Mama Shen led me to a small building. The building was not very tall, only two floors, but it was built in the middle of a pond. The water in the pond was not deep, but it was only two or three inches, and there was a winding stone path leading to the front of the building. The stones that paved the road were all rectangular strips of stone, and they were all of the same color, and there were forty or fifty of them. These stones alone must be worth a lot of money, let alone building such a building in the middle of the pond. It seems that the words of imperial autocracy are true, and they can do whatever they want, even if it is very flashy, no one will object to it. If it is Wuyang City, whoever proposes to build such a building, the council will definitely not be able to pass it.

It's just that although this small building is flashy, it is really beautiful when it looks like it used to be. The water ripples, as if rising from the water. When we walked halfway through the slate, Mama Shen turned her head and said, "This slate is a little loose, Zheng Gongzi be careful." ”

As soon as she finished speaking, she had already stepped on a stone slab, most of which had a hole in the corner, and when Shen Mama stepped on it, she made a soft "dong" sound, and the water surface also stirred up a circle of water lines. Each slab was about two feet wide, and it was very difficult to step over it, but although the slab was a little shaky, it was nothing at all, and I was prepared in my heart, let alone it. As soon as Mama Shen walked by, when it was my turn, I toed a little with my right foot, and stepped over with my left foot very quickly, and the moving stone slab didn't even move. When Mama Shen saw me come over lightly and skillfully, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she didn't say anything.

The door of the building was hidden. Mama Shen pushed open the door and led me in. As soon as I entered, I couldn't help but be surprised, the room was densely packed with bookshelves, there were always dozens, and the shelves were full of books. It's hot, but it's very shady. Mama Shen only took me downstairs, pointed to a row of seats by the wall and said, "Zheng Gongzi, you are waiting here, Mr. will come over soon." ”

I saw that her expression was not as indifferent as when I first met, and I couldn't help but ask, "Mama Shen, who is the person who played the pipa just now?" ”

Shen Mama said: "That, it must be Anya Emperor." Did she play the lute? ”

I was surprised, "Emperor? ”

"In the past, she was called a princess, but after His Majesty ascended the throne, she changed her name to this one."

When I heard that it was a princess, I couldn't help but be stunned and asked, "Hey, I heard that the emperor only has two princes, is there still a princess?" ”

"That's Your Majesty's daughter." Shen Mama said, her expression became indifferent again, and said: "Gongzi Zheng, Mingxin Courtyard is not as good as the outside, you can't ask casually, and you can't talk casually after you go out." With you, there are two princes, a prince and an emperor, and eleven companions, and when we are all there in a while, I will introduce you one by one. ”

I said, "Add me, and you'll have twelve companions." ”

Mama Shen glanced at me, but there was a little surprise in her eyes: "Gongzi Zheng, you are not a companion. ”

I was stunned: "Not a companion?" So what am I? ”

"Zheng Gongzi entered the Mingxin Courtyard as a prince."

I was taken aback and couldn't help but exclaim, "I...... I...... Am I a prince? ”

"Yes, the companion can't stay in the palace every day, but the prince can stay overnight. Zheng Gongzi can stay in the palace and treat him as a prince. ”

My uncle told me that I entered the Mingxin Academy as a companion, and I was a little depressed at that time, feeling that I was inferior, and that when the teacher wanted to punish the prince, he might be angry with me. It's just that I didn't expect to be treated like a prince! I used to have a good impression of the emperor, and now I am a little grateful. At least I shouldn't be beaten in Mingxinyuan, and even if I make a mistake, I still have the eleven companions who will be guilty of me. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile, and I was about to ask again, but Mama Shen said, "Zheng Gongzi, you sit down first, I'll go and see if the two princes have arrived." ”

