However, on the evening of May 20th, someone from the palace came to deliver a message: The Emperor summoned Lin Xiaoyuan to Qingxi Garden to accompany him.

  Qingyi Garden and Shanglin Garden, Mingxiang Garden are all famous imperial gardens, but among them, Shanglin Garden is the largest. Qingyi Garden was built on top of Taiye Pool, composed of several islands in the lake pavilion.

  Lin Wan was slightly dressed and taken away by the eunuch on duty in front of the palace.

  They arrived at the Nong Yu Xiao Zhu in the center of Qing Wei Garden, and before they even entered the door, they heard the sound of the pipa coming from inside, like pearls falling onto a jade plate. Lin Wan glanced sideways at the eunuch leading the way, and the eunuch understood, and very politely informed them: "Consort Xiang, Consort Yun, and Consort Tian are all inside."

  Lin Yan smiled and nodded in agreement. They all gathered together, which was great. The pipa player's skills were not bad at all, it must be Yun Guifei.

  In her heart, she silently sighed. The Chu sisters had studied hard and practiced diligently since childhood, which was why they were able to stand out today. This was still something to be admired.

  They were raised strictly by their family since childhood. Thinking of the Chu family's renowned discipline, Lin Yu couldn't help but want to laugh - it was a far cry from the numerous extracurricular classes that parents in later generations would enroll their children in.

  But my own childhood was probably spent in a similar way... How cruel society is, who has the qualification to grow up happily and carefree? If she hadn't been attending Olympiad classes all day long when she was young, she wouldn't have gotten into Peking University, if she hadn't gotten into Peking University, she wouldn't have entered DB company's door, and without entering a large enterprise, where would her future be... Alas.

  Even if she is now living a carefree life in ancient times, it's all thanks to the skills she honed from rolling with the punches for seven or eight years back in her company days.

  Lin Wan stood silently outside the house, waiting for the pipa sound inside to stop before lifting the curtain and entering. Everyone seated here was higher in status than her, so she had to lower her head and kneel at the center of the main hall to pay respects one by one.

  The lingering sound of Yu Gui Fei's pipa still echoed, Taotao Hong was still immersed in it. The one who called Lin Yuan to get up was Xiang Fei, sitting on the right side of the imperial couch, wearing a crimson and gold embroidered brocade: "It's been many days since I've seen you, little Yuan. Today, you look thinner. Your body is your own, but take good care of it."

  Lin Wan's appetite decreased as summer approached, which wasn't unusual, but to those who paid attention, it became a pitiful sight of "missing you with a worried gut". She suppressed her discontent and didn't argue with Empress Xiang, simply saying: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."

  Another punch landed on cotton! Xiang Fei's eyebrows twisted almost imperceptibly.

  Xiang Fei had a lot to say today, Tuoba Hong listened to her and Lin Yan playing Tai Chi, then turned his eyes back from Yun Gui Bin and looked at Lin Yan: "You're here?"

  A homey question, accompanied by Taohong's warm smile on his angular face, made the woman infatuated. Lin Yan responded with a bright and charming smile, saying: "Speaking of which, I should thank the emperor for his kindness in summoning the concubines at such an opportune time. It's so lively here in the palace, and the concubine happened to hear Yurong's piano sound outside, and couldn't bear to disturb her, so she stood there listening to the whole song. At this moment, she still can't come back to her senses, only then did she realize the wonderful part of the lingering sound."

  Tuoba Hong looked at the smile on her face, and his mind was slightly moved. This woman was really very clever. She always presented herself in the most perfect way in front of him, no matter how much bitterness and hardship she had behind her back.

  She came from such a humble background, yet she was able to charm herself into receiving favor again and again, and live safely under that favor until now. Emperor Taizong of Northern Wei had never given her any attention, but this beautiful woman like the hibiscus flower had roots as tough as weeds. Many people, including Bai Liangdi, Consort Sheng, and Chu Shi, disliked her, yet they could only helplessly let her live on and compete for favor. Her skill at charming men was high, but perhaps her skill at charming women was even higher.

  Such an excellent woman may be able to play a greater role... Never mind, let's see if she can make it to that step.

  Tuoba Hong sat with his back against a wall, lost in thought. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and smiled: "Yuan'er, come sit by my side."

  Lin Wan sat down on the small stool that the palace maid had brought over, which happened to be right next to the Emperor's left knee. Xiang Fei was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the Emperor on the soft couch, while Yun Gui Bin was holding a pipa and sitting in the red wooden chair in the center of the great hall. Tian Liang Yi sat at the edge because her rank was not high, whereas Lin Wan's rank was even lower than Tian Liang Yi's... The three women in the room looked at Lin Wan with some displeasure on their faces as she walked forward and took a seat without hesitation.

  Lin Wan indeed didn't want to decline, as soon as the Emperor spoke those words, she was already filled with resentment, whether she sat or not made no difference.

  Perhaps it's been a long time since they last met, Tuoba Hong reached out to touch Lin Yuan's Chao Yun Jin Xiang Jia, smiling: "Just now, Yu Guifei played a song 'Spring River Flower Moon Night', which won my heart. I didn't expect that even you would praise it endlessly." He then turned to Yu Guifei and praised her with a smile: "Hua Xin is indeed the pipa master of Great Qin."

  When the emperor is in a good mood, he can praise people to the sky. This remark seems to imply that except for Yun Guibao, all other musicians are insignificant. Yun Guibao Chu Huaxin listened with a smile on her face and said: "Your Majesty is teasing me again."

