When the commoner saw that he was asking seriously, he explained:
"Second Young Master Su may not know, but Miss Qiu Han is a qin player from the Shanyue Fang. Her qin playing skills are ranked third in the city of Shengjing."
Su Huaiyuan continued to ask: "Then who are ranked first and second?"
The commoner said: "The one ranked first is naturally Mr. Shanyin from the Imperial College. As for the second..."
"What about the second?" Su Huaisheng and Wei Linlang also gathered around.
"The second used to be Mr. Shanyin's disciple, the second young miss of the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion, Su Yuanyuan."
When everyone heard this name that was exactly the same pronunciation as their younger sister, their hearts skipped a beat.
The commoner did not notice that their expressions were a bit strange and continued: "But after the second young miss of the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion passed away, the second place was left empty. Mr. Shanyin also resigned from his position as a teacher at the Imperial College due to the death of his beloved disciple and retired to the mountains. Therefore, among the qin players in Shengjing, only Miss Qiu Han is left among the top three."
Someone next to him heard his words and could not help but say: "What are you talking nonsense about? The qin playing skills of the eldest young miss of the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion, Su Qingyu, have already surpassed her younger sister, Su Yuanyuan, and she is ranked second. If Miss Su was here, Miss Qiu Han would not be her opponent at all."
The commoner immediately retorted: "You probably don't understand anything about qin playing skills. How can Miss Su compare to the second young miss? The second young miss is the well-deserved second!"
The two of them debated back and forth about who was the most powerful, and neither of them noticed that the expressions of Su Huaisheng and the others instantly became worried.
That Miss Qiu Han could actually be ranked third, and their family's Yuanbao had never even touched a qin before. Could she really win?
Su Huaiyuan could not help but say to Su Yuanyuan: "Yuanbao, why don't we just admit defeat? Admitting defeat to an experienced qin player is not embarrassing."
Su Yuanyuan's fingers nimbly untied the knot of her cloak and handed the cloak to Wei Linlang. She took confident and firm steps towards the arena.
"Second brother, third brother, you just wait and see. I, Su Yuanyuan, never admit defeat!"
Hearing Su Yuanyuan's words, the Mo family praised: "Good! You are worthy of being the bloodline of our Mobei Su family!"
Those who were paying attention to the Yongguo Duke's Mansion were not only Yan Wenqi, but also the Prince of Huai and the Prince of Xuan. When Yan Wenqi and the Prince of Huai saw that the Yongguo Duke's Mansion had actually sent Su Yuanyuan to fight, they laughed out loud on the spot.
The Prince of Huai even said maliciously to the Mo family and the others: "Is the Yongguo Duke's Mansion out of people? They actually sent a fool to fight on the arena? Could it be that they plan to let this fool cause trouble when Miss Qiu Han is playing the qin and then frame Miss Qiu Han and push her off the arena, causing her to be injured?"
He called her a fool over and over again. Whether it was his words or his expression, they were all extremely insulting. He did not have the bearing that a royal heir should have at all. Instead, he was like a hooligan on the street.
How could the Mo family and the others not know that he was referring to the incident that happened at the Thousand Autumn Banquet?
Although they were angry at the Prince of Huai's outspokenness, the competition was about to start soon. If the Prince of Huai was angry and declared Yan Wenqi the winner, it would be a great loss.
Therefore, the Mo family could only endure the humiliation in their hearts and turn their bodies away, no longer looking at the Prince of Huai.
Not getting the response he wanted, the Prince of Huai was inevitably a little unhappy. But when he thought that he could see Su Yuanyuan make a fool of herself, he felt happy in his heart. It was just a pity that his beauty was now being punished and confined to the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion and could not come to the scene in person. Otherwise, if she saw him venting his anger for her like this, she would definitely be touched by him and abandon her useless third brother and throw herself into his arms.
Different from the Prince of Huai, the Prince of Xuan was actually happy and excited in his heart. He could not help but sit up straight.
At the Thousand Autumn Banquet, he had discovered that the fourth young miss of the Yongguo Duke's Mansion had great talent in music theory. He really wanted to make friends with her.
Today, when he saw that she was articulate and not afraid of the young master of the Yan family at all, it seemed that she did not match the stupid rumors. He was even more curious and looking forward to her.
He wondered what kind of surprise the fourth young miss of the Yongguo Duke's Mansion would bring him today.
Ignoring the mocking, curious, or inquiring gazes below the stage, Su Yuanyuan walked steadily to the center of the arena and met the qin player Qiu Han from the Shanyue Fang.
As the third-ranked qin player in Shengjing according to the rumors, Qiu Han had a trace of arrogance on her face and body. When she saw that it was actually such a young girl who came to fight, and when she heard from the Prince of Huai that this was actually a fool, she naturally looked down on Su Yuanyuan.
However, the identity of the qin player from the Shanyue Fang made her not show this disdain. She even saluted Su Yuanyuan with full courtesy and said:
"Qiu Han is fighting on behalf of Young Master Yan. Please give me some advice, Miss Su."
Although the commoner had ranked the qin players in Shengjing and ranked Miss Qiu Han third, in fact, in her previous life, Su Yuanyuan had never dealt with the qin players from the Shanyue Fang and knew nothing about the opponent's strength.
However, since she could be ranked below her, she must have some skills.
With a roll of her eyes, Su Yuanyuan thought of a good idea that could not only win but also make Yan Wenqi and the Prince of Huai vomit blood in anger.
Su Yuanyuan blinked her eyes and said naively: "Sister, I have never seen or touched a qin. Can I watch you play the qin?"
Hearing this, Yan Wenqi immediately pointed at Su Yuanyuan on the arena and laughed at the commoners beside him: "Hahaha, did you see that? I told you so. This fool has never touched a qin. With this, she still wants to win the competition? Isn't this just a pipe dream?"
The Prince of Huai also said maliciously: "Little fool, you can watch from the side, but don't think about causing trouble. Otherwise, in today's battle, this king will directly declare the Yan family the winner. You can think about the consequences for yourself."
Seeing that the Prince of Huai and Yan Wenqi did not object to Su Yuanyuan's proposal, Qiu Han had no choice but to say: "Then Miss Su can watch."
Du Zhong struck the gong and said loudly:
"The fourth round of the qin competition is between Miss Qiu Han and Miss Su. There is no time limit for this competition. His Highness the Prince of Xuan is responsible for setting the questions. Whoever's performance can be affirmed by His Highness the Prince of Xuan will be considered the winner."
"The competition begins!"
Qiu Han looked at the Prince of Xuan. In her autumn water-like eyes, there was a love for the Prince of Xuan that she could not express. The fifth prince of the Great Chu Country was proficient in music and had an extraordinary appearance. If she could move his heart with this song and become his bosom friend and enter the Prince of Xuan's Mansion, she would not have to continue to make a living in the Shanyue Fang.
She must win this competition!
The Prince of Xuan thought for a moment and said: "Then play the 'Wild Geese Landing on the Sand'."
Qiu Han saluted gracefully and her eyes sparkled: "Yes, Your Highness."
After sitting down, Qiu Han tried the qin sound and then closed her eyes. When everything around her was completely quiet and her heart was also quiet, she opened her eyes. Her fingers moved and she began to play.
And Su Yuanyuan sat obediently on the side and seriously watched Qiu Han's every move, as if she was learning the fingering from Qiu Han on the spot.