Huamanlou is the leading brothel in Tonglu Town. The owner behind the scenes is surnamed Chen, and his ancestral home is Tonglu. He is a well-known wealthy businessman within a radius of 300 miles. He rarely appears in the town. He does jewelry business in the capital all year round. When he comes back rarely, Huamanlou is mainly taken care of by his second uncle Chen Jinyue.
Three of the four most luxurious boats on the Ximing River are owned by Huamanlou.
Chongjiu had been in the town for these days, and was familiar with the activities of various religions. She jumped on the boat first, called the owner of the boat in charge, and asked which girl was on the boat tonight and whether there were any guests, and then He opened his mouth and wrapped the painting boat.
As luck would have it, Huafang had just sent away the eldest son of Zhou Mansion in Sanyuanqiao. He was from a scholarly family and was well-educated and well-educated. However, due to the rules of the family, Mr. Zhou did not dare to stay overnight, so he could only sneak out to meet the beautiful woman for a while. , wandered on the Ximin River all afternoon, talked about poetry, listened to music, and then hurried back to celebrate the winter solstice.
The owner of the boat was complaining about Lan Xiang for not keeping Mr. Zhou when another business came to his door.
The last time I was a female snitch, I made a lot of gold and white stuff. Zhongjiu was used to being very handsy, so he threw two gold coins out first. The owner of the boat was also used to seeing things like this. When he knew that a wealthy benefactor was coming, he was full of smiles. Smile and greet the guests to board the boat.
Qingming stepped on the pedal and walked onto the boat, looking around curiously. Everything felt new. The owner of the boat found it funny. Such a small child, whose hair has not even grown, is just thinking about having fun. I don’t know which family’s young master he is. But look at what he is wearing, from head to toe, it is not cheap. He is also accompanied by a female maid and a nurse. He is very stylish, so he cannot be neglected.
He secretly called a boy and asked him to bring a message to Lan Xiang. Just say what he said, show some energy, and serve carefully.
While chatting and chatting, the owner of the boat held a lantern to guide the way, and asked about the origin of the young master's name. Wei Shiqi casually gave him the title of "My Young Master", which has been passed down from three generations of the Zhenguan Military Family. Qingming smiled and responded. Not disgusted.
The owner of the boat led the three people to the second floor of the boat, rolled up the bead curtain, and invited the guests in. Chongjiu was very knowledgeable and stayed outside. Wei Shiqi accompanied Qingming into the room. Looking up, he saw a beautiful woman in palace clothes standing in front of the screen with a smile, her features were picturesque, and there was a trace of just the right charm in her innocence. Next to him stood a maid in Tsing Yi. She was very young, with a small dimple on her left cheek and round eyes.
"Miss Lanxiang, please greet this young master well and don't neglect it." The owner of the boat bowed and retreated, and arranged for Chongjiu to drink and wait in the cabin aside.
Qingming sat down carelessly, glanced at Lanxiang a few times, clapped his hands and said with a smile, "You look so good, what's your last name?"
Lan Xiang smiled slightly and said softly: "When I sold this fireworks field, I gave up my old surname. The young master just calls me Lan Xiang. I don't care if I don't mention this surname!" As he said that, he picked up the wine on the table. Pot, fill a glass of wine, and bring it to Qingming with both hands.
Qingming took the wine glass and drank it in one gulp, and said, "You look good and your voice is nice. Can you sing? Let's sing!"
"But it depends on the young master's orders."
The maid in green clothes took out the pipa from behind the screen, and Lan Xiang sat sideways at the table. She strummed the four strings, plucked them a few times, and sang four lines in a graceful voice: "The ice skin and jade bones are clear and sweatless, and the wind from the water palace has a faint fragrance." Full. The bright moon peeks out between the curtains alone, and the hairpin on the pillow is scattered across the clouds and the hair is messy. The courtyard is quiet at midnight, and sometimes I can see the stars crossing the river. When will the west wind come? I'm afraid that the passing years will change secretly. "
Wei Shiqi thought it sounded familiar and asked, "Who made this?"
Lan Xiang couldn't help but look sideways. A nurse rashly interrupted in front of the young master, without any rules. The most surprising thing was that the young master didn't react at all. He picked up chopsticks and tasted several dishes of food and drinks with relish, without putting them down at all. In the heart.
She handed the pipa to the maid and said, "I heard someone sing it when I was a child, and I learned it by accident. I don't know who made it."
"Did you learn from a screen?"
"Huh?" Lan Xiang was startled, raised her beautiful eyes and looked at him carefully, secretly guessing his identity.
Qingming pointed to the chair and said, "Are you tired of standing and talking? Sit down and try this sheep cake jelly. It's really good."
Wei Shiqi sat next to him, picked up a piece with his chopsticks, shook it gently, and it was still congealed. He put it in his mouth and chewed it. The spicy flavor tickled his teeth. It was indeed the taste in his memory.
Qingming drank another glass of wine, propped up his chin and bit his chopsticks, and said to Lanxiang, "Hey, why don't you talk?"
Lan Xiang was stunned for a moment, smiled apologetically, pulled up her sleeves slightly, her wrists as bright as frost and snow, poured wine for the two of them, and said: "Yes, I learned the music from a female musician on a screen. This young man Have you seen that treasure too?”
"What does that screen look like?"
Lan Xiang tried her best to remember and said: "It is a small screen placed on the table. It is only about a foot high. There are four screens in total. Each screen has two female musicians, sitting or standing, playing... Let me think about it... Sheng, xiao, flute, pipa, zither, harp, zither, and konghou, yes, eight kinds of instrumental music, among which the female singer who plays the pipa can sing songs. This song "Bing Muscle Jade Bone Clear No Sweat" is just like She learned it.”
"Where did you see it?"
"In Luo City in the Central Plains, there was an adult family named Hou." Lan Xiang's eyes were a little blurry, as if recalling the past, and Tu Sheng sighed, "The slave family has a hard life. I was originally going to marry into the Hou family, but later the family fell into decline. The matter was settled. That afternoon, the Nu family remembered very clearly. The sky was covered with clouds, and the wind blew the lotus leaves in the pond with their backs to the sky. In the water pavilion, the eldest young master of the Hou family showed the screen to the Nu family and listened to the sound of the music. The female pipa player sang a tune. He said it was an ancestral treasure of the Hou family. When the slave family marries into the Hou family, they can use it to relieve their sorrow and boredom. Alas, thinking about it now, it feels like a dream..."
