Suddenly snapping back to his senses, the student named Guan Li, who had made a bet with Su Yuanyuan, couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
He had never expected that Su Yuanyuan's piano skills could reach such a level. From the moment he got this incomplete piece, he knew it was a Buddhist music. So as soon as he heard it, he knew Su Yuanyuan wasn't playing randomly.
The piece was incomplete, and Guan Li wasn't sure that what Su Yuanyuan had composed wasn't the original. But the piece she had repaired not only didn't change the meaning of the music but also managed to immerse everyone present in the true artistic conception of the piece. They couldn't help but chant the Buddhist mantra. How could an ordinary pianist achieve this?
The fact that she could complete the incomplete piece in such a short time indicated that Su Yuanyuan was by no means a novice in piano music.
Moreover, she was so young!
A twinge of jealousy welled up in his heart. Guan Li was reluctant to admit that he had underestimated a girl younger than himself. He let out a cold snort in his heart.
So what if she had repaired the incomplete piece? Could she possibly wake up the hibernating turtle with this piece?
It was winter now. Everyone knew that turtles hibernated in winter and would only wake up when the weather got warmer. How could it wake up just by listening to a piece of music? This was simply against common sense.
He naturally knew that the question he had come up with was demanding, but he was the one who decided the fate of these candidates. If they wanted to stay and teach at the Imperial Academy, they had to pass his test.
Guan Li even took a special look at the turtle. As expected, its limbs were retracted into the shell and it was motionless. The second stick of incense in the incense burner had also burned to the very end.
A smug smile spread across his face. Guan Li thought that he had won this bet.
Just then, he heard the shouts of his classmates: "It's awake! Wake up! Look quickly! Meng Qinghai's turtle is awake!"
Guan Li was startled again. He looked at the hibernating turtle on the table. Sure enough, the turtle stretched out its limbs and head from the shell, opened its small eyes, and slowly took two steps forward. Then it slowly lowered its front limbs and head in the direction of Su Yuanyuan.
One of the students exclaimed in surprise: "Could it be that the turtle is performing a bowing ceremony?"
Everyone had chanted the Buddhist mantra after listening to the piano piece just now, and the turtle had made such a move after waking up, which meant that it had woken up because of this piano piece.
It was truly a wonder!
Everyone was extremely shocked. When they looked at Su Yuanyuan again, there was no trace of contempt in their eyes. Instead, there was a bit of reverence.
At this time, a school official stepped forward and rang the wooden clapper in his hand, saying, "The second stick of incense has burned out. This in - class exam is over."
Su Yuanyuan's onion - like fingers landed on the golden strings. She looked at Guan Li with a smile and said, "Well, in this bet, did I win or lose?"
Everyone looked at Guan Li in unison. Even the examiners behind the wall couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Guan Li, who was being stared at, blushed and then turned pale. He looked at the turtle crawling around on the table, closed his eyes, and said, "I lost. Teacher."
Hearing Guan Li say "Teacher" in complete submission, the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
And Su Yuanyuan also smiled satisfactorily. Her bright and shining eyes curved into a crescent moon, and two cute dimples appeared on her face. This made everyone like her even more.
"I hope that one day, I can stand here like this and teach you. By that time, let's have a good competition." As she said this, she was looking at Guan Li. Guan Li felt a bit guilty when he met her gaze and couldn't help but lower his head, avoiding her sight.
After Su Yuanyuan finished speaking, she picked up her piano, bowed slightly, and was about to leave the Hall of Aspiring for Ambition.
Seeing that she was about to leave, everyone felt reluctant to part with her. Even Guan Li quietly clenched his fists.
Suddenly, Su Yuanyuan stopped. Everyone held their breath and looked at her together. She turned her head, glanced at the turtle on the table, and said to its owner:
"If you had taken out this turtle a few days later, it might have turned into a dried turtle. When it hibernates, it's best to place it in a moist but not overly warm place so that it can survive the winter."
After saying that, she didn't stay any longer and disappeared from everyone's sight.
Meng Qinghai, the owner of the turtle, felt his cheeks burning. He picked up his turtle and stuffed it back into his sleeve.
When he got back, he would change the hibernation place for the turtle.
Although the in - class exam was over, everyone still felt reluctant to let go of this "lesson". The eagerness to learn piano music in their eyes was extremely obvious. They all wanted to know how Su Yuanyuan had managed to repair and perfect the incomplete piece in such a short time, and how she had managed to play the piece with such artistic conception.
However, time was running out for them. The school official was already urging them to write down their evaluations of Su Yuanyuan.
Guan Li lost the bet. Besides willingly calling Su Yuanyuan "Teacher", he also picked up his pen and wrote the word "Pass" on the paper. As for the others, needless to say, they all wrote "Pass".
The examiners behind the wall discussed: "It's been a long time since such a talented pianist has appeared in the Imperial Academy. She really gave us another surprise."
"However, did you see her posture when playing the piano just now?" the instructor said thoughtfully, "Her posture looks so familiar. How come?"
Through this in - class exam, the Prince of Xuan had already predicted the result of this special imperial examination. Unable to contain his excitement, he said excitedly: "Do you know who she is?"
The officials in charge of the Imperial Academy, such as the dean and the instructor, had been staying in the Imperial Academy all year round and didn't care much about things outside. They looked at each other in surprise and asked, "Who?"
"She is the newly - accepted disciple of Mr. Shanyin!" After the Prince of Xuan revealed this secret, he felt extremely refreshed.
"What? Really?!" The others were indeed shocked by this news.
"Not only that, she is also the beloved daughter of General Su Qing. The Emperor has adopted her as his god - daughter and bestowed the title 'Princess Fubao'. Now, she is my god - sister." The Prince of Xuan seemed quite proud when he said this.
The dean sighed and said, "If we had known this earlier, the Imperial Academy wouldn't have needed to participate in this special imperial examination at all. We could have directly hired her as the music doctor."
The instructor also said, "Exactly. With her piano skills, she is more than qualified."
The Prince of Xuan paused for a moment and explained, "Although I haven't had much contact with her, I know that she is a straightforward person who knows clearly what she loves and hates. I think she is going to use this special imperial examination to prove that she is indeed capable of inheriting Mr. Shanyin's mantle."
After hearing this, the others had even more affection for Su Yuanyuan.
"She was able to be accepted as a disciple by Mr. Bai. She is really a passionate and true - to - nature girl. I hope her performance just now can gain the recognition of the students and she can get a good result. In this way, it won't be a waste of her piano skills."