Playing the seven strings, listening quietly to the cold pine wind.
The night was falling and the stars were shining brightly. All the prisoners were taken back to the cells to rest, except for the stunningly handsome man who was left alone in the mine. It was because he had not completed his mission.
"He looks like a decent person, but why is it so hard for him to do some work? If he were thrown on the street, he would starve to death!"
"After being convicted of a crime, what kind of work would a lazy young master do? But you are wrong about one thing. If he were thrown on the street, I don't know how many rich ladies would compete to support him as their lover!"
"Hahaha… "
The teasing voices of the jailers gradually faded away. The handsome man remained calm and looked into the distance with deep eyes.
He suddenly raised his voice and asked, "Who are you, Excellency? Why don't you come out and meet me?"
The slightly hoarse voice does not detract from its magnetic charm, and it is clear that she has a naturally good voice.
However, the only sound he got in response was the rustling of the wind. The early spring night was still long and cold. His thin figure stood against the wind, the chains tied to his hands and feet made a slight sound. He seemed extremely lonely in prison.
"I shouldn't have interrupted the piano music, but you played more than one tune wrong, which tortured me for the whole night and really damaged this good piano..."
"Shut up!" Mu Lin pressed down the strings with his hands, his clear voice revealing a hint of anger and embarrassment.
Mu Lin had lost interest in watching them work, so he went to the market with Ming Yijian in the afternoon. He fell in love with the seven-stringed harp in Qinfang at first sight and couldn't help but spend a lot of money to buy it.
Unexpectedly, she, who usually played the five-stringed harp with her master, had a poor grasp of the seven-stringed harp and kept playing the wrong notes.
"Wait... can you hear my piano playing?" Mu Lin was extremely surprised. She had set up a soundproof barrier, so how could a mortal hear it
The man nodded helplessly: "Of course." Although he didn't know why the jailer and other prisoners were indifferent.
Mu Lin put the zither into his bag and said, "I won't play it anymore. I see you are alone and my companions haven't come back yet. Why don't we have a chat?"
“… Lonely? Oh, that’s not wrong.” The handsome man’s words seemed to contain some sarcasm, but he soon returned to a calm tone.
"Why don't you show up, girl? You don't have the sincerity to have a good chat if you hide in the dark."
"Look up at that tree in the southeast, and I won't come down."
Mu Lin leaned lazily against the tree trunk. The handsome man came over as he was told. When he looked up, he saw her clothes fluttering in the night wind, as graceful as a fairy.
He suddenly realized something. He had been born in a wealthy and gentle place and had seen countless beauties, but compared to her, he was instantly crushed into dust.
The low moonlight reflects the appearance of a girl about sixteen or seventeen years old. She is not involved in makeup in the early morning, but she is still beautiful. Mu Lin's black hair falls like a waterfall, making her palm-sized face even whiter. Her peach blossom eyes are shimmering and gorgeous, as if reflecting the prosperous times. A careless look appears on her beautiful face, her delicate hands are playing with a jade hairpin, and her plain skirt is flowing and elegant, with intricate silver lines looming on the corners.
"I am a fairy who has come down from the mortal world. I just happened to pass by here. May I know your name?"
The handsome man politely withdrew his gaze, thinking that even fairies playing the piano are so unpleasant to listen to. But he said calmly: "My surname is Qi, my given name is Cang, and my courtesy name is Lan. I wonder how I should address you, the fairy?"
"Mu Lin."
Mortals have such serious and comprehensive names, but the royal family of the underworld has no surnames at all...
"Qi Lan called you Miss Mu?"
Except for Mo Wangchen, every mortal called her that. Mu Lin was a little annoyed by the name. "My last name is not Mu. Have you ever heard of a fairy having a last name?"
Qi Cang's eyes twitched slightly, and he spoke in a low and sincere tone: "… Fairy is right, Qi Lan was abrupt."
He thought, is pretending to be a fairy addicted? He quickly searched for people with the surname Mu in his mind, but there was really no one of the same gender and age.
He doesn't look like a gangster, nor does he come from an official family. After all, even aristocratic family or a wealthy family can't produce such a person...
Mu Lin didn't know what he was thinking. She listened to his words and realized that she was being a little unreasonable. She softened her tone and said:
"Canglan, in which Cang means cold and icy, and Lan means waves, it is a good name to use the image of cold and magnificent."
"You are an overrated fairy, but your common name is just that."
"Just call me Mu Lin, Qi Cang, aren't you cold?"
“It’s OK.”
Seeing that his lips were blue from the cold but he was still stubborn, Mu Lin took out a translucent shark coat from his bag and said, "Take it. Wear it next to your skin and you won't be cold."
This might really be something from the immortal world... Qi Cang's rough fingertips stroked the thin and light unknown material, and a glimmer flashed in his eyes: "Thank you."
The rustling west wind brought a chill all over his body. Seeing that he was still not moving, Mu Lin leaned against the tree trunk from a different angle and asked, "Why aren't you wearing anything?"
Qi Cang seemed to be choked, and after a while he considered his words and replied helplessly: "Fairy Mu Lin, I can't undress in front of you... Besides, this is the first time I see this kind of underwear, I need to study it carefully."
This is a euphemism, to put it bluntly - he doesn't know how to wear it. Although the style of this dress is simple, no matter how you put it on, it feels wrong.
Mu Lin was silent, and there was a gradual awkwardness between the two of them.
"This is made of shark silk woven by mermaids from the South China Sea. It is not only invulnerable to swords and guns, but also immune to cold and heat. You can put it on and it will fit you. Qi Cang, you listened to me playing the piano for half a day. Although it was torture, it was also a destiny."
No matter how high-sounding his words were, he knew in his heart that there was no such thing as a gift without reason.
