Shut my mouth and give me another kiss.
The old man began to strip off his clothes, saying as he did so, "Also, Xiaozhu said you go to the zither shop less often. Anyway, I'm absolutely not letting you buy any more zithers. Have you even counted how many zithers you have? They're all different-looking. It takes a whole room to store them all, and we have to make stands for them. How many times do you even touch each one? Do you think about how much money is wasted here? Think about the amount of money, touch your heart and ask yourself if it hurts..."
"It doesn't hurt. I'm so happy to have bought the instrument."
"It's my heart, not yours!"
"Oh." Then it probably will definitely hurt, it will hurt a lot.
Because the tone of Master Long's voice when he said those words was truly one of deep sorrow and indignation. Ju Mu'er had heard a similar tone before when an old farmer recounted how a local bully had robbed him of all his possessions.
The heartbroken Master Long continued, "Since you're absolutely not going to buy a zither again, you should go to the zither shop less often. If you give up that thought, you won't feel so bad."
If I weren't feeling bad, I wouldn't play the piano with such grief and indignation.
As Long Er spoke, he cursed inwardly, "It's all that brat Xiao Zhu's fault!" What word did he use? Grief and indignation.
They make their Mu'er sound so pitiful. All they're doing is not letting him buy a zither. What's there to be so upset about? This kind of money is unnecessary and a waste of resources. It would be truly upsetting if they bought it.
"Husband, is it alright to strip my clothes like this?"
Let's not talk about money; it hurts feelings. Let's just be tender. Madam Long Er tried to distract her husband.
Long Er was taken aback. He had been giving a stern lecture, and now he was talking about stripping off clothes? Well, he had indeed stripped off all his clothes. But before he could speak, Ju Mu'er said again, "Husband, shouldn't you take off your pants now?"
Long Er was stunned for a moment, then got annoyed and thought, "Fine, I'll take it off!"
Strip naked and go into battle, resist the grime.
While battling Long Er, she was still preoccupied with the fact that he seemed to have something else to say. He had clearly prepared several things to scold her about. The master worked hard during the day, and his stern face was exhausting; he only found some amusement in scolding his wife at night. How could he have forgotten what he was supposed to say?
Tonight, Long Ju was incredibly passionate, her embrace as entwined as a vine, her touch as sweet as honey. Long Er was somewhat dizzy from this fiery passion, momentarily forgetting what to say. In the end, their lovemaking was intense and beautiful, leaving him only one thought: Even if you use a seductive trap, I won't give in!
In the end, the old man didn't say those harsh words, because it felt so good to hold his beloved Long Jushi and sleep together, neck to neck, when he was tired. His Long Jushi's rosy cheeks and sleepy yawning were so adorable, and her long eyelashes looked so beautiful when she was asleep.
He thought he'd scold her tomorrow!
An unexpected incident occurred at the 67th Qin Battle Banquet.
For several days in a row, apart from teaching Bao'er to play the zither, Ju Mu'er spent the rest of her time playing the zither in her room.
Every day when Long Er asked, Xiao Zhu would answer cautiously, "Play the piano." "Play the piano." "Still play the piano."
This overly succinct answer infuriated Long Er, who slammed his fist on the table: "There are different ways to play the piano! Is she happy or unhappy? Is she frowning or listless? Besides playing the piano, has she done anything else? How did she teach Bao'er to play the piano today? Is she tired? How was her meal? Did she have an appetite? What fruits and vegetables did she eat today? How was her afternoon nap? Did she complain of boredom? Did she ask about me?"
A barrage of questions left Xiaozhu speechless. She couldn't even think of the right words to answer them concisely; just writing down all the questions made her dizzy.
Her mouth gaped open, her mind completely blank, unsure how to answer. Finally, she knelt down with a thud: "Second Master, Second Master, please don't send me away. I take good care of Madam every day, with unwavering loyalty. If Madam falls, I'll definitely cushion her fall; if Madam is bored, I'll cheer her up. I'm always attentive to her needs, making sure she's not thirsty, hungry, hot, or cold. Second Master, please have mercy, don't send me away, let me stay by Madam's side."
