cold clothes

Half an hour later, the hall of Zhuoyu Pavilion returned to silence. Lan'er, who had stolen Qingchun's hairpin, was ordered by Mama Hu to be taken to the flower viewing area, a place where guests could freely take any woman. Lan'er kept crying and kowtowing, the blood from her kowtows leaving a trail on the ground. The other three maids were each given ten strokes of the cane for their negligence in allowing Lan'er to take the hairpin.

All irrelevant personnel withdrew, but the four courtesans were specially kept behind by Madam Hu.

Doctor Xie treated Qingchun's wounds; she had arrived late because she had been gathering the necessary topical medicine. Qingchun's entire face, including her eyes, was covered, with only her straight nose and pale, withered lips visible.

The white cloth was quietly damp, leaving wet spots. Seeing this, Doctor Xie couldn't help but remind her, "Miss Qingchun, you must calm down. Crying is not good for the wound's healing."

Qingchun gripped the chair armrests silently until her knuckles turned white, and said softly, "Thank you very much, Doctor. Qingchun will definitely be careful."

"I will come three times a day to apply medicine for Miss Qingchun. I'll take my leave now," said Doctor Xie, giving Mama Hu a farewell look before picking up his medicine box.

"Granny Qin, please see Doctor Xie off."

"Yes," Qin Mama replied, taking Doctor Xie's medicine box and seeing her off.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense. Hu's mother looked at Qingchun with an inscrutable expression, which made the others hesitant to make any rash moves.

After a short while, Madam Hu slowly spoke: "It truly breaks my heart that Qingchun's face has been ruined. For tomorrow's Double Ninth Festival performance, Yunqiu, you will replace Qingchun. Don't let me down."

The last sentence, spoken by Madam Hu, suddenly became more serious, causing Yunqiu's expression to tense up. She solemnly replied, "Yunqiu will definitely not let you down."

"As for Qingchun, you should take good care of your injury these next few days. You don't need to entertain guests, and try not to let them know that your face is injured."

"...Qingchun understands."

Mrs. Hu pressed her temples and said, "That's enough. I'm tired. You can arrange the Double Ninth Festival performance yourselves."

After saying this, Madam Hu turned and left. Except for Qingchun, whose view was obstructed, the other three bowed respectfully to see her off.

"I'll take you back," Yunqiu said to Qingchun.

"No need, the maids will take me back after they've finished administering the punishment," Qingchun refused.

It's easy to imagine that Qingchun wasn't in a good mood. Given her personality, she didn't want others to see her embarrassed or pitiful. The three of them looked at each other and then left to give Qingchun some space to calm down.

Although tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival, the scenery inside Fengxiang Tower remains the same. Even though maids and servants tend to the courtyard every day, it is impossible to hide the desolation of late autumn. Only the sweet and extravagant sounds of silk and bamboo instruments can be heard from Diewu Pavilion not far away.

The three reached a fork in the road, and Liu Xia said, "I'm going to Butterfly Dance Pavilion for rehearsals. Yun Qiu, would you like to come along?"

“Okay,” Yun Qiu readily agreed.

Nuandong said, "I'm going back to my Yifei Pavilion. I'll say goodbye now."

Liu Xia and Yun Qiu: "See you later."

If the butterflies in Butterfly Dance Pavilion are the graceful dancing girls, then the name Butterfly Dance Pavilion has its origin. Legend has it that twenty years ago, the first courtesan of Fengxiang Pavilion danced here, captivating all the flowers and attracting countless colorful butterflies. A prince and minister, seeing this extraordinary sight, praised it, saying, "Only the fairy of a hundred flowers in the heavens, only the butterfly-encircling pavilion could be called Butterfly Dance Pavilion." Thus, it was named Butterfly Dance Pavilion.

Suddenly, a clear and high-pitched voice came from the pavilion, like the cry of a phoenix among a flock of birds. In an instant, all other sounds ceased, leaving only its melodious cry echoing in the sky.

