I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Xu Qing listened to the three people's words without changing his expression.

I thought to myself: I've seen all sorts of performances like this; to say it's purely pretentious is certainly not the case...

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly began to speak:

"Everyone has misunderstood. When I said 'almost there,' I wasn't referring to singing skills, but to my state of mind."

He looked at Gu Zhiyi:

"Miss Zhiyi was not yet twenty years old, with a slender figure and outstanding looks, at the peak of her life. But what does this song 'The Song of the Pipa' sing about? It is 'The evening goes and the morning comes, her beauty fades,' 'In her old age, she married a merchant,' the desolation of a once famous courtesan in the capital after she grew old."

As he spoke, he looked at Gu Zhiyi's beautiful and captivating face:

"Zhiyi sang beautifully, it was very moving. But you haven't truly experienced that sense of aging and helplessness yet. You're imagining that state of mind, not living it in your heart. This isn't something you can learn just by practicing."

Gu Zhiyi was stunned after hearing this.

She tightened her grip on the pipa with her fingers, and after a while, she gently released it.

Her lips twitched, revealing a bitter smile, and her voice was somewhat downcast:

"Young Master Xu is absolutely right. When I sing it myself, I always feel like something is missing, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Now that you've mentioned it, I understand."

She put down her pipa and bowed earnestly to Xu Qing: "Then, Young Master Xu, how do you think I should improve?"

Xu Qing did not answer immediately.

He was silent for a moment, many things flashing through his mind, before he spoke:

"I have a somewhat immature idea. If it's convenient for you, Miss Zhiyi, you could find an older, veteran entertainer who has worked in the entertainment industry for decades..."

Ideally, the most beautiful courtesan should be someone who has truly experienced the ups and downs of life. Ask her to tell you about her glorious youth and her state of mind in old age. Once you understand her story, singing that song will naturally be different.

Gu Zhiyi frowned slightly: "It's not that we can't find someone like that, but we might not be able to invite them in a short time. If it drags on, it might be too late..."

Xu Qing nodded:

"There's another way. When you were playing and singing just now, everything was good until you sang the line 'Evening goes and morning comes, colors remain the same,' where you put in a bit too much force. If I'm not mistaken, you wanted to sing that line with more weight to convey the emotion."

Gu Zhiyi's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't speak, clearly waiting for him to finish.

Seeing this, Xu Qing continued:

"You can sing that line by wrapping your breath around the lyrics, letting some air escape. Don't be afraid of speaking softly; that's the line that should convey the most emotion. Wrapping it with breath will make it sorrowful."

When you sing, you can imagine yourself standing by the river, watching your younger self drift downstream, farther and farther away, never to return. Keep that image in your heart before you begin to sing.

Gu Zhiyi lowered her head and remained silent for a while, processing what he had said.

Then she picked up the pipa again and plucked that melody once more.

This time, when she played "dusk goes and morning comes, colors remain the same," the force in her hands was noticeably lighter than before.

I tried pronouncing it again. Although the voice was a little soft, I deliberately let out some air, and the words were sung with breath wrapped around them. It was truly moving.

She put down her pipa, and when she looked up, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her voice was quite emotional:

"Young Master Xu, what you're saying... I think I understand now."

She took a deep breath and picked up the pipa again.

This time, she sang from beginning to end. When she sang "the eldest daughter married a merchant," her voice had a layer of sorrow that she hadn't had before.

When she sang the lines "In the dead of night, I suddenly dreamt of my youth, and wept in my dream, my tears staining the red railing," a tear truly welled up in the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek.

She didn't wipe it; she just left it hanging there and continued singing the last line.

After the last note faded, the room remained quiet for a long time.

Then, Xiao Mingyuan made the first move.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said with a distinctly nasal tone, "Xu Qing, you...you fucking made me cry."

Fang Jing and Zhao Xuan weren't much better off.

Fang Jing's eyes reddened, and he picked up his teacup to cover his face, then lowered his head and pretended to drink tea.

Zhao Xuan's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but he didn't speak.

Li Yan let out a long breath, and his gaze towards Xu Qing became even more solemn.

Gu Zhiyi put down the pipa, stood up, walked to Xu Qing, and bowed deeply.

The ceremony was performed with extreme solemnity, involving lying directly on the blanket!

It took a while before he could straighten up; his eyes were wet.

Her voice was filled with undisguised emotion:

"With Young Master Xiao's poem, I thought I had victory in the bag. But after listening to Young Master Xu's words just now, I realized... my understanding was still lacking. Now, even if I were to compete with everyone in the world, I would have no fear."

Xu Qing quickly stood up to return the greeting, her tone gentle:

"Miss Zhiyi, there's no need for that. Your foundation is already good enough; I'm just helping you unlock the door."

Xiao Mingyuan rubbed his eyes, wiping away tears as he spoke:

"That's wonderful! This counts as doing good deeds and accumulating merit. What's that saying again... 'Do one good deed a day, accumulate great merit; do two good deeds a day, accumulate even greater merit'?"

Fang Jing, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Fatty Xiao, did you make up those lines on the spot?"

Xiao Mingyuan patted his chest earnestly: "Even improvised lyrics are good; as long as you find them pleasing to the ear, isn't that enough?"

The room erupted in laughter.

Xu Qing watched as Gu Zhiyi picked up the pipa again, and as she bent down to tune the strings, the smile on her lips was barely concealed. She felt...

This trip was worthwhile.

It's not about trying to build connections or network.

Today, I genuinely elevated a great piece of music from a seven to a nine.

That solid sense of satisfaction is really great.

Gu Zhiyi picked up the pipa again and tried the ending melody one more time.

After she finished playing, the corners of her mouth finally turned up, revealing a satisfied smile.

The weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted.

She put the pipa back on the stand, turned around, and her gaze shifted back and forth between Xiao Mingyuan and Xu Qing.

She first looked at Xiao Mingyuan and bowed slightly:

"When Young Master Xiao handed me that 'Pipa Ballad,' I thought I had gotten a great deal. But after listening to Young Master Xu's words just now, I realized... the lyrics are the skeleton, and the music is the soul; neither can be missing. I will remember this favor."

Xiao Mingyuan quickly waved his hand: "Miss Zhiyi, you're too kind. The poem is..."

He almost blurted out "Xu Qing wrote it," but he abruptly changed the subject:

"...It is the collective effort of all the scholars in Hengyang, and it is not worth mentioning."

"Young Master Xiao is too modest..."

Gu Zhiyi then turned to Xu Qing and pondered for a moment.

She glanced at the sheet music covered with annotations on the table, then at Xu Qing's calm and composed face.

I'm thinking about how to repay this guidance.

"Young Master Xu, it would be too vulgar of me to give you money directly."

Xu Qing stood to the side, her face expressionless, but inwardly she was thinking:

"It's good to be vulgar; I'm a vulgar person anyway. Money and food are much more practical than empty favors." But he didn't speak; he just waited quietly.

Gu Zhiyi pondered for a moment, then turned and walked behind her desk. She picked up a fine wolf-hair brush and wrote a line on her personal letter paper.

She wrote very quickly, her handwriting was elegant and flowing, quite different from the delicate beauty of ordinary women, and had a touch of the spirit of a scholar.

After finishing writing, she gently opened her mouth, blew on it, folded the letter, and handed it to Xu Qing.