Just as Feng Wu was about to say a few more words, she suddenly saw Bao'er run back. Her little face was flushed, and she said excitedly, "Mother, Mother, I did something big today."
Feng Wu and Ju Mu'er both sat up abruptly. Feng Wu steadied herself and pulled her beloved daughter aside, asking, "Tell me slowly, what important thing did you do?"
Bao'er said, "My uncle took us to a restaurant for dim sum. Then there was a group of annoying people nearby. They set up several zithers and had some children play them. My uncle was talking to Brother Qingsheng and found them noisy, so he asked the guard to go and talk to them. But then someone said that no one in our Long family can play the zither and made fun of us."
Feng Wu nodded, thinking she understood. "And then your uncle got angry, didn't he?"
Bao'er nodded.
Feng Wu asked again, "Your uncle was going to go over and chop up someone's table, and you stopped him, didn't you?" When this old man Long gets angry, ordinary people can't stop him. Her baby has indeed done something big.
But Bao'er shook her head: "Uncle didn't go, I went."
Feng Wu and Ju Mu'er were so shocked that their mouths dropped open. Bao'er continued, "I'll go over and tell them, who said that we Long family members can't play the zither?"
The little child stopped speaking. Feng Wu asked urgently, "And then?"
"Then I played it for them."
Feng Wu asked in surprise, "My dear baby, can you play?"
Bao'er nodded vigorously: "Mother, it's very easy. Just pluck a string and the zither will play."
Feng Wu turned to look at Ju Mu'er, who was actually good at playing the zither, and was staring blankly in disbelief. Meanwhile, Bao'er was still saying, "I plucked and plucked, and the zither kept making a sound."
Is this what you call playing the piano?
Feng Wu shut her mouth, feeling that she couldn't possibly undermine her daughter's confidence. So she wanted to praise her, and after thinking for a long time, she squeezed out, "My dear baby, you really have the air of a great general." Even she, as her mother, admired her fearless spirit.
Bao'er giggled and shyly nestled into Feng Wu's arms.
At this moment, Long Da and Long Qingsheng walked in, and Bao'er ran to Long Qingsheng again: "Brother Qingsheng, the Empress praised me for having the demeanor of a great general."
Long Da coughed forcefully and said to Feng Wu, "Don't mislead the child."
“I didn’t,” Feng Wu said matter-of-factly.
Long Da asked Long Qingsheng to take Bao'er outside to play. After watching the two children leave the courtyard, he said to Feng Wu, "Bao'er's arrogance has caused trouble. Those musicians are from the Western Min Kingdom. They came to the capital first to scout ahead and even brought their child disciples to show off in the restaurant. Bao'er went over and played a bunch of random tunes, which they considered an insult. They said they wanted Bao'er to come to the palace for a musical duel."
"No way?" Feng Wu was dumbfounded.
What's going on here, a child who can't play the zither representing a family of zither-illiterate children to compete in the palace?
How about changing it to a martial arts competition?
Chapter 52
The Long family hadn't initially cared about the Western Min Kingdom sending people to the capital for a musical duel. Long Da thought he could simply go if war broke out. Long Er reasoned that since his daughter Mu'er wasn't going, the royal musical duel wouldn't affect his business, so it was fine. Long San was even simpler: these court affairs were irrelevant to the martial world and to him.
Suddenly, their precious son, the Long family's precious child, was challenged to a duel. A six-year-old accepting a challenge sounded impressive, but the three Long brothers all knew the danger involved.
The musical duel between the two countries, though a contest of wits, also involves the dignity of the monarchs and the nation's honor. Therefore, Bao'er's involvement is a double-edged sword. If handled well, everyone can treat it as a joke; if handled poorly, it could be used against her by those with ulterior motives, leading to serious trouble.
The three Long brothers unanimously agreed that it was utterly rude of the Western Min Kingdom musician to be so petty with a child. Not only was it rude, but it also seemed like he harbored ill intentions. So they discussed it and decided to split up and take action.
Long Da sent his men to the Music Bureau to inquire about the details of the Western Min Kingdom's musicians' visit, and also went to the inn where the Western Min Kingdom's Grand Preceptor was staying to investigate whether they had any ulterior motives. Long Er visited Tian Zhong, the Minister of Rites, to ensure that the so-called challenge the six-year-old had received was merely a joke in a restaurant, and to make the matter fade away. Meanwhile, Long San investigated from the martial arts world to see if there was anything suspicious about the matter.
But to everyone's surprise, before they could even take action, the story of Miss Bao'er of the Long family, who was courageous and calm, and who overpowered the foreign musician, had already spread throughout the city.
