Chapter 12 The Imperial Gift of a Guqin The sleeves of the two were pressed tightly together, their clothes...
Seeing that Gu Xi was staring at the glass table where the musical instruments were placed, Zhu Yin assumed that she wanted to play the zither, so she asked, "Miss, now that entering the palace is a done deal, can you continue to play the zither as before?"
Gu Xi shook her head and said, "No, the Emperor and the Consort have already heard me play the music in the Tiyuan Hall. Even if the Emperor doesn't blame me, the Consort will definitely not tolerate me." One of the main reasons the Consort was willing to keep her in the palace was that Gu Xi's appearance and talent were not outstanding, so she did not pose a threat to the Consort.
Otherwise, she would never have kept someone like herself, who had already attracted the emperor's attention, in the palace.
If the Imperial Concubine finds out that I was deliberately hiding my abilities, then I will offend more than just Consort Wan.
After Gu Xi finished speaking, her eyes drifted to the guqin again, as if afraid of missing the owner of the instrument.
She used to be able to make friends with music at Bihe Garden, but now that person has taken over Bihe Garden, he probably won't come back.
Gu Xi sighed helplessly, and even became somewhat annoyed with the emperor.
Gu Xi was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Consort Wan's voice: "Your Highness, I have heard that the newly appointed Consort Gu is an exceptional musician. All the ladies heard it outside the Tiyuan Hall that day!"
Before Consort Wan could finish speaking, laughter and joking could be heard from the crowd.
Gu Xi glanced around and realized that the Imperial Concubine and Consort Wan had all arrived at some point. Counting the days, Consort Wan's confinement period had come to an end.
"Your Highness, it is truly a great pity that I was unable to witness Sister Gu's charm the other day. May I ask Sister Gu to play another tune today so that I may feast my ears on this delight!" After saying this, Consort Wan looked at Gu Xi with a disdainful expression.
Gu Xi met Wan Pin's gaze and thought to herself, "She can still find me at a glance even though she's sitting so far away. It seems she's determined to make things difficult for me today."
“Yes, Your Majesty, I have also heard that this Miss Gu was particularly outstanding when she was in Chuxiu Garden. It is truly better to see her in person than to just hear about her.” Consort Qin, sitting next to Consort Wan, echoed.
"My two sisters, what are you saying? When it comes to musical skills, who in this palace doesn't know that Sister Wan's music is so beautiful it lingers for three days? Please don't make things difficult for Sister Gu." Consort Xue deliberately deflected the criticism for Gu Xi. She knew that Consort Wan was trying to embarrass her in public. It was she who persuaded the Emperor to grant Consort Gu a title that day, and she couldn't let her have her way!
"Sister Consort, you can't say that. Life in the palace is long, and we should give all of you sisters a chance to shine, shouldn't we?"
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine's face immediately turned ugly. "You, Consort Wan, are you implying that I'm not giving the newcomers a chance?"
"Is the Imperial Concubine's obstruction due to a lack of confidence in Consort Gu's musical skills? But I heard that it was the Imperial Concubine's strong recommendation that led the Emperor to agree. Could it be...?"
As soon as Consort Wan spoke, a murmur of discussion immediately broke out at the banquet. Most of them were former concubines who had been with Gu Xi in the Chuxiu Garden, and they had expressed their dissatisfaction with Gu Xi's investiture back then.
"So it was the Imperial Concubine who strongly recommended it..."
"No wonder, I was wondering how she got elected."
What is the relationship between the Imperial Concubine and Consort Gu?
Seeing the growing murmurs, Consort Wan decided to add fuel to the fire. She recalled the arrogant attitude of the woman who had punished her with confinement that day, and felt a surge of hatred. She thought, "After today, let's see how she'll have the face to call herself the mistress of the harem."
"Sister Consort Gui, I cannot approve of the relationship between you and Consort Gu..."
"How dare you, Consort Wan! How dare you speak ill of the Imperial Concubine!" Granny Chang, who was by the Imperial Concubine's side, shouted loudly to prevent Consort Wan from saying anything more offensive.
The Imperial Concubine stared intently at Consort Wan, her eyes filled with disgust. In the Xue household, she had grown up watching the concubines fight tooth and nail for a mere sliver of her father's favor, and she had always disdained such behavior. But this Consort Wan had repeatedly provoked her, making her wish she could tear her to pieces.
But she quickly composed herself and turned to look at Gu Xi. Anyone could see Consort Wan's intentions, but if she refused her this time, given Gu Xi's personality, she would still find an opportunity to bring it up next time. It was better to simply grant her wish this time, and she was too lazy to deal with her.
Anyway, this wasn't a decision she made alone; the Emperor was also involved.
"Consort Gu, then today I will play a piece for all the sisters to fulfill Consort Wan's wish." When the Imperial Concubine said this, her tone was obviously ordinary, but Gu Xi could hear a trace of hatred in her voice. It seemed that the grudge between the Imperial Concubine and Consort Wan was much deeper than she had thought.
Consort Xue gave Gu Xi an encouraging look, hoping that things wouldn't be too embarrassing later.
Gu Xi knew she couldn't avoid it today, so she readily agreed: "Yes, Your Highness, then this humble concubine will make a fool of herself." After saying that, she walked towards the Liuli Terrace.
Gu Xi hesitated for a moment, but still chose the guqin. She carried the guqin back to her seat.
