Qin's Moon: I'm really not the Holy Lord of the Demonic Sect

After Yang Che accepted the mission to Qin, it wasn't enough for him to simply go directly to Qin. Before that, he needed to make many preparations, such as analyzing the power structure of Qin based on intelligence from Qin and preparing appropriate gifts accordingly.

These are things that not only Yang Che needs to worry about, but also Han Wang An needs to be concerned about.

The fact that the Koreans sent envoys to pay their respects was merely a pretense; their true intention was to maintain relations with the Qin state, and sending gifts was an essential part of the ceremony.

Having obtained the token from King An of Han, Yang Che went directly to the royal archives, which housed the richest collection of books and documents in Han. His task was to gather relevant intelligence about Qin before heading there.

He read on until nightfall, and only left the Han Palace with the remaining intelligence just before the palace gates were about to close.

Upon returning to the Left Sima's residence, Yang Che was stopped by a woman before he even entered the mansion.

"Your Excellency, do you still remember our promise?" Cai Die, who had been waiting for a long time at the corner of the Left Sima's residence, smiled and grabbed Yang Che's sleeve.

"The original agreement?" Yang Che, carrying a stack of bamboo slips, looked at Cai Die, who was blocking his way, with surprise, seemingly not remembering the so-called agreement at all.

"Has Your Excellency truly forgotten? During the annual sacrifice, Sister Zi Nu invited Your Excellency Yang to a banquet at Zi Lan Xuan." Cai Die's eyes were filled with resentment, feigning pitifulness, which was also part of their professional skills.

"So, that's what Miss Cai Die was talking about." Yang Che pretended to suddenly realize something, finding Cai Die's feigned resentment quite amusing. He then added:

"I remember it was Miss Zi Nu who invited me, so why is it Miss Cai Die who came? Is it that I, Yang Che, am not worthy of being personally invited by the esteemed owner of Zi Lan Xuan?"

What? The butterfly's resentment froze instantly. This was different from what she had imagined. Wasn't Yang Che always so easy to talk to? But now…

Cai Die was taken aback by Yang Che's attitude. However, it seemed that Yang Che's attitude was normal. Recently, Yang Che had become quite famous due to his performance in the court. It was normal for someone like him to look down on Zi Lan Xuan. If he really treated the women of Zi Lan Xuan as equals, it would be somewhat "abnormal".

"It's not that my sister doesn't value the Imperial Censor, it's just that she has to personally organize the banquet and can't get away, so she asked me to invite the Imperial Censor." Cai Die forced a smile onto her face.

"Miss Cai Die is too serious. It was just a joke. There's no need to explain. Let's go. I've been looking forward to my date with Boss Zi Nu for a long time," Yang Che suddenly said with a smile.

Yang Che's change in attitude startled Cai Die slightly. For a moment, she didn't know which side of him was the real him, and she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy and wary.

Cai Die sadly discovered that she was so cautious in front of Yang Che that she appeared extremely humble.

Humility? When she realized this, she was momentarily dazed, and her once beautiful prayers seemed to have gained a touch of clarity.

Yang Che followed Cai Die onto the carriage at Zi Lan Xuan, unaware that Cai Die had thought so much in such a short time. At this moment, his mind was already on Zi Nu.

If we can win over this woman, the affairs of the Yin Gui Sect will be stable. So, what kind of man does a woman like?

Exceptional wisdom, a heart for the world? Or something else?

After Yang Che boarded the carriage, Cai Die closed her eyes and remained silent, without disturbing him. Compared to the enthusiasm she showed when Yang Che first visited Zi Lan Xuan, she was undoubtedly much more reserved now. Her shrewdness in welcoming and seeing off guests had become useless at this moment.

But has he truly become Yang Che?

The only thing that changed was Cai Die herself, or more accurately, Cai Die's own thoughts.

The carriage in Zilan Pavilion was very stable, so stable that Yang Che almost forgot the passage of time. His silence was not a pretense of profundity or aloofness, but rather a genuine expression of his thoughts.

Zi Nu is one, and the affairs of the Qin state are the other.

Zi Nu is a woman who is knowledgeable and cunning, and it is difficult to win her heart with ordinary methods. The situation in Qin is equally complicated.