Long Er's face darkened. When did he say he was going to kick her out? Besides, this kind of trick of changing the subject and playing the victim when she couldn't answer a question was something only his Mu'er could use! These servants were becoming more and more outrageous.
Seeing that Long Er's expression was unpleasant and he remained silent, Xiao Zhu assumed that he truly disliked her for not being able to answer questions and was not clever enough, and that he really wanted to replace her. She quickly kowtowed and begged him, saying that she would definitely not talk too much in the future and that she would think things through carefully before answering questions, and so on.
Li Ke came to find Long Er to report something. Seeing the situation and understanding a bit from what he overheard, he quickly came over and whispered to Long Er, "Second Master, Madam just ran into me and asked why you haven't returned yet?"
Long Er stroked his chin. He had just returned home when a servant informed him of an urgent matter at the library. He hadn't gone back to his courtyard and had come directly to the library. After dealing with the matter, he had summoned Xiao Zhu for questioning, which had taken up a lot of his time. Had he gone home and not seen Mu'er, making her anxious?
Long Er decided to go back to the courtyard to see his wife first, and put everything else aside for now.
As soon as Long Er left, Xiao Zhu's legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground. Li Ke went over to help her up: "You used to be fine, why do you always seem to be making Master Er angry lately?"
"In the past, Second Master never found fault with anything I said, but lately, everything I say seems wrong. If I answer in detail, he says I'm long-winded; if I answer simply, he brings up a whole bunch of questions. It's the same with everyone else; we get scolded every few days. I don't know what's wrong with us." Xiao Zhu wanted to wipe away her tears. Second Master used to be so difficult to serve.
Li Ke inquired about the reason, then stroked his chin and said, "Second Master must not like you speaking like Madam."
"But we didn't follow the example of the lady."
“It’s not that you learned it, it’s just that you’ve spent a lot of time with her. Madam speaks eloquently and humorously, and you’ve all been influenced by her. Second Master cares about Madam, so he naturally doesn’t like anyone else like her. It’s not that he thinks you’re being long-winded.”
Xiao Zhu listened and thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be true. Last time, Xiao Ping told a series of funny stories that the madam had said, and the second master happened to pass by and overheard them. He glared at Xiao Ping for a long time.
Xiaozhu suddenly understood, as if struck by a thunderbolt. She quickly thanked Li Ke and ran back to report to her sisters.
After that, the maids became more careful in their speech in front of the Second Master, and no longer angered him. Xiao Zhu was grateful to Li Ke and gave him a basket of fresh peaches. She also happened to see some tattered clothes that Li Ke had thrown aside, so she took them back and mended them. This incident was witnessed by Su Qing, who had come to practice martial arts.
A few days later, Xiaozhu returned the mended clothes, and Su Qing happened to be there too. Su Qing smiled, her eyes crinkling, which made Li Ke feel uneasy. A few days later, Li Ke was surprised to find that his clothes hanging outside were frequently torn, and soon he had very few good clothes left. He became suspicious and, one day, lay in wait to spy on him. He finally discovered that Su Qing, after finishing her martial arts practice, would stroll to the clothesline and stab his clothes.
Li Ke was fuming, but Su Qing, caught red-handed, glared at him fiercely. "I'm just trying to help you! Your clothes are torn, so you can go find that little bamboo girl to mend them for you! Don't worry, Master, after these are mended, I'll fix the others for you."
And you broke something else too?!
Li Ke's head was not only emitting smoke, but also blue smoke.
The master and disciple parted on bad terms, and Su Qing didn't come to practice martial arts for several days. Li Ke didn't know what he had done to upset this fierce girl, but after thinking about it, he was really worried, so he went to ask Ju Mu'er for advice.
Ju Mu'er burst into laughter after hearing what had happened, and her laughter made Long Er, who had just entered the courtyard, stare at the back of Li Ke's head.
Ju Mu'er asked Li Ke, "Do you want Xiao Zhu to mend your clothes?"
Li Ke scratched his head: "No need to trouble yourself, there are people in the manor who do these things. Miss Xiaozhu just helped me out last time, why is Madam making fun of this?"
Are you sure you don't want Xiaozhu to mend your clothes?
