Harem Daily Life

Miaoyin Pavilion is one of the best music houses in Beijing, founded by the music master Cang Xuan. There are many musicians in Miaoyin Pavilion, and four of them are well-known in Beijing, namely Ruyi who is good at guqin, Mingyin who is good at konghou, Diyang who is good at flute, and Chuchu who is good at pipa.

The one who is performing today is Chu Chu.

When arranging the banquet program, Concubine Shu recommended Miss Chuchu to the Queen. She was a fan of Chuchu. Before she entered the palace, she had the honor of hearing Chuchu playing the pipa at a banquet. Her deft hand gestures, touching the pipa strings, could produce the clearest music and express the most tactful thoughts.

When Chuchu came over with "Nongying" in her arms, Shu Fei knew that Concubine Tao had met her match tonight.

Chuchu is just like her name, she is also no more than 20 years old, graceful and charming. At this moment, she bowed to the king sitting on the upper throne: "Chuchu of Miaoyin Pavilion, I pay my respects to Your Majesty, the Queen Mother and the Queen. Today, Chuchu will play the song "Bright Moon" that my master recently composed to liven up the palace banquet."

After saying that, he sat on the stool brought by the palace servants and began to play. When the first note was played, Tao Yanyan knew that this was an expert.

Tao Yanyan learned this skill when he was a child, so he can be considered an entry-level expert. He admires all the best in this field.

At this moment, she was personally listening to a famous musician from the capital who played the pipa thousands of years ago. In addition to being excited, she felt more respect for the ancient ancestor.

Tao Yanyan thought that the person who could compose this song "Bright Moon" must be a master who has studied music for decades. Every note seems to be telling the thoughts under the moon, and the listeners have different moods, so they will have different understandings and resonate with this song.

It must be said that this charming girl has extraordinary skills and her attainments in playing the pipa are definitely far beyond her own.

Tao Yanyan listened attentively and did not notice the eye contact between Shu Fei and the Queen. Both of them had pride in their eyes, because soon it would be the turn of Concubine Tao to show off her skills.

The Queen Mother was the queen of palace fighting in the previous generation. As soon as Chu Chu came out, she knew that Concubine Tao was going to be dragged out for a walk tonight.

At first I didn’t know why Lady Tao was arranged to play the pipa, but now I know, right?

A concubine and a musician both showed the same talent at a palace banquet. It would not necessarily be an honor to win over the musician, after all, she had done the same thing as the musician of lower status and lost her reputation. It would be even more pitiful to lose, as people would say, "Look, the emperor's favorite concubine is not as good as a musician."

After eating Concubine Tao's delicious food, the Queen Mother wanted to help her turn the situation around, but the person who arranged it was too cunning and she was powerless to do anything. She could only hope that Concubine Tao would not play too badly and could just tie with her. At least, considering that she was a concubine, her status would be reduced at most.

After Chuchu finished playing, the whole hall burst into applause.

"As expected of Miss Chuchu, the most skilled pipa player in Miaoyin Pavilion. I am fortunate to hear such a beautiful pipa piece tonight. The sound will linger in my ears for three days!"

"This song "Bright Moon" is still the best, worthy of being called Master Cang Xuan."

"But Miss Chuchu is young after all. The artistic conception displayed in 'Bright Moon' is magnificent. If someone without experience plays it, it still lacks a bit of maturity."

Amid the praises, there was a hint of regret.

The Queen Mother looked at Prince Changping who was sitting not far away and said, "Prince Changping is fond of music and has always been the most knowledgeable about these elegant tastes. It seems that we are all outsiders who are just watching the fun, and you are the one who knows the inside story!"

Now that the Queen Mother stood on the side of Prince Changping, it became difficult for others to express their praise.

What a joke! You can try to refute Prince Changping and the others, but who dares to go against the Queen Mother?

She was the most honorable woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, rising from the position of Crown Princess to the Empress, and she was also the biological mother of the Emperor. No one dared to say that what she said was wrong.

Chuchu stood up somewhat awkwardly, took the reward from the queen, thanked her, then retreated and sat aside with the musicians.

The Queen said at the right time: "Today is the palace banquet, and the concubines in the palace also want to perform for His Majesty and the Queen Mother. It just so happens that Lady Tao can play the pipa. I heard that she has been practicing for a long time in the past few days. Why don't we ask Lady Tao to come up and play a piece, and everyone can listen to which one is worse than Miss Chuchu's pipa."

Everyone looked towards where the concubines were sitting. Tao Yanyan stood up. When everyone saw her appearance and dress, they were shocked at first sight. Then they heard her speak in a graceful manner, "The song "Bright Moon" is really exquisite. The sound of the piano tells the thoughts under the moon. Everyone has different moods and feelings. I think Prince Changping must be a person with a lot of valleys in his heart, so what he heard was a magnificent sound."

Prince Changping was overjoyed, as if he had met a bosom friend. He said happily, "Finally someone understands me! I have great ambitions for the country, so I have spent my life enjoying the wildness of the mountains and forests. I love traveling and have a wide range of interests. You can no longer accuse me of not doing my job properly!"

Everyone laughed. Prince Changping was the younger brother of the late emperor. He had been a wonderful person since childhood. He loved playing, being lively, music, and traveling, but he didn't like being confined in the palace.

A prince has the fate of a leisurely, wealthy and noble life, and is happy, free and insightful.

Tao Yanyan smiled at Prince Changping and said, "Miss Chuchu is very skilled in playing the zither. To be able to play to this level, it must have taken more than ten years of practice. I am really ashamed of myself."

Prince Changping advised, "It's just a hobby. Just do it as you like. There's no need to judge whether it's good or bad or to argue over who's better. Lady Tao, just play it. You've also said that music tells a person's true feelings. Different listeners have different moods and different understandings."

With these preparations, no matter how Lady Tao plays the music, that is up to the listeners. If you think it doesn't sound good, it may be because you are in a bad mood, and it has nothing to do with Lady Tao.

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows, it seemed that her worries were in vain, this little girl was very smart!

These few words won over Prince Changping, who was the most knowledgeable about music among the powerful and influential people, praised Cang Xuan for composing "Hao Yue", praised her opponent generously, saved face for Chu Chu and Miao Yin Pavilion, and eased the awkward atmosphere for a while. More importantly, when she finished playing, it would be better if all the smart people present praised her. Otherwise, whoever made trouble would be in trouble, and people would think that you were in a bad mood.

Tsk tsk tsk, the queen arranged this show to show off her power, but she is afraid that she will be disappointed! The queen can't say much, she has to praise and laugh, anyway, it goes against her early plan.

Tao Yanyan took out the "Xuan Si" from Mingyue behind him, and Prince Changping's eyes lit up: "Is this the wonderful pipa Xuan Si that Master Cang Xuan gave to the Queen Mother? Xuan Si is one of Master Cang Xuan's most famous pipa, and it and the Nong Ying that Miss Chuchu used just now are both Cang Xuan's favorite pipa. It is a great honor to hear two famous pipa performances tonight. It is really a great thing, very good!"

Shu Fei's eyes darkened in disbelief.

The Queen Mother's Pipa is actually in Lady Tao's possession?

Her heart suddenly turned cold.