“I…” Feng Qiansu stood up, but her gaze fell on Baili Chenfeng at the table.
Clearly, Baili Chenfeng had no intention of getting up. He glanced at Xiao Zuo, who was waiting at the door, and said in a deep voice, "I'm not going."
I was taken aback. What exactly happened between him and Xiao Zuo? Since their argument last night, they had been acting strangely all day, not even exchanging a single word... Just as I was wondering, Feng Qiansu suddenly spoke up: "In that case, I won't go either."
After saying that, he sat back down and smiled at Baili Chenfeng.
That smile illuminated my heart like a clear mirror. I winked at her, said nothing, and walked out of the inn with Xiao Zuo.
This inn is located on a long and wide street, lined with shops on both sides, and bustling with pedestrians.
The sunset in the west was beautiful and dreamlike, dyeing the sky with a magnificent color. Xiao Zuo and I strolled among the crowds, bathed in the glow of the sunset, like two carefree orange fish.
I was feeling incredibly comfortable when I suddenly heard the rapid hoofbeats behind me. Before I could turn around, Xiao Zuo had pulled me aside. When I looked up again, I saw a man and a horse galloping past me like the wind, and a chorus of exclamations and curses immediately rose from ahead.
I felt a surge of disgust and blurted out, "Riding so fast, aren't you afraid of hurting someone!"
"Even if someone gets hurt, they can only accept their bad luck; what else can they do?"
Suddenly, a strange voice came from beside me. I turned around and saw an old man setting up a stall in a corner by the roadside.
I sensed something amiss in his words, so I pressed him for details: "If someone is injured, of course you should report it to the authorities. What do you mean you can't do anything? Does this person have a powerful background?"
The old man exclaimed in surprise, “What you say is true, young lady. The man on horseback is the only son of the local magistrate, known as the ‘tyrant of Crane City.’ Even if he had injured someone, or even killed someone, no one would dare to report him to the authorities.”
When he said his second sentence, I already understood, and I sneered, "You try and see if he can hurt me..."
Before he could finish speaking, three more horses galloped past on the street, causing another disturbance.
Upon seeing this, the old man shook his head and said, "Alas, it's quite rare for the three big bosses of Baiwanzhuang to come out together... It seems that all the important figures in the city are heading to 'Zuiyan Tower' right now."
Seeing my puzzled expression, he continued, "Miss, have you just arrived in Crane City? No wonder you didn't know—Miss Hua Ye, hailed as the foremost of the three most famous courtesans in the land, arrived early this morning and will be performing at the Drunken Beauty Pavilion in an hour..."
As they were talking, Xiao Zuo suddenly interrupted with a smile, "I heard that Miss Hua Ye usually only performs in big towns. It's no wonder that all the important people in the town are so excited about her sudden arrival in this small town in northern Shaanxi."
So, he knew about that "top of the three great courtesans" too!
I glared at Xiao Zuo, but couldn't resist my curiosity and asked, "Why can't you all sit still?"
He smiled and looked at me for a moment, then said leisurely, "Want to know? Why don't you come with me and take a look?"
Fine, I'll go! Hmph, I don't want him to think I'm stingy!
We then asked the old man for directions to Zuiyan Tower, and took our leave.
We arrived at Zuiyan Tower in no time. To my surprise, the tower was nothing like the vulgar brothels I had imagined. Not only was the decor exquisite, but it was also full of poetic charm.
In the huge flower hall, twenty-four giant lanterns adorned with pale pink tassels are surrounded by pale pink curtains in the center. The light shines through the semi-transparent curtains, casting a soft, hazy glow, instantly transforming the vast space into a beautiful scene.
The guests sitting around the curtains were mostly men, and I glanced at them briefly. Almost all of them showed expressions of excitement and curiosity... To be honest, the arrangement was indeed very alluring. Not to mention these men, even I couldn't help but wonder what secrets were hidden behind the curtains.
As my thoughts shifted, I secretly glanced at Xiao Zuo—thankfully, he didn't show any unusual expression; he remained as leisurely as ever, his gaze indifferent.
Just as I was secretly delighted, I suddenly felt darkness before my eyes. It turned out that someone had extinguished hundreds of candles around the room, and the entire flower hall was now illuminated only by the lanterns in the center.
A stir ran through the crowd, who thought the performance was about to begin, but to their surprise, there was no movement for a long time... This Hua Ye really knows how to keep people in suspense.
Another half hour passed, and just as everyone's faces showed impatience, a "clang" was suddenly heard from the zither. As the lingering sound echoed, the pink curtains were slowly drawn back.
In the flickering candlelight, a woman could be vaguely seen crouching low in the center of the stage.
The clear and stirring piano music only turned somber and weeping when the pale pink curtains were fully drawn back.
As the piano music faded, a hundred candles suddenly lit up, instantly illuminating the graceful figure of the woman in the center of the stage, as proud as a peacock, and brightening the eyes of the hundreds of guests present.
The woman's face was half-hidden in a pale pink veil, revealing only the upper half of her face. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows were long and arched, and her bright eyes were filled with a captivating charm. Combined with her extraordinary dance costume, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was an exceptionally bright and beautiful dance costume. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was actually woven from the feathers of hundreds of birds!
Therefore, it appears as one color when people bend over and another color when they stand up; it presents one color under the light and another color in the shadows. Combined with the dancer's movements, it exudes nobility and elegance amidst the graceful dance and the melancholic music.
As the dance reached its climax, the music became even more plaintive, and countless pale pink velvet flowers drifted down from the sky. The woman moved among the pale pink flowers and curtains, and every gesture and step caused the colors of her dance costume to change constantly. Everywhere around her seemed to shimmer with lifelike birds, dazzling and overwhelming the eyes.
As the music ended, the lights dimmed abruptly, the curtains were drawn back up, and the entire venue fell into a deathly silence.
A moment later, a jade-like hand, as smooth as solidified mutton fat, gracefully emerged from the shadowy curtains and gently brushed away the pale pink fabric.
The stunningly beautiful woman, possessing the essence of a hundred feathers, has reappeared.
"This dance is called 'Birds Singing and Flowers Blooming,' I hope you all enjoy it..." Her voice was as melodious as a nightingale singing in a valley. She spread her wide sleeves and bowed down gracefully with the birds. "I'm just making a fool of myself."
The guests then erupted in cheers as if waking from a dream.
I couldn't help but admire it repeatedly, and secretly made a decision in my heart—next year's exhibition, I must invite this flower night to be the guest performer of my palace!
"What a wonderful 'birdsong and fragrant flowers'! Miss Huaye truly lives up to her name!"
Suddenly, a very familiar male voice came to my ears, and it was right next to me... I turned my head and saw that it was none other than Xiao Zuo!
What...what is he going to do?
I stared at him suspiciously, but he didn't even glance at me. Instead, he smiled at the people on the stage and said, "If you are using this dance to compare yourself to a 'flower,' then I'm afraid all the men in the world would wish to become a 'bird' and circle around you all day long... As the saying goes, 'To die under the peony is to die a romantic death.'"
Romantic? I think he's downright lewd!
Look at his frivolous and glib face. If you told me he wasn't a playboy who frequented brothels and other places of entertainment, I would never believe it!
Hello, Xiao Zuo!