Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace - Chapter 184: Her Suspicions

That woman’s skills blossoming should be something to be happy about

However, Xu didn’t think she developed her talent after a lot of practice

As for the reason, it was because that woman’s lute’s state was far more pristine compared to the lutes of the other musicians.

“The more you use the lute, the more scratches it will have. You will break a lot of strings at first while checking how much strength you need to put so that the sound will come out nicely, and you have to repair the scratches that result from that.”

According to Xu, the lutes of skill musicians will change colors as part of polishing and covering the scratches.

However, that woman’s lute didn’t look like it reached that level.

It had been hard for her to play well without breaking a string, and yet she was able to produce such wonderful music? — Xu was baffled as she thought of this.

“Oh, so that’s how it is with musical instruments.”

Yui Mei muttered, impressed with what she heard.

Thinking about it, these musical instruments also represented the courtesans that played them.

Their future would change depending on their instruments, so they would also put a lot of effort in maintaining them.

Perhaps, that fact still hadn’t sinked into that woman, who still hadn’t grasped that sense that it was no longer a mere lesson that a noble young lady would receive.

Still, despite that shortcoming, she was probably talented enough to be entrusted with a solo performance.

However, it was also up to the person herself whether she would hone this talent, or just let it rot.

It wasn’t odd then that Xu found it suspicious. That such a woman, who was still at the level of a pampered miss, could play such captivating music that had seemed like it was produced by a professional.

“But still, I swallowed all suspicions for a time. I can’t doubt the talents of others, it will be the start of my downfall.”

It seemed that Xu witnessed some people experience that after she became a palace courtesan.

‘Well, being a top-notch musician is a separate matter from having a strong heart, right?’

If a musician had fallen from the top ranks because of an injury or an illness, someone else would have to take their place.

It must be very difficult for palace courtesans, whose could only rely on their talent and skills for a living not to harbor any feelings of resentment and wishes of misfortune on others.

Perhaps, Xu didn’t fall into this quagmire of misfortune because she wasn’t focused on advancing her career, because her goal was to wait for her lover’s return.

And yet, despite of her personal wish, she still returned to being the solo performer because of the sound of her lute.

However, the other musicians, who also had doubts about the other woman, started to grumble about it.

It wasn’t a simple gossip that she was cheating in some way.

“It would have been fine if the only thing that happened was that girl’s improvement with the lute. However, from then on, her emotions started to become unstable, and the occasions when her actions and words became strange increased.”

What on earth happened to her? Did she practice too much that she went crazy?

It was when the rumors started to spread, saying it was a disgrace for that kind of lute musician, that Xu heard something that bothered her.

“I heard it from the girl that stays in a room near that girl, but it seemed an unfamiliar merchant had been constantly visiting her recently.”

“What!?”

The man shouted when he heard what Xu said.

“Only authorized merchants can enter and leave Jiaofang.”

“Really?”

Yui Mei asked when the man said that, so Xu further explained.

According to her, palace courtesans would need to spend money on things like maintenance tools for the instruments, and if they were singers, they would buy various stuff to protect their throats. They also needed to buy the clothes they would wear to the banquets.

Of course, the expenses would be shouldered by the Jiaofang, so normally, palace courtesans wouldn’t have the chance to interact with such merchant guests..

Of course, only the first-class stores were permitted to enter.

However, since that day, it seemed that the unfamiliar merchant started to blend with those stores, and he showered that woman with kindness, apparently.

“According to what I heard, it’s a merchant introduced by somebody in the palace, but I’ve never heard of that store before.”

Xu was once a daughter of a prestigious merchant, so it was only natural that she knew all the stores that entered the palace.

And yet, the name of the store that the merchant gave was unfamiliar to her.

After gathering more information, she found out that the merchant had requested a different large-scale store to let him blend with them, apparently.