Oh, because of Zuoan Shanren, Li Wenzhuang was already famous throughout the capital, so even though the emperor was deep in the palace, he knew a thing or two about Li Wenzhuang.
Zhao Feiyan chuckled and said, "So your target is Young Master Li. Then you can wait for Young Master Li..."
Before she could finish speaking, Sima Xiu interrupted her: "No. My purpose is Miss Nian Nian..." Seeing that Zhao Feiyan was looking at him firmly and had no intention of moving aside, he actually continued, "...and Miss Yan Yan."
Upon hearing this, the madam quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Oh dear, since you also like Yan Yan, how about having Yan Yan dance for you? Our Yan Yan's dancing is famous throughout the capital, and her poetry and calligraphy skills are also unparalleled in the capital, having amazed countless distinguished young men!"
Sima Xiu pondered for a moment and then smiled, “Yes, Miss Yan Yan’s talent in poetry is renowned throughout the capital, but I wonder if Miss Niannian, who has won Miss Yan Yan’s heart and become her friend, is only good at singing?”
Good heavens! As expected of the male lead, he's already figured it out!
Chu Nian, who was inside the room, heard everything clearly and had no choice but to raise her voice and say, "Alright, since this young master is so sincere in wanting to hear me sing, Fei Yan, why don't we let him in? You come in too, and help me receive this distinguished guest. Didn't he say he's interested in you?"
She didn't want to affect the development of the relationship between the male and female leads.
Zhao Feiyan turned and went into the house with a gloomy face, making no attempt to hide her dislike for Sima Xiu.
Sima Xiu, unconcerned with formalities, didn't take it to heart and strode in with an air of authority.
The madam said, "Then when Young Master Li arrives later..."
Chu Nian said, "Granny, don't worry. Just have Young Master Li come to me directly." After saying that, she looked at Sima Xiu and smiled, "I think this young master won't mind taking this opportunity to get to know Young Master Li."
Sima Xiu smiled faintly and nodded slightly at the suggestion.
The madam was relieved and left, quickly ordering someone to prepare wine and dishes to be brought into the room.
Sima Xiu, however, began to examine the furnishings inside the room.
Chu Nian has been living in this room for a while now, and naturally, she has made quite a few changes.
Sima Xiu's eyes immediately fell on a poem hanging on the wall, and he softly recited: "The autumn scenery beyond the Great Wall is different, the wild geese fly south from Hengyang without a backward glance... A cup of turbid wine, ten thousand miles from home, the Yanran inscription uncarved, no plan to return..."
Chu Nian smiled and said, "These lyrics were written by Fei Yan."
Sima Xiu turned to look at her and replied, "It's the calligraphy of Zuo An Shan Ren."
Chu Nian asked, "How is it?"
Sima Xiu replied, "Very good. The words are good, and the calligraphy is good."
Chu Nian sat down at the zither and said, "Since you've come to listen to music, then I'll sing this song for you!" With that, she lightly plucked the strings with her fingers, and the ancient, desolate melody rose up.
She didn't know how to play the guqin, but the original owner of this body was very familiar with it. She inherited the original owner's memories, and with this body's mastery of the instrument, she quickly got the hang of it after practicing for two days after transmigrating.
Zhao Feiyan stood to one side, listening intently to the music she played and the lyrics she sang. She was quite engrossed in the music: she felt that the lyrics, set to such a melody, truly captured the essence of the poem. That's why she admired Tong Nian so much!
Sima Xiu thought it was good too, and after Chu Nian finished singing, he actually said, "Please sing it again, young lady."
After Chu Nian finished playing and singing it again, he murmured, "This song?"
Zhao Feiyan quickly said, "This is a piece of music composed by my sister."
Sima Xiu chuckled and said, "Now I finally understand why Miss Yan Yan, with her talent and intelligence, would be so subservient to Miss Niannian."
Zhao Feiyan frowned in dissatisfaction and questioned, "When did I ever bow down to my sister?" At most, she admired Tong Nian! Admired! Is that the same as "bowing down"?
Sima Xiu laughed and said, "Yes, I used the wrong words. Miss Yan Yan and Miss Niannian are very close sisters, not subservient to each other."
The annoyance on Zhao Feiyan's face finally dissipated.
There was a commotion outside; it seemed something had happened.
There was a loud knocking at the door, accompanied by Li Wenzhuang's urgent voice: "Niannian, open the door quickly, something's happened, something's happened..."
Zhao Feiyan quickly came over to open the door.
Li Wenzhuang wasn't surprised to see her; this girl Yanyan spent most of her time in Niannian's room. However, when he quickly entered the room and saw Sima Xiu, he was taken aback, his face darkening instantly. He asked, "Who is he?"
Zhao Feiyan glanced outside and saw that Yang Jie had arrived with a group of soldiers, seemingly investigating something, which made the guests and girls uneasy.
She quickly closed the door.
Chu Nian, taking advantage of Li Wenzhuang's words, asked Sima Xiu, "Look at how forgetful Yan Yan and I are, we actually forgot to ask for your honorable name, young master."
Sima Xiu replied calmly, "My name is Ma Yue."
"Ma Yue?" Chu Nian smiled. "So it's Young Master Ma." But then she realized: it really is the male lead, Sima Xiu.
Sima Xiu's name, "Xiu," was written as "修" in ancient Chinese. He took one of the homophones of "月" (moon) and used it as his name when traveling incognito. In the book, he traveled incognito several times, always using the name Ma Yue.
Li Wenzhuang said nervously, "Niannian, we've already agreed that if you want to redeem yourself, only I can do it."
Chu Nian smiled helplessly, "What nonsense are you thinking? Young Master Ma just came to listen to me sing. Why would he want to redeem me? Besides, I've already said that my price is too high and you can't afford to redeem me."
Li Wenzhuang: "My family has plenty of money."
Chu Nian didn't want to dwell on this issue with him any longer, so she quickly changed the subject: "It's so chaotic outside, has something happened?"
Li Wenzhuang slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my head, I almost forgot something important. Yang Jie brought a large group of soldiers here, saying that Zuoan Shanren used poisonous paint to paint, causing the Empress Dowager to fall ill, and they want to arrest Zuoan Shanren!"
Chu Nian chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Poisonous paint?"
Zhao Feiyan chuckled and said, "Is he talking about that chrysanthemum painting that was auctioned at the Confucian Academy? That's really strange. Zuo Anshanren's paintings and calligraphy have been on display at the Confucian Academy for so long and no one has been poisoned. How come only the one that his wife bought was poisoned? And it even caused the Empress Dowager to feel unwell? That scoundrel is clearly..." She suddenly stopped midway through her sentence, remembering that she couldn't talk about the time she beat up Yang Jie in the suburbs.
She changed the subject, saying, "It was his wife who insisted on bidding on the painting; no one told her to. Now that something has gone wrong, she wants to blame others."
Sima Xiu, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow, pondering: "That's certainly true. So, was the chrysanthemum painting's entry into the palace part of Zuo An Shan Ren's scheme?"
Chu Nian laughed with a hint of sarcasm: "When Zuo An Shan Ren painted that chrysanthemum, he did use some things that other painters don't usually use to mix colors, but to say it's poison is a bit ridiculous."
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