webnovelfull Chapter 168 The Mist is Clear
Chapter 168 The Mist is Clear
The princess knew what kind of lawsuit was involved after hearing just one word, but Zhao Fangyu caught her eye, so she didn't mind taking advantage of the situation and going with the flow.
The princess asked someone to bring a phoenix-head guzheng, and also asked someone to fetch the famous zither - the Jintong - which she had treasured for many years.
Legend has it that the original strings of this guqin were made of a phoenix's tail. Later, the evil queen of the previous dynasty attempted to get her hands on the famous guqin, and the strings broke by themselves in full view of everyone.
The evil queen failed to play the zither, and died suddenly of an acute illness soon after. The famous zither was kept in the warehouse and had new strings added to it by a craftsman. It has never been seen in public since then. Unexpectedly, it is in the hands of Princess Hua Luan.
Shisiniang was an expert at playing the guqin, so she naturally knew the name of Jintong. When she heard that the instrument she was going to play was Jintong, her fingertips trembled slightly with joy.
She was reluctant to bury such a good piano, so she decided to play the Requiem after Zhao Fangyu played some supporting roles.
Shisiniang held the zither and bowed: "Please don't be offended, Princess. This song was played after the battle of Longxi, calling the souls of the soldiers back home. It may not be suitable for this scene."
The princess didn't mind. The little girl was homesick, so there was nothing wrong with her playing some songs from her hometown. Besides, there was a war going on in Longxi, so it was okay for her to play this.
With a wave of his hand, someone brought stools and placed them on both sides of the princess.
The idle noble ladies nearby all looked over here. After Shisiniang tuned the zither and tested the sound, her fingertips moved and a desolate and rich melody flowed out from her fingertips. The addition of the phoenix-head guzheng added a touch of tenderness to the Requiem.
It seems like comfort, but also like concern.
Zhao Fangyu and Shisiniang were sitting in the hall. Shisiniang was playing the piano so intently that Zhao Fangyu was also gradually immersed in it.
The music of Longxi is not as prosperous as that of the capital, nor as graceful as that of the south of the Yangtze River. It has its own style, like the cold plum and the pine and cypress.
In Longxi, even the wind is free.
Shisiniang's performance was somewhat bold and dramatic, but it was precisely this bold and dramatic performance that allowed the noble lady from the capital to vaguely glimpse another land.
Her true nature cannot be revealed by words alone; it can be seen by looking at her handwriting, listening to her music, and discerning her heart.
The Requiem of Longxi reached the capital. The noble ladies, who had originally looked at Zhao Fangyu and Shisiniang with some strange eyes, gradually softened their gazes after listening to the Requiem.
The sound of the zither can also be divided into good and evil. The music of the two people is clean and pure, one is like a cold spring in the mountains, and the other is like a cedar in the forest. What if they are not upright?
Such people are always better than countless friends who are sweet-mouthed but have evil hearts.
Not far away, Zhou Qinghe, the fourth prince, Cui Zimin, Zhao Zhirun, Mei Zhanhui and others were warming wine and sipping tea on the other side of the princess' banquet.
There were four people in the group. The young men who came here were at least 40 years old, if not 20. At first glance, they looked very crowded.
Soon, some young men went to the forest to hunt, while others, like Zhou Qinghe and others, sat there and set up a chess board and talked.
Zhao Zhirun was sitting opposite Zhou Qinghe. Zhao Zhirun didn't know why he came at first, but the person who called him was Zhou Qinghe, so he came.
With the help of his family, Zhao Zhirun was assigned to a post outside Sichuan as a county magistrate.
The official position is not high, but the husband of the sixth lady of the Meng family is in Sichuan and Shu, and they are also relatives. The family of the sixth lady of the Meng family is very powerful in the local area, which can save a lot of trouble.
The good thing about having people in the Ministry of Personnel is this.
He didn't go to a wealthy place like Jiangnan, so even if everyone in the court was watching, they wouldn't be able to find any mistakes.
