The flute sound is still faintly coming.

  After listening for a while, Zhang Qi let out a low sigh and said, "Let's go."

  When she heard that they were leaving, Ah Green was stunned for a moment and felt a little disappointed.

  As Zhang Yi, she had few opportunities to interact with the opposite sex. In this era where men and women were not strictly segregated and women's constraints were relatively fewer, it was a normal move for her to walk over, show off her talent, and win the attention of one or two young masters.

  But in Zhang Qi's opinion, with Zhang Xuan's identity, his friends must also be people from noble families. A young master of such status would only offer her a concubine position. Why bother to join this commotion?

  Turning around, Zhang Qi's long skirt trailed out a beautiful shadow in the moonlight.

  It's not that I'm causing trouble as a concubine, but it's actually because of this body being difficult.

  Zhang Qi knew that her appearance after growing up, without any means or power, it would be difficult for anyone to keep her. So she looked for a husband, and had to find one with power and means who could protect her. However, such a husband, if he were a noble son, would certainly have a good daughter from a respectable family as his wife, and she wouldn't stand a chance. And if she weren't the legitimate wife, but only a concubine or a servant girl, it would be hard for her to be tolerated by the legitimate wife.

  This way, she fell into a dilemma. Unless she found a high-ranking official with humble origins, Zhang Qi didn't know where her own path to survival lay!

  The round moon shines brightly, illuminating the earth with such clarity. Zhang Gui had just taken a few steps when a duck's voice came laughing and teasing, "A bright moon, a gentle breeze on the lake, where is this young lady from? Wandering under the flowers and moonlight, heartbroken by the lakeside pavilion?"

  The voice was loud and clear, with a hint of arrogance and the pride of youth.

  But it was Chen Y's voice.

  Zhang Qi didn't expect to be called out by him, and even teased. She was stunned, and could only slowly turn around amidst the laughter of the crowd, bowing slightly from a distance before saying in a clear voice: "Ninth Brother, it's me, Ah Qi."

  Chen's voice disappeared.

  It turned out that Zhang Xuan exclaimed with surprise: "It's Ah Gui! Come here, come here."

  Zhang Qi hesitated for a moment, then replied in a clear voice: "It's getting late, I should head back."

  Zhang Xuan's voice was filled with a drunken tone. Upon hearing her refusal, he didn't think twice and shouted: "The genius is coming in late, come over here."

  After he finished speaking, he looked around and proudly said to the crowd of young men: "My sister is not only beautiful but also talented, she's on par with Ban Zhao and Xie Daoyun. Once you see her, you'll definitely be impressed."

  She actually boasted about her in front of her companions.

  After boasting, Zhang Xuan saw that Zhang Qi was still motionless. He took a step forward and walked towards her.

  He took three steps and two steps, and ran to Zhang Qi's side. He leaned in close to Zhang Qi and said in a low voice: "You've come at just the right time today. Among these young masters, there is one who is the illegitimate son of the Yuan family of Ru'nan. Although he has been abandoned by his mother, he is a talented person. Take a look at him. If you're willing, I'll persuade my mother to let you marry him as your legitimate husband."

  Zhang Qi looked up at him with a hint of curiosity and naivety, asking: "He's very talented? What talent?"

  Zhang Xuan smiled and said: "Indeed, it's a masterpiece of poetry."

  "Does he have an official position?"

  Zhang Xuan smiled, stroking her hair with his hand, and said: "Silly Ah Gui, being an official is a mundane task. As long as the young masters of aristocratic families can write good poems and essays, and are well-versed in mysticism and eloquence, they will be respected by others."

  Zhang Qi lowered her head: But I'm just a common person.

  After a moment, she pursed her lips and smiled faintly, saying softly: "But Chen Yu is here tonight." In the midst of Chen Xuan's contemplation, Zhang Qi's voice was gentle, "A'qi and Chen Lang have always had some discord. This kind of gathering is not suitable after all." She curtsied to him and slowly retreated backwards.

  Zhang Xuan let her go.

  Zhang Qi walked for a while and could still hear the sound of teasing and scolding from the pavilions.

  Another dreamless night.

  The next day at school, there was no sign of Zhang Jin. The same was true on the third day.

