People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 157, Nongyu's Background, Zi Nu's Home Being Stolen (Bonus Chapter!! 3k words, please vote!)
Nongyu was focused on playing the guqin and didn't notice Xu Qing and Zi Nu. After setting up the guqin, she sat down facing the two of them.

"Imperial Physician, what would you like to hear?"

Nongyu placed her hands on the strings of the zither, her expression calm and elegant, her beautiful eyes deep and reflecting the shape of the zither.

At this moment, Nongyu had lost her previous gentle and elegant demeanor as a lady from a prominent family. Instead, she resembled a serene and peaceful old Taoist priest, with nothing on her mind but the guqin in her hands.

“Miss Nongyu may play what she is best at.”

Xu Qing sat upright in his seat, his previous frivolousness gone, replaced by a serious expression.

He didn't understand the zither music; his earnestness and decorum were for Nongyu, a sign of his sincere respect for her dedication to the art of the zither.

Zi Nu looked at Xu Qing with some surprise. She had only seen Xu Qing like this once before, when he first treated the people of Xinzheng outside the Han King's Palace.

He was just as upright and serious, yet he exuded an extraordinary and unique temperament, like a legendary immortal who had fallen to earth.

Nongyu nodded slightly, her fair hands gracefully moving across the strings of the zither. The clear, melodious sound of the zither, like a spring flowing over stones, echoed throughout the room.

As Xu Qing listened to the music, he closed his eyes and gradually became immersed in it. With the music, his hands unconsciously tapped out a rhythm on his thighs.

"Besides your medical skills, do you also know how to play the piano?"

Seeing Xu Qing's posture, a hint of surprise flashed in Zi Nu's purple eyes.

Zi Nu blinked slightly as she looked at Xu Qing. Xu Qing was already a mysterious figure in her mind, and now he was shrouded in mystery once again.

Xu Qing was unaware of Zi Nu's gaze. He only felt waves crashing over him, followed by low sobs, as if someone was expressing the sorrow of leaving home. He gradually became immersed in the music.

He didn't understand the zither music, but from Nongyu's zither playing, Xu Qing heard the meaning of the Dao and unconsciously became immersed in it.

Half an hour later, the music stopped abruptly.

Nongyu let out a long sigh, emerging from her previous state of perfect harmony with the zither, and asked with a slight smile.

"Imperial Physician, I hope my musical skills are still to your liking?"

“Miss Nongyu is being modest. There is a record in the Liezi: Tang Wen: Once, Han E went east to Qi. She was short of food. She passed through Yongmen and sold her songs for food. After she left, her songs lingered around the beams for three days. Those around her thought that she had not left.”

"I didn't believe it before, but now that I've heard Miss Nongyu's zither music, I understand that it's true."

"In the music just now, I seemed to hear the crashing waves of the blue sea, and also the sobbing of a woman."

Xu Qing slowly expressed the emotions she felt from the music.

Hearing Xu Qing's feelings, Nongyu was first stunned, and then looked at Xu Qing excitedly. This piece of music was her own creation and has not yet been shown to the public.

Xu Qing was able to accurately express the profound meaning after listening to it only once, just like Bo Ya breaking his string and finding a kindred spirit in the flowing water.

"The melody is wonderful, but it is probably not complete yet. I can vaguely hear a kind of restraint, like a night-blooming cereus, pure and beautiful but fleeting. Alas, how sad." Xu Qing looked at Nongyu with a sigh.

Recalling the fate of Nongyu in the original work, it is the same as this piece of music; Nongyu's fate was a tragedy even before she was born.

When Madam Hu became pregnant with him, Huoyu Manor was destroyed, and her father, Li Kai, was framed by Liu Yi. Madam Hu then gave herself to her father's killer, and after his birth, she was separated from her mother due to the war.

Having finally reunited with her parents, she finds herself caught in the power struggle within the Korean kingdom. Furthermore, she agrees to Honglian's request to travel to the Sparrow Tower, intending to assassinate Ji Wuye.

Ultimately, he failed and was killed by Ji Wuye, his life ending tragically, a truly pitiful and lamentable end.

Nongyu was unaware of Xu Qing's thoughts. At this moment, she was looking at Xu Qing with excitement, her beautiful eyes filled with affection and her cheeks slightly flushed.

Every word Xu Qing said accurately described the situation of her piece, which made her very certain that Xu Qing might be her soulmate for life.

"Imperial Physician, you are right. This piece of music is my own composition. I have only completed the first draft and there is still a part left."

"I suppose you are also a person skilled in music. Could you help Nongyu complete this piece?" Nongyu asked excitedly.

Looking at the excited Nongyu and the sentimental Xu Qing, Zi Nu felt like an outsider, standing between two kindred spirits who were both talented and beautiful, like a villain in a novel.

"Although I really want to help you, I don't understand music," Xu Qing said helplessly, spreading his hands.

He was able to sense these things because he understood the philosophy contained within the music.

The Dao is something mysterious and profound. This is the second time he has felt the existence of the Dao, besides his previous comprehension of the Tai Chi Dao.

Nongyu looked at Xu Qing with some disappointment, but then turned to Zi Nu with some nervousness and asked...
"Sister, when the Imperial Physician comes in the future, may I discuss my musical skills with him?"

Zi Nu glanced at Nong Yu, then at Xu Qing, whose expression remained indifferent. She knew that the little white flower she had painstakingly protected and nurtured was still going to be picked by Xu Qing.

Despite her best efforts to guard against it, she never expected that Xu Qing would be so skilled in playing the zither, and that Nongyu would consider him her soulmate.

