pappabearbooks Chapter 671 Summoning
Chapter 671 Summoning
When the piano piece was halfway played, an ethereal flute sound blended in perfectly. Yan Shu's heart trembled slightly, and his eyes looked towards the tall and graceful figure in red.
Jiang Ci stood in the crowd, the sunlight outside the hall shining on his body, as if coated with a layer of silver light, the gentle sound of the jade flute washed away the worldliness and merged with his banished immortal-like figure.
After the song ended, the hall was silent for a moment.
Everyone was still immersed in the beautiful melody of the piano and flute.
"Clap clap clap!"
Emperor Hongwu was the first to applaud, and then warm applause broke out in the hall.
"The tune is melodious and graceful, and it is indeed a rare and beautiful piece of music. Cui girl, it seems that Concubine Su is right. You were too modest just now. The best talent today must be you."
Yan Shu stood up and bowed to the old emperor: "It is a blessing for me that this song can be heard by your majesty. Just now, it is thanks to Jiang Zhuangyuan's flute sound that this song has been injected with soul.
The old emperor looked at Jiang Ci and said, "The flute performance of Jiang Zhuangyuan has indeed enhanced the artistic conception of the lyrics and music. Jiang Zhuangyuan is a man of many talents, both in literature and martial arts, and also proficient in music. Today, all the famous ladies in the capital are gathered here. Do you see anyone you like? How about I grant you a marriage?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the noble ladies sitting opposite looked at Jiang Ci with hope, hoping that this number one scholar would take a liking to them.
Jiang Ci lowered his eyes slightly and blinked his long eyelashes.
Her phoenix eyes glanced in the direction of Yan Shu, then she turned around and bowed to the old emperor, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I already have someone I love. When I was in a humble position, she took pity on me and helped me study. Three years ago, I promised to marry her, so I am afraid that I will let your Majesty down."
The old emperor stared at him expressionlessly: "My dear Jiang, think carefully. Today, all the people in this hall are the families of officials above the third rank. You can choose any of them, including royal nobles, princesses, and princesses. Do you really want to give up your bright future for a promise you made a few years ago?"
"I have made up my mind. I hope Your Majesty will agree to it."
Jiang Ci's attitude was firm, and the ladies present were really disappointed.
Su Tang couldn't help but praise him out loud at this time.
"The champion is so faithful to his fiancée, so it's obvious that she must be a good girl. Since the champion already has someone he likes, why don't you help him?"
Wen Yutang looked towards Su Tang. He noticed her when Su Tang just walked into the hall. Only today did he know that the girl he had a quick glance at that evening was actually Miss Su San, the granddaughter of Prime Minister Su and the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites.
When I saw her dressed in silk and satin that day, I knew she must be of a noble status, but I did not expect that she came from the mansion of Prime Minister Su, a veteran of three dynasties.
The old emperor chuckled and said, "Tang'er is right. Since Jiang Zhuangyuan already has someone in his heart, I will not break up the couple. I will not grant them a marriage."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Then, the old emperor publicly rewarded Yan Shu with some silks, red hairpins, jadeite and agate, and rewarded Jiang Ci with a thousand taels of silver, a top-quality inkstone, a paperweight and a set of rare scriptures.
The two thanked the emperor for his grace and returned to their respective seats.
At this time, a scholar on the opposite side asked Yan Shu: "Miss Cui, I really like the music you just played. I know a little bit about music, but I have never heard this piece of music before. Does it have a name?"
“This song is called “Ghost””
This piece of music popped up subconsciously in her mind at that time. She had practiced it a lot in her previous life. In fact, her piano skills were not very superb, but she performed well in this piece of music. In addition, Jiang Ci played the flute in time, and the quality of the music instantly improved.
She knew her own worth very well, and the reward she received today was due to Qu Zi and Jiang Ci.
"Ghost? This song has a hint of sadness, like the feeling of a couple in love who can't be together."
Yan Shu praised: "Sir, you have indeed heard the artistic conception of this song. This song tells the story of a female ghost and a scholar who met and fell in love but could not stay together in the end, so it is named "Ghost".
"The name is very fitting. Miss Cui and Jiang Zhuangyuan's zither and flute are a perfect match. I am truly lucky to be able to hear such a beautiful piece of music."
After the scholar sat down, the old emperor and several officials from the Ministry of Rites also praised the piece "Ghost" played by Yan Shu and Jiang Ci. The Ministry of Rites even wanted to compile the lyrics and music into the royal music score.
Seeing the civil and military officials praising Yan Shu endlessly, Su Qingqing's face turned blue with anger. Her hands on her knees tightly grasped her sleeves. She wanted to make Yan Shu, this bitch, embarrass herself in public but she didn't want her to steal the limelight.
With Yan Shu's "Ghost" as a good example, those women who had not yet performed on stage backed off. The most important thing was that the top scholar publicly admitted that he had a girl he liked, and he also refused the emperor's marriage proposal for that girl. This shattered the dreams of many women who came to him.
Madam Su looked at Su Tang beside her and saw that her eyes were occasionally looking at the third place winner opposite her.
"Tang'er, what do you think of that third place winner?"
