Yun Sheng looked around, her gaze finally landed on a lute of the court musician. Her voice was loud and clear, "At the Queen’s birthday banquet, it is fitting for Yun Sheng to offer a performance. I shall play a piece." She rose from her seat and, under Divine Wind’s worried gaze, made her way to a seat in the front and sat down. On Divine Wind’s face, a hint of surprise appeared. He did not know that Yun Sheng could play the lute? At least, Yun Sheng had never played in front of him before. After sitting down, Yun Sheng’s mind was still dizzy from the effects of the drink. Just now, she didn’t know what had happened, a surge of irritation had rushed to her head, her words, her steps, all seemed out of control. By the time she realized what she had said, she was already in front of an ancient lute. Could she play the lute? Maybe, possibly, she should be able to. Yun Sheng muttered to herself. With all eyes on her, withdrawing was no longer an option. The lute was in front of her, but where was the music? Yun Sheng had spent a long time in the Elf Royal Court, having heard countless elf melodies, yet she did not like these. Her fingers idly strummed the strings a few times, producing a buzzing noise without any aesthetic appeal. "Clumsily playing the lute," Huo Yaoyao started mocking. Yun Sheng played a few more times, still producing nothing but chaos. On the throne, a frost seemed to form on the Elf Queen’s face as she was about to stop Yun Sheng’s rash actions. Under Yun Sheng’s hands, the sound of the lute suddenly changed, echoing like a dragon’s chant. Her fingertips moved, and a melody flowed like trickling water. The sound of the lute was smooth, with highs and lows, at times like moonlight quietly spilling on a quiet night, at times like a gentle spring rain nourishing the heart, and at times, the melody surged, like rivers flowing into the sea. A single piece of music, yet it was like a life journey, from start to climax and then to the valley. Even the most critical elf musicians, after hearing this melody, found it flawless. The Elf Nobles and Elf Ministers were all captivated as if in a trance. It was a music piece with an extraordinary conception; warriors listening felt their blood surge, and those who loved peace felt tranquility in their minds. At the end of the piece, Yun Sheng’s fingers held down the strings. "Good! Indeed a marvelous piece," even the Elf Queen couldn’t help but stand up and applaud. "Is it really a good piece? What is this music? Why have I never heard it before?" even Huo Yu was full of admiration. Huo Yaoyao was so furious she almost ground her teeth to dust. Divine Wind’s smile, however, seemed a bit forced; he watched Yun Sheng blankly lowering her head, looking at her own hands. Divine Wind remembered when Yun Sheng was rescued, she had with her a ring, a Magic Wand, and a lute. She indeed knew the art of the lute, and possibly at a very skilled level. That playing just now, even if her memory had faded, but her fingers, her body still remembered. Would this piece of music make her recall something else? Divine Wind felt a surge of fear, infuriated further by Huo Yaoyao’s provocation; if not for her relentless taunting, how could Little Sheng’er recall these things. "Your Majesty, Yun Sheng is feeling a bit unwell and will retire first," Yun Sheng slightly bowed, gave Divine Wind a look, and then rose to leave. Divine Wind sensed something amiss and wanted to follow, but was held up by a few Elf Nobles coming to toast, unable to get away. Stepping away from the bustling birthday banquet, Yun Sheng strolled at the very top of the Elf King Tree. Under her feet were lush branches and leaves, above her was a sea of stars. Yun Sheng raised her hand to touch the corner of her eye, it was already icy cold. She had cried earlier, unconsciously shedding tears when she heard the sound of the zither. It was as if she had forgotten something very important. Aimlessly walking around on the King Tree, the banquet wasn’t over yet, and feeling somewhat tired, Yun Sheng headed to her bedroom. Tonight, the security around the bedroom seemed more relaxed. Along the way, she hardly saw any palace attendants, probably all attending to the banquet. As Yun Sheng passed by the Elf Queen’s study, she suddenly paused. She softly exclaimed, "Huh," just now, she thought she had heard something. It seemed to be the sound of a zither? How could there be zither music in the Imperial Study Room at this time? After hesitating, Yun Sheng glanced around and saw no one, then quietly walked into the Elf Queen’s Imperial Study Room. There was no one in the study, and Yun Sheng was puzzled about where the zither music was coming from. The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩 Suddenly, a low hum by her ear caught her attention, the zither music was coming from a lute hanging on the wall. It was a uniquely styled lute, made entirely of ice. When did the Queen collect such a lute? Doubtfully, Yun Sheng pondered again, recalling that Divine Wind mentioned his father, the former Elf King Consort, was a Court Musician who had bonded with the Elf Queen through a zither song. Could it be that this ancient lute was left behind by Divine Wind’s father? Yun Sheng’s fingertips were just about to touch the lute. "What are you doing!" The Elf Queen, unbeknownst to Yun Sheng, had already stood behind her. Her gaze icy, Yun Sheng’s hand froze in midair. "This lute... as I was passing by, I happened to hear the zither sound, and out of curiosity, I came in," said Yun Sheng calmly. The zither was indeed still humming in a low tone, sporadically, listening to it in the deep night was like hearing a woman softly weeping in the dark. The Elf Queen’s expression subtly changed; this lute originally belonged to Yun Sheng. When the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Zither was sent over, the Elf Queen saw it and liked it very much, and Divine Wind also worried that it might trigger unwanted memories for Yun Sheng, so he handed it to the Elf Queen for safekeeping. The Ice Zither hung on the wall, solely for admiration. It wasn’t until tonight that Yun Sheng played that zither song, which caused the Ice Zither to spontaneously start humming. It seemed as if by some destined force, perhaps the Ice Zither also didn’t wish to be merely decorative, hanging in the study. The Elf Queen thought to herself, struggling for a moment, "The zither song you played tonight was very good, so as a reward, I’ll give this lute back... to you." Although she knew that the lute might evoke some memories for Yun Sheng, the Elf Queen still decided to follow her own heart. Yun Sheng hadn’t expected that the Elf Queen, who was typically not very friendly towards her, would be so generous. She also indeed liked the lute very much, thinking it over, Yun Sheng took the lute down. The moment the lute touched her hand, the original faint whining sound disappeared. Touching the lute strings, Yun Sheng felt a strange sensation coming from her palm. She quickly withdrew her hand, a vague memory flashed through her mind, and then it quickly disappeared. Yun Sheng thought she was still dizzy from the wine and hurriedly left with the lute before the Elf Queen could change her mind. "Who would have thought that after so many years, I would still hear the Emperor’s Song in Xianju Country," the Elf Queen murmured as she watched Yun Sheng carrying the lute, already far away.