Zhen Ting Yun originally picked up the bamboo flute to play a tune on a whim.
After the tune, she became a little dazed and it took her a while to return back to her senses. She released a bitter smile. She had practiced playing the bamboo flute for so long but this was the first time she played it so well.
Just as she was about to keep her flute and make her way back to her room, a gentle female voice suddenly drifted into her ears, “Were you the one playing the flute just now?”
Zhen Ting Yun turned around and spotted a woman in modest robes standing under an old tree in the courtyard of the inn. She gazed at Zhen Ting Yun with kind eyes and a smile.
The madam wore her hair in a high bun. With a delicate appearance, she was tall and slender. Dressed in plain robes, despite standing alone under a tree, she had an exceptional demeanor of ‘standing lofty and independent like a lone pine tree’[1], causing others to be too intimidated to disturb her.
Zhen Ting Yun felt somewhat ashamed. She quickly bowed her head and apologized, “I’ve disrupted Madam’s peace.”
The woman observed her with a smile as she complimented softly, “No harm done. I was just admiring the moon while contemplating some matters when I overheard your beautiful tune. Although there are some flaws in the way you played, you were able to immerse yourself into the tune which is rarely seen for one as young as yourself. You have imbued your emotions about the sorrows of parting with a dear one and it was very touching. I was also swept away by your tune hence, I decided to call out to you.”
Because of the madam’s praises, Zhen Ting Yun blushed as she hurriedly said, “Madam, you’ve flattered me.”
The woman just smiled politely while studying her with a profound gaze. Remembering that they have yet to introduce themselves, she started, “My surname is Chu, you may address me as Madame Chu.”
Zhen Ting Yun was startled by her words and thought to herself. After a woman marries, her form of address would either take on her husband’s surname or her maiden surname. To be addressed as Madame Chu, it was safe to say that there might be some backstory.[2]
Madame Chu’s expression remained unchanged as she continued, “To be able to play with emotion at your age shows that you have innate talent. I’m also knowledgeable about some music theories and I’m adept at playing the zither and flute. I was wondering if you’d be interested in studying under my tutelage.”
Zhen Ting Yun could not help but ponder to herself. Was she that lucky and had the fate of meeting teachers? Just after Yuan Hui left, a Madame Chu appeared, asking to be her mentor.
If it was in the past and someone came up and asked her to be their student, Zhen Ting Yun would have been over the moon and immediately agreed. However, today… Yuan Hui just left. In addition, he had brought her to his manor to recognise her way and asked her to seek him out if she ever encountered an issue. So if she were to get another teacher at that moment, it would reflect poorly on her!
To favor the new and abandon the old; she would be no different from a scoundrel that discards the old after having made full use of it.
Zhen Ting Yun felt a rare moment of shame. After a slight hesitation, she decided to reject Madame Chu, “I already have a mentor, so I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to study zither and flute under Madam.”
Madame Chu was an easy-going person. Although she was rejected, she maintained her smile, with gentle brows that arched like the crescent moon she replied, “If that’s the case then I guess we can only forget about it.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
With that being said, Madame Chu steadfastly nodded at Zhen Ting Yun and said, “If its fate, we shall meet again.”
In a blink of an eye, she turned and left.
In the dark night with the moon faintly illuminating the swaying willows, Madame Chu slowly strode away and soon her figure was swallowed into the dark of the night.
Leaving only Zhen Ting Yun standing there with her flute in hand. After a while, she returned to her senses and massaged her forehead as she sighed. Oh my God, did she have a hole in her brain? She actually rejected a person who came knocking on her door asking to be her teacher!
Did Yuan Hui cast a spell on her before he left? She was so clever, so why did she make such a rudimentary mistake?
At that very moment, Zhen Ting Yun was overwhelmed with regret.
In addition, this was before she knew of Madame Chu’s identity. In the future when she learned of Madame Chu’s identity, she could die of regret.
~~~~
It was early the next morning when Old Madame Zhen and the rest learned from Zhen Ting Yun about Yuan Hui’s departure.
Old Madame Zhen had long expected this to happen. In order to demonstrate her elderly’s amazing wit, she added an afterthought, “I’ve already warned you previously. A teacher that doesn’t ask for remuneration wouldn’t stay for long!”
Zhen Ting Yun was feeling a little stifled. Taking advantage of the situation, she praised Old Madame Zhen, “Grandma is wise.”
Old Madame Zhen clicked her tongue while she secretly regretted being stingy and unwilling to pay the teacher earlier. She thought to herself, now that they were arriving at the Imperial City, everything could be discussed with her son. By then, she would get her son to hire a good teacher for her granddaughter and they would not have to sweat over the one that left.
