"Oh? Lu girl, you play the flute very well?" The Empress Dowager looked at Zhu Yu, who was seated at the female guest table.
Lu Jinpei sat to his left, gritting her teeth and snorting coldly: "Lu Xiaoyun, if you play the flute well, I'll eat it. Don't embarrass yourself."
Zhu Yu chuckled softly: "You said it, I'll watch you eat then!"
After saying that, he got up and walked to Lu Xiaoyun's side, bowed and said, "Replying to Grandmother, my granddaughter-in-law does indeed like to play the flute. The prince heard her play the flute once and said that my granddaughter-in-law plays it better than her."
Lu Jinpei rolled her eyes. Ha, so arrogant, doesn't he care about biting his tongue?
“So,” Zhu Yu turned to Ren Yong’an behind him and smiled faintly, “it seems that Miss Ren’s request for my husband to play the qin and xiao together with you today is not possible.”
The Empress Dowager laughed heartily: "Alright, then today the Emperor, the wives and ladies of all the ministers, and I will listen to the duet of the qin and xiao played by you two."
Ren Yong'an looked very unhappy. She was the one who suggested playing a duet with Zhu Yuqin and Xiao, but now she was completely left out.
The people in the hall chuckled softly and remained silent, but they spared no effort in showing their disdain for Ren Yong'an.
Ever since Ren Yong'an lost face at the gate of Prince An's mansion before the New Year, the Crown Prince knew that she had no chance of getting Zhu Yu's military power for him, and he discarded her like trash.
They wouldn't even give her the position of a concubine.
She is the legitimate daughter of the Left Prime Minister's family, and only the position of Crown Princess is worthy of her.
But now, on what grounds!
Why did she become that infamous slut?!
Why is that sickly woman still alive and occupying the position of Crown Princess?
Why is it that Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu can play the qin and xiao together?
Why should she become a laughingstock?
She pressed her lips tightly together, lowered her head, and her eyes were red.
But a zither had already been placed in the main hall, and a xiao (vertical flute) had also been brought out; who would notice her?
Lu Xiaoyun played the zither, while Zhu Yu played the flute.
With a single sound, all animals fell silent; the four seats were speechless as the stars seemed to fade.
The piece, "High Mountains and Flowing Water," ended with a powerful and moving performance that left a lasting impression on everyone.
A wave of darkness washed over Ren Yong'an.
Lu Jinpei gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hands, almost twisting it to pieces. She hadn't expected Lu Xiaoyun to actually play the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) so well.
But she was clearly spoiled by her mother at Cuizhu Residence, and the musicians hired by the mansion were all musicians. When did she learn to play the flute, and how well does she play it!
Could it be that Lu Xiaoyun secretly learned something behind her and her mother's back?
Who did she learn from?
The xiao (vertical bamboo flute) is usually played by men. Could it be that Lu Xiaoyun is so shameless as to have a secret rendezvous with a man in the backyard?!
Does His Highness Prince An know about this?
No, she's going to secretly go and complain to His Highness Prince An later!
The Empress Dowager clapped her hands: "Excellent, excellent! I haven't heard such a beautiful qin and xiao duet in a long time. Lu girl, I didn't expect your xiao playing to be better than Yu'er's."
Zhu Yu put away his flute and bowed deeply to the Empress Dowager: "It's because His Highness Prince An and his granddaughter-in-law often play it that we haven't become rusty."
He added, "The Prince An has forgotten about the qin and xiao duet that Miss Ren mentioned, but I do remember it. That was many years ago. If I remember correctly, it seems that Miss Ren forced Prince An to play that duet, didn't she?"
"It seems that Miss Ren saved Prince An's life, but I asked the prince about it later, and he said it was because you mistook him for the Fifth Prince, and that you didn't really want to save him. Tsk tsk, I didn't expect Miss Ren to still remember this today."
After Zhu Yu finished speaking, she covered her mouth with her handkerchief and smiled, looking quite charming and lovely.
Lu Xiaoyun couldn't help but shiver. When did Zhu Yu become so effeminate?
This guy is clearly a master of palace intrigue.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Yu wasn't finished yet. He looked at Qiao Siqing, the daughter of the Minister of Works, in the women's section and said, "Miss Qiao, you were there at the time, so you should remember the situation vividly. Why don't you tell me about it?"
Zhu Yu knew that Qiao Guangda, the Minister of Works, was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, while Ren Yong'an's father, Ren Yushan, was a member of the Third Prince's faction.
Even he, if Lu Xiaoyun hadn't shown him Ren Yong'an's true colors, wouldn't have known that she had such a wild idea of becoming the Crown Princess and had already had an affair with Zhu Zhi.
Therefore, regardless of whether Qiao Siqing remembers what happened a few years ago, she will not make Ren Yong'an suffer.
Qiao Siqing was wearing a light pink dress today, and she was a rare beauty. At the poetry gathering held by the Second Princess last time, she was completely overshadowed by Ren Yong'an, and she still harbors resentment.
She stood up, tilted her head back and said, "Yes, I saw it too. His Highness Prince An was extremely unwilling at the time. Miss Ren was quite aggrieved, saying that she had saved his life, so why wouldn't he agree to such a small thing? Was it because His Highness Prince An had another woman in his heart, so he no longer remembered her life-saving grace, and so on and so forth."
She snorted coldly: "Miss Ren, how can you be so shameless? Aren't you embarrassed? Or are you going to use the fact that you saved Prince An's life to pressure me again today?"
"Oh, by the way, didn't Princess An just say that Miss Ren mistook Prince An for the Fifth Prince and that's why she helped him? It's a pity the Fifth Prince isn't here today, otherwise, would Miss Ren have used the same excuse to force him to play a duet with you?"
Ren Yong'an's face was ashen, and tears streamed down his face.
Lu Xiaoyun really admired Qiao Siqing; she was quite the expert at domestic power struggles.
Their back-and-forth banter left Ren Yong'an speechless.
At this moment, Crown Prince Zhu Zhi glanced at Qiao Siqing indifferently, smiled coldly, stood up, and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the old emperor.
He said, “Father, Grandmother, Miss Lu and Miss Qiao are not right. Everyone in Shengjing knows that Fourth Brother and Miss Ren are childhood sweethearts and love each other. Oh, I also heard that the Prince An’s mansion has already prepared dozens of betrothal gifts.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Siqing's heart skipped a beat, and her expression changed. What did His Highness the Crown Prince mean by this? How could he push Ren Yong'an to Prince An's side?
Although Prince An's power base in the court is unstable, he is the God of War of the Great Zhou.
Did she ruin His Highness the Crown Prince's plans?
Qiao Siqing glared at Zhu Yu fiercely. "Lu Xiaoyun, you've ruined my life!"
The Minister of Works' wife pinched Qiao Siqing hard and said in a low voice, "Who told you to talk back!"
Qiao Siqing was pinched so hard that tears were about to flow. She pursed her lips, lowered her head and remained silent, cursing "Lu Xiaoyun" to the point of being a complete jerk.
Zhu Yu blinked and saw the jade bracelet on his hand rise by fifty points in a short time, becoming eleven thousand six hundred points.
I have a headache; I've shot myself in the foot.
Zhu Zhi turned to Lu Xiaoyun, a faint smile playing on his lips, and asked, "I heard that Fourth Brother originally intended to go to Prime Minister Ren's residence to propose marriage after the New Year and marry Miss Ren as his principal wife. Is this true?"
Qiao Siqing was filled with deep regret.
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