cold clothes

This night is destined to be long.

After returning to Shuiguangxuan, Qingchun couldn't sleep all night. The corrosive pain on her face drove her crazy. When she had an attack, she would smash things around her. Her eyes were covered with medicine and she couldn't see, so she smashed everything on the ground, even the narcissus that she usually took care of.

When Yunqiu arrived at Shuiguangxuan, she saw a mess. Just as she was about to scold the maids for not cleaning, she noticed the bruises on Xiaolu's face.

Xiao Lü: "Greetings, Miss Yun Qiu."

Yunqiu: "The injuries on your face... and why do you look so haggard?"

Xiao Lü: "My young lady didn't sleep all night and only closed her eyes at dawn. We also didn't sleep all night. The injuries on our faces were caused by shards of porcelain flying off when the young lady broke the porcelain bottle."

Upon hearing this, Yunqiu felt some sympathy and couldn't bear to be harsh. "Is Qingchun still sleeping? I won't disturb her rest."

Just as she turned around, Qingchun's voice rang out from behind the pearl curtain, "Is that Yunqiu?"

The voice was extremely weak, and Yun Qiu replied, "It's me."

Qingchun said, "Come in."

Xiao Lü lifted the beaded curtain for Yun Qiu, who went inside and saw Qing Chun sitting on the bed, her face covered with thick gauze. Yun Qiu stepped forward, took Qing Chun's hand, and asked softly, "Are you feeling alright now?"

"I'm in so much pain that I can't sleep. What am I supposed to do?"

"This is truly heartbreaking; you've suffered so much."

Qingchun grabbed Yunqiu's hand and cursed, "It's all that wretched girl Ningbi's fault! She ruined my face and made it impossible for me to perform. The worst part is that it's the Double Ninth Festival! I was planning to have Erlang take me as a concubine, and now it's all ruined! Everything I carefully prepared is gone... It's all Ningbi's fault, it's all her fault! I wish I could tear her to pieces!"

Erlang was none other than Wang Yiqing, the second son of the Duke's family. Qingchun's affair with him was common knowledge throughout the city. Qingchun also believed that Erlang would one day take her into his household, and she would tell Yunqiu every day about her dream of a harmonious future with Erlang. Yunqiu coldly watched Qingchun's hysterical state. Qingchun couldn't see it, and she didn't intend to pretend to be gentle and caring anymore.

"Calm down, don't get agitated and tear your wound." Yunqiu's gaze was deep, and she only spoke after Qingchun had calmed down. "I came to see you precisely because I felt sorry for you. I have seen the deep affection between you and the second son of the Duke's mansion. On the Double Ninth Festival, you two lovers cannot be together. Alas. I was just thinking if I should speak to the second son on your behalf, so that he won't worry about not seeing you tonight."

"Yunqiu, please don't tell me my face is ruined," Qingchun said anxiously.

"I know, but I'm afraid he'll be sad if he doesn't see you. He likes you, so why wouldn't he be eager to come see you?"

Qingchun hesitated, "Well... what you said makes sense."

Yunqiu continued, "So, I want to help you see him. So that you two can be in love and spend your happy time together. Don't worry about him seeing your face; your disfigurement is only temporary and won't affect your image in his eyes in the future."

Yunqiu's words touched Qingchun deeply. She longed to pour out all her sorrows to her Erlang, but she also had concerns: "My mother will definitely not let me see him."

“I’ll help you,” Yun Qiu said firmly. “I can let him come in through the secret door of Langya Pavilion, and Mother won’t find out.”

“In that case, I’ll leave it to you, Yunqiu. I really want to see him.” Qingchun said happily, standing up excitedly. “Then I need to get ready. Even if he can’t see my face right now, I should still dress up to see him. What clothes should I wear? And I need to tidy up my room too…”

Qingchun quickly became immersed in joy. Before, she couldn't see the contempt and indifference in Yunqiu's eyes. Now, with her eyes covered, she was even more unaware that Yunqiu was about to push her into the abyss.

As dusk settles, crowds throng the lake. A high platform has been erected in the heart of Xiuyun Lake, and merchants and vendors on the shore begin to hawk their wares. Courtesans and entertainers prepare their instruments, and pleasure boats and painted barges arrive like clouds.

For sixty years since its founding, the Great Qi Dynasty has been at its zenith, its national strength immense. From top to bottom, it exudes a magnificent and prosperous atmosphere, reaching its zenith since the current emperor ascended the throne. The emperor's greatest love is music and dance, which has spurred the growth of the courtesan troupe, giving rise to brothels like Fengxianglou. The capital city, being the emperor's seat, is the most prosperous place. During festivals, it is adorned with lanterns and decorations, filled with music and dance. On the Double Ninth Festival, people climb mountains in the suburbs during the day and return to the city at night to gather by Xiuyun Lake to enjoy the music and dance performances organized by various brothels.

Yunqiu and Liuxia were doing their makeup backstage. They were like the most beautiful roses in a garden of flowers, their beauty surpassing all others. Ordinary courtesans wouldn't dare to challenge them, but not far away, there was a solitary orchid in a secluded valley that rivaled them.

That was Yue Niang, the most popular courtesan at Xiaoxiang Pavilion for the past few months. She was beautiful and refined, with an otherworldly air about her, completely devoid of any seductive charm. This unique temperament was highly praised by the refined scholars and officials of the capital, who wrote many poems praising her as having the air of a celestial being descended from heaven, like Chang'e, thus starting a trend of elegance and refinement, which caused a considerable impact on Fengxiang Pavilion.

Liu Xia, ever the chatterbox, sized up Yue Niang for a moment and said, "I think her looks can't compare to ours, but those self-proclaimed gentlemen like her pure and innocent charm. A brothel with innocent girls? Heh..."

"Why say such things? Men are always good at sweet talk and are often fickle, falling in love with one after another. Our prime is only five or six years, so why should we care about others?" Yunqiu said as she picked out hairpins, but after trying on several, she felt that none of them matched her pale yellow dress.

Suddenly, a red and purple hem appeared behind her in the mirror, followed by a chorus of greetings. A hand picked up a gold and jade flower hairpin from in front of Yunqiu and placed it in her hair.

"You look more refined today than usual," Mrs. Hu said casually, her hands stroking Yunqiu's shoulders as if smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes.

The surroundings seemed to quiet down when Hu's mother appeared.

Yunqiu felt a momentary pang of fear: "...I'll be playing the guqin tonight, so it's not appropriate for me to wear anything too brightly colored."

"Everyone in the capital wants to see you stun everyone, yet you plan to play a tune on the zither in plain clothes and without makeup? What if other brothels laugh at us for imitating the understated style of Xiaoxiang Pavilion?" Madam Hu suddenly tightened her grip on Yunqiu's shoulder.

"Mom, I..."

“Alright,” Mrs. Hu released her. “You’ve always been the smartest, and I trust you know what you’re doing.” With that, Mrs. Hu walked up to Liu Xia and bent down to draw a plum blossom on Liu Xia’s forehead.

A touch of red blossoms bloomed on her forehead, and Mrs. Hu smiled with satisfaction. "You two should give it your all tonight. Xia Hua is here to see you too, so don't embarrass yourselves in front of the younger generation."

As soon as Mrs. Hu finished speaking, people noticed the small figure not far behind her.