The government was sending out wives, and I ended up with a princess from the previous dynasty!

Liu Ruyan stepped forward and bowed gracefully: "This humble woman, Liu Ruyan, greets you, sir! I have heard of your outstanding talent, and I have come today to learn from you. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."

Jia Daoshi nodded slightly: "Miss Liu speaks elegantly and has an extraordinary temperament. She truly lives up to her reputation as a talented woman. Ah Li, you should learn more from Miss Liu in the future. Your personality is too sharp and outspoken, and you're prone to making a fatal mistake."

Shen Li never expected that she would be caught in the crossfire just from meeting him. This guy is really too hateful!

So insidious!

Blood-sealing poison?

I'm going to seal your throat!

Seeing that Shen Li's face was about to explode, Xia Wanlian hurriedly coughed twice!

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Shen Li then calmed down and nodded, "Yes!"

"Sir, may we begin now?"

Shen Li didn't want to waste time arguing with Jia Daoshi.

Jia Daoshi nodded: "Of course, you can set the rules, I don't care."

Shen Li immediately said, "If it's a competition, it should be about playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Whoever wins the most rounds wins! The first round is playing the zither! Sister Ruyan, you go first!"

"Alright, in that case, I'll make a fool of myself!"

Liu Ruyan nodded, then walked to the guqin next to her.

Liu Ruyan rarely plays the zither.

At this moment, upon seeing Liu Ruyan sit down to play the piano, a group of young women immediately perked up their ears.

"Ding ding dong~"

After plucking the strings a few times, Liu Ruyan's aura suddenly changed!

Immediately, ethereal voices, like orchids blooming in a secluded valley, soared through the sky, making one feel as if they were riding the wind!

The voice was sometimes tender and poignant, and sometimes majestic and powerful.

The atmosphere of the entire courtyard became dreamlike and enchanting amidst the music.

Everyone was completely captivated!

As the last note faded, a little girl covered her face and wept!

A long time has passed!

"I just felt like I was dreaming!"

"Such a wonderful piece of music, why have I never heard of it before!"

"I don't even know what to say! In short, it's just beautiful!"

"Ah Li, is the master going to lose this time?"

"Why does this piece sound so familiar? Could it be the piece composed by the Qin Saint of our Great Jing Dynasty a hundred years ago—Shao ​​Yu?" Xia Wanlian asked in surprise.

Liu Ruyan nodded: "Madam is right, this is indeed the piece."

Upon hearing this, the young women present looked even more adoring.

Liu Ruyan was also very satisfied with her performance. She nodded to the other women and then looked at Jia Daoshi.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Shen Li laughed heartily. She was eager to see Jia Daoshi's face fall. "Li Bai! Mr. Li, now it's your turn!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Ruyan's expression suddenly turned strange. She turned to look at Shen Li: "Wait a minute, A Li, isn't your husband named Jia Daoshi? This Li Bai?"

Shen Li smiled and said, "Sister Ruyan, you don't know this, but my master has another alias, which is Li Bai!"

"Li Bai? Is that the Li Bai who made people smash their zithers in anger at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?" Liu Ruyan asked blankly.

“If it wasn’t him, who else could it be?” Shen Li said. Actually, she only found out about this later.

"I see!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan immediately stood up, walked to Jia Daoshi, and bowed to him again: "Sir, I have lost this round!"

Shen Li: "..."

Girls: "..."

What's the situation?

She was always proud and arrogant, believing that no man in the world was as good as her!

But now, they've actually admitted defeat?

Shen Li was completely dumbfounded!

Jia Daoshi was also puzzled: "Miss Liu, why did you suddenly admit defeat?"

A blush appeared on Liu Ruyan's face: "If Ruyan had known earlier that you were Li Bai, I wouldn't have needed to compete in the first round of zither playing; I could have just admitted defeat."

Everyone: "..."

There was an uproar.

"My dear sisters, please listen to me first. Don't you know what happened in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion a few days ago?" Liu Ruyan explained.

"The Hundred Flowers Pavilion? It's nothing but a brothel, utterly filthy!"

"Why did Sister Liu suddenly bring up the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?"

"You may not know this, but on that day, Yuan Jin'er, the most beautiful courtesan of Baihua Tower, made friends through music and even put an ancient zither up for auction, which eventually fetched a high price of ten thousand taels of silver!"

"But some people say that Yuan Jin'er doesn't know anything about the zither at all!"

"That man said that Yuan Jin'er's guqin is a guqin for charging into battle, a guqin for generals and heroes. How could it be humiliated in this brothel? In the end, she even played a piece called Ambush from Ten Sides, which conquered the entire audience!"

"It even angered the wealthy businessman who bought the guqin, who smashed it in a fit of rage, just to leave behind a legacy of integrity!"

"Such skill in playing the zither is truly beyond my reach!"

"Mr. Li Bai, is there anything wrong with what Ruyan said?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Daoshi felt somewhat embarrassed: "Miss Liu, you flatter me. I was indeed a bit impulsive and reckless that day."

"On a whim, you can produce heavenly music. If you were to take it seriously, I would be no match for you! To be honest, I admire your character and your gentlemanly conduct in playing the zither! Today, I, Ruyan, wish to become your disciple..."

"Cough cough..." Upon hearing this, Shen Li couldn't stand it anymore and immediately interrupted Liu Ruyan, pulling her aside. "Sister Ruyan, are you confused?! You want to become an apprentice? What a joke! This guy is very unreliable, he's an old liar! You can't believe what he says!"

"Don't worry, Ah Li, the competition will naturally continue. However, I truly admire your skill with the zither. Alright, let's continue with the chess game!"

As for the four arts of qin (music), chess, calligraphy, and painting, they should naturally be done in order.

In an era with limited entertainment options, playing Go was a popular pastime for people in ancient times.

A person's character is reflected in their chess skills.

A person's chess skills can, to some extent, increase their social status.

Especially among the nobles, upper classes, scholars, officials, and young masters and ladies of the Great Jing Dynasty, almost none of them were unfamiliar with chess!

After learning that Jia Daoshi was Li Bai, Liu Ruyan's interest grew even stronger!

Actually, playing the piano was not Jia Daoshi's forte.

But when it comes to playing chess, he's a much more professional!

"The game of chess is divided into yin and yang. May I ask whether you will play white or black?"

Jia Daoshi said directly, "Miss Liu, since you call me 'sir,' I'll give you a three-piece handicap and let you go first with the white piece!"

Liu Ruyan: “…”

Shen Li looked displeased: "On the chessboard, there are nineteen cycles of reincarnation, and no two games are ever the same. The pieces contain everything. Do you think it's like playing a musical score? And you're giving me a three-piece handicap! In the Great Jing Dynasty, there are very few people who can beat my sister Ruyan!"

"You wouldn't be using this fake politeness on purpose because you know you're no match for them, would you?"