Lin Ning knew that it was going to happen, but she had gotten too caught up in the song while thinking of Cao Peizhi and her who had finished the song together. Feeling a warm liquid trail down from her hands, she did not know how much blood was coming from her hands. Without even knowing, she felt someone rush up to her with a cloth being pressed into her palms. “Why are you all just standing there?! Find a physician!” Hearing the second prince (Yi Qiao) shout out, Lin Ning knew who the person in front of her was. Knowing that they did not wrap the cloth around her palm was due to only having one hand.

“Thank you, Cao Peizhi.” Lin Ning said, holding a smile to him while he took a look at her smile. He had to keep his stiff face, but inside he was raging with fire to find out who had been the one who cut her zither. He knew that Lin Ning would not be clumsy enough to ruin her zither that she must have had for many years.

“Just call me Brother Pei.” Leaving only silence after between the two, the palace physician had shown up to see the young lady who had her palms cut by the strings of a zither. The physician took a look at her hands, seeing how the injuries were not too deep. Being assisted, Cao Peizhi had taken Lin Ning to sit down rather than kneeling down.

“Miss Lin will have to avoid playing the zither for some time. Her hands will still be able to play it more in the future, but for now they need to heal.” Hearing the palace physician say, Lin Ning knew that this was nothing to be too bothered about.

“Thank you.” Lin Ning thanked the palace physician, knowing that he was being looked at with dagger eyes by Cao Peizhi and the second prince. She knew that he was only doing his job and being stared as if he was going to die was not helping him in the least.

“I think that Miss Lin should return home and rest. It has been a long day and the only reason that she may be able to go out again is by playing her songs.” Xu Meili told them all that Lin Ning just cried inside.

‘Xu Meili!!! You are my savior!!!!’ Knowing that Xu Meili had been helping her so constantly, she only wished that she could help her as well.

“En, why don’t you send Miss Lin back for now?” The crown prince (Yi Changpu) looked to Cao Peizhi, hoping that he would take Lin Ning back since he did not even trust any of the maids there mostly when they were working under the second prince (Yi Qiao)

“En.” Cao Peizhi had gone ahead leading the way while Lin Ning’s maids assisted her to the carriages. The second prince was about to follow when he stopped to know that his princess consort was still there.

“Make sure to clean up the mess.” The crown prince looked to the maids, then he looked at the zither that had blood all over it. Xu Meili had gone out first with the crown prince following after her.

“It seems as though one of the women there is not pleased.” Xu Meili looked to see that one of the women there had targeted an innocent woman who did not even look the least bit harmful. “I did not think that one of the two would want to harm a woman like her.” Xu Meili grew upset, seeing how the crown prince did not even say anything.

“I did not think that they would target her as well. What are you going to do though?” The crown prince asked her, knowing fully well that she was the woman who ruined his sister.

“Me?” Xu Meili did not know why, but she did not hate Lin Ning at all. She felt like they could both be sisters which she wanted to be able to be better acquitted with. “I will make sure that people who harm the innocent pay back twice as much.”

***

Being sent home, Lin Ning had started to feel her palms sting which made it itchy at the same time. “Ouc-” She tried to move her palms, but it hurt when she tried to move it so soon.

“Do not move it too soon.” Hearing Cao Peizhi’s real voice, she found that it was very attractive.

“I did not think that the strings would break so soon.” Lin Ning held a small smile, thinking about the zither it had been the first instrument that the last owner of the body had truly played. ‘We both shared something in common. We both love to play something meaningful.’ She thought, wishing that she could have known more about the last owner of the body that she had entered into.

“What do you mean?” Cao Peizhi asked.

“I’ve been playing the zither for many years, and I always made sure to check it every time that I played. That’s the first time that I failed to check it.” Lin Ning was giving Cao Peizhi hints that it was not a coincidence that it broke.

“Don’t worry. You did not fail to check it. I think your song was beautiful.” Cao Peizhi said, making Lin Ning blush to hear that from him.

‘Why do I feel like there is another meaning behind it?’ Once they reached Lin Ning’s home, her parents rushed immediately to see her.

“Ning’er?! Ning’er?! Was it true?! Did your hands get hurt from the strings breaking?! Did a zither really hurt my precious daughter?!” Hearing her father shout out from across the manor, she felt embarrassed that Cao Peizhi had to see and hear all of that.

“Father, calm down. My zither’s string just broke.” Lin Ning had held onto her father’s hands once he had reached her and grabbed onto her hands to see the bandages on it.

“Your hands are injured. How can I not be worried about you?” Her father looked sadly at her, seeing how she had gotten injured when she entered the palace.

“Father, we have a guest.” Lin Ning said, making her father turn to see the man who brought his daughter home. He had turned as pale as a ghost at that moment.