The matter that happened in the Cao residence was not something Cao Yue knew about. For her, the most important thing right now was this man, as for the rest, it was not worth mentioning.
Kangxi was, after all, an emperor. He was used to keeping joy and anger off his face, and even though he was astonished by Cao Yue’s looks, aside from that initial amazement, his emotions did not leak out in the slightest.
He curled his lips faintly. “Miss, there is no need for such courtesy. Speaking of which, I was the one who disturbed Miss first, and your maid was only protecting her master out of concern.”
Cao Yue did not miss the astonishment in Kangxi’s eyes. Her tense mood eased a little, and she gave a slight nod. “Sir is magnanimous.”
A woman who actively came on to a man would only make him feel cheap. Even if he was her target, aside from the proper courtesy, she would not be too eager, so as not to be looked down on.
Sensing Cao Yue’s distant and cold attitude, Kangxi did not take it to heart either. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the jiaowei on the table, and his gaze deepened slightly. “I also know quite a bit about music. Looking at the zither Miss is using, could it be the famous qin jiaowei?”
As soon as he said that, Liang Jiugong’s gaze unconsciously went to the zither.
If he had not remembered wrongly, this zither was one Emperor had bestowed upon Cao Yin, Lord Cao, in the eighteenth year of Kangxi’s reign.
The reason he remembered it so clearly was all thanks to the fact that this zither had been personally requested by Cao Yin, who was then still a Guardsman at court, after he had earned merit, saying that his younger sister was skilled in music.
Now that jiaowei was actually in this young lady’s hands, then her identity was not hard to guess.
In an instant, Liang Jiugong lowered his eyelids slightly, his eyes rolling around nonstop, his mind constantly calculating all sorts of little schemes.
Upon hearing this, Cao Yue’s brows and eyes showed a trace of surprise. “Sir actually recognizes jiaowei?”
As if because Kangxi also understood music quite well, Cao Yue lost the distant politeness she had at the beginning, and there was a barely perceptible trace of pleasure in her tone.
Kangxi naturally noticed this subtle change. Half-jokingly, he said, “For a peerless famous qin like this, being fortunate enough to recognize it is already my honor. Being able to hear a piece played on it is even more rare.”
As he spoke, Kangxi let out a regretful sigh. “It is only a pity that I cannot personally try this qin’s tone.”
Feiyanggu and Liang Jiugong listened to Kangxi spouting nonsense, and the corners of their eyes could not help twitching.
Before jiaowei was bestowed upon Cao Yin, who knew whose hand it was that would play the qin and perform music on the pavilion whenever he had free time. It was only that in the past few years, with the court affairs being busy, the Emperor had lost such leisure.
“This…” Cao Yue turned her head to look at the qin, then glanced at Kangxi, and said with some reluctance, “If Sir does not dislike it, why not use this qin to play a piece as well.”
Kangxi was somewhat tempted. His eyes lingered on jiaowei, hesitant and undecided. “I wonder if that would be convenient?”
An Ning snorted. “Our young lady treasures jiaowei very much. On ordinary days, she will not even let people touch it lightly. Now she is willing to let Sir play the qin, you should be feeling fortunate instead.”
Cao Yue’s otherwise calm face turned slightly red. She quietly reached back and tugged An Ning’s sleeve, and said in a low voice, “If you keep talking, you won’t be allowed to eat even a single piece of today’s pastries.”
The pastries she was talking about were made by her own hand, and their taste was even better than all the pastry shops in Jiangning City.
An Ning was unwilling to miss out on such a chance to enjoy good food, so she had no choice but to pout and stop talking.
An Ning’s attitude, which showed no respect at all, dispelled a trace of suspicion deep in Liang Jiugong’s heart. If this young lady of the Cao family knew the Emperor’s identity, then this maid would not have been so rude.
Cao Yue walked two steps to the side. Only after she had revealed the qin’s full appearance did she make an inviting gesture. “In ancient times, Yu Boya met his soulmate through high mountains and flowing water. Now there is you and me, Sir, making friends through the qin, so naturally there is nothing inconvenient about it. Sir, please.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
Kangxi stepped directly into the pavilion and sat on the low stool Cao Yue had sat on. His knuckle-boned fingers rested on the strings, and he plucked them with force.
