Chapter 2 Entering the Mansion (2)

This person's identity is self-evident. I didn't expect that I would run into Mr. Qu, whom I had never met before, when I came to the back mountain.

Seeing that he ignored her, Chu Qingluo bowed and wanted to turn back: "I accidentally entered the forest and disturbed your peace. I apologize to you."

Unexpectedly, this made the young master hesitate slightly. He turned his eyes and looked at me, then stopped his movements calmly and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"This back mountain is close to the Siyue Mansion, and the young master's clothes are more beautiful than snow, and he is elegant and noble," she replied with a smile, each word clearly stated, and her eyes flickered as she looked back, "I can't think of anyone else except Mr. Qu."

The Grand Master of Music of the Daning Ministry of Rites is in charge of all palace banquets, big and small, in accordance with Your Majesty's orders.

In addition to his world-renowned and unparalleled musical skills, this man is also deeply trusted by the current emperor. Although he has only recently come of age, his reputation in the court is particularly high, and he is respected by all the civil and military officials in the court.

Mr. Qu was highly respected and virtuous, and was known for his self-discipline and adherence to propriety. Anyone who dared to utter a disrespectful word to Mr. Qu would likely incur the Emperor's wrath and bring about his own death.

It was precisely because Emperor Daning trusted the man before her so much that she had tried every possible means to enter this mansion and find a hiding place...

To avenge the irreconcilable hatred and deep vengeance.

After hearing what she said, Qu Hanjin remained silent for a moment, picking up new leaves from the tea tree again, and suddenly asked, "Are you here to learn the qin?"

She responded respectfully and calmly, "Yes, from now on, I hope you will give me more guidance."

At this point, the two fell into silence.

She wanted to hear a few more polite words from him, but no one came for a long time. She raised her head and saw that Mr. Wang was only picking tea leaves from the branches and didn't even look at her.

"Today we have night lessons."

Chu Qingluo was about to leave when she heard the young master speak slowly, reminding her not to be late for the palace.

Although this gentleman seemed to answer every question at the moment, it was rumored that he was quite strict in dealing with people and was the strictest gentleman in the capital.

When it comes to etiquette, he ranks second and no one dares to claim to be first.

She quickly agreed and walked down the mountain along the stone path. "I understand. Thank you for your advice, Mr.."

She didn't know that she would meet the teacher in the back mountain on the first day of school. He would definitely see the blood-stained dagger. If he reported her to the authorities or handed the dagger to the Ministry of Justice, she would be doomed.

Chu Qingluo returned to her room and felt a little scared. She tossed and turned on the couch and couldn't fall asleep.

However, considering Mr. Qu's elegant appearance, perhaps he was indifferent to her words and deeds, so why would he go to such great lengths to kill her...

A few thoughts entered her mind, and she felt at ease.

As night fell, the thin mist from the mountains and forests drifted into the mansion. The palace lanterns around seemed to be covered by a layer of hazy gauze, making it dim and misty.

Without giving it much thought, she saw that it was time for night practice, so she walked along the corridor to the piano room in the main hall.

The hall was already filled with beautiful ladies from prominent families. They seemed to want to win Mr. Qu's favor, so most of them sat in prominent seats, covering their lips from time to time and whispering with the women at the next table.

Chu Qingluo casually sat in a corner, not wanting to draw attention to herself, and simply flipped through the book placed on the desk. The handwriting in the book was vigorous and powerful, with a subtle elegance and just the right amount of scribble.

She looked up again and saw that the Qin Hall was spacious and elegant. It could not be called luxurious, but it was decorated with carved railings and jade bricks, and the room was filled with the fragrance of orchids.

On the elegant platform in the hall is placed a mahogany musical instrument stand and an intricately carved desk. This should be where the master will sit in the future.

There were whispers everywhere in the Qin Hall until the nanny walked up the steps of the hall, and then the surroundings returned to silence.

The nanny coughed coldly, as if she had been ordered by Mr. Qu to come and report: "These books have been given to you. Ladies, please study them. If you have any questions, you can ask Mr. Qu tomorrow."

I never expected that Mr. would not come tonight...

"I've been waiting for half a day, but I can't see the master..." After the nanny left, a young girl in the hall could not sit still anymore. She suddenly lay down on the table with her straight body, drooped her head, and sighed dejectedly.

The woman beside him smiled upon hearing this, and gently raised the book to say to the others, "It is said that this 'The Way of Music and Qin' was also written by Mr. Qu himself. Only those who have entered the Music Bureau can have the honor of reading it."

It was indeed written by the master... Chu Qingluo looked back at the ink on the book, and recalled the elegant young man she met during the day, and found that he was very similar to her.

"I saw the master today!" Perhaps hearing the growing chatter, the girl on the side grew bolder and whispered to the woman beside her, "The master has the bones of an immortal, like a hermit, untainted by the dust of the world."

The person who heard the voice had bright eyes and looked forward to tomorrow's lessons with a cheerful face: "Hearing what you said, I want to see you even more. Why don't you come soon tomorrow morning..."

She had met these two people when she stepped into the mansion. She learned that one was named Song Yan and the other was named Mu Wanxian. It seemed that they had known each other for many years and were precious close friends.

“Short-sighted.”