"I don't want to," Li Ke answered decisively, frowning as he didn't understand his wife's meaning.
He frowned, and Long Er glared at him again. Daring to frown at his Mu'er? Did he want a beating? Li Ke, quick-witted as ever, immediately rubbed his temples and face. He was so innocent; he was a loyal and upright guard!
The master and servant were exchanging glances when Ju Mu'er suddenly uttered a sentence that sent a chill down Li Ke's spine.
"If you don't want Xiaozhu to mend your clothes, then let Qing'er mend them."
Li Ke was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Long Er, who raised his eyebrows, equally puzzled.
"Can't we just not make up for it?" Li Ke's face was bitter, but unfortunately Madam Long Er couldn't see it.
Madam Long kindly told him, "If you have Qing'er mend this for you, your clothes won't get damaged again."
Is that so? Li Ke left with a skeptical look. Long Er, however, suddenly realized: "Mu'er, you're biased towards Qing'er."
"How could that be?" Ju Mu'er shook her head and smiled. "Xiao Zhu doesn't usually mention Guard Li. She says there are more young shopkeepers at the tailor shop at the street corner, but Qing'er always talks about her master whenever she comes. I just asked Guard Li, and if he has feelings for Xiao Zhu, things will be difficult. But he obviously doesn't. So I'll teach him a way to keep Qing'er from getting angry and causing trouble. What happens to them in the future is up to them."
"Hmph." Second Master Long was very dissatisfied. He plopped down next to Ju Mu'er and complained, "Why haven't you ever gone to such lengths for me? Look at Qing'er, she's so young, and she already knows how to ruin her clothes to attract attention."
"Me too, I have one too." Ju Mu'er blushed.
"What do you mean? All those tricks of yours are just to annoy me, not to genuinely care for me!"
Ju Mu'er blinked. Why was tearing clothes considered a sign of genuine kindness, while hers was seen as deliberately trying to annoy people? She was the one who was genuinely and sincerely trying to please the master.
Ju Mu'er pulled Long Er's hand: "How about Second Master finds out a torn piece of clothing and I'll mend it for you?"
"Forget it." The fact that she was still mending clothes despite being blind was obviously meant to tease him. But Long Er couldn't help but smile. He poked her fingertip with his own: "You still dare to use needles and scissors? You're asking for trouble. If you can't see, behave yourself. Look, if it weren't for me taking care of you, how would you survive?"
Ju Mu'er smiled and held Long Er's hand tightly in return: "If I didn't have my husband, I would be extremely sad."
Long Er was extremely pleased with these words and grinned smugly. But as he smiled, he realized something was amiss. He hadn't asked her if she was sad, and her answer seemed irrelevant. However, his Mu'er was being very obedient and clingy, hugging him tightly, so he put the minor issue out of his mind.
Days passed by amidst these recurring "little things." And these "little things" seemed to all dissolve during these days. Long Er no longer glared at the maids, Li Ke's clothes were no longer torn, and the lives of Long Er's wife and husband were peaceful and uneventful.
Master Long was very satisfied with this situation.
Then, the first day of May arrived.
On this day, the three brothers of the Long family brought their families to the palace for a banquet.
The moonlit scenery was breathtaking, and the palace cuisine was impeccable. However, with the Emperor seated at the head of the table, everyone was inevitably a little reserved. After a few cups of wine, dancers and musicians arrived under the moonlight to entertain the guests, which livened up the atmosphere somewhat.
The all-night piano duel was meaningless to Long Er, especially since the Minister of Justice Ding Sheng and his son-in-law Yun Qingxian were also present, which made Long Er quite unhappy.
Ding Sheng, that smiling tiger, annoyed Long Er every time he saw him. Ding Sheng probably felt the same way, but when their eyes met, they'd still smile and raise a glass together. But that wasn't what bothered Long Er the most.
What infuriated Long Er the most was that Yun Qingxian's eyes kept glancing at his Mu'er. In public, he wasn't blatant, but he would occasionally glance at Ju Mu'er while raising his glass or talking to others. But even these subtle movements were noticed by Long Er. That burning gaze, with its hidden affection, made Long Er want to kick him into the wall with his shoe.
