Xuanqing Guard

Nie Yun had left.

He had left right after returning from Hong’en Hall last night, in such a hurry that he almost forgot his wine—if not for Shen Hao’s reminder.

Shen Hao had asked him, and Nie Yun replied that he needed to hurry back to the sect to report on the inquiry, and then make a trip far away. As for where he was going or when he would return, Nie Yun didn’t say.

"It must be that Ning Ziye said something to Nie Yun," Shen Hao thought to himself, but didn’t press further.

In addition, Shen Hao had asked Lian Xiang about the origin of that diamond-shaped red jade pendant Ning Ziye carried, which only earned him a curious look. In the end, it was after Shen Hao’s pestering that Lian Xiang finally explained.

That diamond-shaped red jade pendant did have a background—it was something similar to Shen Hao’s waist token, signifying the identity of a Sound Cultivator.

Lian Xiang never received that red jade pendant because she couldn’t meet the threshold to become a Sound Cultivator.

"You all really have a sect behind you? What’s it called? I’ve never heard of any current sect with Sound Cultivation techniques." Shen Hao had been puzzled then. Since arriving in Fengri City, he’d crammed extensively on the knowledge of sects and cultivation races throughout the Jingjiu Dynasty. If not all, at least eighty percent of the sects he remembered well—yet none of them mentioned Sound Cultivation, or else there was no way he wouldn’t recall it at all.

But Lian Xiang only smiled and didn’t answer his question. So Shen Hao still couldn’t be sure what power backed Lian Xiang.

But one thing was certain: the "friend" Nie Yun was seeking was likely a fellow disciple of Lian Xiang’s—or at least of the same background. And Nie Yun clearly got something from Ning Ziye that made him leave so hastily.

He hadn’t considered seeking out Ning Ziye. Shen Hao knew very well that after their last confrontation, Ning Ziye would certainly ignore him.

Even if Lian Xiang wouldn’t say, and Ning Ziye couldn’t be asked, Shen Hao had his own ways.

From a few lines that night, Shen Hao could also sense that Ning Ziye was actually looking out for Lian Xiang. Moreover, Ning Ziye’s unspoken meaning was that if Shen Hao kept entangling with Lian Xiang, it might end up hurting her.

What kind of organization forbids romance between people?

Now there were just two keywords: intelligence, and Sound Cultivation.

If he wanted to avoid harming Lian Xiang, then first he had to clarify the background of the power behind her, right? Coincidentally, this was exactly Shen Hao’s line of work—he was in his element.

First, Shen Hao had already concluded from his observations that Lian Xiang most likely did the work of a secret agent, specifically targeting upper-tier figures who came and went at the Flower House. After all, those who could request her company were never ordinary. Words exchanged at banquets, whispers overheard while drinking—there were always secrets outsiders could never know, or truths spoken under intoxication. All of these were intelligence.

Second, both Lian Xiang and Ning Ziye admitted to learning the zither from the same master, acknowledging a sisterly bond. And Ning Ziye was a Sound Cultivator. So Lian Xiang’s backing wasn’t a single cultivation school; at the very least, it contained both "Sound Cultivation" and "Charm Skill"—both niche fields.

Still, neither of these lines were easy to dig into, as they both involved Lian Xiang directly—with the risk of unforeseen complications if dug too deep. So the direction to investigate had to be elsewhere.

That meant Lian Xiang and Ning Ziye’s teacher: the Zither Master, the Binding Princess.

For such a prominent figure, the Xuanqing Guard kept detailed case records for years, which could be accessed at any time. When Shen Hao arrived at the Public Office, he had Wang Yiming fetch all available files related to the zither profession and the Binding Princess.

"Are they complete?"

"Complete. These were all updated this quarter from the Records Room, the newest entry is from the end of March."

Shen Hao nodded for Wang Yiming to leave, then opened the files and began reading.

The earliest records of this Zither Master, the so-called Binding Princess, go back to twelve years ago, which was the eighteenth year of the Jing Old Calendar—when she first entered the sights of the Xuanqing Guard.

Her rise to fame started with an invitation to perform at a grand banquet—her skills astounded those present, and she was immediately bestowed with the exalted title "Divine Melodist of the Zither." Her reputation soared overnight, for a time holding the title of foremost master of zither art in the Jingjiu Dynasty.

Shen Hao also noted that the banquet which made Binding Princess famous must have been hosted by someone influential—otherwise there wouldn’t have been such a crowd of powerful gentry eager to praise her, part of which no doubt served to flatter the host family.

The banquet had a name then: "The Zither and Song Banquet," hosted by the present Emperor’s seventh son, Prince Ling, Yang Shu.

Shen Hao knew a little about this Prince Ling.

Last year, the Song Family in the Imperial City offended Shen Hao, trying to take Zhang Family’s Wine Shop from him. Shen Hao then used the Xuanqing Guard’s power to ruthlessly put them in their place. During this, Song Family’s third lord, Song Zhizhou, couldn’t withstand torture in the dungeons and spilled a lot of secrets—records Shen Hao still regarded as Black Banner Battalion’s top secrets in the Records Room.

And the Song Family were vassals of Prince Ling. They mainly managed the gambling halls and were rumored to be venturing into the wine business, though whether that succeeded was still unknown.

It was also said that Prince Ling’s temperament was unconventional—lacking the usual nobility of the royal family, instead favoring gambling dens and flower houses, often acting unpredictably. He even supported the opening of a new flower house. Judging by such conduct, his reputation was clear; especially in the Temple Hall, Prince Ling was little more than a broken drum—so lacking in prestige, the Advisors couldn’t be bothered to criticize him. As for the Emperor, he had long since given up on his seventh son.

Twelve years ago, Zither Master Binding Princess made her name thanks to the Seventh Prince’s grand banquet; and in hindsight, she benefited most from that occasion. Prior to this, there wasn’t a single trace of her in any records.

Mastering the zither isn’t a beauty contest—it requires years of dedicated practice and study; even a genius can’t become renowned overnight. For someone to become celebrated across the Jingjiu Dynasty, yet have been completely unknown before Prince Ling’s banquet? That was illogical.

The only explanation for her anonymity was that, before that time, the Binding Princess simply wasn’t active within the scope of the Jingjiu Dynasty, so her fame hadn’t spread.

But if she wasn’t famous, how did Prince Ling find her and bring her to perform at the banquet? How did he know of her existence?

Could it be inferred that there was already a relationship or at least prior contact between Binding Princess and Prince Ling?

Looking further: once this Zither Master rose to fame, she began to take on students—but with a rule: she only accepted female disciples, and seemed to have requirements for their appearance. Most were noble ladies or High Grade songstresses. Sometimes, she would perform at ceremonial events too.

In Shen Hao’s view, the trajectory of Binding Princess’s activities was almost identical to Ning Ziye’s—except that she also recruited students.

If you factored in the "intelligence" aspect, couldn’t both Ning Ziye and even Binding Princess herself be considered part of the same power backing Lian Xiang?

Then digging into the roots of the Binding Princess should touch upon that mysterious power behind Lian Xiang.