Qi Cang looked up at her, with a bitter smile: "Mu Lin, what do you want? You should know that my bargaining chips are limited."
This is an extremely humble attitude - for those who once held power and were high and mighty, learning to look up is a humiliation.
Unexpectedly, Mu Lin shook his head regretfully, "I don't have anything rare, why don't you just tell me what you want, and I might be able to make a deal with you."
Qi Cang frowned secretly, and now the initiative fell back into her hands. After thinking for a moment, he had made up his mind that it would be more appropriate to be honest with this woman.
"I need an opportunity." An opportunity to escape from here, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
The area within a ten-mile radius is heavily guarded, and he cannot escape easily. Even if he escapes by chance, his status as a fugitive will have many restrictions. Not only will he be wanted all over the world, but his only remaining family will also be implicated, so he wants an opportunity to get out of here in a reasonable way.
She understood: "Do you want the freedom of the sea being wide for fish to leap and the sky being high for birds to fly?"
Qi Cang shook his head, "If your heart is bound, how can you be free no matter where you are? All I want is to control my own destiny."
I'm afraid he wants to control not only his own fate, but also the lifeblood of those enemies who manipulated and trampled on the fate of his family. Mu Lin read deep hatred and ambition in his eyes. He was imprisoned but still spoke shamelessly. Even a talented person might not be so conceited!
Mu Lin suddenly laughed, her laughter was as bright as a silver bell, and she was very happy. Qi Cang just lowered his eyes and stood still. After a long time, she said, "As you wish."
Qi Cang slowly loosened his clenched fists in his sleeves, his knuckles pale.
A few days later, the newly appointed county magistrate Sun was inspecting the prison cells surrounded by a group of officials. The new county magistrate was fond of men, which was a tacit secret among the officials. He went to inspect the prisoners' laboring place on a whim, and no one objected. Unexpectedly, he "accidentally" met a gorgeous male prisoner, and was instantly attracted to him and almost lost his composure... That night, an official sent Qi Cang to the Sun Mansion.
That night, he was about to send someone to the bedroom of County Magistrate Sun, but was stopped by Miss Sun. Miss Sun was the only daughter of County Magistrate Sun and his deceased wife, and was doted on by her father since she was born. The daughter competed with her father for a man, made a scene in the study, and cried while holding her mother's tablet. After using both soft and hard tactics, the father had to give in and gave Qi Cang to his daughter.
“… Who would have thought that Qi Cang had such ability to make Lord Sun and Miss Sun fall in love at first sight. Miss Sun brought him back to the courtyard, but treated him like a treasure and didn’t dare to be rude. Hey, these absurd things in the Sun Mansion tonight are really rare and bizarre!”
"Who told you to gossip about these things..." Mu Lin reminded silently: "Yi Jian, we have stayed here long enough, let's hurry up."
"It's not easy for me to lure that Fatty Sun over there. I have to observe what happens next. But you, aren't you worried about him at all?"
Mu Lin said calmly: "If he has no ability, it would not be a pity to suffer humiliation or even lose his life."
"… "
Ming Yi saw that the two had reached a consensus when they came back. She did not show up in front of Qi Cang, but was very curious: "I really don't know whether you are hard-hearted or soft-hearted. There are so many pitiful people in the world, why do you help him?"
Mu Lin smiled lazily and said, "It's rare for me to be kind, but you still have questions."
Ming Yijian waved his hands confidently, "No need to say, it must be because he has a good appearance."
"shallow."
"You're being perfunctory!"
"You're shallow."
"… "
Ten years later, the ambitious Emperor Gaozu suddenly passed away at the age of fifty! The Xin Dynasty, which had been established for only thirty years, soon fell into the storm of nine sons competing for the throne. The world was in chaos and gradually showed signs of decline!
At this time, Qi Xiang, who had always been low-key, changed his previous style, emerged out of nowhere, and made a stunning debut. He assisted the new emperor with a shallow foundation to defeat the rebellious princes one by one, and within a year, the chaos was gradually quelled.
The rebellious princes were either killed, imprisoned or deposed. Qi Xiang became the undisputed first meritorious minister and was the most popular person for a while... Just when the country was about to return to a peaceful and prosperous era, who would have thought that the new emperor would be assassinated by the remnants of the rebellious army at the celebration banquet!
The new emperor was killed on the spot, and his young son was not spared either. The ministers were shocked and panicked. What should the dynasty do now that it has lost its heir? !
Only Prime Minister Qi remained calm and unknowingly became the backbone of all the ministers. He took out the last emperor's will and took the lead in supporting the young thirteenth prince as the new emperor. No one dared to object...
As the only remaining brother of the previous emperor, the new emperor was young and weak. Qi Xiang, as the well-deserved regent, held great power for more than 20 years. During his reign, he actively promoted the establishment and improvement of the Dali Temple and redressed the unjust, false and wrong cases during the reign of Emperor Gaozu... Many years later, the ministers suddenly realized that Qi Xiang was the grandson of Qi Taifu who was convicted for no reason in the early years!
Recalling that Emperor Gaozu had a bad reputation and no descendants after his death, it is terrifying to think about it!
The new emperor died suddenly before he could rule the country, leaving no offspring. While the ministers were worried, Qi Xiang's descendants had secretly controlled the capital, and Qi Xiang's eldest son Qi Chengmu openly proclaimed himself emperor!
Qi Xiang was revered as the emperor emeritus, and he only issued an imperial decree to build fairy temples all over the country and worship them with incense.
There is a rumor among the people that Qi Xiang's legendary life of ups and downs was helped by fairies.
It was rumored that the emperor was a rare handsome man in the world. Someone made up a story about his extraordinary love with a fairy, printed it in a storybook and passed it down, attracting countless women in the inner chambers...
The emperor just laughed it off.