Chapter 7 Night Practice (1)
"No problem," Chu Qingluo hurriedly stopped him when she saw Jing. If she didn't stop him, she was afraid that trouble would arise again. "You haven't left the room for two days. Ying'er, would you like to go with me to relax?"
As soon as she mentioned relaxing, her anger disappeared for the most part. The girl changed her mind and seemed to have thought of a suitable place. Her bright eyes lit up in an instant.
Holding her sleeve casually, Meng Ying'er hurried downstairs, wanting to stay away from the gossip of the people around her: "Okay, I found a place with pavilions and waterside terraces in the Siyue Mansion. The spring flowers there are blooming brightly. I'll take you there!"
She had seen the garden scenery the maid described. When she passed through the courtyard on the day she entered the mansion, she looked at the pavilions with flying eaves.
The quiet bamboo forest, the many birds, and the clear spring flowing beside it seem to be more pleasing and fascinating than the pavilions in the palace.
After being cooped up in her boudoir for two days, Chu Qingluo was willing to go out. Seeing Qiaoyan in front of her walking in a hurry, she hurriedly followed her steps to catch up.
She still couldn't figure out what the master meant by challenging her just now, but she only knew that with the help of the Grand Master of Music, everything would become much smoother, and all the concerns she had before would gradually be resolved.
If nothing else, his unrivaled reputation alone was enough to cover up her sins.
"Don't take what they just said to heart."
Stepping lightly to the stone path beside the pavilion, Meng Ying'er saw the charming figure of the crabapple beside her, which was as beautiful as the sun, and remained silent for a long time. She thought that she might be recalling the gossip among the students, and acted helplessly.
"These past two days, they've been trying to get close to Xu Anyao, the daughter of the Xu family. It's understandable that they're distancing themselves from us."
As for why she was clinging to Miss Xu, the maid quickly explained, "Xu Anyao accidentally knocked over the inkstone when she passed by the master's desk. The master didn't blame her at all and even patiently explained her doubts."
"They all privately feel that the master might have some special favor towards Miss Xu..." Meng Ying'er seemed to have a lingering feeling in her heart when she said this, and her slightly trembling eyes revealed jealousy without concealing it.
She smiled faintly, thinking about how she had met her master several times, and how each time she had seemed to have displeased him. Perhaps Qu Hanjin had already begun to dislike her, but hadn't said it out loud.
This seems to be a bit tricky...
Chu Qingluo heard no sound from her side for a while, then quietly admired the spring flowers, then gently opened her red lips and said, "To gain a foothold in this music bureau, it is common to climb up the social ladder and make friends with the rich and powerful. I didn't take it to heart."
She really didn't care at all. Meng Ying'er then looked at the clusters of flowers on both sides, then remembered what the master had said. She frowned slightly and said in a puzzled voice, "But I don't understand. The master asked you to reflect on your mistakes. You explained it clearly. Why... why do you still ask you to reflect..."
"Maybe I'll find out when I go to the side hall tomorrow."
She had no idea what the words meant and couldn't figure it out out of thin air. She would be able to find out some information when she went there tomorrow.
When she reached the pavilion, she leaned over to brush off the dust on the stone bench and sat down lightly. It seemed like it had been a long time since she had been able to appreciate the flowers without any worries.
The tense mood relaxed unconsciously.
Meng Ying'er sat down casually, and suddenly remembered the vacation that Mr. Qu had given her. Her almond-shaped eyes suddenly became clear, and she blinked at her with interest.
"The Qiqiao Festival is coming in a few days. The master said he would give us a day off. Where are you going?" Qingluo asked in a low voice with her head lowered. The girl deliberately covered her lips with her sleeves and asked meaningfully.
"Or... Qingluo has a lover to celebrate Qiqiao with?"
She had no interest in Qi Qiao originally, but now that she had entered the Music Bureau and had some means of revenge, she would definitely not miss the opportunity to get close to the master.
Chu Qingluo looked towards the piano hall, then casually glanced at the side halls and elegant courtyards. She replied calmly, "I've missed two days of classes. I should stay at the mansion to make up for it."
It was a rare day to go out and wander around, but this girl was actually waiting to study at home. The girl couldn't believe it, thinking that she was too studious and that she was too playful, and they were really no match.
"Such a great opportunity, why don't you go out and have fun?"
Shaking her head in disbelief, Meng Ying'er thought about how she didn't mind other people's gossip and was certain that this girl came here solely to learn qin music. "That's right... You're so studious, you probably don't like playing around."
The next moment, several women walked by the stone path beside the pavilion. They seemed not to notice that there was someone in the pavilion and continued to talk happily.
"You know, Mr. Qu is extremely self-disciplined, as bright as the moon between clouds. Even when Princess Mu Xiao expressed her love for him, Mr. Qu remained unmoved." A young lady seemed to know the inside story and talked about the princess to the people beside her.
Speaking of the legendary Princess Mu Xiao, the other girl shook her head repeatedly and replied solemnly, "Sir, you are a banished immortal. Naturally, you disdain worldly pleasures and have no need for women as companions."
Disagreeing with this, the usually taciturn lady suddenly opened her mouth, feeling that the princess and the gentleman were quite a good match: "Nonsense, I think the gentleman will be the princess's sooner or later..."
The beautiful figures in her eyes walked away talking and laughing. She listened silently, frowning slightly in confusion.
She only knew that Qu Hanjin was the person who controlled the palace dance and music affairs, and that he was quite useful to her, but she had never inquired about his romantic affairs.
