After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

Xiao Jingyuan half-lyed beside him, his chin rubbing against his shoulder, his breath sweeping over the soft flesh of his neck, pleading softly as he turned over and over.

Xie Qinglan sat upright without moving. Although his face was still cold, the anger in his heart had long been worn away by this clingy persistence, leaving only a few helpless feelings. This person had become more and more shameless since losing his memory. If he continued to act so recklessly, he would really have a hard time dealing with it. He needed to make him remember his past as soon as possible.

The palace door was gently pushed open, and Gao An entered with a bowl of medicine, bowing as he glanced at the scene. He thought to himself that His Majesty must have offended Prime Minister Xie again.

He dared not show it on his face, but lowered his eyes and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Zhang specifically instructed that this medicine must be drunk while it is hot to be effective."

Xie Qinglan tilted her head slightly, pushing the head that was pressed against her neck away, and said calmly, "Drink your medicine."

"Oh." Xiao Jingyuan obediently picked up the medicine bowl, tilted his head back and gulped it down. When he put the bowl back on the table, his eyes were still glued to Xie Qinglan's face, looking longingly like a big dog waiting for a reward.

Gao An, who had been watching from the side, finally couldn't help but speak up: "Your Majesty, you don't know, during your absence these days, Prime Minister Xie has become so lazy that he doesn't even eat or drink, and he's lost a lot of weight. When I'm on duty at night and pass by Tingxue Pavilion, I often see the lights on until the wee hours of the morning..."

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes suddenly lit up, as if they were filled with shattered stars, and he looked intently at the person beside him.

"Gao An," Xie Qinglan's fingertips curled slightly inside her sleeve, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible panic, "you may leave now."

Seeing that the time was almost right, Gao An bowed and replied "Yes," then quietly withdrew, making sure to close the palace door behind him.

As soon as the person left, Xiao Jingyuan came over again.

This time, he leaned down, looking Xie Qinglan in the eye, their noses almost touching, his breath carrying a faint medicinal scent as it brushed against her cheek: "Qinglan, be quiet. I know I was wrong. You can punish me as you see fit, okay?"

His tone suddenly shifted, a bright smile appearing in his light-colored eyes. His thumb lightly brushed against Xie Qinglan's lower lip, a practiced gesture as if he had done it a thousand times before.

"You said there would be a reward upon your return to the capital. Now that you're back, Qinglan can't go back on her word, can she?"

Xie Qinglan suddenly turned her head, and a blush silently crept onto the tips of her ears.

On the way back to the capital, the carriage bumped along, and the man kept pestering and fussing. Finally, the coach had no choice but to coax him with the promise of a reward upon returning to the capital. It was just a temporary measure, but the man remembered it vividly to this day.

He looked up and met Xiao Jingyuan's burning gaze. Those eyes were extremely beautiful, and at that moment they were filled with tiny sparkles of light, staring straight at him like a wildfire burning inside, making his ears burn.

Xie Qinglan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. She suddenly remembered Zhang Yuanpan's advice that "touching old objects and recalling old events is beneficial for memory recovery." She also recalled that some time ago, when she was browsing through old books in Nanyue, she had seen a statement in a fragment of the Suwen that "music regulates qi and blood, relieves depression, and is also beneficial for head and brain injuries."

He hesitated for a moment, then stood up, leaning on the table: "Your Majesty, please come with me."

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed, his steps becoming lighter: "Where to?"

"West Side Hall." Xie Qinglan's voice floated ahead, her moon-white robes sweeping across the threshold, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood. "To sample old items."

In the west wing of Tingxuexuan, there were stacks of camphor wood chests half a person high, all of which were old items transported from the Prime Minister's Mansion in Nanyue. Books, paintings, calligraphy and stationery were neatly arranged, and the air was filled with the elegant aroma of aged camphor wood mixed with old ink.

Xie Qinglan walked to the innermost corner of the wall, bent down and dragged a long paulownia wood zither box from under the bed. The box was covered with a thin layer of dust, and the copper lock was already rusted.

Xiao Jingyuan reached out to lend a hand, but Xie Qinglan stopped him with a raised hand. Xie Qinglan gently twisted the copper lock between his fingertips, and the lock clicked open.

Against a dark velvet background, a seven-stringed zither lay quietly inside. The lacquer on the paulownia wood body was warm and lustrous, and a half-branch begonia pattern was carved on the bridge, as fine as a hair. It was carved by his own hand when he was young. A piece of old jade tassel was tied to the tail of the zither. The jade had turned slightly dark and was a gift from his mentor in his early years.

"This is..." Xiao Jingyuan stared at the zither, his brows furrowed slightly. It looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember anything about it, and he felt empty inside.

"This is an old zither that I used when I was young." Xie Qinglan's fingertips gently plucked the strings, producing a clear and melodious vibrato that lingered in the hall before dissipating. "Speaking of which, Your Majesty has also seen this zither."

I met him in a past life.

