Chapter 51: Cannot Play the Zither

Yu Chaoyang glanced at the Princess Consort. "Mother?"

"Go if you wish to," the Princess Consort said indifferently.

If she refused to go, then only Yu Yuanzheng would be left to step up.

Was she doing this on purpose?

"Mother, this daughter-in-law fears she might make a fool of herself," Yu Yuanzheng said with a somewhat embarrassed expression after moving over to the adjacent table.

"It is of no consequence. Just recite any poem you have read before," the Princess Consort replied dismissively.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuanzheng felt relieved of any pressure, yet she still dared not recite poetry. She suspected that traversers had already existed in this dynasty; if she recited something, there was a chance of a coincidence. It would be far better for her to play the zither, as the repetition of musical pieces mattered very little.

Statistics showed that a total of twelve tables in the entire grand hall had rice dumplings inscribed with idioms.

Following this, those from each table who were to participate in performances went to register with Chief Eunuch Chen, and the stage arrangements began.

Chief Eunuch Chen was the Empress's head Grand Eunuch.

"We commanded the Empress to arrange numerous performances. Are you all enjoying yourselves?" After partaking in two cups of wine, the Emperor began to converse casually with the assembly.

"We thank Your Majesty. The performances are truly magnificent, and they are all games that we youngsters love to play," blurted out a foolish young man first.

"This boy truly knows no occasion; he loves to leap into the spotlight everywhere," the Princess Consort muttered softly.

"Mother, who is he?" Yu Yuanzheng did not recognize him.

"He is Zhao Jinyu, the eldest young master of Prime Minister Zhao's household. In the past, his relationship with Ziqi was quite good."

Yu Yuanzheng observed Zhao Jinyu once more. He was slightly slender, which made his eyes appear rather large, and his face was somewhat elongated. Half of his hair was bound in a topknot atop his head, giving him a very spirited appearance.

Seated beside him was a young girl, seemingly around fifteen years of age.

Noticing Yu Yuanzheng gazing toward their table, the young girl actually flashed a sweet smile at her.

It seemed they were unacquainted.

"Mother, is the young lady beside Young Master Zhao his sister?"

"Yes. In the past, that young girl often accompanied her brother to the Prince's Estate to play with Ziqi. She is a very lively girl named Zhao Zhirong."

The song and dance performances prepared by the palace were temporarily withdrawn, and the acts from the various tables took the stage.

As the first performance commenced, Yu Yuanzheng was surprised to find that it was none other than County Princess Nanhua.

She performed a ribbon dance. Could it be that she had known of the game prepared by the Empress and had practiced it long in advance?

Yet it was rumored that during ancient court banquets, the young lords and ladies of various prominent families would strive to outshine one another, all to display their talents before the Emperor, the Empress, and the assembled dignitaries.

Such a dance could never be executed well without prior training.

County Princess Nanhua was dressed entirely in scarlet, her skirt fluttering like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens, while the silk ribbons in her hands danced as though endowed with life.

Upon the conclusion of her dance, she won a wave of thunderous applause.

Her flushed face was beaming with a triumphant smile, and Yu Yuanzheng distinctly saw her cast a provocative glance toward Yu Chaoyang.

Only today did Yu Yuanzheng learn that Yu Chaoyang had usurped the position of the Heir Apparent's consort, a role she herself desired most.

Had the Yu family not seized the initiative and secured the match before the position of Heir Apparent was officially conferred upon the Second Young Master, County Princess Nanhua would likely have been wedded to him instead.

As a dignified county princess, her family would certainly never have eagerly sought a marriage alliance with the Prince's Estate before the Heir Apparent's status was settled.

This was becoming quite interesting. County Princess Nanhua's sweet dream had been shattered, and from now on, Yu Chaoyang would have one more enemy.

Next, the various households arranged for their younger generations to take the stage. The most amusing act was when an imperial censor's household had their five-year-old grandson perform a tumbling routine. Like a child wearing colorful garments to amuse his parents, he sent the entire hall into roars of laughter.

Yu Yuanzheng could not help but laugh openly as well.

Consequently, the Dowager Elder Princess glared at her and remarked coldly, "What manner of decorum is this?"

Unwilling to argue with an elderly woman, Yu Yuanzheng chose to pretend she had not heard, though she did restrain herself slightly.

When her turn arrived, Yu Chaoyang played a conventional and unremarkable piece entitled *Spring Day*.

It earned a modest amount of applause, yet it remained ordinary, devoid of any brilliant highlights.

Following her was Yu Yuanzheng.

