Chapter 080: Asleep

Recently, during qin lessons, they had been focusing on right-hand techniques. Each new technique came with a corresponding piece to practice, and Master Xie was very strict, so no one dared to be careless.

Even Shen Zhiyi behaved properly in class.

But today, Jiang Xuening sat in the back corner of the third row, glaring at Master Xie with wide eyes. Since she wasn’t allowed to touch the qin, she simply stared at him, as if trying to bore a hole through him with her gaze.

Master Xie didn’t understand what she was trying to do.

Fortunately, Jiang Xuening hadn’t rested well for two consecutive nights, and her eyes were sore. After staring at him for a while, sleepiness overwhelmed her. She yawned and struggled to stay awake, managing not to lay her head on the desk and fall asleep, which was already a great effort.

Another class passed in a daze.

When class ended, everyone knew that Jiang Xuening was usually dragged by Master Xie for qin practice, so they quickly dispersed, not wanting to stay with him any longer.

Jiang Xuening, however, couldn’t escape.

Master Xie, holding his qin, walked down from the platform and asked, “Why were you glaring at me?”

Jiang Xuening, having barely made it through the class, was about to yawn but had to hold it back and defend herself: “How could that be? You must have seen wrong. How could a student dare to do such a thing?”

Master Xie said calmly, “Not only did you dare, but you also lied.”

Jiang Xuening forced a smile: “Perhaps I was so engrossed in your lecture, filled with admiration for you, that I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

Master Xie remained unmoved: “Really?”

Jiang Xuening, irritated by his indifferent attitude, remembered his earlier comment about her not looking good. With a hint of revenge, she smiled sweetly and said, “Or maybe Master Xie’s lecture was so dull and confusing that I couldn’t help but stare at you.”

Master Xie: “…”

Dull and confusing!

If he had been composed before, hearing Jiang Xuening’s words now made his face darken, and even his eyes grew colder.

No one had ever evaluated him like this—

Since returning to the capital four years ago and presiding over the lectures at Wenyuan Pavilion, both teachers and students, colleagues and the emperor, had praised him. Jiang Xuening was the first to bluntly criticize him.

Feeling a bit stuck, Master Xie’s thin lips pressed into a straight line, and for a moment, he wanted to react.

But when his gaze fell back on Jiang Xuening, he held back.

He said calmly, “You were so distracted you almost fell asleep. If you didn’t understand, you blame the teacher for not teaching well. That’s quite a skill.”

Jiang Xuening’s smile didn’t falter: “You’re right.”

She was almost shameless, agreeing with whatever Master Xie said.

Master Xie couldn’t be bothered to argue with her and started walking out of the hall.

But as soon as he turned around, Jiang Xuening quietly muttered behind his back, “A big brute who can’t even get a wife, can’t appreciate beauty, yet dares to say I don’t look good! You’ve got some nerve!”

“What did you say?” Master Xie stopped and turned to look at her.

Jiang Xuening felt a chill down her spine. She quickly hugged her qin and followed him, acting as if she hadn’t just muttered those words, and said obsequiously, “I said I’m just a big brute who doesn’t understand appreciation. Thankfully, Master Xie is kind enough to guide me. Let’s go practice the qin.”

“…” Did she really think he was deaf?

Master Xie stared at her for a long moment, feeling that this student had a bit of a rebellious streak. Remembering the rumors about her arrogance, he thought he should discipline her a bit to prevent her from thinking he was easygoing and taking advantage.

But when he was about to reprimand her, he saw her bright eyes looking at him.

She looked so obedient.

The reprimand stuck in his throat, and he swallowed it back, only flicking his wide sleeve and saying, “As long as you know who the teacher and the student are, let’s go.”

He turned around.

Jiang Xuening stuck her tongue out at his back before following.

They went to the side hall of Fengchen Hall.

Master Xie placed his qin, “Emei,” on another table and said, “These past few days, we’ve been learning right-hand techniques. After today’s lesson, you should have a basic understanding and be able to play the corresponding pieces. You were sitting far away in the main hall, so you might not have seen the finger techniques clearly. I’ll play it again now, and you need to watch the details carefully. After I finish, you’ll practice and play it for me.”

Jiang Xuening felt her head swell.

Master Xie only asked, “Do you understand?”

Jiang Xuening sat at her qin table and nodded sincerely, “I understand.”

For Master Xie, playing the qin was second nature.

He played “Chasing the Moon Through Clouds,” which he had demonstrated in the main hall earlier.

