Chapter 214 It’s Over, She’s Going to Dance with a Sword
Xiao Yu looked at Ah Jiu again and asked patiently, "How did you touch it?"
“Just like this!”
Afraid that he didn't understand, Jiu ran back to the piano and raised his hand, ready to perform another "Sweeping the Thousands of Troops" move.
"stop!"
Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi shouted in unison.
Ajiu was so frightened that his hands froze and he looked back at the two of them in confusion.
Xiao Yu felt his temples throbbing. He walked over quickly and carefully checked the "injury" of the "burnt tail".
The body of the guitar is fine, but the strings... I'm afraid they all need to be replaced.
He sighed, raised his head and looked into Jiu's clear and innocent eyes, and he could no longer get angry.
This little thing was as pure as a blank slate. How could she possibly know what "burnt tail" meant or what "priceless" meant? In her eyes, this thing was probably just a "squeaking wooden thing."
"Brother Xiongxiong, is it broken?" Ajiu asked in a low voice.
"It's not broken." Xiao Yu rubbed her head, his tone full of helplessness, "You're just playing it the wrong way."
"The method is wrong?" Ah Jiu was even more confused. "That's how it's played in the book. A beautiful woman sits here, puts her hands on it and strokes it, and so many beautiful sounds come out."
Chu Xuanyi covered his chest as he listened, and he felt like his heart disease was about to come back.
"My little ancestor, what is written in the book is freehand painting. Do you understand freehand painting? If you really scratch like you do, no matter how good your zither is, you will die on the spot!" Chu Xuanyi couldn't help but interrupt.
"What is freehand painting? What is death?" Ajiu asked curiously.
Chu Xuanyi: “…” Well, it’s all in vain again.
He looked at Xiao Yu pleadingly, "Your Highness, what should we do? If word gets out that Ah Jiu treats this 'Jiaowei' zither this way, I'm afraid all the scholars in the capital will laugh their heads off."
Xiao Yu ignored him. He took Jiu's hand and led her away from the piano.
"Ajiu," he looked at her seriously, "Do you want to learn piano?"
"I do," Ah Jiu nodded vigorously, "I'll play it for you once I've learned it!"
Xiao Yu's heart softened, and his tone became much gentler: "Learning the piano is not something that can be done overnight. You need to find a teacher to start from the most basic fingerings. You can't use brute force on it like you just did."
"I need a master?" Ajiu thought for a while, "Then can the sir teach me?" She turned her head to look at Chu Xuanyi.
Chu Xuanyi was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I can't do it! I dare not teach you with my little skills. I'm afraid that before I even start teaching, you and your piano music will send me away."
Are you kidding? Teaching Ah Jiu to play the piano? He was afraid that he would become the first imperial tutor in history to be "murdered" by his apprentice with noise.
Xiao Yu lowered his head and said to Ajiu, "This zither is too old, and it's not suitable for you because of your bad temper. I'll find you one with a better temper later."
Ah Jiu nodded, not quite understanding: "Oh, okay. Then I won't play it."
She thought the piano was too fierce and didn't suit her.
The matter was finally over, and Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi both breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Ajiu's next words made both of them feel their hearts in their throats again.
She looked at Xiao Yu with sparkling eyes and announced excitedly, "Brother Xiongxiong, since playing the piano is so troublesome, I'd better try something else. The book also says that a beautiful woman dancing with a sword can also protect the country. I will start learning sword dancing from tomorrow, and I will protect you from now on!"
Xiao Yu: “…”
Chu Xuanyi: "..."
The same image suddenly emerged in the minds of both of them: Ah Jiu holding a sharp sword, jumping up and down in the palace, sword energy flying everywhere, tearing the entire Regent Palace into pieces...
"No!" Chu Xuanyi wailed, "Your Majesty, please think twice. This is absolutely not allowed!"
"Playing the zither would at most cost the zither its life, but dancing with a sword...it would cost the entire palace its life. Your Highness, look at these beams, these pillars, this antique vase; they're all still new!"
