Don't worry, i'll divorce you

Chapter 20 The Practice of Guzheng 1

"ShuangAi, can you play guzheng?"

"Guzheng? yes I can...why?"

"Good, then I need your help! Please teach me how to play guzheng..."

ShuangAi still feels unbelievable hearing that HuaMuTan asks her to teach HuaMuTan how to play guzheng? The reason why ShuangAi feels like that coz the past HuaMuTan who grown up like a princess had a high talent in playing guzheng,

’Is her amnesia can make her forget her ability too?Its too bad...’

"Sure, MuTan Cie...I can teach you..."

"Wonderful, thanks ShuangAi"

TanTan glads, but she still worry and upset precisely for what just happened,

’How can he just agree like that without asking me first!!’

"Do you want to start practice today?"

"Yes, but first there is something I need to talk to your beloved brother!" TanTan then back to Prince Li’s room and ShuangAi follows her coz she can see the upset look on TanTan,

’It can’t be good...’

Meanwhile after TanTan escorts Prince FengEr out from the room, ManQi appears to give his report about dagger to Prince Li.

"So she still keep it...later take the dagger secretly to the government office and keep it safe there. I don’t want any accident to anyone happen again."

’Beside it dangerous to let HuaMuTan having a poisonous dagger’ Although he knows the accident of FangFang this time isn’t purpose, but Prince Li is still can’t trust HuaMuTan easily.

"Okay, Master but how if she find out?"

"I’ll deal with it later"

At that time, TanTan barged into the room, she looks upset and Prince Li seems know what she wants to say, so he just drink the tea and ignores her. TanTan hits the table, being upset to see Prince Li still calm like that.

"Why do you agree easily about the performance!!!"

ShuangAi just stands close to the door, thinking whether she need to stop their quarrel or not. But she decides to hear what the problem is first.

"How can I reject it?! You heard by yourself. Its your beloved Queen GrandMother’s wish..."

"So what? You suppose to hear my opinion first! You know I had forgotten everything, I even forget how to play guzheng!! How can I play in the performance later? especially perform with you???"

’Performance? Queen GrandMother? oh, that’s why MuTan Cie asks me to teach her play guzheng’ ShuangAi seems start to understand the situation.

In other hand, Prince Li stares to TanTan sharply,

’Does she really forget to play guzheng? but didn’t she always proud with her playing in the past?... Beside its not like we can reject the offer easily....she should know it. Didn’t she always use QueenGrandMother to force me do what I don’t want??!"

"Do you think I like it, to perform with you, HuaMuTan? I don’t, okay! But I don’t care you can or cannot play it, you still have to do that performance... its the order!" respond Prince Li coldly.

"You...!!" TanTan can’t believe what she hear, this man just forces her to do what he want without considering her opinion..."So you don’t care if we give a bad performance later in front of Queen GrandMother and maybe will get punishment??"

Prince Li smirked to her,

"Ohh of course I care, but in her eyes my reputation is already bad, thanks to you. So why I should care it more...I already get used to be punished, but you...I wonder what punishment she will give to her beloved granddaughter here..well, I don’t mind if you want to run away from this order..."

’What?! Me, LangTanTan running away?’

TanTan feels she must accept the challenge, "Fine! I don’t afraid...I’ll do what I can...just don’t blame me if we both get the punishment for humiliate the Queen GrandMother later!... Come, ShuangAiMei, I want to practice guzheng now!!!"

TanTan gets out from the room immediately and after that sudden ShuangAi laughs a little, it confuses Prince Li who still upset.

"Why are you laughing, ShuangMei?"

"No...it just funny to see that usually it was MuTanCie who forced you to do something with her but this time, it is you LiGe...who forces her to do something with you...what an odd..."

From outside, TanTan who is still upset, realizes that ShuangAi is not following her, shout calling her to come,

"ShuangAiMei, come on...we can’t wasting any more time!!"

"I am coming, MuTan Cie!" answers ShuangAi, she looks to Prince Li again,

"Don’t worry about FangFang, I has checked her. She is fine. And now excuse me, I think I need to be a guzheng teacher for your wife now..."

ShuangAi smiles teasing him and then leave the room.

Prince Li is startled for the words of ShuangAi. ’Its nothing than just for obeying the wish of Queen GrandMother...’. He decided to stop thinking about the performance furthermore. He looks to ManQi who just silent, waiting for a new order.

"ManQi, find out why Minister Hua is in the town...His presence on that night is too coincidence with the killers..."

