"Yes, young master." Liu Yi picked up the zither from the ground. The strings were fine, but the soundboard was broken.
Back at the inn, Qiao Qiu took her broken zither and went back to her room.
Liu Yibu returned to his room, wandering around, still unable to understand what his young master was thinking. They had only met twice, so why had he completely blocked him? This was simply not his young master's style.
Liu Yibu couldn't sit still any longer. He left his room, walked to Qiao Qiu's door, and knocked, "Young Master."
"Come in."
Liu stepped inside and saw Qiao Qiu observing the situation below from behind the window. He went over and looked down as well, and found that there were many more people below, especially those dressed elegantly.
"Young Master, I don't understand. Why did you deliberately anger Wei Chao and attract so much attention?"
Qiao Qiu closed the window and smiled, "You can tell I'm deliberately trying to provoke Wei Chao. My three years of teaching you haven't been in vain. Tell Liu Shengcai to secretly send me a pot of the Purple Moon Flowers that have survived, one with flower buds."
"Yes." Liu Yi turned and left.
Qiao Qiu glanced at the broken guqin on the table, thought for a moment, then turned around, took out a box of nails from the cabinet, grabbed a small hammer, and started repairing it.
After the steward and the others were beaten, they immediately went back to report to Wei Chao.
Wei Chao's anger escalated further. The innkeeper increased Shen Junbai's room rate tenfold and his meal rate twentyfold. He wanted Shen Junbai to know that Baicao City was his territory, and what would happen if he were to be attacked.
When Liu Yibu returned with the flowers, the innkeeper found him and told him about it. He was furious on the spot, but after all, he had followed Qiao Qiu for several years and had learned some of her composure. His anger subsided quickly, and he went upstairs with a cold face.
If he hadn't known that the young master had deliberately provoked Wei Chao, he would have definitely taught him a lesson.
Liu Yibu knocked on Qiao Qiu's door.
"Come in." Qiao Qiu was still repairing the piano; it was just a little bit more finished.
"Young master, I brought the flowers for you directly." With that, Liu Yibu placed the flowers on the table.
"I just heard you get angry, what happened?"
Upon hearing Qiao Qiuping's calm voice, Liu Yibu's agitated mood miraculously calmed down. "It's Wei Chao. He increased our rent tenfold and our food expenses twentyfold."
"A petty trick. My Shen family is no ordinary family. Even if he increases the rent a hundredfold, you shouldn't be surprised." Qiao Qiu tapped the last note in, then laid the guqin flat and plucked a string with her hand.
The melodious sound of the piano filled the air, and Qiao Qiu nodded in satisfaction before putting away the nails and hammer.
"Yes, young master, I know I was wrong." Liu Yibu accepted the lesson and looked at the zither, asking, "Young master, why do you still want to repair the zither?"
"This zither has a history of five hundred years and is a very precious antique. It's a pity that Wei Chao didn't cherish it and smashed it without warning."
"A zither is also an antique?" In Liu Yibu's mind, only porcelain, jade and gold artifacts were considered antiques.
Qiao Qiu laughed and said, "Antiques encompass everything. Even a woman's dressing table, as long as it's aged, is an antique."
“I understand.” Liu Yibu examined the zither carefully and asked, “This zither seems to have nothing special about it except that the body looks smooth.”
Qiao Qiu took the cooled tea and sprinkled some on the flowers, saying, "This guqin is not about the instrument itself, but about its sound. The longer this instrument exists in the world, the more moving its sound becomes. Even someone who plays the instrument mediocrely will hear it as heavenly music."
"So amazing, tsk tsk, Wei Chao is such a spendthrift, daring to smash such a precious thing. Young master, does this zither have a name?" Liu Yibu touched the broken marks, his face full of heartache.
"This is called 'Bo Ya Qin'."
“Bo Ya, Zi Qi, hey, young master, is there also a ‘Zi Qi Qin’?” Liu Yibu asked curiously.
"Wrong. It's not 'Ziqi Qin,' but 'Ziqi Xiao.'" Qiao Qiu further explained, "After the story of Bo Ya and Zi Qi became widely known, there was a pair of kindred spirits in music who appreciated each other across thousands of miles. One of them was skilled in playing the qin, and the other in playing the xiao. To pay tribute to the music of Bo Ya and Zi Qi, one of them painstakingly crafted a qin, and the other painstakingly crafted a xiao, and named the qin and xiao after 'Bo Ya' and 'Zi Qi.'"
Liu Yibu looked enlightened: "So that's how it is."
Qiao Qiu walked to the window and opened it. "One step, bring the flowers and the table here."
"yes."
Liu moved the table to the window, and Qiao Qiu gently pushed the flower in front of the window so that everyone could see the flower. Then she lit the small incense burner on the table, sat down facing the window and the flower, and placed the zither in front of her.
"Young master, I'll go prepare some fruit for you." Liu Yibu said with a grin, and then ran out in a flash.
Qiao Qiu looked at the flowers for a while, then began to play the piano.
This time she played a cheerful and encouraging piece. She had heard that if you play the piano for flowers and plants, it's best to play something positive and uplifting.
Those drawn by the music were once again captivated. The scholars and poets who had come at the sound and had not yet left also closed their eyes and swayed their heads to the music.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to pass, the music ended, and everyone looked towards the windowsill, and without exception, they all saw the potted flower.
"Hey, what kind of flower is that? It's so pretty."
"Yes, yes, I wonder who that young master inside is. He seems to be someone important. The prefect personally went to the city gate to greet him a couple of days ago, but when he visited Master Wei, he was turned away."
"Perhaps it's some prince."
"Master Wei dares to shut the prince out? He probably thinks he's lived too long and that the person above him is definitely not the prince."
"This pot of flowers hasn't withered at all. I wonder how this young master brought it here."
Does anyone recognize this flower?
"Are you kidding me? We've never even seen a flower before."
The people below the window were talking animatedly. Liu Yibu was amused by their discussion and laughed, but he dared not laugh out loud. He had to cover his mouth and hold it in with great difficulty. His handsome, narrow eyes welled up with tears.
Infected by his words, Qiao Qiu smiled calmly and continued playing the zither.
Liu Yibu finished laughing, propped his cheek on his hand, and tilted his head to look at her. "Young master, why have you been in such a good mood to play the zither these past two days?"
Qiao Qiu closed her eyes and played the zither, replying with six words: "Boring, just killing time."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yibu's hand slipped, and his face hit the table. "Ouch!"
Qiao Qiu opened her eyes and glanced at him.
Liu Yibu rubbed his face, wincing in pain. "Young Master, is this a time for boredom?"
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