I became a prince in a martial arts world.

"Unexpected! Unexpected! This isn't my true skill level!"

Wang Yu watched as everyone forced a laugh and left, feeling extremely embarrassed.

It was truly an accident. He overestimated the feedback from the tortoise shell deduction method. He successfully learned it, but he directly applied it without any practice.

While developing "Iceberg Flowing Spring", he also learned the fingering techniques of the zither. His ten fingers became more and more dexterous and powerful. Although he did not yet know the grappling techniques, he was faster, more accurate and more effective at identifying and pressing acupoints than before.

But it is precisely because of this that he is confident that he can play a good piece of music without any obstacles.

Then he crashed.

"Indeed, weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival; arrogance is." Wang Yu shook his head helplessly, then ordered his men to fetch a zither for him from the Wangfu's inner treasury.

As for how to spend the rest of the day...

Wang Yu picked up the last watermelon from the wooden bucket and called to a servant not far away, "Go to the kitchen and get me a spoon!"

When eating watermelon, you should definitely use a spoon to scoop it out!

……

In the following days, although Wang Yu was still not present during the day, the clanging of weapons would wake everyone up every morning, and the clanging of beginners playing the zither would keep everyone awake every night.

Yuan Feifei wanted to talk to Wang Yu, but he politely declined.

Surprisingly, within a few days, the piano music at night gradually became clearer and smoother, and it could not only play a complete piece of music, but it even sounded quite nice.

Zhao Yingjie, who lives in Longyue Tower on the west side, turned over and breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, something to help me sleep."

Li Yunxiu sat in the Red Willow Garden enjoying the cool air and smiled at Ziling, who was serving her, "This guy is actually a genius."

Qianqian stood gracefully by the window in Hongyan Pavilion, her gaze passing over the main courtyard wall and landing on the man sitting in the courtyard playing the zither. Her eyes were charming and smiling, "He's quite the performer."

Yuan Feifei and Meng Zixiao were both arranged in Yingfeng Pavilion. At this time, Yuan Feifei was marveling at how quickly Wang Yu learned to play the zither, while Meng Zixiao danced with her sword to the zither music. The moonlight was like a wash, and the sword light was like a ribbon.

……

That morning, Wang Yu and Meng Zixiao warmed up together again and finished practicing their swordsmanship.

The weather was already hot, and Wang Yu hadn't reached the point where he was immune to heat and cold. He was covered in sweat and called for his servants to bring him a basin of water and a wet towel.

On the other side, Meng Zixiao did the same, wiping her sweat with a towel, then raising her slender neck, revealing a delicate collarbone with a slight curve as she wiped.

"Brother Zhao, you are living a very comfortable life. I never had such enjoyment when I was practicing swordsmanship in Sichuan."

"If you wish, you can stay in the Prince's mansion as long as you like."

"That won't do. I came to the Northwest to hone my swordsmanship, not to enjoy myself. Besides, I can't handle the atmosphere of two princesses fighting."

At this point, Meng Zixiao looked at Wang Yu and asked curiously, "Brother Zhao, haven't you consummated your marriage with the two princesses yet?"

Wang Yu said solemnly, "My father has just passed away, and I must observe mourning."

Meng Zixiao understood, patted Wang Yu on the shoulder, and said, "You're at the prime of your life, I'm sorry you had to suffer like this."

Wang Yu: ? ? ?

Meng Zixiao suppressed a laugh, turned around and left, leaving Wang Yu with a seductive back view.

Wang Yu then followed.

Meng Zixiao turned and looked back. "Brother Zhao, aren't you going to the workshop?"

Wang Yu shook his head, "I'm off today. I need to talk to Feifei."

"Miss Yuan?" Meng Zixiao was taken aback upon hearing this and asked curiously, "What do you want with her?"

Wang Yu replied, "She's a great expert on the violin. I'm planning to have her accompany me to buy a new one, since the sound of my current violin is just so-so."

The Prince's Palace's treasury contained musical instruments, prepared for any unforeseen circumstances that might occur during performances by opera troupes. Their quality was only average; even a beginner like Wang Yu could distinguish them from the Bingquanming.

He hadn't expected to buy a piano as beautiful as the sound of an ice spring, but at least the quality had to be up to standard.

As they chatted casually, they arrived at the entrance of Yingfeng Pavilion, where they happened to meet Zhao Yingjie talking to Yuan Feifei.

When Wang Yu explained his purpose, Yuan Feifei readily agreed. Zhao Yingjie also wanted to go and immediately arranged for Zhao Shan and Zhao He to protect him in secret.

Meng Zixiao smiled and said, "I have nothing to do either, so let's go together."

Wang Yu readily agreed, and so the trip became a group of four.

The group arrived at the East Market, where there were several musical instrument shops. Some were from Western countries selling Western instruments, some were local merchants selling inexpensive local instruments, and some were large merchants from the Central Plains selling expensive instruments.

Wang Yu naturally chose the third option.

Ya Yun Zhai.

Just as everyone reached the door, they saw a middle-aged man step out, followed by two thin men.

"Manager Wang?"

This person was an acquaintance. Wang Yu had met him once when he came to the East Market to buy perfume. He was the steward sent by the Wang family of Jiangnan to Longshan Prefecture. He had even shown goodwill by giving the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion a few bottles of perfume.

"Manager Zhao?"

Manager Wang naturally recognized Zhao Yingjie, and he had also met Wang Yu that day. Since there were not many people present, Manager Wang stepped forward without any hesitation to greet him, "Greetings, Prince of Zhenxi!"

Wang Yu nodded, then looked up at the signboard of Ya Yun Zhai. "Is this the Wang family's business?"

