The banquet hall was silent, with only the soft and beautiful melody echoing through it.

Nobles enjoyed cultivating an air of refinement and often boasted of their understanding of art to demonstrate their "cultivation," and music was an important art form.

Among the guests present were many piano enthusiasts, but none of them had heard this piece before.

On Earth, anyone who has ever been exposed to music should have heard the piece "Für Elise".

"Für Elise" is a piano miniature, only a little over 3 minutes long, but it is a condensed essence of Beethoven's musical compositions. It is a must-learn piece for piano beginners and holds an indelible historical position in the music world.

There is a very beautiful story behind the inspiration Beethoven drew for this piece.

A girl named Alice goes around asking for help to help an elderly blind man realize his wish to see the forest and the sea.

Beethoven was deeply moved when he learned of this, and specially played a beautiful piece of music for the blind old man on Christmas Eve.

As he listened, the old man said he saw the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, the seawater of Tahiti, seagulls, forests, and sunshine...

The old man closed his eyes contentedly, no longer lonely and sad.

Beethoven then dedicated this piece to this kind and beautiful girl.

This is "Für Elise".

Alice on stage was stunned, frozen in place, as if her soul had been sucked into a vortex by the music.

Alice herself was quite skilled at playing the piano, otherwise there wouldn't have been a piano on the stage. In fact, the professor at the Lane National Conservatory of Music was Alice's private music tutor.

Some professors from the Lane National Conservatory of Music were also on the birthday party invitation list, so when they saw the elderly people pushing forward to get closer to the piano, the other guests tactfully made way for them.

Professors at the Lane National Conservatory of Music hold a special and prestigious position in Lane. Nobles who pride themselves on their high level of artistic cultivation consider it an honor to have a professor from the conservatory invited to their family celebrations.

But these veteran artists cannot be bought with money; their passion for music allows them to hear much more within the pieces…

The melody is simple and warm, depicting the gentle and beautiful image of the female protagonist, as if the male protagonist has endless words of affection to say to her.

The background music is smooth and cheerful, as if it were the bright and cheerful tone of a young girl.

The left hand plays arpeggios smoothly and fluently, gently and intimately, as if the male protagonist is constantly responding to his lover's whispers. The right hand plays dense arpeggios, making the music more joyful, as if a young girl is emitting bursts of silvery laughter.

Sudden.

The musical mood underwent a significant change.

An irrepressible passion ignited within me, burning like a flame.

The melody continues on the same low note, like the male protagonist's heartbeat, or his burning love, making the listener feel as if they can hear the male protagonist's passionate declaration, see his deep and powerful eyes, and feel his unwavering determination.

The tempo then gradually quickens, with soft chords driving the music forward, as if the young girl has gladly accepted his confession.

At the highest note, a series of descending chromatic scales, full of gorgeous colors, express the blissful feeling of two people being of one heart and mind.

Finally, the music gradually softens, like a pair of lovers holding hands and gazing at each other, frozen in time with the music gradually dissipating.

The music ended.

The banquet hall was completely silent.

Everyone was so engrossed in the beautiful melody that they couldn't tear themselves away.

Moonlight streamed into the hall through the window, the curtains swayed in the breeze, and the sound of the waves was like a lover's whisper—this was the power of music to cleanse the soul.

*Smack*

A soft sound brought people back to their senses as an elderly professor at the Lane National Conservatory of Music clapped.

*Slap slap*

The other professors joined in the applause, and then all the guests applauded.

Splash splash splash splash—

The applause was continuous.

Zhang Fan stood up to express his gratitude, and applause erupted in the banquet hall, lasting for a long time. Zhang Fan had no choice but to bow several times in different directions before the applause gradually subsided.

"Lieutenant Zhang." An elderly man with a white beard, unable to hide his excitement, stepped forward and shook Zhang Fan's hand, saying, "I have a favor to ask. Could you please give me a copy of the sheet music for this piece?"

"I don't intend to keep it for myself, but rather to include it in the teaching materials of the Lane National Conservatory of Music, so that every music lover can appreciate its beauty."

The surrounding guests gasped in surprise, because the old man was the former dean and lifelong professor of the Lane National Conservatory of Music. Although he had retired, he was still a titan in the music world.

To be so highly praised by him, and even to be included in the textbooks of the National Conservatory of Music, what an outstanding piece of music must be to receive such treatment?

“I’m sorry, I think you’ve asked the wrong person, sir.” Zhang Fan smiled slightly. “As I just said, the name of this piece is ‘Für Elise.’ I am no longer its owner. You should ask its current owner.”

Since we're using someone else's flowers to present to Buddha, we should go all the way to Buddha's destination.

"Oh?" The old headmaster paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and smiled at Alice. "Princess, I..."

"Sure, teacher, please take it." Alice's face was beaming, she felt incredibly proud, and now she found that guy much more agreeable.

"I am truly sorry to have taken away the princess's most precious gift tonight."

The old dean expressed his deepest apologies, while Alice returned the greeting with a smile.

The old dean's words completely outshone all those thousand-year-old red corals, deep-sea luminous pearls, and blue diamond necklaces.

Art is priceless, and using money to measure the value of art makes one feel vulgar.

The guests present were all aristocrats with "high-level" artistic taste, so naturally no one questioned the old dean's evaluation; otherwise, they would only appear more vulgar and ignorant.

The value of this piece is beyond question, thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations and unanimous recognition within aristocratic circles.

As the piece was included in the official teaching materials of the Laine National Conservatory of Music, "Für Elise" began to spread wildly throughout the Laine Duchy. In addition to the beautiful and melodious tune itself, the most important factor was the story it contained.

It is said that this poem, "Für Elise," was dedicated to Princess Alice by a lieutenant at the Royal Military Command Academy of the Duchy of Laine at her 19th birthday party.

This is simply an amazing story!

For beginners who are just starting out with the piano, it fulfills all the fantasies of young boys and girls!

But everyone knows that Princess Alice will become royalty in the future, which means that this story was destined to be a tragedy from the very beginning.

My God! Is there anything more moving than tragedy?

A military lieutenant and a royal princess—those dreamy, idealistic girls would go crazy over this.

All of this led to the further spread of "Für Elise" in Lane, and over time, it evolved into versions for many other instruments besides the piano. The resulting music copyright issues, upon closer examination, are truly more valuable than thousand-year-old red coral, deep-sea luminous pearls, and blue diamond necklaces!

These are all things to be discussed later.

This was like getting a free gift, and Zhang Fan only hoped that Beethoven wouldn't be angry.