"Isn't it your shopkeeper's business to take care of the inn?"

"Managing the inn is naturally my job, but now you are begging me to take care of it?" Guiyue slowly added a cup of tea to herself, "What's more, you helped me take care of the inn before, didn't I also give you money?" Your asking price is five hundred taels, how about you offset the two? ”

Ah Ci rolled his eyes countless times in his heart, and the shopkeeper was really still thinking about the silver that was taken away by himself.

"Okay, deal." Ah Ci slammed his fist on the table.

Guiyue showed a fox-like smile, rolled up her sleeves leisurely, and walked out of the room.

After a while, Ah Ci reacted, it's not like this! After all, she is an outsider, whether it is managing the inn or taking care of Liu'er, shouldn't it be Guiyue who gives her money?! Why are the two still canceling out?

Ah Ci sat down in frustration, Guiyue is this pit!

She sat at the table and was secretly angry for a while, but finally got up and went into the inner room. Liu Er was asleep, Ah Ci was about to close the door and leave, but suddenly glanced at the guqin in the corner, the piano was pitch black, painted with dark red and dark gold floating cloud patterns, it looked low-key and revealed a little simple and elegant, Ah Ci couldn't help but look closer, only to find that the strings were also pitch black, she stretched out her hand and gently touched the strings, but accidentally made a sound, clang, Ah Ci was startled, hurriedly turned around, and saw that Liu Er was not woken up, slightly relieved.

Her eyes were on the piano again, there was no doubt that it was a beautiful piano, and the timbre of the sound just now was enough to prove that it was a rare good piano. Liu Er said before that Guiyue was a piano idiot, but except for those well-maintained hands on weekdays, he couldn't tell that he was a piano player. He protected this piano so well, in fact, he still couldn't let it go in his heart.

Ah Ci stood up, but saw that Liu Er had already sat up, she glanced back at the qin, and Liu Er said: "This qin is Guiyue's favorite qin, but since he left the capital, he has never touched the qin again." ”

Liu Er stroked her long hair, Ah Ci walked over and sat down beside her, "Why?" ”

Liu Er smiled faintly and said: "Guiyue used to be the most popular luthier in the imperial court, and his piano skills were also the best among all the royal luthiers in the court, but because of his noble and cold temperament, he offended many people. After all, in the eyes of the world, the pianist is not on the table after all. Among those who were offended, there were court officials and luthiers like him, who joined forces to try their best to frame Guiyue, who eventually fell into prison and suffered a lot. Those violinists who were jealous of him, in order to make him no longer caress the qin, broke his tendons, and feared that he would wait for revenge, so they locked his pipa bones, abolished his martial arts, and finally, ruined his appearance. ”

Ah Ci raised a cold hair when he heard this, "But his martial arts are still there, and he still looks very powerful?" There are no scars on the face either. ”

"I begged my father to intercede with the emperor, Rosemoon was able to be free, Rosemoon went out and met a miracle doctor, the miracle doctor saved him, the broken muscles and bones were connected, and the martial arts were restored, although the scars on his face were gone, but after all, his appearance changed somewhat, but Rosemoon never cared about this. Guiyue has never bowed her head to anyone in her life, but she is respectful to the divine doctor. ”

Ah Ci nodded clearly, he didn't expect this shopkeeper to suffer so much. But in the end, it's also his attitude of looking at people with his nostrils, but if he learns to be tactful, there won't be so many people who want to hurt him, right?

"I heard Guiyue say that he killed your father and mother before he was exiled by the imperial court, is it true?" Ah Ci carefully looked at Liu'er's face, but Liu'er didn't have any special reaction, and nodded lightly with a smile.

"He killed your father, don't you hate him?"

"Why hate?" Liu Er looked down at her slender white fingertips, "He saved me, how could I hate him?" ”

When the sixteen-year-old rose to the capital, he played a song on the water jade floor, which alarmed the saint who happened to pay a private visit to Weifu, and praised "This song should only be in the sky, and it is rare to hear it in the world", and this amazing young pianist was summoned to the palace and became the royal luthier of the palace banquet.

Most of the pianists in the palace are elderly, and the younger ones are also middle-aged, and those who are at the beginning of a cross like Guiyue are still the first ones.

When he first entered the palace, the emperor was very fond of this young luthier, and he must be called to the banquet of all sizes, and occasionally he wanted a certain concubine to dance, and he had to call Guiyue to accompany him. But Guiyue is also a temperamental, in the middle of the night I slept well was called over to accompany the concubine, Guiyue got up angry, and replied "Don't go", the emperor was not only not annoyed, but the next day he rewarded a bunch of things, so that people can serve well, don't slack off.

After several times, the emperor asked him to touch the qin Guiyue refused, the palace rumored that the luthier Guiyue was pampered and arrogant, although Guiyue didn't care much about his reputation, but the emperor sent people to harass him every day, so that he was annoyed, and he planned how to leave the palace.

The emperor is just a cheap bone, in the high position for so long, who is not obedient to him, now such a little pianist has come, but repeatedly rejected him, he feels very fresh, so he thinks how to please him, if he really listens to himself, the emperor may not be so spoiled by him.

