The master said not to judge people by their appearance

that night.

Xie Yunlan took Shen Fan to the banks of the Yanshui River. Cangzhou is a prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are many places for entertainment at night. Now it is the time when the lanterns are first lit, and the ten-mile buildings on both sides of the Yanshui River are hung with colorful lanterns one after another. A look at the past is dazzling and dizzying.

The Caiyunfang is also the most distinctive one in this bustling scene. Half of its pavilions are built on land, and the other half are boats on the water. The two are connected by corridor bridges. Everyone can enjoy the performance together, or you can open a private room on the upper ship and order a few female performances individually, but the latter will be much more expensive than the former, and ordinary people can't afford it.

Xie Yunlan acted in a low-key manner. After he entered, he was just like an ordinary person. He ordered a jug of wine and sat down in the hall, then ordered a few plates of snacks for Shen Fan, and then turned his gaze to the stage in the center of the hall.

The stage was covered with a red carpet, surrounded by dazzling lanterns, and beautifully dressed women appeared on the stage one by one, dancing lightly and singing melodiously, which attracted applause from everyone in the hall.

The eyes of the men were all focused on those beautiful women, only their table was out of place. Shen Fan was looking at the dim sum, hesitating which one to eat first, while Xie Yunlan was observing the layout of Caiyunfang and the people in the boat.

He is already low-key enough, his clothes are just ordinary styles, but the aura around him is doomed that he can't stand out from everyone, especially with Shen Fan who is more beautiful than the oiran beside him.

The procuress noticed them, and they seemed to be either rich or noble, and they were distinguished guests who needed to be treated well, but since they wanted to keep a low profile, she didn't make a big show of it, and only called a maid and whispered a few words.

The maid nodded in understanding, then walked to the table for the two of them, and said with a smile: "My lord, I'll pour wine for you."

Xie Yunlan glanced at her, did not refuse, but stopped her when she was about to pour a glass for Shen Fan: "He doesn't drink."

The maid was a little surprised, men, especially the men who come here, there is no one who doesn't drink, but she didn't say anything, just said: "Then I will pour a cup of tea for you."

She carried a pot of tea and poured it for Shen Fan.

While drinking, Xie Yunlan asked casually, "What fun do you have here?"

"Of course there are fun ones, just look at the young master, which one do you want..." The maid swept her eyes to the girls who were performing on the stage, which was self-evident.

Xie Yunlan sneered: "Vulgar and vulgar fans, where is your oiran here?"

"Oiran? You don't know, we haven't elected an oiran here for ten years," said the maid.

"Oh?" Xie Yunlan asked in surprise, "How do you say that?"

"It is said that he was the last oiran ten years ago. Something happened. Mom thought the title of oiran was unlucky, so she decided not to choose it."

"What kind of accident?" Xie Yunlan looked very curious.

"I don't know the details. I hadn't entered the boat at that time." The maid was very young, only eighteen or nineteen years old, she said, "But sister Yunxiu should know, she is very familiar with that oiran, I heard People say they were the best of sisters."

Xie Yunlan: "Which one is Yunxiu?"

The maid searched around the stage, pointed to the person who was holding a pipa on the left and said, "That's the one, Sister Yunxiu is the best piano player here!"

Xie Yunlan followed and looked. It was a woman in a blue gauze dress. She was a bit older than the other women on the stage. She was already 27 or [-], but she was still undiminished. What was even more amazing was her piano skills. , the sound of the pipa is soothing like mountains and flowing water for a while, and turbulent like a thousand horses and horses for a while. The tone changes with the rhythm of the dancing girl. There is almost no pause between the transitions of the piano sound.

Xie Yunlan waited until the song was finished, and the women on the stage left one after another before getting up.He called the old bustard over, took out a bank note with a denomination of one hundred taels, went to open a private room on the upstairs boat, and ordered Yunxiu to accompany him.

The old bustard accepted the money with a happy smile, she was not mistaken, the identities of these two people were definitely not ordinary, she quickly ordered the servant to lead the two to the private room on the upstairs boat, and ordered them to prepare the best wine and snacks on the boat.

Not a while after Xie Yunlan sat down in the private room, Yunxiu came over with a pipa. She bowed to the two of them and asked softly, "What music do you want to hear, my lord?"

