People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 191, Nongyu, you don't want this piece of music to be ruined, do you? (Second update!)

In the backyard of Zilanxuan, Xinzheng.

Nongyu lightly bit her red lips, and a blush rose on her fair face, like a blush of drunken rouge, making her look pitiful.

Her once bright eyes, which had been hidden from the stars, were now filled with shyness. Her small hands trembled slightly as she plucked the strings, and the music she played was far from that of a master musician; it was even worse than that of a beginner.

"Nongyu, I've taught you twice already, why haven't you learned it yet?"

Xu Qing looked at Nongyu in his arms with some frustration. Logically speaking, Liang Zhu is not difficult to learn. He had already taught Nongyu twice, and Nongyu is a master of the zither. She should have learned it by now.

Feeling frustrated, Xu Qing couldn't help but squeeze Nongyu's soft, slender little hand.

Don't you know why I can't learn it?

Nongyu turned her head slightly and saw Xu Qing's face, which was only half an inch away from hers. Xu Qing's warm breath hit her face, making her heart flutter.

Xu Qing knelt behind Nongyu, holding her hands as he taught her to play the zither, while Nongyu was completely embraced by Xu Qing.

Being in such close contact with Xu Qing, Nongyu felt her body burning up, and her fair skin, as white as snow, glowed with a rosy hue, like a newly blossoming peach blossom.

“Perhaps you can let me try playing it myself,” Nongyu said softly, looking down.

With Xu Qing holding her little hand, she couldn't even focus on the sheet music, let alone play the piano.

"What did you say?" Xu Qing asked Nongyu in confusion.

"It's nothing, I'll probably learn it next time," Nongyu said, blushing.

As soon as she finished speaking, Nongyu regretted it. What was she doing? She clearly wanted to play it herself.

And isn't her posture with Xu Qing a bit too ambiguous? What if someone sees them?
When playing it for the first time, Nongyu actually wanted to remind Xu Qing that he might learn faster if he tried playing it himself.

But for some reason, she felt an unprecedented sense of security when she was in Xu Qing's arms. This psychological comfort and satisfaction made her speak against her will every time.

Feeling Xu Qing's gaze and breath, Nongyu's cheeks became even redder, her tense body suddenly went limp, and her kneeling legs tilted to the side, completely collapsing into Xu Qing's arms, her slender waist leaning slightly forward.

Her small feet, wrapped in plain white silk stockings, pressed against Xu Qing's thighs, her full, peach-like breasts pressed against Xu Qing.

Nongyu's small mouth opened and closed slightly as she breathed, trying to cool the burning sensation on her face.

The dress ribbon that had been hanging on her shoulders slipped down, revealing the pale pink undergarment ribbon in Xu Qing's eyes. Following the ribbon, Xu Qing saw once again the turbulent global situation.

"What a smooth-talking old man, what a master of deception, what a source of global unease."

Xu Qing silently praised Nongyu three times in his heart.

"Nongyu, are you feeling unwell? Should your brother-in-law come and check you out?" Xu Qing asked with concern.

"Brother-in-law, no need. Why don't you let go of me first? This doesn't seem quite right for us," Nongyu muttered softly.
"Brother-in-law, it wouldn't be good if Sister Zi Nu saw us like this."

Although being in Xu Qing's arms made her feel safe, out of respect and affection for Zi Nu, she forced herself to stay rational and say what she had always wanted to say.

"I'm tuning your instrument for you, both for your playing skills and for the sake of Zilan Pavilion," Xu Qing said earnestly.

Did he think that teaching Nongyu step by step was an easy thing? Was it something that made him happy?

Having such a gentle and pure-hearted sister-in-law, Xu Qing can only say, "You can't imagine how happy I am."

"But Sister Zi Nu will be back soon, and this could easily cause a misunderstanding."

Nongyu spoke with some excitement, and her beautiful eyes, which looked at Xu Qing, showed a hint of panic as she bit her red lips slightly.

She wasn't trying to get angry at Xu Qing; she was just afraid of being seen by Zi Nu and the others.

She knew that her feelings for Xu Qing were somewhat abnormal; although they were soulmates, there was a hint of personal affection mixed in.

She is such a gentle and pure-looking girl. Even when she speaks harshly, she is so gentle and beautiful.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your body?" Xu Qing released Nongyu's hand and asked with concern.

"I am sure."

Nongyu lowered her head shyly and quickly put the guqin back into her sleeve, feeling a little embarrassed to look at Xu Qing.

"That's good. You are Zi Nu's precious daughter. If anything were to happen to you, not only would Zi Nu not forgive me, but I myself would not forgive myself."

As Xu Qing spoke, he stepped back two steps, stood up from behind Nongyu, and walked to the opposite side of Nongyu.

Feeling the person behind her leave, Nongyu breathed a sigh of relief, gripping the zither table with both hands to keep herself from falling.

Looking at Xu Qing sitting opposite her, Nongyu suddenly felt a void in her heart, as if she had lost something, and felt somewhat dazed.

"I'll keep the sheet music. Practice it whenever you have free time. Once you've mastered it, I'll arrange for someone to post the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in Zilan Pavilion to promote you and surely elevate the pavilion's reputation to new heights."

Xu Qing noticed Nongyu's nervousness and shyness, and understood that she needed to be given time to adjust. Otherwise, a girl with such an artistic temperament like Nongyu might get stuck in a rut and accidentally do something that everyone would regret.

