While a waiter at the Pure Joy Pavilion was greeting guests outside, someone grabbed him and asked with a smile, "Impressive! You managed to invite both Zither Master Feng and Zither Master Wu to come."
The waiter chuckled, "We couldn't invite Zither Master Feng to join us. He was brought by Zither Master Wu. We heard they've been close friends for many years, and since they happened to meet in the capital, they decided to use Pure Joy Pavilion to exchange musical skills..."
He was halfway through his sentence when he hurried to attend to his guest, " Young Master Li... it's been quite a while. I've had someone reserve your seat for you."
The Young Master Li tossed him a tael of silver and then turned and went into the Pure Joy Pavilion.
The shop assistant stuffed the silver into his pocket, chuckled, and returned to the man's side. Keeping an eye on the passersby, he said, "That Zither Master Feng is something else. Our business has improved since he came."
The man looked up and caught a glimpse of Feng Qixian's robe. "I don't think Zither Master Feng is necessarily skilled, but this Zither Master Wu is broad-minded..."
It's rare that he could still be friends with Zither Master Feng, who had always overshadowed him, and even play music and admire the moon together...
The waiter at the Pure Joy Pavilion chuckled, "We've known each other for so many years. If I were jealous of his qin skills, I would have cut off all contact long ago... It's just a pity that Zither Master Feng is an eccentric; he doesn't like to socialize."
He said he went to entertain other guests...
Jin Shanyao only half understood what she was saying. Holding the crispy mountain, she stood between the siblings and said, "That person is wrong. Zither Master Wu doesn't like Zither Master Feng; she even despises her."
Meng Anci in surprise, "Auntie, how did you figure that out?"
"Look at Zither Master Wu's feet... his feet are drawn inwards, while Zither Master Feng's feet are spread outwards..." Jin Shanyao scooped out a piece of crispy mountain and put it in her mouth.
"In the plant kingdom, when two trees grow together and particularly dislike each other, they will quietly move their roots apart to avoid each other's roots... and no difference will be visible on the surface of the two trees."
Looking at the postures of musicians Zither Master Feng and Zither Master Wu, Meng Anzhi thought, "Auntie, you really know a lot."
Jin Shanyao smiled smugly, just about to show off her knowledge again, when she saw Meng Anci staring blankly at the Pure Joy Pavilion.
"Want to go in?"
"No... I think I saw Lord Yan go in?"
" Lord Yan?" Jin Shanyao her head, looking past the gate of the Pure Joy Pavilion into the room.
"He's the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, and I heard he's over sixty years old..." Meng Anci said with a smile, "Let's go... let's go get some meat skewers. I heard from my colleagues that there's a really good meat skewer place on Vermilion Bird Street."
Actually, he didn't see the face clearly, only glimpsed a figure in the distance that resembled Lord Yan, but he didn't think much of it... It wasn't unusual for officials to frequent brothels.
Jin Shanyao took a bite of the crispy dessert and casually asked, "You've been at the Hanlin Academy for over a month now, are you getting used to it?"
Meng Anci nodded, "Yes, all I do every day is copy books."
"Copying books?"
Meng Anci smiled. " Lord Zhen even frowned over this, feeling that Lord Yan had stolen his man. However, the copies Lord Yan had me make were all unique ones, which truly broadened my horizons and I benefited greatly."
Jin Shanyao blinked. "Isn't this just changing locations to continue learning? This official position..."
Not long after they left, the music ended... Just as Feng Qixian was about to get up and leave, Zither Master Wu stopped him, "It's rare for us to get together, why don't you have a couple of drinks with me?"
Just as Feng Qixian was about to refuse, Zither Master Wu added, "There's a young lady at the Pure Joy Pavilion who's skilled in music and plays the pipa beautifully. Why don't you stay and listen to a piece before you leave?"
Feng Qixian was still hesitating when Zither Master Wu pulled him into the hall. He deliberately found a seat in the front row, right in the center, and shouted to the waiter, "Quick, call Miss Yu out... tell her that Zither Master Feng has arrived."
The waiter hurriedly informed the madam, who exclaimed with delight and turned to run towards the boudoir, "Jiaonu... Jiaonu, get ready quickly, the Zither Master Feng is here..."
Bang! The door was pushed open, and the madam grabbed Yu Jiaonu's arm, pulling her towards the dressing table. "Quickly... get ready. Zither Master Feng is here. Play a piece in front of him. If you can get his guidance, your skills will definitely improve significantly."
