In a blink of an eye, the sky cleared up, the sun was shining brightly, and the waves on the Qujiang Pond were sparkling.
"The long rolling river flows eastward, and the waves wash away the heroes -" A woman's singing accompanied by the sound of pipa passed through the bead curtain and floated on the water surface full of lotus flowers.
It's not as old-fashioned and simple as what Han Qing sang that day, but it has a different kind of gentle sadness.
After a while, the song ended, and cheers filled the boat.
While the spectators were giving rewards, they also asked Zi Ling and everyone to sing a song again to soothe their sorrow.
Zi Ling, the singer who played the pipa, stood up slowly, and then with the help of the maid, she floated to the back cabin. From the beginning to the end, she did not give any response, nor did she say anything to the young masters who cheered the loudest.
Take another look.
The young masters are not angry, but feel that this is the right thing to do.
As a person, it is natural for us to behave like everyone.
The fierce rouge horse makes people more desire to conquer.
If she just gave her a few copper coins and returned, wouldn't she become a little girl singing in an ordinary restaurant?
What's more, with the spread of "Linjiang Immortal", Zi Ling's reputation has been greatly increased than before. Her "general style" will naturally rise with the tide!
The drums sounded, and more than twenty girls dressed as Tang Xuanjia soldiers filed in and danced.
This set of "Form Breaking Music" is one of the special skills of the Lotus Class. Since its launch, it has received numerous praises and rewards every time it is performed.
But today, the audience's reaction was obviously much colder. Some people even lightly shook their folding fans and walked to the side of the boat to look at the scenery on the Qujiang River, as if the rippling water was a long river running thousands of miles.
It's a pity that everyone's boat is big and wide, and its movement is extremely slow. And Qujiang, named Jiang, is actually just an artificially dug pond.
Otherwise, everyone would really like to let the boatman pull up the sail and go down the river to see how vast the sky and sea are thousands of miles away.
"Congratulations, sister, you have gained countless supporters." In the back cabin of the boat, the singer Bai Ou, who was once as famous as Zi Ling, poured a cup of tea with her own hands and delivered it to Zi Ling who was adjusting her makeup in the mirror, "Hurry and moisten your throat, I
It is estimated that when the party ends, the host will definitely send someone to invite you to play and sing another song to thank the distinguished guests tonight for their hospitality."
"How dare you bother sister!" Zi Ling was taken aback, stood up quickly, and took the teacup with both hands, "I'll do it by myself, I'll do it by myself. It's just the same old tune again, it won't be too hard, sister doesn't have to take care of me like this."
"There is no need to be polite between us sisters!" Bai Lotus smiled and gently handed the cup to the other party. Then she raised her hand and gently smoothed the slightly messy bangs of the other party, "I'm not taking care of you.
But I’m happy for you. It’s been two years and it’s finally our sisters’ turn to feel proud.”
"Yeah, it's been almost two years." Zi Ling felt sad when she heard that, and the smile on her face quickly disappeared. Then she turned her head and secretly glanced at the front cabin, and continued to respond in a low voice, "I actually didn't expect that I was still there.
There will be a day when the fallen plum blossoms reopen. If the class leader asks to return later, please ask my sister to help me. Honglian is not willing to be my foil, and just using the pipa, I can't play the artistic conception of the song.
If sister doesn’t dislike it..."
"I don't dislike it, I don't dislike it. My sister is helping me, how can I not know what's good and bad." What Bai Lotus wanted was this result, and she immediately nodded gently with gratitude on her face.
"I feel wronged sister!" Zi Ling put down the tea cup and tidied Bai Lotus's hair and hairpins, a warm smile appeared on her face again.
"How could it be possible? My sister couldn't ask for more." Bai Lotus smiled and shook her head with a bit of sadness, "Sister is already older than you, and she doesn't have your voice or luck. If I don't show up with you a few more times, I'm afraid I won't be able to live with you for a long time.
Some time ago, in the Lotus class..."
Her voice became lower and lower, and gradually became inaudible.
Zi Ling felt sad, opened her arms to hold her in her arms, and then gently patted her back with his hands.
Bai Lotus had just played a scheming game, and she was fully aware of it. However, she would not reveal it and was willing to do her best to help the other party.
Because she could clearly feel the fear in the other person's heart at this moment.
Flowers never last forever, and so do people.
The four beauties in the Lotus Class compete for beauty, which is just a rhetoric to attract guests.
In fact, the four beauties have gradually turned into green and red lotuses in the past year.
