Chapter 9: Let's dance and play the zither, then come inside.

Not long after the incident with the silver bell, Cao Cao officially made Lady Bian his second wife.

And Deng Jie... did indeed receive an invitation from Lady Bian to enter the Sikong Mansion.

On the surface, it was said that "we heard that Madam Deng was a student of Mr. Hua and had excellent medical skills, so we invited her to have a private chat with the ladies of the household." But when she arrived, she realized that it was actually a carefully arranged aftercare lesson by her good husband.

Deng Jie felt uneasy.

From a young age, she was never planned by her elder brother to be given to any noble family in exchange for benefits, and she was never forced to learn any skills. She spent her years immersed in herbs and patients.

Not to mention music and dance, even painting and embroidery skills were ridiculed by Guo Jia for five years.

Now she's being asked to learn this kind of dance that emphasizes rhythm and coordination... It's a bitter pill to swallow.

Fortunately, Bian was quite wise. She knew that Deng Jie was not used to it, so she did not rush to teach her. Instead, she talked to her and took the initiative to get closer to her.

Because she came from a family of entertainers, she got along remarkably well with Deng Jie, a doctor who was the daughter of a merchant and had dealt with prostitutes for many years.

Ms. Bian started by discussing everyday life and sharing some of her early experiences with her, gradually allaying Deng Jie's concerns. Only then did she have music played, and slowly move into the teaching session.

At first, Deng Jie was truly at a loss, his limbs stiff and his clumsy appearance made the maids serving him unable to help but cover their faces and chuckle.

Bian was extremely patient, personally demonstrating, gently guiding, slowly correcting, and meticulously refining.

Deng Jie studied for a month.

With Bian's guidance, Deng Jie actually made some progress in everything from basic posture and gait to details of eye expressions, and felt more confident.

Occasionally, an old woman would stop her and ask, "Madam, why haven't you been dancing lately?" She would straighten up and generously reply that she had changed her dance style, and then casually make a gesture, which would make the old woman repeatedly praise her, saying, "Madam, you really have a great figure."

Deng Jie would secretly rejoice that he had actually learned it.

After some time, Deng Jie felt that she had learned quite a bit from Bian Shi. Bian Shi also noticed her thoughts and suggested to her, "Sister, you have been practicing hard. No one sees you practice except me. You should go home and show it to the chief priest."

Although Deng Jie was still a little shy, he readily agreed when he thought about how much he had learned and how he could show off in front of Guo Jia.

Therefore, Lady Bian sent several of her female musicians to accompany Deng Jie home.

After returning home, Deng Jie arranged for several people to follow her into the backyard to practice until Guo Jia returned home.

Although Guo Jia was slightly displeased that outsiders had entered his private courtyard, seeing the excitement and anticipation in his wife's eyes, he suppressed his discomfort, moved a soft cushion to sit under the eaves, and adopted a submissive and waiting posture.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments rose gently, clear and melodious, a tune Deng Jie had practiced many times. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and bowed respectfully to Guo Jia.

As the music played, she slowly stretched out her limbs. After more than a month of practice, her posture began to show flexibility and coordination.

Her slender waist turned gracefully, her cloud-embroidered steps fluttering lightly; though her gait wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, it still possessed a refreshing charm.

Her eyes were no longer panicked; she tried her best to follow the rhythm, her expression focused and serious.

The warm light of the setting sun shone through the dappled shadows of the locust trees onto her face and body, perfectly adorning her with a gentle halo.

Guo Jia's gaze followed her closely.

He knew his wife's nature well; once she decided to do something, she would go all out. The sight of her focused dancing at this moment filled him with endless emotion.

The smiling face before me overlapped with the clear and bright eyes of my youth.

Back then, she possessed an unadorned innocence, and would unsuspectingly investigate and gather information for someone she had only recently met. Even when she was kidnapped by the mountain bandits, she never blamed him for leaving her alone in the village. She disregarded the proper etiquette between men and women and stayed up all night taking care of him in his room. Even though she was injured, she still cared about whether he was tired.

As I looked at it and thought about it, a pang of guilt crept into my heart.

Five years have passed since she left Wancheng with him. From a wealthy merchant's daughter with no worries about material things, she has now become the "Lady of the Imperial Academy," managing household affairs, studying medicine, and even learning this ridiculous dance to quell rumors.

Just as this feeling of guilt was tormenting Guo Jia, he noticed that his wife's expression had shifted from initial deliberate focus to relaxed ease.

His furrowed brows had completely relaxed, his tightly pursed lips began to curve upwards slightly, and his eyes revealed a pure and immersive joy.

Deng Jie finally stopped doing it to complete a task or prove herself, and instead found enjoyment and self-gratification in the simple dance steps.

But it was precisely this composure that gave Guo Jia a secret sense of relief and joy.

This skill, which she had to learn out of necessity, allows her to have another hobby besides medicine, which is a good thing.

He was genuinely happy for her.

Watching her immerse herself in the moment, radiating a confident and relaxed beauty from within, Guo Jia felt a familiar, burning emotion welling up and rising within him…

He caught a glimpse of the musicians playing music in the corridor, who were also intently watching her dance, and a strange sense of irritation welled up inside him.

