Chapter 40

After the two gentlemen sent Guan Muyun away, they looked at Tao Sheng with sympathy.

In the world of academic talent, no one expected such a young and pretty girl to have such remarkable relatives.

It was almost dinner time, and the canteen at Taile Office was sending meals. The two gentlemen put down their work and started chatting with Tao Sheng.

What began as friendly small talk quickly changed when they learned that Tao Sheng was Mr. Wei’s last disciple and had learned zither from him. Their attitudes shifted instantly.

Everyone in the Imperial Music Bureau knows Mr. Wei was a legendary figure with exceptional talent and made significant contributions to the Bureau’s development.

However, Mr. Wei had bad luck. When he became Minister of Music, he was only a sixth-rank official. Before the rank changed to fourth, he retired and never got the fourth-rank position.

The two asked many questions about Mr. Wei and said he had helped them a lot. Since Tao Sheng was his disciple, they promised to take good care of her and not let people like Guan provoke her again.

Just then, the kitchen brought hot meals. Mr. Zhu asked the eunuch^[1]refers to people who are castrated and often worked in royal courts. who delivered the meals to place them on the table and asked Tao Sheng where she lived and if it was easy for her to come to the office.

Tao Sheng gave him address.

Mr. Zhu recognized the place: “Isn’t that the house the emperor gave to Ji Zhuangyuan?”

Tao Sheng replied, “It’s the house the emperor gave to my cousin.”

Mr. Yu’s eyes widened.

Ji Zhuangyuan’s sister is well-known in the music circle for her talent and ability to help others succeed through her piano playing.

The two’s attitude towards Tao Sheng improved even more.

Tao Sheng quickly noticed that the two colleagues, who had seemed distant in the morning, became friendly in the afternoon, asking her to play the piano for them.

Feeling a bit nervous about showing her talent to her new colleagues for the first time, Tao Sheng asked what they would like to hear.

The two said they think anything is fine, but it would be best if it could clear their minds.

Tao Sheng thought about it and played her new composition “Ode to Bamboo.”

A few days ago, the King of Chu complained that he had a severe headache after the change of seasons. After Tao Sheng composed the music, she tested it on the King of Chu, and it worked very well.

The two gentlemen applauded after listening to the performance, saying that Tao Sheng’s piano playing was indeed as famous as the folk legends said, thought-provoking and mind-clearing.

Tao Sheng was also moved.

These people were used to seeing Mr. Gu play the piano daily, but they looked so astonished by her playing. It turned out that she was too flattering to her new colleague.

They are truly very good people.

_

Qiongzhenge is the most famous jewelry shop in the capital. It is favored by royal nobles and dignitaries in the capital for its exquisite craftsmanship and fine raw materials.

Shen Ruojin and Guan Muyun had agreed to meet here.

Ever since Guan Muyun was put under house arrest, Shen Ruojin hadn’t seen him for many days.

Seeing her beloved at this moment, her heart leaped with joy, and she snuggled up to him like a little bird: “Muyun, I’m so glad to see you, but you’ve lost a lot of weight recently. You still need to eat more in the future.”

“Okay, after we get married, you can help me get better, and we can be together every day.”

The two spent a while leisurely selecting jewelry, then left the shop and got into the carriage of Duke Ling’s mansion.

After getting in the carriage, Guan Muyun talked about seeing Tao Sheng in the Taiyue Bureau.

Ruojin frowned.

Now, her opinion of Tao Sheng is very complicated. On one hand, she feels that Tao Sheng looks down on her. A girl who doesn’t know how to please her parents and brothers at home and doesn’t find a good marriage early, but actually goes out to work in the government like a man, is really not a way for a woman to survive.

But on the other hand, when she heard that Tao Sheng had become the eighth-rank musician appointed by the emperor, she was undoubtedly envious and yearning for it.

She was in a state of alternating inferiority and pride. Even though Tao Sheng had no contact with her now, she couldn’t help but pay attention to her and compare herself to her.

But Shen Ruojin naturally refused to tell Guan Muyun her true thoughts.

“Tao Sheng is too stubborn. She is so determined not to return home that she has to work hard to make a living. My grandmother once told me that as long as a girl learns needlework ^[2]refers to the art of sewing. and manages the household at home, it is better than anything else to find a good husband. I am lucky. Now I have the prince to take care of me, but Tao Sheng can only work hard on her own. I feel sorry for her when I see her like that.”

Shen Ruojin also knew that it was unreasonable for her to usurp the throne, so she had always been close to Tao Sheng and wanted only the best for her.

Under her self-touching and self-interpretation, not only Shen Yu and the three brothers of the Shen family believed it without a doubt, but Guan Muyun also believed that what she saw was the fact.

“Yes, your third sister has had a hard time. She is such a good girl, and it is unnecessary for her to suffer like this.” Guan Muyun agreed with Shen Ruojin’s point of view. “You are all sisters. I know how you treat her. I have hired someone to take good care of her. Don’t worry.”

Guan Muyun actually hired someone to take care of Tao Sheng?

Shen Ruojin felt as if something was pulling at her heart. However, because of her character, she couldn’t say anything and could only thank Guan Muyun. She felt even more aggrieved.

After a long and tortuous process of engagement and wedding preparation, Guan Muyun and Shen Ruojin finally had their grand wedding in the golden month of September.

In Tao Sheng’s impression, this is also one of the most grand and famous scenes in the original text. Now that she knows the characters of Shen Ruojin and Guan Muyun, she thinks it is good that the hero and heroine can get married and lock them up so that they don’t harm others.