She and Bai Lotus are not only older than Hong Lian and Qing Lian, but their popularity is also further and further pulled away by Shuang Lian.
Last year, if they could get a new song or choreograph a new dance in time, they could barely manage to take turns with Shuanglian in the finale. But since this spring, the two of them have been reduced to being able to warm up the show for Shuanglian and play between Shuanglian.
As far as the show goes, no one will mention the word "Zhengyan" anymore.
The owner of Lotus Class will not support them for the rest of their lives.
No matter how much silver, silver and red silk the two sisters had earned for the Lotus Class in the past, the owner would definitely transfer their deed of prostitution before the two of them completely lost their appeal to the onlookers.
By then, becoming the concubine or concubine of a wealthy businessman will already be their blessing.
At least, they still have a chance to wait until the contract of sale expires, and then find a way to unclog the government and become ordinary women again. (Note: Some concubines and slaves in the Song Dynasty had a fixed term. In theory, the contract could be terminated after the expiration date.
Actually, hahaha.)
Then, with the money saved on hand, he spent the rest of his life carefully.
If you are unfortunate enough to fall into the trap of a subordinate or a "hero", your life will be worse than death.
Not only is there no hope of escaping alive, but even all the private money accumulated over the years will be wiped out by the other party.
At that time, an old woman with no status, no money, and no children to rely on will be the only destination!
"Sister, I won't drag you down for too long." She knew that when seeking refuge, she had to exercise caution. After her mood calmed down a little, Bai Lotus struggled to leave Zi Ling's arms, and wiped her eyes with a forced smile, "Sister's hometown.
Bian, there is a cousin who has been contacted by someone recently. He is a craftsman who makes inkstones, and he promised to come to Chang'an this fall to find a way to redeem his sister's life."
"Does sister have enough money on hand? Is this person trustworthy? Has sister ever tested the shopkeeper's tone?" Zi Ling didn't find it strange at all, and just asked the other party a few common sense questions seriously.
Singing girls of their status don't have to expect their distant relatives to be willing to help redeem their lives. Otherwise, when they were sold out of desperation by their parents, their distant relatives would have already come to the rescue.
Regardless of whether they are cousins or cousins, they are already acting righteously by agreeing to come forward. As for the money to redeem themselves, they must pay it out of their own private money, and the amount cannot be less than what the shopkeeper and the owner resell them.
expected.
White Lotus Root is not as popular as it used to be, but it once had its glory days. During that time, you could get some dividends from the rewards from customers. If the money on hand can meet the expectations of the Lotus Ban shopkeeper and the proprietor, that
Cousin, your character is barely reliable, and redeeming yourself is a good way out.
At least, the risk is much smaller than marrying a subordinate or a hero like Guo Xie.
"I have enough money. I haven't asked the shopkeeper yet. But judging from the situation of the sisters in the past, the shopkeeper will not make things too difficult for me in order to give others hope." Bai Lotus did not hide it, lowered her voice, and said
The situation was told one by one, "My cousin's character is quite reliable, but he can't be the boss of his parents. Now that his parents are gone, he is qualified to take care of my cousin."
"Then congratulations to sister in advance!" Zi Ling heard this and was sincerely happy for Bai Lotus. She smiled and poured a cup of tea for her. Then she picked up the cup of tea that Bai Lotus had poured for herself and talked to her gently.
Touch each other lightly.
"Congratulations to sister too!" Bai Lotus held up the teacup and nodded gently.
The two women looked at each other and smiled, taking the tea as wine and drinking it down in one gulp.
There was a bit of heroism in his movements.
"You should also prepare early, and take advantage of this rare opportunity to become famous." Putting down the tea cup, Bai Lotus felt much more relaxed, smiled, and put herself in the other person's shoes to plan for her. "Save more money, and then contact your family to pick it up.
You may have a young talent who seems to be someone you can trust for the rest of your life, and try to get him to redeem you, even if you actually have to pay for it with his own money."
This is her experience summed up through years of observation and her own practice.
There is no place in the world that does not eat human flesh.
The owners and shopkeepers bought them and gave them to the madam to train and teach them many skills such as singing, dancing, playing music, and chess, in order to earn enough profits from them.
When a singer is no longer popular with customers, or becomes old and loses her beauty, it is an inevitable outcome for her to be sold by the owner of Fengyuechang. No matter how "kind" or "easy to talk" the owner will break this rule.
.
However, in order to leave a glimmer of hope for other singers, the hosts usually do not do things too badly.
