The playing stopped after a while. Zhao Changhe only knew a handful of tunes, most of them practice pieces he had learned in Gusu. “A Phoenix Seeks His Mate” had been something he deliberately picked up for Tang Wanzhuang…0

Still, he played every practice piece he knew, one after another, for the little maid. She loved listening, perhaps even more than Tang Wanzhuang did.0

After all, her name was Baoqin, and she clung to her beloved guqin every day. If a single string snapped, she would react as if she had been stabbed in the heart.0

Even though the songs were few and mostly simple practice pieces, Baoqin listened with rapt attention, utterly delighted.0

What was the fate of a chamber maid? It was to take the mistress’s place whenever she was indisposed, to fulfill the master’s desires. From the moment Baoqin became aware of such matters, she had long since prepared herself mentally. That was why she had been so picky in choosing her future master… Back when this brutish bear of a man was not to her liking, she had been more anxious than even her mistress, because it meant she would have to serve...0