"Alright, Master." ManQi goes to do the order. After he left, Prince Li feel tired but he also feels light, no more pain. He touches his chest, and thinking,

’Is the poison has disappear by itself?’

He shakes his head, ’Its impossible...perhaps I need a fresh air’

He then decides to take a walk and maybe checking FangFang’s condition.

The next day, in other side of Li Mansion, XiaoRue has bringing HuaMuTan’s guzheng out from where it kept and put it in front of HuaMuTan. They are in the inner garden, where there is a small pavilion that usually be used by HuaMuTan to play guzheng. TanTan is waiting for ShuangAi who return home to take her own guzheng. Yesterday they could not start the practice because there is only one guzheng in the house.

"XiaoCie, it has been so long XiaoRue doesn’t listen your play...XiaoRue misses it so much...XiaoCie’s play last year in the palace sounded so beautiful and everyone there was amazed with your play. " XiaoRue blows some dust from the guzheng, it indicates that HuaMuTan herself has been not playing it for a very long time.

"I am afraid, I don’t remember that anymore XiaoRue"

TanTan stares to the guzheng in front of her. Seeing the antique guzheng in front of her somehow makes her feels a belongings. She then touches and tries to pluck it a little bit, in the way that she remembered from the chinese drama. The sound of guzheng sudden awakes some memories inside TanTan’s mind.

A flash of memory occurs, she becomes a little HuaMuTan, sitting beside a beautiful woman who is playing the same guzheng..

"Mommy, I want to play it..."

The woman who she called ’Mommy’ smiles to her gently, which makes TanTan’s heart feels warm.

"Sure, TanEr...come sit here, let me teach you..." The woman takes little hands of HuaMuTan and guides it to play guzheng, She is also explaining patiently and slowly, "Here, your left hand must put here, and your right hand like this..." Not too long after they play together, another man comes approaching them in a military uniform, he looks like a general...

"I thought I heard the angels are playing music from heaven...turns out those are my wife and my daughter..."

"Husband, you’re home..."

"Daddy..."

"How’s my TanEr..? Are you behave well to your Mom?" The man raises up little HuaMuTan and carries her on his arm.

"I am learning guzheng with Mom"

"My TanEr is really smart..." He kisses little HuaMuTan’s cheek.

"Is everything okay, Husband?" the woman comes closer but she looks worry.

"I am afraid what you’re suspecting turns right...but we need to be careful about it. After the next battle, I’ll find the way to report it to the King..."

"Just....just please be careful, husband"

"XiaoCie..."

"XiaoCie...XiaoCie?"

TanTan sudden back to the reality. TanTan realizes that she is seeing the childhood memory of HuaMuTan with her parents... She wonders what her parents talk about? Is that happened before their death? Is that means that their death was not an accident?

"Are you okay, XiaoCie?" XiaoRue seems worry that TanTan didn’t respond for her calling just now.

"Yeah, I am fine..." TanTan once again looks to the guzheng,

’Look likes this guzheng can triggering the memories of HuaMuTan in this body, I wonder if I continue play it, will I gain more memories?’

"XiaoCie, Miss ShuangAi is here..."

XiaoRue helps ShuangAi to prepare her guzheng.

"I am sorry for make you waiting too long, MuTanCie..."

"Its okay, ShuangAiMei...its me who bother you to teach me playing guzheng..."

"No, MuTan Cie. Actually I am too shameless to teach you. You might not remember but MuTan Cie, you are known as one of the best guzheng player in the city. Everyone knows that Queen GrandMother loves to hear your guzheng playing."

’Wow, HuaMuTan you gives me a huge pressure here...’

"I wish I can remember to play." TanTan sighed.

"Sure, I believe you can, MuTanCie...lets find out..." Shuang Ai starts to explain the basic of playing guzheng. Somehow it feels familiar for TanTan so she doesn’t find any difficulty to understand it. Its weird for TanTan, considering that she doesn’t have any talent in music in her own life. She remembered when she was a child, and there was an assemble performance in her elementary school. She couldn’t play her melodica in harmony like others so in the result, she became burlesque for audience. It wasn’t a good memory for her.

"Now I think you ready to play a song...let me show you a song and you can follow me later, MuTan Cie"

"Okay"

TanTan watches ShuangAi plays her guzheng smoothly, and the song is also familiar for TanTan, so she immediately join in playing it.