These words were told to him by Liu Er, at that time, Liu Er was still the concubine of the Shangshucen family of the Ministry of Rites in the capital, and she had a good appearance of sinking fish and geese and closing the moon and shy flowers, and she had the talent of poetry and books, but she was a sick seedling, because of the identity of the concubine, she was not favored in the house. Liu'er's sister Cen Xue is also a big beauty, but she has no appearance, at the poetry meeting held by Princess Xin'an, only Cen Xue was invited, but every time Liu'er was also brought, sitting behind the curtain, Cen Xue handed it to Liu'er as soon as she got the question, and Liu'er wrote the answer on the paper, and every time Cen Xue could get the first prize.

Cen Xue's reputation for talent and beauty spread all over the capital, and the limelight even caught up with Su Lingling, the daughter of the Marquis of Dongxiang, but Liu Er, as the person behind it, was unknown.

Guiyue met Liu Er before entering the palace, that time Liu Er participated in the poetry meeting with Cen Xue, she finished answering the question and won a lot of applause, although this applause was not for her, but Liu Er was still happy in her heart, which was another way to affirm her talent.

However, she heard a discordant sneer, the sound was very small, not far from her, Liu Er lifted the curtain and looked out, it was a tall young man in plain clothes, carrying a guqin behind his back, sensing Liu Er's gaze, he turned his head, the cold and glamorous eyes like Aoxue Hanmei made Liu Er's breath stagnate slightly, she put down the curtain suddenly, and her heart beat like a drum.

Later, when the poetry meeting ended, Liu Er returned to the house, I don't know if she was cold or what, she suddenly had a high fever, and at the same time Cen Xue also had a fever. On weekdays, I may not think that there is much difference in the treatment of these two sisters, but it can be seen when they get sick together. The whole mansion was busy running to Cen Xue's side, but Liu'er's side was deserted, just a personal maid waiting.

This maid is Liu Er's mother's wedding maid Xiaoman, Liu Er's mother died early, Liu Er herself is weak, Xiao Man was originally engaged in her hometown, but she couldn't let go of Liu Er and stayed by her side, Liu Er has always felt sorry for Xiao Man, and has always treated her as a sister, sometimes Cen Xue is happy and will send some things to her small yard, Liu Er always has to give half to Xiao Man.

"Miss, tomorrow is Madame's death day, but your body has not been good, otherwise we should not go this year, right?" Xiaoman entered the house with the decoction, Liu Er put down the book in his hand, shook his head and said, "I'm already much better, and I'm going to go tomorrow." ”

"But—"

"Xiaoman, I'm really fine." In order to prove that she was really much better, Liu Er lifted the quilt and got out of bed, Xiaoman sighed, and no longer dissuaded her.

The next day was a good day, Liu Er brought sacrifices to worship her mother, her mother was just a side room, and she didn't even have the opportunity to be buried in the ancestral grave of the Cen family, and only Liu Er and Xiaoman would go to see it every Qingming and death day.

Liu Er sat by the tomb for a while, and said a conversation, but the clear weather suddenly became cloudy, seeing that the clouds in the sky were getting thicker and thicker, and it was about to rain, Xiaoman hurriedly pulled up Liu Er, although Liu Er was reluctant, but still sat on the chariot again.

Before returning home, it was already raining, Liu Er and Xiao Man were sitting in a gazebo, and the person who carried the chariot said that they were going back to find a carriage to pick up Liu Er, and Liu Er agreed.

After sitting in the pavilion for a while, the rain has been dripping, Liu Er coughed a few times due to the cold, Xiaoman looked at the rain and could only be anxious, muttering: "Why haven't the two of them come back yet?" ”

Liu Er covered her mouth and said with a smile: "What are you doing in such a hurry?" There was still some distance to go back to the house from here, how could the two of them be so fast? ”

"Miss, I think they're just lazy, maybe they're going to a tavern to drink-" Suddenly realizing that he was not right to say this, Xiao Man quickly stopped his mouth and looked at Liu Er's face, the smile on Liu Er's face really faded a little, "Xiao Man, I am not favored in the Hou Mansion, it is already good that they can send me here." ”

"Miss, no matter how you say it, you are also the daughter of Shangshu Mansion, you have helped the eldest lady out of the limelight in the past few years, and there is no credit and hard work, but the master is still so cold and indifferent to you——"

Liu Er lowered her head, shook the hand holding the handkerchief, and did not make a sound.

She was naturally unwilling in her heart, but she didn't have the energy to compete with Cen Xue for anything, so she could only make compromises, and anyone in the house could bully her casually.

"Who are you?" Xiaoman's voice made Liu Er raise her head again, she looked outside, and saw a young man in plain clothes standing outside the pavilion, his hair was already wet, and he was just wearing a thin light shirt, which was taken off and wrapped in the guqin in his arms.

It's the boy I saw last time at the poetry party.

"Xiaoman, let him in, it's raining so hard outside, don't get wet." Liu Er pulled down the hat to cover her face, Xiao Man let him go, and the young man entered the pavilion and sat down opposite Liu Er.