Brocade tears

The layout of Tianxiang Pavilion is ingenious. There is a courtyard in the center, and a stage is built in the courtyard so that it can be seen from all directions.The main building is divided into three floors, and each floor has four private rooms facing the southeast, northwest and arranged around the patio.The private rooms on the herringbone floor on the first floor are mainly banquet rooms. There is a corridor in front, and there are tables and chairs in the corridor, which are used to watch theaters near the patio.The private rooms on the ground floor of the second floor are more private banquet rooms. In each room, there is a girl who is the main card. After ordering her cards, she will serve this night.Of course, you can also invite other girls to come in together, which is called "order card", and the price to be paid is not cheap.The private rooms on the Tianzi floor on the third floor are reserved for more distinguished guests. Most of the guests who can go to the sky are either rich or expensive, or people who hold privileges.The corridors on the second floor of the sky and the ground are all on the periphery, and there is a patio stage under the window of the private room, and there is a banquet table by the window, so you can drink and watch the theater by the window, which is very comfortable.

This main building is a clean place for entertaining guests. It is okay for guests to eat wine and watch plays in this main building, and flirt with girls verbally. to be kicked out.If you really want to enter the curtain to enjoy the fun, you need to cross the three-story covered bridge between the main building and the annex, and move to the girl's private room in the annex.If you fancy the girls at the top of the card list, you just try your best to please them, and no matter how much money you spend, they may not be able to agree.And if it is a Qing Dynasty official who comes out by name, then don't even think about it.

Mr. Gui led Guo Dayou and Meng Kuang to an upper room on the third floor.Passing by the ground floor and standing on the stairs, we can see that there is a huge list of names hanging above the stage, on which there are wooden signs engraved with the names of the girls. There are more than 50 people in total.The ranking list is divided into blue and red. The top of the blue list is full of courtesans, also known as geisha, who provide music services for guests.The first place on the green list is Bai Yuyin, and generally speaking, the oiran is also selected from among the nobles.The green list is still above the Zhu list, and the first place on the Zhu list is a girl named "Liu Yanzhi".

Mr. Gui saw that Meng Kuang had been staring at the list, and introduced with a smile:

"Girls on Qingbang are very famous, girls on Zhubang can earn money, and each has their own skills. But being famous is beneficial. If a girl on Qingbang is successful, she will get as much money as a girl who sells her flesh and blood. Therefore, Qingbang is higher than Zhubang, They are all beauties who are the most beautiful and talented in the world. There are still many beauties in my Tianxiang Pavilion that have not yet made the list. The competition for this list is fierce, and there is a rotation every ten days. But Miss Bai has been sitting on the top of the list for several years and has not moved. After that, the girl's singing voice is excellent, she is good at playing the pipa, she can play the qin and play Xiao opera, and her song "Jade Hairpin" is well-known in Beijing, and many people come to listen to it from a long distance, she is a well-deserved famous actress."

"I think Miss Liu is also very good. She has been at the top of the list for more than a year." Guo Dayou said with a smile.

"What Ba Ye said is very true. Ms. Liu is also the most outstanding top star in recent years." Mr. Gui's smile looked wretched.

Meng Kuang felt more and more uncomfortable. Those men who came to the brothel to visit prostitutes were shameless and hypocritical.They want to come here to enjoy themselves out of their own desires, but they insist on pretending to be noble and elegant, reflecting their self-cultivation.The selection of the top card and the oiran is also selected from among the nobles, and what kind of farce is going to happen, and the farce of the three entering the curtain is extremely shameless!

Over the years, she has been in and out of various brothels many times, and every time she comes and goes in a hurry, she will not stay for long.She had heard of Bai Yuyin's name, but she had never paid attention to it, let alone visited Tianxiang Pavilion.Now he and Guo Dayou entered the private room on the Tianzi floor of Tianxiang Pavilion, sat by the carved window covered with light gauze, and watched the stage downstairs from the best position, feeling a little dazed for a while.The private room was burning with unknown incense, and Meng Kuang felt a little confused when he stepped in, and his body warmed up after a while, and the cold air that had just penetrated from walking outside in the cold night disappeared in an instant.She wondered to herself what kind of fragrance is this, so powerful?

