A long time ago, there was a king who liked music so much that he ordered his men to get him the best instrument in the world.
One day, a young man offered the king a harp (竖琴). The king took it to the palace, but when he started playing it, the harp was out of tune.
Many other musicians tried it, and they agreed that the harp was useless(没用的) and the king had been cheated. The harp was thrown out as rubbish.
A poor little girl later found the harp. And even though she did not know how to play, she decided to have a try. She played and played, for months and years, always with the harp out of tune, but she played better and better.
Then one day, suddenly, the harp began to play the most beautiful music. It was a magic harp, and could only be played well by someone willing to spend much time practicing.
One day, the king heard the music from his window, and the girl was invited to the palace. When the king saw the girl playing the harp, he was full of joy. At that moment he made the girl his private musician, giving her and her family lots of money.
