Chapter 054: Special Tutoring

Once, Jiang Xuening thought about Confucius’s eighteen methods; now, she couldn’t help but ponder her own eighteen methods.

The looks from others, which were strange before, suddenly had a touch of sympathy.

After all, jealousy was one thing, and looking down on her was another, but no one expected that just being poor at playing the qin would result in being kept after class by the teacher. No matter how gentle Master Xie appeared, for students, this was a “disaster,” truly terrifying.

So, in the following time…

Everyone took Jiang Xuening as a cautionary example. Even Shen Zhiyi, who had been relaxed before, became very serious about practicing the qin, fearing that they might be the next one to be kept after class.

Jiang Xuening remained silent.

For an entire hour, she just sat in her seat, not daring to touch the qin.

When class ended, everyone stood up to bow and say goodbye to Xie Wei.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but look at the others.

People like Xiao Shu, who kept a low profile, just glanced at her.

People like You Yue, who had a clear grudge against her, snorted lightly, clearly gloating.

Fang Miao looked at her with great pity, giving her a helpless look.

Jiang Xuening knew she couldn’t rely on anyone else, but she still tried to grasp the last straw, calling out to Shen Zhiyi as she passed by, “Princess…”

Shen Zhiyi came over, held her hand, and said earnestly, “Master Xie is very kind. You must work hard.”

Jiang Xuening: “……”

Shen Zhiyi encouraged her with a nod and a clenched fist before leaving the hall.

Feeling a bit desperate.

Everyone had left.

Most of the palace attendants had also dispersed.

The daylight outside shone through the window paper, bright and white.

Xie Wei put his Emei qin into its case, holding it diagonally in his arms, and walked down from the hall. He glanced at her and said, “Follow me.”

Jiang Xuening felt a chill in her heart and was about to follow.

But as soon as she took a step, Xie Wei stopped.

His eyelids lowered, and the light at the hall door fell half on his eyelashes and pupils, making them look even darker. He reminded her, “The qin.”

Jiang Xuening then realized and carefully picked up the Jiao’an qin she had barely touched today.

Xie Wei left the hall and headed straight for the side hall.

After all, he was different from other teachers. Having presided over the imperial lectures in the palace for years, the palace had set aside a side hall in Fengchen Hall specifically for his use as a resting place.

The closer Jiang Xuening got to the side hall, the more her eyelids twitched.

At the entrance of the side hall, a young eunuch was waiting under the porch. Seeing Xie Wei approaching, he quickly stood up straight and greeted him with a smile, “Master Xie, you must be tired. Is class over? The Internal Affairs Office recently received some autumn tea from Fujian. Shall I brew some for you?”

Xie Wei responded with a faint “Hmm.”

The eunuch went to the adjacent tea room to brew tea, but as he left, he couldn’t help but glance curiously at Jiang Xuening, wondering why Master Xie had brought a girl here.

Xie Wei entered the side hall.

Jiang Xuening, however, stopped at the door, as if it were a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den, not daring to step inside.

Without turning his head, Xie Wei said, “Come in.”

Jiang Xuening steeled herself, thinking that since they were in the imperial palace, Xie Wei wouldn’t dare to harm her in broad daylight. She stepped inside.

A warm atmosphere immediately enveloped her.

She was momentarily stunned.

The side hall was much smaller than the main hall and not as spacious. Except for the open door and an east-facing window, all other doors and windows were tightly closed, with a silver charcoal heater providing warmth.

Thick carpets covered the originally cold floor tiles, making her steps silent.

Tall bookshelves served as partitions.

They were filled with various ancient books.

Walking around the bookshelves, she saw a desk, a qin table, and in the northeast corner, a long wooden table with several long pieces of wood and tools like ink ropes, planes, and carving knives.

Xie Wei hung up his qin, then pointed to an empty qin table for Jiang Xuening, while he sat by the warm bed near the window, lowering his eyes and saying, “I heard that Miss Ning saved a young eunuch named Zheng Bao at the gate of Kunning Palace yesterday.”

Jiang Xuening had just put down her qin and almost knelt in fear upon hearing this.

She had thought Xie Wei had kept her behind to give her qin lessons, but as soon as she entered the side hall, he brought this up, making her hair stand on end!

Saving Zheng Bao had been in full view of everyone, so she couldn’t deny it even if she wanted to, especially now that Xie Wei was asking her directly.

This was someone who would rebel in the future, surely with his own informants in the palace.

Pretending to be ignorant in front of Xie Wei would be courting death.

Jiang Xuening forced herself to stay calm and replied nervously, “Yes.”

Thoughts flickered in Xie Wei’s eyes as he said, “Wang Xinyi, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, is a favorite of the emperor. Although Zheng Bao works in the harem as an inconspicuous steward eunuch in Kunning Palace, Wang Xinyi has always favored him secretly, considering him half a disciple. Because Zheng Bao is loyal and very filial, Wang Xinyi has been looking for an opportunity to promote him. Miss Ning’s act of kindness was quite timely.”

