Chapter 22 Criticizing the Workplace: Please Use Your Job Title
Several young men from the Dali Temple surrounded Yue Meng, asking him all sorts of questions.
"Is that really the case? I once heard my cousin praise Miss Meng for her outstanding beauty, but unfortunately I have never had the chance to meet her."
"I think those scholars from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices are just uncultured. If it were me, I wouldn't be so impatient."
"Go away, you're always dreaming."
Jian Su moved his lips, wanting to say something, but after glancing at Pei Xu, he swallowed his words. Seeing that the completed files Pei Xu had marked were piled up, he approached, picked one up, and looked down to see a small smudge of ink on the top page. Almost without thinking, he said to the errand boy, "Go to the storeroom and fetch a new Huzhou brush for the master."
Yue Meng's writings were often illegible due to numerous corrections, but Pei Xu's were not. Whether it was a detailed report or a memorial, they were all neat and clean, without a single extra ink stain, let alone a small smudge.
In conclusion, the problem must be with the pen!
Jian Su was moved by this flawless reasoning and his rare thoughtfulness, and he pricked up his ears, ready to hear the adult's praise.
He looked up and saw Pei Xu staring at him intently, his eyes unfathomable.
"Sir, is there something amiss?"
"It's nothing." Pei Xu lowered his eyes. "...Thank you."
"You're too kind, sir." Jian Su cupped his hands in greeting, a deep smile unconsciously spreading across his face, and a dimple, rarely seen on his right cheek, gradually appeared.
Inside the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Meng Lingyao was bent over her desk, proofreading a manuscript of ancient musical scores. Outside the window, the spring snow had just melted, and a few rays of sunlight shone through the window lattice onto the desk, making the ink on the paper seem as if it were sprinkled with gold dust. Her slender fingers moved slowly across the score, but her brows furrowed more and more tightly.
“There seems to be an error in the third section of this ‘Qing Shang Yin’,” Meng Lingyao muttered to herself, pointing to a spot with her fingertip. “The rhythm is not harmonious, and it just sounds awkward.”
She had studied music since childhood, but her playing was only so-so. However, she had a very keen ear that could detect the most subtle pitch deviations. Meng Shaoqing often said that she had "divine hearing" and also teased her that she "only knew how to nitpick and not how to fix things."
"Have you found any mistakes this time?" A gentle voice came from behind. Meng Lingyao turned around and saw Zhou Leling from the Taile Department, who was smiling at her.
Zhou Leling had taught her for several years, and Meng Lingyao still respectfully calls him "Master" whenever she sees him.
Meng Lingyao stood up and bowed, pointing to the score and saying, “Master, listen, the key change in this third section is too abrupt and completely out of sync with the spirit of the first two sections. I think there must have been a mistake during the copying.”
Zhou Leling bent down to examine it closely, hummed a few lines, and nodded, saying, "There is indeed something wrong. Your ears are naturally good at picking out bones." He stroked his beard and laughed, "In my opinion, you should eat more shad. I heard that fish has many bones, which can cure the problem of picking out bones."
Meng Lingyao smiled, pursing her lips, "You're making fun of me again."
As they were chatting and laughing, Meng Yan pushed open the door and entered. Seeing his daughter discussing the score with Zhou Leling, he also came over to take a look. After hearing Meng Lingyao point out the problem, he pondered and said, "This score is a remnant of a previous dynasty, extremely precious. If there are any errors or omissions, they should indeed be corrected."
Over the next few days, the musicians of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices took turns trying to restore this ancient piece. At first, several young musicians volunteered, claiming they had a magic trick to solve it, but their performances were either musically flawed or completely devoid of any artistic conception. Meng Shaoqing initially offered patient guidance, but after repeated failures, his words became somewhat sarcastic.
"Is this 'Qing Shang Yin'? To this old man, it sounds more like a folk song from the marketplace!"
"Your hands are probably better suited for rolling out dough than playing the zither."
"With this level of skill, you dare to claim you've restored an ancient score?"
Meng Lingyao listened in stunned silence. She had never imagined that her usually gentle and refined father could utter such sharp words. Next time someone praised her for her quick wit, she shouldn't attribute it all to her mother.
For two consecutive days, the sound of the zither filled the official residence, but it always ended with Meng Shaoqing's sarcastic remarks.
That morning, as soon as Meng Lingyao arrived at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, she saw the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices hurrying by with a happy expression on his face.
"Your arrival is just in time," said the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices with a smile. "I was reminded of the son of an old friend who is skilled in music, so I specially invited him to come and assist me. He is currently in the official residence discussing the 'Qing Shang Yin' with Minister Meng."
Curious, Meng Lingyao quickened her pace toward her father. Before she even entered, she heard a deep, ancient zither melody emanating from within. The music flowed like a clear spring, sometimes soaring high like a crane's cry in the heavens, sometimes low and deep like a dragon's roar in the abyss, perfectly capturing the essence of the "Qing Shang Yin" melody.
Unconsciously, she stopped and stood outside the door, listening quietly. The music seemed to possess a magical power, conjuring up images of towering mountains and flowing water, a bright moon and the sound of wind in the pines. When the piece ended, the lingering notes still resonated, and she remained immersed in it, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Meng Yan exclaimed. "I never knew my nephew's zither skills were so exquisite. It truly makes this old man ashamed."
"You flatter me, Young Master Meng." A cool male voice replied, "It was just a slight adjustment. I changed the Shang tone in the third section to the Yu tone and then used the Jiao tone for transition, which made it much smoother. My family once had a collection of ancient music from a previous dynasty. Court musicians at that time had this kind of composing habit, and I just took advantage of the situation."
That sound... Meng Lingyao's heart skipped a beat, and her hand, which was about to push the door open, froze in mid-air.