He has connections, so he didn't go to such a quiet place, nor did he have to go to a poor and remote place. Besides, the road to Sichuan is long and difficult, and it is not a good place to go, so few people would volunteer to go there.
Zhao Zhirun followed Zhou Qinghe to the Princess's Mansion this time because the eldest lady wanted to arrange his marriage before he was posted outside.
None of the people Zhou Qinghe brought had ever been engaged, except Cui Zimin. Although she has one now, it will probably be broken off soon.
The Fourth Prince played chess with Cui Zimin with a bitter face. Mei Zhanhui was left alone, so he pulled a chair and sat next to Zhao Zhirun to watch the show.
The sound of a piano came faintly, and Cui Zimin's heart suddenly moved. Then, it seemed as if a shell covered by mist in his heart slowly cracked.
"Is there a girl from Longxi coming to today's banquet?"
Zhou Qinghe turned his back to Cui Zimin, smiling: "Yes, there is one, but you probably don't know her. She is a girl from my wife's maternal grandfather's family."
Zhou Qinghe had a wicked smile on his face, which made Zhao Zhirun on the opposite side feel a little scared.
His fourth brother-in-law really doesn't look like a good person.
Zhou Qinghe deliberately didn't say how old the person who played the piano was. Didn't he like to ask questions? Why didn't he ask now?
But this sentence was enough to untie the knot that had confused Cui Zimin for a long time.
Cui Zimin leaned back, turning the warm black chess piece in his hand.
The chess piece was slightly cool, and gradually took on Cui Zimin's body temperature.
He stayed in Longxi for a long time, but seldom saw people. Because he became famous at a young age, people asked him many questions, but he was too impatient to respond and devoted himself to the mountains and rivers.
Because of this, I was not aware of the twists and turns between the local families, and I never thought that someone would resort to such despicable means to impersonate someone else.
What’s funny is that it was this despicable method... that successfully deceived the Cui family.
The Li family and the Cui family were related by marriage, and he even stayed at the Li family when he was in Longxi...
How could such an ancient and mysterious zither come from the hands of a man who murdered his concubine's sister?
Now, he has discernment.
Cui Zimin doesn't believe that all this is just a coincidence.
He didn't believe that the misunderstanding between him and the piano player, which had been missed many times, could be resolved at this moment.
He and Zhou Qinghe got drunk at the Fourth Prince's residence at the same time. This time Zhou Qinghe dragged the Fourth Prince here by force. The Fourth Prince was afraid and looked for him elsewhere...
Zhou Qinghe grunted twice, but his hands did not stop moving. With a click, he placed a piece on the board, eating up a piece of Zhao Zhirun's chess.
Zhao Zhirun had a bitter face. He secretly cursed his brother-in-law for not giving in to his uncle, and at the same time lamented that Cui Zimin did not live up to his reputation.
He is clearly already engaged, so why is he asking about it at a party like this?
Cui Zimin also dropped a piece and said, "No wonder. I was wondering why someone in the capital would play Longxi's music."
"If you don't live in Longxi for a year or so, you will never be able to understand the essence of this Requiem."
Zhao Zhirun understood now, and continued playing chess with his head down. After the game, Zhou Qinghe grabbed Zhao Zhirun and took him to the woods to hunt.
"If you don't go hunting in the woods, how will the barbecue feast know that it was you who contributed?"
"Sitting there to play chess, without even seeing you, how can anyone understand you?"
Zhao Zhirun lost his temper and followed Zhou Qinghe, leading a team of people and rushing into the woods in the heavy snow.
The Fourth Prince was killed unconsciously by the absent-minded Cui Zimin, who was very tired at this time. Cui Zimin felt apologetic, so he settled the Fourth Prince down and asked Mei Zhanhui to go hunting together.
Mei Zhanhui is a rare genius in the Mei family, and Cui Zimin is also a rare talent in the Qinghe Cui family. Both of them are outstanding people.
We have similar temperaments.
Both of them listened to Zhou Qinghe's words. Cui Zimin had been traveling in the mountains for many years and was quite good at hunting.
The girl from Longxi...should also be able to bend a bow?
I wonder if we can meet in the forest...