Huamanlou is the leading brothel in Tonglu Town. The boss 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 and works in the capital all year round. The jewelry business was a rare trip back, and Huamanlou was mainly managed by his second uncle Chen Jinyue.
Three of the four most luxurious boats on the West Minjiang River are owned by Huamanlou.
After staying in the town for these days, Chongjiu was familiar with the activities of various religions and nine circles. She jumped on the painted boat first, called the owner of the boat in charge, and asked who was on the painted boat tonight. Girl, are there any guests? Then he opened his mouth and packed the boat.
As luck would have it, Huafang had just sent away the eldest son of the Zhou Mansion in Sanyuanqiao. He was from a scholarly family and was well-educated. However, due to the rules of the family, Mr. Zhou did not dare to stay overnight, so he could only I sneaked out to meet the beautiful woman for a while, wandered on the Ximin River all afternoon, talked about poetry and 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.
Last time as a female snitch, she earned a lot of yellow and white things. Chongjiu was used to being a big spender, so she threw two ingots of gold out first. The owner of the boat was also used to seeing the scene, so he knew that the wealthy man was coming. The big benefactor, with a smile on his face, greeted 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, and also I don’t know which family’s young master he is, but looking at his outfit, from head to toe, he is not cheap. He is also accompanied by a female health servant and a nursing home. He is very stylish, so he cannot be ignored.
He secretly summoned a young boy and asked him to bring a message to Lan Xiang. Just say what he said, show off his energy and serve him with care.
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 was passed down from three generations of the Zhenguan Junwu family. , Qingming responded with a smile, 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 green clothes. 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 me." 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?"
Lanxiang smiled slightly and said softly: " When I was sold into this fireworks field, I gave up my old surname. The young master just called me Lan Xiang. I don’t care if I don’t mention this surname!" As he said this, he picked up the wine pot on the table, filled a glass of wine, and held it with both hands.Come to Qingming Festival.
Qingming took the glass and drank it in one gulp, and said: "You look good and your voice is nice. Can you sing? Sing one and listen!"
"But by the looks of it, young master Order."
The maid in green took out the pipa from behind the screen. Lan Xiang sat sideways at the table, strummed the four strings a few times, and sang four lines in a sweet voice: "Bing Muscle Jade Bone. There is no sweat, and the water palace is full of fragrance. The bright moon peeks out from behind the curtain, and the hairpin on the pillow is in the clouds. The courtyard is silent at night. When will the west wind come? "
Wei Shiqi felt something familiar when he heard it, and asked: "Who did this?"
Lan Xiang couldn't help but look sideways, and a nurse hurriedly appeared in front of the little master. Interjection, no rules and regulations, the most surprising thing is that the young master didn't respond at all, picked up chopsticks and tasted a few dishes of wine and food with relish, and didn't take it to heart at all.
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."
"Could it be following a screen? "Learned it?"
"Huh?" Lan Xiang was surprised 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 down on him Next to me, I picked up a piece with my chopsticks, shook it gently, and it condensed but not dispersed. I put it in my mouth and chewed it. The spicy flavor tickled my teeth. It was indeed the taste in my memory.
Qingming drank another glass of wine, propped up his chin and bit his chopsticks, and said to Lanxiang: "Hey, why don't you speak?"
Lanxiang was stunned for a moment and smiled apologetically. He smiled, slightly pulled up his sleeves, his wrists as bright as frost and snow, poured wine for the two of them, and said: "Yes, I learned the music from the female musician in a screen. This young man has also seen that treasure?"< /p>
"What does that screen look like?"
Lan Xiang tried to recall and said: "It is a small screen placed on the table, only about a foot high, with four leaves in total. There are two female musicians, sitting or standing, playing... Let me think about it... Sheng, xiao, flute, pipa, harp, harp, zither, and konghou, yes, eight kinds of instrumental music, among which The female pipa singer can sing songs, and I learned this song "Bing Jade Bones Clear No Sweat" from her."
"Where did you see it?"
"In Luo City in the Central Plains, there is an adult family named Hou." Lan Xiang's eyes were a little blurry, as if recalling the past, Tu Sheng sighed, "The slave family has a hard life. Originally, she was going to marry into the Hou family, but later her family fell into decline. That afternoon, the Nu family remembered clearly that the sky was covered with clouds and the wind blew the lotus leaves in the pond. In the water pavilion, the eldest young master of the Hou family showed the screen to the Nu family and listened to the sound. The female pipa player sang a tune. He said it was an ancestral treasure of the Hou family. When the slaves marry into the Hou family, they can use it to relieve their sorrow and boredom. Alas, thinking about it now, it feels like a dream..."