Hua Youxian?
He Yan was stunned. Everyone on the boat was stunned when they heard this name. The singer holding the pipa was also shocked. She looked at Lin Shuanghe and stared at him for a long time. Then, she called out uncertainly, "Young Master Lin?"
It really was Hua Youxian!
He Yan quickly walked forward. He rubbed his eyes subconsciously, afraid that this was all just a dream. Who would have thought that Lin Shuanghe would really meet Hua Youxian just as he mentioned her. But … why was Hua Youxian in Jinling?
He Yan was not the only one surprised. Lin Shuanghe said, "You … aren't you married? You followed that scholar surnamed Wang to Yangzhou? Why are you in Jinling? Am I dreaming? "He turned to look at everyone. Their reactions told him that it was indeed true.
Hua Youxian looked at everyone on the boat. She was also excited. She calmed herself down and said, "I have divorced my husband. Yangzhou is not my hometown after all, so I decided to come back to Jinling. I have only been in Jinling for half a month. I did not expect to meet all the young masters here. "Her eyes curved. She was as charming as before." It has been many years since we last met. How are the young masters? "
Lin Shuanghe moved his lips. After a while, he said, "I am fine. But Miss Youxian, you are now …"
"I have returned to Ruyun Lou." Hua Youxian was very calm. "I have always grown up in Ruyun Lou. In Jinling, Ruyun Lou is also my home." She looked at everyone. "If the young masters have nothing to do, why don't you go to Ruyun Lou later? Ruyun Lou is not as good as it used to be, but … it is not bad. "
Lin Shuanghe turned and asked everyone, "Let's go to Ruyun Lou? It has been so many years. I want to see it again. "
This time, even Yan He, who was always picky, did not say anything. Everyone agreed at the same time.
Hua Youxian saw this and smiled. She ordered the boatman to lead the two boats to the shore. He Yan stared at the blurred lights on the shore. He could not calm down.
Half of the beauties in Jin Ling city were from Entering Clouds Restaurant. Every girl in the brothel had a flower name when they reached a certain age. Only Hua Youxian didn't have a common name like peony or peony. She had chosen her name herself. Taking this from a travelogue, it was said that in the country of Qiuci, there was a pillow, the color of agate, the pillow was the ten continents, the three islands, the four seas, and the five lakes were all in a dream. It was named the Traveling Immortal Pillow.
When Hua Youxian was young, she especially loved reading travel books. She hoped that she could marry a lover in the future. She longed for her future husband to take her everywhere. He named himself Traveling Immortal. The mother of Entering Clouds Tower also felt that this name was very good, so she called it Flower Fairy — Flower Fairy.
When Hua Youxian was fourteen years old, she was already famous in Da Wei because of her beauty. She was also very talented and knew everything about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Many princes and young masters were willing to throw away a lot of money in exchange for a smile from a beauty. Naturally, she was fully deserving of the title of top courtesan in Entering Clouds Tower. For the youths of Xian Chang Dojo, Hua Youxian was like a fairy from the ninth heaven. Not to mention that the courtesans of the brothel were inferior, for children like them who had strict upbringing and would be beaten until they couldn't get out of bed when they entered the brothel, Hua Youxian was simply an unattainable dream. They didn't want to get close to her or anything. As long as they could take a look and see the legendary peerless beauty, they would be satisfied.
Therefore, the Jin Ling poetry festival was simply an opportunity that all the youths wished for. Each of them was eager to try, rubbing their hands together. In addition, there was Lin Shuanghe, this person who frequently came up with bad ideas. Very quickly, all the youths decided on their manservants and bodyguards.
He Yan was a girl, so he didn't have the yearning that the youths had for Hua Youxian's "dream lover". However, he also wanted to see what kind of beauty the world said was rarely seen in a hundred years was. However, while he was looking forward to it, he was also a bit nervous. If He Yuan Sheng found out about this, he didn't know how long he would be punished to kneel in the ancestral hall.
The youths who came out together were all wealthy and respectable. Naturally, they didn't lack money. However, it was their first time entering a brothel and they didn't have much experience. They dressed themselves up like peacocks, thinking that this would show that they were full of confidence. Except for Yang Mingzhi, Xiao Jue, and He Yan. Xiao Jue was used to wearing a white gown and a silver crown. Her charming face was frosty. Yang Mingzhi was a modest gentleman, clean and handsome. He Yan was afraid of attracting attention. Originally, she wore a mask and was already different from others. If she also wore gold and silver like Yan He, she was afraid that the news would spread to the He family in Shuojing tomorrow. Therefore, she wore the most ordinary clothes and stood beside the group of wealthy youths like a manservant.
Even though the manservant was still wearing a mask that covered his face tightly, he still couldn't help it.
Old Madam Ding of Entering Clouds Brothel had seen countless people. With one look, she could tell that this group of youths were all inexperienced. She could also tell that their family background was not ordinary. She thought that it was some family's young masters who came out to see the world. Immediately, her smile became even more enthusiastic. She only cared about serving the best food and wine, and called for sensible and obedient girls to stand by the side to serve them.
The youths were served until they were floating. They felt that they could finally hold their heads high and were no longer children in the eyes of their fathers and brothers. When they were drunk, there were still people who remembered their purpose for coming. They only asked the girl beside them, "Where is Hua Youxian? Why don't I see Hua Youxian? We came here to see Hua Youxian! "
The girl still wanted to muddle through. She whispered into the youth's ear, "Young Master, if you say so, you will hurt Cai Lian's heart. Am I not good enough? Why are you thinking of someone else? "
Although she was not considered stunning, she had delicate features. Her pitiful appearance immediately made people feel pity for her. The youth was about to comfort her when Lin Shuanghe opened his folding fan and said flirtatiously, "We have eleven guests here. Everyone is thinking of Miss Cai Lian's words. I am afraid that Miss Cai Lian will not be able to handle it."
