75: Chapter 72: Unmatched Beauty_2 75: Chapter 72: Unmatched Beauty_2 On stage, Jiang Youyao played the zither very well.
“Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank” depicts the scene of wild geese flying across the sky in autumn, sometimes circling, sometimes looking back.
An old saying goes, “Capture the clear and desolate mood of autumn, with the wild geese flying and calling,” embodying “the clear autumn sky, the refreshing breeze, the calm sands, clouds stretching thousands of miles, geese’s calls in the sky, using the wild swan’s lofty aspirations to express the breadth of a recluse’s spirit.”
This melody was melodious and fluent, and Jiang Li hadn’t expected that Jiang Youyao would choose such a piece as “Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank.” She thought that a delicate lady like Jiang Youyao would play a more delicate piece of music.
It’s not that women couldn’t play bold pieces, but because the zither sound reflects the player’s state of mind, how could Jiang Youyao’s state of mind be so expansive and open?
But Jiang Youyao played quite well.
“This piece is already very difficult, and over the years at the Inspection Field, few people have played it, and those who have played it did so very ordinarily.
Jiang Youyao is the first to play it so outstandingly,” Liu Xu muttered to herself, “Such difficult fingering, and yet she plays it as if it is not foreign to her at all.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li was somewhat surprised and asked, “Is this piece very difficult?”
“Of course!” Liu Xu immediately replied, “Among the ten famous zither pieces of Mingyi Hall, the simplest is ‘Flowing Water,’ followed by ‘Bright Spring and White Snow,’ ‘Three Variations on the Plum Blossom Theme,’ ‘Fisherman’s Dusk Song,’ ‘Xiaoxiang River Clouds,’ ‘Fisherman’s Reef Inquiry,’ ‘Three Refrains on the Yang Pass,’ ‘Guangling Poet,’ and then ‘Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank.’ Speaking of which, the Immortal Jing Hong became famous throughout Yanjing because of ‘Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank’…
Ah,” Liu Xu suddenly thought of something, “I knew there was something familiar about Jiang Youyao’s movements just now.
It did look a bit like the Immortal Jing Hong…
Could it be that the Immortal Jing Hong has given her private instructions?”
Jiang Li realized that it was not difficult for the Jiang Family to pay the price, and Ji Shuran was determined to make Jiang Youyao stand out in this Inspection Field, so it was not difficult to hire the Immortal Jing Hong.
She asked, “There are only nine pieces.”
“The most difficult one is ‘Hu Jia Eighteen Beats.’ ‘Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank’ at least has people playing it, though not well.
‘Hu Jia Eighteen Beats,’ however, has not been played by anyone at the Inspection Field for many years, even by the most outstanding zither students, not to mention Mr.
Xiao,” Liu Xu said.
Naturally, she referred to Xiao Deyin.
Jiang Li thought that Xiao Deyin had actually played it, but because he pursued perfection without flaws, his “Hu Jia Eighteen Beats” was always just shy of perfect, so he simply refrained from playing it in public.
In private, however, Xiao Deyin had been diligently practicing for years to perfect “Hu Jia Eighteen Beats” and had even consulted her.
However, Xue Fangfei was dead, and no one knew about these matters any longer.
Jiang Youyao was still playing, the wild geese had the feeling of returning glances and hovering postures, the image of soaring before gathering, the divine essence of startling and then rising again.
In the music of Jiang Youyao’s zither, she gradually unfolded the varied states of the wild geese, making one feel as if one were in the autumn days, with the sky blue and clear, and geese leaving no trace as they passed.
Among the examiners, Xiao Deyin’s expression shifted slightly, and the Immortal Jing Hong, watching Jiang Youyao’s movements on the stage, showed a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes.
But then she heard someone beside her speaking, “I wonder when the Immortal started taking disciples?”
It was the court musician, Mian Ju.
Mian Ju, now in his fifties, still looked as joyful as a man in his twenties, always laughing and joking.
His hemp garment, worn and faded, did not at all suggest that he was a musician who performed for the emperor.
When he made this comment, his tone was teasing, and his manner suggested disapproval of the Immortal Jing Hong’s actions.
Upon hearing this, the Immortal Jing Hong’s ears reddened.
Mian Ju, as a master, could not be deceived by Jiang Youyao’s fingering, and she had anticipated this.
Still, being pointed out so directly made her somewhat annoyed.
Since her redemption and marriage, many things had changed.
She married the son of a tea merchant, a common businessman, not a family of great wealth.
She could no longer afford to show her face, but eventually, she still needed to provide for living expenses.
The silver Ji Shuran gave her was enough to support a whole family worry-free for several years.
Therefore, she couldn’t refuse the private instruction of Jiang Youyao.
Fortunately, Jiang Youyao was a promising student; teaching an apprentice with spirit was much better than one with mediocre talent.
Then she heard Mian Ju say, “But this disciple of yours isn’t so impressive.”
Even though the Immortal Jing Hong was good-natured, she felt uncomfortable at that moment and asked, “Please enlighten me, sir.”
“Don’t take offense at this old fool’s straightforwardness, Immortal,” Mian Ju said with a grin, “Miss Jiang the Third has only learned the fairy-like appearance, not the fairy’s soul.
‘Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank’ requires capturing the hundreds of forms of the geese.
While your disciple has managed a fair bit, the open and serene sentiment is still far lacking.”