Therefore, having decided on the next plan of action, Old Madame Zhen did not comment further. Instead, wanting some gossip, she softly whispered to Zhen Ting Yun, “That teacher of yours is good-looking… and he’s skilled and knowledgeable. Back then, why did he have to steal your horse?”
Zhen Ting Yun refused to speak more about this, so she just commented, “As a student, it’s not nice to constantly prod at people’s mistakes. So how will I know about this?”
After a short pause, Zhen Ting Yun diverted the topic, “According to Steward Lin, we’ll be entering the Imperial City today and should be arriving home by the evening. Can Grandma tell me more matters about Father and the rest?”
Those words pleased Old Madame Zhen’s ears and made the elderly very enthusiastic and willing to divulge. Who cares about what happened to Yuan Hui who suddenly disappeared? She slapped her thighs in delight as she joyously began telling Zhen Ting Yun about her precious son, “Your father is a very capable man. He was born smart and is especially lucky…” This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
As Zhen Ting Yun sat and listened to Old Madame Zhen, she slowly got lost in her thoughts. It was inevitable that she would recall that long dream she had before their journey to the Imperial City.
In the end, it was just a dream. There were many scenes that were vague and disorderly. Zhen Ting Yun could only grasp a general idea of the happenings by piecing together the many scenes that appeared in her dream. The most distinguishable part was the ending where after she met her demise on the streets, Zhen Yi Yun, dressed in the crown princess robes, looked at her own reflection through the bronze mirror and muttered to herself.
Thus, Zhen Ting Yun was very clear about one thing. Although Old Madame Zhen’s words could be listened to, they must be taken as a fact. Father Zhen was not a saint as Old Madame Zhen always praised and Pei-Shi could not be considered the villain that Old Madame Zhen always criticized.
Although Father Zhen had deep affection towards his windowed mother and was very filial, he could also be affected by various small issues and the constant disputes and unhappiness would add up causing his relationship with his mother gradually sour and become estranged.
He also felt sympathy and guilt towards his younger daughter. However, observing her crass behaviors. She was nothing like his very knowledgeable and graceful elder daughter and nothing like his intelligent and courteous youngest son. Her actions constantly brought him shame and embarrassment and she did not take after him in the slightest, causing him to be greatly disappointed. In the end, for the sake of upholding the family’s reputation, he decided to have her sent back to the village. But who would have expected that his younger daughter would meet her demise on the streets? He could only chalk it up to an accident and sigh in resignation.
Although Pei-Shi resented her mother-in-law for constantly trying to find faults with her, she had never resorted to using dirty schemes and she handled family matters fairly. The things that she needed to do, she had also done them properly and according to etiquette. At the front end, she had served her mother-in-law respectfully, at the back end, she raised her elder daughter and youngest son to become individuals of talent and excellent upbringing. With a bit of waterworks, she was able to push down her crude and domineering mother-in-law and win her ‘foolishly filial’ husband to her side.
She also pitied her younger daughter whom she chose to abandon and had the heart to bond with and make amends to. However, having constantly been fed only her mother-in-law’s side of the story, her younger daughter only held animosity and had no affection towards her. In addition, seeing how unrefined her younger daughter acted and with her elder daughter constantly inciting disharmony between them, after weighing the pros and cons, she finally decided to push her younger daughter aside and took it as she never gave birth to the child.
They were not saints nor villains, they were just ordinary folks. They were not cold-blooded and ungrateful people, they also experienced emotions like guilt, pity, and biasness. Unfortunately, those emotions could not withstand trails and tribulations.
Therefore, unlike the Zhen Ting Yun of her dreams, she was not filled with expectations or resentment for either party. As they neared the Imperial City, thinking that they would soon be entering Zhen household and meeting everyone, she was as calm as still water, treating everything with an impartial heart.
The author has something to say:
Madame Chu is going to be an important character. Have a brief meeting first to get familiar with one another~
[1] Not sure if the idiom can be broken down like this or Author-sama misused it. She only quoted the first half of the idiom. The full saying is <岩岩若孤松之独立，傀俄若玉山之将崩>, which describes a person standing lofty and independent like a lone pine tree, but when intoxicated, the person topples like Mount Yu.
[2] Zhen Ting Yun suspected that Madame Chu was married because of her high bun. To be addressed by her maiden surname meant that she should’ve been called Chu-Shi. Madame, by right, should be addressed together with her husband’s surname, not her own.