Chapter 299: Yuexuan: Xue Ke

At Yuexuan, Sima Yi, with a gloomy and solemn expression, arrived at the main entrance of this place known as the most etiquette-abiding location.

Although he was not a famous person, he was, after all, the steward of Prince Xue Beng's estate and had accompanied Prince Xue Beng here several times; the receptionists at the main entrance would not fail to recognize him, so the situation from the original work where people like Tang San and Tang Hao were looked down upon or nearly driven away did not occur.

The receptionist in charge bowed to Sima Yi, "So it is Steward Sima. Today, there are no performances at my Yuexuan; the Mistress is currently teaching the young masters and ladies of the nobility to play music and is not receiving guests."

"I have not come to watch a performance, but have an important matter and request to see the Mistress of your establishment. Please report this on my behalf," Sima Yi said.

"This... please wait a moment, sir." The receptionist hesitated slightly; the Mistress had said that when she was teaching, she was not to be disturbed for any reason.

But Sima Yi was no ordinary person; he was the head steward of Prince Xue Beng's estate. His arrival here likely meant he was representing a prince of the empire, so she naturally could not just brush him off casually.

After some thought, she went inside to report it on his behalf.

Even if it were nothing major, given their Mistress's tolerance, she would at most be scolded a few times; but if there really were an important matter and she blocked Sima Yi from entering, those princes and dukes behind him would hold her accountable, and her small frame could not bear that.

In the Yuexuan performance hall, the Mistress, Tang Yuehua, waved a baton in her hand, conducting the noble students below as they played a melodious piece of music.

It was just that her expression today did not seem very good.

Although the children below seemed to be playing perfectly, her ability was comparable to the real Zhou Gongjin of the Three Kingdoms period, who would "look back at the sound of a mistake in the music"; she could still hear that trace of disharmony in the ensemble.

"Stop!" Tang Yuehua raised her hand and called for everyone to halt, "You all played well. Let's end today's lesson here. Go home early and be careful on the road. Ke'er, stay behind."

"Yes, Teacher!" The students studying here were mostly full of a sense of etiquette; even if it were faked, one could not see a single flaw, which showed how excellent Tang Yuehua's teaching ability was.

Once the others had all dispersed, only Xue Ke remained, looking at Tang Yuehua with some apology; she knew that she had been distracted again while playing just now, causing a flaw in the otherwise perfect music.

Perhaps to ordinary people, this tiny lapse did not count for much, and many might not even be able to hear it at all.

But to a perfectionist like Tang Yuehua, that trace of a flaw was like a mouse dropping added to a pot of porridge, ruining the entire pot.

"Ke'er, this has happened several times in a row. In the piece just now, you had at least four instances where your pitch was inaccurate," Tang Yuehua said.

Xue Ke lowered her head and said, "Yes, Teacher. Ke'er knows she was wrong; I will be careful in the future."

"Sigh, if your heart is not here, what is the use of being careful?" Tang Yuehua sighed, "For the past year, you have always been so absent-minded. Are you missing your fiancé?"

Xue Ke's face flushed red; she had not expected her maidenly thoughts to be seen through by her teacher at a glance. She did not want to hide it and nodded, "Yes, Teacher. Ke'er misses him. It has been over a year since I had any news of him. Ke'er is worried—has he forgotten Ke'er? Does he not want Ke'er anymore?"

As she spoke, Xue Ke's eyes were already turning red. Over a year ago, after the Academy Tournament ended, she had originally prepared to rush to the Gu Lei Kingdom to discuss the engagement with Nan Feihuang first.

Unexpectedly, before she could even set off, she received a letter from Nan Feihuang saying he had gone out for training.

This year, she had sent people everywhere to inquire, but there was no news at all. She went to ask her eldest brother, Xue Qinghe, and he also said he did not know.

This filled her heart with unease.

After all, if he had just gone out for training, he wouldn't have failed to send even a single letter to report his safety, would he?

This kept Xue Ke in a state of constant anxiety. In truth, she knew that the connection between her and Nan Feihuang was merely that piece of paper—the marriage contract. Although she had fallen in love with Nan Feihuang, she also understood that Nan Feihuang, at most, only felt affection and responsibility toward her.

The one he truly loved was someone else, such as that Lv Lingqi, or that girl with the surname Qian.

But she did not care; after all, which king's harem had only one woman? Even Nan Tianchen, who was known for having the cleanest harem, had one Queen and two Secondary Concubines.

She firmly believed that as long as they were married, she would fulfill her responsibilities as a wife and always accompany him, and one day he would surely fall in love with her.

No matter how late that day arrived, it did not matter; she was willing to wait.

But now, Nan Feihuang was nowhere to be found. It could be that he just didn't want to be with her, or if the situation were worse, she did not know if something had happened to Nan Feihuang and he could not return.

Compared to the latter, she would rather it be the former; she only hoped her beloved was safe.

"Ke'er, if waiting is truly too painful, then don't wait anymore. Forget him," Tang Yuehua advised.

She naturally knew what kind of person Nan Feihuang was; it was true that he was a good match for Xue Ke.

According to rumors, he lacked the arrogance of the nobility and was instead very close to the people. He followed the behavioral style of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and was deeply loved by the citizens of the Gu Lei Kingdom.

He was handsome in appearance, and his status was even more precious. Originally, the national strength of the Gu Lei Kingdom was indeed far behind the Heaven Dou Empire, but in these few years, the Gu Lei Kingdom had risen rapidly, with two additional Title Douluo, and even the Dragon Snake Family had joined them.

With such a background, the status of Nan Feihuang, the real-power Crown Prince of the kingdom, was likely even greater than that of Xue Ke, the vase Princess of the Heaven Dou Empire.

As for talent, the two could not even be mentioned in the same breath; Nan Feihuang's talent was that of a monster who only appeared once every few hundred years.

All things considered, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Xue Ke was marrying above her station.

But she still wanted to persuade Xue Ke to give up, because of her position.

Her beloved second brother had suddenly come to find her once in the past few years, begging her to help keep an eye out for news of soul bones for the sake of Tang San's Twin Spirits cultivation.

Tang Hao had also told her about his affairs with the Gu Lei Kingdom.

Since the Gu Lei Kingdom was her second brother's enemy, it was her enemy and the enemy of her eldest brother, Tang Xiao—it was the enemy of the Clear Sky Sect.

She knew that with her second brother's temper, he would sooner or later take action against Nan Feihuang.

No matter how powerful Nan Feihuang was, he could only rely on his mother now. Once he was alone and captured, could he possibly resist Tang Hao?

Tang Yuehua even suspected that the reason Nan Feihuang seemed to have completely vanished from the continent after going out for training might be because he had been caught and killed by her second brother.

Logically, a person with such great fame and such high status would attract the attention of various forces wherever he went. As long as one was determined to inquire, one could always get some news, but now he seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth.

Aside from him being completely dead, what other explanation could there be?

Xue Ke was the student Tang Yuehua cherished most—obedient and sensible. She did not want such a good student to live as a widow for the rest of her life.

(End of chapter)