Chapter 1: The Treasure of Yi De, Crossing the Deep...

  Qin Qing's stunned expression made Liang Xin think that his joke had fallen flat. He awkwardly laughed a few more times, tugging at the corners of his mouth and dodging eye contact, pretending to appreciate the room's decor. But then Qin Qing suddenly burst out laughing, her laughter growing more and more exaggerated until she was holding onto Liang Xin's shoulder for support, her stomach hurting from laughing so hard that she was in danger of falling to the ground.

  Li Wei looked at Qin Qing with a shocked expression, thinking that this girl wouldn't be sick or have some kind of neurological problem, would she? Was the joke really that funny? It was just an ordinary joke.

  In fact, Liang Xin did not expect that ancient people are very different from modern people. Modern people receive a lot of information every day and have become immune to many humorous points. But Qin Qing is different, she has never had anyone tell her jokes in her life. Even if someone told her, how could they possibly tell such low-level jokes like "mouth fart"?

  Qin Qing smiled for a while, then slowly stopped laughing, and scolded with a smile: "You rascal, actually telling me such vulgar words. I...I've never heard of such funny news before. Hehehe..."

  A joke from Liang Xin suddenly narrowed the distance between them, and their conversation was no longer as formal as before with "young master" and "young lady". Liang Xin told Qin Qing a few more jokes, making her giggle and hit him playfully.

  And every time Qin Qing smiled, Liang Xin would stare straight at the bulge on her chest with wide eyes. As she laughed, they would shake up and down each time, making Liang Xin almost drool.

  Finally, Liang Xin's sinister intentions were discovered by Qin Qing. Qin Qing's pretty face turned red as she stood up and said: "You bad guy, how can you always stare at others..."

  "What's wrong with staring at people?" Liang Xin asked deliberately pretending to be silly.

  Qin Qing's face turned red as she looked at Liang Xin, and after stamping her foot, she turned around and walked away. Liang Xin followed her, but unexpectedly saw Qin Qing's unfinished painting of a beautiful woman.

  "Huh? This painting of a lady is quite well done, how did the lines suddenly go awry?" Liang Xin asked, actually trying to intentionally change the subject to ease the awkwardness.

  Qin Qing turned her head and said at once: "You're still talking, isn't this all because of you?"

  "What's wrong with me?" Liang Xin was slightly taken aback, thinking what does this have to do with me?

  Qin Qing nodded and said, "Of course it's your fault. Just now, Ya Shi told me about the Buddha you mentioned who created a stone that he couldn't move, and I burst out laughing, causing my brushstrokes to go astray. What a pity, this painting of mine is ruined just like that."

  "Is it ruined?" Liang Xin observed for a moment before smiling and saying, "It's not ruined." After finishing speaking, Liang Xin picked up the brush and continued painting Qin Qing's portrait. At first, Qin Qing still looked at Liang Xin with suspicion as he painted, but towards the end when the image gradually became clear, Qin Qing was shocked.

  The original front-facing portrait of a lady was transformed into a side-profile portrait of a lady in contemplation after being modified by Liang Xin. The painting depicts a lady holding a folding fan with her head bowed in thought. Generally, girls use feather fans, while folding fans are mostly used by men.

  The lady holding a folding fan in her hand is deep in thought, and it seems that she is thinking of her lover. In line with this profound meaning, Qin Qing felt that the woman's eyes in the painting seemed to be filled with dense thoughts, which had already penetrated through the paper, making people feel as if they were on the spot, and their hearts were shocked.

  "After finishing the painting, Liang Xian wrote in the upper right corner: 'The fragrance of red lotus lingers, the jade mat is cool in autumn. Lightly untie the silk dress, alone ascend the orchid boat. Who sends a letter with swan-like characters from the clouds? The moon is full in the western tower. Flowers drift away, water flows, one kind of longing, two places of idle sorrow. This feeling cannot be dispelled, just lowering my eyebrows, yet it rises to my heart...'"

  Qin Qing whispered the words written by Liang Xin, at first she just thought that Liang Xin's calligraphy was excellent. Until later when she saw the whole poem, Qin Qing was deeply shocked. The dense longing emotions in the poem only needed to be read once to make people feel a sour taste in their hearts.

  Qin Qing looked up at Liang Xin and gently bit her lower lip: "Liang Gongzi, can you give me this painting?"

  Liang Xin glanced at the painting she had drawn, as well as Li Qingzhao's shamelessly plagiarized "One Clip of Plum Blossom. Red Lotus Fragrance Remains on Jade Zither in Autumn" and smiled faintly. Liang Xin nodded and said: "Since Miss Qin has spoken up, how could I dare not comply?"

  Qin Qing looked at Liang Xin with a flowing gaze, she bowed sincerely to Liang Xin and said earnestly: "Thank you, Mr. Liang."