"I didn't come here to listen to the music." Xie Yunlan pointed to the seat in front of the couch, and motioned, "Sit."

Yunxiu showed some anxiety on her face, she was a musician, and she was a performer, but she saw that although this young man's aura was a bit scary, his brows were upright, like an upright gentleman, and the other white-clothed young man was full of eyes. It's dim sum.

These dim sums were specially prepared by the bustard. They are much more delicate than those eaten in the hall before. The dim sums are made into delicate patterns like petals. Shen Fan only glanced at them after Yun Xiu came in, and then devoted himself to the dim sums. , as if Pretty in Pink is not as important as dim sum in his eyes.

So Yunxiu hesitated for a moment, and sat down as promised.

"Do you know Xu Liniang?" There was no one else in the private room, Xie Yunlan went straight to the point.

Yun Xiu's expression was slightly startled, as if he didn't expect someone to mention this name suddenly.

"I know..." She hesitated to answer.

"I heard that you two are the best sisters?" Xie Yunlan poured a glass of wine for herself and Yun Xiu.

"Yes..." Yun Xiu took the wine glass.

"What kind of person is Xu Liniang?" Xie Yunlan asked.

"She is a very good person." Yunxiu recalled, "20 years ago, I was sold to Fangzhong with her to learn piano art together. I am not as smart as her. She knows the music after listening to it once. For a long time, Liniang was afraid that I would be beaten, so she often came to teach me in private, and sometimes she would share some snacks with me. Later she chose the oiran, and she did not forget me as a sister , When customers order music, they often invite me to join them.”

Xie Yunlan: "Does Xu Liniang have any relatives?"

"No." Yun Xiu shook her head, "Liniang told me that there was a flood in her hometown, her parents were dead, and she couldn't survive when she was young, so she was sent here by a kind person. "

"Then is there anyone close to her, or someone who likes her?" Xie Yunlan asked again.

Yunxiu: "Liniang has a good heart. The sisters in Fangzhong have been taken care of by her to some extent. Many people like her, and she is beautiful. She is a famous oiran in Cangzhou. How many men lined up to see her back then, Mr. Luo It even threw a thousand taels of gold for it."

"Master Luo?" Xie Yunlan said, "It's Luo Hongyuan?"

"Yes, Mr. Luo likes Liniang very much. He will come to support Liniang every time he performs, and he will give some jewelry every now and then." Yunxiu said, "It's a pity that Liniang doesn't like him, and every time he gives jewelry, he will return it. Going back, Liniang already has someone she likes."

Xie Yunlan: "Who is it?"

Yunxiu: "His name is Luo Yong'an, from Yangzhuang..."

Ten years ago, Xu Liniang was already a famous oiran in Cangzhou, while Luo Yongan was just a poor scholar.His family was poor, and he couldn't even afford the cost of going to the city to study. Fortunately, his literary talent was not bad, he was well-known in the academy, and he usually sold some calligraphy and paintings he made, which was barely enough to make ends meet.

But it was just enough to live on, and he was in short supply most of the time, so naturally he would not come to a place like Caiyunfang.It's just that there was a treat for a classmate that time, and he couldn't refuse, so he came over for a drink.

Coincidentally, it was Xu Liniang who performed on stage that night.

She was dressed in a luxurious and gorgeous neon dress, sitting in the center of the stage. The moment she plucked the strings, the noisy crowd around her fell silent for an instant, only listening to the sound of the pipa, which was like a quiet spring in an empty valley at the beginning, flowing slowly and slowly. Another example is the oriole bird on the treetop, singing softly.

The sound of the zither became more and more urgent, the clear spring turned into a big river, surging majesticly, and the singing of birds turned into the howling of eagles, piercing the sky.It's hard to imagine whether this piano piece was written by a woman, or such a gorgeous and touching woman.

Luo Yong'an was stunned, just like everyone else around, he was caught by Xu Liniang's piano sound and the red cinnabar at the end of the other's eyes, as if there was a kind of magical power, his mind was taken away by this beauty.

Since then, he has come here often, and most of the time, he can only order the cheapest drinks and sit in the most remote corner, with so many guests in the audience, naturally Xu Liniang can't notice him.

Until one time, after Xu Liniang performed as usual, she received a painting from the maid.