Jiang Xuening never expected that he would know.

Her most secret plans had not even been in place for a day before they were exposed, making her feel terrified.

She instinctively wanted to lie and deny it.

But when she looked up, she met Xie Wei’s clear and understanding gaze, as if he could see right through her. Her courage vanished, and her throat felt dry, unable to speak.

Xie Wei looked at her calmly, “Did you know this and intentionally save him?”

Jiang Xuening didn’t dare to admit it.

After all, the last time she entered the palace, Xie Wei had warned her to stay under his watch and not cause trouble or make him angry.

But she didn’t dare to lie in front of Xie Wei.

Because the consequences of lying would be worse.

Her mind raced, and at the critical moment, Jiang Xuening remembered the trick she used in the main hall of Fengchen Hall to deal with Xie Wei. She flattened her lips, lowered her eyes, and pouted, bowing her head.

There were too many sad things, and just thinking about them could make her cry.

When she looked up again, her eyes were red, and tears welled up, ready to overflow. She spoke pitifully, “There are so many things in the palace, how could I, who just entered the palace a few days ago, know about Wang Xinyi or anyone else?”

“……”

Xie Wei looked at her without speaking.

Jiang Xuening felt his reaction was different from what she expected, making her nervous.

But since she had already started acting, she couldn’t stop now.

She continued to fake cry, “Besides, it wasn’t my idea to save that eunuch named Zheng Bao. We saw Prince Linzi standing in front of him as if he wanted to save him, but then he got distracted and forgot. I felt sorry for the eunuch and mentioned it to the princess. It was the princess who decided to save him. Master Xie, you said you wanted to trust me, but now it doesn’t seem like you do. You’re lying!”

The girl, in her prime, with a beautiful and delicate face, even had a bit of cold, decadent charm. But when she cried, she lowered her eyes, looking pitiful.

There was a bit of inherent cunning and mischief.

She cried while sneaking glances at his expression, her clear eyes like glazed beads, somewhat captivating.

Xie Wei couldn’t help but think: Do I look like someone who falls for this?

Jiang Xuening initially cried, thinking Xie Wei would fall for it and she could get away with it. But Xie Wei looked at her thoughtfully, seemingly unmoved.

The more she cried, the less confident she felt. Just then, there was a light knock at the door, and a young eunuch brought in tea, saying, “Master Xie, tea.”

Her sobbing stopped.

The eunuch placed two cups of tea, one by Xie Wei’s table and one by Jiang Xuening’s qin table, without looking up or showing any sign of having heard what happened before. He then bowed and left.

Xie Wei picked up his tea, lifted the lid, and hearing the crying stop, raised an eyebrow, “Not crying anymore?”

Jiang Xuening: “……”

If she couldn’t see that Xie Wei wasn’t falling for it by now, she would be truly foolish.

She admitted honestly, “Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so sad anymore.”

Xie Wei responded with an “Oh,” leisurely sipping his tea, and looked at her with a faint smile, “I didn’t realize you were so good at pretending to cry, even if your qin skills aren’t great.”

Jiang Xuening felt frustrated, “I was afraid you’d punish me…”

Xie Wei said, “If you haven’t done anything wrong, why fear a ghost knocking at your door?”

Jiang Xuening muttered softly, “Can’t a ghost knock on the wrong door?”

Xie Wei remained silent, just looking at her.

Jiang Xuening immediately lowered her head, not daring to argue further, “Master Xie is right. Ghosts are so powerful, how could they not recognize the right door?”

Xie Wei: “……”

He put down his tea and asked again, “Why did you save Zheng Bao?”

Jiang Xuening appeared obedient, but her mind was racing.

Telling the truth would be disastrous.

But telling a complete lie might not convince Xie Wei.

So, she quickly came up with a compromise, forcing herself to drop her defenses and appear more vulnerable and sincere, “I just arrived in the palace, with no one to rely on. You, Yan Lin, and the princess insisted on bringing me into the palace, making me stand out. Naturally, the other companions see me as an enemy. Without someone to look out for me, if something dangerous happens, I wouldn’t even know how I died. I was scared, so when we passed by Kunning Palace, I thought saving a young eunuch might be useful in the future.”

Xie Wei remained silent.

Jiang Xuening’s voice lowered as she defended herself, “My intentions weren’t pure, but no one gave me a chance to be a good person. You only see what I do and blame me, but never put yourself in my shoes.”

No one knew better than Xie Wei what had happened in Kunning Palace and the aftermath.

Hearing Jiang Xuening mention it, his expression changed.

Finally, he asked, “Do you feel wronged?”

