in2ebook Chapter 287: The Piano Smashes
Chapter 287: The Piano Smashes
"To be honest, the prince and the princess came here today to ask Master Liu for something." Murong Yan replied seriously, without any playful look on his face.
Yu Qingli glanced at him sideways, thinking that since Murong Yan was so afraid of Liu Gongquan, should she consider letting him come to "Taoba Garden" more often in the future to be influenced by him?
"Your Highness Prince of Yan, could it be that it was my suggestion back then that you..." Liu Gongquan suddenly stood up excitedly.
"Mr. Liu!" Murong Yanhui scolded softly, with a hint of warning in his voice.
Liu Gongquan stopped talking after hearing this, glanced at Yu Qingli, and slapped his forehead as if he had suddenly realized something, "I am stupid, I am stupid."
Yu Qingli's eyebrows moved slightly. It seemed that the relationship between Murong Yanhui and Liu Gongquan was not just a simple teacher-student relationship. There seemed to be some secret between them.
However, Yu Qingli has never cared much about things that have nothing to do with her.
"I've come here for Murong Cheng." Murong Yanhui seemed afraid that Liu Gongquan would say something else, and spoke hastily, "I'm sure Old Liu has already known about the marriage granted by His Majesty."
Liu Gongquan nodded immediately, "Prime Minister Yu is well-educated, and his two daughters are both outstanding people."
"It's a pity that Murong Cheng already has someone in his heart. I'm sure Old Liu has heard of that woman. She is Liu Jinghong, the proprietress of Jinghong Music House."
"This... is just a singing girl. She is so different from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that they cannot possibly be a match!" Liu Gongquan objected immediately.
Murong Yanhui heard this and gave Yu Qingli a look, as if to say, "Look, trouble is coming."
Yu Qingli also realized that she had made a mistake. She had planned everything but had not expected Liu Gongquan to be so pedantic. However, since she had already chosen him, there was no turning back.
Yu Qingli slowly stood up, walked to the side of the zither, stretched out her hand and stroked it, and the sound of the zither poured out like flowing water. Liu Gongquan's face immediately showed anger.
Yu Qingli was completely unaware and spoke slowly, "Ji Kang said that among all kinds of music, the virtue of the zither is the most important. A good zither player emphasizes a peaceful mind. It's a pity that Mr. Liu doesn't seem to understand this."
Liu Gongquan's anger suddenly subsided. He looked at Yu Qingli carefully before saying, "The princess seems to know a lot about Qin?"
Yu Qingli lowered her eyes and stared at the zither on the table. "The inlay on the bottom of the forehead of this zither is made of the best dragon pond and phoenix pond. The pegs on the seven strings above the dew-receiving zither are all made of mother-of-pearl. There are also phoenix eyes on the side of the head. The zither body is wide in front and narrow in the back, symbolizing the difference between high and low. Although it is made very similar to the style of falling clouds, it is a pity that the edges are a bit square, lacking in agility."
Yu Qingli looked at the various emotions that suddenly surged in Liu Gongquan's eyes and smiled faintly, "If Qingli is not mistaken, this zither was made by Liu Gong himself, right?"
"Yes, this zither was made by me myself!" Liu Gongquan said, but his expression seemed a little depressed.
Murong Yanhui looked at Yu Qingli in surprise, but she didn't expect that her words would make this old and corrupt man give up.
Yu Qingli stroked the piano with her fingers, and the song "Xiaoxiang Water Clouds" flowed out gracefully. The sound of the piano was distant and heavy, with unspeakable sadness.
Liu Gongquan's emotions seemed to be aroused by Yu Qingli's piano playing, and his whole body began to tremble slightly.
The song ended, and just as everyone was still immersed in the lingering sound, Yu Qingli suddenly picked up the piano and smashed it down hard.
With a crisp "snap" sound, the body of the piano suddenly broke into several pieces.
Murong Yanhui was startled and Liu Gongquan glared at her, and both of them looked at Yu Qingli with burning eyes.
"Princess, please don't take advantage of your status to humiliate me!"
"Whether it is bullying or not, please take a closer look first, Mr. Liu." Yu Qingli pointed at the fragments on the ground. Liu Gongquan picked them up in surprise. After taking a look, he fell to the ground and trembled like a sieve.
He kept muttering to himself, "How could it be, how could it be like this?"
Murong Yanhui curiously stretched her head to take a look, and saw a poem engraved on the inside of the zither: "I am parting with you now, not because I am sad. As time passes, we are separated by heaven and earth, and I hope you will stop missing me."
Murong Yanhui was shocked and looked up at Yu Qingli. How did she know there were words inside the piano?
Yu Qingli's eyes turned, "Old Liu still hasn't finished drinking the bitter wine he drank back then. Could it be that you have the heart to let His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, be like you, forever without love?"
Yu Qingli's voice was as loud as jade and resounded to the ground. Liu Gongquan's body trembled and he slowly touched the word "ru" at the end of the poem.
"Back then, Ah Ru suddenly disappeared. I searched frantically for her. Later, I heard from my father that she had left with a wealthy businessman. Before she left, she returned this zither to me. I made this zither myself as a token of our love. Ah Ru, like a princess, said that although this zither wasn't very dynamic, it was her favorite."
Liu Gongquan spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, and in an instant he seemed to have aged ten years.
Liu Gongquan lowered his head and stroked the words on the body of the zither. Suddenly, a faint water stain appeared on the word "Ru" and slowly spread.
Yu Qingli sighed, "Now it seems that this girl is not leaving with the rich businessman, but voluntarily giving up for you, Mr. Liu."
"Aru, Aru, you are so stupid." Liu Gongquan cried out to the sky, tears streaming down his face.