Xiao Yu also had an expression as if disaster was about to happen. He stroked his forehead and felt dizzy.
He recalled the "glorious" deed of Ajiu when he first came to the palace and dismantled half of the kitchen with his bare hands in order to catch a rat.
And that's just with bare hands!
If she had a sword that could cut through iron like mud...
Xiao Yu simply couldn't imagine that scene.
Ajiu looked at the exaggerated reaction of the National Master, tilted his head, and his little face was full of confusion.
"Isn't sword dancing good?" she asked seriously. "The books say that a female knight dancing with a sword is heroic and can protect her loved ones. I think this is better than playing the piano. The piano always makes noises, but sword dancing definitely doesn't make noises."
Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu looked at each other and saw deep despair in each other's eyes.
Xiao Yu's handsome face was now so dark that ink could drip out of it.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to catch the writer and beat him up.
What a mess of books, what does it teach this little thing!
He finally spoke, "Ajiu."
"Hmm?" Jiu immediately looked at him, his eyes sparkling.
Xiao Yu tried hard to make his voice sound calm and gentle, even though his fingers gripping the armrest had turned slightly white from the force.
"Sword dancing is dangerous." He tried to approach it from a safe perspective.
Unexpectedly, Ah Jiu immediately puffed out his chest with a proud look on his face: "I'm not afraid of danger. I used to be very good at fighting. I'm not afraid to protect my brother Xiong Xiong!"
Well, this road is blocked.
Xiao Yu felt his head hurt even more when he saw her expression that said "I'm so brave".
Chu Xuanyi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He winked at Xiao Yu frantically and silently shouted with his mouth: Prince, hurry up, think of a way, use force!
Xiao Yu gave him a look that said "shut up".
Being tough on Ah Jiu? That would only backfire. This little thing is soft-spoken and doesn't respond to force. The more you forbid her from doing something, the more curious she becomes. She might even sneak out to practice swordplay in the middle of the night.
He had to come up with a foolproof plan to nip this dangerous idea of hers in the bud.
Xiao Yu loosened his clenched hands and sighed softly.
"Ajiu," he lowered his eyes, "Do you think I need your protection?"
Ah Jiu was stunned for a moment and answered subconsciously: "But..."
"Look," Xiao Yu interrupted her, looking up at her quietly, "I am the regent of Daliang. I hold a large army and hold great power. The only person in this world who can hurt me has not yet been born."
Ajiu was stunned by his appearance. He stared at him blankly and forgot to speak for a moment.
Xiao Yu continued to speak slowly, with a hint of coaxing: "So, I don't need you to protect me with swords and guns. That will only put you in danger, and I will worry."
"I hope you don't become a chivalrous woman charging into battle."
He paused, looked at Ajiu's gradually confused eyes, and threw out his ultimate goal.
"I hope you can stay by my side peacefully and learn something that can calm you down and make me happy."
"Something that makes you happy?" Ah Jiu grasped the key point. "What is it?"
Chu Xuanyi, who was standing by, also held his breath and looked at Xiao Yu nervously. He wanted to know what idea the prince could come up with to divert the attention of this little ancestor.
“For example, calligraphy.”
"Calligraphy?" Jiu repeated.
"Yes, calligraphy." Xiao Yu patiently coaxed, "Ajiu, sometimes the most powerful weapon in this world is not a sword, but a pen and ink."
He took Ajiu's hand and walked to the desk, picking up a wolf-hair brush.
"Look, I can mobilize thousands of troops by writing an order with this pen. I can decide a person's life or death, honor or disgrace with a single word. Isn't this power more powerful than wielding a sword or a gun?"
Ajiu looked at the small brush with a confused look, then looked at Xiao Yu.
She felt that what Brother Xiongxiong said made sense, but...
"But writing isn't fun," she grumbled. "Besides, won't it squeak like that piano when I write?"
"Puff—cough cough!"
Chu Xuanyi couldn't help laughing again, and then Xiao Yu stepped on him hard, making him grimace in pain.
The corners of Xiao Yu's mouth twitched slightly, but soon returned to normal.
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