Steward Wang nodded. "But does His Highness want to buy musical instruments?"

"I want to buy a zither and a xiao (vertical bamboo flute)," Wang Yu said.

Although "Iceberg Flowing Spring" is a piece for the guqin, the methods of sound attack are not strictly limited to the guqin. Wang Yu decided to learn the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) later, because it would be easier to carry a xiao than a guqin when going out.

Steward Wang was slightly surprised. The Wang family of Jiangnan was well-informed, and as the steward of Longshan Prefecture, he naturally knew a lot about the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion, but he had never heard that Zhao Yu could play the zither and flute.

But when he looked up, he saw the woman who had been with Gu Tong Ziyu that day, and his heart skipped a beat, his mind racing.

Has the Prince of Zhenxi and Gutong Ziyu gotten together?

Manager Wang's mind raced, but he remained outwardly calm, simply smiling as he led the group into the shop. "The musical instruments in my shop are all made by famous craftsmen from Jiangnan. Looking across all the shops in Longshan Prefecture, there are none with better instruments than those in my shop."

Of course, the Wang family didn't only have this one shop in Longshan Prefecture. Manager Wang's visit was just a routine inspection. The manager and shop assistants were puzzled when they saw Manager Wang return. Then they saw him instruct the shopkeeper to bring out the best qin and xiao in the shop.

A moment later, three zithers and five flutes were placed on the counter.

Wang Yu looked at Yuan Feifei, who was wearing a veil but still had a smile on her face. She stepped forward and began to try out the zither and flute.

"clank--"

"Waaah—waaah—"

A moment later, Yuan Feifei picked out a zither and a xiao. "This zither has a clear and bright tone with a lingering sound, which is perfect for playing 'Ice Mountain Flowing Spring.' And this xiao is made of Sanjiang Jade Bamboo, which is of the best quality."

The shopkeeper praised her repeatedly, "Young lady, you are an expert. This zither is made of paulownia wood, which has a clearer tone compared to other woods. Moreover, the Sanjiang jade bamboo is dense and is also a good material for the xiao (vertical bamboo flute)."

After Yuan Feifei personally verified the transaction, Wang Yu instructed the shopkeeper to pack up the qin and xiao and settle the bill.

Steward Wang stepped forward and said, "When Your Highness took office at the beginning of the year, we did not offer any gifts to congratulate you. Now that Your Highness has come in person, we offer this zither and flute as a congratulatory gift from the Wang family. Please accept it with a smile, Your Highness."

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "A gift is a gift, and business is business. There's no reason in the world to treat business as a gift. Manager Wang, don't you agree?"

Steward Wang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately agreed, "Your Highness is right, I was being presumptuous."

Wang Yu waved his hand, and Zhao Yingjie handed him a silver note and took back the qin and xiao.

……

As everyone left Ya Yun Zhai, Zhao Yingjie chuckled and said, "That cunning manager is quite shrewd. He didn't give any gifts when Yu-ge took over, but now he wants to make up for it. Isn't he just trying to get more perfume from the workshop? He's really a dog that shouldn't be served at a banquet."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man and a woman dressed in coarse linen clothes and wearing straw hats walked towards him in a hurry. They bumped into Zhao Yingjie, who was turning his head to speak, from the side.

Zhao Yingjie clapped his hands back, and the man opposite him reacted quickly, grabbing Zhao Yingjie's wrist in one swift motion.

Zhao Yingjie was startled. He circulated his internal energy, flipped his wrist, and broke free from the other man's grasp. The man was also startled, took two steps back, and looked up at Zhao Yingjie.

Seeing the surprise and wariness in Zhao Yingjie's eyes, the man breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute, "My sister and I were walking in a hurry, please forgive us."

Zhao Yingjie nodded. "Be more careful when you walk in the future."

"Definitely, definitely!" The man nodded hurriedly and pulled the girl away.

But the moment they made a move, a long-legged woman from the group opposite them called out softly, "Where do you think you're going?"

"choke--"

Meng Zixiao drew his longsword, his figure flashed, and he thrust it straight at a spot not far behind the man and woman.

The couple was startled, then saw a figure suddenly dart past them, swearing, "It's you again, you little brat, always ruining my good time!"

"Is it that flower thief?" Yuan Yingjie recognized the man's face; it was the same flower thief they had encountered on their way back from the Zhenxi Horse Ranch who had tried to kidnap Narcissus and had also knocked Meng Zixiao down.

Meng Zixiao unleashed three sword shadows with his longsword. Seeing that there were many people on this side, the man dared not fight back. He leaped over a row of houses by the roadside and disappeared.

Meng Zixiao also jumped onto the roof, looking left and right, but the person was no longer there.

Zhao Shan and Zhao He, who were not far away, surrounded them from both sides. After a moment, they came out from behind and shook their heads at Wang Yu, indicating that they had not found anything.

Wang Yu clicked his tongue. "This guy's lightness skill is pretty good."

Zhao Yingjie chuckled and said, "Flower thieves are all quite skilled in martial arts; otherwise, how could they have the ability to sneak into boudoirs at night?"

"That makes sense." Wang Yu nodded, recalling that he had learned his own lightness skill from the Flower-Picking Prince.

A moment later, Meng Zixiao couldn't find anyone around, so she jumped down from the roof. "This thief must have come in with that brother and sister. We need to warn them to be careful."

At this point, she wanted to remind the brother and sister, but found that they had already disappeared.

"Looks like they're in a real hurry." Zhao Yingjie rubbed his wrist. "That guy's accent sounds like he's from the Central Plains, and he's very skilled in martial arts. He can't be some nobody. I wonder what he's doing in the Northwest?"