Because Guo Dayou specially ordered not to drink alcohol tonight, Mr. Gui served refreshments and two large bowls of steaming vegetarian noodles.It happened that Meng Kuang hadn't had dinner yet, and he was so hungry that he immediately removed his mask, and ate a bowl of noodles, feeling much more comfortable.She remembered that Sui'er hadn't had dinner yet, so she wondered what the Bai family had eaten with her.Thinking about it like this is overwhelming, and suddenly thinking about her makes her heart tense, wishing she could hurry up and go back to find Sui'er.

"Are you hungry, eating so hard?" Guo Dayou couldn't help but ask with a smile while Meng Kuang's bowl ran out before finishing his bowl of noodles.

Meng Kuang took his handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth, then took the tureen slowly, skimmed off the froth and drank tea, without answering his question.

"Heh! Brat." Guo Dayou cursed with a smile, and didn't talk to her again, just eating noodles by himself.

After he finished eating, Mr. Gui came to collect the bowl, and then he drank tea and said to Meng Kuang, "I know you have a lot of opinions on me now, kid. It doesn't matter if you don't understand me now. One day you will know." I have this idea of ​​being a big brother."

Meng Kuang put down the tureen and closed his mask, noncommittal.

Guo Dayou glanced downstairs and said, "The show is about to begin."

Meng Kuang looked down with his gaze, and the stage was already full of musicians and actors waiting for the stage.Recently, "Jade Hairpin" has been performed almost every night, but many people can't get tired of watching it, so they have to watch it every night.At this moment, the first floor is already full of people, the front hall is full, and the corridors are full of people.Many people don't have the money to squander in this gold-selling cave, and they are satisfied just paying the entrance fee to listen to the music.

When everything was ready, the band's flute was set to a bright tone, and the music was played immediately.Actors dressed in costumes appeared on the stage. First, Pan Sheng, a woman disguised as a man, walked forward with a broken bone fan in his hand.The actor who played Pan Sheng was not well known to Meng Kuang. Her voice was clear and she sang loudly: "The moon is bright and the clouds are light and the dew is thick, and the pillows are sad and the four walls are listening. It hurts the autumn and Song Yufu's west wind, and the fallen leaves scare the dream." Returning home in shame, I live in my aunt's nunnery. I saw Aunt Miaochang a few days ago, and I saw that her eyes were affectionate, and she seemed to feel sympathy for each other. Seeing Rong Rong Yeyue, quietly lounging in the courtyard, I couldn't help but go downstairs to the Baiyun Building. How much is a stroll? Okay?" Sing: "Xianbu Fangchen counts down red~~"

Immediately afterwards, Chen Miaochang, played by Bai Yuyin, appeared on the stage, holding the whisk in one hand and holding the qin in the other, and sang: "The flower shadows on the pink wall are heavy, and the curtain rolls to remnant the wind in the lotus water. Hold the qin and play the strings in the moonlight, and the fragrance is flowing like gold." : "I'm wonderful. I've been busy with mundane things for days, and I haven't sorted out the ice strings. Seeing that the moon is as bright as the water and the night is fresh and cool, I can't help but play a song of Xiaoxiang Shuiyun to express a little affection."

Afterwards, there were a lot of libretto. Meng Kuang was attracted by Bai Yuyin's melodious voice for a while, and was also attracted by the content of the drama she had never seen before. He was fascinated by it until Guo Dayou suddenly said: :

"Do you know what story this "Jade Hairpin" tells?"

Meng Kuang shook his head. She knew that "Jade Hairpin" was very famous, but she was busy with various trivial matters in the past, and she was not good at reading dramas, so she never knew anything about it.

"This is a story about the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty. Chen Miaochang, the daughter of Kaifeng Fucheng, lost her mother on the way to avoid Jingkang, and had to enter Jinling Privet Temple to become a monk. Pan Bizheng, the nephew of Pan Facheng, the master of Privet Temple, took the exam He was ashamed to return to his hometown, so he went to Jinling to seek a sojourn, and then met Chen Miaochang. Pan Bizheng saw Chen Miaochang's beauty and talent, and he couldn't help falling in love with him. Miaochang also showed interest in him. Finally, the relationship was discovered by the host. Pan Facheng, the host, severely reprimanded Pan Bizheng, forcing him to take the test. Pan Bizheng had no choice but to leave by boat. Chen Miaochang did not dare to see him off in person, so he hired a boat to catch up. Presenting jade hairpins to Pan Bizheng, and Pan Bizheng also presenting them with mandarin duck fan pendants in return, weeping and saying goodbye. Pan Bizheng went to Beijing to pass the examination, became the number one scholar and became an official, and then returned to Jinling to marry Chen Miaochang."