As she spoke, she began rummaging through the clothes in the closet. Seeing Yu Jiaonu sitting there blankly without moving, she couldn't help but say impatiently, "Put on your makeup! What are you sitting there for? If you dare to cause me any trouble, don't blame me for being impolite."
She pulled out a light blue, sheer, off-the-shoulder dress and handed it to her, saying, "Wear this... you look best in this."
Yu Jiaonu glanced at the clothes, got up and went to the cabinet. As she rummaged through them, she said, "I've heard that Zither Master Feng is an upright person. How can I expect him to instruct me in music when he's dressed so thinly?"
"Oh dear, look at my brain, I'm so happy I've gone mad," the madam said, tossing the clothes aside and helping her look for more. She muttered, "We don't have any clothes in our building that are completely intact, and these are too revealing." The madam looked worried as she picked up the clothes.
In the end, Yu Jiaonu pulled out a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) from the very bottom of the cabinet.
The madam exclaimed in surprise, "When did you get these clothes? I've never seen them before..."
Yu Jiaonu didn't speak. She finished dressing, picked up her zither, and was about to leave when she seemed to remember something, turned back, and took out a handkerchief to cover half of her face.
But as soon as he put it on, the madam snatched it away, saying, "You make a living off your face, what do you mean by covering it up for me?"
Without saying a word, Yu Jiaonu snatched it away, put it on, and slowly walked to the front hall.
The madam cursed at her retreating figure, "You don't know what's good for you..." but her face instantly lit up with a smile as she hurriedly chased after Yu Jiaonu.
Yu Jiaonu stepped onto the stage, pipa in hand. A moment of silence fell over the hall. Someone called out, "Mom... Mom, what's going on? Why isn't Yu Jiaonu wearing her alluring clothes? Why is she wearing this thing that covers her chest and hips...?"
These words provoked dissatisfaction from the audience. The madam stood on the stage with a smile, "Gentlemen, please calm down. My daughter has admired Zither Master Feng since she was a child. It's a rare opportunity for her to showcase her skills in front of him, so she wanted to dress more formally."
Someone in the audience immediately chimed in, "Was that veil to avoid offending Zither Master Feng's eyes? Everyone knows that Yu Jiaonu has a face as beautiful as a flower, capable of keeping a man in bed for three days straight."
Yu Jiaonu sat on the stage, her face burning. The person who could laugh and joke freely in the past seemed restrained and uneasy at this moment. Feng Qixian listened to the crowd's lewd remarks, and his face instantly turned cold.
He stood up and turned to leave. Yu Jiaonu saw this and also stood up, wanting to chase after him, but her feet seemed to be frozen on the stage and she couldn't move an inch.
The Zither Master Wu hurriedly chased after her, saying, "Where are you going...? The performance is about to start, listen to it before you leave."
"You can stay in this filthy place by yourself. I can't stand it for another second," Feng Qixian said, shaking off Zither Master Wu's hand and striding out.
Yu Jiaonu, clutching her zither, stared blankly at Feng Qixian's retreating figure, and without warning, a tear fell from her eye.
Looking at Zither Master Wu again, he was humiliated in front of everyone by Feng Qixian, and anger surged within him. A venomous glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his seat and laughed, " Yu Jiaonu... you play, if he won't listen, I will."
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Jiaonu turned to walk off the stage, an action that was undoubtedly a slap in the face to Zither Master Wu. He rushed to Yu Jiaonu in a few steps and grabbed her arm.
His face turned ashen. "You, a mere prostitute, dare to give me attitude? I think you've gone mad..."
"Oh dear... Zither Master Wu, what are you doing? Why are you arguing with her, a grown man..." the madam said, hooking her arm around Zither Master Wu's and chuckling, " Peony, Tree Peony... come over and have a few drinks with Zither Master Wu."
"Oh... coming, Mom..."
Two beautiful women took Zither Master Wu's arms and gently comforted her. Taking advantage of the situation, the madam pushed Yu Jiaonu back into the room.
As soon as the door closed, the madam slapped Yu Jiaonu across the face, her voice vicious, "What kind of person are you, daring to take your anger out on Zither Master Wu... He's the court's personal musician."
Yu Jiaonu was swollen from the beating, but she silently put the zither away and took off her clothes, folded them, and placed them at the bottom of the wardrobe.