Chapter 11
It was nearly the middle of the month. After practice one day, Lu Chuyao asked for time off.
“I’m going out tomorrow. Have a rest too, Ah Yin. If you need anything, ask the people in my courtyard to do it.”
After spending these days with her, I’d gradually come to understand her temperament. She studied seriously. Once she’d settled into it, she no longer complained that it was difficult as she had at first.
I plucked idly at the strings. “Going out to enjoy yourself tomorrow, Your Highness?”
She waved a hand. “No. Tomorrow’s the fifteenth. I give free medical consultations outside the city on that day every month.”
“Free consultations?”
“Mm.” She was quite matter-of-fact. “You probably know my father is an imperial physician. Growing up around him, I picked up a little medicine. There’s a slum on the outskirts where most people can’t afford a doctor, so I go to see them regularly.”
Her maid, who’d come with her when she married, spoke from beside her. “You’ve been busy learning the guqin lately, Your Highness. You must be tired. Why not skip this month?”
Lu Chuyao frowned. “How could I?”
I asked, “Have you been doing this for a long time, then?”
She nodded. “Yes. I went with my father from the time I was little. Later, he became too busy, so I went by myself. It must be over ten years now.”
“Does His Highness know? Do you need to tell him before leaving the Eastern Palace?”
“No. Before we married, he even came with me. It’s something I’ve always done. He knows.”
“Then…” I stilled the strings. “May I come with you tomorrow?”
She looked a little surprised. “Of course. But the place is dirty and rather chaotic. I’m afraid you might not be used to it.”
I shook my head. “I come from a poor family too. Why would I mind? I’ll come along as an extra pair of hands.”
She smiled. “That would be wonderful. But…”
“Don’t call me Your Highness tomorrow. No one there knows who I am. Just call me Ah Lu.”
I nodded calmly in agreement.
With tomorrow’s plans settled, Lu Chuyao was in good spirits and decided to practice her new piece once more.
The music drifted through the room. The crown princess, already assured a life of wealth and splendor, destined for the highest place overlooking the nation’s people, bowed her head slightly and played with earnest concentration.
Music reveals the heart.
No matter how skilled, someone with a foul heart cannot produce music of true purity.
And Lu Chuyao… her music was pure.
Halfway through the piece, Zhong Rui came to the music room.
The moment he stepped inside, I lowered my head and brushed the strings before me.
A faint, unseen gleam sprang from my fingertip.
It shot straight toward the body of Lu Chuyao’s guqin.
With a sharp twang, a string snapped.