart full of regret, as she couldn't fulfill her filial duties to her mother for the sake of national righteousness."

"Although a princess is of noble status and is revered by all the people, she doesn't have a carefree life either. In the face of national righteousness, she can't even enjoy the natural bond between a mother and a daughter," Mr. Hong raised his fishing rod, and a perch leaped out of the lake covered with floating ice. Qi Sian clapped his hands and asked the maid to take the perch to the kitchen.

Pan Yueqing's eyes slightly narrowed. She slowly picked up a piece of venison and took a bite. The roasted venison melted in her mouth, and the refreshing sweetness of the fruit wine couldn't dispel the bitterness in her heart. Compared with the preciousness of this piece of jewelry, perhaps the sentiment behind it was even more heartbreaking.

"But the one I have was given to me by my grandmother. It can't be..." Pan Yueqing's voice stopped abruptly. She suddenly thought of someone—Nanny Mei! This wet nurse who had been by her side since childhood, whom she had trusted so much before. She hadn't even avoided Nanny Mei when she was hiding the picture books.

Thinking of this, Pan Yueqing laughed softly. After all, she had been too confident. During the two days she was trapped in the Wanguichou Mountain, how could she have been so certain that Nanny Mei had never returned to the mansion?

The thing had long been swapped.

"Why are you giving me the genuine one?" Pan Yueqing stared at the tea cup in front of her. She didn't believe that there was really such a thing as a free lunch in the world.

"I want you to outshine Lai Changya at the Princess of Anbei's banquet," Qi Sian said in a flat tone.

Lai Changya? Pan Yueqing met Qi Sian's gaze. Lai Changya was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Lai family in Dengzhou. In this era dominated by noble families, being born into a noble family meant being superior from birth. The Lai family had always been the top choice for the emperor when it came to arranging marriages.

Qi Sian's eyes were slightly cold. Although there was a smile on his lips, one could still sense his displeasure. "What? Are you scared silly by the reputation of the Lai family?"

Pan Yueqing sneered. "I can't afford to offend the Lai family. I'm not that stupid to act like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"Aren't you a direct disciple of Hongyun Academy in Qingzhou? That's a symbol of your status," Qi Sian took out a white jade-like pendant from his waist and waved it in front of Pan Yueqing.

He had been precocious since childhood. He also knew that it was impossible for Pan Yueqing alone to outshine Lai Changya's reputation. What he had said earlier was just to test Pan Yueqing's reaction. If Pan Yueqing had readily agreed, that would have been truly dangerous.

A woman who couldn't recognize her own position would only hold him back.

"Hongyun Academy!" Pan Yueqing was a bit shocked as she looked at the pendant around her waist, which was of average quality and had simple patterns. She looked at Mr. Hong with a complicated expression. Whether in her past life or this life, she had never associated Hong Qiqiao, the emperor's confidant, with Hongyun Academy, which was yearned for by all the scholars in the world!

"Since you are a direct disciple of Hongyun Academy, you don't have to be too afraid of Lai Changya," Mr. Hong said leisurely at the right moment, as if nothing in the world could escape his control. "Little girl, I think I deserve to be called your teacher, don't I?"

Pan Yueqing immediately stood up and bowed slightly to Mr. Hong. Then she bowed deeply and respectfully and called him "teacher."

Mr. Hong smiled in response and casually said to Qi Sian, "Ping'an, the tea is cold."

"Yes, Master. I'll change it right away," Qi Sian stood up and stood behind Mr. Hong, bowing respectfully. He took a new cup of hot tea handed by the maid, and his movements were smooth and natural, completely different from his casual demeanor before. He stuffed the cup into Pan Yueqing's hand. "Offer the tea."

Pan Yueqing was surprised to see that the respect on Qi Sian's face didn't seem to be feigned. She had originally thought that Mr. Hong was just Qi Sian's subordinate, which was why he had helped her so much yesterday. If this relationship didn't exist, then what was Mr. Hong's purpose in giving her the jade pendant as soon as they met?

She didn't stop her hands and silently took the tea from Qi Sian and held it in front of Mr. Hong. "Teacher, please have some tea."

Mr. Hong hummed and took the tea from Pan Yueqing's hand. He took a sip. "I'm Hong Qiqiao in the court and Hong Yu in Hongyun Academy. If you need to use this identity, remember to say that you are a disciple of Hong Yu."

"Yes, thank you, teacher," Pan Yueqing replied softly. In fact, she didn't think that Mr. Hong would teach her, but at the beginning, she just wanted to gather more strength behind her. After Mr. Hong briefly introduced the preferences of the Princess of Anbei and all the prominent guests who would attend the banquet, Pan Yueqing and Qi Sian stood up and bid farewell to Mr. Hong. The Jade Wall Workshop was a place where high-ranking officials and nobles gathered, and Pan Yueqing wasn't interested in it. She directly said that it was getting late and she wanted to go back to Yang Lin's place and then return to the mansion.

"Lai Changya has a cold and gloomy personality. If you offend her, you have to be careful," Qi Sian walked in front and suddenly said.

"Then why don't you ask someone else to take the lead?" Pan Yueqing sneered at Qi Sian's back. As a cold-blooded "poisonous snake," how could he have the nerve to say that someone else had a cold and gloomy personality?

Qi Sian stopped in his tracks. Pan Yueqing accidentally bumped into his back. She raised her eyes and looked at Qi Sian, who had suddenly stopped. She frowned and looked past Qi Sian towards the street, only to see the person she least wanted to see in this life—Qi Sicheng!

Qi Sicheng was alone, wandering in the alley in front of the seventeenth household on Huangji Road. Qi Sian was wearing a Kunlun slave mask. He just stopped and looked for a moment, then was about to walk in the opposite direction. But he saw Pan Yueqing standing there with a piercing gaze. For the first time, those familiar cold eyes were filled with intense hatred, and within that hatred, there was also a strong sense of resentment.

Qi Sian was familiar with this look. Every time his mother talked about this unfortunate marriage, she had such a look in her eyes.

The hatred in Pan Yueqing's eyes couldn't be controlled. Qi Sicheng's voice was like a drumstick pounding on her eardrums. "Excuse me, is the seventeenth household on Huangji Road nearby?"