I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuwei's lips immediately curved into a perfect smile.

She may not know much about poetry and songs, but she is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Winning against this country woman would be a piece of cake for her.

After glancing at the group, Qin Shun raised his hand, and two musical instruments were brought over.

"We have two instruments available now: the guzheng and the pipa. You may choose either one to play. Ms. Lin, would you like to go first?"

Lin Yuwei sat down in front of the guzheng like a proud peacock, spread her ten fingers and placed them on the guzheng. As her fingers moved, the sound of the guzheng was as melodious as a babbling brook flowing through the mountains.

When the music ended, everyone present was completely captivated, and the Emperor nodded and praised it, saying:

"The lingering sound resonates for three days. This melody is like a mountain stream, like the tinkling of jade pendants. How beautiful and wonderful!"

The Emperor's high praise for Lin Yuwei caused Madam Lin's previously gloomy expression to vanish, replaced by a wide smile.

Lin Yuwei almost jumped up to cheer for her victory, but Madam Lin quickly shook her head, signaling her to remain calm.

Next, Miss Sun and Miss Zhang each performed a piece on the guzheng. Although they were not as good as Lin Yuwei, they still showed the level of refinement expected of young ladies from well-to-do families.

When it was Lan Zhi's turn, she went to the guzheng and touched it, then went to the pipa that no one had paid attention to, picked it up, and began to frown and ponder.

At this moment, everyone was looking at her with amusement.

Lin Yuwei even more disdainfully reminded him:

“Lan Zhi, you grew up in the countryside, so you probably haven’t even seen these two musical instruments before, right? Let me remind you, what you’re holding is a pipa. These things are very precious. With your hands that have been doing rough work since you were a child, you mustn’t break the strings.”

As she said this, she raised her handkerchief to cover her mouth and chuckled softly, and everyone present chuckled softly as well.

Wei Jianning watched this scene with a grim expression, but according to the competition rules mentioned earlier, he could not make a sound and could only sit there and watch.

Seeing Lan Zhi's troubled expression, he felt a pang of sadness.

He even thought that he might as well walk over now, pull her away, and take her away from here so that she wouldn't have to suffer this injustice.

But imagination is just imagination. Before he came, Lan Zhi reminded him that when he arrived, he should sit there quietly and watch, without saying a word or making any extreme movements, otherwise she would never talk to him again.

Therefore, even though he had countless thoughts in his mind, he dared not act rashly.

He has to listen to her, otherwise, if she ignores him one day, he'll go crazy.

Lan Zhi gently stroked the pipa strings in her hands, and suddenly thought of a song she liked in her previous life, Helen's "The Girl by the Bridge". Only this song could express her feelings at this moment.

Thinking of this, she raised her slender fingers and gently plucked the strings. As music flowed from her fingers, she parted her red lips and began to sing.

Under the warm sun, the fragrance of spring...

Whose daughter is she?

I walked on that little bridge.

You play a sorrowful zither.

The little girl singing by the bridge

Tears are streaming down your face.

You're saying someone is putting on a brave face.

A person misses their hometown

I said the girl by the bridge

Your fragrance

I keep you in my heart

Engraved in my heart

......"

As she softly sang this modern song, she thought of herself.

She was just like the girl in the song, fighting against these monsters all by herself. She was truly showing off her strength alone and really missed the carefree life she once had in Kangzhuang Village.

But what could she do now that things had come to this? She had no choice.

Her singing voice carried a faint sadness, and Wei Jianning's eyes were filled with tears—tears of heartache.

Everyone held their breath and listened quietly.

They had never heard such beautiful pipa music before, nor had they ever heard a song that could make people feel as if they were there, and that could make them empathize with the singer.

Listening to this song, Mrs. Lin suddenly thought of her daughter who was taken away at birth. At this moment, she was probably just like the girl in the song, isolated and helpless.

Tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily. As her vision blurred with tears, she seemed to see her own daughter walking towards her with a smile, rushing into her arms, calling her "Mom," and pestering her to tell her about her experiences over the years.

This was a scene that had appeared in her dreams countless times, and now, it was happening during the day, giving her the same hallucination.

She knew it was because she missed her daughter so much. Day and night, she longed to see her biological daughter, to see what she looked like, and to know if she was doing well.

She let out a soft sigh of relief, and Lan Zhi's zither music stopped at that moment.

The scene was completely silent. Everyone who had looked down on her just now felt sorry for her and couldn't believe that the beautiful piano music, which seemed to come from the sky, and the melodious voice, could come from the hands of this country woman who was not highly regarded by others.

Sitting next to Madam Lin, Lin Yuwei's face was ashen. She looked at Lan Zhi with a hateful gaze, wishing she could strangle her right now.

She turned to look at Madam Lin and saw tears welling up in her eyes. She immediately whispered a displeased reminder.

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Madam Lin's thoughts returned to reality. She quickly raised her handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eye, forcing a smile.

"Mother was just thinking about something from the past, it's nothing."

"Mother, do you think she plays better, or I play better?"

"They each have their own merits!"

Madam Lin originally wanted to say that Lin Yuwei played better, but Lan Zhi's singing seemed to have taught everyone present a lesson, making everyone look at her in a different light, so she naturally could not give a false evaluation.

Lin Yuwei was very displeased with Mrs. Lin's evaluation, and she retorted:

"Mom, why are you siding with outsiders just like Dad?"

"My mother just felt that her singing voice was sad, and that it would unconsciously remind people of many long-forgotten memories."

"If she can make you cry, she must not play well. Anyway, playing music is my forte, and I must win."

At this moment, the Emperor suddenly spoke.

"This music should only exist in heaven; how often can it be heard on earth? Lan Zhi, you say you are a country girl, you say you can't do anything, how can I believe you?"

Lan Zhi put down the pipa in her hand, curtsied, and said:

"Lan Zhi is indeed a country girl. These little tunes were made up by Lan Zhi when she was chopping firewood on the mountain. I hope Your Majesty and everyone else will forgive her."

"Oh? You made this up out of boredom, and it sounds so melodious and immersive. It seems you are truly an extraordinary woman who has been living among mortals!"

Lan Zhi smiled slightly and bowed slightly in reply:

"Your Majesty is too kind; I am unworthy of such praise."

The Emperor looked at the Empress and Consort Liang and said directly:

"In this round, I vote for Lan Zhi."

The Emperor has already tacitly agreed that Lan Zhi has won this round; who would dare to voice any objections now?

It's clear that Lan Zhi won this round.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuwei's face, which had just been full of confidence, instantly turned icy cold.

She gritted her teeth, crumpled the handkerchief in her hand into a ball, and squeezed it hard. Madam Lin quickly placed her hand on hers and gently pressed it down.

"There's another round, don't rush..."