Although Mama Shen looks like a person who is not close to anyone, she didn't expect that she is actually approachable. I really wanted to ask what kind of people the two princes were like to the emperor, but seeing that Mama Shen was in a hurry to leave, I didn't dare to provoke her. Anyway, someone was coming soon, and it was boring to sit there, so I looked at the bookshelves one by one. I also have a lot of books in the school I went to in Wuyang City, but I can't compare with this place, many of them are still unheard of. But it's no wonder that the north implements an imperial system, and many books are banned in Wuyang City, and many books in Wuyang City can't be seen here. walked a small half circle, but saw a thick "Record of Stars" in a compartment of the bookcase, and my heart moved. There is also such a book in the school in Wuyang City, but the version is completely different from the one in front of me, and the thickness of the book is less than one-third. At the time, I had heard that what was in school was actually an abridged version, with a lot of character entries removed, and everyone's biographies had been quite altered. I didn't have much interest in this book before, I just flipped through it in school, and I didn't care about what was changed. It's just that when I read this book now, I remembered what my aunt told me about my real grandfather named Chu Xiuhong. At that time, I was about to leave Wuyang City, my aunt didn't tell me in detail, and my uncle told me that my grandfather still had many enemies alive in the empire, so I still had to tell people that my surname was Zheng, and I didn't dare to ask anyone. However, my uncle also said that my grandfather was listed as the third of the three military saints by the emperor, so there is definitely a biography of him in this "General Star Record". Thinking of this, where can I bear it, not to mention that Mama Shen asked me to sit here, and didn't say that she wouldn't let me read, I took out the thick book of "Jiangxinglu" at once, and looked for it when I turned to the catalog. It's just that there is not even a surname Chu on the first page, and when I turn the next page, there is still none. There are not many surnames Chu, I have five or six hundred classmates in the school in Wuyangcheng, and I don't even have a surname Chu. I'm afraid that this book is arranged chronologically, and the collection is all from people who are no longer alive, so my grandfather should be on the last page of the table of contents page. Thinking of this, I immediately flipped back.

There are more than 500 pages in this "Catalogue of Stars", and the table of contents occupies ten pages, and each page has about ten names, a total of exactly one hundred people. When I turned to the ninth page of the table of contents, I saw at a glance the three words "Chu Xiuhong", which was on page 446. It was so easy to find out the life of my grandfather, who I had never known before, and I couldn't help but be a little excited, and turned to that page, but saw the first sentence "Chu Xiuhong, Marshal of the Fifth Empire, and Governor of the Legion, was born in the sixth year of Tianbao in the Fifth Empire and died in the sixth year of the Republic of the First Republic." ”

As soon as I saw these words, I couldn't help but be stunned. My father was born the year before the first year of the Republic, so my grandfather was still alive at that time? The history of the development of the republic learned in school also tells some things about the period before the establishment of the republic, but most of them are superficial and very shallow. I read it all the way, but I saw that this little biography was written in a straightforward manner, without any confusion, but just plain writing, telling some of my grandfather's experiences. Seventeen in the army, that is, with the army in the southern expedition at the time of the first time to raise the banner of the republican army, at any time by the demon snake people besieged, after escaping and in the Fifth Empire under the hands of the ministers, "when the Central Plains is broken, everyone is frightened, only Chu Xiuhong repeatedly fought to the death with the snake people, and the people of the time gradually saw him as a good general in the world." I was stunned when I saw this, and the school textbooks also said this paragraph, but it was not very detailed, but the textbooks said that it was the Republican Army resisting the snake people at that time, and although the Fifth Imperial Army also participated, most of them were not worth mentioning, and even my grandfather's name was not said, but here it is said that my grandfather and the snake people have repeatedly fought to the death, and the difference is too big. Looking down further, he saw that "Wen Hou saw that the snake was in great difficulty, and when he first got through the republican army in Wuyangcheng, Chu Xiuhong was ordered to send an envoy to Wuyangcheng with Ding Ximing, the imperial historian of the Inspectorate, to discuss the matter of joining forces." After a few months of events, the armies of the north and the south took a break from fighting each other to fight against the snake people. ”

I couldn't help but cry out in surprise when I saw this. The Fifth Reich joined forces with the Republic to resist the Snake People! This is unheard of. If this book is not lying, then the textbooks I have studied are not all facts? Ever since I was a child, I have learned how the republic is great and right, and I have never doubted everything that has been said in the books, and now although it is not completely collapsed, it is also a kind of shock that the sky suddenly falls apart in front of my eyes. I subconsciously looked around, but Mama Shen hadn't come before she left, so I was alone here. I was about to look any further, when I suddenly heard a "bang" in my ears.

It was the moving slate that sent it out. This sound was much louder than Mama Shen had stepped on before, so there were at least two Mama Shen who came. Although Mama Shen was born thin, there are always seventy or eighty pounds, and there are one hundred and fifty or sixty pounds when people come? It's not very fat, but it's big enough. I was taken aback, and hurriedly stuffed the "Xinglu" back, but as soon as I stuffed it back, I immediately saved it, I am also a student of Mingxin Academy, since this is a place to study, isn't it justifiable for me to read, even if the person who comes is fat, what am I afraid of? Thinking of this, I was about to pull out the book again, but I heard someone say, "Hey, the door is open, and Mama Shen has already come?" ”

This is the voice of the girl who sang the song!

For a moment, I felt half cold in my heart. I just heard her sing that little song, her voice was very beautiful, and I also looked forward to it, thinking that even if she was not a beauty, she would always live up to such a beautiful voice, but I didn't expect her to be so fat!

