The Lonely City Closed

Chapter 128

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Side Story: Feng Jing's Chapter - Drunken Flower Shade (1)

Chapter word count: 2008 Update time: 08-08-21 17:23

1. The Bride

Through a red gauze curtain, he saw her sitting in front of the dressing table, a girl of seventeen or eighteen, with a long skirt trailing on the ground, her back to him, reaching out to remove the jeweled crown from her head.

Her red silk robe slipped down to her elbow on the right, revealing a section of her fair wrist adorned with delicate gold bracelets. There were about eight or nine bracelets, each very slender, which swayed gently as she picked up her hairpin, making a soft, clear sound. Her arm was moved with exceptional grace and suppleness, her long, slender fingers lightly touching the jewels on her head, like a swan turning its neck to preen its feathers.

Finally, she removed the elaborate headdress and saw his figure through the bronze mirror in front of her. She turned around and gazed at him quietly.

The gauze curtain blurred the glow of the dragon and phoenix incense candles beside her, creating a rainbow of colors that illuminated her bare face, free of makeup. Her eyes were like cold stars, her chin slightly raised. Without the embellishment of elaborate headdresses, her smooth neck appeared exceptionally long and beautiful. This backward glance emphasized her clearly defined profile, refined and elegant. Even before approaching, one could almost smell the fragrance of orchids wafting from her sleeves and hair.

Later, when he looked back on all the brides he had ever seen, he realized that she was not actually the most beautiful one. But when she turned around, her clear eyes, which were enough to see through the ways of the world and the hearts of men, swept over him and became a memory he could never forget.

He had never expected to see this. A moment earlier, he had first heard his cousin exclaim in surprise, and then saw the groom run wildly out of the bridal chamber and escape over the wall. Therefore, he had assumed that the person sitting in the room was either a demon or a monster, or at least an ugly woman.

He was eleven years old at the time. His father had passed away, and his mother's cousin took them to stay in the capital for a short time, giving them a lot of money and gifts as a gesture of assistance. During this time, his cousin Li Zhi got married. Because he was still in mourning and it was inconvenient for him to attend the ceremony, his mother had him stay in the backyard for a day. In the evening, after the newlyweds had entered the bridal chamber and most of the guests had left, he dared to come out and get some fresh air in the garden under the moonlight.

Then, I heard my cousin scream from not far away.

This was truly a strange thing. Unable to contain his curiosity, he quietly moved towards the bridal chamber, thinking as he went. His cousin came from an official family and was now a palace attendant. He was worldly and courageous, but he wondered what was so strange about this bride that had frightened him so much.

But it turns out that's how it is.

The elegant bride gazed at him for a moment, then rose and walked gracefully toward him, lifting the veil to reveal herself to him without any obstruction.

"Little brother, are you also a young master of the Li family?" she asked gently, her eyes filled with friendliness.

He shook his head, looked down at the auspicious clouds and fungus embroidered on her yellow silk skirt, and said, "My surname is Feng."

“Then,” she smiled and asked politely, “could you take me out, young man Feng?”

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Go home," she answered clearly, explaining, "I was wearing a veil before, so I don't know the way. Just lead me to the door."

Was she trying to escape back to her parents' home? He wondered, and then hesitantly asked, "Is it through the back door?"

“Oh, no.” She smiled and shook her head. “It’s the gate.”

The groom escaped by climbing over the wall, and the bride was to openly return to her parents' home through the main gate. Probably no one expected the wedding to end like this. Just the day before, he had personally witnessed his elders enthusiastically preparing for the wedding and heard Li Zhi's parents talking to his mother about the future when they would be enjoying their grandchildren.

He vaguely felt that it was inappropriate to direct his cousin's bride back to her parents' home, but when his gaze met her bright, clear eyes, he felt that all her requests were reasonable.

When they led her to the main hall, they encountered Li Zhi's parents and several guests who had not yet left the wedding banquet. She calmly raised her hand to her forehead, bid farewell to the couple who had only been her in-laws for half a day, and said, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Li Lang has said that he is fond of Taoism since his youth and dislikes marriage and officialdom. He wishes to annul the engagement and has now left his bride. I dare not hinder Li Lang's Taoist practice; I will now return home to serve my parents. I hope you will understand."