The Princess Consort had no inkling of what Yu Yuanzheng intended to perform, as she had gone to register with Chief Eunuch Chen entirely on her own accord.

In truth, no one knew what performance any of the others had prepared.

Upon taking the stage, Yu Yuanzheng first paid her respects to the Emperor and the Empress.

"Your Majesty, Your Empress, this subject's wife possesses nothing worthy of display, so I shall merely play a musical piece to heighten everyone's enjoyment of the wine. The piece is called *Moonlight over the Lotus Pond*. Your Majesty the Empress, I wonder if there are any artificial zither nails available? Not knowing that performances would be required before entering the palace, I failed to prepare them."

The Empress promptly instructed attendants to retrieve a set of artificial zither nails for her.

Once they were fastened, she seated herself.

Having abstained from playing for far too long, her hands felt exceedingly stiff.

Yu Yuanzheng first tested the pitch to acclimate herself to the guqin before her. In her past life, she had exclusively used twenty-one-string instruments, yet this era featured only thirteen-string zithers, lacking the ultra-high and ultra-low registers.

Seeing that Yuanzheng had actually chosen to play the zither as well, Yu Chaoyang, seated below, could scarcely believe her eyes.

She had never learned to play the zither at all.

This was the imperial palace, after all; to strum haphazardly and offend the ears of the Emperor and Empress was a punishable offense.

"Mother, Second Younger Sister never learned to play the zither while in her maiden family. Quickly call Second Younger Sister down," Yu Chaoyang urged at that moment, still mindful that Yu Yuanzheng shared her family background and that the Prince's Estate could not afford to lose face.

"Oh? Why did she never learn?" The smiling expression of the Princess Consort instantly chilled by two degrees.

"Mother, Second Younger Sister only favored embroidery and disliked studying the zither, which is why she never learned." Questioned thus, Yu Chaoyang was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Of course Yu Yuanzheng had never learned the zither because the family had never afforded her the opportunity.

The daughter born of a low-ranking concubine who could not appear in polite society—how could she be worthy of learning such an elegant art?

She was only suited to learn embroidery, perfectly fitted to sew the trousseau for Yu Chaoyang.

"Your Highness, quickly call her down, lest she disgrace the honor of our Prince Rong's Estate," the Dowager Elder Princess declared upon hearing this, bypassing the Princess Consort entirely to issue a direct command to the Prince.

The Prince merely glanced at her and continued leisurely partaking of his food, paying her no heed whatsoever.

A chopstickful of braised meat was popped into his mouth, chewed slowly—truly delectable.

"Your Highness, the reputation of the Prince's Estate is about to be utterly ruined by this unpresentable creature," the Dowager Elder Princess raised her voice and repeated, causing the occupants of the two adjacent tables to turn their heads and gaze at her.

"The honor of my Prince Rong's Estate is not sustained by such trivialities. Even if she were to strum completely at random, His Majesty would never take offense," the Prince replied with utmost composure, his countenance cooling by two degrees.

Meanwhile, the Empress seated above noted that Yu Yuanzheng spent quite a considerable while merely testing the pitch.

She realized then that Yu Yuanzheng likely did not know how to play the zither at all.

"Yuanzheng, if you cannot play, there is no need to force yourself," the Empress offered a comforting word.

"Replying to the Empress, this subject's wife is merely unfamiliar with this particular zither. I shall be ready immediately," Yu Yuanzheng refused to relent and continued testing the strings.

The chaotic "zheng-zheng" sounds echoed clearly for all to hear.

Down below, murmurs of snickering had already begun.

Yue Yuying and Cao Jinxuan were both sweating on her behalf; before such a gathering of court officials and noble ladies, losing face here would result in her being mocked at various gatherings for a long time to come.

"Yuanzheng, shall I perform in your stead?" Cao Jinxuan stood up directly and walked forward.

"It is quite alright; it will be finished immediately," Yu Yuanzheng unhurriedly completed testing the pitch of every single string, memorizing the musical temperament each represented.

Seeing her resolve, Cao Jinxuan found it improper to continue standing nearby and withdrew.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Yuanzheng raised her hands and plucked the strings.

*"One-five-one-five-one-two-three, one-five-one-five-one-two-two, one-one-six-five-six, one-one-two-three..."*

A melodious and cheerful zither tune suddenly resonated through the hall, completely devoid of the previous chaotic strumming.

*"Weave a segment of time that flows gently, drifting softly into the moonlight..."*

Immediately following the music, an enchanting vocal melody arose.

The entire hall fell into a profound silence, devoid of even a whisper, leaving only the exquisite notes of the zither and the singing of the young woman echoing in the ears of all present.