Chapter 40: This King Has a Cleanliness Fetish

Note: if you want to get access to +20 Advance Chapters before everyone else and help Translate and pay for the Chapters because we start paying for every chapter from the author Support me on /flokixy Su Li stepped onto the stage, her fingers brushing over the guqin, and she was suddenly filled with an inexplicable sense of familiarity. With a slight bow, she gracefully seated herself. Her jade-like fingers rose delicately, revealing her slender, fair fingers as she gently touched the strings. She paused to gather her breath, and the sound of the guqin rang out—its notes soft yet resolute, flowing like a noble river, rich with rhythm and grace. Su Yue’s face instantly changed. This... This is impossible! It can't be!! Jun Hui narrowed his eyes as he observed the person on stage. It seemed that only someone extraordinary could have captured the attention of the Seventh Prince. Wei Yuanling and his sister widened their eyes in astonishment and delight. If their aunt was this talented, then it was no surprise that their cousin wasn’t ordinary either. Jun Mo watched the woman on stage. Indeed, she always had a way of surprising people. The rumors about her were far from the truth—rumors of being the first ugly woman, a useless young lady, without talent or beauty—he had heard them all. But today, seeing her in person, he realized how ridiculous those rumors were. She had an outstanding aura that would attract attention even without revealing her face. Who would have thought that the rumored clumsy, ugly girl could be so dazzling? With her guqin skills, there might not be another person in the whole of Tianqi who could compare. Jun Hui laughed heartily and clapped his hands. "Truly unexpected! The guqin rightly belongs to Miss Su." Su Li, her face hidden by the veil, looked coldly at him. Her voice was calm, "Your Highness, you flatter me." Jun Hui nodded, curious about the face beneath the veil. This woman was nothing like the rumors. He wondered if the story of her disfigurement was also an exaggeration. At that moment, the old man came forward, smiling, and spoke loudly, "I believe I don't need to say much; everyone knows who the rightful owner of the Lüqi guqin is. Congratulations to Miss Su and King Jing! This guqin belongs to both of you." Su Li nodded slightly. "Thank you, Elder." A servant carefully brought the guqin to the wooden case, and Su Li's servants took it from them. Su Yue snorted coldly and turned to leave, but as she saw several distinguished men, she stopped in her tracks. Even though Su Li had won the guqin, so what? She, an ugly woman, could never compare to her. Su Yue stepped forward, speaking sweetly, "Congratulations, Elder Sister, for winning Lüqi. Please allow me to occasionally visit your courtyard and admire the guqin. You know, I've loved playing the guqin since I was young." Su Li replied, "This guqin is not just mine. It belongs to King Jing as well." Su Yue looked at King Jing and fluttered her eyelashes. Any ordinary man would have agreed to a beauty’s request. Jun Mo replied, "This King has a cleanliness fetish and doesn’t like others touching my things." Su Yue rebutted, "Then what about Elder Sister..." "Those who excel in their skills may be an exception, such as Miss Su." With just that one sentence, Su Yue’s face turned red. What cleanliness fetish? It was simply a rejection of her! Jun Hui laughed and said, "Miss Su is a true guqin virtuoso. This King will gift you one tomorrow, and it will be just as good as Lüqi." Su Yue's face lit up with a smile. "Really?" Her pure and joyful expression made Jun Hui smile more sincerely. "As long as Miss Su likes it." Su Li sneered inwardly. Jun Hui certainly had a people-pleasing personality—no matter who it was, if they could potentially be of use to him, he would lower himself to please them. Wei Yuanyao hooked her arm around Su Li’s and joyfully said, "Cousin, let’s go to Zui Xian Ju for a meal! We've been playing for so long, and I'm starving." Su Li glanced awkwardly at the men around them. Originally, she had come out to let her cousin take a look at Ji San from a distance. Now, however, she had used the opportunity to get closer to Ji San, and if her mother and aunt found out, she’d surely get an earful. Fortunately, no one else knew about Ji San and her cousin, and everyone just assumed they were ordinary friends. Jun Hui had wanted to get closer to Wei Yuanyao, and this was the perfect opportunity. "Do you mind if there’s one more person?" Jun Hui asked, looking at Wei Yuanyao with a smile. Wei Yuanyao was momentarily stunned. She wanted to refuse but glanced at her older brother. Wei Yuanling shot her a warning look. His grandfather and father had instructed him to keep an eye on the Sixth Prince. Wei Yuanling smiled at Jun Hui. "Since that's the case, we’ll go together." Seeing the large group, Wei Yuanyao was taken aback. She had only wanted to go with her cousin, but now it seemed like a whole crowd was coming along. At Zui Xian Ju, Su Li was considered the host. "Lin Bo, bring our signature dishes to the table," Su Li instructed. "Yes, Miss, just a moment." In Tianqi, it was common for men and women to dine together in smaller gatherings. Only in larger settings did they separate by gender. Wei Yuanyao sat to Su Li’s left. After sitting down, she leaned in to whisper in Su Li’s ear. "Li'er, it's fine if Seventh Prince and Ji Huaizhou are here, since they’re close with Brother, but why are Su Yue and Sixth Prince here?" Su Li smiled and patted her hand. Dining with enemies—she couldn’t even begin to describe the inner turmoil. Thinking about what Jun Hui had done to the Su family and the Wei family in her past life, she feared she might not be able to control herself and would poison his drink. But this was Zui Xian Ju, and if something happened to a prince here, the Emperor would investigate thoroughly. Su Li told herself to take it slow! One day, she would ensure that Jun Hui would meet his end with no place to bury him! Su Li removed her veil, and Jun Hui, seeing that she was still wearing a face covering, felt a bit disappointed. But as he saw her soft, bow-shaped brows and the clarity in her eyes, he felt she was the epitome of a noble lady—unfamiliar with the world, innocent, and untainted. The exquisite food and Zui Xian Ju’s signature fruit wine made Wei Yuanyao unable to resist taking a sip. "Cousin, this fruit wine is really good. You should try some." Su Li quickly took the cup from her. "Although the fruit wine isn’t strong, it has a lingering aftertaste. You can’t drink it." If her aunt found out that her cousin not only met with Ji San but also drank alcohol with him at the same table, she would surely be furious. Wei Yuanyao pouted. "So stingy." Wei Yuanling knocked her on the head. "Cousin is right! Who told you to drink?" Wei Yuanyao rubbed her head and said nothing. Ji Huaizhou, observing the girl opposite him, couldn’t help but smile to himself. She hadn’t changed a bit—she looked just like when she used to chase after him asking for candied hawthorns when they were kids.