  Liang Xin stretched out his hands and helped Qin Qing up, their eyes met and they both froze for a moment.

  As a modern person, Liang Xin naturally understood that this was the best opportunity for him to lean in and kiss Qin Qing. Of course, he did just that. And Qin Qing seemed to have a premonition of what was about to happen, her cheeks flushing with a mixture of shyness and anticipation, yet she didn't dodge.

  As Liang Xin's head drew closer and closer, Qin Qing's fiery red lips were about to be tasted by Liang Xin. Oh yeah! The evil knocking sound rang out, the evil servant girl Ya Shi said: "Young Master Liang, Mr. Yang asked me to inform you that Old Man Zhao is preparing to leave."

  Damn it! Liang Xin cursed inwardly, having spent over half an hour drawing a picture and even using a phrase from his collection of stolen words. Just as the beauty's red lips were in front of him, he was interrupted so ruthlessly. What kind of feeling is this? Two big characters rose up on Liang Xin's forehead: "坑爹" (son of a bitch)!

  Qin Qing's face turned red as she lowered her head in embarrassment and whispered, "Liáng gōng zǐ, you're being too rough and it hurts."

  How did I use too much force? How did I end up hurting you? Qin Qing's words sparked countless wild thoughts in Liang Xin, and at this moment, the national flag rose high under Liang Xin's feet. The tent that was raised again scared Qin Qing, who had lowered her head. Qin Qing quickly turned her head to one side, her heart racing like a deer.

  Qin Qing struggled slightly, and it was only then that Liang Xin realized that his hands had been resting on Qin Qing's shoulders the entire time, possibly due to his inner excitement causing him to unintentionally apply some force.

  Li Wei quickly released his hands, turned to one side and covered himself with force, saying: "That... Miss Qin Qing, I have something to attend to today, so I'll take my leave first. If there's a chance, we can meet again next time."

  Qin Qing said in a low voice "Hmm!" and after pausing for a few seconds, Qin Qing seemed to have mustered up great courage and said: "Qin Qing welcomes the young master's return."

  Liang Xin nodded: "It will definitely be. Goodbye!"

  After finishing speaking, Liang Xin walked towards the door and opened it to step out. Before leaving, Liang Xin gave a fierce stare at the little maid Ya Shi, which left Ya Shi bewildered and wondering if she had done something wrong.

  When he arrived at the room where Zhao Jie was waiting to meet Wan Guiyun, he saw Zhao Jie drinking tea with a pleased expression, while Yang Jia stood beside him with an expressionless face. Liang Xin thought to himself that this old man must have made his move, and as soon as he thought of it, Liang Xin became angry again, "Damn! You've made your move, but you come to interrupt my fun?"

  Although he was filled with resentment in his heart, Liang Xin still had to pretend to be humble and said: "I deserve to die, I actually made Your Majesty wait for me."

  Zhao Ji perhaps was in a good mood, casually waving his hand: "Get up, I didn't say when to leave, and it wasn't a long wait either. Today, Miss Wan accompanied me to recite poetry, play the zither, and blow the sheng, all thanks to your poem 'Qing Yu An Yuan Xi'. Hmm, after I return to the palace, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

  Reciting poetry or playing the zither? You've been at it for half a day and still haven't gotten the hang of it? Upon hearing Zhao Ji say this, Liang Xin's heart immediately felt balanced. After all, everyone was struggling to get the hang of it. Moreover, Liang Xin was quite certain that Qin Qing had more than just a little bit of feelings for him. Hmm, no, definitely more than just a little bit.

  "All right, it's getting late, let's return to the palace." Zhao Ji said as he stood up.

  Yang Jia and Liang Xin replied in unison: "Yes!" Then, under the escort of the two, Zhao Ji walked out from the side door he had entered before.

  The night was as black as ink. The carriage had been waiting outside the side gate early, and after Zhao Jie got on the carriage, Yang Jian waved his hand casually, and saw eight or nine figures flashing by, disappearing into the darkness.

  Li Xian saw those few figures and didn't feel anything strange, after all it was the emperor's inspection tour. Even if he went incognito, he would definitely pay attention to his personal safety. It was impossible for him to go on a solo tour like in that "Kangxi's Private Visit" story.

  The horse-drawn carriage drove out of Jin Yan Street and turned back onto Yang Shi Liu Street. At this time, there was not a single pedestrian on the street, and there were no streetlights along the road either. The horse-drawn carriage moved very slowly because it was only illuminated by the two lanterns beside it, and going too fast would easily result in collisions.

  The carriage suddenly stopped, and Liang Xin's heart rose with a sense of unease for no reason. A gleaming steel knife stabbed into the carriage...