Ultimately, Li Youran still didn't like this kind of place, so she came out of the hall and walked towards the backyard.
The faint sound of a zither drifted from afar, melodious and lingering, its charm deeply moving.
Li Youran became curious and quickened her pace to look towards the backyard.
There is a pond in the backyard, and strangely enough, lotus flowers bloom in it even in the dead of winter.
Beside the pond, a man sat on the ground; he was the one playing the zither.
Li Youran closed her eyes and listened quietly to the music. Immersed in it, she felt extremely relaxed, a feeling she had never experienced before.
Just as she was completely immersed in the music, the music abruptly stopped.
"Kong Qi, Kong Qi, no matter how well you play the zither, you still can't go out to entertain guests and can only stay in the backyard."
A man dressed in a white, elegant robe spoke while using his little finger to tuck a lock of hair he had deliberately left behind by his ear.
"I advise you not to act like a top courtesan. After all, you have offended the Eighth Princess. The fact that the Music Bureau is keeping you around is already a great favor."
As the man in white spoke, he suddenly approached, snatched the zither, and slammed it down heavily.
"Hurry up and go clean my chamber pot!"
Seeing this, Li Youran frowned slightly. The man who had been playing the piano stood up, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Even if I offend the Eighth Princess, you are not the top courtesan."
Upon hearing this, the man in white seemed to be greatly provoked and immediately started fighting with the man playing the zither.
"Who plotted against me!"
A pebble struck the knee of the man in white, who knelt directly before the man playing the zither.
Li Youran hurriedly pursed her lips to suppress a laugh, afraid of being discovered, and turned away as if to hide something, pretending to admire the scenery.
"Thank you for your kind assistance, young lady."
A deep, resonant, and magnetic male voice rang out. Kong Qi clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Youran.
"Excuse my boldness, but may I invite you to sit in the pavilion for a while?"
Li Youran hurriedly straightened her face, but Kong Qi had already seen through her adorable appearance just now.
Li Youran wanted to refuse, but Kong Qi had already gestured for her to follow, so she could only smile awkwardly and follow him toward the pavilion.
"My name is Kong Qi. May I ask your surname, young lady?"
"His surname is Li, Li Youran."
Li Youran was not one to mince words. Seeing that Kong Qiyan's demeanor was not frivolous, she replied in a generous and natural manner.
"We met by chance, and I am deeply grateful for your kindness. I have nothing to offer in return, but I can play a tune for you to express my gratitude."
As Kong Qi spoke, he picked up the zither that had fallen to the ground. The body of the zither was broken and one of its strings was broken.
He gently stroked the broken zither, his expression somber, but regained his composure when he looked up at Li Youran.
"Miss Li, I'm so sorry, one of the strings on this zither is broken, so many pieces can't be played." Kong Qi smiled and said, "I wanted you to choose a piece you like, but now you can only listen to the pieces I composed myself."
"That's fine too."
Li Youran thought to herself that she didn't understand these things anyway, so it didn't matter what she heard.
Kong Qi sat cross-legged, placing the zither directly on his body, his eyes tightly closed. Suddenly, he abruptly opened his eyes, his slender fingers rapidly plucking the strings.
The music was sometimes rapid, like a thousand horses galloping; sometimes slow, like a babbling brook; sometimes gentle and melodious, like whispers; and sometimes high-pitched and majestic, like towering mountains.
Upon hearing this piece of music, Li Youran seemed completely immersed in its beautiful melody.
As she listened, she would feel as if she were flying freely, carefree, and joyfully through the sky, following the musical notes.
The music stopped, and it took Li Youran a long time to come back to her senses before she slowly opened her eyes.
"Was this piece composed solely by Young Master Kong?"
Li Youran felt that this piece of music was no less than the famous works she had heard before, and even she, who knew nothing about music, was amazed by it.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Miss Li."
After finishing his seven-word speech, Kong gently stroked the zither again.
"Let me tell Miss Li a story!"
Li Youran knew that such a statement usually indicated the speaker was recounting their past, so she nodded slightly in response.
Kong Qi's mother, Kong Que, was originally a top-notch musician in the palace. Not only was she highly skilled at playing the zither, but she was also exceptionally beautiful. The emperor took a liking to her and planned to take her into the harem.
At that time, Kong Que had already made a private engagement with Kong Qi's father, and after some discussion, they decided to escape from the palace.
The heavily guarded palace was not a place where two defenseless musicians could freely enter and exit.
Kong Qi's father was pierced in the heart by a hail of arrows on the spot, and his mother was sent to the imperial kiln to become a courtesan by the emperor.
Kong Qi was registered as a slave at birth, and was sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) after he turned fourteen.
In order to get revenge, Kong Qi deliberately approached the Seventh Princess, a regular customer here. However, the Seventh Princess was eccentric and difficult to please, and would often take her anger out on Kong Qi.
“I know that such things cannot be told to others. After all, if I can’t even keep a secret myself, how can I expect others to keep it for me?”
Kong Qi shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"It seems my mouth is still not strong enough; I couldn't help but tell Miss Li today."
Li Youran had come out of curiosity to hear Kong Qi recount his background, but she never expected to hear such a melodramatic story.
"Um... I promise, but I won't tell anyone. It goes in one ear and out the other."
Li Youran was afraid that Kong Qi wouldn't believe her, so she hurriedly swore, "I swear..."
"Miss Li, there's no need for that, I believe..."
Before Kong Qi could finish speaking, he heard the servant shout Li Youran's name loudly.
"Young Master Kong, my friend is looking for me, so I must take my leave now."
Li Youran hurriedly got up and ran away, leaving Kong Qi alone watching Li Youran's retreating figure with a faint smile.
"You were the one who absolutely refused to come back then, and now you're the one who can't be found anywhere!" Yun Yingying teased with a smile.
"No, I went to the pond to admire the lotus flowers."
Li Youran was afraid of being labeled as someone who liked men, so she hurriedly explained.
We've had our fun and made a fuss, now it's time to get down to business.
Yun Yingying sent people to help with all the miscellaneous things, so the opening wasn't too busy. Li Youran only had to worry about things and give instructions to the staff.
Li Youran was supposed to stay and look after the shop, but she had been away from home for too long and was really worried about things at home, so she asked Yun Yingying to look after the shop for a few days while she went home.
This trip to the capital lasted for half a month, and I returned on the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
"You Ran, your departure has worried your mother terribly. If it weren't for the two letters that came in between, I would have thought something had happened to you."
As soon as Li Youran arrived home, before he even got off the carriage, his wife hurriedly came to greet him, took his hand, and asked him all sorts of questions.
"Little sister, I have some strange news to tell you!"
Zhao Lanzhi followed closely behind Li Niangzi, laughing loudly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
