Chapter 294: 163 Xuanping Marquis (second shift)
Li Wanwan, falling short skill-wise compared to Gu Jinyu and Zhuang Yuexi, ended up tied with Zhuang Yuexi for second place in this round.
Despite keeping her first-place position, Gu Jinyu felt little joy.
The performance had been outstanding; she felt completely overshadowed.
Only after hearing from the Empress that the Crown Princess had invited musicians from the palace for the examination did she decide to choose a more impressive piece. Otherwise, any piece would have sufficed to win the relatively minor competition.
She didn’t realize it would be that bad if she hadn’t revised her choice.
Winning first place with her masterful skill wouldn’t have attracted any criticism.
Now, compared to Li Wanwan, her piece seemed more like a joke.
Gu Jinyu never dreamed that her limelight would be snatched away by the seemingly unimpressive Li Wanwan.
After the examination, the music master stayed behind to give some pointers to Li Wanwan about her zither playing technique, highlighting areas of potential improvement, and gifted her a guqin.
Although it wasn’t comparable to the Yueying Fo Xi Guqin, it was certainly better than the one Li Wanwan currently had.
Gu Jinyu left the Music Hall, carrying her Yueying Fo Xi Guqin with a sullen expression.
On her way down the stairs, she bumped into Zhuang Mengdie.
Zhuang Mengdie ranked last and was initially very upset; however, seeing what happened to Gu Jinyu, her rage diminished.
She glanced at the Yueying Fo Xi Guqin in Gu Jinyu’s arms and mocks, “What’s the point of having such a good Guqin if it doesn’t guarantee success? Withdraw that attempt at modifying the piece; it’s laughable at best!”
Was Gu Jinyu’s modified piece so horrible?
If it hadn’t been for Li Wanwan’s piece, she would’ve been the one to impress the Music Master that day.
However, Gu Jinyu wasn’t as overconfident as Gu Jiao, and her humiliation was apparent. She retorted, “At least I came first. What was your rank again, Miss Zhuang?”
Zhuang Mengdie, hit where it hurt, couldn’t out argue Gu Jinyu and could only respond forcefully, “How dare you talk back to me!”
Gu Jinyu snorted, “Speaking of which, I am the Countess. Miss Zhuang, you should be formally greeting me under normal circumstances. But since we’re both students here, I won’t worry about such formalities.”
Zhuang Mengdie was infuriated by her words, “Is that so, Gu Jinyu? Now that you’re a Countess, you think you’re so important? Don’t think for a second I don’t know your true nature! You’d better not provoke me, or else I’ll expose your secret and see who still respects you!”
Gu Jinyu’s face paled.
She understood exactly what Zhuang Mengdie was referring to. When they were at the Hot Springs Villa, her father had mentioned to the Duke of An region that she, Gu Jiao, and Gu Yan were triplets. It turned out that Zhuang Mengdie already knew the truth.
How did she find out?
And what about the Duke of An region? Did he know? If he did, did he not mind?
These questions threw Gu Jinyu into a state of chaos.
On the other side, the music master had finished instructing Li Wanwan.
Rather than rushing back, Li Wanwan took her new guqin and went to the pavilion, where she usually practiced her music. The place was so secluded that not even the cleaning lady came around.
“Miss, Miss, are you there?” She asked into the wall.
No response came from beyond the wall.
Usually, the woman was there at this time.
After pondering a while, she continued speaking to the wall, “Miss, I’ve passed the test, thank you for your music!”
After speaking, she waited for a while before leaving, carrying the guqin, as the snow began to fall harder.
On the other side of the wall, the second master, while carrying a chair for Gu Jiao, was puzzled, “Who was the person talking on the other side of the wall? What music?”
Gu Jiao looked down and flipped through the ledger in her hand, “Who knows.”
The second master was confused; the music couldn’t be that of Master Gu, could it? Though Master Gu is skilled at healing, she certainly can’t compose music. Never mind the guqin that she has on display in her room. She had barely even touched it.
The snow stopped after a while, but it seemed like it would start again. The second master was worried that the journey might become challenging for Gu Jiao if she tarried and asked her to head back soon.
It was a good decision; it was the last day of the Guozijian elementary school semester, and she had promised to pick up Xiao Jìngkōng.
By the time she arrived at the Guozijian, Xiao Jìngkōng was already eagerly waiting at the door. The small figure dressed in the Guozijian student uniform was eye-catching.
Equally noticeable was Xiao Liulang standing behind him.
This man was also incredible; he grew more and more stunning day by day.