Murong Yanhui and Yu Qingli knew that what happened today was done!
As expected, after Liu Gongquan vented his anger, he turned to look at Yu Qingli, suddenly opened his collar and knelt on the ground, "I have been feeling depressed for many years, but I never thought that today, the prince's wife would be able to help me. Please accept my respect."
Yu Qingli stepped aside and said, "I really don't dare to accept this gift from Master Liu."
"Does the princess dislike me?"
"Qingli destroyed Elder Liu's zither, and she was already feeling uneasy. Now that she has recalled Elder Liu's sad past, she is even more terrified. How do you feel?"
Liu Gongquan was no fool. Hearing this, he stood up and said, "Well, well, well! This time, I am being pedantic. Since the Crown Princess and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan are here for the same matter, I will respectfully obey your orders."
Yu Qingli finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. "In that case, please ask Mr. Liu to choose a day to announce to everyone that he has adopted Miss Liu as his adopted daughter."
"This matter should be dealt with as soon as possible." Murong Yanhui added.
"Please rest assured, the public authority will take care of it right away. However, I'm afraid this girl's reputation as Jinghong will need to be changed."
Yu Qingli thought for a moment and said, "How about calling me Liu Caiyi?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Gongquan clasped his hands together and said, "The surname Liu comes from the land of the fiefdom, and the prince's wife likes a good reputation."
Yu Qingli smiled faintly, "In that case, I'll have to trouble Old Liu."
"Please rest assured, Your Highnesses. The Duke will send someone to fetch Miss Liu immediately."
Murong Yan nodded, explained some things, and then returned to the palace with Yu Qingli.
As soon as he got on the carriage, Murong Yanhui couldn't help but ask, "Lili, how did you know there were words on the inside of the zither?"
Yu Qingli looked at Murong Yanhui, her mind turning, and asked: "If Qingli tells the emperor's uncle, can the emperor's uncle do something for Qingli?"
Murong Yanhui smiled upon hearing this and said, "For Lili, I would gladly accept not just one thing, but even a hundred or a thousand."
Yu Qingli smiled, "When Qingli was playing, she found that there were some notes that were out of tune. She reached out and touched it, and naturally felt the words on the body of the instrument."
"It's that simple?"
"It's that simple."
"But how come Liu Gongquan didn't notice such a simple thing?" Murong Yan was puzzled.
"Seeing something reminds me of someone, and loving the house also reminds me of everything in it. The body of the zither is glazed, but the strings are covered in dust. It's clear that Mr. Liu cherishes this zither so much that he doesn't want to play it, so he probably didn't notice the words inside the body."
After Yu Qingli finished speaking, she sighed deeply. Fate was so cruel. If Liu Gongquan had not cherished this zither so much, he might have discovered these words and brought the girl back long ago. Why would he wait until today? The girl might have married someone else, or she might have died, and they would be separated forever.
Murong Yanhui saw Yu Qingli suddenly sad, and his heart ached. Would he and Yu Qingli be like this too? A lifetime of love and yet a lifetime of separation, like the two stars Cang and Shang, within sight but out of reach.
A feeling of panic quickly enveloped Murong Yanhui's heart. His hand trembled and he subconsciously held Yu Qingli's hand.
The sudden warmth spread throughout her body. Yu Qingli's heart skipped a beat and she quickly pulled her hand back. However, the residual warmth of Murong Yanhui on her hand gradually dissipated, which made her feel a little lost for no reason.
Yu Qingli frowned. What happened to her?
The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became awkward. Murong Yanhui coughed and asked, "Lili hasn't told me what help she needs."
Yu Qingli quickly gathered her thoughts, "Miss Liu has become a foster father, so naturally she can no longer live in the music house. However, if the music house is closed immediately, it will attract more attention. Qingli's suggestion is to trouble the uncle to find someone to look after the music house for a while before closing it. That way, fewer people will suspect Miss Liu's identity."
Seeing Yu Qingli planning so much for Liu Jinghong and Murong Cheng, Murong Yanhui couldn't help but say, "Lili, you are so thoughtful, why do you care so little about yourself?"
Yu Qingli choked up when she heard this, turned her head away and said, "Qingli doesn't understand what the emperor's uncle is talking about."
Yu Qingli's avoidance made Murong Yanhui feel a little depressed, but he couldn't bear to see Yu Qingli in trouble, so he could only swallow it in one breath.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this. But now that all the medicine has been collected, what are you going to do next, Lili? Your Majesty has kept his promise. The imperial edict was issued this morning. I'm afraid that Prime Minister Yu's mansion has been trampled down by his colleagues." Murong Yanhui rested his hands on his head and leaned against a corner of the carriage.
"A promise worth a thousand gold?" Yu Qingli smiled faintly, "I want your Majesty's promise worth a thousand gold."
Half an hour later, Murong Cheng knelt in front of the imperial study again.
Murong Shiling looked at his son kneeling outside the door, and his face twitched uncontrollably.
"Father, you promised me yesterday that if I could tell you who I truly belonged to, you would grant me another favor. Father, you are the ruler of Canghe. Your promise is as good as gold. You would never deceive me."
Murong Shiling's face twitched again. Could it be that such a person really existed?
"Your son's favorite is Elder Liu's adopted daughter Liu Caiyi. I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish." Murong Cheng kowtowed to the ground.
"When did Elder Liu have an adopted daughter? How come I didn't know?"
"Old Liu has already adopted his daughter. If your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can ask other ministers."
Murong Shileng hesitated for a moment. Yu Zhengsha's two daughters, one is the prince's consort, and the other is about to become the crown princess. Although Yu Qingli and Yu Zhengsha have severed their father-daughter relationship, blood is thicker than water after all. In this case, will Yu Zhengsha's power be too great?