Many people gave her jewelry, gold and silver, but it was the first one who gave her a painting. She unfolded the scroll, and there was a picture of a woman holding a pipa in her arms, smiling charmingly under the brilliant light, which was exactly Xu Liniang herself.

The painter must have spent a lot of thought to make the girl's eyebrows and eyes vivid and lifelike, and then use the brightly lit background to make the girl in the painting look even more beautiful than Xu Liniang herself.

Xu Liniang couldn't help asking the maid about the sender of the painting, and she has remembered him ever since.During another performance, she saw Luo Yong'an sitting in the corner of the back row, and smiled at him from afar.

Luo Yong'an did not return a smile, he seemed to be flattered, but also seemed to be reserved and shy that is unique to a scholar, he panicked for a moment, lowered his head, and did not dare to stand on the stage again.

Not long after, Luo Yong'an sent another painting, which was Xu Liniang's sweet smile.Looking at this painting, Xu Liniang seemed to be able to see how Luo Yong'an gradually outlined her appearance with delicate and gentle brushstrokes under the dim light at night.

The coloring of this painting is light, but the sincere feelings of the painter are almost gushing out from the plain white paper.

There are many men who express their love to Xu Liniang and often give some gifts, such as Luo Hongyuan, but those precious gold, silver and jewelry are actually just playthings given away by these princes and nobles, just like her in their eyes, she is the first Feeling such real and strong emotions for once is like a precious and precious treasure.

Xu Liniang traced the scroll with her fingers, her heart skipped a beat unconsciously.

"Later, Luo Yong'an sent some paintings. Each painting was different, but they were all the same. He always only painted Liniang. I like his painting skills, and I once wanted to ask him to paint one for me. Knowing that his family was not well off, I offered a lot of money, but unexpectedly he refused. I asked him why, but he blushed and couldn't say anything. Our sisters teased him and made him anxious, so we finally said a word He only painted Liniang in this life." Yun Xiu had a slight smile when she spoke, as if thinking of the happy past ten years ago.

But the smile quickly disappeared and turned into a low sigh.

"After coming and going, the two of them will get along well. Liniang is saving money, hoping to redeem the deed of sale one day, marry Luo Yong'an, and live a normal life. If that incident didn't happen, they would probably be married already."

Xie Yunlan: "What about the River God?"

"Yes." Yun Xiu glanced at him, she had already realized that the two people in front of her probably came for this incident ten years ago, she said, "After the news of the river god's apparition spread, the people gathered around Caiyun At the gate of Fang, we wanted to sacrifice Liniang to the river god. The sisters in Fang blocked the door together, but there were too many of them. Luo Yongan ran to the prefect's mansion to report the crime, but the prefect closed the door and did not see her. In the end, Liniang was still..."

Yun Xiu couldn't go on, although ten years had passed, but when she mentioned this matter, there was still a little sadness on her face.

Xie Yunlan gave her some time to sort out her mood, and after Yun Xiu's mood calmed down a bit, he asked again: "Where is Luo Yong'an now?"

"I don't know, Luo Yong'an never came back after reporting the crime, and Liniang didn't show up the day she was sent to the River God. I never saw him again." Yun Xiu said.

Xie Yunlan pondered for a moment, then asked: "Then what kind of person is Luo Hongyuan in your opinion?"

"Master Luo..." Yun Xiu seemed to be hesitant.

Xie Yunlan saw her worries, and said bluntly: "The girl must have seen the purpose of my coming here today. Yes, it was to investigate the case of the River God ten years ago. If the girl knows something, just say it. I swear, what you and I talked about today will never be leaked to the outside world."

"The surname is Xie..." Yun Xiu murmured, thinking of the big man who just arrived in Cangzhou a few days ago, she said in surprise, "You are..."

"It's right here," Xie Yunlan said.

Yun Xiu looked at Xie Yunlan, then at Shen Fan, and realized that what the other party said was true, the appearance and demeanor of these two people could not be imitated by ordinary people, she changed her mind a few times, and finally made a decision.

"Mr. Luo is..." Yun Xiu carefully chose his words, "He is a person with a small stomach."

Xie Yunlan: "For example?"

Yunxiu: "Whatever he likes, he won't allow other people to grab it from him. Later, when he found out that Liniang and Luo Yong'an were dating, he even rushed over to question him. In a fit of anger, he smashed a lot of things in the boat and threatened to give them to him. Liniang and Luo Yongan are pretty."

