The Double-Chapter 73 - 71 On the Field
73: Chapter 71: On the Field
73 -71: On the Field
If the Immortal Jing Hong were akin to a fairy descending from the nine heavens, pure and inviolable, then Duke Su’s Jih Heng was like the bewitching Spirit Demon roaming in the night-clad silk, captivating souls in the blink of an eye.
In his youthful red attire, he instantly captured the attention of everyone in the Inspection Field.
His beautiful, flawless face possessed a mesmerizing magic, and the ambiguous smile in his eyes made the slight smile on his lips seem devilishly charming.
He was an attractive young man, whose birthmark near the eye, like a black and gold phoenix butterfly embroidered on his garments, was dazzling enough to make people’s heads swim.
He sauntered through the Inspection Field with elegance and nonchalance, as if moon-gazing in a garden, making the entire crowd seem frivolous by comparison, and even making the previously unmatched purity of the fairy figure seem affected.
“Such a handsome appearance bestowed by heaven,” Jiang Li sighed inwardly.
She had seen handsome men—Shen Yurong, Xue Zhao, even Jiang Jingrui, Ye Shijie,—but Jih Heng’s beauty seemed to boldly set him apart from ordinary people.
If not for seeing it with her own eyes, she would find it hard to believe that such a beautiful man, or rather such a beautiful person, could exist in the world.
Everyone around gazed intently, including Meng Hongjin and Jiang Youyao, who were staring at Jih Heng from afar, unwilling to look away.
It seemed as though everyone had forgotten that Jih Heng was an unpredictable bastard—yes, a beautiful person, but a beautiful person with a toxic, capricious nature.
It was best to avoid provoking him.
Jih Heng could not have cared less about the gazes of others as he took his place among the examiners, just like the Immortal Jing Hong.
With his seating, the total number of examiners, including Xiao Deyin, came to five.
Since Xiao Deyin was a teacher from the Mingyi Hall, he had been there all along.
Watching Mian Ju also arrive, who was the current court musician for Northern Yan, dedicated to playing for the Emperor and the Concubines, he appeared quite the hermit in his coarse linen garment and looked extremely happy.
There was also a gaunt middle-aged man—Shi Yan, the chief Music Officer of the current times, in charge of ritual music, with a somewhat arrogant demeanor.
These individuals were either Zither Masters and Music Officers or scholars and Zither Ladies, all having expertise in “Zither Music.” The only one who seemed out of place was Jih Heng.
His status wasn’t comparable to the others; a real royal of noble rank.
As for Zither Music, it was only heard that he enjoyed opera, but never had he been known for listening to the zither, much less playing it.
He could almost be considered an outsider, and having a layperson judge results seemed somewhat farcical.
Whatever others may think privately, they did not show it.
Whether they were scared of provoking Jih Heng or were simply captivated by his appearance was unclear.
Jiang Li saw that both the familiar and the unfamiliar had gathered today.
She even caught sight of Zhou Yanbang, and their eyes met unintentionally.
Zhou Yanbang’s eyes immediately brightened, inciting a fierce and envious glare from Jiang Youyao at Jiang Li, as if she wanted to gouge out Li’s flesh.
The Inspection was about to begin.
Children with red bands tied around their arms began calling out each person’s number.
Jiang Li noted only those she knew: Meng Hongjin was number eight, Jiang Youyao was twelve, Jiang Li was thirteen, Liu Xu was eighteen, Jiang Yuyan was twenty, and Jiang Yue was twenty-five.
Since each person had limited time, the Inspection began almost immediately without unnecessary steps.
The noble ladies of Mingyi Hall had all excelled to be there, and even the most average among them would be considered excellent in ordinary households.
As the sound of the zither music reached her ears, Jiang Li’s thoughts were elsewhere.
She was mulling over the likelihood that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning were becoming increasingly entwined.
Since Princess Yongning and Prince Cheng were siblings, Princess Yongning was bound to introduce Shen Yurong to Prince Cheng.
If Jiang Li guessed correctly, Shen Yurong would undoubtedly belong to Prince Cheng eventually.
Prince Cheng was influential, and Shen Yurong had some intellect; it wasn’t impossible for him to receive special treatment from the Prince.
Shen Yurong had already become an official in the Imperial Secretariat and was favored by Emperor Hongxiao.
If Prince Cheng also backed him, wouldn’t his status rise even higher in the future?
Dealing with Shen Yurong then would become more difficult.
However, there were still ways to confront this.
Currently, Prince Cheng was on good terms with the Right Chancellor, Li Zhongnan, who happened to be a sworn enemy of Jiang Yuanbai.
In other words, the Jiang Family and Prince Cheng were not on the same side.
If the Jiang Family were to get involved, going against Shen Yurong, a supporter of Prince Cheng’s faction, would become the natural course of action.
With the backing of the Jiang Family, everything was much easier for her than if she had to struggle alone.
However, how to leverage this advantage required careful consideration.
As she pondered all this, time seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, seven noble ladies had already performed.
It was Meng Hongjin’s turn.
Liu Xu told Jiang Li to watch carefully as Meng Hongjin stepped onto the Inspection Field.
Today, Meng Hongjin seemed much more composed than usual, perhaps because Zither Music was not her forte.
She sat down, took up the Yaoqin, burned incense, washed her hands, and played a tune called “Xiaoxiang River Clouds.”
“Xiaoxiang River Clouds” is a piece that encapsulates a traveler’s complex sentiments as they look upon the bustling clouds and water on their journey south, yearning for the mountains and rivers of their motherland, lamenting their rootless existence, and desiring a reclusive life.
There were heavy lingering notes and abundant sweeping sounds.
Listening to it, Jiang Li felt Meng Hongjin’s rendition of “Xiaoxiang River Clouds” was too soft, not like that of a traveler journeying south but rather like a young lady admiring the clouds.
Although she failed to convey the musician’s intended emotions, Meng Hongjin’s finger technique was still very skilled.
However, learning the zither isn’t just about finger technique; the soul of the music is even more important.
Meng Hongjin had tried her best, but ultimately, it could only be said that she wasn’t particularly gifted in Zither Music.
As expected, after Meng Hongjin finished playing the complete piece, aside from some clueless young masters who praised her performance, the five inspectors sitting below showed little expression.
Jih Heng was even distractedly playing with the golden silk folding fan in her hands, opening and closing it, her eyebrows and eyes radiant and full of charm.
“Meng Hongjin played quite well,” Liu Xu breathed a sigh of relief, “This would make things much easier for you as well.”
Jiang Li had topped the achieving three levels of examination; as long as she wasn’t the worst in the next three departments, she wouldn’t be expelled from Mingyi Hall, and naturally, she wouldn’t have to kneel and apologize to Meng Hongjin.
However, if she performed too poorly in the next three departments, it wasn’t impossible for her victory to be overturned.
At the very least, Meng Hongjin hadn’t “dazzled the room with her brilliance,” so Jiang Li could feel somewhat relieved.
“However, your sister is no simple character,” Liu Xu went on, “I saw how confident she looked, as if she had something to rely on.
And you’re performing right after her…”
What unfortunate timing.
Though it was unfortunate, what had to come would always arrive.
After Meng Hongjin’s inspection, another three ladies went, and before long, it was Jiang Youyao’s turn to perform.
Just before going up, she made a point of walking up to Jiang Li and said with a smile, “Elder sister, it’s my turn before yours.” Although it sounded like a respectful younger sister speaking to her older sister before stepping forward, Jiang Li did not overlook the provocation in her words.
She too responded with a smile, “I wish you well.”
