Chapter 34 

The King of Chu became interested: “Tell me about it.”  

Tao Sheng explained the five-tone therapy from the Huangdi Neijing and suggested replacing medicine with music.  

This idea was new and had never been tried by the Crown Prince or others before. The King of Chu thought it was great when he heard it.  

“Do you have any music scores ready?” The King of Chu stood up, eager to practice right away.  

Tao Sheng returned to the zither room and took out two music scores. She opened one and handed it to the King of Chu.  

“These are two pieces of music left by Mr. Wei. They are said to be based on the Qin sound therapy in the Huangdi Neijing and can help strengthen the body.”  

The King of Chu frowned after a quick look: “This music is too difficult. I haven’t learned it yet. My father’s illness is cured now. Can we pick a simpler piece?”  

But it shouldn’t be too difficult!  

Tao Sheng shook her head: “Your Highness, please wait; let me make some changes.”  

The King of Chu’s eyes brightened: “You can change it?”  

“This is not hard,” Tao Sheng said.  

It’s not easy to simplify a complex piece of music, but she is skilled at adapting challenging music for the King of Chu to play.  

Tao Sheng estimated she would need one day to modify the music, two days to teach him, and three days to get it just right.  

Soon, people in the capital noticed that the King of Chu had been sending his private car to the Su family for three days to bring Miss Luo to the palace as a guest. When the sun set, he would send her back with a box of gifts.  

In reality, Tao Sheng had to wake up early each day and take a carriage to the King of Chu’s palace to teach him zither. When she returned home, her carriage was full of music scores and books given by the Prince.  

People outside speculated about this. Many thought the King of Chu felt unfocused because of his closeness to Ji Yanming, so he invited his cousin Miss Luo to play zither, similar to how the East Palace invited a girl to play for the Crown Prince before, just to clear his mind.  

The King of Chu smiled coldly. These people were really shallow. His mind was working just fine, and he didn’t need to listen to Tao Sheng’s music to feel clear-headed.  

All he had to do was work hard quietly and then surprise everyone.  

Tao Sheng’s teaching soon showed results. After the emperor mostly healed, he requested an audience with his eldest son, the King of Chu.  

Since the King of Chu fell out of favor, the emperor rarely saw him. Now that he was sick and bored, life felt dull. Seeing the young concubines made him bitter. So, he thought about inviting the King of Chu to chat and make things more interesting.  

When the King of Chu entered, he set up the zither without saying anything and began to play. After the music finished, he nervously recited a passage from the Huangdi Neijing to the emperor, saying, “Sounds are the five tones. The liver sounds jiao, the heart sounds zhi, the spleen sounds gong, the lungs sound shang, and the kidneys sound yu. These are their normal responses. However, if they win or lose, and the sound is good or bad, those with sharp ears and sharp minds can still know it consciously.”

The character “藥” (yào) means “medicine.” Its top part represents medicinal herbs, while the bottom part is “樂” (lè), which means “music.” This suggests that music can be used as medicine. If music can help treat illness, it can have a positive effect on patients.

This time, the King of Chu played professional music meant to strengthen people’s bodies, doing everything for his father’s recovery.

The Imperial Physician Su, who served the Emperor today, was a fair person recently promoted to deputy court judge. He had no faction and spoke objectively. He affirmed to the Emperor that the King of Chu’s actions were indeed correct.

Regardless of the music’s effectiveness, the King of Chu genuinely wanted to show filial piety ^[1]refers to love and respect for one’s parents. His method was unique and not ordinary. The Emperor felt pleased after listening to the music, which led him to smile at the King of Chu.

“My dear elder, your filial piety is commendable, and your zither skills have improved greatly. If you have time tomorrow, please come to the palace and play some more songs. I would like to hear more.”

The Emperor had not summoned the King of Chu alone in many years. Now, he praised his zither skills and promised to invite him to play in the palace from time to time. This was a significant improvement for the King of Chu.

After the King of Chu happily thanked him and left, the Emperor called Li Sheng over and asked, “Why have you suddenly become enlightened lately?”

Not only did the King of Chu cater to the Emperor’s preferences, but he also calmly persevered in learning a complicated piece of music. At nearly 40 years old, this was not easy.

Li Sheng replied happily, “It was probably the suggestion of Ji Zhuangyuan’s little cousin. His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu trusts her. He often visits Lord Ji’s house and invites her to teach him how to play the zither.”

“I remember Lord Ji’s home is in the west of the city,” the Emperor frowned. “It only takes two or three hours for a round trip.”

Li Sheng guessed what the Emperor was thinking: “Your Majesty is right; it is indeed a troublesome matter.”

The Emperor nodded, saying, “In that case, let’s find a new house for the top scholar.”

This day was Su Jia’s birthday, and since it was not a significant birthday celebration, she had agreed with her family to have a simple banquet with just family and no outside guests.

However, as dinner time approached, not only did the leading guest fail to arrive, but Ji Yanming, who had promised to return early to celebrate, was also late.

Now that Ji Yanming was an official in the court, it was normal for him to stay in the palace during emergencies. Tao Sheng calculated the timeline and found no major events like a palace coup happening, so there was no need to panic.

When Ji Yanming finally returned home, it was already 2:15 PM, and the sky was dark.

Su Jia anxiously pulled Ji Yanming aside to ask what had happened in the government office that day.

What Ji Yanming said next shocked them both: the Emperor rewarded him with a house.

Typically, only ministers who had made significant contributions received houses from the Emperor. Although Ji Yanming had excellent results in the imperial examinations, he was a new official, just working as an ordinary scholar in the Hanlin Academy. He hadn’t made any great contributions yet.

The Emperor awarding Ji Yanming a house seemed unusual. People in the court speculated that the King of Chu viewed Ji Yanming as one of his own and had sent a message to the Emperor.

Considering Ji Yanming’s rank and influence, the Emperor gave him a relatively modest house, twice the size of his previous one, in a good location, and conveniently close to where he would attend court and the King of Chu’s home.

The house was not just a house; it included official servants, carriages, and furniture, much of it made in the palace. After the King of Chu visited the Inner Court several times, the quality of the items sent increased significantly.

After hearing this, Shen Yu was so angry that he couldn’t sleep for several days. He felt that Tao Sheng was becoming arrogant and would likely ignore her family if she climbed to a higher position.

Shen Yu complained to Shen Yue but found that Shen Yue did not share his anger.

Since separating from Tao Sheng that day, Shen Yue thought a lot upon returning.

Since Tao Sheng could speak so decisively, it showed she was ready to break from her family. For years, the Marquis’ Mansion had not cared for her, and she never enjoyed the wealth and glory of that family. Now, she wanted peace and had completely given up on returning to the Shen family.

In this case, is it so hard to give her peace?

Since both his grandmother and father liked Ruojin, he thought they should treat her as the true Second Miss Shen. This would benefit both of his sisters.

Shen Yue believed his father was confused. The family was now chaotic over such a small matter. It was tiring. With Ruojin getting married soon, it would be better for everyone to stop targeting Tao Sheng and focus on making the wedding grand.

On one hand, they said Tao Sheng was not allowed to come back, yet they were still angry at her. This showed a lack of understanding.