Princess Tiya’s guqin skills were indeed excellent.
When she stood up, the Emperor was the first to applaud, "Truly the Princess Tiya of the Southern Kingdom! This guqin music has a lingering charm that is unforgettable!"
The Empress beside him clapped her hands and smiled, but she felt the same as Song Chaoyu, "However... on such a grand day, is a piece like 'Xizhou Leng' too melancholic?"
"It was Tiya's oversight."
Although Princess Tiya said this, she proudly raised her head and looked at Song Chaoyu, "Then let Miss Song play a piece that befits this occasion. If your playing is better than mine, I will naturally concede defeat!"
Like a proud peacock, she was certain she would win today.
Upon hearing this, Song Chaoyu heard a sigh, "Alas... this Miss Song, I'm afraid she really cannot compare to Princess Tiya, can she?"
Someone chimed in, "Isn't that so? Listen to Princess Tiya's guqin music, her fingerwork, it's all first-class! Even the best guqin master in the palace cannot compare to Princess Tiya's performance. How can a mere concubine-born daughter compete?"
Moreover, it was customary for one person to have one guqin.
After Princess Tiya finished playing, someone took her guqin away.
Even Madam Da stood up and whispered to Song Chaoyu, "That 'Jiaowei' guqin of hers is a superior instrument. You should at least try not to disgrace yourself. If you wish to compete with her, I fear it's truly impossible."
Song Chaoyu nodded to Madam Da, then calmly walked towards the hall.
Mu Changxi's gaze remained fixed on Song Chaoyu.
He knew that Song Chaoyu could play the guqin, but not particularly well.
When Concubine Liu was still at the estate, she had taught Song Chaoyu much in guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
However, Song Chaoyu was young then and could not sit patiently by the guqin to practice for an entire day.
So, while Concubine Liu was busy with her work or selling goods, she would often sneak out through the window for Han Xi to take her out to play.
As long as she could sneak back through the window and sit by the guqin before Concubine Liu returned home, the day would be considered passed.
Thinking of this, Mu Changxi looked at the Consort sitting below the Empress, "Mother Consort, why not lend your 'Lüqi' guqin to Miss Song? It would also be good to let everyone see the splendor of 'Lüqi'."
Both 'Jiaowei' and 'Lüqi' were famous guqins of the era.
But if they were truly compared, 'Lüqi' was likely slightly superior.
Mu Changxi hoped to use the perfection of 'Lüqi' to slightly mask Song Chaoyu's guqin skills, which were inferior to Princess Tiya's.
The Consort, being Chang Wang's birth mother, naturally nodded with a smile, "Very well. Someone, bring my 'Lüqi' here for Miss Song to play."
Song Chaoyu quickly bowed her thanks, "Thank you, Consort."
—
After washing her hands and burning incense, Song Chaoyu sat before the 'Lüqi' guqin.
It was the first time she had touched such a fine ancient guqin, and she closed her eyes slightly, feeling the exquisite beauty of 'Lüqi'.
But as she sat there with her eyes closed in silence, a maid of Princess Tiya sneered and muttered, "Perhaps this Miss Song doesn't even know what piece to play? If you don't know, you should admit defeat quickly. No one will laugh at you for losing to our Princess!"
"Cough cough!"
Minister Sha turned and glared at the maid, as if warning her not to speak carelessly.
Song Chaoyu was unfazed. After a moment of silence, she slightly raised her hand and struck the first note—
"Zheng—"
The sound of 'Lüqi' echoed throughout the grand hall.
Song Chaoyu had chosen a piece called "Dragon Reclining in Mountains and Waters," which had been composed by the top court musician "Mr. Luohai" two years prior.
This piece was composed by Mr. Luohai for the Emperor's birthday. It depicted the true Son of Heaven of Great Yue, drunkenly reclining amidst the mountains and waters of Yue, with magnificent momentum and grandeur.
This piece allowed even the small Southern Kingdom to feel the vast territory and beautiful landscapes of the Great Yue Dynasty!
However, this piece was notoriously difficult to play.
If one only considered fingerwork or technique, it was only slightly more difficult than Princess Tiya's "Xizhou Leng."
But many felt the most difficult aspect of "Dragon Reclining in Mountains and Waters" was to convey the majestic, grand, and magnificent sense of a dragon roaming between mountains and waters.
Even Mr. Luohai's chief disciple found it difficult to produce that magnificent feeling.
No one would have expected that at this very moment, under the guqin of this mere concubine-born daughter, Song Chaoyu, the vastness of the Great Yue Dynasty's empire, its distant mountains and waters, would all be presented before everyone.
They seemed to see a golden dragon, after getting drunk, freely roaming the mountains and waters, encountering the carefree spirit of the human world.
Song Chaoyu kept her eyes lowered throughout the performance, her hands moving without the slightest pause. The piece "Dragon Reclining in Mountains and Waters" was unrestrained and wild, as well as magnificent and dashing.
Even Master Luohai, who was waiting to perform, unconsciously tapped his beat upon hearing the piece, closed his eyes, and was immersed in the grandeur of the dragon reclining in mountains and waters.
"Zheng—"
Only when the last note from Song Chaoyu's hands faded did she slowly lift her head, her eyes neither arrogant nor impatient.
In the vast main hall of the imperial palace, silence reigned for an unknown duration.
"Good, very good!"
Someone suddenly shouted excitedly, "What a magnificent 'Dragon Reclining in Mountains and Waters'! This piece has shown me the brilliance and splendor of the Great Yue Dynasty! Our Great Yue will surely last for ten thousand years and forever be ruled by the true dragon!"
"Ten thousand years! Eternal true dragon!"
"Ten thousand years! Eternal true dragon!"
...
Everyone began to shout in unison, causing the Emperor, who had been lost in the music, to open his eyes and stand up.
The smile in his eyes could no longer be hidden.
His gaze towards Song Chaoyu was filled with admiration and praise, "I never expected, truly never expected! The magnificent empire of my reign would be played with such dashing grandeur through the guqin of a mere woman like you! Good, very good! Reward!"
He then looked at Song Yuan, praising him incessantly, "Minister Song, you have taught your daughter well. I bestow upon the Song family one hundred mu of fertile land in the suburbs of the capital, five hundred taels of gold, and fifty bolts of various brocades! Furthermore, I bestow upon Song Chaoyu, the fourth daughter of the Song family, five斛 of South Sea pearls and a pair of sea jade!"
These South Sea pearls and sea jade were tribute items brought by the envoys from the Southern Kingdom. The Emperor's bestowal of them upon Song Chaoyu was self-evident in its meaning.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!"
The Song family lineage quickly expressed their gratitude to the Emperor.
"Haha, good, rise!"
The Emperor waved his hand, "The next dish is my favorite Crystal White Jade Trotter Jelly. Everyone, please try it!"
Although he did not directly state who had won,
Who could not see that this was to save Princess Tiya's face?
How could Princess Tiya's melancholic "Xizhou Leng" compare to Song Chaoyu's awe-inspiring "Dragon Reclining in Mountains and Waters"?