Xie Yunlan: "Did he do anything to retaliate?"

"It doesn't seem to be..." Yunxiu recalled, "Mr. Luo's smashing of Caiyunfang was quite a big scene at the time. Even Master Luo was alarmed. Mr. Luo was taught a lesson by his father, and he seemed to be in confinement. Later, the river god appeared."

Xie Yunlan already had some guesses in his heart, in order to confirm that the face that turned into a snake was indeed Xu Liniang, he asked, "Is the painting that Luo Yong'an painted for Xu Liniang still available?"

"Yes, I've kept all of Liniang's things well." Yun Xiu said, "If you want to see it, my lord, I'll get it for you."

Xie Yunlan nodded. Yunxiu was about to get up to get the painting when she suddenly heard a loud noise from outside the private room.

"Where's Yunxiu? Ask her to play a tune."

The voice sounded familiar, but it was not as flattering as usual, with a high-spirited tone, Xie Yunlan didn't recognize it for a while, but he heard the voice of the bustard right away.

"Master Xu, Yun Xiu is accompanying the guests, let Yan'er play it for you."

Xu Xin: "Where did the guest come from? I don't know what to do! Dare to rob someone from me?"

The old bustard faltered a bit: "This..."

She didn't know who those two were.

"Let them sing the song separately, I will pay for the wine tonight." Another lazy male voice sounded from outside the room.

But the old bustard still hesitated: "Those two young masters probably won't agree..."

Fortunately for Shen Fan, Xie Yunlan was not easy to mess with.

"Disagree?" Xu Xin snorted coldly, "I'd like to see how courageous they are, if they don't give me face, even Mr. Luo's face?"

He pushed away the bustard who was blocking the way, and pushed open the door of the private room. Just as he was about to show off his authority and scare the two people in the room, he saw Xie Yunlan's face and immediately froze on the spot. The half foot in the room is not going in, nor is it going back.

Xie Yunlan smiled at him: "Master Xu is coming to drink too?"

"Thank you, sir..." Xu Xin stuttered in shock.

Thank you sir?Luo Hongyuan sensed something was wrong, and he also poked his head over to take a look. His gaze stayed on Xie Yunlan for a while, and then turned to Shen Fan.

Although he was scared by Xie Yunlan the day before yesterday, but Shen Fan's face is really outstanding, Luo Hongyuan has been thinking about it these two days, dreaming of any way to get him.Now that the beauty is in front of him, he will naturally not miss it.

"The master is here too? I was thinking about inviting the master to come out to play some other day. Since we just ran into each other, how about we play together tonight? There are more people and it will be more lively." Luo Hongyuan said with a smile.

"Thank you Mr. Luo for your kindness." Before Shen Fan could speak, Xie Yunlan replied on his behalf, "We have had enough fun and are preparing to go back."

While talking, he pulled Shen Fan up, he had already asked all the questions he wanted to ask, and he would send someone to pick up the painting later, he didn't want Luo Hongyuan to stay with Shen Fan for a moment.

When the two walked to the door of the private room, Luo Hongyuan said: "Master won't stay here anymore? The fun of Caiyunfang has just begun."

"No." Shen Fan rubbed his stomach, feeling that he was full.

The corners of Xie Yunlan's lips curled up, as if he was satisfied with Shen Fan's answer, he smiled at Luo Hongyuan and said, "I won't disturb Mr. Luo and Mr. Xu."

After that, the two turned and left.

Luo Hongyuan was unwilling, but after all he was concerned about the identities of Xie Yunlan and Shen Fan, so he didn't stop him.

On the way out of Caiyunfang, Xie Yunlan was in a very happy mood, because Shen Fan finally listened to his words, and he asked, "Do you think Caiyunfang is fun?"

Shen Fan thought for a while and said, "That pumpkin pie is not bad."

It is stuffed with jujube paste and bean paste. It seems that petals of some flowers are added to create a very special fragrance. The crust is also specially shaped into a pumpkin, which is exquisite and delicious.When Xie Yunlan was talking to Yun Xiu, he ate all the pumpkin pie silently by himself.

Xie Yunlan: "Except for pumpkin pie?"

Shen Fan was puzzled and said, "What else?"

