Seeing this, Song Wanning had no choice but to sit back in her seat, pressing her forehead and looking very uncomfortable.
Princess Xiangyu, who was sitting on the chair, and Madam Xu beside her looked at each other and smiled smugly. Now they were just waiting to see Song Wanning lose control of herself and make a fool of herself in the pavilion.
But who would have thought that Song Wanning had been dozing off on the chair without taking any further action, which made Princess Xiangyu very strange.
Princess Xiangyu was unwilling to miss this golden opportunity and was unwilling to let the other ladies leave, so they all sat there quietly. Seeing that it was getting late, a lady with young children at home could no longer sit still and wanted to leave to go home and see her children first.
Princess Xiangyu felt that things had reached this point, and she had to first provoke Song Wanning to prevent her from losing control. Thinking of this, Princess Xiangyu glanced back at the palace maids behind her and said with a soft smile, "Why don't you ladies sit for a while? I have a male zither player in my palace who is extremely skilled. His skills are unparalleled in the world. I have asked someone to invite him, so that you ladies can come and listen together."
Seeing this, the ladies sitting on the chairs had no choice but to wait patiently.
After a while, the zither player Princess Xiangyu had mentioned arrived at the pavilion. He was dressed in white, which perfectly suited his status as a zither player. He looked young and handsome. His features were gentle and not feminine, and he was indeed very handsome.
When Princess Xiangyu saw the zither player coming, she immediately looked at him and said, "It's rare that so many ladies have come today. I invited you here so that you can listen to your skills. If it's convenient for you, please play a piece in the pavilion so that you ladies can listen carefully."
"We must obey the princess's orders." The zither player said as he slowly walked to the center of the pavilion and sat down in front of Song Wanning.
Princess Xiangyu smiled slightly. She couldn't believe she could remain calm and controlled like she was now with such a handsome man standing before Song Wanning. If she lost her composure, who knows what kind of rumors would spread in the capital. By then, everything would be under Princess Xiangyu's control.
As soon as the zither player sat down, he looked up at Song Wanning, who was sitting next to him. Song Wanning was resting her eyes with her hand on her forehead. A few strands of hair fell on her smooth forehead, and her face was as rosy as the crabapple flowers in Shengjing.
Just as the zither player was still in shock, the lady behind Song Wanning spoke up, "Your Highness, isn't this zither player the famous Tang Heng of Shengjing?"
"That's right." Princess Xiangyu's eyes were filled with pride. This zither player was not someone who could be easily invited in the capital. Even princes and nobles might not be able to invite her. Now that she could be invited into the palace, it would be good for these ladies to open their eyes.
After Princess Xiangyu finished speaking, the musician below came to his senses, sat up straight, and began to play the piano.
All these ladies were immersed in the sound of the piano. Tang Heng's piano sound was indeed unmatched in Shengjing. It could make people immersed in the music and unable to extricate themselves for a long time.
Song Wanning slowly opened her eyes upon hearing the music. This zither player was quite accomplished. Although Song Wanning was also skilled in the art, she couldn't say she was necessarily better than this player. As Song Wanning was thinking, the song ended, and Princess Xiangyu, who was sitting above, spoke.
"I've heard for a long time that Madam Yin is extremely skilled in the art of playing the zither. Since you're all here today, would you be interested in playing a piece with the zither master for all the ladies present to hear?"
Asking the Prime Minister's wife to play with a zither player would be an insult to the zither player. Furthermore, if Song Wanning wasn't a good zither player, it would be an insult to Tang Heng's zither skills. Tang Heng was usually an extremely aloof person, so he probably wouldn't do something that would insult his zither skills.
Princess Xiangyu now thought that if Tang Heng was willing to play together, then she could have Song Wanning play with him. This would be a good opportunity to compare Song Wanning with the current zither masters and lower her status. It would also be a good idea to have Song Wanning sit next to Tang Heng. If she lost her composure, the show would be even more interesting.
If Tang Heng is unwilling, even a musician is unwilling to play with Song Wanning, her status will be even lower.
Song Wanning knew what was going on, but she remained calm. She spoke slowly to Princess Xiangyu, who was sitting above her, "I've heard that even the most accomplished zither players in the capital are reluctant to play with others. Firstly, they worry that the zither might not play well together, which would only discredit the sound of the zither. Secondly, if the zither player's skills are average, the effect would be greatly reduced, which would be an insult to the zither. Although I enjoy playing the zither, my skills are average and certainly cannot compare to those of Master Tang. If I force myself to play with Master Tang, it would only discredit his excellent skills."
Song Wanning's words elevated the reason for the refusal to the piano skills, and made it clear in advance that even if Tang Heng was unwilling to play together, the ladies present would think that Tang Heng had a noble character and could not blame Song Wanning.
Princess Xiangyu frowned upon hearing this and glanced at Song Wanning with dissatisfaction. However, her gaze shifted to Tang Heng, who was sitting beside her. She said calmly, "Master Tang, would you like to play a duet with Madam Yin?"
After hearing what Song Wanning said, Tang Heng's eyes showed a little more appreciation, "If Madam Yin is willing, then I am naturally willing too."
After Tang Heng finished speaking, he lowered his head, his cheeks flushing slightly. This shy and timid look only made Princess Xiangyu, who was sitting above him, even more dissatisfied.
Tang Heng is a zither player of noble character. She had to go through so much trouble to invite him into the palace to play for her for a few days. Now that he saw Song Wanning, he was actually conquered by her beauty?
Song Wanning perked up a bit after hearing this, and smiled faintly, "I haven't played the zither for a long time, and I'm afraid I've humiliated the zither master's music."
"That's all right. Good music is easy to find, but a true friend is hard to find." Tang Heng's words clearly indicated his willingness to play with Song Wanning, even lowering his own attitude. In the capital, music was highly valued, and zither players were always very proud. It was rare to see someone so eager to play with Song Wanning.
"Then I'll show you how ugly I am." Song Wanning also enjoyed playing the qin, but her busy schedule kept her from practicing properly. Tang Heng's qin skills were unmatched, and Song Wanning was a little itchy, wanting to see how her own playing compared to Tang Heng's.
As Song Wanning spoke, she stood up and walked towards the center of the pavilion. The palace maids quickly placed a brocade mat on the ground so that Song Wanning could sit down and play the piano.
But before Song Wanning sat down, the virtuous concubine came in with the queen mother.
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