Chapter 1446

The Luo River in mid-April was wrapped in the coldness of the melting snow from the Zhongnan Mountains, but when it fell into the Heyang section, it was as warm and soft as silk.

The century-old weeping willow on the bank had a thousand strands of new green mixed with the unfaded goose-yellow; when the wind blew, it lifted three layers of curtains.

The outermost layer was the willow waves turning silver, and the middle layer hung with a few locust pods that had been wrongly carried by cold crows last year.

And at this moment, Cai Yan, sitting under the weeping willow, pressed her plain hands on the strings of the Jiaowei zither—at the thunder-patterned tail of the zither.

Around her, many noble ladies and scholars of Luoyang were watching from afar.

Compared to the noisy sounds in the distance, this place appeared exceptionally quiet.

Cai Yong had three wonders that were praised by the world.

The first was his technique.

Cai Yong was skilled in seal script and clerical script, especially the latter, with his characters having strict structures, varied dot and stroke movements, and diverse styles.

The 'Feibai' script he created, with its strokes showing white silk-like gaps as if written with a dry brush, was a unique style of calligraphy.

Besides calligraphy, Cai Yong was also skilled in painting and zither playing.

His paintings were deeply loved by Liu Hong in his early years, and his zither skills were also a wonder.

His eldest daughter, Cai Yan, had been immersed in Cai Yong's music since childhood, and her zither skills had a style that was "the student surpassing the master," making her a famous talented woman in Luoyang.

At this moment, Cai Yan was wearing a deep-collared robe, with dark diamond patterns floating on the sky-blue silk material, and the white fox fur draped over her shoulders had already slipped to her elbows.

The jade hairpin in her hair was the dragon-holding-ganoderma ornament given by her father, Cai Yong, when she came of age; reflecting the sunset light from the water, it cast shadows as fine as fly whiskers on her forehead.

The evening wind suddenly rose, and under the expectant gazes of the crowd around her, Cai Yan's pair of plain hands fell onto the zither strings.

A song, "Farewell Crane," accompanied by Cai Yan's voice, which was like that of a spiritual bird, rang out.

"To be separated like wings of a bird at the end of the sky, mountains and rivers are far away and the road is long... I hold my clothes and cannot sleep, forgetting to eat..."

Accompanied by the zither music and her clear singing, everyone around seemed to see a poignant painting unfolding before them.

"Farewell Crane" was composed by Shangling Muzi.

Legend has it that Shangling Muzi had been married for five years without children, and his father and brother were going to make him divorce his wife and remarry; Muzi was heartbroken, so he took his zither and composed the song.

The lyrics and music were filled with reluctance and sadness.

The music seemed to be describing the pain of separation between Muzi and his wife, but it also seemed to be complaining about the mockery of fate.

Her index finger quickly twisted the "Spring Sound" string, forcing the final chapter of "Farewell Crane" into a sound of slaughter.

A bead of blood burst from the side of her nail and splashed onto the small seal script "Bojie" engraved next to the goose-foot—that was the zither inscription carved by her father with a knife before he died.

The lingering sound of the song fell into the nearby Luo River along with the swaying willow branches, startling the Luo-goddess-like water ripples into chaos.

It was just like Cai Yan's state of mind at this moment.

Applause rang out around her.

Liu Bei, standing in the crowd, although he did not know the piece "Farewell Crane," felt that it was pleasing to both the eyes and ears.

Not only was the music and lyrics beautiful, but the person sitting under the willow tree was even more beautiful.

Cai Yan, sitting by the river, stood up gently and bowed to the crowd to thank them.

"Lan'er, pack up the things, let's go back; there are too many people here."

After bowing to thank them, Cai Yan said to the maid beside her.

The maid, named A-Lan and wearing a goose-yellow skirt, bowed and began to pack up the Jiaowei zither and other sundries.

The carriage slowly drove over, and Cai Yan walked toward it while politely thanking the people.

As Cai Yan left, she didn't know how many expectant hearts of scholars she had taken away.

But after all, this was Cai Yan; not only was she Cai Yong's daughter, but she was also a top-tier talented woman, and ordinary scholars didn't even have the courage to step forward and talk to her.

Just as Cai Yan was about to step into the carriage.

A man's voice suddenly rang out behind her.