  Lowering her head and staring at Zhang Yi's several faces, she was a bit distracted and didn't even notice that the teacher had already announced the end of class.

  When she came to, there were only a few people left in the classroom. Zhang Qi packed up and looked at the sun outside, thinking: nothing else to do, might as well go back and take a nap.

  At this moment, a servant came over.

  He came before Zhang Qi and said in a low voice: "Zhang Shi A Qi, my husband Lang Jun is calling you."

  Zhang Qi looked at herself and the servant explained: "My young master is your teacher Yuan, he wants you to go over there for a moment."

  What did Yuan Laoshi call her?

  Zhang Qi's heart skipped a beat, and she hastily replied: "I'll be right there."

  Two people walked in a line, one in front of the other, and soon they arrived at a garden not far from the school. Teacher Yuan was sitting in front of a stone table, holding a white piece, frowning as he looked at the chessboard in front of him.

  Seeing him in a trance, neither Zhang Qi nor anyone else disturbed him.

  After a while, Yuan Xiansheng finally put down the white porcelain in his hand and clapped his palms with a laugh.

  As he was laughing, his eyes suddenly fell on Zhang Qi.

  He waved his hand, signaling the servant to retreat a bit, then turned to Zhang Qi and looked her up and down before saying, "Where's the score?"

  Zhang Qi's eyes lit up and she trembled as she said: "I remember it in my heart. Are you going to teach me?"

  Her expression holds too much longing and anticipation.

  Yuan shook his head.

  In Zhang Qi's eyes that dimmed for an instant, he said softly: "I asked your family elder. He said, how can a noble daughter be married to a poor scholar?"

  "But I am so humble..."

  "Your family's elder also said, 'The young lady of the Zhang family would rather be a concubine of a noble family than the wife of a humble household. If she is truly talented and exceptional, even if her birth mother is not worthy, she can still enter the palace as a consort. How could she stoop to being a woman of a humble household?'"

  Zhang Qi suddenly took a step back.

  Seeing her pale face, Yuan Xiansheng sympathized with her. He sighed and said: "Why does Ah Gui have to think so much? The girls are all used to it, why does Ah Gui have to think so much?"

  As for this matter, he had indeed seriously inquired about Zhang's master. Because he also felt that with Zhang Gui's talent and character, she was suitable to be someone's legitimate wife.

  Unfortunately, Zhang's son was even more stubborn than he had imagined.

  Zhang Qi did not hear his comfort, her eyes stared blankly at Yuan Xun, and she had already lost her soul.

  Seeing this, Yuan's teacher touched his chin, and the words he wanted to ask for the score were stuck in his throat. He was stunned for a while, seeing her still in a daze. He threw down the chess piece, put his hands behind his back and left.

  Zhang Qi slowly stepped back into the room, one foot deep and one foot shallow.

  As soon as she entered the bedroom, she fell onto the bed, covering her face, motionless.

  After a while, she finally moved, propping herself up and slowly sitting up. Zhang Qi raised her head and saw Ah Green peeking in at the door with a worried and frightened look on her face.

  Ah Lu smiled towards her. Zhang Qi was about to speak when a middle-aged woman's voice came from outside, "Is your family's Qi girl at home?"

  A maidservant hastily replied: "It's Mistress Hui, our young lady is here."

  "The madam is inviting you."

  Madam?

  As soon as the three words came out, the small courtyard immediately became quiet. Zhang Qi quickly sat up, rubbed her face with her hand, and then looked at herself in the copper mirror, hastily walked out, lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Trouble Nanny Ying."

  Ying was a stout, rich-looking woman in her thirties or forties. Although she didn't wear any jewelry, she exuded an air of wealth. To outsiders, she must have seemed like a noblewoman, but in reality, within the manor, she was just a favored maid in front of the first wife.

  When she saw Zhang Qi come out, Madame Ying smiled warmly and said, "Qi'er, follow me."

  The voice is calm and even, with no sign of joy or anger.

  Zhang Qi suppressed the unease in her heart, she gave a signal to Ah Lu with her eyes, stopping her from following, and then led three other maids to follow behind Ying's mother as they walked forward.

  Since returning to Jiankang, Zhang Gui had never seen this great lady. If she really wanted to address her, she was also Zhang Gui's grandmother.

