Chapter 440: 223 Couples (two more together as one)
Du Xiaoyun wanted to sneak away.
The Princess Consort cried out sternly, “Stand still!”
Du Xiaoyun’s scalp tightened, and she obediently sat back down in her chair.
Du Xiaoyun was in a rush. It was rare for the Crown Princess to come to the girls’ school, and she wanted to go see the Crown Princess!
While she was still sitting in the chair, her eyes were always darting outwards, revealing her unwillingness to stay there.
The Princess Consort, angered by her own sister, cast a venomous look at her, short of snatching a candlestick on the spot and throwing it at her!
What wrong did she do in her past life to end up with a sister who is such a defiant?
Fortunately, Li Wanwan was sincerely engaged in the lecture.
She sat upright on the cushion opposite the Princess Consort, with a guqin placed on the small table in front of her, a gift from Teacher Xie during the last year’s examination.
The sound quality was excellent, which she liked and cherished very much, thus she took great care of it every day and kept it free from the dust.
Lanwan was very satisfied with today’s lecture. Being a commoner’s daughter, she could not fit in with most of the rich girls in the school.
On normal days she couldn’t even secure a spot in the music room, let alone a good seat in class. She was always the one at the farthest back corner, far, far away from the scholars.
But now she was in close proximity to the Princess Consort, she could hear more clearly, and understand more deeply.
The anger stirred up by her sister had faded considerably in the face of the diligent student Li Wanwan. The Princess Consort started to seriously teach Li Wanwan.
However, she was only teaching Li Wanwan. Du Xiaoyun was physically present but mentally absent, not paying attention at all!
The Princess Consort didn’t hurry to start her lessons, but first let Li Wanwan play a piece to assess her level.
The song Li Wanwan played was “Autumn Frost”, learnt this year. The melody was gentle and the sound resonant, not too challenging, but required great attention to detail.
“Not bad,” the Princess Consort nodded, “but your fingering needs more practice. How long have you been learning the guqin?”
Li Wanwan answered, “In response to the Princess Consort, I have been learning for a year.”
“Just a year?” The Princess Consort was amazed and complimented her, “Then it’s not just ‘not bad,’ it’s ‘very good’.”
Li Wanwan looked down – all because someone had guided her.
The Princess Consort offered some tips on fingering, and while Li Wanwan wasn’t a guqin prodigy, she had a good learning capacity.
The Princess Consort said, “You’ve got a pretty good handle on this tune. Practice it more when you get home. Today, I’ll teach you a new song.”
In another large classroom at the end of the corridor, every seat was filled, and even the corridor and area beneath the windows were packed with people. It was a good thing it was on the first floor; otherwise, who knows how many people would have fallen?
The Crown Princess was clad in a simple yet elegant outfit today, not the usual grand royal attire, but a white fairy-like dress, making her look like a celestial being who did not indulge in the mundane affairs.
A cinnabar mole was drawn between her brows, not appearing flirtatious, but more innocent and beautiful, bewitchingly glamorous.
Wherever she sat appeared like a landscape painting created by a master brush.
The classroom was very quiet, no one daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing her.
In the classroom, there was a wall-mounted chessboard specifically for teaching. She set up a chess game, stating, “This is a game set up by Grandmaster Meng.”
Grandmaster Meng was the most renowned chess master in the six kingdoms. The games he set up were considered among the most difficult to crack.
The room let out an admiring sigh – no wonder she was the Crown Princess, starting off with such a difficult game was impressive. It seemed this trip was going to be fruitful.
“Crown Princess, do you know how to solve Grandmaster Meng’s chess game?” a bold young lady asked.
The Crown Princess only smiled, and before she could say anything, a female officer next to her said, “The Crown Princess had solved it when she was thirteen.”
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
Solving Grandmaster Meng’s chess game at the age of thirteen…what formidable abilities were these?
“Actually, it’s not difficult to crack this game.” The Crown Princess began to explain the game, pointing at the chessboard.
By the end of the lesson, everyone had gained something valuable. No one would dare look down on their chess skills anymore, as they could solve Grandmaster Meng’s games now.
With a gentle voice, the Crown Princess said, “I wanted to teach everyone the solution to this game to show that chess is not difficult at all. As long as you study diligently, you should be able to solve any game in the world. But I also hope you all understand one thing – I started learning chess when I was two. True chess skills don’t allow for any shortcuts or overnight success. It requires day-by-day hard work.”
Her words were equivalent to admitting she was not a prodigy, but her achievements were results of her diligence and hard work. Admitting her shortcomings didn’t draw any disdain from others, but instead made her seem more down-to-earth, effectively closing the gap between her and the students.