Chapter 80

When people get busy, they feel that time passes particularly slowly, but if they are fully engaged, they will instead feel that time flies by. This was how Xia Hongsheng felt, and so did Yuexian and her two maids. They practiced over and over again, while Xia Hongsheng repeatedly pointed out their flaws. Xu Qixian also helped, for example, by finding several sets of different men's costumes and handing them over to Qiao'er and Pan'er, and bringing in a few young servants from the tea shop to play extras with no lines. The two busy days passed quickly, and by the time the final rehearsal was completed, the front courtyard was already decorated as if for a festival. In a few hours, the Flower Queen Competition would begin, with the flower queens from various regions taking the stage one by one. The audience could bid on the flower queen they favored, and this bidding was not just for show; they had to pay the money they bid. In the end, the flower queen who earned the most money would become the true Flower Queen. Those who bid more would have the opportunity to spend time with the Flower Queen, but it did not mean they would win her heart. They could only have a meal and a chat with her. Whether the Flower Queen would be moved and favor them, and whether they could spend a night together, depended on their own abilities to win her heart and make her stay.

Even the defeated flower queens from various regions were not ordinary people to approach.

So, the other audience members were just there for the spectacle; only the very wealthy could afford to participate in this activity.

"Alas, even though I've seen this story many times and know it's just a play, I still feel a surge of anger, wishing I could tear Sun Fu and Li Jia to pieces to avenge my hatred!" Xu Qixian sighed, clenching his fists several times before speaking softly.

The few young servants Xu Qixian had brought over nodded in agreement, subconsciously glaring at Qiao'er and Pan'er with a look that seemed ready to devour them, scaring the two girls into hiding behind their mistress.

"This shows how well the three young ladies acted. I believe they will give everyone a pleasant surprise tonight," Xia Hongsheng clapped his hands. "Alright, it's time for us to go out. The three young ladies still need to get ready. Let's go!"

Everyone bowed and left, with Xia Hongsheng walking last, giving a thumbs-up to the three inside before closing the door and leaving.

The young servants playing the extras waited outside, while Xia Hongsheng and Xu Qixian went to the front courtyard, where it was already festively decorated, and people were continuously streaming in. The two of them went to check, and found that the front seats had already been bid up to over a hundred strings of cash. Xia Hongsheng couldn't help but whistle, thinking that the rich were indeed the same across time and dynasties, spending hundreds of strings of cash to buy a seat. He grumbled to himself for a while, then smiled, realizing he was just sour grapes, unable to afford it. He remembered a saying: "Life is short, and pleasures are few; who would begrudge a thousand pieces of gold for a smile?" Life is like a bubble on the water, always complaining about too few pleasures, who would hesitate to spend a thousand pieces of gold for a smile?

Xia Hongsheng and Xu Qixian each spent two strings of cash and sat in the last row. They had just sat down when they heard a familiar voice behind them: "Greetings, young masters!"

Turning around, they saw the innkeeper of Mingxiangju standing behind them. Xia Hongsheng asked, "What's your plan this time?"

"It's the same as the last poetry gathering. Before the wine is served, someone will offer tea to those with seats, and we'll give them a small amount of tea as a gift," the innkeeper explained with a smile. Xia Hongsheng trusted the innkeeper's ability and nodded without saying more. Only Xu Qixian got up and pulled the innkeeper aside, asking him not to tell Xu Xiaode about seeing him at Xunfangge.

The innkeeper naturally agreed with a smile, then left to attend to his business. The two of them sat down and chatted for a while, then saw a few familiar figures in the crowd.

"Wan brother, over here!" Xu Qixian called out. The group included several other students from Luozhou Academy and the Zhou senior brother from the other academy who had had a verbal spat with them.

"You guys are early!" Wan senior brother walked over. "But not as early as us; we reserved our seats yesterday, ha ha!"

He pointed to the front, where there were a few empty seats, presumably for their group. Xia Hongsheng looked and realized they were also rich, paying over ten strings of cash for their seats!

Xunfangge was already packed, and no more people could get in, even at the entrance, which was completely blocked. The area around the front seats, however, was not crowded.

After a long wait, the madam of Xunfangge finally walked onto the stage, followed by the flower queens who bowed to the audience and then retreated to the back. The madam, not a skilled speaker, said only a few words, which the audience didn't need anyway. After she left, there was an interlude, and a high-pitched "Tea, please!" was heard. Servants in white robes emerged from the back, walked to the front tables, and began to brew tea.

This was not the first time these white-robed servants had appeared, at least not for some people. Xia Hongsheng could hear some people discussing it.

"Hey, why is the tea pouring up and down like that..."

"Ha ha, my friend, you don't know. That's a new tea-brewing technique from Mingxiangju, called the Phoenix Three Nods..."

Xia Hongsheng nodded slightly, thinking that the name of Mingxiangju was now well-known.

The flower queens from various regions performed well, both in their appearance and their singing and dancing, which were very pleasing to the eye. One of them even performed a reverse pipa dance, drawing cheers from the audience.

The flower queens came and went one by one, and the audience's cheers rose and fell with each performance. The money in their hands kept flowing out, and the madam standing below the stage was delighted.

Suddenly, a flute sound was heard, followed by a clear and peaceful melody. The flute sound was graceful, interspersed with faint piano notes, as if coming from a deep valley. Gradually, the restless crowd began to calm down, and the excitement stirred by the flower queens slowly subsided.

When the entire hall finally fell silent, two scholars with fans suddenly appeared on stage. One of them said, "This city of Luo is truly a place of infinite spring! As the saying goes: 'When life is good, enjoy it to the fullest; don't let the golden cup face the moon in vain!' Brother Liu, since we have met here, we must not waste this wonderful time! Come, let's sit down and drink a few cups! By the way, I've heard that there is a courtesan here named Du Shiniang, who is: graceful and fragrant, with two eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like clear autumn water. Her face is like a lotus, clearly like Wenjun of the Zhuo family; her lips are like cherries, no less beautiful than Fan Su of the Bai family."

