By the time Xu Shi arrived, Shunzhi and the others had returned to the inn. They gathered in the room and excitedly recounted what they had seen and heard that day. They also laid out some local specialties on the table. As soon as the Xuan Shuang entered the room, he repeatedly waved a short knife in his hand and boasted, "Er Niang, look, this is made from the top quality Zangao's fangs. It's incomparably sharp, even a strand of hair can be easily cut." The generals were all eager to praise the Xuan Shuang, "The Lord Baylor has good eyesight!" "Only the Lord Baylor is worthy of using such a treasured knife!"
Cheng Jiaxuan had been like a corpse for the whole day, his waist and back were already aching. He also thought about how he would not be able to explain himself to his foster father, so he was at his wit's end. The Xuan Shuang thought she was still angry with him, so he hurriedly coaxed her. He took out a box and handed it to her, saying, "Xiao Xuan, look at what I brought back for you. I picked this out very carefully. I thought it suited your temperament very well, so I bought it. Try it, I'm sure it will suit you. "
Cheng Jiaxuan listlessly opened the box and saw a silver-white bracelet in the box. The top was inlaid with glass beads, which looked very much like precious stones. On both sides of the bracelet hung several small bells, which jingled when gently shaken.
This was not the first time Cheng Jiaxuan had received a gift from the Xuan Shuang. In the past, whenever he spoke kindly to her, she knew he must have something to ask of her. She calmly replied, "Thank you very much, Lord Baylor."
The Xuan Shuang let out a hollow laugh. Seeing her attitude was not as happy as he had expected, he felt quite bored. After thinking about it, he realized that everything was fine this morning, and he really had not offended her. Her anger might not have been directed at him, but he rushed to admit his mistake first, using his warm face to be snubbed. He really looked like a fool. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was unfair. On top of that, he was embarrassed in front of everyone, so he said, "You haven't finished listening to me. I was thinking that since you are a fool, if in the future you get lost in the palace, with these bells, I won't lose you. What do you think? I have great foresight, right? "
Cheng Jiaxuan already had a bellyful of anger, as soon as he was hit by Wei Xiaobao's move, he immediately exploded. "Good," he called out, "You are deliberately making fun of me. Just wait for me!" The Xuan Shuang giggled and jumped around the room, dodging behind the crowd. He made a few faces at Cheng Jiaxuan and finally jumped out of the open window. Cheng Jiaxuan was so angry that he jumped out after him. Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw how naive and lively these two children were.
Shen Shiyun was dissatisfied with Xuan Shuang's nonsense. He wanted to scold him, but Shunzhi persuaded him with a smile, "Forget it, it's rare for him to go out and play, let him enjoy himself to the fullest! Although Xuan Shuang was young, he knew what he was doing. If he really likes Xiao Xuan, then in the future, we will make the decision and arrange a marriage between them. Xiao Xuan is Imperial Uncle's adopted daughter. If she wants to be Xuan Shuang's concubine, she should be worthy. " Shen Shiyun said, "Chenqie doesn't care about Xiao Xuan's identity. We watched these two children grow up. Of course it's good that they can be married … What I'm worried about is that Xuan Shuang doesn't have the ability to do great things. He only thinks about playing …"
Shunzhi laughed and said, "It's not a good thing for a child to be too scheming. He will slowly mature. Alright, the children and grandchildren will have their own fortune. Don't worry about the younger generation. Let's talk about something happy. Could it be that you are jealous because Xuan Shuang only gave Xiao Xuan a bracelet and neglected you, his mother? "Shen Shiyun laughed angrily and said," How could that be? I'm not that narrow-minded! "
Shunzhi laughed and said, "That's good. In fact, we have also prepared a gift for you. Bring it up! "While saying that, he waved his hand behind him. Junwang Jian Ji Du held a long package wrapped in white cloth and walked forward. He presented it with both hands and said with a smile, "Noble Consort Yun niangniang, His Majesty specially bought this for you. He said that you will definitely be happy when you see it."