Seeing how familiar Kangxi was with this qin, Cao Yue’s eyes were calm and unmoved. Sure enough, a man’s words could not be trusted.
Whether it was Liu Bang, or the person in front of her.
The strength in Kangxi’s fingertips was much greater than Cao Yue’s, so the tune he played had more force.
At first, Cao Yue did not hear anything remarkable, but later on, her eyes slowly widened, full of astonishment.
Only because she did not want to disturb Kangxi playing the qin, she forcefully held back the surprise at the tip of her tongue and covered her mouth with her hand.
Kangxi, who had been paying attention to Cao Yue’s expression from the corner of his eye, curled his lips into a faint smile, finished the piece, then stopped and asked, “Does the piece I played sound familiar to you?”
Cao Yue lowered her hand, and after a hesitation, she nodded. The loose hair by her ear drifted to the corner of her lips, and she uncomfortably reached up to tuck it behind her ear. “This piece is a little like the melody I just played.”
Kangxi stood up and slightly nodded in affirmation. “It is only a pity that I only heard the latter half just now, and missed the first half.”
The implication was that if he had heard the entire piece, he could have played the entire piece back.
When An Ning heard this, she immediately wanted to complain that Kangxi was bragging. Their young lady herself could not manage to listen to a piece only once and then play it back perfectly; others would be even less able to do it.
It was just that the moment she raised her head, the scene of the fragrant pastries drifting farther and farther away from her appeared in her mind, and she instantly looked like a deflated ball, lowering her head again.
Kangxi took two steps forward, intentionally or not. Cao Yue only felt that the distance between them was a little too close, and she could even faintly catch the scent of dragon saliva incense on Kangxi’s body.
After a pause, Cao Yue lowered her head and flushed red, then suddenly stepped back and, going around Kangxi, picked up jiaowei. Flustered, she said, “Sir has finished playing the qin. Please leave early. Forgive me for being unable to keep you company any longer.”
In the blink of an eye, Cao Yue had gone down the steps and hurried out several zhang, with quite a bit of the flavor of running away in panic.
An Ning hurried after her. “Miss, please walk slower, and watch your step.”
As the figures of Cao Yue and her maid became smaller and smaller, Kangxi suddenly let out a laugh. “Heh heh heh.”
Such a beauty was indeed rare to see.
Feiyanggu had been a background figure for nearly half an hour, and now he finally could not help speaking. “Your Majesty, don’t you think this young lady appeared at too convenient a time?”
Liang Jiugong could recognize Cao Yue’s identity, and of course Feiyanggu could too. He also saw that in just this short while, the Emperor had taken an interest in that young lady of the Cao family.
So Feiyanggu, this martial man who put everything on his face, spoke without the slightest concealment, almost as if he were pointing at Cao Yue’s nose and saying that the Cao family had ulterior motives.
Kangxi rested his right hand in front of him, his thumb rubbing his index finger, and looked at Feiyanggu. “Very few people know that I came out this time. Are you telling me that because of your incompetence, my whereabouts were leaked?”
The intent to blame was obvious. Feiyanggu suddenly cupped his fists and knelt down. “It was this servant who spoke without thinking and said the wrong thing. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Feiyanggu felt bitter and distressed in his heart. He had been too rash in his actions.
Kangxi looked down at Feiyanggu from above. “I came out today to relax. I do not much want to ask about other matters, especially your little thoughts. But since you have said so, then it is not a bad idea to have it checked.”
He was confident that today’s whereabouts were unknown to others, but as an emperor, he was always suspicious.
Besides, he had arrived outside Jiangning City ahead of time and had not informed the Cao family. Was that not precisely because he wanted to conduct an unannounced inspection?
Feiyanggu came from the Dong’e clan. Back then, he had had some grievance with Cao Yin, who was then a Guardsman at court. Handing this matter to him would mean there was no need to worry about false information.
Cao Yue did not look back while holding the qin, and it was only after she hurried into the estate that she finally let go of that hurried appearance.
After handing the qin to a maid to be put away, she took the hand warmer that a maid in the estate had already prepared and held it in her hands. The chill in her fingertips faded a little, and Cao Yue let out a soft breath.
