Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 60: Handmade Music Box, Moonlit Night on the Spring River [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

"Mother, please don't laugh at your daughter."

Zhu Huilan noticed that Empress Ma's smile was different from usual and felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

Queen Ma said, "How could I laugh at you? Come here quickly."

Empress Ma was kind to others and did not set strict rules for her children in private, so Zhu Huilan came to the side of the phoenix table.

She looked at the mahogany box with a bow tied with a red ribbon, her watery eyes revealing curiosity.

She also wanted to know what the first gift her future husband would give her would be.

So, under the gaze of Queen Ma, Zhu Huilan opened the mahogany box, only to find inside it a strange thing she had never seen before.

It looked like a paper box with paintings on it, but it was tightly wrapped with a layer of pure transparent material that looked like paper or silk, so you couldn't see what was inside at all.

This made Zhu Huilan and Queen Ma even more curious.

At the same time, the two also noticed a piece of floral note (similar to modern letter paper with a background pattern) placed on it.

Empress Ma said, "First, please read what is written on the letter."

"Ah."

Zhu Huilan nodded, took out the letter and opened it.

At this time, a palace maid reported, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Princess has arrived."

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Little Four must be curious about what gift Kuan'er gave you and wants to come and see it. Do you want to see it with her?"

Zhu Huilan was raised by Empress Ma and had the best relationship with Princess Ningguo, followed by Princess Lin'an and the fourth princess Zhu Xuanle.

Princess Lin'an and Princess Ningguo are both married, and among all the princesses waiting to be married in the palace, the one she plays best with is Zhu Xuanle.

Zhu Xuanle wanted to come and see it, so she would naturally not disagree. She nodded and then focused her attention on the letter.

Queen Ma let Zhu Xuanle in.

"Mother, Third Sister." A girl in palace dress with a slightly round face, a little baby fat, and skin as white as snow walked in with brisk steps.

She called out casually without even bowing, her eyes drawn to the box on the table and the flowery paper in Zhu Huilan's hand.

"Is this the birthday gift that my third brother-in-law gave to my third sister?" As she spoke, she came to the Phoenix table.

When Zhu Xuanle saw the strange thing inside, his big eyes suddenly lit up and he stretched out his little hands to take it.

Snapped.

Empress Ma slapped her hand away and said in feigned anger, "Your third sister didn't even touch her gift, why are you touching it?"

Zhu Xuanle puffed up her lips and said coquettishly, "Mother, am I just curious? What is this? How come I have never seen it before?"

Having said that, she didn't touch the things in the box.

Empress Ma ignored Zhu Xuanle and looked at Zhu Huilan, then asked with a smile, "What did Kuan'er write in the letter?"

Zhu Huilan's pretty oval face flushed visibly, and she said shyly, "He...he just wrote a few simple sentences."

After saying this, he handed the letter to Queen Ma.

Queen Ma took it and smiled as soon as she saw it.

It was simply that the words on the letter seemed too... immature to him, as if they were written by a child who had only been in school for less than a year.

Zhu Xuanle also came over, and then couldn't help laughing and said, "Is this the handwriting of my third brother-in-law? It's so ugly, it's a million miles worse than Ouyang's handwriting."

Zhu Huilan was a little unhappy when she heard this.

When she saw the letter from her future husband, she was so happy that she didn't care at all about the ugly handwriting.

I didn't expect Zhu Xuanle to say that and even compare his calligraphy with Ouyang Lun's.

But she also knew that Zhu Xuanle did not mean it. She was just straightforward and said whatever she thought.

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Biao'er said that Kuan'er and his family don't practice calligraphy, so it's understandable that his calligraphy is ugly. Besides, although his handwriting is childish, you can tell that he wrote it with care."

"But the content of this letter is really simple."

Liu Kuan originally wanted to write a poem or lyrics like the male protagonists in some cool novels or ancient costume romance dramas, or at least write some beautiful sentences in classical Chinese to express his feelings.

But he racked his brains but could not remember any poems written after the early Ming Dynasty, and none of them were suitable for this purpose.

As for elegant classical Chinese, he had no talent for it, so he simply wrote a few simple sentences in plain language, highlighting its simplicity and naturalness. The gist of it was: Happy birthday to you. Although we haven't met yet, I look forward to spending happy days with you in the future, flying together like a pair, and growing old together.