Meng Kuang couldn't help but feel emotional, in this world, there is actually such an out-of-the-ordinary story that has been staged in public.This man and woman decide for life privately, and the Taoist nun breaks the rules and precepts to have fun with men. If such stories are put into the eyes of Taoists, I am afraid that they will call out the rituals and music, and the obscenity/chaos is normal, which is the boundary of Qinlou and Chuguan. will be staged.And the men who love to watch this drama, most of them also have a lustful heart, just staring at the pornographic place for fun.But Meng Kuang felt that the Taoist nun Chen Miaochang in this story was so brave that it was admirable.She can't help thinking of herself and Sui Er, they are both women, but they love each other like a man and a woman, and they vow to be husband and wife.In the eyes of these Taoists, the audacity and corruption of Gangchang are much more extraordinary than the love between Chen Miaochang and Pan Bizheng. But if it is also written as a legendary drama, whether anyone will dare to sing it.

"Thirteen, what do you think of this story?" Guo Dayou asked.

Meng Kuang was silent for a moment, and gestured: If the two really love each other and trust each other, they will be able to overcome all obstacles.

Seeing her answer like this, Guo Dayou said earnestly: "Thirteen, I don't know if Li Huier gave you ecstasy. If you really love her, I can't stop you. But you have to understand, you If you want to marry her, it is hard to reach the sky. Now there are two roads in front of you, one is a broad road, and the other is a thorny road. How to choose is entirely up to you. But as your elder brother, I must remind you. To my duty as a big brother."

Meng Kuang didn't answer for a while, Guo Dayou pointed to the stage downstairs, and continued:

"My impression of this play is that the men and women in the story are too idealistic. Pan Bizheng went to Beijing for the second time to catch up for the exam. How easy is it to get the fame? Most of them are just lost in the Sun Shan, maybe it is more like that in "The Story of Yingying" Zhang Sheng, who changed his mind and clinged to him, was always chaotic and finally abandoned. And what about Chen Miaochang? It was just the end of old age and death. Thirteenth, people will change under circumstances. You are still young, and you don’t understand the pressure from the outside world. , can turn the sea into a mulberry field."

Meng Kuang was angry, and with a gloomy face, he took out his shorthand notebook and pen and ink cartridge, and quickly wrote: Those who change their minds are those who lose their virtues, their will is weak, their minds are uncertain, and they are despised.I, Meng Shisan, an iron-blooded soldier, can't be compared with that Zhang Sheng.

After seeing it, Guo Dayou sneered, and said: "I don't doubt that you have backbone, but a person can't live with only backbone. If you can't survive, how can you talk about staying with Li Huier for the rest of your life? As I said, people in the outside world You must make a choice under the pressure you are given, and you are a smart person as to how to choose."

Meng Kuang let out a long breath, put away the pen and paper, and didn't intend to continue talking about this topic.She realized that there was a communication gap between herself and Guo Dayou on this matter, and maybe she couldn't convince him, because in his eyes, she was just a young boy who fell into love and couldn't extricate himself, with a chaotic mind.Whatever he said, he would feel that it was his emotions, not his rational choice.

Maybe Sui Er really had to talk to him, maybe Sui Er could find a way to persuade him.Guo Dayou is a very realistic person. His views and choices on things are all based on his own advantages and disadvantages. The best way to negotiate with him is to make a deal, but Meng Kuang is not in the position of making a deal with him, nor is he Treat yourself not as a trading partner, but as your most capable assistant and an ignorant younger brother who needs to be taken care of.

"Look, our surveillance target tonight is here." Guo Dayou said suddenly, and pointed to the downstairs.Meng Kuang looked in the direction of his finger, and suddenly saw three men coming in, pushing through the crowd, led by Mr. Gui to the reserved viewing seats in the corridor on the first floor.The leading man is sturdy and burly, with a thick mustache, a round face with obvious features, a pair of narrow and long eyes that are quite powerful, and a very handsome appearance.At first glance, he was a foreigner, even though he was dressed in Hanfu, his demeanor was not rough.The other two men who followed him seemed to be his bodyguards. They looked around with vigilance.