In order to prevent the morale of the entire Fengyue Field from being affected by a has-been singer who no longer has much value to squeeze out, the gain outweighs the loss.
Therefore, for singers, no matter how popular they are, they need to understand the four words "prepare early".
The more popular you are, the more opportunities you have to save more money to redeem yourself in the future.
The sooner you do it, the easier it will be to find a good person who is willing to stand up for you or who is worthy of your trust.
The sooner...
Unfortunately, Zi Ling didn't seem to hear a word of her heartfelt words. She just turned around and silently shook her head in front of the bronze mirror.
"Why, you still want to continue to compete with Honglian and Qinglian? They are both three years younger than you, and women only have three to five years to bloom." Bai Lotus said to Ziling.
I am grateful and continue to advise seriously.
"Unlike my sister, I can still find my family." The smile on Ziling's face disappeared again, replaced by a strong bitterness and helplessness, "Did my sister forget that I came from Silla? I came from the Song Dynasty.
At that time, I was less than three years old. My last name was given by human traffickers. I don’t even remember my parents’ last names or where they live.”
When Bai Lotus heard this, she suddenly felt ashamed and painful. After being stunned for a long time, she imitated the way Zi Ling comforted her just now, and gently hugged the other party's shoulders from behind, "Poor sister, forgive me. I didn't mean to do it."
Touch the pain in your heart. My sister knows that you are from Silla, but she doesn’t know that your life experience is so pitiful."
"It's not too painful. I'm not the only Silla woman who was sold to the Song Dynasty." Zi Ling grinned and continued to shake her head, "If I had stayed with Silla in the first place, I might not have been killed by the rebels.
He has to starve to death. By now, the body has been fed to wild dogs, and there is no chance of surviving until now."
"She looks like the daughter of a wealthy family, how could she starve to death?" Bai Lotus didn't know how to comfort her, so she had to try to change the topic elsewhere, "But it doesn't matter if you can't go back, it's not that bad.
A bit concerned. Find a young man here who treats you sincerely, and while he is dizzy under your spell, cut through the mess quickly..."
"How is it possible to find true love in a love affair? Both parties are just playing for the occasion. Who will remember what they said when they were drunk? After they sober up, who will remember them?" Zi Ling is about the same age as Bai Ou, but Zi Ling's mind is far clearer than the other's.
While taking out the lipstick and applying makeup to myself in the mirror, I quickly interrupted.
"Then it's not a loss to find a good-looking skin." Bai Lotus bit her teeth lightly, as if she was encouraging Zi Ling, but also seemed to be irritating, "Also, take advantage of this time to become famous and make the talented girl
The name must be fulfilled. Scholars and rich people, it is best to have this tune. As long as there are two more songs or lyrics similar to "Linjiang Fairy", you can win the title of the most talented woman in Chang'an. From now on, even if you only have two songs or lyrics similar to "Linjiang Fairy"
Resting on your laurels will be enough for you to live on for many years."
"How can it be so easy?!" Zi Ling was distracted, her lipstick was obviously over the top, she smiled bitterly and took out a towel to wipe her lips, "It's not like you haven't seen it before, whenever I finish singing "Linjiang Fairy"
, how many so-called talents have tried to fill in the songs to harmonize with each other. But after two months in a row, there is no one song that can truly compare with the original one?"
"That's true!" Bai Lotus let go of Zi Ling's shoulders, walked to the side of the latter, squatted down, raised her head, and applied lipstick for her with her own hands, a little apologetically, "I'm here, don't move or talk.
.Listen to me, the inspector who can write "Linjiang Immortal" can definitely write the second poem. Instead of searching in Chang'an City, you might as well try your best to ask him to write another poem for you.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a song or a song, in short, one guest will not bother two hosts.”
Afraid of ruining her lipstick again, Zi Ling did not dare to answer, but the smile on her face became increasingly bitter.
"What, are you afraid that he will misunderstand you and come to Chang'an City?" Bai Lotus is very good at makeup and her movements are very skillful. While quickly lining her lips neatly, she continued to tease in a low voice, "In that case, just get married.
I gave it to him. Although he is only a ninth-grade girl, he has good looks and a sweet mouth. In the future, you may not be able to live with your husband! Don’t move, don’t move, you girl, I will finish it right away. If you move, I will
All previous efforts have been wasted.”
The last few words came from her eager warning when she saw Zi Ling was about to speak.
When the latter heard this, she really didn't dare to move her lips. She endured it and finished applying the lipstick. Then she turned her head and sighed quietly, "What are you thinking about? Didn't you hear what someone said that night? He is also a real leader.
