The Double-Chapter 78 - 72 Peerless Beauty_5

78: Chapter 72 Peerless Beauty_5

78 -72 Peerless Beauty_5

For the Xue family, that zither represented a considerable sum, but for another family, it was negligible.

Jiang Li still vividly remembered the day when Xue Zhao burst in from outside, excitedly placing the seven-string zither on the table and proudly declaring to her, “Sister, this zither is for you!”

The zither stayed with her for a very long time afterward.

She had played “Fishing Boat Singing at Dusk” with that zither, as well as “Bright Spring and White Snow,” “Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank,” and “Three Variations on the Plum Blossom Theme.”

A treasured sword befits a hero.

In the beginning, she thought only a good zither was worthy of great music.

But as time went on, her mindset became more open.

After all, where in the world are there so many exquisite zithers?

Good zithers are common, but good zither masters are rare.

What a pity…

It was regrettable that later, when she married into Yanjing with Shen Yurong, Mother Shen said that as a married woman, she should take on the family’s responsibilities and couldn’t indulge in poetry and music as before.

The zither was then locked away in the Shen family’s storeroom, gathering dust, left to lament in the darkness.

They say that after Xue Fangfei’s death, the Shen family burned all of her belongings.

It seemed likely that the seven-string zither, filled with her memories and affection from her father and brother, also perished in that great fire.

Jiang Li lowered her eyes, feeling strangely calm at that moment.

“What’s wrong with her?

Why hasn’t she started yet?” someone asked impatiently, seeing that she hadn’t made a move for quite some time.

“Could Miss Jiang the Second not know how to play the zither, and now she’s just frozen?”

Someone analyzed, “Indeed, it’s possible.

There’s no place to learn the zither in the temple.”

“If she really doesn’t know, just give up.

Why insist on fighting for pride and end up unable to step down?”

“It’s for the sake of saving face, right?

Admitting incompetence would be too embarrassing.” novelbuddy.cσ๓

“Hey hey, standing here doing nothing, isn’t that embarrassing too?”

Amidst the sneers, ridicule, pity, and sympathy filling her ears, Ye Shijie looked at Jiang Li with a hint of urgency in his eyes.

What was going on with Jiang Li?

The last time he saw her, she was sharp-witted and calculating.

How could she be at a loss now?

Where had all her cleverness gone?

Jiang Li remained silent at the verification stage, and both Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yue celebrated inwardly.

If Jiang Li couldn’t do anything on stage, even after achieving top rank in the three levels of examination, it wouldn’t hide the fact that she was a joke.

Ji Shuran spoke worriedly, “What’s wrong with Lili…”

“Could the Second Miss really be incapable?” Jiang Youyao muttered to herself, shaking her head, “How could that be possible?

The Second Miss is the most intelligent one, having been the top scholar in the examinations.

She surely won’t disappoint in zither music.”

Her words only served to fuel the crowd’s doubts about whether Jiang Li truly deserved her top rank.

Meng Hongjin, upon seeing Jiang Li motionless onstage, couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

The gloom of the past few days cleared up, and she almost wished Jiang Li would tumble off the stage to utterly lose face.

Even Xiao Deyin below the stage furrowed his brows, gesturing a servant to come forward and remind her.

If Jiang Li did not act soon, she would be expelled from the stage.

Just as the red-capped servant was about to step forward to give a reminder, unexpectedly, Jiang Li suddenly spoke.

“At the start of spring, the wind flows and the moon shines, new blossoms in the forest flare.

Lovers play under the spring moon, swaying gracefully in trailing robes.”

The song was a folk tune, and Jiang Li’s singing was not in Yanjing Mandarin but seemed to be a dialect from some region, lively in flavor.

“What’s this?” Jiang Youyao asked Ji Shuran.

Ji Shuran shook her head, for she had never heard it before either.

“It sounds like a folk tune from some region,” Lady Lu’s eyes brightened, “Could it be that Little Miss Li learned this while she was at the temple, from people in the mountains?”

That was indeed a possibility.

Jiang Li was unfazed by everything around her.

She still did not strum the zither’s strings, simply sitting before it, singing in a voice unfamiliar to everyone present.

“Green lotuses cover the water’s surface, hibiscus bloom bright red.

The lad wants to pluck me, but my heart yearns for the lotus.”

Her voice was clear and gentle, as pure as an undiscovered stream, serene yet vivacious, flowing along with the snowmelt of spring, carrying sunlight and dew, dawn and dusk.

It was as if a lotus-picking woman in the mountains met her beloved for the first time, their naive affections instantly ignited, swiftly rooting into lush greenery, fragrant with flowers.

“Autumn wind enters through the window, lifting the silk curtains.

Raising my head to gaze at the bright moon, I send my feelings across a thousand miles of light.”

That young girl, wrapped in her lover’s smile, entrusted her full affection to the moonlight.

She was pure and adorable, naturally happy, but love also taught her sorrow.