While Master Long was getting angry, the musicians had already started their duel.
The musicians from Ximin Kingdom and Xiao Kingdom had enjoyed a feast together, so there was no animosity between them, and the atmosphere during their musical exchange was harmonious. The appearance of the child musicians on both sides amused everyone. Bao'er, the well-behaved little girl, still managed to steal the spotlight, which Long Er couldn't quite understand. How could Bao'er, with her quiet and unassuming demeanor, always manage to attract attention?
The event was a one-on-one duet between child musicians, and no one really cared how well they played. The only thing that mattered was that each child had to introduce themselves before going on stage. The other children were seeing this for the first time, and even the young master from an official family was a little intimidated. But Bao'er, sitting at the back of the line, opened her big, bright eyes and confidently surveyed her surroundings, showing no fear whatsoever.
This finally prompted the emperor to tease her: "What's your name?"
"Long Bao'er." Her little face was flushed with shyness, but her voice was loud.
Everyone laughed, and the Emperor then asked, "How old are you this year?"
"Six years old," came the voice, still ringing out.
An official nearby joined in the fun, asking, "At what age did you start learning the piano?"
"Six years old." The answer was not only loud but also full of confidence. The Emperor couldn't help but laugh; the child's spirit and demeanor were indeed a challenge.
Next, Bao'er played the zither, proving that Long Er's money spent on the boat trip was well worth it; winning over the enemy's feelings and gaining their favor was absolutely necessary. Because Bao'er played a very simple piece with the air and presence of a master, her monotonous melody and steady rhythm, her confidence, threw the Xi Min Kingdom's child zither player off-key. The opponent's complex piece was ruined by her simplicity, going out of tune and scrambling to the beat, sweating more and more as she played.
In the end, Bao'er won because she played the entire piece until the very end.
The musician from Ximin Kingdom said nothing, only leading the disheveled, dejected, and unwilling child musician back. Bao'er was neither proud nor arrogant, only wondering why the other side had someone to lead them, while she had no one. She turned to look in the direction of the Long family, and Long Qingsheng, seeing her dazed look, ran up to the stage and led her back.
Then came more singing and dancing, followed by other musicians performing on stage. In short, Bao'er got through it smoothly without any arguments or complaints, and for the Long family, the matter was resolved satisfactorily.
The family, who knew nothing about playing the piano, were immersed in the joy of Bao'er passing the test, eating and drinking together in a harmonious atmosphere. Those piano playing techniques and other special skills meant little to them.
Zhi Long Er quietly asked Ju Mu'er, "Bao'er, did you play well?"
"As far as that piece of music goes, it's not bad."
"How many songs did you teach her in total?"
"Just this one."
Do you think if she trains hard, she'll become like you in the future?
"..." Ju Mu'er thought for a long time: "If you have this interest, you can practice it."
Okay, Long Er understands now. Bao'er is indeed a child of the Long family.
The banquet went smoothly, and everyone enjoyed themselves. But as it got later, Ju Mu'er started blinking and getting sleepy. Long Er squeezed her hand: "Hang in there, it won't be long before the banquet ends."
Ju Mu'er nodded. Indeed, it shouldn't be long, because the Emperor had already begun to bestow rewards upon the musicians who had participated in the musical duel that day.
Ju Mu'er forced herself to stay awake, thinking to herself that the Emperor, like her husband, liked to use this trick to win people's hearts. She suppressed her weariness and tried her best to restrain herself from leaning on Long Er's shoulder in front of everyone.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Qian Jiangyi loudly thank the Emperor, and then he actually had something to say next. "Your Majesty, on this occasion when so many famous musicians and qin players are gathered together, I dare to ask you for a favor."
"Speak," the Emperor said, delighted, granting him permission to speak.
Qian Jiangyi bowed deeply and said loudly, "Your Majesty, two years ago, our country's sage of the zither, Master Shi Boyin, murdered the entire Shi family. After being convicted, he was sentenced to immediate execution. However, Your Majesty, appreciating his talent, granted him permission to play one last piece before his execution..."
Ju Mu'er was startled and immediately came to her senses. She never expected Qian Jiangyi to bring this up in this setting.