As if hearing these words, a scornful laugh came from a few steps away. The four words were filled with endless disdain, which made people angry.

Song Yan was immediately enraged. She stood up abruptly and shouted, "What are you mumbling about there?"

"I am the legitimate daughter of the Xu family in the capital. How lowly can you be?" As he stood up proudly, the lady who spoke flicked her sleeves, showing an attitude of superiority, and sneered.

"You look so unsophisticated. I'm embarrassed to be in this room with you."

She also knew this domineering daughter of a famous family. She was Xu Anyao, who had walked into the mansion with such arrogance a few hours ago. Because her family was wealthy, she became arrogant among the many zither girls.

"Xu Shi... is that the Xu Shi whose family has produced three prime ministers?" She immediately covered her lips in shock. Mu Wanxian tugged at the sleeve of the woman beside her, signaling her not to bother. "With such a distinguished background, she actually came to the Siyue Mansion?"

Upon hearing the family background of the domineering girl, Song Yan lost her confidence and remained speechless for a long time. She sat back at the desk unwillingly, suppressing the anger that surged in her heart.

Mu Wanxian murmured quietly, constantly comforting Song Yan. It was not worth it to cause trouble before even meeting the master. "Forget it, forget it. Common people like us can't compare with her. It's better not to provoke her..."

At this point, the main hall was as quiet as before, with only the sound of flipping pages echoing in every corner, and the atmosphere became inexplicably solemn.

She was holding the cakes she brought from the Meng Mansion in her arms. How was she supposed to share them among them? Meng Ying'er had a headache, but if she didn't share the cakes, they would go bad after one night.

After much thought, Meng Yatou still spoke up: "This sweet-scented osmanthus cake is made by my mother. It is sweeter than the ones bought in the market. You can try it."

Rather than wasting it, it would be better to use this opportunity to gain some power and wealth, so as to exchange for a peaceful and comfortable life in the future, Meng Ying'er asked softly, and simply put the cakes on the desk.

"Really? Then let me try a piece!"

The girls who came for night practice seemed to be really hungry. Some of them had been traveling for a whole day and were really hungry. When they heard the words, they ran over happily, took a piece of osmanthus cake, and ate it contentedly.

The girls watching also felt hungry and came over to taste it: "You guys are making me hungry..."

Before long, the Qintang was filled with the aroma of cakes.

But how could this elegant study hall be affected by the aroma of food? After all, it would break the rules of the mansion. The nanny came in angrily when she smelled the aroma, and stood in the hall and shouted angrily.

"quiet!"

Almost irritated by these new students, the nanny hesitated, pointing at the crowd in the hall and angrily scolding them, "Who allowed you to make noise during night classes? And even sneak food into the hall!"

"If the teacher knew, he would punish you by making you copy books for a few days. If you don't finish, you will not be allowed to enter the piano room!"

The nanny looked at the desks again and saw that the osmanthus cakes placed on them had been taken under the table by the girls.

But this matter must not be tolerated. The nanny waved her sleeves and shouted again, wanting to find out the culprit: "Who brought the cakes? Come out!"

Meng Ying'er suddenly felt the gazes closing in, as if she could no longer escape this calamity. Having caused this incident, she wasn't afraid of any punishment, but only of the teacher's dislike and future dislike.

"Mammy... I know I was wrong. Could you please not tell my master about this..." The maid clenched the hem of her skirt with her hands hanging down, lowered her head, and begged hesitantly, "I really don't dare to do it again..."

Unmoved by the maid's words, the nanny stood there coldly, her voice solemn and tolerant of no negotiation: "This is not up to you to decide. If you don't follow the rules, you will be punished!"

As soon as the words fell, a servant walked steadily into the hall and stood beside the nanny, as if he had come specifically to deliver a message for Mr. Qu.

The servant stopped respectfully and reported the news expressionlessly, saying word for word: "The master said that the first offense will be forgiven, but if it is caught again, the punishment will be severe, not light."

Having said all, the servant left without stopping, very dignifiedly. The women in the hall were left looking at each other in bewilderment, not daring to breathe a word.

The girls felt that Mr. Qu was becoming increasingly unfathomable. He knew that the music hall was commotion, but he refused to show up and only called a servant over.

This matter has alarmed the master, and the servant who follows him has conveyed the news. Although the nanny is angry, she has to stop and listen to the master's words to spare the girl this time.

"Since the master has spoken, you're lucky you won't be punished this time."

The nanny calmed down her anger, raised her sleeves after a while, asked Meng Ying'er to sit down, and ordered the maids on both sides to distribute the book of house rules.

Seeing the ladies in the hall carefully reading the rules of the mansion, the nanny looked at them seriously and repeatedly warned: "In the Siyue Mansion, regardless of status, the master treats everyone equally. But if you break the rules or your music skills don't improve, don't blame the master for being harsh and kicking you out of the mansion!"

"Did you hear everything clearly?" The nanny's eyes swept across the faces of each woman, and her anger gradually subsided. She asked again solemnly.

Some of the girls at the desk were absent-minded, while others were intently flipping through the government regulations, but they all answered in unison.

"The students heard it clearly."

After that, no one in the main hall said a word. Even though the nanny had left half an hour ago, no one made any more noise. The girls from various families who came to learn the piano all calmed down.