Faced with Nongyu's expectant gaze, Zinu could only nod helplessly and say...

"I certainly have no problem with that, but the Imperial Physician is very busy with official duties, so I'm not sure if he'll have time to discuss musical skills with you."

Upon hearing Zi Nu's words, Xu Qing replied without the slightest hesitation.
"Of course I have no problem. No matter how busy I am with official duties, I cannot miss Miss Nongyu's heavenly music."

"Heh~" Zi Nu glanced at Xu Qing with disdain.

He had previously said he was too busy with official duties to come to Zilan Pavilion often, but now that he's with Nongyu, official duties seem unimportant. That's just a man's nature, Zi Nu thought to herself. "Then I'll have to trouble the Imperial Physician to give me more guidance in the future."

Nongyu stood up and bowed to Xu Qing, expressing her respect for Xu Qing as her soulmate.

Xu Qing got up and walked towards Nongyu, took her wrist, and helped her up.

As Nongyu stood up, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the jade belt hook on Xu Qing's belt.

Looking at the delicate jade belt hook and the purple tassel at the end, Nongyu's beautiful eyes were moved, both excited and surprised, and she covered her open mouth with her fair little hand.

Noticing Nongyu's unusual behavior, Zinu got up and went to help her up, asking anxiously...
"Nongyu, what's wrong?"

Xu Qing looked at Nongyu in confusion. Why did she suddenly act like she had epilepsy? Nongyu didn't seem to have this disease in the original story.

Suppressing her excitement, Nongyu helped Zinu look at Xu Qing and said...
"Imperial Physician, may I see the jade belt hook on your belt?"

"With a hook?"

Zi Nu and Xu Qing both looked at the white jade belt hook with gilded patterns on the belt with a puzzled expression. After seeing the red agate at the top, Xu Qing suddenly woke up.

"Could this agate be fire agate? This purple tassel seems to be the same as the fire agate that Nongyu wears."

Zi Nu also noticed the similarity between Xu Qingyu's belt hook and the agate gemstone that Nongyu always wore, and looked at Xu Qingyu with slight surprise.

“Why not?” Xu Qing took off the belt hook from his waist and handed it to Nongyu.

He was still wondering how to explain Nongyu's background, but he never expected that the jade belt hook that Hu Meiren gave her would be so useful.

He originally regarded it as a valuable token, but now it seems that it contains an unusual meaning.

With her slender, slightly trembling hands, Nongyu took the jade belt hook and then removed the fire rain agate hanging from her waist.

As she carefully compared the two, looking at the identical agate stone and purple tassel, two clear tears flowed from the corners of Nongyu's eyes.

“Sister, this agate stone is exactly the same as the tassel, even the weaving technique of the tassel is the same,” Nongyu said in a trembling voice.

Zi Nu glanced deeply at the two items in Nong Yu's hands, then looked at Xu Qing, and softly comforted him.

"It's exactly the same. You've finally found a clue to your origins."

Nongyu turned around and buried her face in Zinu's arms, crying as she tightly clutched two objects in her hands.

Ever since she was old enough to understand, her teacher told her that she was adopted, and the only clue about her background was the agate stone she was wearing.

She also used this agate stone as a starting point to inquire about her own background.

In the end, all that was known was that the agate stone was the legendary Fire Rain Agate, and the tassel was a unique product of the Fire Rain Manor area.

As for the tassel weaving technique, it is unique and no one else can do it.

The tassels on Xu Qing's jade belt hook were exactly the same as hers, which made Nongyu unable to hide her excitement any longer. She had finally found a clue about her own background.

Zi Nu winked at Xu Qing, signaling him to sit down and wait for her to comfort Nong Yu.

Xu Qing nodded slightly, picked up his belt, and returned to his seat, silently thinking about how to explain his true identity to Nongyu later.

Before long, with Zi Nu's comforting words, Nong Yu slowly stopped crying and said to Xu Qing somewhat shyly...
"I'm sorry to have troubled the Imperial Physician."

"It's alright. I got the gist of it from your conversation with Miss Zi Nu. I never imagined there would be such a coincidence in the world," Xu Qing said with a smile.

Zi Nu and Nong Yu were taken aback upon hearing this, and then looked at Xu Qing with strange expressions.

"A coincidence? Could it be that you and Nongyu are long-lost sisters, and this Fire Rain Agate and Jade Belt Hook are the tokens that reunited you?" Zi Nu said in surprise.

“Miss Zi Nu, I suddenly realized that you have the potential to become a novelist. There are no coincidences at all.” Xu Qing said helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

"That is?"

Zi Nu and Nong Yu watched Xu Qing nervously, waiting for him to continue.

"This jade belt hook was a gift from Consort Hu, and the agate on it is the legendary Fire Rain Agate. Speaking of Fire Rain Agate, one must mention the Fire Rain Manor of yesteryear."

Xu Qing slowly recounted the events that occurred at Huoyu Manor back then.

"And Huo Yu Gong's two daughters, one is now the wife of Right Sima Liu Yi, and the other is Consort Hu."

"What outsiders don't know is that Madam Hu lost a daughter during the war."

"The only keepsake this daughter possesses is a finely carved fire-rain agate. After the sisters, Hu Meiren and Hu Madam, recognized each other, they entrusted me to help them find their lost daughter."

Upon hearing this old story, Nongyu gripped the Fire Rain Agate tightly in her hand, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Imperial Physician, do you mean I am Madam Hu's lost daughter?"

Nongyu's voice trembled as she looked at Xu Qing nervously, afraid that Xu Qing would shake his head and deny it at any moment, causing the clues about her origins that she had finally found to be broken again.

(End of this chapter)