The news of this minor incident spread even faster than a major murder case. The rumors were incredibly exaggerated, making the matter seem extremely serious. This completely surprised the Long family.
Long Er's conversation with Minister Tian did not go smoothly, as the matter had escalated. Tian Zhong frowned, looking quite troubled: "Second Master, this matter is being hotly debated in the streets. Look, it hasn't even been half a day and it's already reached me. Everyone is saying that the six-year-old child suppressed the arrogance of the Ximin musician, which is commendable. But the Ximin envoy came to me to complain, saying that they came with sincerity but were humiliated. If this matter is not handled properly, I'm afraid it will cause war."
Long Er pondered, speechless. In the end, he could only entrust Tian Zhong with the task of suppressing and calming the matter. Tian Zhong repeatedly agreed and personally saw Long Er out.
Upon returning home, Long Er's first action was to summon Li Ke and instruct him to investigate who had spread the rumor about Bao'er at the restaurant. Whether those people acted intentionally or unintentionally, the matter was indeed somewhat strange.
Long Er sat in the library for a while, thinking through the whole situation. He finally decided that it would be better to have Mu'er teach Bao'er to play the zither. Firstly, it would give her something she enjoyed, sparing her the hardship of martial arts training. Secondly, it would teach Bao'er some manners, so she wouldn't think that plucking the strings meant she was playing the zither. If the zither duel was truly unavoidable, Bao'er's knowledge of the principles of music would be helpful in fooling her.
With that thought in mind, he got up and prepared to return to the courtyard.
As I passed by Long Qingsheng's academy, I saw Bao'er sitting quietly in the courtyard, holding her beloved little kitten. When she saw Long Er at the gate, she waved her little hand happily and called out, "Second Uncle."
"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Long Er went over and patted Bao'er's head.
Bao'er smiled sweetly: "The teacher is teaching Brother Qingsheng to read, I can't go in and disturb him."
Such a well-behaved little baby, it really breaks my heart. Long Er said, "Your second uncle will take you somewhere else to play."
“I don’t want to.” Bao’er shook her head: “Brother Qingsheng told me to wait for him, saying he would take me and the little kitten to play after he finished his studies. I can’t leave.”
Long Er raised an eyebrow: "Qingsheng will be studying for a while, aren't you going to go see Qiao'er?"
"Brother Qingsheng said that I have already accompanied my sister during her afternoon nap, so I will accompany my brother in the afternoon."
Long Er raised an eyebrow again. Was this kid easy to abduct or not? Oh well, he'd better go back and abduct his wife.
Just as I was thinking of going back to amuse my wife and cheer her up, I turned around and saw her coming.
Ju Mu'er, carrying a bamboo cane and led by a maid, was slowly walking towards them. Just as Long Er was about to call out, Bao'er ran over with the kitten in her arms: "Second Aunt, let me pet your kitten."
Ju Mu'er laughed heartily, stroked it carefully, and praised, "Baby's little kitten feels so comfortable to touch."
Bao'er giggled and proudly tilted her little face up.
Ju Mu'er squatted down and said to Bao'er, "Bao'er, my good girl, how about your second aunt teaches you to play the zither?"
Bao'er tilted her head and thought for a moment: "But playing the piano isn't fun."
"What does Bao'er like?"
"I used to enjoy drawing."
"Why?"
"Because I need to write a letter to Mother, and since Bao'er can't write, I draw pictures for her." Bao'er's answer reminded Long Er of the miserable state of things back then, and he couldn't help but rub his temples. Those terrible drawings were so illegible that he had to write annotations next to them to make them understand. Yet Bao'er had a very high opinion of herself.
Ju Mu'er didn't know how good Bao'er's drawing skills were, so she smiled and asked, "You used to like drawing, but what about now?"
"I like kittens now."
"Was the kitten a gift from Brother Qingsheng?"
"Mmm." Bao'er nodded vigorously.
“Brother Qingsheng gave Bao’er such a cute little kitten, so Bao’er should give Brother Qingsheng something in return, right?” Ju Mu’er coaxed.
“Yes.” Bao’er nodded vigorously again.
"Bao'er is the best at playing the piano. She played it at the restaurant. Isn't that amazing?"
Bao'er tilted her head, observing everyone's expressions, which seemed to be quite taken aback. She then answered "Yes" and nodded.
Ju Mu'er smiled and said, "Second Aunt can teach Bao'er to play even better, so that Brother Qingsheng can play like this." Ju Mu'er made an exaggerated "wow" expression, and Bao'er giggled.
