Marriage of the Di Daughter

Chapter 72 Part 8: Stunning

The first note flowed.

“Ke——” the people watching on the sidelines almost choked, “she’s going to play.”

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“Quickly listen to what she…….”

The words hadn’t fully come out from their mouths when a string of smooth guqin notes struck everyone’s ears. It was more extreme compared to Jiang You Yao’s, as if someone used a knife to carve the bottom of everyone’s heart bit by bit.  

“She is playing 《Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute》!”

Someone heard and blurted out, there’s excitement for a period of time, and the surrounding voices also changed their tunes. 

When this sentence came out, the faces of those hearing changed colors.  “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute”, even Ming Yi Hall’s teachers couldn’t play this song. If not careful, it would turn into a joke, but Jiang Li actually dared to play this.

How many years had nobody played《Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute》?!

The examination field was quiet all of a sudden. A person suddenly burst out into laughter in the middle of the quietness. That was precisely Mian Ju, dancing about happily, where was there any style of a court musician? Superbly excited: “It’s 《Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute》. This young girl’s guts is big enough! Really bold and powerful!” 

Jinghong fairy helplessly said: “Mister, be quiet.”

Mian Ju immediately gave a mocking smile before keeping silent.

As a result, only the sound of Jiang Li’s guqin sounded in the examination venue. 

《Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute》 was written of a woman’s homesickness, of her parting sadness and overwhelming resentment. The most important aspect could be summed up in a word “sorrowful”, yet without needing to mention the teachers, Ming Yi Hall’s female students were all young ladies from noble families, passing their days innocently and without worries. Even if they had some worries, those were just for trivial matters. How can they play out this “sorrowful” word? Even “sad” would be very difficult to achieve.

Although people around the world often talk of sympathy, but feeling as if it happened to oneself, how could this be so simple? Probably only those sage with the world in their hearts could understand it. 

Meng Hong Jin sneered: “Really doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, just making oneself be the topic of everyone’s joke…..”

She naturally thought that Jiang Li wouldn’t be able to play this music well. If Jiang Li could play well, wouldn’t it be saying that Jiang Li was more outstanding than the smartest and talented girls from Ming Yi Hall these past few years? How was this possible. 

But her mocking smile gradually disappeared, her complexion also became more and more unsightly.

Jiang Li’s hand movements were very proficient, as if she had been learning guqin for a decade. Her motion was also extremely graceful, without the slightest deliberation or overy elaborated pose. Unimaginably lighthearted as she wished. 

The girl was sitting on the examination stage, the wind was clear and the sun was weak. Her sleeves were wide, the green color compelling, her spirit elegant and lovely. For a moment, the examination venue felt to be inside a deep valley in the mountain. It wasn’t fickle at all but it looked like it was playing for only herself to hear. 

It was playing for herself. 

Jiang Li didn’t look at any particular place, also seemed as if she had finished looking at everything before her. 

The song of her leaving the hometown, leaving, not just departing from the town, losing her son, her family broken and the person died. 

The person sharing her bed was a mountain wolf and nothing was left of her family after this unwarranted disaster. More hateful was that her enemy was steadily rising. Since she was reborn, finally seeing the enemy but couldn’t immediately take revenge for father and brother, could only restrain. 

Restraining her emotion was mournful, deep seated blood animosity was mournful, the innocent suffering an unjust death was mournful, the whole family ran into misfortune was mournful. Oppressed by the power was mournful, the heaven had no eyes was mournful, cold and dismally mournful!

The qin tone clanged like sharp swords stabbing towards the vast sky. In that split second, the overwhelming resentment soared to heaven, making those listening felt their liver and guts being cut to pieces, their grief not just their own.

Miserable! Resentment! The sorrow deeply penetrates the heart!

After so many years, someone finally played 《Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute》 at the examination venue for the first time. In the beginning, thinking that as long as this girl could completely remember the complete hand movements, it was already pretty good. But Jiang Li was not just able to remember the complete hand movements, she was very proficient. Looking at her manner, clearly it wasn’t unfamiliar at all.

It’s fine if it’s just that, but she was just a 15 years old girl, how was she able to produce “mournful”!

Two beats out of ten was like a funeral music, narrating two feelings, both happiness and distress.  Three beats out of ten, the string was urgent, provoking sadness.

Four beats out of ten, tears nearly fell, the river water flowed east, thinking of oneself.  Fifteen beat’s tune was hasty, the heart was filled with anger, who knew wrong.

Sixteen beat, faraway thought, I and child, each in different places. The sun in the east, the moon in the west, only able to look at each other, not allowed to be with one another, heart break. Like daylily, anxious, unable to forget. Plucking the guqin string, how wounded the feeling. Now separated from the child, going back to the hometown, heavy grievance, new complaints grew. Crying blood and raising the head, complaining vigorously.  Why make a living, to only suffer from this calamity.

The always gentle appearance of Xiao Deyin at this moment looked somewhat stiff. With a careful look, her fingers could be seen shaking slightly. Jiang Li’s guqin playing, at least in this song 《Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute》, was already at a much much higher level than her! With this song, Jiang Li displayed excellent skill. So much so that she could be her teacher!  

Yanjing’s first musician, at this moment seemed like a joke!