Jiang Xuening nodded, “Yes, I do.”

Xie Wei said nothing more.

Jiang Xuening’s heart pounded, and when she looked up, there was a mix of fear and hope in her eyes. She tentatively asked, “So, is Zheng Bao really that capable? Will he be promoted by Wang Xinyi?”

She looked as if she had just learned about Zheng Bao’s potential from Xie Wei.

Xie Wei couldn’t help but try to discern the truth.

He lifted his eyelids and saw her sitting properly behind the qin table, her hands on her knees, her long, dark eyelashes wet, and tear stains still on her pale cheeks. He finally relented, “Forget it.”

He said to her, “Wang Xinyi has such intentions, but palace affairs change rapidly. Someone favored today might fall tomorrow. Having some connections in the palace isn’t bad, but getting involved in conflicts can bring disaster. Since Yan Lin entrusted you to me and your father requested it, I’m giving you some advice. Be careful and don’t make mistakes.”

The words “don’t make mistakes” carried deep meaning.

Jiang Xuening knew he wasn’t just warning her about helping Zheng Bao for future favors but also cautioning her against using Zheng Bao to expose his rebellious intentions. She dared not be disobedient.

She lowered her eyes and said, “Yes, Master Xie.”

Xie Wei then said, “Play the qin again, let me see.” Jiang Xuening was still preoccupied with her “battle of wits” with Xie Wei and didn’t expect him to switch directly to the qin matter, so she was stunned for a moment before realizing—

So, he still intended to give her special tutoring.

She thought that after discussing Zheng Bao, he would let her go!

The Jiao’an qin was placed on the qin table.

Jiang Xuening felt like dying.

Seeing her not move, Xie Wei frowned slightly and said, “I have nothing to do this afternoon. If you don’t play, we’ll just stay here.”

Who wants to stay here with you!

It’s scarier than being with the King of Hell!

After weighing her options, Jiang Xuening’s survival instinct overcame her pride. She took a deep breath, sat up straight, placed her fingers on the strings, and clumsily played a small section of “Xianweng Cao” that Xie Wei had taught.

This piece, also known as “Tuning Prelude,” is a simple beginner’s piece used to practice finger techniques.

Although Jiang Xuening hadn’t touched the qin in the hall, she had memorized this small section.

When she played it now, her tuning and finger techniques were not accurate, but there were no major mistakes.

Xie Wei looked at her fingers and said, “Continue playing.”

Jiang Xuening didn’t dare say much, holding her breath, and when she raised her fingers again, she was even more tense.

This time, her first note was too heavy.

Xie Wei got up and walked to her qin table to watch closely.

The more he watched, the more mistakes Jiang Xuening made, playing even worse than the first time.

Xie Wei knew she was afraid of him, but there was no solution to that. Focused on the qin, he said, “This piece has a pattern; each phrase ends with a pluck and a press. Your strings are too tight. You need to relax more when you play.”

Jiang Xuening tried to relax and played again.

Xie Wei sighed, “A rotten piece of wood cannot be carved.” He saw that although her right hand seemed relaxed, her left hand’s fingers were still curled, and her technique was incorrect. He frowned, leaned forward slightly, and reached out his hand.

Jiang Xuening’s fingers were as delicate as scallion roots, with pale pink under her transparent nails. Even though her technique was incorrect, her fingers looked beautiful on the strings.

She had removed her jade bracelet and hand chain while learning the qin.

Xie Wei was about to teach her the correct finger technique, but as he approached and lowered his gaze, he saw a thin, pale wrist exposed. The scar from a deep cut made long ago, used to draw blood, looked like an old thorny vine crawling on her white skin.

Though faded, it was still quite striking.

His outstretched fingers paused.

Jiang Xuening, having just finished playing, felt she had improved significantly and expected some praise. But Xie Wei’s “a rotten piece of wood cannot be carved” had already deflated her, and she was even more startled when he suddenly reached out towards her.

In that instant, her scalp tingled.

Seeing Xie Wei’s gaze fixed on the scar on her wrist, she suddenly felt a surge of fear, worried he might touch it. In her panic, she stood up abruptly!

“Bang!”

She had been sitting at the qin table, and her sudden rise caused her to bump into the table edge and trip over the stool behind her. The table tilted, and she fell backward with a scream.

Xie Wei immediately reached out—

His wide sleeves billowed like a gust of wind before Jiang Xuening’s eyes.

Then…

He firmly caught the Jiao’an qin.

With a thud, the qin table fell, the stool toppled, and Jiang Xuening landed on the thick carpet, feeling a bit sore and dazed.

The Jiao’an qin rested safely in Xie Wei’s hands.

He stood there holding the qin, looking at her.

Silence.

Nothing but silence.

Xie Wei: “……”

Something seemed off?

Jiang Xuening: “……”

No, everything seemed fine.