"Miss Cai's zither skills are divine, with lingering sounds around the beams; listening to Miss Cai's zither music is like drinking fine wine, making one intoxicated."

Liu Bei, dressed in brocade, stood not far behind Cai Yan, praising her with a humble smile on his face.

Cai Yan turned around in confusion and looked at Liu Bei.

"I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Liu Bei. I have long heard of Miss Cai's reputation as a talented woman, and meeting you by chance today is truly a great honor," Liu Bei said politely, cupping his hands.

Liu Bei.

Cai Yan had heard this name.

But she had only heard of it recently, because Cai Yan had also only returned to Luoyang a short time ago.

Her father had been persecuted by the Regular Attendant Zhang Rang, and they had been forced to live in exile for several years.

She had been following her father in exile all these years.

Last year, the new emperor ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty, and the former Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong had lost power, so their family was pardoned and allowed to return to Luoyang.

Now her father was back in the imperial court as an official, and she also lived in Luoyang.

The name Liu Bei was exactly what she had heard in Luoyang during this period.

After hearing Liu Bei's self-introduction, Cai Yan, out of politeness and respect for status, turned back, stood straight, and bowed to Liu Bei: "Commoner Cai Yan greets the Marquis of Linxiang."

"Haha, no need, no need, Miss Cai doesn't need to be like this," Liu Bei said, waving his hands: "I have admired Miss Cai's talent for a long time, and meeting you by chance today is my honor."

Cai Yan's expression remained unchanged, and then she looked at Liu Bei and asked: "Does the Marquis of Linxiang also like 'Farewell Crane'?"

Being asked this by Cai Yan.

The expression on Liu Bei's face instantly stiffened.

What "Farewell Crane"?

Liu Bei had never even heard of it.

In his hometown years ago, besides walking dogs, fighting cocks, fighting, and drinking, when had he ever had such elegant pastimes as listening to the zither?

He just thought Cai Yan played the zither well.

As for what "Farewell Crane" was, whether it was a person's name or a song title, how would Liu Bei know?

Yang Zhi, who was on the side, saw Liu Bei's embarrassment and quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice and saying: "'Farewell Crane' is the piece that Cai Yan just played..."

Only then did Liu Bei show an expression of sudden realization.

However, just as Liu Bei was about to explain.

Cai Yan had already bowed and said goodbye.

"Thank you, Marquis of Linxiang, for your praise. I have matters at home, so I will take my leave."

After saying this, Cai Yan didn't give Liu Bei a chance to explain further, and with the help of her maid, she boarded the carriage.

The carriage started, and Cai Yan, sitting inside, looked through the window at the spring scenery on both banks of the Luo River in the distance with her beautiful eyes.

The maid Lan'er, who was kneeling beside Cai Yan, placed the lit incense into the hollow-carved bronze incense burner on the side.

The blue smoke rose in curls, and the fragrance was refreshing, dispelling much of the fatigue in her body and heart.

"Miss, this servant thinks that the Imperial Uncle's eyes when looking at you must have ulterior motives; what accidental meeting, how could it be such a coincidence?"

"It is rumored in Luoyang that this Imperial Uncle Liu is a benevolent gentleman, but he is already at such an old age, he must already have a family, why is he still thinking of attracting bees and butterflies outside?"

"This servant doesn't think he is a decent gentleman, being so abrupt."

"He said those frivolous words, but he didn't even know what 'Farewell Crane' was... it's really..."

"Alright, Lan'er," Cai Yan said gently, interrupting the maid Lan'er: "These words must not be mentioned to others; today, let's just pretend we never met."

The maid Lan'er nodded helplessly.

Outside the carriage.

As the carriage wheels rolled, Liu Bei took a deep breath.

Yang Zhi, who was following beside Liu Bei, saw the expression on Liu Bei's face and said with a smile: "Imperial Uncle Liu, don't be discouraged; talented women naturally have their pride."

"Besides, this Cai Yan is so beautiful, there are countless people in Luoyang who have their eyes on her."

"Imperial Uncle Liu meeting her today is a very good start; with Imperial Uncle Liu's current status, usually as long as you visit in person, Master Cai will not refuse."

After hearing Yang Zhi's words, the expression on Liu Bei's face improved a lot.