Just at that moment, the people from the Musical Instrument Workshop hurriedly arrived.
A palace maid held a tray made of yellow pear wood, covered with a piece of ink blue velvet cloth.
After presenting the item in front of Xiao Jingheng, the maid uncovered the velvet cloth.
"Your Majesty, the Phoenix Head Pipa has arrived."
Almost all the women in the palace fixed their gaze on the pipa at the same time.
It was a purple sandalwood pipa with a flowing radiance all over it.
The body was made of Lanli bamboo, and the phoenix head was carved from pure white ivory.
The strings were black and red, made of resilient silk from chen hong wood, and each inch of it was worth a fortune.
Even Consort Chen, who was accustomed to extravagance, was astonished by the luxury of this pipa.
She whispered to the Empress, "Does His Majesty truly hold her in high regard? This is the Phoenix Head Pipa bestowed upon the Holy Mother Empress Dowager by the late emperor. Why would it be brought out?"
The Empress smiled composedly, "As long as it is what His Majesty likes, there is nothing that cannot be done."
Song Zhao didn't know the origin of this pipa, but by its appearance and craftsmanship, she knew it was no ordinary item. She asked, "Your Majesty, this is..."
Xiao Jingheng explained, "This is the Phoenix Head Pipa bestowed upon the Holy Mother Empress Dowager by the late emperor, and it is the most exquisite pipa in the world. Originally, I thought since you were going to play the pipa today, I would bring it out to enhance the occasion for you."
While speaking, he had been paying attention to Song Zhao's expression. Seeing her somewhat disappointed, he quickly changed the topic, saying, "It's alright. You can play it for me once you've recovered from your injury."
With those words, he waved his hand, signaling the palace maid to take the pipa away.
At this moment, Concubine Xiao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty... In fact, the performance I prepared today also involves playing the pipa..."
As soon as she said that, Consort Chen immediately mocked her, "Who is this speaking? With such a coarse and hoarse voice, I thought it was some prince. Turns out it's Concubine Xiao?"
She sneered and glanced at Concubine Xiao.
"What's this? Isn't your specialty singing Kunqu opera? Can you even play the pipa?"
Having witnessed Consort Chen's ruthlessness, Concubine Xiao didn't dare to look her in the eye, but she really wanted to seize this opportunity. So, she could only lower her head and nod silently.
Consort Chen coldly snorted, "Hmph, Concubine Xiao is indeed knowledgeable."
The Empress, ignoring Consort Chen, turned to Xiao Jingheng and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"
Watching this round of confrontation between the Empress and Consort Chen, on the surface, it seemed that Consort Chen had the upper hand. Little did they know that the Empress had a way of turning the tide, far more clever than Consort Chen.
Allowing Consort Chen to vent her anger and feel complacent, the Empress simply handed this problem over to Xiao Jingheng.
Today, there were also three princes present. Consort Chen advocated against allowing Concubine Xiao to play, while the Empress advocated for everyone to have a good time.
In such a situation, Xiao Jingheng had to consider the Empress's dignity.
Concubine Xiao expectedly spoke, saying, "Since Xiao Jingheng can play and has sent the qin, let her play."
Consort Chen's face immediately darkened upon hearing these words, while the smile on the Empress's face grew brighter.
"Concubine Xiao, why are you still standing there? Get ready," said the Empress.
Concubine Xiao hurriedly expressed her gratitude and began preparing with the pipa in her arms.
In fact, Concubine Xiao was a clever woman. When her voice became hoarse, she had thought of performing something different at Xiao Jingheng's birthday banquet, to catch his attention.
However, there were only a few instruments suitable for women to play, and almost all the palace concubines had already claimed them.
If she performed something that others had already performed, she would offend people if she did well and become a laughingstock if she did poorly. It was always a dilemma.
Later, when she found out that Song Zhao was going to perform the pipa and was still a novice, she knew that her "opportunity" had come again.
She had some foundation in playing the pipa, and like Song Zhao, she was a frequent presence. She was not afraid of offending Song Zhao, and when they performed together, she could outshine her and not offend the other concubines. Why wouldn't she take advantage of this?
After the preparations were made, a chair was moved to the right side of the hall, slightly off-center.
Concubine Xiao sat upright on the chair, holding the pipa and rolled up her sleeves, revealing a pair of fair and delicate wrists. She blushed and said shyly:
"At the beginning of the year, during the successful campaign against the Xi Rong, we relied entirely on the Emperor's wisdom and strategic planning. Today, I offer a piece called 'Ambush from Ten Sides' to celebrate our triumph."
With that, she assumed a posture and began playing gently and skillfully.
Concubine Xiao was proficient in playing the qin, and her melodies flowed like pearls, smooth and with clear variations in tempo.
First, she used alternating plucking and strumming techniques to simulate the sound of charging troops and clashing weapons.
Then, she employed techniques such as playing double strings and sliding, gradually pushing the piece to a climax.
At the most intense part, Concubine Xiao's finger movements became extremely fast, almost creating an afterimage on the strings, making the performance not only pleasant to the ear but also visually captivating.
At first, Xiao Jingheng merely listened casually, not expecting Concubine Xiao to produce anything remarkable.
However, as the piece reached successive climaxes, he began to appreciate Concubine Xiao's talent a bit more.
Among the concubines in the imperial harem, Consort Chen excelled in various musical instruments, and her skills with the pipa and jade qin were especially outstanding.
The Empress glanced at her with a frown, her face showing impatience as she turned away, as if she wanted to block her ears. She then smiled and said:
"Concubine Xiao's musical talent can be compared to that of her sister. It seems that in the future, when the Emperor wants to listen to the pipa, he won't have to go to her sister's palace."
Consort Chen narrowed her eyes and looked at the Empress, calmly saying:
"Yes, when the Emperor wants to listen to the pipa, he will think of me, but when he wants nourishment, naturally, he can only think of the Empress. After all, in the entire imperial harem, apart from the Empress's Phoenix Pavilion, there is no other place that constantly exudes a medicinal fragrance."
The piece was played perfectly, as if it was providing background music for the verbal battle between the Empress and Consort Chen.
The Empress was about to respond to Consort Chen when suddenly a piercing crack sound came from below the hall, followed by a startled cry from Concubine Xiao as she dropped the pipa to the ground.
Everyone turned their heads towards the sound and saw Concubine Xiao clutching her left cheek with her hand, blood seeping through her fingers.
On the ground lay the broken strings of the pipa, with two snapped strings that had grazed Concubine Xiao's left cheek, leaving a long gash on her smooth and delicate skin.
The sight was horrifying, sending shivers down everyone's spines...