"So? We made Brother Qingsheng think Bao'er is amazing, and that Bao'er plays the piano so well. What do you think?"
Bao'er was still laughing when she answered in her clear, crisp voice, "Bao'er really wants Brother Qingsheng to say 'Wow!'"
"Okay, then it's settled." Ju Mu'er reached out to pat Bao'er's head, but she couldn't see and the direction was a little off. Bao'er nuzzled her head against Ju Mu'er's palm, and Ju Mu'er couldn't help but laugh again: "Bao'er, my sweet girl, your second uncle still has a small children's zither and sheet music, you can use it."
Bao'er's eyes lit up, and she was about to ask Long Er when Long Er exclaimed, "When did I have such a thing?"
Ju Mu'er was startled to find Long Er standing nearby and cried out, "Wow!" as she sat down on the ground. Bao'er, seeing this, giggled and followed suit, sitting down on the ground as well.
Long Er sighed and went over to help the two children up.
"How could Second Master eavesdrop?" Ju Mu'er pouted.
"I listened to it openly and honestly."
"Then why isn't Second Master saying anything?"
"It's quite amusing to see you soothe the child; it makes me happy."
Ju Mu'er pouted again: "Then the zither and sheet music that I gave to Second Master before, Second Master can give to Bao'er."
Long Er raised an eyebrow and turned to Bao'er, saying, "Bao'er, my good girl, go and wait for your brother Qingsheng. He should be finishing his studies soon." Upon hearing this, Bao'er happily skipped into the courtyard. Long Er dismissed the maidservant in a huff and pulled Ju Mu'er towards the study.
Ju Mu'er was puzzled. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why was her stubborn husband throwing a tantrum again?
Long Er led Ju Mu'er into the library in one breath. When no one was around, he began to lecture her: "That zither and the score are mine."
Ju Mu'er didn't understand: "That's a small zither for children, Second Master doesn't need it."
"It's mine." The Second Master emphasized.
"What use does the Second Master have for it?"
"I'm just displaying it because I'm happy." The second master said smugly, "This was a gift from my wife to attract my attention. I'm keeping it so I can tell my children and grandchildren in the future how my wife fell for me, racked her brains and used all sorts of tricks to make me pay attention to her step by step, and finally couldn't resist her feelings and agreed to her marriage proposal."
Ju Mu'er was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to react to him, when she heard him say, "Also, the money that Bao'er needs to spend on buying the zither should naturally be paid by her parents."
Ju Mu'er gritted her teeth and said, "Second Master is right."
Long Er suddenly said, "Mu'er, when you're making up bad things about me, you'll call me Second Master, right?"
"My lord, you are overthinking it. When I went to great lengths to gain your attention, didn't I call you 'Second Master'? But when you reminisce with your descendants, please remember to tell them that the first time I saw you, you were chatting intimately with a young lady, and the second time I saw you, you were enjoying yourself with a group of young ladies. And the first time you escorted me home, you even escorted me home after visiting a brothel, still adorned with delicate makeup."
Ryuji's face froze. Was this some kind of old grudge?
Ju Mu'er continued, "My husband must tell our descendants how broad-minded, brave, and fearless I was, and how I proposed to you without any prior knowledge of the situation."
“…” Long Er gritted his teeth. A woman who is petty and stingy is really not likable.
Ju Mu'er sighed inwardly. She had originally wanted to talk to him about serious matters, but his interruption left her unsure of where to begin.
Her husband!
Can she tell him her secret now?
Author's Note: I feel like I'm stuck, constantly experiencing writer's block, and I just can't seem to get over this hurdle. So I'm going to try to clear my head and write some side stories tomorrow.
53☆、Side Story 1: The General (1)
An Ruochen tightened the cloth strip around her chest, took a few deep breaths to make sure her breathing was smooth and unimpeded. Then she put on her undergarment, inner garment, and the newly bought plain-colored outer garment. She looked in the mirror, and everything looked fine. She was satisfied.
She picked up her bundle, tied it behind her back, and then draped a large cloak over herself, covering herself completely. She didn't call for her maids or attendants, but simply walked out of the house as if nothing was amiss.
She heard someone calling her loudly from behind, but she ignored them, quickened her pace, and quickly disappeared into a dark alley after turning a corner. She heard footsteps chasing after her, and soon saw two servants reach the alley entrance.
An Ruochen held her breath and sank even deeper into the shadows of the alley.
The two servants discussed, "What should we do? The young lady went out without anyone with her. The master will definitely be angry if he finds out."
"That good-for-nothing gatekeeper, he didn't even try to stop her."
"Perhaps the young lady is just going out for a walk and will be back soon?"