If she walks in, she'll run into me. I was about to hide to the side and pretend not to see it, but another girl's voice came: "Yes, Mama Shen is probably here, I don't know if Mr. Rao is here." ”

The girl's voice was also very beautiful, but when I heard it, I suddenly came back to energy. It turned out that the sound just now was stepped on by two people side by side, no wonder it was so loud. Although these two girls are light, of course they add up to one hundred and fifty or sixty pounds. Knowing that it wasn't a fat woman of one hundred and fifty or sixty pounds, I couldn't hold back my curiosity, so I excitedly turned the bookshelf and walked towards the door. As soon as I turned the bookshelf, I saw two young girls walking through the door. Both of them hugged the noodle pipa and took a look at me.

One of these two girls must be Anya Diji. I glanced at the two of them quickly, the one on the left had very large eyes but a very ordinary appearance, and the one on the right had blonde hair and blue eyes. When these two girls saw me at first glance, they were afraid that they were also startled, so I bowed and saluted: "Two young ladies, Xiaosheng Zheng Hanbai is polite." ”

Because I was afraid that they would be afraid, I made this ceremony very respectful. Before I could straighten up, I heard the ordinary-looking girl say, "You...... You are Uncle Si Chu's son-in-law? ”

I was stunned. The emperor admires my father very much, I know this, but Anya Emperor Ji is not this not good-looking girl, right? Her voice was very gentle and beautiful. I straightened up and said solemnly, "Xiaosheng is exactly." Miss, but Anya Diji? ”

As soon as I asked, the blonde girl on the side stretched out her hand to cover her mouth and smiled slightly, and the not-so-good-looking girl said: "Zheng Gongzi, you are mistaken, my surname is Cheng, my name is Cheng Man, this is Anya Emperor." ”

Cheng Man? I was stunned again. She is not Anya Diji, why do you call my father "Uncle Si Chu" so affectionately? However, Anya Diji is not her, but it makes me feel more comfortable, and I smiled slightly: "It turns out that I confessed my mistake." Miss Cheng is singing the song "Sitting on the Spring Breeze", right? ”

Cheng Man nodded and said, "Zheng Gongzi's ear is really good." The little woman sang two sentences indiscriminately, insulting and listening, which was really embarrassing. ”

I said, "But I don't know who is the accompanist?" ”

Cheng Man looked at Anya Emperor Ji and smiled: "It's Anya." ”

I was overjoyed in my heart, but my face was still unmoving, and I said: "No wonder the pipa sound is so elegant, it is Cao Shancai's three-talented hand." ”

A hint of surprise flashed in both of her eyes at the same time. I saw it in my eyes, but I still pretended to be sincerely scared and said: "It's just that there is a sentence like a bone in the throat, Xiaosheng is not too presumptuous to come to see the two girls, I don't know if I can say it?" ”

Anya Diji was obviously curious by me and asked, "Zheng Gongzi, please speak." ”

"Anya Diji's technique is very clever, but when the word 'no' in the sentence 'why didn't we meet at the beginning', the fingers can't help but slow down a little, I wonder if Anya Diji is aware?"

As soon as I said this, the two of them were already shocked, and Anya Emperor Ji even saluted me with a pipa: "I didn't expect Zheng Gongzi to be so proficient in music!" But I don't know why? I found out when I played this song, but I couldn't change it. ”

When I saw her like this, I smiled secretly in my heart, but my face was still serious: "This, let's start with the difference between the three talents of the north and the south." After a pause, I added, "That's a long thing to say, why don't you sit down and talk about it first?" Standing at the door, he couldn't help but surprise the two young ladies. ”

Anya Diji stretched out her hand again and said with a smile: "Zheng Gongzi, then please take a seat." ”

In fact, Anya Diji's voice is not better than Cheng Man's, but her shyness is even more moving. Seeing that the plan had succeeded, I hurriedly said, "It's too hot here, sit over there." ”

The side by the door is indeed a little hotter because it is exposed to the sun, but on the other side there is a wide and large window sill, which is where people sit. Skirting the bookshelf, I brushed it again on the windowsill and said, "Two young ladies, please take a seat." As soon as they sat down, I was honestly polite, sat down next to Anya Diji and said, "Does Anya Diji know the origin of the three talents in the north and south?" ”

This windowsill can seat four or five people at the same time, but there are no chairs on the side, so it is logical to sit in a row. And I'm talking about the pipa now, so I'm naturally sitting on Anya Diji's side. It was an idea they had made when they first met them, and they apparently didn't realize it at all. It's just that when I asked, Anya Diji was stunned, and said to Cheng Man: "Sister Aman, do you know? The teacher didn't tell me about it. ”

