Chapter 49

Chapter 49 – The Slow Change (1)

Ye Zhen had no idea that she had accidentally left rags in the woods. Driven by her emotions, she had torn the brocade to pieces to her heart’s content and left without looking back.

This, beyond her awareness, gave Mo Rongzhan room for suspicion towards Lu Wushuang.

In her times as a vengeful spirit, Ye Zhen remembered how Mo Rongzhan had never doubted Wang Fei Lu’s claims over the identity of the little girl who had rescued him years ago.

Most of all, Ye Zhen didn’t expect that another miracle would happen to her. Aside from her unexplainable rebirth, she was given a gift. This miracle was none other than the healing liquid oozing from her right palm.

With this lingquan¹, her skin became smoother and fairer!

Although it was not as pale as those of ladies of nobility, it was indeed much better than when she first came to the capital.

At least her skin no longer felt as callous as before. Freckles on her cheeks exposed to the sun had disappeared. Her eyes were clearer than before, gone were the dark circles her sickness left her.

Aside from her face, her body also seemed to have developed.

Ye Zhen noticed some changes which made her look well-endowed, womanlier. Her chest was fuller than before, and her previous clothes were now shorter by at least two inches. She had grown a lot taller in such a short time!

Fortunately, she had got new clothes made, otherwise, she would be disgraced if she wore inappropriate clothing, flashing skin underneath her short robes.

“Teacher, the music curriculum in the Six Arts Examination does not explicitly specify that the examinee should use guqin. Can I use other musical instruments?”

Ye Zhen didn’t want to use her skills in guqin² when taking part in the examination of the talent of music because of the fact that it was easy to tell whether a person could play the instrument well!

It went without saying that the late Wang Fei, Ye Zhen, was unmistakably the best at playing guqin. Needless to say, all the teachers in the Academy for Women, including Teacher Shan were very skilled in music. Therefore, it would be easy for them to notice that Ye Zhen was no beginner in playing the instrument.

“Then what do you want to play?” Teacher Shan frowned and asked with a crease on her forehead.

She wasn’t exactly worried about Lu Yaoyao’s talents or her lack thereof. Instead, she only wanted her students to do things willingly and with ease.

Besides, the academy examination was fast approaching. Using guqin could be tedious and might require more time to master. Perhaps, it’s best for the third miss to try other instruments she saw fit, Teacher Shan thought to herself.

“Drum!” Ye Zhen remembered a talent she had never shown before. No one knew that she could play the drum except her maid and father, who were already gone.

Teacher Shan rested her chin on her hand, it didn’t sound like a bad idea to her.

“There are several kinds of drums. Which one do you like?” she asked.

“What do you think of drum dancing, Teacher?”

Playing the drum by dancing on top of it completely met the requirements of the music art without showing her skills in guqin.

In ancient times, drums were revered as a heavenly artifact, which could be used not only to support the military forces but also for sacrificial ceremonies. Drums had the power to boost and inspire people. However, due to women’s lack of strength and boldness, only a few usually chose such musical instruments to learn.

If Ye Zhen performed differently, then she could garner more attention!

Teacher Shan was pleased to find that the third miss was much smarter than she had thought. So smart that perhaps she could be compared to her previous apprentices.

“I’ve never seen anyone dance on a drum before. A big drum alone is not easy to find,” Teacher Shan said.

“I know that there is one place that can make this big drum. It will take about ten days, and then I could practice just in time for the exam!” she said excitedly.

Clasping her hands together, Teacher Shan had a determined look on her face.

“Now that you have decided, let’s do it. Besides, there will be no problem if you can pass only three of the six arts.”