At first glance, the instrument looks very old and is quite inconspicuous among the many musical instruments with first-class craftsmanship and materials.
But when Gu Xi held it in her hands, she discovered that the guqin was made of ancient paulownia wood, the strings were made of high-quality silk, and the surface of the instrument had a delicate texture and a smooth feel, indicating that it had been carefully maintained and preserved.
Gu Xi gently plucked the strings. The frets were in the correct positions, and the tone was clear and crisp, like the sound of metal and stone. It was indeed a fine instrument. Gu Xi was glad that a gem had almost been tarnished.
Since Consort Wan insisted, Gu Xi granted her wish and chose the same song, "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank," that she had sung at the Tiyuan Palace that day.
The most important aspects of this piece are the purity of its tone and the smoothness of its melody. Coincidentally, the tone of this instrument is very suitable for playing this piece. I believe the Imperial Concubine could also hear this when she was testing the instrument, so it is not her doing.
As for the melody, she deliberately paused that day, causing the notes to scatter like pearls. Today, she only needs to play the piece smoothly, and no mistakes can be pointed out. If the Imperial Concubine asks, she can say it was due to nervousness that day. Anyone familiar with the piece will quickly understand the reason.
These were the countermeasures that Gu Xi had planned when Consort Wan first started making trouble. Fortunately, she made the right choice; that zither was indeed a good zither.
The music ended.
"His Majesty has arrived!" The Emperor arrived at the palace banquet at that very moment.
Everyone in the Imperial Garden rose and bowed. Xiao Heng said "No need for formalities" and then sat down in the main seat, with the Imperial Concubine to his left.
"Did I arrive at the wrong time?" Xiao Heng asked casually, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Your Majesty, you've come at the perfect time! Just now, Sister Wan insisted on hearing Sister Gu play the zither, and even criticized me..." The Imperial Concubine paused deliberately, then continued, "She just finished playing! If you ask me, Sister Gu is truly gifted; her playing this piece is even more refined than the one she played at the Tiyuan Palace that day!"
"Oh? Really?" Xiao Heng seemed intrigued.
"Really! I just don't know... is Consort Wan satisfied with the piece that Sister Gu played?" When Consort Xue said this, her eyebrows relaxed, which made Consort Wan seem even more unreasonable, while Consort Xue appeared magnanimous and had the demeanor of a harem mistress.
"Your Majesty, I am extremely satisfied. Thank you for your guidance, Sister Gu." Consort Wan originally wanted to make trouble, but with the Emperor present, she had no choice but to hold back. After she finished speaking through gritted teeth, she glared fiercely at Gu Xi.
“That’s right. If you ask me, it doesn’t matter whether we are satisfied or not. The most important thing is that His Majesty is satisfied.” Consort Xue’s implication was that Consort Gu was personally appointed by the Emperor, and if anyone dared to be dissatisfied, then they would be questioning the Emperor.
“Your Highness is right.” Consort Wan almost bit her gums to pieces when she saw Consort Xue’s smug look.
“Consort Gu…” Xiao Heng suddenly spoke, his tone lazy and nonchalant.
"Your Majesty, I am here..." Ever since Xiao Heng appeared, Gu Xi had kept her head down. She didn't want him to notice her, but the Imperial Concubine and Consort Wan kept mentioning her in their words. The two of them were putting her in a difficult position, and now he was getting involved too.
"Since both the Imperial Concubine and Consort Wan think you played the piece well today..." Xiao Heng took a sip of his tea and said casually, "Then I will bestow that zither upon you. Practice diligently in the future."
"Thank you... thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
Gu Xi was taken aback by the reward, but her surprise was quickly replaced by joy. She gently stroked the strings of the zither, as if she had found a priceless treasure, and at this moment she did not care to look at the expressions of the Imperial Concubine and Consort Wan.
Xiao Heng left after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Gu Xi remembered that he had said he was going hunting in the Western Hills today, so she figured he wouldn't be coming back.
The spring banquet lasted until evening. Shortly after the Imperial Concubine got up to return to her palace, everyone else also went home.
******
The night was cool and still.
The appointed time arrived quickly, but Gu Xi insisted on delaying until the last minute before heading to Bihe Garden.
She really didn't want to face the emperor again. The farce that had happened during the day had already exhausted her. She had grown up in a simple environment and was really not good at dealing with these kinds of scheming and intrigue.
She was truly puzzled. Yesterday was just an accidental encounter, so why was she being specifically asked to come over today?
If the other concubines found out, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause? She really didn't want to become the target of everyone's criticism again.
At the spring banquet, although she was grateful to him for giving her a fine zither, she also knew that this might attract more difficulties and criticism.
As Gu Xi thought about this all the way, she became increasingly resistant to meeting Xiao Heng.
When Gu Xi arrived at Bihe Garden, she found that Xiao Heng was already waiting there.
He was still dressed in white tonight, but his hair was a little messy, as if he hadn't had time to tidy it up after finishing his work during the day.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Come here." Xiao Heng pointed to the seat next to him, indicating that Gu Xi should sit down.
Gu Xi wanted to choose a seat further away from the emperor, but the desk was too small. After she sat down, their sleeves were close together, and the sound of their clothes rubbing together was very clear. The emperor's breathing seemed to be right next to her ear, and Gu Xi involuntarily tensed up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com