I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

Princess Changzhou opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again. She waved her hand slightly, and a servant took a golden and red palace peony flower and handed it to the first young lady sitting on the left.

The young lady had a round face and when she smiled, her two dimples were deep, making her look very festive.

The drums started beating and the peony flowers were passed from table to table until they reached Tong Lianniang's hands, and then the drums stopped beating.

Tong Lianniang stood up and walked to the center of the hall. She saluted to Princess Changzhou and Yu He at the top of the table, and then bowed slightly to Master Mo and Luo Qianhuai before she opened her red lips:

"My daughter has learned from the master of zither, Madam Zeng. Today I will present a piece of music here for you to enjoy, Princess, Prince, Marquis Xiang and Madam."

"Madam Zeng?" Princess Changzhou was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "Many years ago, I had the honor of hearing her play a piece, and I still can't forget it. But she has very high standards for choosing disciples, and ordinary people are not worthy of her attention. I didn't expect that you would have such a fate."

She put away her previous nonchalant demeanor, sat more upright, and her eyes showed a hint of anticipation.

The maids had already brought a seven-stringed guqin. After Tong Lianniang sat down, she tested the strings briefly, hesitated for a moment, and then began to play.

Her ten fingers were slender and smooth, with nails that were neither long nor short, trimmed just right, and dyed a light, translucent aqua red. As they flew up and down, it was very pleasing to the eye.

As for the sound of the piano, that was a matter of opinion. The Princess of Changzhou was obviously her soulmate, with admiration in her eyes and her fingers tapping gently on the table.

Although Yu He didn't express it as obviously as she did, he also had a relaxed smile on his face and was obviously quite satisfied.

The other young ladies behaved differently, some kept smiling and nodded slightly from time to time, while others bit their lips angrily with unwillingness in their eyes.

Luo Qianhuai was an out-and-out vulgar person. In her previous life, she had seized every opportunity to study hard since she was a child, and had not been nurtured in the cultivation of elegant art. After work, she only occasionally listened to pop music, so how could she understand the seven-stringed guqin?

When the song ended and many people were still savoring the experience, Tong Lianniang stood up and bowed to the two people at the top again. Then she turned around and bowed slightly to Luo Qianhuai and said:

"How do you like my daughter's song? Madam Hou, please feel free to give me some advice."

She said this, but there was a hint of provocation at the corners of her lips, as if she was certain that the uneducated Madam Jing would not be able to understand her music.

Young Master Mo raised his eyebrows slightly and was about to say something, but his hand was gently held down by Luo Qianhuai.

She had just been lulled to sleep by the tinkling music of the piano, and now she couldn't help but yawning loudly, saying insincerely, "Well, this lady really plays the piano well."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ladies present showed an expression of "as expected".

It seems that this marquis' wife is really as uncultured as the rumors say. She doesn't know anything about the zither. She can only say some nice things but can't explain the mystery at all.

Tong Lianniang curled her lips secretly, put on a respectful attitude and continued: "Please tell me more details, Madam. I also want to know if there are any shortcomings in my piano skills, so that I can make further progress."

Luo Qianhuai smiled slightly: "Since my lady is sincerely seeking advice, then this lady will not hide anything. I will tell you everything I know and guarantee that you will be satisfied."

How dare you say such arrogant things? Tong Lianniang lowered her head and rolled her eyes, saying, "I'd like to hear more about it."

"The technique of your song 'Frogs Croaking in a Summer Night' is quite good. You are worthy of the guidance of a wise master." Luo Qianhuai said nonsense.

The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone present had a slightly dazed look on their faces.

Tong Lianniang's pretty face flushed red, and she was ashamed and angry at the same time: "Madam Hou, my song is called Moon over the Spring River, not Frogs Singing in the Summer Night..."

"Ah?" Luo Qianhuai's eyes widened and his face was full of disbelief: "You played Spring River Moon? How come I didn't hear it at all?"

Seeing Tong Lianniang's lips moving as if she wanted to explain something for him, Luo Qianhuai continued:

"It is said that the most important thing about qin music is the artistic conception. If there is no artistic conception, no matter how high the skills are, it is inevitable that it will become a musician's work and cannot be accepted by the audience..."

"Of course, young lady, please don't take it personally. I am referring to you in general, not just you..."

"Then please tell me in detail, Madam. What is the problem with my poem Moon over the Spring River that is so unacceptable to you? If you can really tell me the problem, I will be willing to serve you as a teacher. If not, then what you just said is not only directed at me, but also slanders my teacher Madam Zeng, and is a provocation to my Tong family. Please apologize to me!"

The ladies at the table nodded when they heard this. Even those who had been jealous and hateful of Tong Lianniang before, now felt that they shared the same hatred for her: they would also be performing their talents in a while, and if they allowed such a rustic and vulgar person to show off his talent and ridicule their performance as "frog croaking in the summer night" and spread the news, how would they live?

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat tense due to Tong Lianniang's aggressive attitude. Princess Changzhou was quite dissatisfied. She looked down on Master Mo, not to mention his wife of humble origin. After hearing her comment on the disciple of Zeng Niangzi, a master of zither art whom she admired very much, her brows had already furrowed.

She didn't look at Luo Qianhuai, but talked about her son:

"He'er, this is your fault." She said calmly, "Fingers are different in length, and so are people. Madam Xianghou is good at minor medical skills, so she is naturally not familiar with Yu Zhengyin and elegant music. I'm afraid it's a bit unreasonable for you to ask her to be the commentator today."

Yu He had already caught a glimpse of the smile on Luo Qianhuai's lips. Seeing that she was calm and composed, and was not moved at all by Tong Lianniang and her mother's attitudes, he knew that she must have a plan in mind.

"Mother." He smiled and said, "It is said that you should trust people when you employ them, and don't employ people if you don't trust them. Since I have already invited Madam Jing, there must be a reason for inviting her. Mother, you just need to wait and see."

After comforting the Princess of Changzhou, he looked at Tong Lianniang and the others below and said sternly, "You all come from famous families in Xijing, and your family background is noble. You have hired famous teachers to teach you etiquette since you were young. You should know the principles of modesty and prudence. Since you are sincerely seeking advice from others, you should at least listen to what they say patiently. As for those who speak with ulterior motives, openly praise but secretly insult others, it is not the behavior of a lady, and this prince despises it very much."