Chapter Seventy Melody

  Ye Qinglan didn't think it was strange at first, but Ye Qingning's sudden change of tune made her feel that something was off. It was just a piano piece, so why didn't Ye Qingning want her to hear it?

  Rui Xue gently pushed open the door, lifted the beaded curtain, and Ye Qinglan walked in with a smile.

  Ye Qingning remained focused, her head bowed as she stroked the strings of the guqin. The piece she was playing was quite familiar, it was the one that Zeng's wife had just taught her a few days ago.

  Ye Qinglan quietly moved closer, listened for a moment, and suddenly smiled: "Sixth sister, the tune you played earlier was really nice, why did you suddenly change to another tune?"

  The sound of the zither suddenly became discordant for several notes.

  Ye Qingning stopped her actions as if nothing had happened and said lightly, "I just casually played a tune earlier, didn't think you'd actually hear it."

  With Ye Qinglan's cleverness, she shouldn't have asked further. But somehow, Ye Qinglan, who was always good at understanding people's intentions, smiled and asked again: "What is the name of that piano piece after all? It really sounds good, I've never heard it before!"

  Ye Qingning twitched the corner of her lips: "Of course you haven't heard it, this is a piano piece composed by a woman at the age of 14. In the entire capital city, only a handful of people can play this piece." When mentioning that woman, Ye Qingning's expression was very subtle, seeming to be admiring, yet also envying, with a hint of jealousy mixed in.

  Ye Qinglan's heart skipped a beat as she vaguely guessed who this woman was.

  Who else can make Ye Qing's heart feel such complex emotions, besides Shen Qiuyu?

  Thinking deeper, Ye Qingning had been practicing the piano with all her might, was she also harboring a mind to surpass this talented woman who once shook the capital?

  Ye Qinglan smiled and skillfully changed the subject: "Sixth sister, I've been practicing my finger techniques for several days now. I'm not sure how well I've done though. Why don't I practice in front of you first? Otherwise, when Husband comes later, if he sees that I'm not doing well, he'll definitely scold me!"

  Ye Qingning couldn't help but wish she would change the subject quickly, and upon hearing this, she nodded in delight.

  Ye Qinglan walked over to the piano and sat down, calming her mind, stretching out both hands, left hand pressing the strings, right hand fingers deftly plucking the strings.

  Ye Qingning glanced over casually, and was secretly shocked in her heart. Ye Qinglan had only practiced for a short period of time, yet she had mastered the finger techniques with no mistakes at all. Although it was still far from being proficient, for a beginner, it was already extremely good.

  I didn't expect it. This cousin is so talented.

  "Sister Liu, is my playing okay?" Ye Qinglan smiled and raised her head.

  Ye Qing said faintly: "Zeng Fuzi is strict, you should practice more, or she will scold you." For some reason, what she said was completely different from what she thought in her heart.

  Fortunately, Ye Qinglan didn't mind and smiled, then lowered her head to continue practicing.

  Ye Qingning soon threw that inexplicable emotion in her heart to the back of her mind and focused on plucking the strings with her head down.

  When Zeng's daughter arrived, she saw the scene of two sisters concentrating on practicing piano. As a teacher, seeing students so diligent and hardworking, she was naturally delighted. Therefore, Zeng's daughter, who usually didn't smile or speak carelessly, had a few smiles on her face. When checking the lessons of the two later, her tone was very gentle.

  "Miss Liu, this piece is practiced well, the piano sound is smooth. The fingerwork is fluent, however, it still lacks some emotion. Miss Shi's fingerwork is also practiced well. Today I will teach you a few more, hoping you will practice diligently."

  Ye Qinglan honestly replied.

  Ye Qingning furrowed her brow slightly: "Master, you always say that my zither playing lacks emotion. But I don't understand, isn't a piece of music just a piece of music? How can one infuse emotions into it?" This was the most frequently spoken sentence by Zeng's wife in the past two years, and Ye Qingning felt indignant about it. She practiced her zither more diligently behind closed doors, but still couldn't grasp what she meant by that sentence.

  "Behind every piece of music, there is a moving story. To play beautiful music, it's not enough to just practice hard. You also need to learn to understand the emotions contained in the music. Only then can you play the most beautiful and touching music that moves people's hearts."

  Ye Qingning listened with a confused expression, but nodded her head as if she understood.

  Zeng's daughter was the most aware of her competitive personality, and she knew that she had not yet grasped it, so she spoke even more clearly: "Let me give you an example! In the past, at the Dingguo Gongfu, there was a Miss Shen who was extremely skilled in playing the guqin. People who listened to her play would often be entranced for half a day, unable to snap out of it. To reach such a state, one must not only study diligently and practice hard, but also have extraordinary insight..."

  As soon as he mentioned Miss Shen, Ye Qingning's subtle expression appeared again.

  This time, Ye Qinglan saw it clearly.

  Ye Qingning bit her lip and suddenly interrupted Zeng's wife: "Husband, I understand what you said. From now on, I will work hard, one day, I will play better than her."

  In those two short sentences, there are countless strong and unyielding emotions hidden within.

  Zeng's daughter was interrupted and didn't seem to mind at all, smiling as she said: "Sixth Miss having such ambition is a good thing." The next words were unnecessary, everyone already understood.

