In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

At first, no one was moved by the music; they were simply captivated by Zhao Xiangxiang's beautiful voice. But once she finished the first line and Chen Shishi's voice came in, the melody suddenly changed.

……

"Knowing my myriad worries and anxieties, yet wondering what I seek..."

Pingluan Tower was completely silent, everyone listening to the poem. The silence was broken by a sigh from someone downstairs, followed by a couple of clinking cups; then three or four sobs, as if the wine had turned salty.

Han Zhi, sitting upstairs, was surprised by Chen Shishi's voice—a true goddess of melancholy. He took a sip of tea and ultimately only uttered one sentence:

"Truly worthy of being the head of the line."

Wang Qian sat there, listening to the music, lost in thought. Her once clear eyes were now clouded with gloom.

As the final line, "Will you return?" faded, the song ended, and applause erupted from both the stage and the audience. Cheers and the sound of coins being tossed mingled together.

Wang Qian then withdrew her gaze, took a sip of tea, sighed, and said, "Such beautiful words and music, but upon closer listening, they are truly heartbreaking."

“That’s true,” Shen Kuo echoed.

Wang Qian coughed lightly and then said, "Alright, Master Shen, have something to eat. We've been waiting for quite a while and haven't even touched our chopsticks yet, so don't let it get cold."

Shen Kuo asked, "Is Lady Wang alright?"

Seeing that Wang Qian kept coughing, he asked her this question.

The latter shook his head and said, "It's alright..."

Just as the two were about to pick up their chopsticks, they suddenly heard the madam's voice from downstairs: "Gentlemen, today is a special occasion, do you... do you have invitations?"

"We're here to find someone," a cold voice said. "We're from Doctor Wang's family. We're here to see my wife. Please do us a favor."

Wang Qian's hand trembled, and the food she was about to put in her bowl fell onto the table. A sense of foreboding washed over her, and she subtly peeked downstairs—

Sure enough, it was sent by his own father.

"Madam Wang," Shen Kuo asked, somewhat unaware of the situation, "they should be taking you home, right?"

"Come on!"

Wang Qian whispered a warning, then grabbed Shen Kuo and started to run. Shen Kuo didn't have time to react; he only felt himself being pulled suddenly and then being dragged along.

However, he didn't forget to pay. After leaving his money bag on the table, he was pulled away.

Han Zhi and the others, who were not far away, were also stunned. Su Zhen reacted quickly and said, "Something must have happened."

Han Zhi frowned slightly and said, "Hurry up and follow us, we can't just stand by and watch this gossip!"

As he spoke, he took out some silver from his pocket, threw it on the table, and then ran off with Wang Qian and Shen Kuo.

Wang Qian had just circled around to the back of the stage and happened to see Chen Shishi and her two companions coming off stage. The five of them locked eyes. Seeing their expressions, Chen Shishi quickly came to her senses, pointed in a certain direction, and said:

"The back door is there, and then you turn into the alley to reach the main street, where there are more people."

"Thank you—oh!!"

Shen Kuo only had time to say that before he ran away again.

Zhao Xiangxiang looked puzzled and was about to ask a question when she saw Han Zhi and the others running up behind her. She subconsciously pointed in the direction the two had just run off in.

Without stopping, Han Zhi and his three companions ran straight towards the back door.

......

Wang Qian pulled Shen Kuo along, running all the way to the main street. Looking at the crowded people around her, Wang Qian finally felt a sense of security. She let out a soft sigh of relief, then looked in the direction they had come from, wondering if they had caught up.

Shen Kuo looked puzzled and asked, "What's wrong, Madam Wang? Aren't they your family members?"

"Yes." Wang Qian nodded.

Shen Kuo was even more puzzled now and asked, "Since they are family members, why not go back with them? Perhaps Doctor Wang is also worried?"

Wang Qian's eyes dimmed slightly, and she said softly, "Sir Shen, you may not know this. I have been frail and sickly since childhood, and my parents have always been overly worried about me, keeping me locked up at home. Every day, I have to rest quietly with only medicine."

"When she had nothing to do, she would read books; when she was tired, she would sleep in bed for a while. Only when she was seriously ill would the door to her room be opened so that a servant could bring her medicine, and then it would be closed again."

"I have saved quite a bit of money at home, but I haven't spent a single penny. I know my own body, so I want to take the money I've saved and go out for a walk, even if it's just in Bianjing."

"I only...I only want to live a little longer, just a little longer..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Kuo was at a loss for words. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "What are Lady Wang's thoughts now?"

"What else can we think of?" Wang Qian sighed and said, "We'll try to escape as long as we can. I don't know how long we can hide this time."

Shen Kuo remained silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Then he clapped his hands and said, “Madam Wang, my friend Brother Han lives in the Marquis of Fuping’s residence. Why don’t you stay there for a few days?”

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Wang Qian's eyes, but it quickly dimmed again: "Master Shen, but my illness is not as bad as you might imagine; I need to take medicine almost all the time."

Shen Kuo then smiled and said, "That's no problem. It's just something I asked Brother Han about. As long as you can stay here, the problem of buying medicine won't be an issue."

"but......"

But before Wang Qian could speak, she heard a voice from not far away: "My wife is over there!"

"Subdue that man and protect my wife!"

"Oh no!" Shen Kuo exclaimed in alarm, instinctively looking around for any possible solution.

As luck would have it, they spotted Han Zhi, Su Zhen, and the others in a small alley. Han Zhi looked towards the pursuers and quickly waved to them.

Shen Kuo didn't think much of it and simply led Wang Qian towards Han Zhi's direction. Entering the alley, they were once again being led around, a truly unpleasant experience.

After running for a short while, Han Zhi and the others bypassed the main street and returned to the alley. After turning left and right again, they emerged into a neighborhood.

"Yueping, Qian Su! Tell them to close the door; we're not seeing any guests today!"

Han Zhi pulled Su Zhen along, while Su Zhen carried Xiao Hei, and they hid in the corner of the alley, watching to see if anyone was chasing them. After confirming that no one was coming, they rushed into the mansion, and then the gate of the Fuping Marquis's mansion was closed and bolted shut.

Now they were finally safe. Wang Qian, after running non-stop, felt even worse and started coughing again.

"Qian Su, quickly go and find someone to cook some hot soup!" Su Zhen instructed as he helped Wang Qian back to the main hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Shen Kuo introduced, "Madam Wang, this is Brother Han, whom I just told you about. This is the residence of the Marquis of Fuping."

Wang Qian could only cover her mouth with a silk handkerchief, and stood up to give a slight bow, saying, "Greetings, Lord Han. I saw you on the street earlier."

"Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong. What just happened? Why did you all suddenly run away?" Han Zhi waved his hand and pulled Su Zhen to sit down to the side.

Wang Qian caught her breath and said, "This is a long story..."