dognovel Chapter 380 What a refined taste!
Chapter 380 What a refined taste!
When Prince Xuan and Prince Qi, carrying wine and accompanied by Princess Ruoyang, stepped into the garden of Qinli Courtyard, they happened to witness a beautiful scene.
Under the crabapple tree, Xiao Han and Long Chuqing sat facing each other, playing a duet of "High Mountains and Flowing Water".
King Qi and King Xuan exchanged a smile and tacitly slowed their pace. The music was truly moving, and they couldn't bear to disturb them too soon.
"Shh." Prince Qi gestured for Ruoyang, who was peeking out from behind him, to be quiet.
Xiao Han sat upright, his slender fingers steadily plucking the strings of the zither. The sound of the zither was deep and melancholic, like the wind blowing through the pines.
Long Chuqing's fingertips, however, flowed like clouds, producing clear and lively notes, like a mountain stream gurgling over rocks.
One high, one low; one fast, one slow—the two completely different sounds of the zither blended together perfectly, creating a harmonious whole.
The song ends, but the lingering sound remains.
"Seventh Brother, Miss Long, you two have such refined tastes!" Prince Xuan said with a smile, then looked at Prince Qi beside him: "Fifth Brother, it seems we've come at the wrong time!"
Prince Qi said, "I think it's just right. Otherwise, wouldn't we miss the duet between my seventh brother and Miss Long?"
"Seventh Brother, Sister Long!" Princess Ruoyang could no longer contain herself and ran towards them, lifting her skirt.
Xiao Han looked up at the sound, a smile appearing on his face: "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Zhi'er, you've come."
Long Chuqing stood up and bowed to the three: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qi, Your Highness Prince Xuan, and Princess Ruoyang."
Prince Qi waved his hand dismissively: "Miss Long, there's no need for such formalities."
His gaze swept between the two men, and he exclaimed with genuine admiration.
"I remember that time at the poetry gathering, I heard you play a very powerful piece. At that time, I admired you very much. I never expected that I would come here today by such coincidence and be able to hear Miss Long play the zither again. It is truly an honor!"
Long Chuqing: "..." Is this a compliment?
I still remember that it was because she said she couldn't write poetry that people laughed at her, saying she only had a pretty face.
So she took the opportunity while playing the zither to teach them a small lesson, to see if they still dared to look down on people so casually.
The final result was quite good, and many people couldn't help but vomit as a result.
Looking back now, I realize how naive I was to have acted like that. Why bother with them?
Long Chuqing smiled and said, "Your Highness is joking. I was just playing some ordinary tunes."
"Seventh Brother, Sister Long, you played so well." Ruoyang said, "However, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, and I only heard the end of that piece. Sister Long, Seventh Brother, why don't you play the whole piece again?"
Prince Qi also chimed in with great interest: "Yes! Why don't Seventh Brother and Miss Long play it again, so that we can hear a complete piece?"
King Xuan echoed repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes... play another tune."
Xiao Han looked at Long Chuqing, seeking her opinion: "Is it alright?"
Long Chuqing nodded with delight: "Of course, it's rare that the two princes and princesses have such an interest, so I'll make a fool of myself in doing so."
King Xuan pondered for a moment, feeling as if something was missing. Suddenly he remembered, so he picked up the wine jug in his hand.
"I was just saying something was missing! Look, how can we enjoy music without fine wine!" He said, shaking the wine jug in his hand. "The Zhuyeqing wine, a tribute from the Southern Frontier, is a perfect match for this music."
Prince Qi smiled and said, "Under the crabapple tree, with the zither and fine wine, it truly deserves the word 'elegant'."
Everyone smiled knowingly.
No sooner had they finished speaking than Qingying and the others, with great foresight, brought over tables, chairs, wine glasses, and tea.
"Well done," King Xuan praised, then took out a silver ingot and tossed it to Qingying: "Here, consider this my treat for everyone to some drinks."
Qingying accepted it with a smile: "Hehe, it's a reward from His Highness."
Xiao Han greeted, "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Zhi'er, come and sit down."
Long Chuqing and Xiao Han sat down again, each with a zither in front of them. They lightly plucked the strings, and melodious music rang out once more.
After Prince Xuan took his seat, he quickly opened the wine pot, poured a cup, and handed it to Prince Qi, saying, "Fifth Brother, try this Zhuyeqing wine, which is a tribute from the Southern Frontier."
He thoughtfully poured Ruoyang a cup of tea: "Young lady, you shouldn't drink alcohol. Just have some tea and snacks."
Ruoyang did not refute it. She was indeed still young, and her mother did not allow her to drink alcohol.
Ruoyang nodded obediently in thanks: "Thank you, Sixth Brother."
She took the teacup, picked up a delicate plum blossom pastry with her slender fingers, and put it in her mouth.
Prince Qi took the wine cup, took a small sip, and the aroma of the wine spread between his lips and teeth.
He couldn't help but praise, "It is indeed refreshing, and its taste is somewhat different from that of Zhuyeqing in the capital."
The three of them enjoyed wine and tea while listening to music in silence.
As the music ended and the lingering sound faded, applause erupted.
"it is good……"
Long Chuqing and Xiao Han gracefully rose to return the greeting, and then sat down under everyone's gaze.
King Xuan poured a cup of wine for each of them; the golden-green wine shimmered with a warm luster in the white jade cups.
Several people raised their glasses and drank together.
The liquor is clear and refreshing, with a slightly sweet taste upon swallowing, yet it cannot conceal its rich and mellow flavor.
"Sister Long, you play so well! I'll play a piece later, could you give me some pointers?"
Long Chuqing agreed: "Of course."
"That's great!" Ruoyang said with a smile. "Here, have a plum blossom pastry."
Subsequently, King Xuan, King Qi, and Princess Ruoyang each played a tune on their zithers to add to the festivities.
After stroking the water, King Xuan suddenly turned to look at Long Chuqing, his eyes gleaming with fervent light.
"Miss Long, last time I saw you use your music to injure someone. I wonder if you could give me some pointers on that technique?"
"These past few days, I have been diligently cultivating my inner strength, and now I feel that my inner strength has improved considerably. I believe I will definitely be able to master this ultimate technique of using music to harm others."
Ever since he witnessed Long Chuqing using her zither music to disturb people's minds, King Xuan had kept this matter in mind.
At that time, Long Chuqing said that he lacked internal strength and could not control the sound of the zither for attack.
Later, King Xuan asked Qingying to get him a manual for cultivating internal energy from Long Chuqing.
After a period of hard work and diligent training, my internal strength has improved considerably!
Today I happened to see Long Chuqing and Xiao Han playing the zither here, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask them for some pointers.
“Sure!” Long Chuqing readily agreed, and she moved to another guqin. “I will demonstrate it for you all.”
Prince Qi, Xiao Han, and Ruo Yang all gathered around, and even the few people in the bronze quartet who were hiding in the corner curiously poked their heads out and listened intently.
Although Qing Tong and the others didn't understand the art of playing the zither very well, they became quite interested in this skill after witnessing Long Chuqing injure people with his music.
Long Chuqing lightly brushed the strings with his fingertips, playing the instrument while explaining to them how to channel internal energy into their fingers, how to control their strength, and how to exert force, etc.
"?clank--"
With a flick of his fingertips, Long Chuqing produced a clear and melodious zither tune, which, imbued with sharp internal force, struck a sweet osmanthus tree in front of him.
"Shuashuashua——"
The osmanthus tree suddenly began to sway violently, even without wind.
Long Chuqing slightly turned his wrist, timely reducing his strength. The osmanthus tree only swayed and was not damaged.