The last person who failed to handle this kind of relationship was named Cheng Ge, and as for his fate...
“Okay, I will try my best to practice the Liang Zhu melody.” Nongyu nodded and said with a determined look in her eyes. She was always extremely serious about anything related to the zither.

“Once the Liang-Zhu legend is performed, I think Nongyu’s fame will rival, or even surpass, that of Kuang Xiu of Zhao, making her the greatest musician in the world,” Xu Qing said with a smile, patting Nongyu’s head.

The reason why "High Mountains and Flowing Water" has become a widely circulated and timeless masterpiece is not only because of the beauty of its melody, but also because of the story behind it, which gives it enough depth to be accepted by the world.

The Butterfly Lovers story perfectly fulfills this requirement, and the fact that it's played by a stunningly beautiful woman makes it even more captivating.

Upon hearing this, Nongyu was taken aback at first, and then looked at Xu Qing with some trepidation. She naturally understood what Xu Qing meant by those words.

If she were to play the Butterfly Lovers solo, it would certainly elevate her and Zilanxuan's fame, but it would fall far short of Kuang Xiu's status. Unless, of course, she composed the Butterfly Lovers herself.

Xu Qing's intention was clearly to give her the song "The Butterfly Lovers," making her the composer of the song.

"No, no, this won't do." Nongyu stammered nervously, her eyes darting nervously towards Xu Qing.

“Why not? This piece was originally meant to be a gift for you. Besides, you know my current status. Although the music is elegant, it is ultimately just a minor skill for me.”

"If I were to become a composer, it would not help me gain fame, but would instead become a burden."

Xu Qing pinched Nongyu's little face and couldn't help but sigh at how tender she was.

Nongyu looked at Xu Qing with a conflicted expression. Xu Qing's words made a lot of sense. Although the art of playing the zither was elegant, it was just a trivial skill for Xu Qing, who was at the height of his career.

He may be good at playing the zither in his daily life, but if he were to claim that he composed a tragic love song like Liang Zhu, it would not only fail to boost his fame, but would also invite ridicule from other scholars.

"However," Nongyu's deep devotion to the zither made her hesitate to agree.

Seeing that Nongyu was still hesitating, Xu Qing deliberately put on a stern face and said...

"If you don't agree, is it because you don't want this piece of music to be known by the world? Are you planning to keep it hidden away?"

“Of course not. Such a piece of music deserves to be known by the world and passed down through the ages,” Nongyu said with some excitement.

"Then do as I say, otherwise you wouldn't want me to ruin this piece, would you?"

Xu Qing put on a fierce look and threatened Nongyu, like a male boss in a movie.

Reasoning with this gentle sister-in-law won't work; sometimes you have to be a little stern.

Upon hearing this, Nongyu grabbed the sheet music and said nervously.
"I agree, but please don't destroy the score. The story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is already lost, causing people to feel sorry for them. If Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are destroyed as well, I will be a sinner."

“If you agree, I naturally won’t destroy the piece,” Xu Qing said, stroking Nongyu’s head.

The significance of the piece "High Mountains and Flowing Water" to the musician is no less than the significance of "Snow After Rain" to the Daoist community.

He remembered that Kuang Xiu had brought the music of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" back to life. He needed to find time to reconnect with his senior brother from the Zhao Kingdom and ask him to find a way to copy the score from Kuang Xiu.

As the brother-in-law, he had to fulfill his sister-in-law Nongyu's wishes.

"Okay, thank you, Imperial Physician." Nongyu looked at Xu Qing excitedly, her grip on the sheet music tightening involuntarily.

She understood the value of the gift Xu Qing had given her. With this piece of music, she was destined to be remembered in history, and her gaze towards Xu Qing softened involuntarily.

Xu Qing not only helped her find her mother and avenge her, but also guided her in playing the piano, and now he has given her such a valuable piece of music.

This moved Nongyu deeply, and she didn't know how to repay Xu Qing. She felt that she should repay him with her body and do anything for him.

However, since Xu Qing already had Zi Nu, she couldn't possibly steal her sister's man, which made Nong Yu's feelings for Xu Qing even more complicated.

"Wait, what should you call me?" Xu Qing said, grabbing Nongyu's raised hand with displeasure.

The blush that had finally faded from Nongyu's face returned, and she said softly.

"Thank you, brother-in-law."

“Yes, we’re family, so there’s no need for formalities in the future,” Xu Qing said, holding Nongyu’s hand.

"Okay, brother-in-law."

As Xu Qing held her hand, Nongyu's cheeks flushed slightly, her brows furrowed with shyness, her beautiful eyes were half-closed, and her heart pounded.

"What's with all this polite talk? Why are we talking about family again?"

Zi Nu's voice came from outside the room. Nong Yu quickly broke free from Xu Qing's hand and withdrew it.

Xu Qing glanced at the flustered Nongyu, quickly wiped the smirk off his face, and put on a calm, not gentle, smile as he looked towards the door.

Zi Nu pushed open the door and entered the room. Upon seeing Xu Qing, she smiled and said...
"I knew it. You weren't in my room. You must have come to see Nongyu."

As she spoke, Zi Nu looked at Nong Yu. Upon seeing Nong Yu's expression, the smile on her face froze, and a hint of coldness flashed in her charming eyes as she looked at Xu Qing with hostility.

(End of this chapter)