The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

In a corner of the hall where the candlelight was dim, a slender musician stood with a smile on her face. Her skin was cold and pale, like a gardenia blooming in a corner on a quiet night.

The emperor recognized at a glance that they were not musicians, but female musicians.

She was dressed as a man and wore a musician's black hood on her head. Her black hair, which was exposed outside the brim of the hat, was obviously thicker than that of the others.

Her face, without any makeup, has clear eyes and eyebrows, like a lotus in summer.

"What reward do you want?"

The emperor asked leisurely.

After being exhausted from handling state affairs, he relaxed and listened to the pleasant music. He was in a very relaxed mood at this time and did not think there was anything wrong with the musician's disguise. Instead, he felt interested in playing with her.

"What reward can Your Majesty offer? Gold, silver, and jewelry are rather tacky, and snacks and drinks can only be used once." The music girl's smile brightened a little, her large eyes above her delicate nose blinking playfully, and dimples appeared on her lips. "Does Your Majesty have a more unique idea?"

The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly: "How bold of you to do this."

Upon hearing this, the other musicians all stood up, each holding their instruments, bowing their heads and being extremely humble, for fear of being vented on their anger.

This made the girl dressed as a man seem even more different.

She exuded youthful vitality, which could make the emperor smile knowingly even from a distance.

The emperor had been ill for the past few days and, having just recovered, had been busy with government affairs for most of the day, which had made his days rather dull. This timely change of pace piqued his interest.

The musician said, "Your Majesty, do you think I'm bold? If I ask Your Majesty for a reward, would you think I'm even bolder?"

The emperor ignored her claim of impoliteness and asked with interest, "What do you want?"

The girl replied, "I want 'Xiang Si'."

The emperor was slightly startled.

Lovesickness?

Then he realized that she was probably talking about the famous pipa from the previous emperor's dynasty.

This piece is an imitation of a masterpiece by a master of the previous dynasty, made of precious wood and decorated with scented beads and pendants. When it is played, the fragrance lingers with the music, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

The late emperor personally gave her the name "Xiangsi".

And gave it to the favorite concubine at that time, Lady Chenxiang.

Lady Chenxiang was a skilled pipa player, a court musician who enjoyed immense favor and was unrivaled. After she acquired the "fragrant thought," she often performed for the late emperor, her music echoing through the palace at midnight, often heard by the young emperor himself.

However, after the death of Lady Chenxiang, the late emperor no longer listened to pipa music, and the "Xiangsi" was put aside. When the late emperor also passed away, it was cleared out of Lady Chenxiang's old palace and sent to the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It has been so long that the emperor almost forgot about it.

Being suddenly mentioned by the girl in front of him inevitably brought back some memories.

"Why do you want Xiang Si?" the emperor asked, his expression less playful and more scrutinizing.

The musician walked forward, holding a pipa.

He slowly walked to a place about ten feet in front of the imperial bed.

Her picturesque face became even clearer under the illumination of the coiled dragon candlesticks, and the two pierced earlobes clearly indicated her identity as a woman.

The color is like the flowers in the spring morning.

She is a beauty.

Young beauty.

With a clang sound, she plucked the pipa in her arms.

"Your Majesty, the sound of this pipa is truly magnificent. However, when I play it on a normal day, I always feel that it lacks some charm."

"I heard that the 'Chenxiang' lute was made by a famous master, and when played, it sounds like Kunshan jade shattering, orchids weeping in the dew. Even if you play the lute to a cow, the cow will dance to the music. I yearn for it very much. If I could have the 'Xiangsi' in my hand in this life and play it once, I would have no regrets."

"Your Majesty, could you please have the lute brought to me so I can play it?"

Her eyes were bright and she looked at the emperor seriously, the emperor's figure reflected in her dark pupils.

And her figure holding the pipa was also clearly imprinted in the emperor's eyes.

"What's your name?" The scrutiny in the emperor's eyes disappeared, and interest returned.

"Your Majesty asked someone to bring the pipa. When I saw it, I told Your Majesty its name." The musician smiled, adding a bit of cunning to her beauty, bright and lovely.

After a while, the pipa was brought.

Although the "Xiangsi" is very famous, its shape is simple and unpretentious, with a straight neck and a pear-shaped body, shaped like a water drop. A piece of warm and beautiful jade is inlaid on the head of the instrument, which is as quiet and beautiful as the moonlight outside the palace.

The female musician took the pipa in her hand and played a song immediately.

The sounds were loud and clear, big and small, sometimes passionate and sometimes sad, which made the emperor sit up straight from the soft couch where he was leaning and lean over to listen.

When the song ended, the musician stood up holding her pipa and formally knelt down in front of the couch.

"Your humble servant, Zheng Zhuyi, pays respect to Your Majesty. I do not wish Your Majesty a long life, nor do I ask Your Majesty to forgive me for concealing my identity. I only ask Your Majesty to grant me this gift. Then, no matter what punishment you impose, I will willingly accept it."

The emperor was a little surprised.

He thought she was the new Pipa girl from the palace music bureau, but she called herself "minister," so she must be the daughter of an official. Hearing her name and her obvious rank with the empress, he immediately knew her identity.

The queen has been recuperating recently, and I heard that her family sent a younger sister to take care of her.

The emperor was too lazy to guess the Zheng family's intentions and ignored it. Who would have thought that the girl would come to him today.

"The Queen sent you here?"

"Your Majesty, I came here on my own initiative."

Zheng Zhuyi saw the rage and vigilance that flashed across the emperor's eyes for a moment, but she wasn't afraid at all. She spoke directly and frankly, "My elder sister doesn't like me staying in the palace, but with Consort Xian in power and Consort Zhao favored, she had no choice but to go along with my family's wishes. It's just that she never found the opportunity to present me to Your Majesty. That day, Consort Yu left the Imperial Court in a panic, and my elder sister told me to stay put in Fengyi Palace for the time being and not to wander around. If Your Majesty sees me, I'm afraid I'll end up like Consort Yu, bringing trouble upon myself, failing to help her and bringing shame upon her."

Her frankness surprised the emperor and made him even more wary.

What does the Queen want to do?

What does this girl want to do?

Zheng Zhuyi continued, "But I have to come to see Your Majesty at this time. Your Majesty has been so preoccupied with Concubine Zhao lately that he naturally doesn't care about me. I only want to ask Your Majesty for this pipa. I don't care about anything else. Your Majesty, if you are willing to honor me, I will obey your orders. I will only repay Your Majesty for the great kindness of giving me the pipa, and for the kindness of my parents and elder sister in raising me. If Your Majesty is angry and doesn't like my flattering tactics, then you can punish me. As long as you don't take the pipa back, I will accept any punishment."

After she finished speaking, she gently placed the pipa on the ground beside her, extremely carefully, as if afraid of breaking it.

Then he bowed his head to the ground, waiting for the emperor's decision.

The simple blue gown of a musician outlined her slender figure. Her waist, which could be held in one hand, and her delicate white neck, which hung at the neckline, were fully revealed to the emperor.