Others didn't know, but these ladies had all witnessed Song Wanning's piano skills and knew that this game would probably not be difficult for her. In this case, she was lucky to have chosen such a good paper ball.
Yin Yichen looked at Song Wanning with a calm expression. He turned around and smiled softly, "Wanning, since we are here, your luck is not good either. I may have to trouble you to play a song for me."
Song Wanning knew that Princess Xiangyu had set up the stage for her and that she had to finish the play no matter what. Fortunately, Yin Yichen was there, so Princess Xiangyu could not play tricks in front of him. She did not dare.
Song Wanning stood up, looked at Yin Yichen and smiled faintly, "My husband is right. In this case, I will play a song here today to repay you for today's banquet."
Princess Xiangyu forced an awkward smile and glanced at the palace maid beside her. The palace maid understood and immediately took a zither from the back and brought it to the center of the hall.
Song Wanning slowly walked to the center of the hall and knelt on the futon. Her posture was straight and light, and she sat on the futon like a pine tree, which made people feel awe. No one dared to have any blasphemous thoughts towards her beautiful face.
She was dressed elegantly but not vulgarly today, a truly stunning beauty that could be spotted at a glance in a crowd. Song Wanning stretched out her scallion-thick fingers and gently hooked them. As the strings were slowly plucked, clear, crisp music flowed from the guqin.
The melody was gentle, giving people a sense of cleansing from the mundane world. Everyone present was immersed in Song Wanning's music.
By this point, Princess Xiangyu had already clutched the paper ball in her hand in anger. She had originally intended to embarrass Song Wanning today, but who would have thought that they would actually give her a stage to show off.
After the song ended, Crown Prince Xie Cheng, who was sitting at the other end, clapped his hands and laughed out loud, "I've heard for a long time that the Prime Minister's wife is an amazing zither player. Now it seems that the rumors are true. The Prime Minister's wife is not just a show-off as outsiders say. Just look at her zither skills. She's miles ahead of those gossipers out there."
Xie Cheng was intent on winning her over, so his words were naturally flattering. However, Prince An Xie Ke, standing nearby, immediately laughed out loud, saying, "Being outstanding in a place like this probably won't do any good. After all, it's usually the zither players who entertain people on a daily basis, so why would they need the Prime Minister's wife? If the Prime Minister's wife played the zither like this every day to entertain everyone, she'd probably be no different from the zither players in the capital."
As soon as Prince An said this, Prince Yong Xie Bi, who was standing beside him, burst out laughing and said, "Second brother, you're not right. Playing the qin is for self-cultivation. Look at the ladies of the capital these days. Which girl doesn't learn the qin? It's just that they don't study it as meticulously as the Prime Minister's wife. As far as I know, Princess Xiangyu is also learning the qin, right?"
Prince An has shot himself in the foot this time, and now he can't say anything.
Everyone was arguing with each other. At this moment, the emperor, who was sitting high up, spoke up, "I've always known that the Prime Minister was very fond of his wife. Now that I've met her, I understand why. The Prime Minister's wife is truly a character."
As the emperor spoke, he looked at the eunuch beside him and said, "The Prime Minister's wife plays the zither very well. There is a zither in the storeroom called "Rain Sparse Wind Sudden", which is a fine zither presented by the envoy as tribute. Let's give it to the Prime Minister's wife as a reward."
Seeing this, Song Wanning hurriedly stood up to express her gratitude.
The emperor's words surprised the ministers and princes beside him. The treasure presented by the envoys was actually given to Song Wanning. There was no other treasure like it in the entire capital.
Now, this made Princess Xiangyu almost jealous. She immediately stood up and said, "Father, I am also practicing the piano now. Why don't you give me that good piano?"
"How many zithers have you ruined since you're just a beginner?" The emperor saw through Princess Xiangyu and said immediately, "If you become more skilled in the art in the future, I will find you another good zither."
Princess Xiangyu is still dissatisfied, but she dares not act rashly again.
Song Wanning's possession of such a fine zither had somewhat eased the tension of the other ladies in the palace. If she were chosen to perform, she could even receive a reward if she did well.
After a while, the second round of passing the flower began, and now the person holding the flower became Yin Yichen.
Princess Xiangyu glanced at Song Wanning, then turned back to continue beating the drums with a bit of reluctance. In order to avoid attracting attention, Princess Xiangyu specially asked the other ladies to perform twice as well.
One of the ladies drew the chess game, which she knew nothing about, and caused quite a few jokes in the palace.
After a while, Princess Xiangyu turned her attention back to Song Wanning. She was determined to embarrass Song Wanning, otherwise she would never be able to swallow her anger.
After a while, as soon as these words reached Song Wanning, Princess Xiangyu's drum sounded again.
Princess Xiangyu turned around, looked at Song Wanning, and smiled, "What a coincidence, Madam Prime Minister! I didn't expect you to be chosen again. But this time it's Madam holding the flowers, so we can't ask the Prime Minister to take the paper ball on your behalf."
At this moment, the crown prince sitting over there spoke again, "Sister, why is it the Prime Minister's wife again? Are you doing this on purpose? The Prime Minister's wife has already performed once. If it happens again, how will the other wives cope? I think it would be better to let this one go and start over, letting those wives who haven't performed before come in."
"It's already the other ladies' turn, isn't it?" Princess Xiangyu didn't care, only smiling faintly. "This is just a game now. Whoever is chosen should step up and perform. This is the rule. But if we let it go just because of a coincidence, wouldn't that be breaking the rules? That's not allowed."
Now, everyone with a discerning eye could see that this was just a game set up by the princess to embarrass the prime minister's wife. At the beginning, everyone in the capital knew that Princess Xiangyu wanted to marry the prime minister, but was rejected by him in the end.
How could Princess Xiangyu swallow such a great humiliation? She went to ask for a marriage, but the Prime Minister refused and the Emperor didn't do anything to her. Now, seeing the couple living in harmony, Princess Xiangyu felt so unwilling that she resorted to this desperate measure.
Princess Xiangyu looked at Song Wanning and chuckled softly, "Madam Prime Minister, please draw a paper ball and see what good stuff it is. If Madam Prime Minister knows everything, wouldn't it make us less fun?"
Princess Xiangyu's behavior made Yin Yichen's face look unhappy. His eyes fell straight on Princess Xiangyu, which made Princess Xiangyu feel a lot of pressure.
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