Chapter 11

Tao Sheng didn’t expect Ji Yanming to come to Zhou’s house with her today.

When she jumped out of the car and was chilled by the cold wind, it finally clicked. 

Originally, her aunt asked her to come and deliver the New Year gifts because Mr. Zhou wasn’t home, so she came here just to treat it as a normal family visit among the women.

At this moment, Ji Yanming also came to Zhou’s house. Probably because his master had returned, he joined her.

This also explained why he suddenly appeared yesterday afternoon and then left. 

She guessed he wanted to tell her about this but forgot later. 

Tao Sheng followed Ji Yanming all the way south, and when they were nearing the Zhou family’s gate, she saw the last person she wanted to see.

The brothers Shen Huan and Shen Ci were also visiting Zhou Mansion, accompanied by a middle-aged man who looked somewhat like Shen Yu.

Tao Sheng remembered seeing this person once at the Marquis’ Mansion during a birthday banquet for the Shen family. He was probably an uncle of Shen Ci, familiar with Mr. Zhou, who brought the two brothers to visit.

In this capital city full of hidden talents, Mr. Zhou wasn’t a very famous scholar. It was said he couldn’t guide the entire imperial examination and systematic review, but he had unique practical experience in the autumn examination.

Tao Sheng sighed in her heart, realizing this was likely the legendary specialization. Even the two brothers from the Shen family, who had ample educational resources, came to visit the Zhou family quickly.

Shen Ci noticed Tao Sheng and Ji Yanming, leading him to doubt this teacher named Zhou.

How could a good teacher be in a place that even a small family like the Su family could access? Thanks to his third uncle, who claimed Zhou was excellent, he brought his brothers to visit in such cold weather. He wondered if his uncle was lying to them.

Shen Ci stood outside the door for a long time before the doorman finally welcomed them in. Mrs. Zhou personally came out to greet Tao Sheng. 

Mrs. Zhou and Su Jia had known each other for years, sharing a close relationship and similar temperaments. When she saw Tao Sheng, she treated her like her own child, smiling widely and saying, “I know your aunt is busy before the New Year, and I told her not to come. I didn’t expect her to be so polite and even ask you to bring a New Year gift.”

Tao Sheng smiled back, saying, “I didn’t come just to give you a gift for the New Year. I wanted to wish you and Sister Zhou a happy New Year since I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Mrs. Zhou exclaimed, “Oh my!” and added, “Your sister has been practicing the zither in her room these days. Her father has been teaching her since he came home, but she hasn’t made any progress after two days, and we’re worried.”

During the previous emperor’s reign, several princes fought fiercely, and the current emperor seized the throne through a combination of strength and luck. 

A few years ago, the emperor wanted to reduce the power of the princes, which made the local rulers increasingly rebellious and even affected the crown prince candidate, who was the emperor’s favorite at that time.

After five years of turmoil, peace returned to the capital.

Exhausted, the emperor began thinking about restoring stability and promoting rituals and music. With this trend, many changes took place in the capital, making music and playing the zither popular.

The Zhou family was scholarly and rarely engaged in activities like playing cards, drinking, guessing games, or dice. When friends and family came to pay New Year’s greetings, they usually let the younger generations show their talents.

Zhou Xiaomei’s poetry writing was above average for her age, and she was also good at writing and playing chess, but she lacked knowledge of music.

Now everyone knew Miss Zhou was learning the zither. It became a bit awkward to mention that she hadn’t produced any decent music after learning for half a year.

Suddenly, Mrs. Zhou remembered that Su Jia had once told her that Tao Sheng was very skilled in music and the zither. When she was in Qin County, she was taught by a well-known teacher, Mr. Wei, who praised her a lot.

Mrs. Zhou was desperate and tried everything she could think of. After chatting for a bit, she took Tao Sheng to the backyard and asked her to help teach Zhou Xiaomei how to play the zither.

Tao Sheng was surprised by Mrs. Zhou’s request.

In her previous life, she was a student in the classical music department at the A University Conservatory of Music. She had shown a talent for music from a young age, turning her interest into a specialty. She had always aimed for art examinations, covering most of the college curriculum in high school, making her studies easier.

