Chapter 16 Playing the Piano (2)

His white brocade robe fluttered in the breeze that streamed through the long windows. He stood up slowly and walked towards the students below him. "None of you are completely unfamiliar with the art of playing the qin. You have learned some knowledge in the past few days, and now you will put it into practice."

"I will point out the bad habits based on what you have said and give you guidance on them one by one."

It was so rare that Mr. Qu, who was unparalleled in the world in playing the zither, would personally listen to his music. All the young ladies in the hall began to practice playing the zither, all hoping to get Mr. Qu's approval. Even if they only heard one or two sentences, they would be happy for a long time.

Meng Ying'er was extremely happy. She tapped the silk strings with her fingertips and said softly to Shu Ying beside her, "Qingluo, my best piece of music is 'Guangling Zhixi'. I'll play it for you later."

"I'm not good at many songs, I'm afraid you will laugh at me..." She saw Jing looking down at Yuqin indifferently, vaguely thinking about something.

She was clearly a girl selected to study qin in the Music Bureau, so how could she speak so poorly of herself? The girl curled her lips slightly and quickly argued, "Those who can enter the Music Bureau are all girls carefully selected by the master. No matter how unpleasant they are, they are all the best among the qin girls."

"After what you said, I seem to have gained more confidence."

Chu Qingluo smiled faintly at Meng Yatou, and watched the white figure as white as frost gradually approaching, and her gaze fell on the strings of the zither again.

Meng Ying'er also saw the teacher approaching, and quietly plucked the music on the zither, lowering her head. "It's almost my turn. I need to practice for a while, so I won't chat with you."

The girl has been in unrequited love for so long, so she must do her best to leave a good impression in front of the master. Not only this girl, I believe all the girls in the piano hall think the same way.

Everyone wants to climb higher, but she chooses to go lower, showing her most vulnerable side to him, making it impossible for him to forget it even if he wants to.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Qu Hanjin came over along with the seat. He listened to the few notes the girl played casually on the piano. His expression was calm and he seemed to know everything in his heart.

He stood elegantly beside her and gestured to the maid to play a piece of music: "Meng Ying'er, is it Guangling San that you want to play?"

I've never seen anyone who could tell what song it was after just a few notes. Meng Ying'er was overjoyed, thinking that the master's reputation was truly well-deserved: "Master, you have a good ear. I only played a few notes, and you were able to tell what song it was?"

Then the girl put away her coquettish look and played the piano attentively.

She listened attentively. Although she was not as good as the secretive daughter of the Xu family, the girl played flawlessly and was quite pleasant to the ears.

If she can improve more, she should be able to rank among the top in the Ministry of Music.

It was called a piece of music, but it was actually too long. The teacher carefully selected a few sections, stood aside with his hands hanging down, and listened to the sound.

After the last note faded, Qu Hanjin's expression remained calm. He nodded slightly, and with his thoughts unclear, he opened his mouth and said, "Practice the rest of the song better. I'll come back in three days to hear you."

"Yes, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Hearing that the gentleman did not point out any serious fault, Meng Ying'er was delighted and said excitedly with her delicate body straightened.

In this way, Mr. Qu naturally turned to her.

Chu Qingluo lowered her eyes slightly, her fair fingers lightly touching the strings of the zither, and her eyes lowered as if she was thinking about something, so much so that she didn't even notice the master standing beside her.

"It's your turn now. What song have you prepared?"

Seeing that she was distracted with her head down, he spoke in a stern voice, but was afraid of scaring her, so he slowed down his voice slightly.

She instantly regained her composure, lowered her eyes, and replied in a low voice, "Sir, it's 'Plum Blossom Introduction'."

Without saying a word, Chu Qingluo silently began to play the tune. The melody was as gentle and graceful as the shimmering of spring water, and as quiet as plum blossoms falling under the moonlight.

The lingering sound, floating like snow, attracted the noble ladies around to come because of its reputation.

However, when the music came to an end, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she deliberately played a few wrong notes, completely ruining the music she had played previously.

Those notes sounded strange and really made people laugh. The women looking around seemed to have instantly forgotten the melodious music before, and they smiled secretly and practiced the piano by themselves. No one paid attention to this corner anymore.

Qu Hanjin frowned upon hearing the music, leaned forward slightly, and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you play the ending wrong?"

"The student forgot the music score..." Her delicate eyebrows lowered a little more, and she replied guiltily, her eyelashes seemed to tremble slightly.

"Forgot?"

He found it incredible, and leaned closer again, plucking a few thin strings with his long fingers. He asked again in a cold voice: "You played these notes wrong, have you really forgotten them?"

Seeing the situation, she lightly touched the strings that the master had touched. Chu Qingluo's delicate face was like a flower, and her autumn eyes were like water. Suddenly, she touched his slender index finger and slowly held it.

"Sir, are you sure it's these notes? Is it possible that it's the rest..."

Qu Hanjin was suddenly shocked.

A hint of surprise finally crossed her calm face. It was the first time he saw a woman act so presumptuous, teasing him in public without fear of being seen by others.

There were whispers all around, all talking about the music they had just played, and no one was looking in this direction.

He didn't hide for a long time, for fear that his behavior would attract attention, so he let her hold his hand gently and answered suddenly.

"I have never heard it wrong."