“My dear nephew, you are too modest,” Su’s father said with great interest. “Please play it again so that I can remember this change.”
The music resumed, and Su Wanting finally pushed open the door and entered. She saw a man in a deep crimson official robe sitting before her father's desk. His shoulders were straight as a pine tree, his eyes lowered, and his slender fingers danced across the strings. With each movement of his fingers, the sleeves of his robe billowed slightly, revealing a section of pale skin on his wrist.
It was Pei Xu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Pei Xu noticed someone entering, glanced up, and continued playing the zither without stopping, the music flowing like a gentle stream. Meng Lingyao keenly noticed a momentary pause, as if a clear spring had been unintentionally blocked by a pebble.
As the last note faded away, he slowly raised his eyes, his gaze still holding the lingering melody, deep and still as a pool.
"Yaoyao is here." Meng Yan waved and said, "Nephew Pei has restored the 'Qing Shang Yin' completely, it's wonderful!"
Meng Lingyao glanced at her father, wanting to remind him that they were in the official residence and he should address him by his official title. What talk of "nephew"? When had their family ever been so familiar with Pei Xu?
She stepped forward slowly, having prepared a whole host of praises, but upon recognizing Pei Xu, they all inexplicably turned into criticism: "The modulation in the third section is indeed much smoother, but the overtones in the second section are handled too deliberately, losing their ancient charm."
"What insightful opinion does Miss Meng have?"
"I dare not presume to offer such a profound opinion." Meng Lingyao walked to the zither, raising her eyebrows slightly. "If we change the stopped notes here to open strings and reduce the vibrato, it might better reflect the serene and tranquil mood of the original piece."
Pei Xu pondered for a moment, then tried playing as instructed, and indeed it added a touch of ancient charm. He didn't hold back his praise, "Miss Meng has an exceptional ear."
"Not at all, I've just listened to it a lot," Meng Lingyao said modestly, but in her heart she thought, "He does have some skill." The two of them went back and forth, making a few more minor adjustments to the score.
Meng Yan watched from the side, nodding occasionally, stroking his beard and smiling, his gaze shifting back and forth between his daughter and Pei Xu. Suddenly, he felt that the way the two of them discussed things side by side was inexplicably harmonious and well-matched.
He suddenly remembered that his daughter had asked him before the New Year, "Which young man is good enough for me?" He was speechless at the time, but now he seemed to have some ideas.
The thought had barely crossed Meng Yan's mind when he secretly shook his head. His daughter's marriage was a matter for her and his wife to decide; he had no right to interfere.
"Father, the score is finished. Would you like to take a look?"
"nature!"
Those distracting thoughts were instantly washed away by the joy of discovering the complete score.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Meng Yan exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table. "With this complete score, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has gained another treasure. I'll go find my colleagues to admire it together!"
As he spoke, he rolled up the sheet music and walked out excitedly. But when he reached the door, he turned back and said, "Nephew, if you have any free time, feel free to visit the Court of Imperial Sacrifices more often. I will certainly prepare a warm welcome for you!"
Before Pei Xu could respond, the figure had already disappeared into the corridor.
Meng Lingyao shook her head slightly.
She didn't think Pei Xu had that kind of leisure time, after all, he didn't even forget to investigate the case when he went to the temple to burn incense on the third day of the lunar new year.
After Meng Yan left, the official residence fell silent for a moment, with only the chirping of a few winter sparrows outside the window. Meng Lingyao coughed lightly, breaking the silence, and said insincerely, "I didn't expect that Lord Pei was not only proficient in law, but also so skilled in music."
"I only know a little bit," Pei Xu replied politely. "Miss Meng's insights into ancient music are refreshing."
Meng Lingyao's lips curled up almost imperceptibly as she asked, "What brings Lord Pei to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices today?"
"Lord Xiang invited me, saying that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had encountered a musical problem." Pei Xu said calmly, "I didn't expect it was your father who was restoring an ancient score."
She nodded, then suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, the Lantern Festival is the day after tomorrow."
"Hmm," Pei Xu responded, casually strumming the strings a few times before continuing.
“As is customary in previous years, Miss Zhou will book the most luxurious pleasure boat on the Yongfeng River outside the city and invite her friends to enjoy the lanterns and fireworks.” Meng Lingyao lowered her voice. “I will take this opportunity to test her and see if I can find out the connection between her brother and Zhiqing.”
Pei Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Take it slow and steady, and do not rush into anything."
"I know what I'm doing," Meng Lingyao said dismissively. It was just casual conversation among the ladies; what danger could there be?
"Miss Meng, are you aware that waterways are always the most dangerous?" Pei Xu raised his eyes, unconsciously pursing his lips as he looked at the person before him, and then asked, "What is your relationship with Miss Zhou?"
"We wouldn't say we're close friends, but we keep in touch from time to time." Meng Lingyao picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "She has a straightforward personality and is quite unconventional among young ladies. However, she and her brother have always had a rather strained relationship..."
"A rift?" Pei Xu frowned slightly.
“The Zhou family is richer than a country; wealth is truly tempting.” Meng Lingyao drawled out her words, the tone rising slightly at the end, as if hooked.
“Miss Meng means—” Pei Xu’s fingertips pressed on the strings, producing a soft “zheng” sound, “Miss Zhou is interested in the Zhou family?”
"What?" She raised an eyebrow. "Are only men allowed to achieve great things, but women can't? Zhou Yizhi's name isn't even engraved on the Zhou family's property."
She's currently hoping that Miss Zhou can oust her brother and successfully take her place.
A note from the author:
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The sky has fallen! I just discovered that my beautiful little female cat, whom I've had for just over twenty days, is pregnant! [Heartbroken][Heartbroken][Heartbroken]
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