Er'er's low and melodious singing tells a poignant story, full of emotions. When she is happy, she is light and cheerful, like a koi carp dancing in the water; when she is sad, she is low and mournful, like a woman in her boudoir weeping.

Who in Fengxiang Pavilion could possess such a voice? Without a doubt, it belongs to Liu Xia, one of the four most beautiful courtesans. Each of the four courtesans—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—has their own strengths: Qingchun excels in poetry and painting, Liu Xia in singing, Yunqiu in playing the zither, and Nuandong in dancing. Upon hearing this voice, some couldn't help but exclaim, "Once the courtesan Liu Xia opens her mouth, they can't practice their instruments anymore; they would never dare to compete with her."

But beneath the singing, the delicate sound of a zither gently entered the ears, rising and falling with the song, not competing with it, but completely immersing the listener, yet without feeling overshadowed by the singing. Upon closer inspection, onlookers realized it was Yunqiu, the courtesan, playing the zither, and those with self-awareness had already retreated.

After Liu Xia finished singing and moistened her throat, she suddenly laughed and said, "If there were a good-for-nothing here listening to me sing a song, could Butterfly Dance Pavilion be renamed 'Singing Stream Pavilion'? Birdsong in the mountain stream."

“No way, it should be ‘Xianlexuan’ (仙乐轩), as it sounds like celestial music that temporarily brightens the ears,” Yunqiu immediately replied.

“Yunqiu’s zither music is truly celestial. The seven strings resonate with a melodious sound, yet it breaks one’s heart. Siqin, don’t you agree?” Liuxia asked her maid.

Siqin smiled and said, "Miss, please don't make things difficult for me. Your talents are so high, how could I possibly discern anything?"

Liu Xia: "What a stupid girl, she's been with me for years and still hasn't learned anything."

After saying that, the group laughed lightly.

Erliuxia's smile faded, and she said, "It's such a pity about Qingchun. She practiced dancing with her sleeves to create a landscape painting for a month in preparation for tomorrow's performance, but she was betrayed. Sigh, why do you think Ningbi would resort to disfigurement?"

Yunqiu pondered for a moment: "It's probably because of jealousy towards Qingchun. I was there when they argued yesterday. It was wrong for Ningbi to take Qingchun's hairpin for herself, and it was also wrong for Qingchun to accuse Ningbi of stealing in her haste. This is how they formed a grudge, which is truly regrettable."

“Jealousy…that’s quite possible. Back then, I was so jealous of how well you played the zither that I even wanted to break your hand.”

Liu Xia laughed heartily, speaking of her severed hand as casually as if discussing cosmetics. Yun Qiu also laughed, as if it weren't her hand that had been severed.

"How dare you say that? It was the winter month, and the big exams were just around the corner. In order to prevent me from getting first place in the piano competition, you burned my hands with tongs that were red-hot from the charcoal stove. You didn't succeed, but you were punished by Mom with half a month of confinement!"

"Oh dear, I was young and ignorant back then. I became well-behaved after being disciplined by my mother in the dungeon." Liu Xia took Yun Qiu's arm in a flattering manner, her coquettish demeanor always pleasing to the guests. "But I never expected Ning Bi to do something so horrifying. Although I had heard that she was unruly and had a pair of emerald green eyes like a wild wolf, I always thought she was quite well-behaved in class. Today I finally saw that look in her eyes, and it truly lives up to her reputation. Sigh, but I hope she still has that look in her eyes when she comes out of the dungeon this time."

"Why do you say that? Wouldn't it be better if she were more obedient and sensible?" Yun Qiu asked doubtfully.

Liu Xia twisted her handkerchief and sighed, "I'm afraid that the strongest things are easily broken, and—" She suddenly whispered, "I feel that there is something strange about this. How did Qingchun and Ningbi run into each other yesterday, and why was she disfigured the day before the performance? It makes one wonder."

Liu Xia: "Don't you think so?"

Yun Qiu's eyes twitched slightly: "You mean... someone wants to harm Qing Chun, and Ning Bi was instructed by someone?"