A sudden, piercing sound of a string snapping rang out, and the music abruptly stopped.

The musicians looked up in astonishment, only to find Guo Jia already standing in front of them, his face slightly grim, his fingers withdrawing from the strings of an ancient zither.

"Enough." Guo Jia's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of displeasure and coldness. "That's enough for today. You've all worked hard. Please go back."

The musicians looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Deng Jie also stopped dancing, looking bewildered and hurt: "Fengxiao? I... I didn't dance well?" She thought it was because she hadn't performed well and had angered her husband.

Guo Jia ignored the musicians' panicked farewells and went straight to Deng Jie. With a shyness he hadn't seen in a long time, he helped her up and even his tone changed: "Zhou, come inside with me."

Deng Jie instantly understood his true intention and, feeling ashamed and indignant, slapped him.

Guo Jia laughed and followed her, lifting her up and carrying her into the house in one go.

The following day, the lengthy and tedious meeting at the Minister of Works' residence ended, and all the civil and military officials received their orders and left.

Guo Jia lingered over the bamboo slips on Cao Cao's desk, watching until Xun Yu had completely left before grabbing Cao Cao's sleeve.

"Ming Gong..."

Cao Cao caught a glimpse of the complex smile on Guo Jia's face, a mixture of flattery and embarrassment. He recalled what Lady Bian had told him the night before about the musicians being sent back, and his heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong.

"What are you doing?" Cao Cao asked irritably, pulling back his sleeve and leaning back instinctively.

Guo Jia smiled broadly, "I've heard that you, my lord, possess extraordinary musical skills. I've long admired you. Could you perhaps spare some time to teach me a piece?"

Cao Cao was shocked, even doubting his own ears. "You? Learning the zither? What are you up to now?" He looked Guo Jia up and down with disdain. "Because of yesterday's events?"

Guo Jia gave an awkward smile and said in a low voice, "My lord, you are wise. If you are truly unable to spare the time... please ask Lady Bian to take the trouble to teach my wife a musical instrument!"

"Stop!" Cao Cao was completely bewildered. "Is it you who's learning or her? What are you doing? Yesterday, Lady Bian sent a group of professional musicians, and they couldn't even please Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia's smile froze, his eyes darting away. "This... the musicians are naturally highly skilled, and the dance taught by Lady Bian is also exquisite. It's just that I... cough, I can't help myself and don't want to share my wife's dance with anyone. You should understand, my lord!"

Cao Cao looked disgusted, his old face contorted as he punched Cao Cao's shoulder: "What do I know! What do I know! How could I possibly understand that you are so secretive that you can't even tolerate a woman?"

Guo Jia nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, Your Excellency is right. The problem is that the neighbors have been hearing exquisite music coming from inside the house. They all say that my wife is not only a remarkable dancer, but also a master of music. She's truly 'silent until she speaks, then astonishes everyone,' possessing the skill of a palace musician. She's incredibly talented! This morning, someone even came to ask us to play another piece tonight..."

Guo Jia grew increasingly helpless as he spoke, “I truly don’t know what to do. If I say that Madam cannot do it, wouldn’t that be a disservice to all the ‘praise’ from the whole city? But if I say that I can… this, this…”

He made up his mind. "So Jia thought, either I quickly learn a little bit myself, so I can at least pretend; or... I'll trouble Madam Bian to go to the trouble of actually teaching my wife a musical instrument! I don't need her to be an expert, just enough to be able to handle this... this increasingly outrageous rumor!"

Cao Cao fell silent again.

Looking at the shrewd strategist before him, who had been driven to desperation by the very marital intrigue he had orchestrated, and who had come to him for help time and time again, an uncontrollable feeling of schadenfreude welled up within him.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!" He finally couldn't help but slap the table and burst into laughter. "You really did include your own husband and wife in this for your own selfish reasons! How about I give you another hand and arrange a 'Celestial Music Gala' for you, to clear your wife's name on the spot?"

Guo Jia bowed and scraped, saying, "My lord, please stop making fun of me. Let's wait for this storm to pass quickly."

"Hahaha, you finally couldn't stand these rumors anymore, could you? Stop causing trouble like this!" Cao Cao sighed and stood up, waving his sleeve at him, "I'll give you three days. If you can truly understand it, I'll continue teaching you. If you can't... then this is the end of it!"

Guo Jia was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency! I will study and practice diligently!" as if he had received a great favor.

So, in the following days, some... well, extremely "tragic" zither music often emanated from a secluded side hall deep within the Sikong Mansion.

Broken strings, cracked notes, and out-of-tune sounds rose and fell, interspersed with Cao Cao's furious roar: "Guo Fengxiao! Are your hands made of wood?! Can't you distinguish the five notes of the pentatonic scale?!"

"Don't ruin my fine instrument!!"

And Guo Jia's unwavering defense: "My lord, please calm down. I will try again! This time, I will definitely..."

And this reputation for "mastery of music" was finally shattered by Guo Jia's intermittent practice, which resembled the howling of the Ghost Valley.