The day finally arrived. Xue Zining, along with Yan Jin Chao, traveled to the Northern Border King's mansion in their carriage.
Outside the Northern Border King's mansion, she alighted from the carriage.
Yan Jin Chao also disembarked. Just as she was about to enter, he took her hand and said softly, "There's no need to be afraid. With me here, you can act as boldly as you wish."
Xue Zining started. If she hadn't known he had lost his memory, she would have thought he knew something.
"Even if I turn the Northern Border King's mansion upside down and offend the Northern Border King, it's still alright?" she couldn't help but ask.
She saw that he didn't even frown. He said lightly, "It's alright."
Her gaze paused, and she chuckled, "Young Master, if you say that, I will take you seriously. When I become lawless, can you still protect me?"
"Honest to goodness," he said earnestly.
She turned her face away. No matter when, Yan Zhao always stirred ripples in her usually calm heart.
"Young Master, let's go!" she lowered her eyes, hiding the fluctuation in her heart caused by his mere words.
"Mm," he responded with a sound from his nose.
Because yesterday, Yan Jin Chao had defeated the King's mansion guards with a single move, everyone in the mansion now looked at him with respect and also fear.
And who would dare offend the maid by his side?
If you provoked this Young Master Yan, even the King himself would be powerless.
The Northern Border King saw Yan Jin Chao approaching and said to the person beside him, "King Yun, allow me to introduce you. This is Yan Jin Chao."
Yun Duan Hai nodded, "Young Master Yan was the one who received me yesterday. We've already had a preliminary introduction."
The Northern Border King laughed heartily, "So that's how it is. I completely forgot."
Yun Duan Hai smiled and looked at the Northern Border King, "Northern Border King, has anyone ever told you that this Young Master Yan bears a striking resemblance to the former Crown Prince of Snow Country? Now His Majesty Yun, who is beside the Empress."
Although his voice was not loud, those nearby could hear him.
Xue Zining looked at Yun Duan Hai. This was interesting.
The Northern Border King's gaze paused slightly, and he smiled, "Is that so? I've never heard that. Does he look alike?"
Yun Duan Hai nodded, "Yes."
The Northern Border King looked at the others. The others quickly said, "It must be that Prince Yun sees wrongly. He doesn't look alike."
"Prince Yun, you see, he doesn't look alike," said the Northern Border King.
Yun Duan Hai chuckled twice, "Perhaps I was mistaken."
"Please be seated." The Northern Border King walked towards the seats.
Before taking her seat, Xue Zining looked at Yun Duan Hai. A flicker of unusual light crossed his eyes.
As the Northern Border King took his seat, a melodious zither sound suddenly filled the air. To everyone's astonishment, a woman in white was seen sitting on a rockery not far away, playing the zither.
The zither music was distant and melodious.
"It's Miss Jiang," someone exclaimed.
Xue Zining looked towards the rockery. Indeed, wasn't the woman in white Jiang Yu Li?
"She plays very well," Xue Zining praised.
"You can't?" Yan Jin Chao, who was beside her, suddenly asked.
Xue Zining was stunned. She suddenly remembered that when she was young, the music tutor she had was so frustrated that he told her father that he couldn't teach her anymore.
He even said that others' zither playing was a pleasure to the eye, while hers was deadly.
In a fit of anger, she smashed the zither and never played it again.
This was perhaps her sore point.
"Can you, Young Master?" she retorted.
"I have a slight understanding of music," Yan Jin Chao said indifferently.
When the piece ended, everyone applauded. Even Xue Zining, who didn't understand much, felt that it was played well.
Assisted by her maids, Jiang Yu Li descended from the rockery. She approached everyone and said, "My daughter has embarrassed herself."
"Miss Jiang, you are truly humble. Your playing is clearly of heavenly quality, unmatched on earth," someone praised.
Jiang Yu Li subconsciously glanced in Yan Jin Chao's direction, only to see him speaking to the maid beside him. She had never seen him speak so gently. In an instant, jealousy arose.
She bit her lower lip and said, "I've heard that the maid beside Young Master Yan is proficient in everything, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting. Why don't Miss A Ning play a song for everyone to hear?"
Xue Zining was stunned. She hadn't even said or done anything, yet she was being targeted.
Looking up at Jiang Yu Li's envious gaze, she stood up and said, "Miss Jiang, I am not skilled in music. I'm afraid I will disturb everyone's refined mood."
Jiang Yu Li heard this and said, "How could that be? Young Master Yan values these things the most. How can he keep someone who is not skilled in music by his side?"
Seeing this, everyone understood Jiang Yu Li's intentions. Who in Northern Border City didn't know about Miss Jiang's feelings?
"Miss Jiang, I'm afraid I will disappoint you. A Ning truly does not know music."
"Young Master Yan, if Miss A Ning doesn't know music, what about dancing? Surely she must know at least one of these."
Yan Jin Chao heard this, put down his teacup, and perhaps intentionally, his voice was a little loud. Instantly, everyone present stopped talking and fell silent, watching how Yan Jin Chao would respond.
Yan Jin Chao looked at Jiang Yu Li indifferently and said, "My people do not need to know these things, because she does not need to perform them for others in public. She is a person of my Yan Mansion, not a musician or a dancer."
Jiang Yu Li trembled all over, her face turning pale. Was Yan Jin Chao calling her a lowly musician?
The Northern Border King also spoke up upon hearing this, "Young Master Yan, I too would like to hear Miss A Ning's zither playing. You won't refuse, will you?"
Xue Zining felt the aura around Yan Jin Chao change. She couldn't let him have a dispute with the Northern Border King because of her. She stood up and said, "As long as Your Highness doesn't mind my playing being unpleasant."
The Northern Border King smiled, "It won't be."
"I will play," Xue Zining said slowly.
"A Ning..." Yan Jin Chao said word by word.
Xue Zining was slightly stunned. She felt as if he was angry.
But at this moment, she didn't want him to have any conflict with the Northern Border King.
"Young Master, you must cover your ears later," she whispered.
Yan Jin Chao was slightly taken aback. He saw the corner of the young girl's lips curve upwards, and a cunning glint flashed in her eyes.
She looked at the height of the rockery and climbed up step by step. Seeing the zither there, she understood. Jiang Yu Li intended to make her look foolish.
There were only a few strings on this zither, and most of them were broken. Fortunately, she didn't know how to play at all; otherwise, she would have been distressed.
She sat down and strummed the few good strings. She herself frowned at the sound, it was truly unpleasant.
Yan Jin Chao finally understood why she had asked him to cover his ears. The sound was so terrible it was almost unbearable to witness.
The crowd, who had been waiting to watch a spectacle, now had the most unpleasant expressions on their faces. They knew it would be bad, but they never expected it to be this bad.
The Northern Border King's face was extremely displeased.
Jiang Yu Li almost wanted to cover her ears. Was this playing the zither? It was practically killing people.
Xue Zining played with great gusto. Apart from her ears feeling uncomfortable, she felt her mood lifted.
Looking at the ashen faces below, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "You want to listen to my playing? That depends on whether you have the fortune to."
"Stop... stop playing, it's too terrible..." someone finally said.