Su Tang had just eaten a piece of meat. When she heard her grandmother's question, the unchewed meat almost got stuck in her throat. She hurriedly picked up the fruit wine in front of her and took a big sip. Only then did she feel much better.
"Why did Grandma suddenly ask this?"
"Humph, you want to keep your eyes glued to the top scholar, and make his face hot. And you still ask me why I ask that?"
"I..." Is it that obvious?
-
The old emperor felt a little tired halfway through, so he stood up and left the Banquet first. The ministers and their families in the hall were free to walk around in the hall or in the garden outside.
Yan Shu and Su Tang walked hand in hand in the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers. Su Tang looked towards the pavilion not far away. Jiang Ci, Wen Yutang, Liu Yunzhao and Jiang Qiuchi were all sitting in the pavilion chatting about something.
"Sister Ran, I just saw that Tanhua Lang took the initiative to talk to you. Did you know each other before?"
Yan Shu said, "I met Wen Tanhua on the road to escape famine three years ago. At that time, his parents died at the hands of refugees. He and his sister traveled with us on the way to escape famine."
"Is he living such a hard life?" Su Tang felt a little sorry for the man.
"Sister Tang'er seems to be very concerned about him?"
"I...I saw him once before outside the Imperial Examination Hall. I ran too fast and accidentally bumped into him."
Yan Shu smiled and nodded: "Do you like him?"
Su Tang's pretty face suddenly turned red: "I...I'm just a little curious about him."
"Since Wen Yutang has passed the imperial examination and won the third place, he will definitely stay in Beijing to take up a post. You will have many opportunities to meet each other in the future and you can get to know each other slowly. However, I saw that many noble ladies took a liking to him today."
"Whose noble ladies are they?"
Seeing Su Tang so nervous, Yan Shu smiled and said, "If you are interested in him, I can help you find out what he means, otherwise someone else will get there first."
Su Tang twisted the handkerchief in her hands, hesitated for a while before nodding shyly.
"Then there's Sister Lao Ran."
At this time, a eunuch hurried towards the two of them.
"Miss Cui, His Majesty asks you to come over."
Yan Shu looked at the eunuch in front of him and recognized him as the servant of the old emperor.
"May I ask, sir, why did His Majesty summon me?"
"Your Majesty just drank two glasses of wine, and after returning home, he had a headache."
Yan Shu stared at the young eunuch's eyes for a while.
"Wait a moment, father-in-law. I'll go say hello to my grandfather."
The young eunuch hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty's health is the most important thing. Miss Cui should go with me as soon as possible. I can arrange for someone to notify Mr. Cui later."
Yan Shu always had a strange feeling in her heart, she turned and looked at Su Tang beside her.
"Sister Tang'er, this handkerchief I just picked up seems to belong to Jiang Zhuangyuan. Please help me return it to him."
Su Tang took the handkerchief that Yan Shu stuffed into her hand, feeling curious. She had just left the Qionglin Palace with Sister Cui, but she had not seen Sister Cui pick up the handkerchief along the way.
Although she was confused, she immediately nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I'll return the handkerchief to Jiang Zhuangyuan right away."
Only then did Yan Shu feel at ease to follow the eunuch away. She was not sure if there was anything wrong with this eunuch, but her intuition told her not to trust his words easily. If she gave her handkerchief to Jiang Ci, he would definitely understand her intentions.
Here
After Su Tang watched Yan Shu leave, he immediately ran towards the pavilion.
"Jiang Zhuangyuan!"
Jiang Ci raised his eyes and glanced at Su Tang coldly. He then softened a little when he recognized that she was the granddaughter of Prime Minister Su and was good friends with Yan Shu.
"Miss Su, do you have something to ask Jiang?"
In front of the stone table, Wen Yutang, Liu Yunzhao and Jiang Qiuchi all looked at Su Tang.
"Aren't you the girl I met in the Imperial Examination Hall that day?" Liu Yunzhao spoke first.
Su Tang glanced at Wen Yutang, then nodded to Liu Yunzhao: "It's me, Jiang Zhuangyuan. This is the handkerchief that Sister Cui found. Do you think it's yours?"
Jiang Ci frowned slightly and reached out to take the handkerchief. A familiar fragrance wafted into his nose. This was the little fox's handkerchief.
"What about her?"
"Just now, the eunuch beside His Majesty came to summon him, saying that His Majesty had a headache and asked Sister Cui to come over to see the doctor."
Jiang Ci fell into deep thought. The little fox deliberately handed his handkerchief to him before leaving, which meant he must have been worried about something.
Taihua Palace
Yan Shu looked at the palace in front of her. Whenever the old emperor summoned her, it was always in the Taiji Palace. Why was it changed to the Taihua Palace today?
"Miss Cui, His Majesty is inside, please come in."
"Shouldn't your majesty be in the Taiji Palace?"
The eunuch explained, "This place is relatively close to the Qionglin Palace. Your Majesty would occasionally come here to rest on weekdays. He came here on his way today."
Yan Shu still had some doubts in his heart, and at this moment the old emperor's voice came from inside.
"Is it Miss Cui who is here?"
After confirming that it was indeed the old emperor in the hall, Yan Shu raised his hand and pushed open the door.