The Four Flowers Banquet officially begins!
The competition was held in the morning, with seven people per round for a total of twelve rounds. They played the competition pieces together. After the pieces were finished, the four judges discussed and decided on the top four to advance to the second round.
Shen Jiao arrived at the room marked with the mark of the Great Yan Dynasty.
There were about a dozen people inside. Unlike the lively atmosphere I saw in other countries, the atmosphere in this room was very gloomy, with a lifeless feeling as if they had given up before it even started.
Although these women lacked any confidence, they still bowed respectfully upon seeing Shen Jiao.
Shen Jiao didn't have the habit of forcibly instilling inspirational quotes in people. She said there was no need for formalities and then walked towards the second floor, where the view was open and the competition could be observed.
As soon as she left, the girls downstairs all showed indignation and complained, "It's all her fault. If it weren't for her, Chen Yu wouldn't have left, our senior sisters wouldn't have left, and we wouldn't have been forced by Master to come here and embarrass ourselves!"
"I'm doomed to lose. I'm in the same group as my fifth senior sister. She usually ranks tenth in the quizzes, and my best result is below twentieth. I'm doomed to lose. What should I do? I'm definitely going to lose this time."
"I should have left with Senior Sister Shen Yu too!"
"That would only work if Senior Sister Shenyu wanted you."
Indeed, the senior sisters whom Shen Yu offered her opportunities to were all top students in Liuguang Pavilion; those with mediocre grades were simply not worth her attention.
Thinking of this, everyone complained to Shen Jiao again, but after complaining, they still gritted their teeth and made the most of their time to practice the piano.
Shen Jiao was completely unaware of this. She stood upright on the terrace watching the competition, a gentle breeze ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead.
"This piece was written by the celestial musician when he was thirty years old. The music is very beautiful, but unfortunately the person in charge of the third section played it wrong."
A clear and melodious voice suddenly rang in her ears, and Shen Jiao turned her head.
The first thing you see is a pretty young woman. Her tone is polite, neither condescending nor boastful, giving you a very good first impression.
Noticing Shen Jiao's gaze, the young woman gave a slight bow: "Your Majesty, I am Zuo Ling'er, the daughter of Lord Zuo Zhen."
Shen Jiao smiled and said, "So you are Lord Zuo's daughter. Like father, like daughter. Miss Zuo is indeed very talented."
Zuo Ling'er was stunned by the girl's eyes, which were filled with sparkling stars, and her face flushed slightly: "I'm just showing off my limited skills in front of an expert, Your Majesty flatters me."
"How can you say that someone with real skill is showing off their limited abilities?"
Remembering the strange behavior downstairs, Shen Jiao couldn't help but ask, "Miss Zuo, do you know what happened? Why are those girls downstairs so negative?"
Zuo Ling'er's expression changed. Seeing that she really didn't know the reason, she told her everything that Shen Yu had done.
"Your Majesty need not concern yourself with these rumors. If those people truly cared about the Great Yan, they wouldn't have been fooled by Shen Yu's few words. Everyone pursues different goals and makes different choices, so Your Majesty should put your mind at ease."
Shen Jiao was surprised by her words and thought to herself that Master Zuo was a good role model. She smiled and said, "Thank you, I will try my best."
The impression left by the original owner is deeply ingrained in everyone's minds, so there's no point in saying more; we can only let our strength speak for itself.
Zuo Ling'er was not unaware of Shen Jiao's past reputation; it was just that the two had never crossed paths before.
Having confidence is a good thing, but success in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting cannot be achieved overnight. She could only offer a dry "good luck" before preparing for the competition.
Zuo Ling'er was in the eleventh round, and her group included Wei Lan and Princess Han Ya. The moment the three of them entered the stage, there was a deafening cheer.
"Wei Lan! Wei Lan! Wei Lan!"
"Princess Han Ya, look at me! Look at me! Ahhh! Princess Han Ya is looking at me, she must like me!"
"Wow, I didn't expect Zuo Ling'er to be so talented. This part is the most difficult, and she played it with such emotion that it was absolutely perfect!"
As the song ended, just as everyone expected, the eleventh round's winners were Wei Lan, Princess Han Ya, Zuo Ling'er, and a girl from the Northern Barbarians.
"Tch, what's so great about it? You dare to show off with such a simple piece? How pretentious!" Sun Mengyao said dismissively as she brushed past Zuo Ling'er.
Zuo Ling'er didn't even glance at her.
Sun Mengyao stomped her foot in anger and didn't rush to go on stage. Instead, she stood aside and waited for Shen Jiao to pass by.
But Shen Jiao did not appear for a long time.
What happened?
Could it be that he deserted his post?
Shen Jiao did not desert her post, but was stopped by someone.
Looking at Ji Yan dressed as a eunuch, her memory suddenly returned to that terrifying night at Langya Pass.
"Your Majesty, you..."
"This servant is called Yasheng, Your Majesty." Ji Yan smiled, revealing a small tiger tooth, and raised her hand.
Seeing that he was enjoying himself, Shen Jiao didn't dwell on the form of address and placed her hand on the back of his hand: "Alright, Ya Sheng, why did you suddenly come?"
"Don't put it like that." Ji Yan gestured for her to move it, covered the back of her hand with her sleeve, and then placed her hand on top of it. "This way you won't get cold."
Shen Jiao's eyes darkened: "I'm not afraid of the cold."
“But I’m afraid you’ll be cold.” Ji Yan became stubborn again.
Shen Jiao had no choice but to go along with him: "Looking like this, are you going to come up on stage with me?"
Ji Yan raised an eyebrow: "Why not?"
Shen Jiao said, "This is probably not a good idea."
Ji Yan glanced intentionally or unintentionally in the direction of Liang and Wei. "There's nothing wrong with going all the way through this charade. Let's go, my little mistress."
And so I helped her onto the stage.
Upon seeing this, everyone present was stunned.
Contestants are not allowed to bring servants; it's against the rules.
Madam Shen narrowed her eyes: "Cheng'er, this eunuch looks familiar?"
Shen Qingcheng's lips twitched: "That's His Majesty."
Madam Shen: "..."
Not only Shen Qingcheng, but many people at the scene also recognized Ji Yan. The tyrant's face was so distinctive that it couldn't be ignored even if he was wearing a burlap sack.
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