Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2968

Chapter 1481: My Fiancée is a True God?

Zu An laughed heartily, casually waving his hand, and a layer of clear light shimmered in the courtyard: “Don’t worry, I’ve already set up a barrier; no one will see us.”

“But, but…” Ji Xiaoxi looked at the empty surroundings, and although she knew there was a barrier, she was still incredibly shy.

If any servants or maids from the manor passed by, she would truly die of embarrassment.

Unfortunately, she was completely speechless at this moment. Under his gentle touch, her mind quickly went blank, unable to generate any thoughts.

She felt somewhat dizzy, perhaps because the swing was rocking harder and harder.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she suddenly let out a soft moan, tightly embracing her lover, tears streaming down her face.

Zu An’s heart also surged with boundless tenderness; the girl in his arms was like a porcelain doll, as if he might break her with the slightest pressure.

But the more she acted this way, the more it stirred the passion within him.

She really cries at the slightest pressure…

Ji Xiaoxi’s shy nature couldn’t withstand his teasing; she crumbled almost instantly, completely defeated.

Zu An, holding the trembling girl in his arms, had already collected a new Valkyrie fragment.

Seeing a new fragment of the Wood Goddess’s soul appear in the encyclopedia, he was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected Xiaoxi to be the Wood Goddess.

But upon reflection, it wasn’t too unexpected. From a young age, she had shown an unparalleled affinity for all kinds of flowers, plants, and trees, and at such a young age, her medical skills had even surpassed her teachers—clearly related to wood.

“Brother Zu, is there one…” Ji Xiaoxi looked up, her tear-streaked face filled with a strange mix of expectation and nervousness.

“Yes, the Wood Goddess…” Zu An told her.

Ji Xiaoxi breathed a long sigh of relief, worried about losing face if she hadn’t helped him.

Seeing her expression, Zu An felt even more pity, gently kissing the tear tracks on her face and softly comforting her.

Ji Xiaoxi overcame her initial nervousness, and her shyness was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of happiness.

The two poured out their hearts to each other and soon embraced tightly again.

The swing swayed even more violently, and Ji Xiaoxi looked at the lush grass on the ground one moment, and the beautiful starry sky the next, feeling as if she were in a dream.

…

The next day, Lu Zhi, returning from court, planned to take Zu An to visit Cai Yong’s family. He originally wanted to take Ji Xiaoxi along, as the two daughters had known each other since childhood and were good friends.

However, Xiaoxi wasn’t feeling well and stayed in her room, unwilling to go out.

Lu Zhi sighed inwardly, assuming his daughter was hurt by what he had said the day before and didn’t want to personally see her sweetheart and best friend together, so he didn’t try to persuade her further.

Hearing her father’s sigh, Ji Xiaoxi blushed deeply, knowing he had misunderstood, but she didn’t feel comfortable explaining.

It was all Zu An’s fault for his recklessness last night…

Today, she felt like her whole body was falling apart and she didn’t want to move at all.

Zu An, feeling somewhat guilty, comforted Ji Xiaoxi from outside, saying, “Xiaoxi, get some rest.”

Ji Xiaoxi snorted softly, thinking to herself, “I need to find some time to take that swing down; I can’t let anyone else sit on it anymore. “

Meanwhile, Zu An and Lu Zhi arrived at the Cai residence. Cai Yong had already come out to greet them. After exchanging pleasantries, he warmly led the two into the house.

They quickly began discussing recent developments in the capital.

Cai Yong said, “Zigan, recently the Emperor dismissed Cao Cao from his position as the Commandant of the Western Garden and appointed him as a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate; he also promoted Sun Jian, a general under Yuan Shu, to the same

position, which seems to have fueled Yuan Shu’s arrogance.” Cao Cao is now considered by the world to be Yuan Shao’s subordinate, suppressing Yuan Shao’s subordinate and supporting Yuan Shu’s subordinates. Yuan Shu, who was already arrogant and looked down on Yuan Shao’s background, is now even more unwilling to tolerate this, so the struggle between the two brothers is intensifying.

He even thought that the Emperor was deliberately provoking the conflict between the two brothers, though of course, he couldn’t say these things aloud.

Zu An had a general idea of the emperor’s intentions. He guessed that the emperor knew Cao Cao and Sun Jian were both future warlords, so he wanted to keep them close and control them.

Wait a minute, could it be that he kept me in the capital as the Western Garden Commandant for the same reason?

