"Are Miss Xu and Miss Mu unsatisfied with my zither skills?" Shen Lanyan asked.
Xu Linghe replied, "Everyone has their own opinions and views. Does Miss Shen think she's a world-class master that everyone must like?"
Shen Lanyan retorted, "Miss Xu isn't skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting, so of course she can't tell good from bad. But is Miss Mu the same?"
Feng Qingyi said, "If Miss Shen believes her zither skills are extraordinary, surely she wouldn't mind our two votes."
Shen Lanyan looked at Feng Qingyi, "I suppose Miss Mu's zither skills must be even better than mine. Why don't you come up and try?"
Xu Linghe glanced at Feng Qingyi, "Qingyi, why don't you give it a try? She's clearly challenging you."
Feng Qingyi walked up, "Since Miss Shen kindly invites me, I'll humbly oblige."
Xu Linghe cheered, "Go for it, Qingyi!"
Feng Qingyi approached the table, examined the zither, tuned it slightly, and slowly sat down.
She began playing "Moonlit Night on the Spring River." As the elegant and lively melody filled the air, everyone fell silent to listen carefully.
Xu Linghe glanced sideways at Shen Lanyan and whispered to Zhao Yiqing, "I think Qingyi plays much better than Shen Lanyan. What do you think?"
Zhao Yiqing looked at Xu Linghe beside him and nodded, "Indeed."
Xu Linghe continued, "Later, we'll all vote for Qingyi. I'm sure she'll get more votes than Shen Lanyan."
As the piece ended, Feng Qingyi stood up. The audience burst into applause, and soon many people offered her red ribbons.
Shen Lanyan stood to the side, watching Feng Qingyi with a complex expression.
Xu Linghe walked up to her, "Well, you insisted on competing, and now the difference is clear!"
"Originally, Qingyi didn't intend to show off, but you forced her to perform. Now she's caught everyone's attention and might even win first place."
"If you hadn't come out to pick a fight, you might have been the star today. That's fate for you!"
Shen Lanyan glared angrily at Xu Linghe, "No matter how impressive she is, what does it have to do with you? You're just her lackey and little follower. Don't think she actually cares about you."
"Whether she cares about me or not isn't for you to decide. You're just jealous! After all, your group are the real followers, all there for personal gain."
Xu Linghe wasn't bothered by Shen Lanyan's attempt to drive a wedge between them. She was happy when she was with Qingyi.
She had never asked about Qingyi's personal affairs or tried to gain anything from her. Their relationship wasn't tainted by any ulterior motives.
This kind of friendship was precious enough for her to cherish.
After all, she had encountered people before who approached her because of her family background.
They put on a facade of friendliness but mocked, gossiped about, and even slandered her behind her back.
Being straightforward by nature, she disliked playing along with their pretense and unilaterally cut ties with them.
Although she didn't have anyone to confide in, she didn't think it was a big deal. Being alone was fine with her.
After meeting Qingyi, her life seemed to become more fulfilling. Opening a tea house together, wandering around—though they hadn't done anything grand, every day was happy. That was enough for her.
Shen Lanyan angrily said, "You don't really think she has no ulterior motives, do you?"
"She's just the daughter of a deceased vice general. If she doesn't latch onto you, how else could she marry into the General's Mansion and become a general's wife?"
"You're just a stepping stone for her to enter Shengjing's elite circles. If you really believe otherwise, you're a complete fool. You're even counting money for her while being used!"
Feng Qingyi had just handed the red ribbons to the Music Academy instructors for counting when she heard Shen Lanyan's words as she came down from the stage.
"Miss Shen is overthinking. Your so-called elite circles hold no attraction for me, nor do I intend to enter them, as we're simply not the same kind of people."
"As for whether I'm using Linghe, she should be able to judge for herself. She's an adult and can certainly tell the difference."
"Regarding what Miss Shen said about me being just the daughter of a deceased vice general trying to marry above my station into the General's Mansion, that's not your concern."
"My father sacrificed himself for the country. To me, he's a hero, and I won't allow you to disparage him."
"Miss Shen, if you like Qin Yuchuan, you should talk to him directly. Speaking ill of me behind my back is rather petty."
Feng Qingyi's voice wasn't low, and because of her impressive performance earlier, people nearby turned to look at her and even spoke up in her defense.
"Miss Shen seems to be judging others by her own standards. Miss Feng's father gave his life for our country and is a hero of Tianqi. He shouldn't be disparaged."
"We've all witnessed Miss Feng's zither skills. Miss Shen, there's no need to slander Miss Feng just because your skills are inferior."
"..."
Hearing everyone defend Feng Qingyi made Shen Lanyan even angrier.
"Is everything she says true? She clearly has the surname Mu, yet she tells everyone her surname is Feng. Isn't that deception?"
Feng Qingyi had expected her to say something else, but was surprised by this accusation.
She was uncomfortable with changing her name. Previously, because Qin Yuchuan was worried the emperor might harm her, he had created a false identity for her.
People who didn't know her well would call her "Miss Mu," and sometimes she didn't even react to this surname.
Now that Xuanyuan Yan had ascended the throne and knew her true identity, there was no need to pretend anymore. She preferred her original surname and took this opportunity to explain.
"Miss Shen may not know, but after my father's sacrifice, my mother raised me on her own. So I took my mother's surname 'Feng' and was named Qingyi. I hope Miss Shen can understand."
Shen Lanyan glared at Feng Qingyi and ran off hurriedly.
At this moment, the Music Academy instructor came out with the tallied votes.
"Currently, the highest number of votes goes to Feng Qingyi's 'Moonlit Night on the Spring River.'"
Xu Linghe grabbed Feng Qingyi's sleeve, "You were amazing! You have the most votes now. If no one surpasses you later, you'll be the champion!"
Feng Qingyi linked arms with her, "Winning or losing isn't important. It seems to be noon now. Let's go out for lunch together."
"Alright. Young Master Zhao, join us," Xu Linghe said.
Zhao Yiqing hesitated for a moment but then nodded in agreement.
The three of them walked out of the Literary Garden together. At the entrance, Qian Jue and Ji Liusu were standing together.
"Master Qian, your little disciple has run off with others. Aren't you going after her?"
Qian Jue sighed, "That ungrateful little girl. Let's go gather together too. Never mind her."