A disciple of a saint. Because he accidentally offended someone, he was driven to a remote place to suffer."
"Isn't that just right? If you meet him in poverty, you will definitely not be mistaken for coveting his wealth." After hearing this, Bai Lotus immediately smiled and clapped her hands, "This is a good opportunity that has come to me. You must seize it."
I'm in jail. After passing this village, there is no such shop!"
"Then it has to be consensual." The more Zi Ling said, the more disappointed she felt in her heart, and her sighs became deeper and deeper.
"Have you asked him and been rejected by him?" Bai Lotus was stunned, and then stroked her palms hard again, but it was not because of excitement, but because of embarrassment. "I didn't expect that he would open his eyes when he looked at such a shrewd person.
blind!"
"Maybe he dislikes my background!" Zi Ling wrote and received no reply. She had been feeling uncomfortable for the past few days. Now that she heard Bai Lotus "doing justice" for herself, her eye circles suddenly started to turn red, "After all,
He is a scholar and cares about face. Even if he takes a concubine, it is said that he must come from a good family. And I am not only a promiscuous woman, but my origin and background are also unknown?"
"Is this what he said to you personally? This guy just doesn't want to, and his words are extremely vicious!" Bai Lotus became more and more embarrassed, her eyebrows stood upright, and her almond-shaped eyes widened, "Sister, don't be angry.
Without Butcher Zhang, would we have to eat pigs with hair on them? There are many talented people in the world, not to mention that his poem Linjiang Immortal may not have been written by himself."
Lest Zi Ling felt that it was not enough to relieve her anger, she spat hard on the ground. She continued to bite her silver teeth and scolded, "It must be like this! He spent money to buy lyrics and music and pretended to be a talented person. Otherwise, how could the lyrics and music be new?
This is something we have never heard of before. In all my years in the Lotus class, I have never seen anyone who can write lyrics and compose music in just half a stick of incense, all in one go."
She is a person with a clear sense of love and hate. She praised Han Qing as much as she praised Han Qing before, but now she stepped down hard. "This is so good at pretending! A person who can pretend like this must have a sinister temperament. He can't see it
It's your blessing to fall in love with you. Don't cry, you should be glad that you escaped a disaster!"
"No, no! I'm not crying, I'm just, I'm just a little uncomfortable!" Zi Ling couldn't say anything for a long time. It wasn't until she had scolded her enough that she finally responded with red eyes, "Those words were not said by him. Yes,
It was me who came up with it by standing on his side!"
"Did you come up with it yourself?" Bai Lotus was stunned again, and then she was so angry that she put her hand on her forehead, "My good girl, what are you doing? Is it fun to ruin yourself? He didn't say it, how do you know him?
Not willing? That day, I clearly saw that he and you were in love. You wouldn’t, you wouldn’t, and you haven’t asked him what he meant yet, right? If you just feel sorry for yourself here, you would be completely stupid.”
"I, I wrote him a letter. He, he didn't reply to me." Zi Ling was upset by what he said. She lowered her head and explained in a small voice. "I must be that she doesn't want to talk to you anymore.
I have nothing to do with anything."
"You told him in the letter that you secretly fell in love with him? You girl, you are so fast and courageous!" When Bai Lotus heard this, her eyes suddenly widened, and she looked Zi Ling up and down, her face filled with tears.
Praise. "For this kind of thing, you have to make some preparations first, such as asking him to write a new word for you, and then you give him a gift in return. It's better to do it step by step! In this way, even if it doesn't work in the end, at least you will get the new word.
, it’s not considered a loss.”
"I, I copied "Nine Card Machines" and asked him to criticize it." Zi Ling usually had a lot of fun with his buddies, but at this moment, she was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a gap in the deck to get in. She lowered her head lower and spoke loudly.
Almost inaudible.
"Oh my god, you copied "Nine Zhang Ji" and asked him to criticize it!" Bai Ou once again put her hand on her forehead, feeling like she was in pain, "Have you never heard anyone say that literati look down on each other? What's more, writing "Nine Zhang Ji"
How could the person who wrote "Linjiang Immortal" be of the same mind? If you want to hint to him that you are attracted to him, you should at least send some tokens, such as handkerchiefs, embroidery, etc., so that he can go here
Guess the direction. You only copied "Nine Card Machines". He is a scholar and must care about face. How dare you guess elsewhere? If you get it wrong, wouldn't it make him a laughing stock if you hold his reply in your hand?
