Chapter 66: The Azure Color is Like Smoke and Rain
"...Madam Zhou was pregnant for ten months, and on a drizzly evening, she went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl. Coincidentally, at the moment of the baby's birth, the kiln in the house miraculously emitted a seven-colored glow...and produced a rare and precious Tianqingyu porcelain that even the centenarians in the town had never seen before."
So, although Old Man Zhou got a daughter... In the end, Old Man Zhou personally named her: Tian Qing.
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"...After the young master left, Tian Qing was dazed every day, his eyes never returning from afar. But several months later, news came from the seaside that the young master's ship had capsized in the waves."
It was also the evening when the rain and smoke were about to come, the sky blue girl's abdomen was like a fire burning, she wrapped her waist with a gust of wind from the smoke and fire, and jumped into a kiln that was burning! The seven-colored flames rose, and a bird-like green smoke emerged from the smoke and fire, drifting towards the direction of the sea. Suddenly, many melodious bird calls sounded in the air, and when listened carefully, it seemed to be a sad and beautiful melody, entwining with the green smoke, lingering for a long time without dispersing. Each piece of porcelain that came out of this kiln had a blue bird deeply embedded on its sky-blue ceramic body, faintly visible...
As Qing Jin finished telling the story with a melancholic tone, the noble lady in the pavilion finally couldn't help but sob.
"Hum, that old Daoist is really detestable. The father of the heavenly blue maiden had already agreed to her marriage with Young Master Zhou, but he had to intervene and say something about humans and demons being different paths. In the end, not only did he cause Young Master Zhou's death, but also the heavenly blue maiden's. Cousin, wasn't that Young Master Zhou a thousand-year-old Blue Silk Bird? Did he really die in the sea?"
"Even if Zhōu Gōngzǐ were still alive, Tiān Qīng would be just an ordinary person and jumping into the burning kiln would certainly mean death. However, since Zhōu Gōngzǐ is not an ordinary person... then if he didn't die at sea, wouldn't he use magic to revive Tiān Qīng? Or did Tiān Qīng also turn into a blue bird?"
"Yes, yes, Zhou Gongzi and Tian Qing should not have died, Gu sister. In the end, didn't they all survive and live happily together?"
After the question was asked, the noble ladies in the pavilion who were wiping away tears all looked at Qingjin with hope. These young ladies from aristocratic families, although they grew up under the teachings of feudal etiquette, which one of them did not have a romantic heart? In their boudoirs, weren't there several books about talented scholars and beautiful women? The ending of these stories were always happy and joyful conclusions. Since none of them had ever come into contact with such tragic stories before, all the noble ladies in the pavilion began to discuss it eagerly.
It was also because of this story that they had a lot more sense of identity with Qingjin. They became much closer to the people in the Anji Marquis's mansion, especially Qingjin, who gained recognition from the vast majority of people.
Finally, all eyes were on Qingjin, hoping that she could give this story a perfect ending.
Qing Jin saw everyone's gaze on her, especially with many people's eyes reddened, tears in their eyes. She wanted to nod, but she shook her head: "That young master Zhou and Tian Qing are indeed dead. Only the little boy who followed young master Zhou was not buried at sea. Although he was just a small bird, fortunately his wings were not stolen away. He flew back with great difficulty. In his heart, he silently mourned the tragic love of young master Zhou and Tian Qing. On the day he completed his thousand-year cultivation, he transformed into a human, entered the mortal world, became a wandering musician, and turned this thousand-year-old tale of love into a melody, spreading it far and wide..."
Upon hearing Qingjin's words, the several young ladies who had been waiting for her answer with bated breath and tearful eyes once again burst into tears. Even Yang Wenhua, seated at the main table, couldn't help but let out a rare sigh as she thought about her own future and marriage. However, as the eldest daughter of the Yang Manor and the host of this banquet, she took over the conversation and addressed Qingjin: "I heard that it was the little servant who accompanied the young master from the Zhou family, who didn't die at sea, and after completing his training, entered the mortal world and composed a song about the story of Young Master Zhou and Tianqing. I suppose that song isn't an ordinary one either? Could you please tell us, dear Cousin, what is the name of that song?"
When Yang Wenhua finished speaking, the noble ladies present couldn't help but look at Qingjin again, seeing that everyone had walked out of the sad story. Qingjin couldn't help but admire Yang Wenhua in her heart. By telling this tragic story, she was also trying to take a small revenge on Yang Wenhua. Think about it, at the banquet hosted by the Yang family, all the noble ladies left with tears in their eyes. How would outsiders talk about Yang Wenhua, the host of this banquet?
Unexpectedly, Yang Wenhua found a way to counterattack so quickly and pulled the topic back to herself. She immediately thought that once she mentioned the name of this song, Yang Wenhua would definitely ask her to play it out. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a bit depressed. However, on the surface, she calmly met the gaze of the noble ladies and replied: "The name of the piece is called Qing Hua Ci."
"Qinghua porcelain, what a beautiful name! I wonder if Gu Ermei can play this tune for all the sisters present?" Yang Wenhua asked with a smile.
Upon hearing Yang Wen Hua's words, Qing Jin had an expression of "as expected", she looked at Yang Wen Hua and couldn't help but think to herself, could she say no? So she didn't pretend to decline, and readily agreed: "Qing Jin is delighted ---" Yeah right! Wasn't she telling stories just to avoid the talent show?
Alright, at this point, she only elegantly stood up from her seat, walked to the side of the guqin that Gu Qingyao had just played, pulled up her wide sleeves, and sat down.
