Shan Shan, standing beside Miao Xiaomiao, wore a look of schadenfreude, eagerly waiting for a good show. The better Jun Moxie performed, the more enraged she became! She absolutely had to see this young man make a fool of himself. Miao Xiaomiao was Jun Moxie’s woman; though Miao Xiaomiao herself didn’t know it, Jun Tianshao was keenly aware of it, and thus his gaze toward Miao Xiaomiao naturally differed from how he looked at others. But it was precisely this… lewd… look in his eyes that brought this disaster upon himself!

If Young Master Jun had known that the root of today’s misfortune lay right here, he’d likely regret it until his guts turned green—and his face would turn green as well. It’s clearly my wife, we’ve already… you know… so why can’t I look? Is there no justice, no reason in this world…?

“Fine! Then I shall display my full talents and compose a piece for you all,” he declared. “Let you see how formidable I am! It seems if I don't stun you all, you won't realize just how astonishing, how peerlessly magnificent your husband truly is! How… and all that jazz!”

Seeing that the collective anger was simply too great to defy, producing just one piece of music was the best outcome achievable for now. Jun Moxie had no choice but to concede, though he laid down some ground rules beforehand: “However, I must declare, this is the only piece for today. If you desire another, it will require a long accumulation of time and a burst of inspiration…” Fine!… The women all agreed at once, no longer pressing him. In truth, the women understood that even those ignorant of music knew that composing a piece, from conception to completion, was a lengthy process. Their relentless nagging was merely the lingering sting of jealousy. Forcing him to compose on the spot today was already an unexpected delight…

Even if this piece wasn’t up to par, they could let him off the hook this time. After all, if it really turned out poorly, would he be forced to rewrite it?

Miao Xiaomiao was quite surprised that he was actually going to compose on the spot. She thought to herself that Jun Ye’s piece took quite some time to create. If Jun Moxie could write the lyrics and music live, even if the quality was slightly lower, it would still be extraordinary!

But did this fellow really possess such ability? I remain skeptical. If he tries to fob us off with something lazy, I will certainly point it out. His wives already said that if it’s not good enough, he has to redo it until everyone is satisfied… A fellow like him dares to compare himself to my Jun Ye…

“If it is just one piece, that is acceptable. However, before composing, I must first recount a short story for you all… because this piece is based on that story…”

Jun Moxie naturally needed to set the stage first: “Once upon a time, there was a young scholar named Liang Zhibo. In order to pass the imperial examinations and gain official status, he entered an academy to study…”

The inspiration that struck him this time was the tale of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.

After all, the Dirge of the Buried Flower was so exquisitely mournful—in both lyrics and mood—that it was rarely matched. To find a composition that was equal to, or perhaps even slightly superior to the Dirge, he could think of nothing else but The Butterfly Lovers… Naturally, there were other, better, or equally classic pieces from his previous life, but Jun Moxie’s memory couldn't dredge up that many. It was a case of ‘specialization in one's field’… Ahem, mainly, Feng Ling couldn't remember that many…

“…In despair, Liang Shanbo fell ill from deep melancholy and eventually coughed up blood, dying…” “…Finally, when Zhu Yingtai reached Liang Shanbo’s grave, the earth suddenly cracked open with a tremendous sound, swallowing Zhu Yingtai whole. Then, a seven-colored mist rose from within the fissure. After the mist cleared, two butterflies fluttered out, free and easy, a pair forever together. The bodies of the two lovers were gone from the tomb. It turned out that the true devotion of this pair of lovers had moved Heaven, transforming them into butterflies to be together for eternity, accompanying each other to the ends of the earth…”

When Jun Moxie finished speaking, he was met with stifled sobs all around. He turned to see that the eyes of all the women were red, and even the usually composed Qiao Ying and the calm Mei Xueyan could not escape the emotion…

“This piece was composed based on that story. Its name is Love Transforms into Butterflies!” Jun Moxie slowly sat before the zither, stretched out his hand, and plucked a string. A melodious sound rang out. This composition was originally most evocative when played on a violin, but musical theory is universal; it could certainly be played on the guqin as well… It was just that the violin’s timbre naturally possessed an inherent, sorrowful beauty, whereas the guqin might sound slightly too clear and bright…

“Green grass is lush and flowers bloom bright, Colorful butterflies linger, a loving pair. A love sung through ages, deep and true, Shanbo’s devotion to Yingtai, forever new…”

As the music flowed, Jun Moxie hummed the lyrics softly: “Studying side-by-side for three full years, Shoulder to shoulder, no secrets shared. Seeing off with deep affection at the crossing, Who knew one parting meant goodbye forever…”

As he played and sang, scenes unfolded before the women’s eyes: a man and a woman meeting, knowing, and cherishing each other in the academy… The woman was disguised as a man, and the man remained oblivious… Only when parting was imminent did they realize each other’s true identities…

They parted with longing glances and heartfelt farewells, promising eternal affection and pledging themselves for three lifetimes… Then came the reluctant separation, who knew that after parting, sweet dreams could never be realized again—one parting meant eternal farewell…