The woman's slender fingers were slightly cool, as tender and white as scallions, and seemed to stir the spring water in his heart. He looked at her delicate face again, and her cherry lips were lightly pursed, about to bloom, as if about to drip water.

However, this action only lasted for a moment. Chu Qingluo calmly let it go and murmured, "Perhaps I really remembered it wrongly. If I could get the teacher to teach me in person, I might be able to remember it."

Her voice was deliberately soft, and she seemed to have no intention of offending him. Her expression returned to a serious tone as she quietly explained to him, "As a teacher, imparting one's hand is a normal thing to do. Only those with ulterior motives would think of doing it in a different way."

Give me a hand... She wanted him to do it herself.

"Come to the side hall and continue practicing."

No matter what he did, he shouldn't be fooling around in this piano room. Qu Han stood up straight with his thin body as if nothing had happened, wanting to go back to the side hall to explain in detail.

After that, he walked away solemnly and did not return to this corner until the end of the class.

Meng Ying'er only heard that she played the wrong piece of music, and she couldn't hear clearly what happened afterwards. After Mr. Wang left, she remained silent and comforted him softly.

As if she was being scolded by the teacher, the girl hesitated and hesitated. Liangshang patted her shoulder gently: "Qingluo, don't worry about it. It's normal not to remember those few sounds..."

"I also think it's a small matter. I can look at it with a more open mind."

Unexpectedly, this charming girl was relieved. She smiled calmly and continued to practice her zither music: "If I forget, I forget. I don't want to deceive you. Let him think whatever he wants."

Seeing that she really didn't seem to care, Meng Ying'er was delighted and started practicing the music with her: "I originally wanted to say a few kind words of advice, but seeing your expression, there's no need for them now. I'll practice the piano with you and we'll both gain the teacher's appreciation!"

This practice lasted until night time.

She chatted with Meng Yatou for a while and then started thinking about what to do next.

At Princess Mu Xiao's celebration banquet, she was determined to take Sun Zhong's life. No one from the royal family was present except the princess, so this opportunity was a gift from heaven, and she would never let it go.

If she could be introduced by the princess, she would be able to attend the banquet. What she lacked now was the cartilage powder that could soften people's bones and muscles, and the weapon that would make Sun Zhong unable to resist.

It seems I need to go to the back mountain again, order Fu Zhao to prepare medicine, and then think of a foolproof plan...

"Ying'er, go back first. The moon is beautiful tonight. I want to admire it for a while."

After finishing the night study, Chu Qingluo looked up at the crescent moon above the courtyard and asked the maid to go back to the private room in the pavilion first.

Knowing that she had something on her mind that she didn't want to tell, Meng Ying'er didn't ask any more questions. She whispered a warning and then walked into the night: "It's very cold at night, you must take care of yourself."

There was no one in the Qin Hall. She walked alone along the dim light of the palace lanterns. At the end of the dim light, she suddenly turned around and walked into the back mountain.

The forest was shrouded in mist, quiet and lonely, and the branches and leaves rustled in the night wind. She walked into the mountain mist, and the coldness penetrated her bones.

But before she could light the cigarette in her hand, she saw a mysterious figure leaning leisurely against a tree, with the corners of his lips slightly raised, staring at her in a very intriguing way.

Chu Qingluo couldn't help but sneer. She paused, her eyes flashing with sharpness. "I haven't even lit the incense yet, why are you waiting in the forest?"

The corners of his lips, which were already slightly curved, rose even higher. Feng Yan held a sword in his arms and walked towards her with a low laugh. "I miss the princess so much that I'm waiting here. I thought the princess would summon me tonight."

"Is Ningzhu's injury better?" She glanced at the man lightly, thinking of Ningzhu who was injured by the Ninth Prince. She hadn't seen her for a long time.

"She has a strong body and can't die." Feng Yan was disdainful when talking about Fu Zhao's right envoy. When he approached, his sword-like eyebrows raised, all his annoyance was swept away, and he couldn't help but touch her collarbone and jade skin.

"Princess, you are so precious, I'm worried you might catch a cold..."

But in the next moment, the hand that touched her fair skin was firmly grasped, and then there was a "crack" sound, and the man's wrist joint seemed to be broken.

Chu Qingluo chuckled back, her eyes filled with coldness as she sternly warned, "Do you dare to touch me again? Be careful or I'll break both of your hands and make you a cripple..."

"I am most delighted when the princess is cruel to me..." Sweat was clearly dripping down his forehead, and pain spread across his moody face. However, Feng Yan smiled even more happily. His expression was slightly distorted, but his eyes were bright. "Only in this way can I feel that the princess treats me in a unique way..."

"Go back and dream your big dream!"

She raised her hand to slap him again, but then, remembering the imminent revenge, she suppressed her displeasure and said seriously, "I'll go to the celebration banquet. I'm still short of a bottle of cartilage powder. Would Feng Yan be willing to go and get some?"

She knew Feng Yan well. Although he often needed to be punished, his skills were far superior to hers. This injury would not hurt him too much and he would recover after a few days of rest.

She never shows mercy to those who ask for a beating.

As soon as Feng Yan heard about the cartilage powder, he knew what she was planning.

Rubbing his wrist, he thought about it over and over again, and felt that this was a superfluous move. He flattered her with another plan: "Princess, do you want to make Sun Zhong lose his strength before killing him? It would be much easier to poison his wine..."