He raised his eyes, a faint, mischievous smile playing on his lips: "His Majesty saw that I loved playing, and on a whim decided to learn, saying he wanted to play with me. As a result, he would get up before dawn every day to pluck the strings, but the pitch was completely off, keeping me awake all night and preventing me from concentrating on my studies during the day. In the end, I had no choice but to hide the zither under my bed and never dared to take it out again."

Xiao Jingyuan was taken aback, then scratched the tip of his nose, a little embarrassed: "Is that so? I was wondering why this zither looked so familiar."

"It seems that touching old objects is indeed beneficial for memory recovery." Xie Qinglan turned around and walked towards the main hall with her zither in her arms. Her clothes swept across the stacked wooden boxes, raising a cloud of dust.

"Medical books say that music can regulate qi and blood and clear the meridians, which will also help dissipate the blood stasis in Your Majesty's head. I will play a piece for Your Majesty as a way of... fulfilling my reward."

Xiao Jingyuan followed beside him, his gaze fixed on the man's profile as he held the zither—his back was ramrod straight, his dark hair cascading down onto the zither, the black hair and brown zither making his exposed wrist appear as white as jade covered in frost.

He swallowed hard, inwardly grumbling to himself that this was hardly a reward; it should have been something else.

Looking at Xie Qinglan's serious expression, he swallowed back the nonsense that was on the tip of his tongue and only mumbled an "Mmm".

A pear wood zither table was placed by the window in the main hall, facing the crabapple tree in the courtyard.

Xie Qinglan carefully placed the zither and gently wiped away the dust with a soft cloth.

As the sun began to set, golden-red rays of light slanted in through the carved window, gilding the warm, smooth paulownia wood with a soft, velvety edge. The shadows of the crabapple tree, broken by the wind, fell dappled onto his moon-white robe, like tiny, scattered petals.

He leaned slightly forward, his fingertips lightly touching the strings, and tested a note.

"Zheng—"

A clear sound, like spring water striking stone, tinkled into the ear.

Xie Qinglan sat up straight, adjusted her breathing, and looked down at the strings of the zither.

Long eyelashes cast soft shadows under her eyes, and her brows and eyes, which were usually frost-like, softened at this moment—her brows relaxed, the corners of her eyes showed a very slight relaxation, and even the corners of her lips were slightly pursed, revealing a hint of tenderness that was almost imperceptible.

A breeze slipped in through the window cracks, lifting a few stray hairs from his forehead. The hairs brushed lightly against his eyelids, but he didn't mind. He simply turned his head slightly, and with a flick of his fingertips, the music flowed out like water.

It is "A Pleasant Evening".

The melody is clear and elegant, the rhythm is soothing, like a spring night breeze brushing the surface of a lake, rippling out in circles of tiny waves.

Xie Qinglan's fingertips rose and fell across the strings with fluid movements, her knuckles clearly defined, and her wrist flexed into a beautiful arc.

When he reached the most emotional part of the piece, he slowly closed his eyes, his long eyelashes drooping peacefully, yet his fingertips remained perfectly in tune, the notes of the strings carrying the wind, slowly seeping into people's hearts.

Sunlight fell on his profile, making his pale skin almost translucent. His thin lips were slightly pursed, softening the curve of his jawline. His usual aloofness was completely softened by the rosy light and the sound of the zither, making him appear as if he were bathed in soft light, noble, clean, and with an indescribable shimmering charm.

The wind picked up again, blowing in through the window and causing a wisp of hair at his temple to flutter gently in the sunlight, swaying like dark willow branches.

Xiao Jingyuan stood a few steps away, watching, and his breathing became erratic.

My heart pounded uncontrollably, a heat descended down my spine, and a familiar tightness surged in my lower abdomen, growing stronger and stronger.

His Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and he felt his mouth was dry and his breathing became heavy.

As the song ended, its lingering melody echoed through the air, lingering for a long time.

Xie Qinglan slowly opened her eyes, her fingertips still resting on the last string, the lingering tremor spreading up her fingertips, a tingling sensation.

He looked up at Xiao Jingyuan, a lingering gentleness in his eyes, his tone filled with expectation: "Your Majesty, how are you feeling? Have you remembered anything?"

Xiao Jingyuan's Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and he squeezed out three words in a hoarse voice: "I feel something."

Xie Qinglan was slightly taken aback, and a hint of surprise suddenly appeared in her eyes.

He assumed the music had truly touched the person's memory, and his speech quickened unconsciously: "What did you feel? Did you remember anything?"

Xiao Jingyuan strode around the low table and stood in front of him in two steps. He grabbed Xie Qinglan's wrist and, without saying a word, pulled that hand to his waist and abdomen.

Through the dark brocade robe, her breasts were already bulging, and the scalding heat transmitted through the fabric, making Xie Qinglan's fingertips tremble.

"I can feel it here." Xiao Jingyuan leaned down, his hot breath brushing against Xie Qinglan's ear, his voice low and husky, "Qinglan, the way you played the piano just now was so beautiful."

He whispered in the man's ear, his voice low and filled with undisguised desire: "I want to... you, right now."