Who is this person?Meng Kuang had doubts in his heart.I heard Guo Dayou say:

"Do you know who this person is? He is the No. [-] Jurchen in Jianzhou - Aixinjueluo Shuerhaqi. This is a secret visit to the capital, and it is also his first time in Beijing."

Aixinjueluo Shuerhaqi?The commander-in-chief of the Jianzhou Jurchen Department is his elder brother Aixinjueluo Nurhachi.But aren't they currently fighting on the Yalu River Road in Liaodong, where the mountains are high and the water is far away?How can it appear here?

"This kid's secret entry into Beijing has attracted the attention of Qianhu. Qianhu and I believe that their entry into Beijing at this time may be related to the current chaos in the city."

Meng Kuang didn't understand, isn't the King of Nine Fingers related to the Tartars? Why is he related to Jianzhou Jurchen?This one is in the northwest, and the other is in the northeast, with tens of thousands of miles between them.

Seeing that Meng Kuang had doubts, Guo Dayou explained: "The King of Nine Fingers has something to do with the Tartars, but the man in black has something to do with the Jianzhou Jurchen. They must have a plan to rob Li Huier. Thousand households found out Some news, the man in black has a scar running through his face, one-eyed, he calls himself Lao Luo, and is a veteran who returned from Liaodong. After entering Beijing, he served hard labor and sent charcoal to the palace for a living. Following this clue, he was found for nine years Before joining the army in Liaodong, he was Li Chengliang's personal soldier. He participated in Li Chengliang's battle against Atai Zhangjing, and he may have contacted the brothers Nurhachi and Shuerhaqi who were captured by the defeated army. These two brothers were given by Li Chengliang's wife Let go, there is no guarantee that he is the one who sent the brothers away."

Meng Kuang couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat after hearing this, and immediately thought of many past events.

They stared at Shu Erhaqi and his subordinates silently until "The Jade Hairpin" was sung. Shu Erhaqi got up and gave the turtle some silver taels, probably because he wanted to ask the girl to serve him, and soon They went to the annex and disappeared within the surveillance range.

After a while, the tortoise who served Shuerhaqi came up, entered the private room where Meng Kuang and the others were, and told Guo Dayou the room number and the name tag of the girl to be received.Guo Dayou was a little surprised when he heard the words, and said:

"This guy is actually quite rich, so he ordered Liu Yanzhi to serve him."

He nodded to the tortoise and gave the reward, and the tortoise backed away with a smile on his face.Guo Dayou pondered for a moment and said:

"Thirteen, you are injured, and I won't let you watch it anymore. I will go and watch Shuerhaqi myself to see if he really came here for whoring or if he has other purposes. You just stay in this room and wait for me Come back, keep an eye on the main entrance of the front hall, don't let people run away."

Meng Kuang nodded, and Guo Dayou got up and left.Meng Kuang was left alone in the room. She took off her mask, breathed a sigh of relief, stared at the stage downstairs with ecstasy, and sorted out the current situation in Beijing with all her thoughts.

After another moment, there was a knock on the door. Meng Kuang quickly put on his mask, walked to the door, and heard Bai Yuyin's voice at the door.

"Eighth Master, Thirteenth Master, can my concubine come in?"

Meng Kuang frowned, wondering why Bai Yuyin came here?Before she could open the door, Bai Yuyin pushed the door open and entered.She had already removed her make-up, she was wearing a bright white dress, her long hair was almost all loose, hanging down to her knees, and only the top half was tied up with a jade hairpin.At first glance, it is really beautiful and heart-stopping, and it is extremely amazing.Not to mention that her beautiful eyes were looking at Meng Kuang with affection and resentment, which made her soar to the sky for a moment.Secretly thinking that this is really a beauty in the world, even if she is determined and devoted to Sui'er, her heart can't resist the swaying.

The next moment he regained his soul, Meng Kuang subconsciously wanted to push her out the door.But when he remembered that she took Sui'er in, he couldn't be rude to her, so he could only let her in.

After Bai Yuyin entered the room, he turned around and closed the door, and pulled the latch.Meng Kuang frowned, not knowing what she meant.Bai Yuyin suddenly rushed forward, hugged Meng Kuang, and asked with tears in his eyes:

"Meng Lang, don't you remember me? Why don't you recognize me?"

Meng Kuang froze in place.