Shanbo petitioned the Zhu family for marriage but was rejected. Upon returning home, overcome with grief and indignation, and then hearing that the Zhu family had arranged a marriage with the Ma family, he lost all hope, fell ill, and passed away. Yingtai learned that Shanbo died for her sake and was consumed by grief. She swore never to marry. Alas, fate toyed with her, and the powerful Ma family came to claim her. Out of duty to her clan, Yingtai was forced to step into the sedan chair with resentment. When the procession reached Shanbo’s tomb, Yingtai insisted on dismounting to pay respects. Moved by her sorrow, storms raged, and the grave suddenly split open. Yingtai leaped into the fissure, and the tomb sealed itself shut. The storm ceased, a rainbow arched overhead, and Liang and Zhu transformed into butterflies, dancing freely in the human world…

Jun Moxie had undeniably underestimated the power of this piece!

In the later era from which Jun Moxie originated, everyone celebrated the steadfastness of Liang and Zhu’s love, sympathizing with both figures, but few could truly grasp the cruelty within it…

But things were vastly different now. Whether Gu Qinghan, Hanyan Meng, Miao Xiaomiao, or Dugu Xiaoyi—which of these women was not born into a great lineage? Which one didn’t understand the plight of women in such noble houses?

In this world, over ninety percent of women from distinguished families were destined to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the clan, becoming mere tools for strategic marriage alliances: Two families cheered and rejoiced over the mutual benefits gained, but who ever cared about the life the married-off woman lived? You are the daughter of the family; the family provides your sustenance, so naturally, you must contribute to the family’s interests!

Even if her married life wasn't happy… it was just a long sigh. But that sigh destroyed a woman’s lifetime of happiness and aspirations…

It was the era, it was the pull of interest; this was the greatest tragedy in such times and under such circumstances!

Some criticize women for always submitting to this pressure, but they never consider why women submit. Because, within the family, there are the parents who raised them…

How could one forget the debt of nurture? Never mind ancient times; even in modern China, there are still such families, such women… Love versus filial piety—which is heavier? This is a question that will never have an answer…

Gu Qinghan perhaps had the deepest personal experience of this. Even a favored daughter like Miao Xiaomiao, were it not for the entanglement of the Spirit Herb Garden, the protection of her genius reputation, and finally her fortunate encounter with Mo Junye, would inevitably have been unable to escape such a fate…

Then there was Hanyan Meng, this little girl who was currently a direct sacrifice to a political marriage. It was just that she was relatively lucky, as the marriage partner was the very person she had always loved—though luckier individuals like her were exceedingly rare…

Even the carefree Dugu Xiaoyi, had she not met Jun Moxie and fallen deeply in love with him, her future marriage would certainly not have been hers to command! Even so, Dugu Xiaoyi still exhausted all means, used every trick, and struggled relentlessly before her family finally consented to her relationship with Jun Moxie…

In this matter, everyone saw Dugu Xiaoyi’s willfulness, perhaps even her recklessness; but who truly considered what the outcome for the couple would have been if Dugu Xiaoyi hadn't been so willful, hadn't kicked up such a fuss regardless of the consequences?

Given the Dugu family’s previous impression and attitude toward Jun Moxie, coupled with the political environment of the Tianxiang Kingdom at the time, they absolutely could not have permitted a marriage alliance between the Jun family (first in military power) and the Dugu family (second). Then, considering Jun Moxie’s temperament, would he have actively fought for it?

If Dugu Xiaoyi had not set aside all the modesty expected of a young lady, if she hadn’t put forth so much effort, one could imagine that only tragedy awaited Dugu Xiaoyi!

Thus, this one piece truly touched upon the deepest pain in the hearts of all the women from the great families of this age! In reality, the legend of Liang and Zhu was precisely the ancients’ struggle against, and yearning for—or perhaps, their vain hope for—such inescapable marriages!

Even if they couldn't be husband and wife in life, they wished to transform into butterflies dancing together in death. This was less a beautiful insistence and more a daydream born of inescapable despair, a dream that all those in love but unable to unite hoped would come true…

May all lovers in the world find union—this was the most beautiful legend since time immemorial! The greatest aspiration! But how many pairs of lovers have truly united, from antiquity until now?

As Gu Qinghan listened, she suddenly remembered Murong Xiuxiu and Ye Guhan, and her eyes instantly reddened, tears streaming down her face!

Weren’t these two just like Liang and Zhu? In fact, perhaps they were even less fortunate than the legendary pair!

Without Jun Moxie, they were fated never to even fulfill their wish of being buried together…

Ah, a legendary love of betraying Heaven sooner than betraying you, yet to fulfill that dream required one prerequisite: that fate had not run its course in this lifetime!

This was because they all knew that their hopes for this life were already dashed!

Therefore, they could only pin their hopes on the next life—but how ethereal and uncertain that prospect was!

Even Miao Xiaomiao was deeply immersed in the melody. Her own proficiency in music was extremely high, and having personally walked past that fork in the road, she naturally experienced a deeper layer of feeling…

The piece ended!

For a long, long time, silence reigned, broken only by muffled sobs that echoed through the air…