However, this was just the first wave. Soon, the Empress and the Crown Princess Consort also offered dishes, and in no ti, the table in front of Xiaoyu was full.
Even with Xiaoyu’s great appetite, she couldn’t eat that much. After all, everyone had appetizers and side dishes, but since these were imperial offerings, she had to eat them all, tears included. Fortunately, each serving was small and still within an acceptable range. She just hoped no more dishes would co her way.
Due to this interlude, Shen Xiaoyu now piqued everyone’s curiosity. The previously ignored corner gradually began to attract attention.
Among them, the two Commandery Princesses of Prince Zhao Mansion were especially indignant. Both had interacted with Shen Xiaoyu previously, but since she had dressed as a man before, they hadn’t recognized her. Now that she appeared in won’s attire and drew so much attention, even a fool could see what that ant.
However, they had both been trapped into arranged marriages by Yan Qing’s sches and were forced to get married co next spring. Even if they were resentful, what could they do?
Yet, the sisters were not the type to take things lying down. Having suffered such a setback at the hands of the sa person, how could they just let it go?
Thus, they tead up with a few daughters of aristocratic families. During the upcoming talent performance, when choosing a partner, surprisingly, half of the ten people picked Shen Xiaoyu.
Xiaoyu had anticipated that she would be the focus at this event; after all, the provocative gazes of those two Commandery Princesses were too obvious.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, even the Empress couldn’t offer her any help, so Xiaoyu had to rely on herself.
In terms of guqin skills, she naturally couldn’t compare with those ladies who had been practicing since childhood. Although she had learned to play the guqin for a couple of months, if she rashly played it, she would surely make a fool of herself.
So after much thought, she chose not to play an instrunt that most people would understand. But what should she play?
Among these ancient musical instrunts, she was not proficient in any.
But she could play the harmonica! It was small and easy to carry, so when she pulled the harmonica out of her sleeve, her opponent raised an eyebrow: "What is this?"
Xiaoyu raised the item in her hand, "This is a musical instrunt. I’m not proficient with the guqin. It wouldn’t be fair to compare directly. How about Miss Zhang, you play a piece first, and then I’ll use this to perform a song for a change of pace? Would that be alright?"
Miss Zhang, of course, was reluctant, but everyone knew of Shen Xiaoyu’s humble origins. If she openly challenged Xiaoyu, it would seem too petty. Besides, how impressive could such a tiny thing be? So, she agreed rather graciously.
Thus, Miss Zhang played first, followed by Xiaoyu’s performance. While appreciating each other’s skills, Xiaoyu quickly scanned the scores in her mory space and tried to rember them. After such a long ti without practice, how could she rember any scores?
There were many harmonica pieces, but the ones she was familiar with were those world-famous pieces deeply engraved in her bones. Previously, they were played on the piano. Now, however, she had to perform them using a harmonica. Thus, she chose a piece for her performance that was renowned for its light, lively rhythm: Mozart’s "Turkish March," a piece composed in 1778 in Paris, France.
As soon as the other party finished playing and stood up, Xiaoyu needed no reminder. Facing the Empress, she bowed and after a slight mishap with the starting note, she comnced the lively introduction...
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