  After walking with her head down for a while, Zhang Gui opened her lips several times, and then asked: "I don't know what Grandmother called me, Ah Gui, for what?"

  The old woman seemed not to have heard and just walked forward.

  Zhang Qi got into an unpleasant situation and felt even more uneasy in her heart.

  After walking for nearly half an hour, several people arrived outside a courtyard. This courtyard was filled with tall cypresses and pines, and in the entire Zhang Manor where peach blossoms were blooming and pear flowers were fragrant, this one courtyard's lush greenery gave people a feeling of shielding off spring.

  After walking through several corridors, the woman arrived in front of a delicate wooden house. The wooden house was extremely delicate, with tall and lush cypress trees surrounding it, and only a small wall and eaves were exposed, giving the initial impression that she had arrived at the home of a hermit living in seclusion in the mountains.

  Before anyone approached, Zhang Gui smelled a fragrance. This scent did not belong to peach blossoms or pear blossoms, nor was it the property of rouge powder.

  After smelling it a few times, Zhang Gui suddenly realized that this was sandalwood fragrance!

  Right in front of me is a small house with three rooms, from the beams to the door frames to the walls, all made entirely of sandalwood!

  It's luxurious to this extent!

  She knew that the Zhang family was wealthy and the Xiao family was even more extravagant, but she had no idea that this extravagance would go to such an extent! These sandalwood, which are not produced in Jiankang, must have cost a fortune just to bring them back. Not to mention, this kind of wood is extremely expensive in itself!

  However, a sentence suddenly flashed into Zhang Qi's mind: Sandalwood is not suitable for those with yin deficiency and fire excess.

  These words seem to be spoken by a person who will build a sandalwood house for her to live in the future, and an old monk standing next to him said casually.

  Zhang Qi's expression became serious.

  She walked up the steps and said respectfully inside: "Qī gū zi has arrived."

  "Let her in." It was the voice of a young maid.

  "Come on in."

  Zhang Qi responded with a sound, took a step forward. After walking two steps, a middle-aged woman walked out from inside. This woman's round white face was full of smiles, her demeanor was very casual, and it turned out to be Zhang Qi's acquaintance, Wen Qie!

  Facing Zhang Qi directly, Wen Yu was also startled. She looked at Zhang Qi seriously and only said in a low voice when she passed by, "Be bolder."

  This is just a reminder!

  Zhang Qi was extremely moved, she didn't turn her head back, but slightly inclined her head, silently and quietly made a bow, then lifted the delicate, round and plump pearl curtain, which could be exchanged for dozens of taels of gold, and stepped inside.

  On the soft couch in the room, an old woman with silver hair was sleeping. Behind her, a young maid of twenty-five or six years old was fanning her.

  In addition, near the window lattice, there are two small maidservants.

  As soon as Zhang Qi walked in, they all looked up and took a glance at her.

  Zhang Qi walked five steps in front of the soft couch, made a slight curtsy and called out in a clear voice: "A Qi has seen her grandmother."

  The old woman opened her eyes.

  Two maidservants came forward and carefully helped the old woman sit up straight.

  Zhang Qi quietly raised her head and saw that the old woman was indeed frail and thin, with a faint flush on her cheeks.

  Her furtive glance was discovered by the old woman.

  The old woman glanced at Zhang Gui with a sideways glance. Seeing her action, a maidservant immediately handed over a spittoon. The old woman coughed a few times against the spittoon and spat out a small mouthful of yellow phlegm before turning to look at Zhang Gui.

  She looked at him with a wooden face and asked slowly: "Are you Ah Qi?"

  "Returning to her grandmother, Ah Qie was indeed her granddaughter."

  Perhaps hearing Zhang Gui call herself a granddaughter, the old woman scowled and hummed. Behind her, a maidservant shouted loudly: "Kneel down!"

  As Zhang Qi knelt down with a thud, the maid shouted: "Zhang Qi, how did you seduce Xiao Shi Mo Lang, causing him to lose his dignity and disregard his status? Tell the truth!"

  Download the latest txt e-book of this book, please click:

  This book is on mobile:

  Publishing book reviews:

  For your convenience, you can click on the record below (Record this time) to see it next time you open the bookshelf! Please recommend this book to your friends (QQ, blog, WeChat, etc.) and thank you for your support!!