Having said that, she stood up before her aunt and uncle could reply, twirled her skirt, and walked toward the main entrance under the astonished gazes of everyone present.

He quickened his pace and followed her out the door.

A carriage, a common sight for ladies of the capital, was already parked outside. The driver was a handsome young man, fair-skinned and beautiful, with unusually dark blue hair and a serene expression. Upon seeing the bride, his eyes lit up slightly, and he immediately alighted from the carriage to help her.

Someone in the carriage lifted the curtain, and a pretty young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, peeked out. Her eyes were bright and her gaze was lively.

"Sister Cao!" she called to the bride with a smile, waving repeatedly to signal the bride to get into the car.

The bride agreed, but did not go over immediately. Reaching into her sleeve, she took out a gold bracelet and handed it to the child beside her: "This is for you, little brother Feng."

He shook his head and stepped back slightly: "I don't want to."

She didn't take back the gift: "But you helped me, and I want to thank you."

He thought for a moment and said, "Then remember my name."

"Alright," she replied with a slight smile, and asked gently, "May I ask your honorable name, sir?"

“My surname is Feng and my given name is Jing,” he replied, raising his voice slightly, “Jing as in the capital region.”

"Yes, nice to meet you." Seeing his earnest reply, she couldn't help but smile. As he gazed at her smiling face, she quietly took one of his hands, slipped the gold bracelet onto his wrist, and then, with the help of the young man, she stepped into the carriage. The curtain that the girl had just pulled open fell back down, the young man whipped the oxcart, and the oxcart set off, gradually disappearing into the distance.

At that moment, someone from the manor chased after her, gazing at the dust trailing behind her carriage. He hesitated, wanting to say something but then sighed, "Such a temperament... she is, after all, a daughter of a military family."

He had heard that the bride came from a distinguished family; she was the granddaughter of Cao Bin, a founding hero of the Song Dynasty.

Amidst the sighs around him, he lowered his sleeve, concealing the gold bracelet on his wrist.

His fingertips traced back, silently touching the unfamiliar metal ring—where the warmth of her hand seemed to linger—and he felt a little relieved that she hadn't become his cousin's bride tonight.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Side Story: Feng Jing's Chapter - Drunken Flower Shade (2)

Chapter word count: 2942 Update time: 08-08-21 17:23

2. Shadow

A painted boat carries fine silks and brocades, the spring water is bluer than the sky. Feng Jing, dressed in the white spring gown of a state student, walks slowly along the ten-mile-long Jiangnan road in the warm breeze.

A small, white, spherical object fell from the embroidered pavilion beside him, landing lightly on his headdress. He looked closely and saw that it was an early-ripening lychee, a rare sight for this season, carefully peeled and rolled on the ground, still shimmering with a crystal-clear, watery sheen.

Looking up, I saw a beautiful woman with delicate features leaning against the railing upstairs. Our eyes met, and she smiled sweetly, then pulled her fan aside and stepped back slightly.

Before him stood a small bridge over a flowing stream, and to the sound of stringed instruments and the music of sheng. Only then did he realize that he was once again passing through Zhangtai Road. He did not avoid it, but raised an eyebrow slightly and presented a warm and affectionate smile to the courtesans in the brothels.

At this time, he was just over twenty years old and had temporarily left his mother, who lived in Jiangxia, to travel and study in Yuhang. In this misty, rainy Jiangnan region, repeatedly praised by literati, poetry, books, and Confucian classics were not the entirety of life. Besides watching the tide from the pavilion, there were also Wu girls dancing like drunken lotus blossoms. If one did not go out with them to wander the alleys and seek out the clouds and rain, one would be ridiculed. Such encounters, where goddesses would affectionately throw fruit at him, were common. It was from those fruits, enough to fill his home, that he realized he possessed a naturally handsome appearance.

In matters of love, he was somewhat gifted, quickly learning to use his eyes as a weapon to capture hearts, and understanding what kind of smile was just right and incredibly powerful. Therefore, he frequently succeeded in the world of romance, and although he hadn't slept with many courtesans, each one was a top-notch woman.