Hearing this, I sighed. I didn't expect I couldn't avoid this matter after all. So I told him about my encounter with Ao Qing and Young Master An just now. After listening, he said, "I'll go to Ao Qing's father tomorrow and ask the King for an explanation. I'll make him give you an apology."
Hearing this, I asked, "Is it really a good idea to involve Uncle?"
Yu Chi Cheng replied, "We can't let Ao Qing act so arrogantly anymore. I'll also tell Mother. I'll make her ban Ao Qing from entering the palace."
Hearing this, I said, "That's great."
Yu Chi Cheng was still very angry. He carefully checked the red marks on my neck and then asked, "Does it still hurt?"
I shook my head.
Yu Chi Cheng sighed and said, "I owe Young Master An a favor for this."
Hearing him mention Young Master An, I asked, "Who exactly is Young Master An? Why are you so wary of him?"
Hearing my question, Yu Chi Cheng said, "Young Master An's origin is unknown, but he's a confidant of my second brother. I once reminded my second brother that he is very shrewd and ruthless. I told him that if he could avoid interacting with him, he should. But it didn't work."
"Your second brother?"
"Yes, Yu Chi Xu, your second cousin. So you can't call me Brother Yu Chi anymore."
"Ah?" Only then did I remember that I had a low - key second cousin. I hadn't seen him since I came to the Northern Cold Region.
"What are you daydreaming about? Call me something else." Yu Chi Cheng nudged me. Only then did I react. Yu Chi Cheng thought it was too ordinary for me to call him Brother Yu Chi. So I reluctantly said, "Brother Cheng..."
Only then did he smile happily.
In the following days, I heard that Ao Qing had been punished and placed under house arrest. She was also banned from entering the palace forever. I was extremely happy.
Just think about it. In a palace environment different from that of the Great Yong, strolling around quietly, watching the flowers bloom and wither for a few days, and experiencing the exotic customs can actually be quite pleasant, as long as no one comes to bother you or deliberately cause trouble.
I thought I shouldn't waste my time. So I asked Yu Chi Cheng to find me several copies of *The Customs of the Northern Cold Region* in the language of the Great Yong. I would flip through them when I was free. Since I rarely came to the Northern Cold Region, I didn't want to miss any interesting places.
Unexpectedly, these copies of *The Customs of the Northern Cold Region* really broadened my horizons. They also made me have strange dreams for several consecutive days. The most amazing thing was that every time I woke up from a dream, I could faintly hear a familiar tune played on the Qiang flute. And this tune was the same as the one I heard in the Great Yong Palace!
All of a sudden, I missed home very much.
One morning when I got up, I asked the night - watching maids about the Qiang flute sound at night. To my surprise, they all said they hadn't heard it. This made me even more curious about the origin of this tune.
One midnight, I got up to go to the toilet because I had an urgent need. But I heard that familiar tune again. Without hesitation, I put on my shoes and ran out.
This time, the sound of the Qiang flute was clear and melodious, no longer as hazy as in my dreams. I followed the sound, but the Qiang flute sound suddenly stopped. How strange!
I looked around but didn't see anyone. As I walked, I suddenly found someone sitting gracefully on a high platform.
Curiously, I walked onto the high platform. I saw a person sitting with his back to me on a wooden mechanical chair with two big wheels. His figure looked very desolate. So I couldn't help but ask, "Who are you? Why aren't you sleeping at this late hour?"
The person slowly turned his head. It was a face that I was sure I was familiar with, but I had never seen it before. The face was cold and handsome. There was an unrivaled arrogance in his eyes. Seeing me, he just said softly, "Aren't you awake either?"
I was suddenly stunned. Then I saw that he no longer looked at me. He slid the wheels of his chair and left from the other side.
I rubbed my eyes and was sure that there was no Qiang flute in his hand. I knew that he wasn't the person I was looking for. But who was he? And why was he here?
Until his back disappeared, I felt the night wind was a bit cold. I rubbed my goose - bumped arms and immediately ran towards the toilet. Oh no, I had forgotten my main business just now. I was really urgent...
...
When I woke up the next day, I asked the maids again if anyone had heard the Qiang flute sound. The answer was still no.
So I seriously suspected that I had just had a dream. I even suspected that I hadn't even gotten up to go to the toilet last night.
I tried hard to recall the scene of last night and the face of that person. But I just felt it was very familiar, and I couldn't tell where I had seen it before. Was it really a dream? Or just a dream?
I shook my head. I thought I had been a bit absent - minded recently because of reading *The Customs of the Northern Cold Region*.
Then, not long after, Yu Chi Cheng came to find me. He asked me how I had slept these days. I told him about the Qiang flute. He just smiled faintly and didn't say a word. So I asked, "Was it you playing the flute? What's wrong with you? Why do you look so sad?"
Yu Chi Cheng counter - asked, "Do I look like such a sad person?"
I said, "Who knows? Maybe some people seem happy on the surface, but actually they're very sad inside. They might get up in the middle of the night and cry secretly when they miss someone."
"Xi He, who are you satirizing?" After hearing this, Yu Chi Cheng laughed and was about to grab me. Seeing this, I quickly dodged. The two of us were playing around when suddenly two people came in through the moon gate. One was Young Master An in black and white clothes, holding a folding fan. The other was the strange teenager I had met on the mechanical wheelchair that night. Judging from their positions, Young Master An was behind, holding the folding fan in his hand and pushing the teenager.
When Young Master An saw us, he had a faint smile on his face, while the teenager remained silent and cold. Seeing the two of them appear at the same time, I was a bit stunned for a moment. Unexpectedly, Yu Chi Cheng was the first to speak and called out, "Second Brother?"
The teenager coldly raised his eyes and quickly glanced at us. He replied, "Big Brother."
At this time, Young Master An laughed softly behind him. "Has Princess Xi He never met your cousin before?"
I was stunned again. I recalled the Prince Xu that Ao Qing was afraid of. Then I said, "Brother Xu?"
The teenager faintly curved his lips. Then he said, "An, let's go."
Young Master An smiled at us, bowed, and then pushed Prince Xu away. I accidentally glanced at Yu Chi Cheng and saw that his expression was very ugly.
Strange. Are these two really brothers? Why are they so cold to each other? They're nothing like my elder brother and fourth younger brother.
It took Yu Chi Cheng a while to say to me, "Xi He, let's go."
"Where to?"
"The female archery field." He said lightly.
"What?" I stared at him with wide eyes. Didn't he know that I didn't get along well with the female archers? Why did he want to go there!
But he gently stroked my head and said, "I'll teach you how to shoot arrows. It's not only for female archers to go there."
"Archery?" I suddenly got excited.
He smiled gently and then said, "In a few days, there will be a hunting competition in the Red Desert Tribe. I'm going to take you there to experience it. So we should practice now..."