Then he mentioned a few words about the gift: This is a handmade music box he bought when he was visiting the capital (Nanjing) in later generations. I hope you like it.

Zhu Xuanle also finished reading the plain words on the letter, but this time she did not compare with Ouyang Lun, because her attention was completely attracted by the three words "music box".

"Third sister, please open it quickly and see what this music box is."

Zhu Huilan's curiosity was also completely aroused, so she prepared to open the paper box under the watchful eyes of Empress Ma and Zhu Xuanle.

She examined it carefully and unwrapped it without damaging the strange transparent paper on the outside.

Then he carefully opened the paper box with the painting on it.

"A girl with a fox head, and a boy with a cat head? Could they be monsters? Haha, this boy with a cat head looks chubby and cute!"

Zhu Xuanle became very interested in the painting on the box and smiled happily.

Zhu Huilan also thought the painting on the box was interesting, but she was more curious about what was inside the box.

When I took it out and looked at it, I found that there were several things wrapped in that kind of transparent paper. They looked like wood but not wood, and they were in pieces. I couldn't tell what they were or what they were used for.

Empress Ma and Zhu Xuanle also looked confused.

"What on earth did Third Brother-in-law give me?"

Empress Ma said, "This child, he didn't even tell me before sending such a strange gift... I should have kept him and let him explain it to me in person."

Zhu Huilan noticed that there was a thin booklet at the bottom.

The words "Instructions" are written on it.

When she opened it, she found that it was written in horizontal vernacular Chinese characters and was accompanied by many illustrations.

Although she was a bit introverted, she was very intelligent. After reading two pages, she said, "Mother, look at the instructions. This music box should be assembled by ourselves."

"Really?" Queen Ma came over to look at the instructions.

Zhu Xuanle wasn't interested in the books at all, and asked in confusion, "Why didn't my third brother-in-law put them together before giving them to my third sister?"

Zhu Huilan was looking at the manual. A hint of thought flashed across her beautiful eyes as she heard this. "Perhaps... he wants me to experience the joy of putting together this music box?"

Empress Ma smiled and said, "That's probably the case. Huilan, you are very clever and a better handyman than your two sisters. You will definitely have no problem assembling this music box. Just follow the instructions and put it together quickly."

"Ah."

Zhu Huilan nodded with a smile and started to work according to the instructions.

"I want to come too!" Zhu Xuanle found it very interesting and wanted to come forward to help.

But she was ruthlessly pushed away by Empress Ma. "You are so clumsy. What if you break any part and can't put it back together? Just watch from the side, or go back to the harem."

Zhu Xuanle pouted and wanted to cry.

I thought to myself: Mom, you are my own mother, do you really have to call me so stupid?
In this way, under the observation of Empress Ma and Zhu Xuanle, Zhu Huilan assembled the items carefully and patiently. After spending more than half an hour, she finally assembled the items on the last page of the instruction manual, which were also on the box.

A big fish is carrying a small island, surrounded by blue waves.

There is a "tall" peach tree, a cute little house, and other flowers and plants on the island.

Next to the house, a chubby boy with a cat head is holding the hand of a girl with a fox head, as if they are dancing.

Zhu Huilan glanced at the manual again and said, "It says here that after assembling this music box, you just need to wind it counterclockwise and then release it, and it will slowly play a piece of music called 'Spring River Moon Night'."

Zhu Xuanle blinked his eyes and said, "Spring River Moon Night? It seems like a Tang Dynasty poem, right? How can it be a piece of music?"

Empress Ma, who had read a great deal of poetry to educate her children, said, "'A Moonlit Night on a Spring River' was written by the great Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ruoxu. It has the reputation of being the most powerful poem of the entire Tang Dynasty."

"As for why it became a piece of music, perhaps it was adapted by later generations."

While the two were talking, Zhu Huilan had already tried to turn the knob to wind up the "spring".

When she couldn't twist it anymore, she let go.

Suddenly, a clear and pleasant sound slowly rang out like a stream flowing in a valley.

For a moment, the mother, daughter and three of them were all mesmerized by what they heard...
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(End of this chapter)