Princess Ning'an also realized her words were somewhat offensive and was about to rephrase when she heard Mu Nanyin say—
"Princess, if you lose, you need only agree to one request of mine. If I lose… I will accept any punishment you decide."
Accept any punishment she decides?
What bold words!
Princess Ning'an was delighted: "Good, it's settled! Don't you dare cry and go back on your word later!"
Today, she would definitely make her kneel, weeping and begging for mercy.
"I ask all the officials, ladies, and young misses present to judge our performance."
Upon hearing this, the heads under the tables lifted in unison, eyes brimming with excitement.
"Of course, of course! We will be impartial, Princess, please!"
General Mu, sitting nearby, slapped his thigh repeatedly: "Oh dear, this unfilial daughter, this unfilial daughter! When has she ever known how to play the qin? Xiaolian, when did your young lady learn the qin?"
Xiaolian was also frantic with worry: "The young lady has never liked studying, let alone music, chess, calligraphy, or painting—she has no skill in any of them. How could she possibly know these things? Moreover, who in the entire capital doesn't know of Princess Ning'an's qin skills? Why is the young lady so impulsive? Isn't she bound to lose?"
In the eyes of Xiaolian and General Mu, Mu Nanyin was certain to lose this contest.
Even Shen Junlin thought the same.
He looked at Mu Nanyin with a complicated expression: "You don't have to compete with her. As long as you stay obediently by my side from now on and don't entangle yourself with Shen Sichen, I will protect you. These people won't dare to gossip recklessly again."
But Mu Nanyin shook her head with a smile, patting his hand to reassure him: "Shen Junlin, don't worry. I can do this."
A maid brought the qin. Ning'an sat in the center of the hall, chest out and head high, casting a smug glance at Mu Nanyin before lightly moving her fingers to pluck the strings.
"Ding-dong~"
A clear, melodious note rang out, followed by a stream of music flowing like water from her fingertips.
She played a piece called "A Little Tune by the Clouds." Originally, the tune told of a young girl's springtime longing and her deep affection for her beloved.
The melody, like the story within the piece, was lingering and graceful, like a gentle stream flowing through the heart—soft, serene, and reminiscent of a shy maiden whispering in one's ear, confiding her full heart of love to her sweetheart.
Everyone present listened with their eyes comfortably narrowed. Even the usually stern censors, whose average age was around sixty, wore expressions of tenderness and nostalgia on their aged faces.
As the piece ended, its lingering notes seemed to hover in the air.
The audience gradually returned to themselves, their eyes filled with amazement, and they all applauded and praised.
"Princess Ning'an's qin skills are truly unparalleled in the capital!"
"This piece was played with exquisite skill, truly exquisite!"
Amid the chorus of admiration, General Mu nearly slapped his thigh raw.
"Oh dear, she's lost, she's lost! How could this unfilial daughter possibly compare to the Princess?"
Seeing even General Mu speak this way, everyone felt even more certain that the Mu family's eldest young lady was doomed to lose.
Ning'an also wore an expression of pride and confidence: "Mu Nanyin, all the officials and their families are watching. You can still admit defeat now to avoid embarrassment later!"
Embarrassment? Who would end up embarrassed was yet to be seen. Mu Nanyin paid no mind.
In her past life, after her martial arts were crippled, she had attended no fewer than a hundred palace banquets, large and small, with Shen Sichen.
To avoid shaming Shen Sichen, she had spent three years almost forgetting to eat and sleep while learning these arts, studying under the greatest scholars of the land. Though her guqin skills couldn't be called divine, they were more than sufficient to deal with Ning'an.
Just as she was about to retort, the Emperor, who had been watching the spectacle from the high platform, finally spoke.
"Excellent zither! Excellent melody! Ning'an, I had no idea your guqin skills were so remarkable."
After speaking, he turned his smiling gaze to Mu Nanyin. "Miss Mu, I trust you do not mind if I also join as an audience member and judge? Rest assured, although Ning'an is my daughter, you have just married Prince Lin, making you my sister-in-law by law. Whether in public or private matters, I shall show no favoritism to either side."
Mu Nanyin replied, "It is my honor to have Your Majesty personally judge."
The Emperor laughed heartily, speaking with utmost kindness. "Very well. In that case, I shall add another prize. The winner shall receive the Gold-dissolving Shortsword presented by the foreign envoy two days ago. If one does not desire the sword, they may instead make a reasonable request of me. The choice is between these two."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding ministers who had been observing were all taken aback.
The Gold-dissolving Shortsword was said to be forged from the most precious meteorite from beyond the heavens. Its blade was as thin as paper yet extraordinarily sharp, capable of slicing through iron like mud—a rare treasure in this world.
As for a request from the Emperor, as long as it remained within reasonable bounds, the possibilities were limitless.
Regardless of which condition, every civil and military official present felt their hearts stir intensely.
Upon hearing this, Mu Nanyin's heart skipped a beat before she lowered her gaze. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Gold-dissolving Shortsword—in her past life, it was the very dagger Shen Sichen had personally plunged into her heart in the dungeon, and also the dagger Shen Junlin had used to take his own life.
She still remembered clearly the pain of the blade tearing through flesh and piercing her heart, the scene of blood gushing from her chest, staining both Shen Sichen's hand and the sword crimson.
A sudden, dull ache struck Mu Nanyin's heart. She raised a hand to press against her chest, her fingertips turning pale.
This Gold-dissolving Shortsword—she was determined to obtain it!
Mu Nanyin sat before the guqin, took a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her entire demeanor had abruptly transformed, becoming sharp and piercing.
A stirring melody resounded throughout the vast palace, startling everyone.
She played a piece she had adapted herself—"Golden Spears and Iron Horses." The first half told the story of a General who fought for his country and people for many years on the battlefield. Facing exhausted supplies and surrounded by enemy forces, he made a desperate last stand and died in battle.
The melody rose and fell with the story's progression—sometimes lofty and expansive, like a battlefield covered in yellow sand; sometimes fervent and driving, like thousands of troops galloping past. Its twists and turns gripped the heartstrings.
In the latter half, the war ended. The General, having narrowly survived, removed his armor and returned to the capital alone, with black hair and a red dress, to report his mission. Yet, he never expected to be betrayed by his closest lover and the sovereign he trusted, falsely accused of colluding with the enemy and treason, ultimately leading to the execution of his entire family.
As the story shifted, the melody abruptly plunged into a low valley, like the night wind howling through mountains, carrying the mournful cries of countless lives, or like the weeping of thousands of souls on the battlefield—each note tugging at the heartstrings, bringing tears to the listeners' eyes.
As Mu Nanyin played, scenes from her past life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
The joyous annulment of her engagement, the exhaustive scheming—only to end with the execution of her entire family, her corpse left in a dungeon, causing Shen Junlin to be buried with her in Sacrificial burial, and leading to the tragic deaths of her Father and Seventh Concubine.
All the grievances of her past life—love, hatred, regrets, and pain—in this moment, transformed into the strength in her fingertips, flowing through the melody of the guqin.
When the image in her mind froze on Shen Junlin holding her as they fell together into a pool of blood, Mu Nanyin's fingertips paused slightly, and the sound of the zither ceased.
The piece was finished.
The vast palace was silent and still.
The surrounding ministers were already in tears.
General Mu's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and it took him a long while to recover.
Princess Ning'an sobbed until she became a tearful mess.
Mu Nanyin pulled herself out of her overwhelming thoughts and, just as she raised her head, met Shen Junlin's gaze.
In his eyes was a spark of starlight, burning with endless intensity and heartache.
Was he… aching for her?