Cheng Man said: "The three talents of the Cao family and the three talents of the Mu family are from the same source, the two of them were the two disciples of Lesheng Zeng Shiya, Zeng Shiya studied the pipa technique all his life, but he has not been able to complete the three talents. Therefore, Mu Cao and the two had to be ordered by their master to practice this way, and this was done. However, because the two are one south and one north, although they have the same source in terms of rhythm, they are still slightly different, just like this pipa, because the Mu family is generally shorter, so the southern pipa is also half an inch shorter than the northern pipa, but there is no difference in technique. ”

I said: "What Miss Cheng said is roughly the same, but it is a big mistake to say that there is no difference between the three talents in the north and the south. ”

Cheng Man's cheeks flushed slightly and said, "I also listened to what my father said about this, is there a difference?" ”

"The difference is that there is a half-inch difference between the north and the south." As I spoke, I stretched out my right hand and said, "Two young ladies, please see, the magic of the three talents lies in the fingering of heaven, earth, talents, etc. These three fingerings are the large, medium, and small at the time of the crossing. However, because of the slight difference in the length of the pipa between the north and the south, these three fingerings, the northern three cai are correspondingly larger than the southern three cai. When playing this song "Sitting on the Spring Breeze", the three talents of the north and south were originally no big problem, and they could generally be played. It's just that this song was composed by Zeng Shiya two hundred years ago based on the ancient song, but this ancient song came from Nanyin. Therefore, when the three talents in the north are played, the front note is often raised a little. Although it is only a millimeter, I can't hear it at all, but when this song is played to the word 'no', there are dozens of notes in front, and each note has accumulated a lot because of a slight elevation, so far it has accumulated a lot. ”

When I was talking about it just now, they were all a little bit of half-believe, but when it came to this, they were moved at the same time, and Anya Diji said: "Can you only play with Nan Sancai?" But Zheng Gongzi, you said that the fingering of the three talents in the north and the south is slightly different, this is practiced since childhood, and it will be difficult to change it. ”

I nodded and said, "Yes, of course, it is impossible to change the fingering, and it is not worth the loss, but it is easy to change the pronunciation, just change the finger to the ground when you play this sound." ”

Anya Diji frowned and said: "However, if you change the ground finger, the timbre will be much sharper, and it will be very different from the original song, so it must be difficult to listen to." As she spoke, she held the pipa in her arms and stretched out her fingers to play with it twice, which was the tune of "Why don't we meet at that time". It's just that when I hit the "no" sound, the sound suddenly became much sharper, which seemed extremely abrupt.

When she frowned slightly, my heart moved. Her eyebrows were so thin that I was a little stunned by the fact that she was so wrinkled. Hearing her try to play this sound, I smiled slightly and said, "Anya Diji, if you press the fingers of your left hand on the ground and pluck it with your right hand, it will look sharp." But this song has always been high to play with the three talents in the north, please push the pipa forward a little more than half an inch and then play, see what happens? ”

Anya was skeptical, and nudged the lute resting on her lap forward by half an inch. This half inch only tilted the lute slightly, and it did not hinder her playing at all. At this time, she played it from the beginning, although no one sang it, but I don't know how many times I have heard this song "Sitting on the Spring Breeze", even if I can't play it, I am familiar with it, and when she plays that sentence, there is no sense of abruptness, and it flows down all of a sudden.

A smile appeared on the corner of Anya Emperor's mouth when she flicked it here. Her complexion is already extremely white, although Cheng Man is not very good-looking, and her skin is fair, Anya Diji is two points whiter than her. It's indescribably beautiful with such a smile, and I'm a little stunned when I see it.

Actually, I don't know how to play the lute, but what I just said is what my mother said. My mother and Uncle Xuan are brothers and sisters in music, they are both good at pipa, and they are also Cao Shancai's three talents in the north. After Uncle Xuan arrived in Wuyang City, he first discovered that it was not comfortable when Yibei Sancai played this song "Sitting on the Spring Breeze", but his fingers were originally big, but it was because he changed to play the southern pipa. It wasn't until Uncle Xuan told my mom that my mom found out about it. Because "Sitting on the Spring Breeze" is a song that my father and my mother both like very much, they play the flute and play the pipa ensemble from time to time, and it is really uncomfortable to always have a little discomfort in this sound, so my mother thought about it for several days, and then came up with this method of moving the pipa back and forth by half an inch. If you play the northern pipa, you will move outward; Playing the southern pipa moved inward, so as to offset the extremely slight deviations accumulated by the previous dozens of notes.