Shen Shiyun took it half believing and half doubting. Shunzhi suddenly said, "Wait a minute, Yun 'er, guess what's inside?" Shen Shiyun pretended to think hard and said, "Could it be some rare game you hunted? That doesn't look like it. This area is still a town, not a barren mountain with no wild animals … Besides, the shape won't be so regular … "
Shunzhi laughed and said, "You really know how to guess. This reminds us of a scene: in the middle of the night, a bonfire was lit in the forest clearing. Mongolian warriors sat in a circle, each of them took out their spoils of war and roasted a pig leg to show off their bravery in front of their sweetheart. Why do you want to imitate them?" Shen Shiyun sighed and said, "Then I can't guess." Shunzhi smiled and said, "Let me remind you. Do you still remember the scene when we first met?"
Shen Shiyun said, "How can I not remember? It's really fate to know His Majesty. That night, you went to the Regent's Mansion to discuss matters. It was also my first time living here. In the middle of the night, my heart was filled with mixed feelings. I couldn't sleep well, so I got up and went to the pavilion in the courtyard to play the zither … "Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She was surprised and happy. She said," Could it be … could it be … "And then she asked," Can it be opened? " Shunzhi laughed and said, "This was originally for you. If you can't open it, do you want to stare at these strips of cloth for a lifetime?"
Shen Shiyun said angrily, "You also learned to make fun of people! I really don't know who led you astray. " She slowly opened the cloth strips and saw that there was indeed an exquisite zither inside. It was three chi six cun six fen, eight cun wide at the front, four cun wide at the back, and two cun thick. The material was like high-quality mutton fat jade. There was a faint celadon green color in the pure white. It was delicate to the touch and had a moist luster.
The appearance was neither jade nor bamboo. The surface was slightly cool. The strings were soft and thin like spider's silk. The lower right side was engraved with decorative pattern. Looking at the arrangement, it seemed to be some characters, but it was strange and difficult to distinguish. She could only be sure that it was not Manchu or Han characters. Seeing this zither, she really had a feeling of 'familiarity at first sight'. She liked it so much that she held it with both hands.
Shunzhi explained from the side, "Zhen took you to the Palace, but because I was busy with state affairs, I could not accompany you often, so you were tired and bored all day long. You are considerate and have never complained about anything. Zhen always felt sorry and always wanted to find a way to make it up to you. Although the zither set in the Palace is also exquisitely crafted, none of them are ordinary objects. They lack spiritual charm, so they are a disgrace to your immortal temperament. When I saw this zither, I suddenly felt that my heart was connected, as if it was specially made for you. Now that I see you are so fond of it that you are unwilling to part with it, I think this gift was not sent to the wrong person? "
Shen Shiyun smiled and said, "Chenqie also feels very congenial. Rare treasures can only be encountered by chance, but not sought. I wonder where Your Majesty found it? "
Shunzhi said, "Speaking of which, it's also a coincidence. Today Zhen was strolling on the street with everybody, and saw a crowd of people gathering around. They were commenting on each other, thinking that perhaps there would be a good show to watch. It was only when I approached that I realized two people were playing the zither to sell their art. Zhen did not study musical instruments very well, so I only listened for a short while. I felt that the zither was of the highest quality, but the players were stupid oxen and wooden horses, totally out of tune. In Han people's words, it's really called casting pearls before swine. Halfway through, the younger one knocked the bamboo tube on the side, saying that they were two brothers. There was a famine in their village, now their parents are dead, they are stranded in a foreign land, penniless. Here they are boldly presenting their skill, hoping that the villagers would be generous enough to support them on their return journey. "
Shen Shiyun laughed and said, "It's all Jianghu swindling tricks, not enough to earn your trust. It's also called fooling around. The bamboo tube and the jade zither have completely different musical styles, how could they mix them? "
"It's like this," Shunzhi said, "Zhen also did not understand, we are not as good as you. With great difficulty we finally finished listening to the song. The younger brother walked back and forth with a broken bowl in his hand, asking for a reward. The bowl was mostly filled with one-wen copper coins. Zhen already had a plan, so as soon as I started, I rewarded them with several ingots of silver. Most likely those two were used to being ignored, they had never seen such a generous audience. They were so grateful that they almost knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude. They were not happy for long, but Zhen directly made it clear that the money was mainly used to buy the zither, the extra money was to be used as a reward.