I hadn't expected Princess Mu Xiao and Mr. Qu to have such an emotional entanglement, which made things even more difficult...
If she really wants to seduce the gentleman, she still needs to find out what he loves so that she can make other plans.
"Every year during the Qiqiao Festival, Princess Mu Xiao would come and drink a few glasses of sake with you, sir. This year should be no different..." Seeing her stunned for a moment, Meng Ying'er knew that she was thinking about the princess who was mentioned. She sighed heavily, with admiration welling up in her eyes.
"I really envy the princess for being able to drink and chat with Mr. Qu. I'm sure he admires her too."
Chu Qingluo took advantage of the situation to reflect, feeling that the quiet and respectful young master would not easily fall in love with her. She softly comforted the girl, "If they were truly in love, the master would not keep his distance from the princess, nor would he let the princess come looking for him year after year... Ying'er still has a chance."
Hearing this, the maid's eyes suddenly lit up. She understood the hidden meaning and raised her eyebrows slightly, asking happily, "Qingluo means that the master hasn't given his true heart yet, and he doesn't want to offend the princess, so he is politely rejecting her?"
"I'm just making it up, just guessing."
The girl believed what he said casually. It turned out to be very easy to fool. She added more words slowly, wondering who could guess Mr. Qu's intentions.
"Sir, you are truly a noble man. You don't even want the princess's admiration..." Meng Ying'er felt increasingly inferior and ashamed as she spoke. She paused, looked back suspiciously, and asked, "Then do you think Sir is really with Xu Anyao..."
As she was saying this, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a young man in purple pacing back and forth in the courtyard, flipping through a scroll in his hands. He was reading alone in silence. She responded to him very patiently, and her phoenix eyes couldn't help but freeze.
"Don't be so anxious. This is someone else's private matter after all. If you want to know the details, you need to inquire more."
How could there be a man coming to the Siyue Mansion to study?
She vaguely remembered that it was originally announced that only women could enter this elegant hall. Where did this young man come from...
"Qingluo, you have to help me..." The girl mumbled and begged, then looked at the man.
"What's the point of saying help or not? We are friends who share weal and woe." Chu Qingluo's eyes were still fixed as she finally spoke, asking Meng Yatou curiously, "Who is he?"
Seeing this, Meng Ying'er carefully thought about what she knew, and whispered to her, "I also came here to learn the piano, but I said something delayed me, so I came a day late."
She was still staring at the figure in the purple robe. Seeing the man approaching, she couldn't help but ask again in confusion, "All the people who come to the palace to study are women. Why is there a man here?"
"That young man's name is Sheng Youzhang, and he's this year's top scholar."
Meng Ying'er continued, recounting the rumors she had heard from others: "It's said that Master Sheng will soon be appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, but he admires you so much that he came to the prefectural middle school to study music theory."
It turns out he’s the new number one scholar…
This explains why this person was able to break the rules and enter the school.
Passing the imperial examination is a great achievement. Mr. Sheng came to pay his respects to Mr. Qu, so Qu Hanjin had to give him some respect.
"I see..." Chu Qingluo retracted her gaze and her curiosity about the young man was dispelled.
The lights in the hall were lit again, and the girls who were strolling in various corners of the garden walked towards the elegant hall.
Meng Ying'er stood up, straightened her sleeves, and walked back to the music hall: "It's almost time for night study again. Hurry up and pack up, and we will go to the school together."
She agreed and followed the maid into the main hall.
The hall was quiet, elegant and bright, and the Qin Hall was almost the same as it was two days ago. The only difference was that the teacher was walking around in the hall from time to time, and sometimes he sat upright at the desk.
When the students saw this, they rushed forward and waited for Mr. Qu to answer their questions.
There was an endless stream of people coming to seek advice. Chu Qingluo watched calmly and felt that the teacher looked extremely majestic as he sat upright, with proper manners and an elegant demeanor like pine and cypress. He had an even cooler air than what the maid had described.
The gentleman is indeed inviolable...
She glanced at the pretty figure at the next table and saw Meng Ying'er, who was looking down with her eyes, concentrating on the words in the book. Perhaps she felt someone was looking at her, so she spoke to her knowingly.
Meng Ying'er bit the pen gently, occasionally glancing at the cold jade-like figure in the hall. She lowered her eyes and whispered, "Every night during the evening study session, the teacher comes for a quarter of an hour to answer questions and resolve doubts for the students. If you have any questions, you can go to the hall and ask the teacher for guidance."
"So... they all went there to solve their doubts?"
Wen Yu was even more confused. She watched the girls walk in an orderly manner and then walk down the hall happily, with a look of shyness on her face.
"Of course not..." Seeing the young lady Xu swaggering forward, the maid raised her eyebrows and said unwillingly, "Look at Xu Anyao's smug look. She must be doing this to get the master's personal guidance and to get a better chance to get closer to her."
A quarter of an hour was about to end, and the teacher was about to leave. Meng Ying'er hurriedly flipped through the book, happily pointed to a place, and took the lead in the class: "I found a puzzle, I... I'll go first!"
They all study for the sake of beauty, how shallow they are...
Looking at the clear and beautiful figure in front of the table again, Chu Qingluo held her chin with one hand, narrowed her eyes, and looked at it silently.
In the end, the words he obtained were similar to those of everyone else. This person strictly abided by the rules of the religion and was proper in everything, truly as flawless as a white jade.
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