  "I have never deceived you, not even once. In my heart, those who specialize in playing the pipa are not even one ten-thousandth as good as you." Tuoba Hong continued to caress her wrist.

  Chu Huaxin was still smiling. In some ways, she and Lin Wan were similar, each smile perfect and flawless, full of lively charm, making people feel comfortable. Perhaps because they were too alike, when Lin Wan looked at Chu Huaxin, she could keenly see the flaws under her perfect mask - in the eyes hidden behind the pipa, there was a hint of resentment that seemed to exist but not quite.

  It's settled, Chu Huaxin was very displeased at this moment. Today, the emperor flipped her sign, and when the palace maid from Jianzhang Palace came to invite her to bring her pipa to Qinghui Garden to accompany the emperor, she was still surprised and delighted. The joyful revelry on Taiye Pool was much more interesting than the rigid rules of Jianzhang Palace. Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, she saw Empress Xiang. Although Empress Xiang had a noble status, Chu Huaxin thought that her pipa was only prepared for the emperor alone, and others, especially the women in the harem, did not have the qualifications to make her offer music.

  Xiang Fei endured it, but soon the Emperor summoned Lin Shi again. What is Lin Shi anyway, qualified to sit here and appreciate the music of Chu's daughter? It's unknown what the Emperor is thinking, these days his sisters have used all their skills to enthrall him, making him linger and forget to return, except for Xiang Fei this outlier, haven't the other consorts been discarded long ago? Why did the Emperor think of Lin Shi again?

  Chu Hua Xin gritted her teeth in silence. A moment later, she rolled her eyes and looked up at the Emperor with a smile: "Your Majesty and Empress Shang have both praised me so much, I am truly honored." As she spoke, she fixed her gaze on Lin Yu: "From what Lin Xiao Yu said, you also liked the piece just now. I wonder where you think its strengths lie?"

  Xiang Fei stood quietly by his side, slowly peeling a bright green grape in her hand and gently feeding it to the Emperor. The Emperor ate the grape from her hand, smiling at Lin Yuan just like Yu Rong Gui Bin did.

  Lin Wan glanced at Chu Huaxin, who was wearing a specially prepared crimson ruan smoke-colored skirt with five-color butterfly embroidery on the hem. Under the yellow candlelight in the pavilion by the lake, it seemed to have a somewhat ambiguous meaning. Yun Guibei... The name Yun was indeed fitting, as she wore an outfit that was both elegant and alluring, playing the pipa for the emperor in such a beautiful and charming place like Tiao Yu Xiao Zhu. At this moment, Chu Huaxin exuded a captivating charm from every pore of her being. No wonder the emperor liked her.

  It's great to have sisters supporting each other in the palace. Chu Huaxin is famous for her skills in music and chess, but Lin Yuan doesn't know about her literary talents. Even if she isn't well-versed in literature, her sister, Tian Liangdi, is sitting right next to her. The question "What's so good about this melody?" is a test that leaves no room for concealment. It seems that Chu Huaxin thinks Lin Yuan comes from a humble background and lacks education, so if she can't explain the beauty of the melody, she'll become a laughing stock. Even if she manages to say something, it's easy for Tian Liangdi, a great talent, to crush her into the dirt.

  Lin Wan thought for a moment, then smiled slightly at the provocation in Chu Huaxin's eyes: "The noble concubine is well-versed in music, and Zhen Xiao's talent is outstanding. As a humble palace woman, I don't have your talents, so I dare not comment on the noble concubine's piano skills." After speaking, she saw Yun Gui Concubine's face change color.

  The Chu sisters' faces were slightly pale, and they exchanged a glance before quickly lowering their heads. At this moment, Chu Huaxin lowered her head just to conceal the anger in her eyes. This Lin family was too troublesome, and it was also strange that she had neglected Xiang Fei... Lin said something about "mastering music" and "talent and elegance", but only her own sisters could live up to such praise, and this remark had also dragged Xiang Fei into it... Although Lin was not as good as her own sisters in terms of talent, if they really wanted to compete for the title of female scholar, Xiang Fei would not be able to surpass them either.

  As expected, the corners of Shang Fei's eyes were already overflowing with resentment. For more than half a month now, the Chu sisters had been vying for favor with her every day, and had already provoked her to burn with anger. Now that Lin Wan humbly said something about "showing off one's skills in front of one's master", Shang Fei's hatred turned towards the Chu sisters once again.

  The hall fell silent for a moment, Chu Hua Xing regretted wanting to bite her tongue, only Xiang Fei continued to serve the emperor grapes with an unchanged expression.

  Lin Wan raised her eyes and glanced at the crowd, then covered her mouth with a fan and smiled, saying: "Just now, the concubine had not yet answered Concubine Yun's question. If Concubine Yun insists on having the concubine comment on it, the concubine can only say that Your Ladyship's piano skills are extraordinary, and what is even more precious is the melancholy and nostalgia in the music, which makes one think of their own husband."

  As soon as the words fell, suddenly a "pfft" sound was heard, and it was the emperor who laughed. He pointed at Lin Yu and said: "You're still being modest, I think you have quite some insight in evaluating music. How is it that your Mirror Moon Pavilion has become 'Bright Moon Tower'?"

  "What a place to think of the bright moon tower" is a famous sentence in Spring River Flower Moon Night, this poem writes throughout the woman thinking of her husband, with some emotional feelings. However, such beautiful emotions were brought into the harem, played by a noble concubine in front of the emperor, and used by a young maid to flirt and gain favor, the emotions inside are probably also changed.