Looking up at the sun that was giving off a faint warmth, Cao Yue closed her eyes. “An Ning, I can never turn back again.”
The faint aggression and interest in Kangxi’s eyes had been concealed very well, but she still noticed them. From this point on, her honor and disgrace were all tied to him.
Only this time, she would never again believe the emperor’s words.
An Ning’s lips were slightly pale. She did not say any comforting words, but reached out and covered Cao Yue’s hand with her own, her attitude firm. “This servant will always stay by your side.”
Cao Yue tugged at her lips, and was just about to say something when the sound of hoofbeats and cart wheels pressing over the ground came from outside the estate, growing closer and closer.
The master and servant exchanged a glance. Without Cao Yue needing to speak, An Ning said, “This servant will go out and take a look.”
Cao Yue paused, then walked ahead of An Ning. “I’ll go with you.”
She wanted to see who would come to the estate at this crucial moment.
An Ning supported Cao Yue’s arm as they unhurriedly stepped over the threshold. Just then, they saw the carriage stop at the door. As soon as the coachman saw Cao Yue, he hurriedly knelt and paid his respects. “This servant greets Miss.”
The coachman was only the lowest-ranking servant of the Cao family. He normally had no资格 to see his master, and now, suddenly seeing the most favored young lady of the Cao family, he was so excited it was beyond words.
Cao Yue only glanced at the coachman and said nothing. An Ning asked, “Who is in the carriage?”
The shabby carriage only used blue cotton cloth as the curtain for the window, and the wood was ordinary too, not soundproof at all. The coachman’s greeting reached the carriage, and upon hearing An Ning’s words, before the coachman could reply, Wang Shi, supported by Tao Yu’s hand, had already gotten out of the carriage, standing on the carriage shaft with a beaming smile. “It’s me, Cousin.”
Although Cao Yue and Wang Shi addressed each other as cousins, Wang Shi and Cao Yue were not equal in status, and Cao Yue usually did not take Wang Shi very seriously.
Besides, Cao Yue knew very well what Cao Yin’s purpose was in raising Wang Shi in the Cao household, and she had never asked about it because she thought Wang Shi’s presence could conceal things from others.
It was just that she did not know why Wang Shi, who was supposed to be waiting in the Cao residence to receive the imperial visit tomorrow, had come to the estate at this time.
Cao Yue blinked slightly, her attitude neither distant nor close. “Cousin is…”
She had only said half of it, but her gaze fell on the bundle in Tao Yu’s bent arm, and the unspoken meaning made Wang Shi’s cheeks burn.
Even if Wang Shi wanted to use Cao Yue’s hand to return to the Cao residence, she would not openly speak of being driven out of the Cao residence in a place like this.
Stepping down from the carriage using the footstool the coachman had placed below it, Wang Shi let go of Tao Yu’s supporting hand and affectionately went up to hold Cao Yue’s arm. “The wind outside is strong, and Cousin, your body has always been afraid of the cold. Let’s go inside first before talking.”
Cao Yue gave Wang Shi a meaningful glance, and did not refuse. Following Wang Shi’s movement, she turned and went into the estate, lightly brushing Wang Shi away without a sound. “No rush. I’ll have someone take Cousin to a room first. It won’t be too late for Cousin to rest and then come find me to talk.”
Wang Shi was not very willing, but the hunger in her stomach was especially clear, so she had no choice but to follow the servant leading the way to the room.
After returning to the main courtyard, Cao Yue drank a sip of hot tea to warm herself up, and listened to An Ning talk about the news she had asked the coachman for. “This servant asked the coachman. He said he was following the eldest madam’s orders and was supposed to send Miss Cousin home, but Miss Cousin told him that she wanted to come to the estate to visit you.”
“Originally the coachman did not agree, but then Miss Cousin gave the coachman ten taels of silver, and only then did he change his answer.”
Every word of An Ning’s report entered her ears, and unconsciously, Cao Yue’s brows furrowed.
Li Shi was determined that Wang Shi could use the rising wind of the Cao family to soar to the top, so she would not, without reason, want to send Wang Shi back home. And the one who could make that decision, apart from father and mother, was only big brother.
Cao Yue rubbed her temples with her fingers, and her soft, shallow smile carried a hint of irony.
Big brother really had confidence in her.