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Princess Hui’an listened in a daze, and the zither notes she produced were on par with Xiaohu’s.
She had inherited Consort Xian’s beauty but also her lack of intelligence.
Princess Jingning was also a beginner at the Luan zither, yet her natural aptitude left her foolish younger sister completely in the dust.
Qin Yanran had a foundation in the guqin, so she picked it up quickly as well.
Teacher Gao’s two most satisfactory students were undoubtedly Qin Yanran and Princess Jingning.
Princess Hui’an was a headache for Teacher Gao, but she was a princess, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and teach her.
Next was Leng Zhiruo, whose zither skills were also a mess.
"Did you get it?"
Princess Jingning asked Su Xiaoxiao.
Su Xiaoxiao: "Yeah, I got it."
Princess Jingning looked at her skeptically: Really? I have a feeling you didn’t.
The day focused mostly on theory rather than formally learning musical scores.
They were at the stage where Teacher Gao called out a note, and everyone played it.
With all of the zither sounds blending together, it wasn't immediately clear who was struggling.
"How is the Grand Empress Dowager’s health?"
During the break, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly asked Princess Jingning.
Princess Jingning looked at her curiously. "Why are you suddenly asking about the Grand Empress Dowager?"
Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t exactly say that she was checking to see if the Grand Empress Dowager had returned safely to the palace last night.
Instead, she recounted what had happened in the peach orchard that day.
Hearing that a venomous snake had appeared, Princess Jingning frowned.
Having grown up in the imperial palace, how could she possibly lack intelligence? She wasn’t a fool like Hui’an.
It was clear that someone was trying to secretly harm the Grand Empress Dowager.
"Actually... I’ve heard some rumors.….."
Princess Jingning glanced around. The young ladies who had gone to the restroom together were returning one after another.
Princess Jingning didn’t continue and only said, "I saw ‘the honorable’ in the pavilion this morning. She appeared to be in good health and was presumably not too scared.”
‘The honorable’ was a term of respect, though the Grand Empress Dowager was actually a few years younger than the Empress.
Su Xiaoxiao gently stroked the zither strings. "Oh."
---
The afternoon was Teacher Jiang’s class.
The first session covered ‘The Analects of Confucius’, and the second discussed ‘The Book of Songs’.
It was another ordinary day.
After school, Su Mo came to pick up Su Xiaoxiao.
Watching the ‘First Gentleman’ of the capital have eyes only for a country girl made the young ladies green with envy.
Hu Biyun was also deeply jealous.
The Hu family wasn’t a particularly prominent noble house. It was only through the Third Prince’s recommendation that they could secure a spot in the selection.
She had lived up to expectations by passing the exam to become a study companion, and her father had also met expectations by becoming the Head of the Imperial Hospital.
Recently, matchmakers had flocked to the Hu family’s door.
However, she didn’t fancy any of those young gentlemen.
Of course, she also understood that a distinguished family like the Zhenbei Marquis Residence was beyond the Hu family’s reach.
Unless.….. Su Mo took a liking to her himself.
Hu Biyun suddenly regretted confronting Su Xiaoxiao the day before.
If she had tried to win her over instead, could she have—
Su Mo’s carriage departed.
The curtain was lifted by the wind.
Hu Biyun saw the man, lofty as the sun in the clouds, hand a jar of walnuts to the chubby girl, with a smile in his eyes.
......
After arriving home, Su Xiaoxiao followed Dahu’s directions and went to the third residence from the east of their house.
The courtyard gate was open.
Su Xiaoxiao stood outside and asked, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"
A man around Su Cheng’s age yawned and slowly walked out.
"Who are you looking for?"
Su Xiaoxiao said, "I’m looking for Uncle Liu."
"Ah, you must be Dahu’s mother, right?"
The man seemed to wake up instantly.
Su Xiaoxiao nodded. ".…..I am."
The man smiled warmly.
"I’m Liu Sihe, just call me Old Liu! Are you looking for a carpenter?"