The older brother's countenance immediately turned cold, he awkwardly wanted to return the money, but the younger brother had never seen such a large amount of money in his life, he was reluctant to part with it. He did not think about it, how could a pie fall from the sky that satisfies both sides, especially when it just so happened to fall on his head? Not too long afterwards he started shouting again, saying that the zither was their family's livelihood, how could they easily give it away? Zhen thought that using the jade zither and jade as a trick to support their family was really a reckless waste of natural resources. This zither must not fall into the hands of those two people. I told them that whatever price they wanted, Zhen would be able to afford it.
The older brother said that this zither was passed down from their ancestors, it was a priceless treasure, no matter how much money they had, they would not betray their ancestors. It was really called 'disaster comes from the mouth'. Hearing those two people talking nonsense, the onlookers did not buy it, unexpectedly they competed with each other, they proposed to invite the treasured pavilion's shopkeeper to take a look, to see if this zither was really that valuable, and not to bully them because they did not understand the zither. Both sides were in a deadlock, several hot-tempered people stepped forward to pull them apart, there were also some youngsters on the side who raised the price, and then … "
Suddenly he stopped talking, while in his heart he said, "The situation was chaotic, later on the Xuan Shuang stepped forward, I don't know what he said, but he also poked the younger brother's body twice, and then he went limp and fell down. Seeing the trouble was about to happen, the older brother abandoned the zither and dragged his younger brother to flee for his life. The onlookers also dispersed in a hubbub, only then did we seize the opportunity to carry the zither away. This method of obtaining the zither is really not honorable, it looks like it was snatched by force, there is no sincerity in giving it as a gift, Yun 'er will definitely not like it. "
Changing the subject, he said, "Zhen was used to listening to the performance of palace musicians, so I did not think anything of it. Today, after listening to that low-class song, I realized that there is such a significant difference in zither skill."
An Junwang Yue Le said with a laugh, "Your Majesty is absolutely right, zither, chess, calligraphy and painting are not separated from each other. In the end, in the eyes of those who understand the art, the superior and the inferior can be judged immediately. Thinking back to when Concubine Ying painted a portrait for the Empress Dowager, Niangniang was so angry that she left the banquet on the spot. We did not dare to say anything, but in our hearts we looked down on that painting. Compared to Noble Consort Yun's painting later on, it was like the difference between heaven and earth, they could not be mentioned in the same breath! "
Ji Du laughed and said, "Noble Consort Yun, Niangniang is multi-talented, it's just that her status is limited, she cannot be a painter and a musician at the same time; otherwise, she would definitely sit in the chief position." Shunzhi said, "Painting and playing music are both skills. If forced to make a living, it will be coarse and stiff, without any sense of beauty, it would be better to play it in one's free time. "" Your Majesty is right, "everybody said.
"That's right," Shunzhi said, "I say, Yun 'er, it's been a long time since zhen heard you play the zither, I really miss it. Why don't you play it right here and now? First, you can practice, second, you can let everybody's ears have a feast. What do you think? " Shen Shiyun laughed and said, "Chenqie admits that her zither skill is clumsy, I am indebted to Your Majesty's appreciation, I do not dare to accept …" E Shuo laughed and said, "Noble Consort Yun's zither skill is unparalleled, her music is like a lingering sound that lingers in the air for three days, even one song toppled His Majesty. If we are ordinary people, to be able to listen to Niangniang's elegant performance, we will have no regrets in this life. "
Hearing his exaggerated words, Shen Shiyun thought that he was used to flattering people. With a slight disdain in her voice, she laughed lightly and said, "It's rare for everybody to praise me, I will accept deferentially rather than respectfully. But I am afraid to disturb the people in the middle of the night, traveling outside, everything must be simple. I think there is no need to sing, just play some small tunes to liven things up. " Finished speaking, she gently plucked the zither strings, several clear and melodious notes floated out. Everybody felt as if they were experiencing a fantasy, their weariness disappeared completely.
Shen Shiyun was also secretly amazed. Before the zither strings were touched, she already felt that they were unusually flexible. When she played the zither, it was as if she was stirring up ripples in a pool of spring water, just like taking a bath, moistening her whole body and making her feel comfortable. It was not like the tight zither strings of the past, which would often cause the fingers to feel dull pain and leave deep marks. Although these strings were soft, they did not affect the sound of the music in the slightest. At the same time, there was a feeling of unity between the human and the zither, as if the performer's thoughts were released according to the melody, while the other people's thoughts could also be seen at a glance. This kind of marvelous feeling could only be experienced by the performer.
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