181話 困った琵琶師
琵琶の腕を見込まれて宮妓になったはずの彼女なので、
その時、彼女が言ったそうだ。
『きっと婚約者が、私を助け出しにきてくれているはずなの!』
そう泣き喚いた彼女が、その時の徐にはかつての自分と重なったそうだ。
けれど真実は、彼女の婚約者とやらはさっさと落ちぶれた家を見限り、他の家の娘と婚約をし直したそうだけれども。
そのことは宮妓になる前にとっくに伝えられているそうだが、本人が信じなかったのだ。
いや、本当は彼女にだってわかっていたのだろう。
けれども事実を心が受け入れないでいるその気持ちも、徐にも痛い程にわかる。
だから、徐は彼女に告げた。
『ここから助け出すにしても、手続きを経ていたらすぐというわけにはいかないよ。
徐は「助けは来ない」とは言わず、「時間がかかる」という風に話を持っていったのだ。
それも別に嘘というわけではない。
仮にも皇帝に所有の権利がある宮妓という身分になったからには、自由になるのに皇帝の許可がいる。
そんなものをそうそう短期間で簡単に得られるわけがないのだ。
この徐の言い分に彼女は反発心を抱かなかったようで、素直に琵琶の練習をするようになったという。
――まあ、あんまり周りから否定されたら、わかっていてもムキになって反発するっていうのはあるよね。
ここまでの徐と彼女の話を聞いて、
徐が「婚約者は助けに来ない」と否定しなかったおかげで、彼女は反射的に反抗せずに聞く耳を持てたのだろう。
琵琶の腕もなかなかで、徐が熱心に教えたこともあり、出席した宴でしばしば独奏を任される程になった。
そうなると、彼女本来の資質が次第に表に強く出るようになってくる。
すなわち、豪族の娘という高貴な生まれな点だ。
彼女は独奏を任されるようになってしばらくしてから、世話を焼こうとする徐のことを鬱陶しそうにするようになってきたそうだ。
徐とていつまでも手取り足取りの面倒を見るつもりはなかったので、望むところではあったし、教坊側も彼女を独り立ちさせることにしたという。
彼女に経験や自信を積ませるために、徐は自らが表に出ることを控えていたらしいが、彼女が独り立ちしたことで以前のように一人の琵琶師として活躍するようになる。
すると、それまで教育係に徹して本気で琵琶を弾いていなかった徐の技量と、彼女の技量との差が明らかとなった。
徐が弾き手として本格復帰して以来、琵琶の独奏は徐の役目のようになり、彼女は背後のいち琵琶弾きになり下がる。
それまで彼女は「もうこの宮妓の琵琶弾きでは、己が一番に違いない」と思うようになっていたのが、鼻っ柱を派手に折られた形だ。
徐としては、彼女が少々浮ついていることに気付いていたので、これが最後の教育のつもりだったそうだ。
これをきっかけに彼女が上には上がいることを悟り、琵琶の練習により打ち込んでくれるといいと、徐は思っていたという。
しかし、彼女はそうはならなかった。
彼女は互いの琵琶の腕がどうこうという話ではなく、徐が大店とはいえ所詮商人の娘であるのに、豪族の
『徐よ、お前が最初から私に嫉妬をしていたから、教育係という名目で私を目立たせないように仕向けたのだろう!?』
あろうことか、彼女はそのような因縁をつけてきたのだという。
Chapter 181: Hopeless Lute Musician
The girl was supposed to become a palace courtesan because of the recognition of her skills in playing the lute. Thus, Xu tried to reform her. She would catch the girl when she escaped, and she would try to talk some sense into her.
However, the girl said these words to her at that time.
"I'm sure my fiance will save me and take me out of here!"
Xu seemed to see herself in that girl as she watched her cry while spitting those words out.
However, unfortunately, reality was different. The fiance of the girl quickly abandoned her failing family, and was engaged to the daughter of a different house.
It seemed that he already told the girl about this before she became a courtesan, but she didn't believe him.
No, perhaps, she
Xu understood the feeling of being unable to accept reality, to the point that she could painfully empathize.
That's why, she counseled the girl with these words.
"Even if he were to save you, it doesn't mean the formalities and procedures are finished right away. It's not strange even if it took many years before it's done. So what now, do you want to spend all that time moping around?"
Instead of refuting the girl and saying "no help will come", she rephrased it to "it will take time".
It wasn't really a lie.
Even if it was just in name, they were courtesans who were considered possessions of the emperor, so they also needed his permission for them to be free.
That wasn't something that could be accomplished in just a day or two.
The girl didn't resist Xu's words, and she decided to obediently practice the lute.
'Well, if people around her kept on opposing her, she might rebel, even if she knew what's wrong and right."
That was Yui Mei's impression after listening to Xu's story until now.
The girl didn't resist reflexively because Xu didn't tell her that her fiance wouldn't save her, and instead listened to her advice.
She was quite skilled with the lute, and Xu taught her wholeheartedly. Eventually, she was frequently summoned to play solo at the banquets she attended.
And so, her original personality and manners gradually became more apparent.
In other words, her characteristics as someone born as the daughter of a powerful nobility would show through.
It was a while after she started her solo gigs. She started to think that Xu was being meddlesome when she wanted to take care of the girl.
Xu also didn't have any plans to attentively attend to her forever, and the people from the Jiaofang also decided that the girl should be more independent, so this was quite welcome as Xu wished the same.
In order to build the girl's confidence and gain experience, Xu had refrained from playing in the forefront, but now that her charge was independent, she decided to return back to keeping to herself as a solo lute player.
It was then that the difference in abilities of the girl and Xu, who had been half-heartedly playing the lute because she had devoted herself to training the girl, became apparent.
Ever since Xu returned back to being a full-fledged lute musician, the role of solo became hers, and the girl became just another support, always playing behind her.
The girl apparently believed there was no other lute musician who could best her in this palace, so her pride had been crushed thoroughly.
Xu had noticed that the girl had become quite flippant, so she wanted this to be her final lesson as part of her training.
She hoped that it would stimulate the girl's desire to become better and would lead her to devote more time into practice.
However, the girl didn't do that.
She didn't believe it was a matter of skills. She couldn't accept that the bigwigs who should've leaned towards her, the princess of a powerful nobility, had favored Xu, a mere daughter of a merchant even if their business was huge, and she was exasperated.
"Xu, you have been envious of me from the start, so you planned all of this so that you can stop me from standing out in the name of 'training', right!?"
Of all things she could do, she accused Xu of such things.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