Yang Che thought about the intelligence he had reviewed earlier, and names appeared one by one in his mind: Empress Dowager Zhao, Lü Buwei, Empress Dowager Huayang, Cheng Jiao...

Names flashed through his mind; these were the people he would need to deal with after arriving in Xianyang, and they were the people he had to deal with.

Yang Che only snapped out of his reverie when the carriage came to a stop.

"Your Excellency, we have arrived at Zilan Pavilion," Cai Die reminded him.

"Let's go then." Yang Che picked up the bamboo slips at his feet and got off the carriage.

Only then did Yang Che notice that the carriage was parked not at the busy front gate of Zilan Pavilion, but at the back gate, which was not open to the public.

Front door and back door? Yang Che suddenly understood: tonight, he was a guest, not a customer.

As Cai Die pushed open the courtyard gate, Yang Che walked in. After passing through the corridor, Yang Che arrived at a small courtyard. The courtyard was not large, but it was hidden in the shadows under the tall building of Zi Lan Xuan. If one did not look carefully, it would be difficult to see the small courtyard from the outside.

As Yang Che surveyed the small courtyard before him, he couldn't help but think of something: three years later, perhaps King Zheng of Qin would meet Han Fei here.

"Your Excellency, this courtyard was specially opened up by Sister Zi Nu. Although it is small, it is quiet and no outsiders have ever come here before. You are a first-time guest here," Cai Die explained when she saw Yang Che examining his surroundings.

"It seems that Miss Zi Nu also has many secrets," Yang Che muttered to himself.

In his mind, a picture had already emerged: the Zilan Pavilion in the front yard was brightly lit and bustling with people. In this small courtyard, there was a woman gazing at the moon, feeling sorry for herself, with only her shadow for company.

"It's not a good habit to pry into other people's secrets." As Yang Che was speaking, the door to the room directly opposite the courtyard was pushed open from the inside, and Zi Nu appeared in the doorway.

At this moment, Zi Nu was not wearing the alluring purple dress that Yang Che was most familiar with. Instead, she was dressed in plain white, with long sleeves and a flowing skirt. Her long purple hair was loose, tied into a bun with a ribbon and three silver hairpins.

She lacked her usual radiant beauty, but it was precisely this simple and elegant purple dress that caught Yang Che's eye.

The woman in the main hall of Zilan Pavilion was indeed beautiful and charming, but Yang Che saw something fake in her. Her smile was fake, her magnanimity was fake, everything about her was fake, and it made him feel blasphemous. But the woman in front of him was different.

She didn't wear glamorous short tops and long skirts that accentuated her figure, nor did she wear bright and colorful embroidery around her eyes, nor did she walk with a graceful and alluring gait. What she gave off was a quiet, intellectual feeling, and a faint, though not intense, gentleness that could captivate anyone.

At this moment, Yang Che's gaze was not fixed on her proud chest, nor her slender waist, nor her straight and long legs under her skirt, nor her delicate face that was both refined and childlike for her age, but on her as a person.

In an instant, in Yang Che's eyes, Zi Nu was no longer a stunningly beautiful enchantress, nor the famous owner of Zi Lan Xuan in Xinzheng, but an ordinary woman who brought peace to people's hearts.

In a daze, Yang Che felt as if he had returned to his childhood. In the bustling crowd, he suddenly saw the figure he had been longing for. She was not stunning, but she was able to calm his restless mind in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

At this moment, Zi Nu is ordinary, but also the most beautiful.

At that moment, Yang Che suddenly understood what beauty was. Beauty is not a bright and dazzling sight that can make people's eyes light up, but a charm that can calm people's minds.

Flowers may have their own beauty, but the roadside grass stretching its body in the breeze is equally captivating.

The magnificent sight of the Yellow River flowing eastward is certainly awe-inspiring, but the clear mountain streams, with their melodious murmurs, are equally captivating.

It can be described as suddenly looking back and finding the lights back in the dim light, or it can be described as a gentle breeze blowing through the window and shaking the branches when you are tired.

Hu Meiren's charming and alluring beauty is stunning, but easily forgotten; in contrast, Honglian's innocent and adorable charm is unforgettable.

True beauty is a fleeting, unintentional touch to the soul; though it may only last for a moment, it is etched into one's very being.

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