Slender jade fingers, stroking the strings of the guqin, the ancient zither's melodies pour out, carrying a hint of sorrow and melancholy.
The delicate outline is drawn with a strong and weak brushstroke of blue flowers
The peony painted on the vase is as beautiful as your first makeup
The fragrance of osmanthus wafts through the window, and I understand what's on your mind.
On rice paper, the brush moves halfway and stops.
The elegant charm of the glazed color rendering lady's picture is privately collected
And your bright smile is like a flower bud waiting to bloom
Your beauty drifts away, going to places I can't reach
The sky is blue and the rain is like smoke, but I am waiting for you.
Smoke and mist rise slowly?Across the river, a thousand miles apart
At the bottom of the bottle, there is a book in Han Li style imitating the elegance of the previous dynasty.
It was just when I met you by chance
The sky is blue and the rain is like smoke, but I am waiting for you.
The moonlight has been salvaged? The ending has opened up.
Like the eternal beauty of blue and white porcelain, you smile with a hint of joy in your eyes.
A white and blue-colored brocade carp is jumping at the bottom of the bowl.
When I imitate Song Dynasty calligraphy, I am thinking of you
The secret you've hidden in the kiln for thousands of years
Extremely delicate, like a needle falling from embroidery.
The banana leaves outside the window are blown by a sudden rain. The door knocker is verdigrised.
And I passed through that small town in Jiangnan and offended you
In splashed ink landscape painting, you are hidden from the depths of ink color
The sky is blue and the rain is like smoke, but I am waiting for you.
Smoke and mist rise slowly?Across the river, a thousand miles apart
At the bottom of the bottle, there is a book in Han Li style imitating the elegance of the previous dynasty.
It was just when I met you by chance
The sky is blue and the rain is like smoke, but I am waiting for you.
The moonlight has been salvaged? The ending has opened up.
Like the eternal beauty of blue and white porcelain, you smile with your eyes
The woman in green clothes sat quietly there, her eyebrows lowered and singing softly, the melody was leisurely, obviously it was helplessness and regret, but she had a carefree and airy appearance.
In her music, time reversed, turning back a thousand years. People walked into the misty Jiangnan landscape of ink and wash painting, and saw the town of Qinghua in the story. They witnessed with their own eyes the girl named Tianqing growing more beautiful day by day, but because of aphasia, she couldn't speak. Until that person appeared, then her identity was exposed, and they were forced to separate. He went abroad, while she waited foolishly.
The sky is blue and I am waiting for you in the misty rain. This wait is a hopeless one, a wait that transcends this life, a wait that I know will never come to an end.
The last news came that he was drowned in the waves, and she jumped into the kiln that was on fire.
Why not just take this life's encounter. Just to lay down the foreshadowing for the reunion in the next life, even if we can't meet again, we should be grateful for that brief moment of chance encounter.
The music has ended, but the crowd lingers in the misty mountains and rivers of Jiangnan, reluctant to return to reality.
"Clap, clap, clap! What a wonderful tune, what a fine piece of Qinghua porcelain!" A man's deep and resonant voice came over, and the noblewomen in the pavilion all returned to their senses.
Originally didn't know when. Qingjin playing the piano with her back to them, not far from the pavilion stood a group of people led by a young man with an air of nobility.
The noble ladies saw the leading man clearly and immediately stood up to pay their respects: "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince, greetings, all princes!" The uniform female voices rose as one. Qing Jin deftly turned her body in sync with everyone else's direction, lowering her eyebrows and eyes to pay her respects.
"Ladies, no need for such courtesy. I have brought someone to see you suddenly and disturbed all of you." The prince finally spoke after seeing everyone bowing.
"Your Highness is too polite, it's an honor for my daughters to have Your Highness and the other princes attend their talent show. What disturbance could there be? On the contrary, it's a great fortune for my daughters to meet Your Highness and the other princes." Yang Wenhua stepped forward and said to the prince.
The crown prince heard Yang Wen Hua's words and let out a clear, bright laugh. "Still, Miss Yang knows how to speak. The performances of the various noble ladies have indeed opened my eyes wide, it can be seen that the teachings of the various imperial consorts are proper. Ah, yes, the young lady who just played the zither, are you the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anji's manor?" The last sentence was directed at Qing Jin, who was standing beside the guqin.
At the moment when the prince asked her name, Qing Jin felt that everyone's eyes were suddenly focused on herself. The ladies of the aristocratic families who had just become friendly with Qing Jin after the story, shot unfriendly glances at her after the prince's question came out.
"What the heck is going on here!?" Qing Jin thought to herself, but she calmly replied with her head bowed and eyes cast down: "I am reporting back to Your Highness, I am Gu Qing Jin, the legitimate daughter of An Ji Marquis!"
"Look up and let me see!" Seeing the young woman in front of him with her head bowed and eyes downcast, not lifting her head at all, Crown Prince Long Chengyuan gave an order.
When she heard this, Qing Jin really wanted to retort "Lift your sister!", but thinking of the speaker's identity and her own dignity being too precious, she couldn't afford it. So she suppressed the urge to scold him and calmly raised her head: "Your subject Gu Qingjin greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!" As her eyes swept past the people beside the Crown Prince, they caught a glimpse of a black-robed figure with an icy demeanor.
Thank you for the pure milk tea and book friend 081215164635116?'s pink tickets, thank you for Rainy Ting's 4, Ready 3, Anson's 1 reward anniversary cake...
PS: The lyrics of Qing Hua Ci come from Baidu, Lyrics: Fang Wen Shan, Music: Jay Chou, Album: 《I'm Very Busy》
