When Tang Heng came to the house, Song Wanning was doing housework at home.
Fortunately, the gatehouse mother listened to Song Wanning's words and led Tang Heng to the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion. After listening to the little maid's words, Song Wanning knew that Tang Heng had arrived, and then she slowly walked out of the door and into the courtyard.
When Song Wanning saw Tang Heng, he was standing in the courtyard, dressed in white, looking like a banished immortal. Tang Heng's fame in the capital wasn't just due to his unrivaled zither skills, but also because of his extraordinary appearance, which made him stand out from the crowd.
As a result, he was naturally highly sought after in the capital. Such a man with elegant zither skills and extraordinary appearance set off a wave of admiration among the ladies of the capital.
When Song Wanning stepped forward, Tang Heng turned around and smiled slightly when he saw Song Wanning. "Madam Yin, it's been a long time since we last met. I didn't expect that Madam Yin would have the time to ask me to study zither skills with her. Tang Heng thought that Madam Yin had forgotten about me."
"I just saw a zither recently and suddenly thought of Master Tang, so I sent him a letter to invite him over. I hope I'm not being presumptuous." Song Wanning said with a polite smile, looking at Tang Heng, "I've been thinking about it these past few days, and there's no zither player in the entire capital better than Master Tang. That's why I wanted to invite him over to exchange skills with me."
Seeing this, Tang Heng was also happy and said, "Madam, what you said is exactly what I thought. As the saying goes, a soulmate is hard to find. I have traveled all over the capital and still cannot find a musician who understands my music as well as you do. Ever since I met you that time and had the honor of playing a piece with you, I still miss it in my heart."
Upon hearing this, Song Wanning laughed out loud and said, "In the capital, Master Tang is worth a thousand taels of gold. It is my honor to be accepted as a close friend by Master Tang."
Song Wanning said, waving her hand towards Tang Heng, "There's a pavilion in the garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion. It's a pavilion overlooking the water and listening to the wind. It's perfect for playing the zither and relaxing. Why don't we go there?"
Seeing this, Tang Heng was naturally happy and followed Song Wanning to the pavilion.
Along the way, Tang Heng's zither boy held his zither, while Song Wanning's zither had long been placed in the pavilion. Song Wanning looked at Tang Heng and asked calmly, "A few days ago in the palace, Master Tang asked me who my teacher was. I still don't know. Who was Master Tang's teacher? I guess he must be a famous teacher in the capital. I just don't know if I have heard of his name."
Seeing this, Tang Heng looked at Song Wanning and said calmly, "Madam, please forgive me for laughing. My master is just an ordinary person who lives in seclusion. She doesn't want anyone to know her name. I rely on my master to gain a foothold in the capital. How can I go against her teachings now? I hope you can understand my difficulties."
Tang Heng said this and looked at Song Wanning again. Seeing that her expression was calm, she only spoke to him, "I understand. If Master Tang Qin feels it's inconvenient to say it, then don't say it. Now that you are out and about, if you casually reveal your master's name, I'm afraid it would be disrespectful. Besides, you and I just met by chance, so it wouldn't be nice to tell an outsider."
Seeing Song Wanning like this, Tang Heng was deeply moved. He didn't want Song Wanning to think he was too defensive. So, Tang Heng looked at Song Wanning and said, "Although I can't reveal your full name, I can tell you, Madam... My master once had a nickname called Orchid Fairy, but few people know it."
Song Wanning showed a rather surprised expression on her face. She looked at Tang Heng and smiled faintly, "I never thought that I would have such an honor to hear the name of Master Tang Qinshi."
"I regard Madam as my confidante, so naturally I am willing to confide these words to you." Tang Heng sat in the pavilion with Song Wanning, and the zither boy beside them placed Tang Heng's zither on the table beside them.
After hearing what Tang Heng said, Song Wanning said softly, "If the ladies in the capital heard this, they would probably be furious. Master Tang, whom I rarely see, actually treated me as a close friend."
Tang Heng heard the sarcasm in Song Wanning's words, but he didn't explain. He just lowered his head with a smile on his face.
Song Wanning slowly asked, "Master Tang Qin's beauty must have been brought up in a beautiful place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. But I don't know where Master Tang Qin was born. Maybe I have been to such a beautiful place before."
"I grew up in Jiangnan. It's a small place, but it's a place of great beauty. I go back every year." Tang Heng was happy to mention this. He looked at Song Wanning and said, "I just don't know if Madam has ever been there."
Seeing Tang Heng's expression, Song Wanning smiled and said, "When I was little, I traveled with my father for a few months. I was too young then and didn't have any memories. But when I think about it now, I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of good memories. It's a pity. I also visited Master Tang's hometown when I was little, but now I've completely forgotten it."
"That's all right, Madam. You'll have many opportunities to visit Jiangnan in the future." Tang Heng became interested and told Song Wanning about the many little gadgets he had seen in Jiangnan. "Madam, I'm afraid you don't know that the whole of Jiangnan no longer likes to play with lanterns like they used to. When I was a child, there were many people playing with lanterns and making sugar figurines."
"That sounds interesting." Song Wanning responded with a smile.
The two talked for a while before they remembered to play the piano. Song Wanning played another song with Tang Heng, and finally Tang Heng left the Prime Minister's Mansion with satisfaction.
After seeing Tang Heng leave, Song Wanning went to the study to find Yin Yichen and told him everything she had learned from Tang Heng. "Master Tang Heng must have some status now. If not, I'm afraid he can't hide it like this."
"That's right." Yin Yichen now spoke with certainty, "Orchid Fairy... is quite interesting. The late emperor's concubines were either dead or insane, and now only the empress dowager is still alive. I wonder what extraordinary qualities the concubine who is now living outside has, or what happened to her that allowed her to live so well until now and even teach two apprentices..."
"I'm afraid this matter will require some means to investigate." Song Wanning shook her head. "Such palace secrets are probably known by very few people. Fortunately, we now have a clue. Among the concubines of the late emperor, it should not be difficult to find a concubine who is related to orchids and has superb musical skills. I just don't know what this old concubine outside is trying to do..."
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