When she was a sophomore, she received an invitation to compose ancient-style songs for radio dramas and large-scale online games. Her songs became popular on music platforms, and several even turned into hits for short videos.

The industry praised Tao Sheng’s compositions, saying her works perfectly combined highbrow and popular music, making her one of the most well-known names in elegant classical music.

Later, during her junior year, she started working with a well-known domestic team on ancient-style songs for film and television dramas, gradually gaining fame in the industry.

Tao Sheng always wanted to be a real musician, but the music industry was often unfair, and she faced many challenges.

In her previous life, Tao Sheng’s family prioritized stability. After hearing about her struggles, they advised her to change careers, suggesting she continue her studies and later return to teaching after earning a doctorate.

At a career crossroads, Tao Sheng found herself inexplicably transported to another time on a stormy night.

When she was seven years old in this new life, a retired senior from the Taiyue Bureau named Wei Liyou visited Qin County. He had connections to her grandfather and stayed with the Luo family.

Seeing Tao Sheng’s potential, Wei Liyou decided to take her as his last disciple. Over the years, she learned a lot from him and gained a basic understanding of the music system in this world.

Later, after her adoptive parents passed away and Mr. Wei went traveling, Tao Sheng mourned for three years without playing the zither. Hearing Mrs. Zhou’s request now left her stunned.

At that moment, Zhou Xiaomei was practicing the zither in her room. When she saw her mother and Tao Sheng coming, she smiled and greeted them, saying, “Sister Luo hasn’t visited in a while. I know Aunt Su has been busy and can’t come, so it’s nice for you to come and talk with me more.”

Mrs. Zhou smiled and replied, “Your Aunt Su once told me that your sister Luo is an excellent zither^[1]a traditional stringed instrument. player. Even her former master, the great Wei from the Imperial Music Bureau, always praised her.”

Then, Mrs. Zhou turned to Tao Sheng and said, “There’s no better master than Master Wei in the capital now. Your sister is struggling with zither playing. You can show her a piece and give her some tips to help her improve.”

Mrs. Zhou pushed Tao Sheng to the zither.

Tao Sheng first tested the zither and found its quality was not as good as her master’s but was still decent for a beginner like Zhou Xiaomei.

Having not played in a while, Tao Sheng felt a bit awkward initially but soon got into the rhythm.

Her major was composition and music, so while she wasn’t a virtuoso pianist, she was more than capable of guiding someone like Zhou Xiaomei.

Unlike professional teachers like Mr. Zhou, Tao Sheng had little teaching experience and based her guidance on personal understanding and practical experience. Although she lacked professionalism in her teaching, her explanations were easy to understand. Since it was one-on-one instruction, the results were quick and clear.

Meanwhile, in the study room at the front, Master Zhou first met with Mr. Li from the Hanlin Academy, who had urgent business, before returning to his study to see the three students who had come to visit.

Among these three students, two were from the Wenyuan Marquis Mansion and were the legitimate sons of the mansion, while one was the son of an old friend who had been studying abroad and was returning to take part in the autumn imperial examination next year.

Logically, these two groups should not know each other or interfere with one another.

However, Master Zhou sensed a subtle tension between the two sides.

Unsure if it was just his imagination, he first discussed plans for the coming year with his old friend and students, set a time for guidance after the New Year, and then sent them out.

As he escorted the students to the gate, he saw his wife and daughter seeing off the little girl from the Su family who had come to visit.

Tao Sheng looked a bit embarrassed amid the warm farewell from Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Xiaomei.

Mr. Zhou was surprised; he didn’t expect that the visit would result in his wife paying a lot of silver instead of receiving gifts.

At the same time, the brothers Shen Ci and Shen Huan were astonished as well.

They had thought their young master would be the guest of honor, but Tao Sheng’s ability to bring home so many bags from the Zhou family was unexpected.

The Su family, whom they had always looked down upon, seemed to have connections in the capital that made the Zhou family go to such lengths to please them. They had definitely underestimated them before.