If he can do it, why can't she try and make some changes for him?
Li Shiyue lowered her eyelids, concealing the expression in her eyes. For a fleeting second, she desperately hoped that person was Xu Yunci. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Realizing her thoughts, her pupils widened for a moment, followed by an indescribable feeling, but she knew it wasn't disgust.
“Then I need to prepare one more thing. I need to add to my dowry on the day of Awan’s wedding.”
Xu Wan nodded with a blush: "Then I'm looking forward to it. We're both in the capital anyway, so we'll be able to meet again in the future."
The four were speaking softly. Feng Lanyin appeared out of nowhere and, seeing the four talking quietly, walked to Qin Wanyin's side, which is when the latter noticed her.
But she didn't stop. As she passed Li Shiyue, she let out a soft sneer, which reached the ears of the group. Before they could react, Feng Lanyin had already started walking towards the group of women in the courtyard.
Qin Wanyin had always disliked Feng Lanyin's two-faced nature. From the first meeting, her behavior over the years made people uncomfortable, and over time, Feng Lanyin's true colors were exposed.
So, without any attempt to hide it, when Feng Lanyin turned her back, Qin Wanyin muttered sarcastically, "A showy yellow radish."
This courtyard was built as a resting place for the women. A platform was specially set up in the courtyard, with tables and cushions laid out on it. In the middle, there were guqin or pipa, and two or three close women were already playing them.
The konghou in the young woman's hands, played in harmony with her partner's pipa, was in no way inferior to the young woman who had just played the guqin.
Li Shiyue's gaze was also drawn to the figure. The back looked very familiar; it was Princess Chunhui playing the konghou. Fu Yunning's pipa was completely overshadowed, and the konghou played by Princess Chunhui was the one that stood out the most.
The top of the phoenix-headed harp was made of superior glass, which was extremely dazzling in the sunlight. Princess Chunhui's fingers moved like flowing clouds and water, and as she played the music, she could not hide her pride.
In contrast, Fu Yunning's fingers moved with an unusually relaxed air as she played the pipa, as if the piece was made solely for the phoenix-headed konghou.
After the song ended, many young women praised Princess Chunhui, who naturally listened with her head held high and a sense of pride.
Feng Lanyin, however, was particularly noticeable. She walked up to the stage and went directly to Fu Yunning. She smiled and bent down, blinking at Fu Yunning, her warm breath brushing against Fu Yunning's face: "I've always heard that Miss Fu is an excellent pipa player, but unfortunately, under the phoenix-headed konghou, she's nothing special."
"It's clear that what you've heard is just hearsay. With Princess Chunhui around, Miss Fu will always be just an accessory. Even when she does things, she can only follow Princess Chunhui's wishes. If the princess is unhappy, Miss Fu probably won't even be able to stay in the Pixiang Palace. Fu Yunning, you really are a good dog of the Pixiang Palace."
Meeting Fu Yunning's fiery gaze, Feng Lanyin shrugged without fear.
The Feng family's intention to form a marriage alliance with the Duke's mansion is something that anyone in the capital with a little interest can find out, so it's no wonder that Princess Chunhui is targeting Feng Lanyin today.
The anger in Fu Yunning's eyes lasted only a short while before she let out a light laugh, which left Feng Lanyin looking puzzled.
"why are you laughing?"
"Of course I'm laughing at your audacity. You don't dare to challenge the princess, nor do you dare to challenge the people who are holding a birthday banquet here today. You only dare to be so arrogant towards me. What else is this but audacity?" Fu Yun Ning chuckled lightly, but Feng Lan Yin could clearly see the sarcasm in her smile.
"That's true. You're just the daughter of a minister, while the other is a princess, the daughter of an official. You can never catch up to her in your entire life. The other one is simple. Her background isn't the most noble in the capital, but they see each other under the same roof every day and call each other cousins. Miss Feng, you should think about it. Their relationship is much deeper."
"No wonder you only dare to yell at me so fiercely. If I were you, this birthday banquet would really be an eyesore."
As Fu Yunning spoke, she stood up, suppressing a smile as she glanced at Feng Lanyin, whose expression was displeased, and stepped off the stage. But only she knew that she had truly taken Feng Lanyin's words to heart.
As Fu Yuning walked down the platform, she glanced at the palace maid standing below. The maid knelt respectfully when their eyes met. Fu Yuning looked at her briefly and then looked away, no longer paying attention to Princess Chunhui on the platform: "Tell the princess that I need to change my clothes."
The palace maid glanced at Fu Yunning again, then quickly lowered her head: "Yes."
Those around them couldn't hear what Feng Lanyin and Fu Yuning were saying, but it was obvious that Feng Lanyin's expression had been very unpleasant ever since Fu Yuning left. Even when a woman tried to talk to her, she was scared away by her low and intimidating aura after only a few words, as if Feng Lanyin was about to get up and beat someone up at any moment.
Li Shiyue glanced at her and then looked away. When they first met, she felt that Feng Lanyin was spoiled by her family. Although she had elders to keep her in check, once she left the Minister's residence, even if Old Madam Xiao wanted to, she wouldn't be able to follow her.
Today she's shown her true colors; she's just a spoiled brat who's been pampered since childhood and doesn't even know right from wrong.
As Princess Chunhui walked down the steps with a smug expression, she immediately saw Li Shiyue under the corridor and the three people beside her, one of whom was Xu Yunci's younger sister. For a moment, she couldn't help but feel angry.
But then she turned around and faced the women still on the stage: "It's all Chunhui's fault. Today is Sister Yichang's birthday banquet, and she stole the spotlight from the hostess. Sister Yichang has come to the capital not too late, and we don't know what she knows. Why don't we all see her skills today?"
Not to mention them, even at home, Xu Lingzi had never seen her take any musical instruments. She immediately frowned and was about to retort, but Li Shiyue had already gotten up and walked downstairs.
“It is an honor for Yichang to receive the title of ‘elder sister’ from the princess. Since the princess has spoken, I have no intention of refusing,” Li Shiyue raised her eyebrows slightly, accepting the respectful address from Princess Chunhui.
She walked up to the platform and sat down next to the guqin without even looking at it. Actually, she didn't know many musical instruments, and the guqin was probably her best instrument. However, compared to the woman from before, she felt that she was still inferior.
There's a piece called "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun" that almost everyone who learns the guqin can play, and that's the piece Li Shiyue chose. The gentle and soothing melody, combined with Li Shiyue's own technique of using only one finger, makes it sound even more comfortable.
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