The other scholar laughed, "I've also heard of her. Brother Li, come, sit!"

The audience was surprised and didn't know what to do, but they became particularly curious about Du Shiniang because of Li's description. Suddenly, a sigh was heard from behind the curtain: "I am Du Mei, the tenth in my family, known as Du Shiniang. I am somewhat beautiful and have a good reputation. But in this world of pleasure and vice, it's all just a show, with more sorrow than joy. Alas, a flawless jade has fallen into the dust of the pleasure quarters. I wish to leave this life, but I haven't met a good man, sigh..."

As she spoke, the curtain lifted, and Du Shiniang, dressed in white, slowly walked to the front, holding a white handkerchief, and sat down quietly, her brows locked in thought, truly a beauty like a celestial being!

Just as the two scholars were about to sit down, the one named Li suddenly saw Du Shiniang and was stunned, his body trembling in amazement, staring at her in a daze, forgetting to sit down. The other scholar, Liu, smiled and pulled Li's sleeve, and Li finally came to his senses, quickly stepping forward and bowing gracefully, saying, "Your beauty surpasses all, truly a national beauty! I am Li Jia, and I greet you. May I ask your name?"

The audience finally reacted, realizing what was happening, and began to watch closely, eager to see what would unfold.

...

"This scoundrel Li Jia, I don't know what skills he has, but he has bewitched our flower queen Du Shiniang so much that she has stopped doing business and only accompanies him, a poor scholar. It's like inviting a demon, and no one else can come near! I can't even earn a half tael of silver, what a mess! Humph!" Qiao'er, playing the madam, was so lifelike that the audience was already immersed in the story, and when they heard the madam's words, they frowned.

But they heard Du Shiniang, played by Yuexian, weakly defending herself, "Mother, don't be angry. Li Gongzi has spent a lot of money on us, but he's just short on cash now..."

"Ha! That was then, this is now! Even if he brings some firewood and rice money, it would be better than nothing! At least I wouldn't be supporting a freeloader for nothing!" The madam ignored Du Shiniang and scolded her harshly.

Just as they were watching, a muffled sound was heard from the audience, and someone slapped the table, "Humph! This madam is truly despicable! Such a heartless and unfeeling person..."

When he said this, no one blamed him for interrupting, and many people echoed his sentiment.

By this point, the audience was completely drawn into the story. They had never seen a story performed on stage like this before. When Sun Fu convinced Li Jia to sell Du Shiniang, the audience shouted, "Shiniang! Don't be fooled! Don't be fooled!"

"How can this be? How can this be? What happened to Li Jia's integrity!" Some people began to condemn Li Jia.

...

Du Shiniang pushed Li Jia aside and scolded Sun Fu, "I and Li Lang have endured many hardships to be together. You, with your wicked intentions, have sown discord and broken our bond, making you my enemy. If I die and have a spirit, I will surely appeal to the gods. How can you even dream of intimacy with me?" She then turned to Li Jia and said, "I have saved money over the years, planning for a lifetime. When I met you, we made vows of eternal love. Before we left the capital, I pretended to receive gifts from my sisters, but the chest contained treasures worth thousands of gold. I planned to use them to help you return home and meet your parents, hoping they would accept me and let me serve them. I would have no regrets. But you, believing rumors and abandoning me, have betrayed my true heart. Today, in front of everyone, I will open the chest to show you that a thousand pieces of gold are not hard to come by. I have a pearl in my box, but you have no eyes to see it. My fate is unfortunate, and I have been trapped in the pleasure quarters. Just when I thought I had escaped, I am abandoned again. Now, with everyone as witnesses, I have not betrayed you, but you have betrayed me!"

Hearing this, the audience was moved to tears, all cursing Li Jia's betrayal. Li Jia was ashamed, bitter, and regretful, and was about to apologize to Shiniang. But Shiniang, holding the treasure box, suddenly jumped down!

The audience was in an uproar, and some even shouted, "Li Jia, you scoundrel! You deserve to die!"

At that moment, the flute sound rose again, and the audience looked up to hear a soft sigh from behind the curtain: "The clouds are dark over the river, the waves roll, and she is gone without a trace. What a pity, a beauty like her, now buried in the belly of a fish! As the saying goes: 'Her soul has returned to the water, her spirit to the netherworld.'"

The flute sound was mournful, and the piano notes were sad. The audience was deeply moved, and they heard Yuexian's voice again:

"Ask the world, what is love, that it can make life and death so intertwined?

From the south to the north, they fly together, through many cold and hot seasons.

Joy and sorrow, and among them, there are lovers who are deeply devoted.

You should have something to say:

Across the vast clouds, over the mountains and snow, who will you be with?

On the road by the river, once filled with music, now desolate, the mist still lingers.

Calling her soul, what can be done, the mountain spirits cry in the wind and rain.

Even the heavens are jealous, not believing that she will turn to dust like the birds.

For thousands of years, she will wait for the poets to come, to sing and drink, to visit her grave."

When these words were spoken, the audience fell silent, and for a long time, only a few sobs and sighs could be heard.

After a while, the flute and piano sounds gradually faded, and the curtain opened. Yuexian, Qiao'er, and Pan'er walked out, bowed, and Yuexian said, "I am Yuexian, and I thank all the esteemed guests for watching the story of Du Shiniang."

"Du Shiniang didn't die!"

"Shiniang is still alive!"

Seeing Yuexian come out, the audience erupted in excitement and joy.