mtlumby2d Chapter 409 The Princess's Guidance!
Chapter 409 The Princess's Guidance!
Mu Xin Nuan waved her hand, leaving only the people who usually stayed by her side, and everyone else withdrew. The feeling of crowding in the forest disappeared immediately.
"I have long heard that you two are a divine couple, especially your duet of the qin and xiao, which is truly exceptional. To be honest, I invited you here today so that I could feast my eyes and ears as well."
Mu Xin Nuan is a skilled zither player and a renowned talented woman in the capital. However, she is most famous for her calligraphy, and because she deliberately concealed her talents later on, most of the rumors about her are from several years ago.
The two were unaware that Mu Xin Nuan was also a skilled zither player. Seeing the princess's politeness, they naturally couldn't refuse any longer. Seeing that a zither and a flute had already been prepared, they had no choice but to play a duet.
Duanmu Chuze was handling government affairs at Qinghui Pavilion when he heard the zither and xiao playing together. He remembered Mu Xinnuan's words that day, so he changed into casual clothes and went to the Purple Bamboo Forest.
Duanmu Chuze watched them work together intently; the man was handsome and dashing, and the woman was beautiful and gentle—they were indeed a perfect couple.
After the song ended, Duanmu Chuze emerged from behind the bamboo grove, clapping his hands and laughing, "Excellent, excellent!"
"Greetings, Your Highness. I pay my respects to Your Highness."
"Please, no need for formalities. Since you are a guest invited by the Princess, please make yourself at home."
To Lu Shaofeng and Liu's surprise, when the prince arrived, the princess showed no intention of getting up. Instead, she smiled and said, "Your ears are quite sharp. How was it? Seeing how busy you've been with official duties these past few days, did that song help calm your nerves?"
"Hehe, I naturally know Ah Nuan's good intentions."
Duanmu Chuze sat down next to Mu Xinnuan and waved for Lu Shaofeng and his wife to sit down as well, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Young Master Lu's talent is well-known. Since you are already so learned, why don't you ever think about serving the country?" Duanmu Chuze's words immediately put Lu Shaofeng on the edge of his seat.
"Your Highness, I have only studied poetry and books for a few years. How could I dare to claim that I am full of learning?"
Duanmu Chuze shook his head. "Talent is talent. Being too modest is just tiring. Young Master Lu, we're about the same age, so how about I just call you Shaofeng?"
"Please proceed, Your Highness."
“Young Master Feng, actually, we met once two years ago. At that time, you stood on a high platform, speaking eloquently, and one of your calligraphy works was sold for a thousand taels of silver on the spot. As for me, I was drinking tea in a teahouse not far away. I still remember that scene vividly.”
Lu Shaofeng was shocked. "Two years ago? So the Prince was also present at that time. It was the student who acted rashly."
"Hey! What are you saying? You and I are both young people. Since we have talents, we should let them be put to good use. Just like me, when I was fighting on the battlefield, wasn't that the same? If I were like you, humble and cautious, unwilling to serve, wouldn't I be wasting my time?"
Lady Liu looked at her husband with some anticipation. As his wife, she naturally knew why he had always refused to take up an official post. To put it bluntly, it was all for her sake. Firstly, she was afraid of being mistreated in the household, and secondly, she worried that if she took up an official post, her mother-in-law's criticism would be even more severe.
Secondly, she feared that this had always been her mother-in-law's intention. Her husband had forced her into marriage years ago, which displeased her. Therefore, she used the excuse that her husband was still too young to allow him to enter officialdom. On the surface, she said it was for his own good, but in reality, it was just to make way for her younger brother.
Thinking of this, Liu felt a pang of reluctance. After all, she was the one who had implicated her husband, and she felt guilty. But that woman was her mother-in-law, an elder, and neither she nor her husband could disobey her. Now that the Prince had intervened, wasn't this an excellent opportunity?
“My lord, what the prince says makes sense. Now that you have passed the imperial examination, it is only natural for you to enter officialdom. Why do you have to be so modest?”
Lu Shaofeng frowned. "Wife, my knowledge is still limited. It would be better if I studied for a few more years. Besides, since my mother has given such a clear order, as her son, I naturally cannot disobey it."
Duanmu Chuze saw Lu Shaofeng's reaction, scoffed, and stopped talking. He simply took the teacup that Mu Xinnuan handed him and slowly sipped it.
"Young Master Lu, have you ever heard of the Prince's campaigns back then?"
"Of course I've heard of him. Your Highness is a war god unseen in a hundred years in our Great Yong Dynasty, and a true hero!"
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head, "No! That's not right!"
Lu Shaofeng was taken aback. "What's wrong with it? Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
"If we follow Young Master Lu's logic, the Prince left home at a young age and went to the battlefield, which is truly unfilial! The Emperor and Empress are both alive, but as their son, he went to war, risking his life and causing the Emperor and Empress three years of worry. Isn't that unfilial?"
Lu Shaofeng was taken aback, not expecting that the princess was waiting for him here.
Liu was immediately delighted, and her gaze towards Mu Xin Nuan changed, now showing more admiration than before.
“Your Highness, how can I compare to the Prince? The Prince is a loyal and brave man who fights for the country against the enemy, while I am just a weak scholar who cannot even kill a chicken. I am truly ashamed.”
Mu Xin Nuan smiled gently, "What you call a difference is, in my opinion, far-fetched. To put it bluntly, the Prince's actions back then were probably even more unfilial than your entering officialdom. When the Empress learned that her youngest son had gone to the battlefield before even having his coming-of-age ceremony, do you know how many tears she secretly shed? This is why, for the past three years at the border, the Prince has always reported good news and never bad. He was injured and poisoned, but he never once told the Empress. Young Master Lu, do you still think that the Prince's actions back then were extremely unfilial?"
Lu Shaofeng choked, truly at a loss for words. The princess's words were clearly meant to humiliate him.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Mu Xin Nuan smiled faintly, "Young Madam Lu's zither playing is excellent. I am also a lover of the zither. If you have time in the future, please come to the Prince's residence often. I still have a few zither scores that the Emperor bestowed upon me. Let's study them together and see if we can make something even better than these."
"Yes, princess."
Lu Shaofeng saw the admiration in the princess's eyes, and his mind raced. Was the princess clearly going to support Liu Shi? If the princess had her backing, who in the manor would dare to give his wife a hard time in the future? No matter who it was, even his mother would have to think about whether she could continue to treat her as harshly as before.
But why is the princess standing up for her wife?
Why would the prince choose to persuade him to enter officialdom at this time? Although he was devoted to his studies, he was not completely ignorant of political maneuvering, and naturally he would not naively believe that the prince simply valued his talent!