54 Fairy Wonderful Melody

  The melodious sound of the piano came from the room, sometimes surging like thousands of horses and troops, and sometimes quiet like spring breeze stroking green leaves.

  After the sound of the qin faded away, the sheng sound rose again. This time, however, it was a sorrowful and mournful tune, with a hundred twists and turns in its melody. It sounded like the same song, but with different rhythms and tempos, expressing different moods due to the distinct timbres of the instruments. One version was bright and optimistic, while the other was gloomy and despairing.

  Although the tone is simple, it can play two completely different tunes with a sense of helplessness that makes people feel irresistible.

  This feeling is exceptionally wonderful and cannot be described in words.

  It seemed that the Peony Fairy had deliberately created this, and just as Zhen Ming was listening intently, the sound of the Xiao suddenly stopped, leaving a feeling of melancholy and loss.

  As expected, the boy's begging voice came from inside the room: "Good sister, why don't you blow it down?"

  "Listen to the first half of the poem," said Peony Fairy with a smile, "if you can't come up with a good explanation, then you'll never get to hear the second half."

  The young man pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked: "Sister, is this poem inspired by Cao Zijian's 'Rhapsody on the Goddess of Luo'?"

  "Oh, how can you tell?"

  "Cao Zijian's beloved woman was taken away by his elder brother, and in the end died at the hands of the empress. I have feelings about Zhen's bitter life experience and wrote 'The Goddess of the Luo River'. It has a similar charm to Song Yu's 'The Divine Maiden' from back then. The sound is mournful and heartbreaking, the wish unfulfilled, and can only be met in dreams. I know that my sister has always admired Cao Zijian's talent, pitied his life experience, but disdained his self-destructive behavior. Therefore, it's not surprising that she was moved to create this poem."

  The Peony Fairy did not give a direct answer, but instead asked: "You only mentioned the first half of the Xiaoqu, why didn't you mention the second half of the Qin sound?"

  "That's because I'm afraid that if I see through sister's thoughts, she'll be so embarrassed and angry that she won't admit it."

  The Peony Fairy covered her mouth and giggled: "If you have this skill, I'll play the second half of the tune for you. But if you're talking nonsense and making things up, I'll definitely slap your palm!"

  "It's better for sister to just slap my palm, because what I said must be what sister is thinking in her heart. What sister is thinking in her heart is too embarrassing to mention, even if it's true, it's not right to say it out loud, so why bother saying it?"

  The boy said, obediently stretching out his hand.

  The peony fairy let out a giggle and lightly tapped his forehead with her knuckles: "Can't you just take me seriously for once?"

  The young man gazed at her foolishly and asked, "Sister, I know that there is no man in this world who is worthy of you. When I grow up, you can marry me, and I will take care of you and protect you for the rest of my life."

  "Who said I'm going to get married? Stop talking nonsense. By the time you grow up, your sister will be old and faded, and by then you probably won't even want to look at me anymore, let alone be with me."

  That young man's face turned red with anxiety, and he vowed: "If I ever become a heartless person in sister's eyes, let me not live past my 20s. That way, I will never become a hateful man in sister's eyes!"

  The peony fairy hastily covered his mouth and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense! Since ancient times, those who have achieved great things and accomplished great deeds are all men of strong character, unencumbered by tender emotions, daring to act boldly. How could they be swayed by a woman's words? Moreover, since ancient times, men have always been like this: when young and vigorous, their love is deep; when old and faded, their favor is thin. If one can do as you say, not forgetting the old love after gaining new favors, it would already be a rare and precious thing. As a woman, if she can marry a husband of her heart's desire, it would be a blessing accumulated over a thousand years. What else could she dare to hope for?"

  That young man said solemnly: "Tong'er will love only you and Sister Zhang for his whole life."

  The Peony Fairy smiled and said, "Every time I come, I hear you praising your elder sister Zhang, saying that her soy milk is fragrant and rich, and she herself is as beautiful as a seductive fish or a flower that eclipses the moon. Don't you fear that I'll be annoyed with you?"

  That young man laughed and said, "I'd love to see what Frost Sister looks like when she's angry. Frost Sister is the most beautiful when she's angry, and her scolding voice is also the most pleasant sound in the world."

  "Heh heh, I don't have the leisure to indulge your nonsense. You're itching for a scolding, aren't you? Now, let me give you a taste of a severe reprimand." Peony Fairy shot him a glance and lightly poked his forehead with her finger, causing the young man to suddenly reveal an unusually pleased expression.

  Just as the two were speaking intimately, a hurried footsteps sounded at the door, as if someone was rushing upstairs in a hurry, with others chasing after them.

  "Li's mother's voice rang out: 'Young Master Wang, you can't go in. Miss Ling is indisposed and it's inconvenient for her to receive guests. Come back another day...' "

  "Boom!"

  The door was kicked open by someone.

  A young man with a furious face, tall and large in stature, long-faced and thin-eyed, with freckles all over his face, rushed in from outside the door, followed by Li's mother who was panting and chasing after him.

  "Miss Ling, I really can't stop him," said Mrs. Li with a worried face.

  "Li Mama, this doesn't concern you, go and find Yu Hu's courtyard." Peony Fairy said calmly, with a demeanor that rejected people from afar, her facial expression changing rapidly, like two different people from just a moment ago.

  That Prince Wang had already seen the young man kneeling beside Peony Fairy, whispering intimately with her, as soon as he entered. He sneered: "What a good excuse to be bedridden and inconvenient for guests! It turns out that you're holding onto a lover in bed, secretly doing things that can't be seen by others. What Peony Fairy? Don't think that just because you're being flattered by several men, you really become a heavenly fairy! You've enraged me, Prince Wang, I'll demote you to a third-rate camp prostitute! Every day, serving those stinky men in the barracks!"

  Before the lotus fairy could respond, the young man kneeling beside her suddenly stood up and glared at Wang Gongzi, shouting: "Wang Xuanyu! Watch your filthy mouth in front of me! Do you think this is your father's Ministry of Works?!"

  The peony fairy had a delicate face with frost, but she tightly held the young man's hand, as if unwilling to let him have any conflict with this prince.

  At the same time, her eyes looked towards the door where Zhen Ming was standing.

  As a personal bodyguard, this was the time to come forward and protect his master, but unexpectedly, Zhen Ming's bitter expression at the door didn't move, he just turned his head to look over here, with a cold gaze watching the commotion.

  This left her somewhat stunned.

  Wang Xuanhe was clearly not a trivial figure, and he was an old acquaintance of the young man. He was a regular at the Baifeng Building, and few of the flower fairies dared to show off in front of him or refuse him entry. Only this Peony Fairy didn't take him seriously at all, repeatedly sending visiting cards to request an audience, but she always found various excuses to put him off.

  He could endure all these, but what he couldn't bear was that after she refused to see him, she saw this young man with the surname Yang in less than an hour and was so intimate with him, how could it not make his anger burn?

  His words became even more sarcastic: "Since you've done it, what are you afraid of admitting? I just don't understand, what does she see in this good-for-nothing like you? You're just a pretty face with nothing inside. Even if she stood naked in front of you, what could you do to her? Do you have the ability? But if you really can't do it, I won't mind helping you out. Just kneel down and ask me, and I naturally won't refuse you, hahaha..."

  Yang Cong could no longer bear it and angrily rushed towards the person.

  "Ah Tong, don't!" Mudan Fairy suddenly exclaimed.

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