  Shen Qiuyu's piano skills were unmatched, and at the age of 14, she could already compose her own piano pieces. One of her compositions became famous in Beijing. Ye Qingning was also good, but still couldn't compare to Shen Qiuyu. To surpass Shen Qiuyu back then, how easy would that be?

  Ye Qingning naturally heard the implication behind Zeng's words, and a strange emotion surged in her chest. She blurted out: "I'm not just joking around. If Shen Qiuyu can do it, I can too."

  Zeng's daughter did not expect that a few casual words would make Ye Qingning so excited, and she smiled quietly before changing the subject.

  Shen Qiuyu, although not the proper crown princess, but rather the crown prince's side consort, was extremely favored by the crown prince. Probably the only one who dared to address her so directly was the arrogant Ye Qingning.

  Ye Qinglan quietly took in Ye Qingning's expression on the side.

  Ye Qingning's feelings were not hard to guess. Shen Qiuyu was the person Gu Xianyu had fallen deeply in love with, and although she was now married to the crown prince, Gu Xianyu had never truly forgotten her, even refusing to get married for her sake. Ye Qingning had always been infatuated with Gu Xianyu, so naturally she couldn't stand Shen Qiuyu at all.

  Ye Qingning was emotionally agitated at this time, and whatever she said might provoke her displeasure, so it's better to keep quiet.

  Ye Qinglan focused on practicing her finger techniques with her head down and didn't say another word. Zeng's wife saw how serious she was about practicing, so she also walked over to guide her.

  Ye Qingning sat alone for a while, and her mood finally calmed down a lot. Next, she also started practicing a new piano piece. This piano piece was extremely difficult, and even Ye Qingning's fluent and skilled fingers couldn't avoid playing several wrong notes.

  Zeng's daughter listened for a while and pointed out a few more things, and Ye Qingning finally didn't make any more mistakes.

  Two hours passed in a flash, and as Zeng's daughter was about to leave, she smiled and said: "I heard that the British embassy is going to hold a flower appreciation banquet, at that time, Sixth Miss will surely astonish everyone with this piano piece."

  This remark was pleasant to hear. Ye Qingning finally had a smile on her face and saw Zeng's wife out.

  Ye Qinglan had been practicing the piano for half a day, and all she felt was her waist aching, back hurting, and fingers numb. She urged Ye Qingning to go with her to take a stroll in the garden. Ye Qingning nodded indifferently.

  The two sisters walked slowly in front, followed by Zhi Xia Rui Xue and a group of maids.

  Ye Qinglan curiously asked, "Sixth sister, which family is the British Gongfu again?" As a modern person, she was actually very unaccustomed to these winding titles. Every time she heard a long string of titles, she would be stunned for a moment before reacting.

  Ye Qingning shot her a displeased glance: "It's our great-grandmother's maiden home."

  Ye Qinglan thought for a moment before reacting. Ye Qingning's great-grandmother was Ye Zheng's original wife, Zhang Shi. This British Gong Fu was naturally Zhang Shi's maiden home. In theory, the relationship with Changyuan Bo Fu should also be very close. However, Zhang Shi died early, and after Jiang Shi married in, the exchanges between the two fu decreased somewhat.

  However, the British Consulate holds a flower appreciation banquet every year and will inevitably invite Ye Qingning and others to attend.

  "Little sister has a bad memory, she deserves to be beaten." Ye Qinglan smiled and self-criticized: "However, can I ask Sixth Sister, what's the story behind this flower appreciation banquet?"

  Ye Qingning heard such a question for the first time, and reluctantly explained to Ye Qinglan, who had not been in the capital for a long time: "The major families in the capital almost hold a flower appreciation banquet every year. They invite ladies and women from the boudoir to attend as guests. They admire flowers, watch plays, compose poems, and drink wine."

  It's like a party held by people in later generations. It can also be said that it is an indispensable social occasion for ancient noble women. For families with daughters waiting to get married, they often take advantage of such opportunities to bring their daughters out and show them off. Who knows, after a flower appreciation banquet, there may be another piece of good news.

  And so, for such a flower appreciation banquet, the ladies of various official residences all attach great importance to it.

  Ye Qingning was naturally strong-willed and loved to show off, so she wouldn't miss such an occasion.

  Ye Qinglan listened with relish, and couldn't help but feel a sense of longing - staying in the mansion every day was suffocating. It's rare to have another chance to go out and visit guests, who knows when the next opportunity will come. Even just going out for some fresh air is good enough.

  "Sixth sister, when is the flower appreciation banquet at the British embassy?" Ye Qinglan deliberately pretended to be cautious and exploratory: "If possible, can you take me along to broaden my horizons?"

  Ye Qingning glanced at Ye Qinglan with a hint of a smile: "Aren't you 'sick' and can't go out casually?"

  Ye Qinglan's face was thick enough to withstand the test, and this little joke didn't faze her. She replied without batting an eye: "Staying in the mansion all day, one can get sick even if they're not ill. Maybe going out for some fresh air will help me recover faster."

  Ye Qingning was teased and had a hint of a smile.

  Ye Qinglan beat the snake with a stick and begged for mercy several times.

  Ye Qingning quite enjoyed this high-and-mighty feeling, so she deliberately hesitated for a moment before nodding graciously: "Alright, the Flower Appreciation Banquet is probably still eight or nine days away. Take advantage of these few days to prepare well, and don't dress too shabbily at that time, lest you lose face for our Chang Yuan Bo Fu."

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