The qin music flowed like water.

This piece, suitable for practicing finger techniques, had a simple and light rhythm, like water droplets bouncing on a clear spring or bamboo leaves floating down a stream. It wasn’t complicated, and Master Xie’s playing had a touch of returning to simplicity.

He was always focused when playing the qin.

When the music ended, he slowly lowered his hands, pressing down the lingering notes, and looked up, saying, “Did you see clearly—”

The words “clearly” got stuck in his throat and abruptly stopped.

Master Xie’s expression suddenly turned extremely sour—

On the nearby qin table, where Jiang Xuening had been sitting properly when she first came in and had just answered “I understand” with wide eyes, she had somehow slumped down.

The qin table was small.

With her face down, the ancient qin placed on it was pushed to the side. Her arms were raised, resting under her head, her eyes closed, and her breathing had become even.

She had actually fallen asleep!

Master Xie’s fingers, still pressing on the qin strings, suddenly felt heavy. Afraid of accidentally breaking the strings, he slowly lifted his fingers.

His face gradually became expressionless.

There was no ruler in the side hall, but there was a music score on the desk that he intended to use today. He stood up, picked up the music score, rolled it into a tube in his hand, and walked over to Jiang Xuening, intending to wake her up.

But when he reached her side, raised the rolled-up music score to “invite” her to wake up, he paused for some reason.

Palace attire was elaborate and looked luxurious, but it was also heavy to wear.

The girl’s figure was very slender.

When standing or sitting, her back was straight, her eyes bright and lively, and she didn’t seem to mind; but now, resting her arms and lying on the narrow qin table, she naturally curled up into a small ball.

The luxurious palace attire suddenly seemed like a suit of armor.

But inside…

Was just a fragile little thing.

The girl must have been extremely tired, as even with a layer of powder on her eyelids, a hint of fatigue could be seen.

Her eyes were closed, her fine eyebrows drooping.

The bright lip color had smudged onto the sleeve of her palace attire due to her position, looking like a few fallen petals or random strokes on a painting.

A delicate string of purple glass earrings hung by her ear and cheek.

The light outside was not very bright, but when it passed through the translucent purple glass, it refracted a soft and brilliant light, casting a glow on her fair skin.

These days, during his lectures in the hall, Jiang Xuening had always listened attentively.

Even when called to the side hall for quiet practice, she had never complained.

But today, the moment he wasn’t paying attention, she had fallen asleep.

Master Xie’s gaze fell on her curled and thick eyelashes, and her slightly furrowed brows, wondering if she was having a nightmare. After a long time, he finally withdrew the music score that was about to tap her head. Standing beside the deeply asleep girl, he was at a loss for what to do.

Such a troublesome student…

It was indeed his first time teaching.

If he had known it would be like this, why bother adding this trouble for himself? Whether Jiang Xuening turned out bad or not had nothing to do with him…

He smiled inwardly.

He couldn’t help but wonder if this little girl had stayed up too late playing last night and didn’t rest, which is why she was so tired today. But after the misunderstanding with the “Admonitions for Women” incident, he wouldn’t jump to conclusions so easily again.

After standing beside her for a while, Master Xie couldn’t help but shake his head and smile silently.

He decided not to wake her and let her sleep.

But just as he turned around to continue handling some documents, someone knocked on the door and called out, “Master Xie, His Majesty is in Qianqing Palace, discussing matters. He requests your presence.”

It was the voice of a rather deep-voiced eunuch.

He probably didn’t expect anyone to be sleeping inside, so his voice was quite loud.

Master Xie frowned as soon as he heard it and instinctively turned to look at Jiang Xuening.

Jiang Xuening was dreaming about wading in water to catch shrimp. She was happily doing so when she heard “Qianqing Palace” and was startled. The big shrimp slipped out of her hand. In her panic, she lunged forward, her head nodding, and she woke up.

She hadn’t fully come to her senses.

She suddenly sat up and shouted, “My fish, my shrimp!”

Then she looked up and met Master Xie’s eyes, which had become complex and hard to describe.

Jiang Xuening: “…”

The qin was in front of her, and Master Xie was standing in front of her.

She suddenly felt a chill in her heart, and her whole body felt cold.

Master Xie, recalling that he had suspected she was having a nightmare, suddenly felt he had been too lenient lately. He looked at her quietly and smiled slightly, “You have your fish and shrimp. Should I go to the imperial kitchen and get a chef for Miss Ning to prepare a feast?”