“There is indeed a feeling that conflict is about to break out in the capital,” Lu Zhi said, his brows furrowing slightly. “Today at the court meeting, the matter of Han Sui’s rebellion in the west was discussed. Many ministers suggested that General He Jin lead troops to suppress it, and the emperor granted their request. I feel that all of this is a conspiracy by those eunuchs, deliberately transferring the general away.”

Zu An’s expression was strange. He wondered how they would react if they knew that Zhang Rang and those arrogant eunuchs had pledged allegiance to him.

“Fortunately, the general was quick-witted and petitioned to send Yuan Shao to Xuzhou and Yanzhou to gather troops, so that the western expedition could be launched after his return. The emperor agreed to this as well,” Cai Yong said with some relief.

“Unfortunately, this is not a long-term solution,” Lu Zhi said with a worried expression. “Moreover, the Emperor recently plans to burn all unofficially recognized military strategies and miscellaneous books of various schools of thought, redefine Confucian classics, and also wants to promote the officially promulgated ‘Great Han Order Law.’ I wonder if this is aimed at the powerful clans.”

Previously, the study of Confucian classics was monopolized by the aristocratic families, and generally only their children were qualified to study them, resulting in a large number of aristocratic officials.

Now that the Emperor is defining Confucian classics, it is clear that he wants to take back the power of the aristocratic families.

Lu Zhi was not the kind of person who coveted power, but the aristocratic families had managed the study of

Confucian classics for hundreds or thousands of years, and everything had been running smoothly. How could the Emperor redefine Confucian classics by himself? In the end, wouldn’t it just be those eunuchs messing around, ultimately causing chaos throughout the land?

Zu An sighed inwardly, the true god of order really couldn’t change his nature of controlling everything, wanting all things in the world to operate strictly according to the order he had prescribed.

However, this would fundamentally prevent the birth of new ideas, which is why even staunch supporters like the Universal Chamber of Commerce had so many disloyal members. This approach might be powerful in the short term, but no one could tolerate it in the long run.

The two discussed many events happening in the court, both feeling somewhat troubled.

Lu Zhi remembered his purpose and inquired about Cai Wenji, originally intending to have her make an appearance.

However, Cai Yong looked embarrassed: “My daughter’s personality has been a bit strange lately; she doesn’t like to show herself in public. Xuande, why don’t you go to the backyard and find her? Perhaps you young people can find common ground.”

Lu Zhi laughed: “My Xiaoxi is similar; she seems to have become more temperamental lately.”

While the two were exchanging their thoughts on their daughters, Zu An went to the backyard. He was indeed curious about who this Cai Wenji was.

Passing through the corridor, he heard the faint sound of a pipa coming from the depths of the backyard.

The melody was unlike ordinary boudoir tunes; it was clear and melodious, like a spring babbling on jade, or like fine rain tapping on bamboo. A tranquility beyond her years emanated from the scales, as if the player had countless books hidden at her fingertips.

Zu An’s steps unconsciously slowed. He thought to himself, “As expected of the legendary talented woman. This melody even possesses an ethereal charm, completely transcending the realm of worldly masters.”

Midway through the piece, the key suddenly shifted, the originally elegant melody becoming low and melodious. Zu An was startled; he had never heard this piece before. It seemed neither ancient nor modern, not the desolation of a chaotic world, but rather a transcendent feeling of “all the events of the past and present are but a matter of conversation.” Clearly, it couldn’t be played by a sheltered young woman.

Rounding a clump of green bamboo, the view suddenly opened up. In a small pavilion in the backyard, a young woman sat gracefully on a stone bench, holding a pipa, head bowed, playing the strings. She wore a plain white dress, her hair simply styled with only a jade hairpin.

Although her features hadn’t fully developed, her face possessed a mature beauty that was unparalleled.

A few strands of hair fluttered in the spring breeze, but she was oblivious. Sunlight filtered through the locust tree leaves, casting dappled shadows on her shoulders. As the music flowed, the flowers and plants in the courtyard seemed to breathe.

Zu’an, who had initially intended to greet him, froze. The divinity emanating from the other might be imperceptible to others, but as a divine messenger, how could he not sense his own true god?

He gave a wry smile and bowed: “An ancient scroll, etched in my bones forever; I humbly beseech Your Majesty, grant me immortal memories. Great God of Memory, your most devout messenger pays his respects…”