?!"
While analyzing, she commented. The more she commented, the more she felt that her analysis made sense. It wasn't until she saw tears welling up in Zi Ling's eyes that she hugged her shoulders again and said softly: "Don't be afraid, not once.
, let’s do it a second time. This time, I’m here to help you, I said, you write, you can make him understand your thoughts.”
After saying that, he turned around to find paper, pen and scissors. He was going to cut off a few strands of Zi Ling's hair and send them to a private delivery shop together with the new letter. Unexpectedly, on the wooden spiral staircase leading to the second floor, someone suddenly
A clear voice came, "Sister Ziling, Teacher Yu, please come up. She said she has something to ask you!"
Bai Lotus and Zi Ling both changed their expressions. One quickly picked up the scissors and pretended to cut nails. The other quickly stood up and whispered yes.
Teacher Yu was specially invited by the Lotus Class to teach them singing, dancing, piano and chess. He trained them from childhood to adulthood. To a certain extent, he was equivalent to half of their mentor.
In addition, Teacher Yu and the manager of the Lotus Class are also siblings. It is said that she is the one who makes the decisions behind the scenes for many major events in the class.
Therefore, after Ziling agreed, she did not dare to make any further delays. She quickly forgot all the worries and expectations in her heart and hurried to the second floor of Huafang to report.
On the second floor of the painting boat, there is a room specially reserved for Professor Yu to study. It is several times wider and brighter than the one used by Zi Ling and others for daily makeup.
A woman in her thirties with a very charming appearance was holding a drumstick and looking out of the window. After hearing the maid's report, she turned around and whispered, "Bring her in, and then bring in some snacks and fruits."
.We haven’t seen each other for a few days, and our master and apprentice just happened to be sitting together."
"Yes!" The maid agreed and stepped back, leaving the room to Zi Ling and Yu Jiaoxi.
When she was a child, Zi Ling was often beaten by that drumstick. To this day, whenever she sees this thing, she feels terrified. Before the maid's footsteps could be heard far away, she quickly stepped forward and saluted respectfully, "
Teacher, Zi Ling is here. If you have any instructions, just tell them. Zi Ling will do his best and will do his best."
Professor Yu turned his back to Zi Ling, neither telling the latter to get up nor making any response. It was not until the atmosphere in the room became so oppressive that it was almost suffocating. Then he suddenly turned his head and asked with a smile: "I heard you wrote a letter.
Did you inspect Han from Jinniu Village? Did he reply to you? You girl, you are so courageous."
"Write, write!" Zi Ling shivered with excitement, and her response was full of nervousness, but not much surprise. "Zi Ling knows she was wrong, please teach me how to punish her!"
No matter how big the "everyone" is, in the eyes of the shopkeeper and owner, they are nothing more than a bird in a cage.
And what secrets can the bird in the cage hide?
She wrote a letter to Inspector Han, but it was strange that the shopkeeper and the boss didn't notice.
However, I don’t know why the shopkeeper and owner care about this matter? What is their attitude towards this?
"It's fine. What's wrong with you? Am I that cruel?" What Ziling didn't expect was that Yu Jiaoxi didn't punish her. Instead, he bent down with a smile and picked her up, "Can you write "Gungun"?
No wonder you are so moved by this talented young man who came from across the Yangtze River. Besides, you are now a grown man, so you should really think about your own destiny."
"Teacher, you, you mean, you mean..." Unable to believe her ears, Zi Ling raised her head, her eyes filled with tears instantly widened.
"You are all brought up by me. Although I have always been strict with you, but in the end, it is for your own good." Like a kind mother, Yu Jiaoxi took Zi Ling's hand and nodded gently, "He
Have you replied to your letter? You girl, you are too impatient. Even if you are tempted, you should pay attention to the rules. As the saying goes, if you don’t get a good price for a business that is delivered to your door, the same goes for women who want to capture a man’s heart.
.”
"I, I..." Zi Ling felt ashamed and frustrated at the words, and her head dropped so low that it almost hit the deck again.
"Don't be afraid, I'll teach you, as long as you are willing to study hard!" Like teaching Ziling to play the piano when he was young, Professor Yu smiled and held up the other person's forehead with one finger, "You are very smart and have vision. What you lack is just
A little trick to deal with men. This is actually easy to learn!"
"Boom!" It was clearly a sunny day, but suddenly there was a muffled thunder outside.
got windy.
The river is full of lotus leaves, layer upon layer, like ocean waves.