CH 41.1

Translator – Xiao He Lian

Chapter 41.1 

On the day of the Peach Blossom Banquet, Wen Liang got up early.

Since the family was in trouble, the butler dismissed many servants and maids. In the past, there were a lot of people serving him in the courtyard but now there were only two momos and five servants left.

Wen Liang sat in front of the bronze mirror and after the maid helped him comb his hair, he was still staring at himself in a daze. 

He wore a snow-white robe with ice-blue piping embroidered with flowing cloud patterns and a silver white jade hairpin tied up his long black hair.

His eyebrows and eyes are picturesque, his lips are red and his teeth are white, like a white lotus on the mountain that is not tainted with the slightest breath of the world,  but the corners of his mouth gently pursed uneasily.

He felt his empty neck and felt as if he were missing a piece of it and the restless emotion was churning back and forth in his chest.

Seeing that Wen Liang was frowning, the servant girl smiled and comforted him, “Young master looks really good today.”

Wen Liang shook his head: “You may leave.”

The maid bowed and left quietly.

But a short while later, Wen Liang heard the creaking sound of the door being pushed open again. He frowned impatiently, reached out and threw the things on the mirror table to the ground: “Didn’t I tell you to leave? Are you deaf or do you not listen to me anymore?”

The things fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

“Xiao Liang, why are you so angry?” Madam Xu’s dissatisfied voice sounded behind him, “Can’t I, as a mother, come to see my son?”

Wen Liang turned around in shock and saw Madam Xu walking over, followed by a maid holding a guqin.

He hurriedly got up: “Mother, why are you here?”

Madam Xu tapped the tip of his nose, seemed a little angry but more helpless: “Aren’t you going to the Grand princess’s Peach Blossom Banquet today? I came here to give you something.”

“What is it?” Wen Liang asked, his eyes had already caught the sight of the Guqin in the maid’s hand.

He had seen that guqin before. It was part of Wen Chi’s mother’s dowry.

As the only daughter in the family, Wen Chi’s mother was naturally doted on. Even the guqin made for the dowry was custom made by her parents at an exorbitant price. Moreover, Wen Chi’s mother liked that guqin very much and often played it in her courtyard .

But later, when Wen Chi’s mother hanged herself, Wen Liang never saw the guqin again.

He originally thought that the steward had lost the guqin and after searching for it several times to no avail, he had to give up regretfully. But he didn’t expect that the guqin was actually taken away by his mother.

Seeing the Guqin again, Wen Liang was both surprised and delighted.

Seeing Wen Liang’s happy smile when he touched the guqin, Madam Xu was overjoyed. She took Wen Liang’s hand and said earnestly: “Now that something has happened in the family, a woman like me can’t help you, so I found this guqin, hoping that it can help you at the peach blossom banquet.”

Wen Liang looked at Madam Xu, his eyes gradually became moist: “Mother…”

Madam Xu patted Wen Liang’s head gently: “Father and mother only have you.”

Wen Liang nodded and hugged Madam Xu.

After Madam Xu left with her maid, Wen Liang sat down and looked at the guqin seriously.

He liked this guqin very much, otherwise he wouldn’t have thought about it for so many years.

However, just now he was immersed in joy and didn’t think much about it. After calming down now, he remembered that Wen Chi might be going to the peach blossom banquet with the crown prince. Wen Chi had been looking for the guqin but to no avail. If today Wen Chi saw that he brought the guqin ……

Wen Liang suddenly hesitated. He knew the importance of this guqin to Wen Chi and he was afraid that Wen Chi would not forgive him.

Thinking of this, Wen Liang became a little scared. He stroked the strings with his fingertips a few times and an out-of-tune tune was played, then he gritted his teeth, picked up the guqin and went out.

Two servant girls stood guard outside.

Wen Liang asked, “Has my mother left?”

One of the servant girls replied: “Madam left awhile ago.”

Wen Liang handed the Guqin to the maid and ordered: “Give this back to my mother and tell my mother that I have another way.”

Confused, the servant girl hugged the Guqin and said: “Yes.”

After Wen Liang finished speaking, he turned and entered the room.

But after he walked a few steps, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He struggled for a moment, as if he had finally come to a decision he turned and walked out hastily.

He saw the maid walking out with the guqin in her arms.

Wen Liang shouted: “Wait a minute!”

The servant girl turned her head in doubt: “What else does the young master want?”

Wen Liang gasped and said, “I’ve changed my mind, return the Guqin to me.”

After taking the Guqin from the maid, Wen Liang entered the bedroom without looking back. He put the Guqin on the mirror stand and looked up to see his grim expression on the mirror. 

“Wen Chi, you forced me to do this.” Wen Liang stared blankly at the stranger, muttering to himself, “Since you are unkind to the Wen family, don’t blame me for being iniquitous to you.”

If Wen Chi hadn’t gone to the emperor and complained, how could he have harmed the Wen family to such an extent?

Compared with what Wen Chi has done, what is it if he uses the guqin that Wen Chi’s mother left behind?

The system said that his mother would give him a good guqin before departure, as long as he takes this guqin to the peach blossom banquet and plays a song in front of everyone at the peach blossom banquet, he will be able to attract the attention of fourth prince and save the entire Wen family from the dire straits.

He’s doing this not only for himself but also for the Wen family…

Even if the system is taken away by Li Hao now, he must not miss such a good opportunity, he must do what the system says.