While she concentrates to play it, flashes of memories come again in her mind. Now TanTan knows more about HuaMuTan. The guzheng is inherited from HuaMuTan’s mother, Princess LiShuiXian, and that time was also her last moment with her parents. TanTan suspects that the reason of their death was something that HuaMuTan’s father wanted to report to the king. HuaMuTan was actually having a happy and normal childhood before she lost her parents, but after that she felt very lonely and be spoiled by her Grandma, Madam Hua. Her lonely was usually be expressed by playing this guzheng. TanTan sees the flashes of moment when HuaMuTan played this guzheng emotionally.

Without she realizes, TanTan has playing another melody which surprises ShuangAi and XiaoRue. They just stunned and watches TanTan playing.

The melody brings TanTan to another memories, this time she sees the moment when HuaMuTan met Prince Li.

It was also when she played the guzheng in one of palace pavilion, suddenly Prince Li appeared and it stops her playing.

"Please...continue...I just across this way and wonders who play such a nice but sad melody" But HuaMuTan doesn’t have mood to continue her play,

"Is there anything I can help you, QiWangGe?" She observes Prince Li.

"So you know me? I am sorry to bother you." Prince Li feels sorry.

"Its fine...but why did you say that my playing was sad melody. Wasn’t obviously I playing a happy rhythm?"

"I feel the sadness in the rhythm...it likes you feel trapped in such a beautiful world?"

Prince Li’s words are actually pointing out exactly her feeling but the high pride of HuaMuTan doesn’t allow her to admit it easily,

"No...I am not. I am HuaMuTan, why I should feeling be trapped!"

Prince Li squints his eyes, giving a look like saying, ’so this is the famous arrogant HuaMuTan’ but he still responds politely to her,

"Well, in that case...forgive me for I am mishearing it"

Then someone comes to them, it is Prince FengEr,

"I wonder what took you so long, now I see... you has meet MuTan Mei, Wei Di...",

"SanWangGe" HuaMuTan greets Prince FengEr politely.

"Is he also mesmerized with your guzheng, MuTanMei? You know Wei Di, even QueenGrandMother praised her for her play..."

"San Wang Ge praises MuTan too much."

HuaMuTan doesn’t try to humble, she obviously feels pleased with the praise.

Its so clearly that HuaMuTan gives different treatment toward those princes. TanTan can see HuaMuTan respects Prince FengEr more than Prince Li, ’Maybe because Prince Li has been known as the weakest prince among all?’

"Hey, why don’t you show your play also Wei Di? MuTan Mei, you should listen to his flute play...both of your play will be amazing together"

"I don’t think MuTan Mei want to do it with me"

"Its not true...what SanWangGe said makes me curious to hear your play too..."

Prince Li doesn’t have any reason to object the offer, so he takes out his flute, and start to play the melody, the same one HuaMuTan played, so HuaMuTan can immediately sync it with her play.

Their play, both HuaMuTan and Prince Li are unexpected playing in harmony. The more they play, HuaMuTan becomes embracing the moment. For the first time she is really enjoying playing music with someone. TanTan can see that is the moment when HuaMuTan felt in love with Prince Li. What is so weird, that TanTan even can feel the pleasing feeling that HuaMuTan had. And the memories stop until there.

When the play finishes, XiaoRue can’t stop herself from keep clapping so hard,

"XiaoCie,.... its so beautiful"

ShuangAi is also agree, she nods her head happily,

"Its true, MuTan Cie. It seems that you are not forgetting your skill at all."

But TanTan doesn’t hear their words, she just freezes seeing her own hand. She is also surprise to herself, the feeling she just have is felt so real.

Then suddenly FangFang comes approaching TanTan, she is accompanied by Prince Li.

"Wow, YangMu .. your playing is so beautiful...Isn’t it, YiFu?"

"Yes...its beautiful" Prince Li doesn’t sincerely says it because he feels suspicious again to HuaMuTan,

’Turns out she can play as good as in the past...isn’t that mean she doesn’t really lost her memories, what a liar woman...’

TanTan surprised to see Prince Li, especially after that kind of memory...suddenly she feels embarrassed to be praised by Prince Li.

And then TanTan sudden becomes afraid, lately everytime she drawn into HuaMuTan’s memories; she can feel what HuaMuTan felt, her sadness, her anger and including her feeling toward Prince Li. If it continues like this, will she still become her own self?

’No...I am LangTanTan...these feelings are not real...these feeling are someone else’s not mine!’