Although Princess Xiao was occasionally dissatisfied with herself for losing her master's demeanor in front of Ren Yaoqi, she still gave face to her close friend Ren Yaoqi in front of others.
Unexpectedly, Ouyang smiled and teased her: "In the eyes of the princess, I'm afraid anyone who plays better than you is considered better, right? It would be fine if you didn't praise me, but now that you praise me like this, I'm actually willing to let Fifth Miss play a song."
Xiao Jinglin was not angry when she heard this. Instead, she smiled and winked at Ren Yaoqi, showing the rare liveliness and agility of a girl of her age.
Ouyang was a little surprised when she saw this, and couldn't help but look at Ren Yaoqi a few more times.
Ren Yaoqi could also tell from Xiao Jinglin's attitude that her attitude towards this Ouyang family member was different from her attitude towards the other ladies in the harem.
If other ladies were present, Xiao Jinglin would just put on a cold face, as if to keep strangers away, making people feel that Princess Xiao was difficult to approach, and those who wanted to get close to her would give up.
The princess smiled and said, "Sir, please listen to them play first, but I have to say this first. If Lin'er can't pass this test today, you will have to practice with me for four hours every day for the next two days."
Xiao Jinglin's face froze.
Ouyang smiled at Xiao Jinglin and said to the princess, "Princess, did you deliberately let me be the villain today? This is not good."
Ren Yaoqi was a little surprised when she heard the princess addressing Ouyang. A woman would only address her teacher as "sir".
Could it be that Ouyang and the princess have a master-disciple relationship?
As everyone moved to the side hall that would serve as Ren Yaohua's piano room, Xiao Jinglin whispered in Ren Yaoqi's ear, "My mother was a disciple of Madam Xu when she was young. She learned all the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from her. Madam Xu was a famous talent in Kyoto when she was young. The late emperor once praised her as a top scholar."
Ren Yaoqi finally understood.
Ouyang was invited here by the princess. Every year, the Yun family's Daughters' Banquet invites the daughters of the wealthy families to perform their talents. At the end, several outstanding ladies are selected.
Ouyang was one of the people who evaluated the talents of the ladies, and because of her status and knowledge, her opinions served as the basis for other ladies participating in the evaluation.
Other families would naturally not invite Ouyang into their homes at this time to avoid suspicion. However, the Yanbei Palace did not follow this rule.
Apart from the personal relationship between Princess Yanbei and the Ouyang family, the Qianjin Banquet was just like the last Dragon Boat Race during the Su Family's Dragon Boat Festival. As long as someone from the Yanbei Palace participated, the winner would come from the Yanbei Palace. This was a well-known convention.
The princess invited Ouyang to listen to Xiao Jinglin playing the piano because she didn't want Xiao Jinglin's level to be too far away from the top spot and be laughed at behind his back.
After all, fame is for others to see, while real ability belongs to you.
Xiao Jinglin had been practicing "Moon Over the Mountain Pass" diligently these days, and she had become quite proficient at it. As she began to pluck the strings, Ouyang couldn't help but nod in agreement at the way she raised her hands to play the zither.
Ouyang knew very well what level of piano skills Xiao Jinglin had played before. Looking at her appearance today, it was clear that she had been working very hard these days.
Of course, Xiao Jinglin's level cannot be compared with that of a real master, but at least she will not embarrass herself at the Qianjin Banquet.
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