Xie Yunlan couldn't help laughing again, thinking that everyone else came here for beauties, so Shen Fan regarded beauty as nothing and was thinking about snacks.

This made him feel better, and he said generously, "If you like it, buy some more, pack it up and eat it at home."

"Okay." Shen Fan also smiled.

When the two arrived at the hall where they had watched the performance earlier, Xie Yunlan called for a servant to make another plate of pumpkin pie and take it away.

The boy said: "Guest officer, wait a moment, I'll go to the back kitchen and get it for you."

Xie Yunlan nodded, took Shen Fan to a random place and sat down, waiting for the servant to pack the pumpkin pie.

While waiting, a girl who looked like a maid came to the hall, looked around for a while, and after seeing Xie Yunlan and Shen Fan, she came to them and said, "Young masters, Sister Yunxiu asked me to give this to you."

She handed over a wrapped scroll.

Xie Yunlan guessed what it was and thanked her.

After the servant girl left, he put the scroll on the table and unfolded it in half. It showed a woman sitting in the center of the stage holding a pipa in one hand. It was exactly the painting that Yunxiu mentioned, which Luo Yong'an gave to Xu Liniang for the first time.

When Yun Xiu just narrated, he said that this painting was even more beautiful than Xu Liniang herself. Now that Xie Yunlan saw it with her own eyes, she was really amazed by the delicate use of colors. On the body of the woman in the center of the stage, it seems that she has been covered with a layer of lighted Xiapei.

Xie Yunlan carefully observed the face of the woman in the painting. He felt a little similar, but he was not sure that it was the underwater snake. After all, he was a little far away from the snake, so he couldn't see it clearly. Shen Fan had seen the snake up close. The man with the face of the snake.

He asked Shen Fan, "Is it her?"

Shen Fan observed for a moment, then nodded.

That's it.After confirming that it was correct, Xie Yunlan was about to put away the painting when he suddenly heard the voices of several women behind him.

"Yo, isn't this Li Niang?"

Xie Yunlan turned around when he heard the sound, and saw that it was a few dancers passing by here after performing, he changed his mind and asked, "Do you know Xu Liniang?"

The dancers didn't know Xie Yunlan's identity yet, so they replied casually: "Of course I do, Liniang used to be our oiran here."

Xie Yunlan: "Then Luo Yong'an, do you know?"

"I know, isn't this the poor scholar that Li Niang has a good friend with?"

Dancers, you talk to each other without Xie Yunlan asking, just talk to yourself.

"Back then, Luo Yong'an paid a lot of money for his studies, and it was Liniang who gave him money. How did it turn out? How do you say that, most of the people who are ungrateful are scholars!"

"That's right, Li Niang was so kind to him, but when something happened, he ran away in a hurry."

"Run away?" Xie Yunlan interjected, "Didn't he go to the prefect's mansion to report the crime?"

"I went to report the crime, but when I saw that the prefect didn't care about it, I ran away!"

"At that time, the incident of the river god's apparition was so violent. He probably was afraid that the news of his friendship with Liniang would spread, and the people of Cangzhou would throw him into the river together, so he ran back to his hometown overnight!"

"No, he should be afraid of retaliation. Liniang is famous and can still protect him. Once Liniang falls, he is a poor scholar, so why not let others squeeze him?"

"Whose revenge?" Xie Yunlan asked.

"Of course it is..." The dancers were about to speak, but they all stopped speaking, as if they were worried about something.

Xie Yunlan probably also guessed it, he said: "Are you sure Luo Yong'an ran back to his hometown?"

The dancers said: "Sure, everyone said so! Who doesn't know that Luo Yong'an ran away overnight, and the guards guarding the city gate saw him, and he didn't even see Liniang for the last time. These scholars are so heartless and ungrateful. Read it in the dog's belly!"

Everyone says that?Then why didn't Yunxiu tell him where Luo Yongan was going, only that he never saw him again?Moreover, the Luo Yong'an described by Yun Xiu is not quite the same as the thin lover described by the dancing girls.

While talking, the servant came back with a packaged pumpkin pie, and the dancers also had to prepare for the next performance, so they walked away talking and laughing, not taking this matter to heart.

Xie Yunlan looked back at the boat on the water, thought for a moment, and left with Shen Fan first.