On the day of the empress dowager’s birthday, during the banquet, the empress dowager betrothed Mo Xue to Sui Feng, but her expression was not good. Mei Kaiyi sat next to the empress dowager, grinning mischievously, apparently because Mo Xue had successfully seduced Sui Feng. Watching Mo Yi and Yun Fei teasing each other, Mei Kaiyi felt irritated and left early under the pretext of feeling unwell.
The empress dowager was concerned and sent a maidservant to accompany Mei Kaiyi back. The maidservant said, “This servant knows a good place. Why doesn’t my lady go to relax?” Mei Kaiyi agreed, not knowing where else to go.
The imperial garden was incredibly large, with a lake called Cheng Kong, its water clear to the bottom, serene and beautiful.
Intermittent flute sounds drifted, and Mei Kaiyi searched for the source, seeing Dugu Ming on a tree.
She couldn’t help but laugh, “Hey, Dugu Xiaoming, why do you always like climbing to high places? It’s dangerous.”
Dugu Ming saw her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He subtly glanced at the maidservant behind Mei Kaiyi and frowned.
Mei Kaiyi looked at his flute and asked, “Not figured it out yet?”
“Mm,” he nodded.
“Look, I just heard a bit. Your posture is a bit off. You should… hold the flute with the third section of your left index finger near the thumb side, with the little finger opposite the thumb. Like this… When your right hand performs sliding techniques, even with all three holes open, the flute won’t wobble.” Seeing Dugu Ming in a daze, Mei Kaiyi waved her hand in front of his eyes, “Are you listening?”
Dugu Ming smiled faintly and followed her instructions.
Mei Kaiyi was pleased, “Right, just like that. Practice slowly and you’ll improve. But I remember the first time I met you, I told you your posture was wrong. Why didn’t you change?”
Dugu Ming paused, then said, “Times change.”
The maidservant behind Mei Kaiyi signaled to Dugu Ming. He looked at Mei Kaiyi’s flower-like smile, frowned again, and gently shook his head.
The maidservant stomped her foot anxiously.
“My lady, come look at these fish, they’re so cute!” The maidservant looked down at the lake with joy, waving for Mei Kaiyi to come.