Yan He also said, "That's right!" After saying that, he threw a silver ingot on the table, "We want to see Hua Youxian!"
This group of young masters seemed to be of high status. Cai Lian did not dare to offend them. Seeing that she could not fool them, she thought about it and went to get her helper, Old Madam Ding, to come over.
Old Madam Ding flung her handkerchief and smiled apologetically, "Young Masters, I am really sorry. Recently, Hua Youxian has not been feeling well. She is recuperating and is not seeing guests. Young Masters like Hua Youxian. Today, Entering Clouds Brothel has not been a good host. Ding Xiang, go and get our Drunken Red Dust here. Today's wine is my gift to the young masters. I hope that the young masters will forgive me. "
Old Madam Ding had stayed in Entering Clouds Brothel for so many years. She had seen all kinds of monsters. It was more than enough to deal with a group of young boys. After a few words, she expressed her apology and made it difficult for the others to say anything else. After she left, the youths looked at the wine jars on the table and looked at each other. One of them said, "That's it?"
"How can it be like this?" Another person was not in a good mood. "Our luck is too bad. What do you mean by coming back after a few days? Once the poetry gathering is over, we have to go back. Won't we have wasted this trip?"
"That's right, that's right! We just want to see what she looks like. We can just sit there and not move. There is no need to play the zither or dance. Otherwise, when we go back, how can we brag to others? "
"I have already prepared the silver. This is too miserable!"
He Yan silently picked at the fried peanuts in front of him and ate. This had nothing to do with her. She did not have the right to speak and did not want to speak. Even if she could not see Hua Youxian, she could look at Rose Jasmine. After all, it was not her money that was spent.
But the youths were different. They did not come all the way to Jin Ling just to participate in a poetry gathering. They were more interested in the legendary Hua Youxian. Therefore, the few of them discussed and came up with a bad idea.
"All the girls in Entering Clouds Brothel live in the attic. Let's find out where Hua Youxian lives and look for her through the window. How about that?"
The rose cake in He Yan's mouth fell with a "pa da" sound. The crumbs splashed on the Xiao Jue beside him. He frowned and brushed it away.
The youth seemed to have found a good idea and was very excited. "Yes, let's do it! I won't do anything. When I came here, I bought a hairpin from Shuo Jing's Baozhu Shop. I just want to give this hairpin to her and see what she looks like. I will knock on the window. If she hates me, I won't go in. If the fairy is kind, I will climb over the window and ask if she can meet us. We came all the way from Shuo Jing to see her. Wouldn't it be a pity if we just leave without fighting for her? "
He Yan thought that it was indeed a case of blind lust. He could even think of this kind of idea. What was the difference between him and those flower thieves who peeped at girls? Were all the men in the world like this? They were so enamored of beauty that they did not even care about their faces.
But she did not expect that this bad idea would be approved by most of the youths. The rest of the youths agreed. "This idea is good? Why don't we do it? "
Little He Yan restrained herself, but it was probably because she was a woman, so she couldn't help but remind them, "If someone finds out, they'll think that we're flower thieves … Moreover, if we enter without an invitation, won't we ruin the reputation of the Flower Fairy?"
At that time, the youths were pure and innocent. They did not think that the girls in Entering Clouds Brothel did not have a "reputation" to speak of. After thinking for a while, someone said, "We will knock on the window from outside and pass her a note. If she agrees, we will go in. Before that, we will not enter her room."
He Yan was speechless.
What was the difference?
The youths immediately went to find out where Hua Youxian's room was. Although they were a little stupid when it came to sex, they were not really dumb. After all, they were the youths specially selected by Xian Chang Hall to participate in the poetry competition. Each of them was smart and generous. Not long after, they found out where Hua Youxian lived from the other girls.
Hua Youxian lived on the top floor of the attic. There was a lake behind the house, and there was no one else around. Among the ten youths, most of them were quite skilled. Generally speaking, the students in Xian Chang Hall were not too biased in their studies and martial arts. It was rare to find someone like Yang Mingzhi, who was good at his studies but terrible at martial arts.
The leader of the youths rubbed his palms and was eager to try. He even turned to ask Xiao Jue and Yan He, "Why don't you two go first?"
After all, these two were the best in martial arts. Climbing over a wall was as easy as walking on flat ground.
Xiao Jue said, "I'm not going."
Yan He said in disgust, "I'm not going either. I'm not a pervert!"
Lin Shuanghe wanted to go, but he was not good at martial arts. His back hurt from walking too much, let alone climbing over a wall. He could not be the first to go. Yang Mingzhi had always been polite. He had been forced to come to Cloud Tower by the others, so he would not do something so impolite.
He Yan's words were automatically ignored by the youths.
When the youth saw this, he did not say much. He only spat twice on his hands and silently climbed up with the rope. He Yan stood on the ground and looked at the disappearing dot in the night sky. He thought to himself, 'That's a little too much.'
One person climbed through the window, while the others kept watch. After all, if something happened to one person, the students in the hall would not be able to escape. No one wanted to go back and be punished by the family. That was why they kept a close watch. However, the security at the back of Cloud Tower was very lax. They probably thought that no one would dare to openly kidnap someone at this time.
He Yan was about to break his neck when there was finally some movement on the other side. The rope shook. Not long after, the youth who went up came down.
He was excited and his face was flushed red. His classmates beside him asked, "How was it? Did you see her? "
The child nodded furiously.
The crowd became even more enthusiastic. "How was it? Is the Flower Fairy really as amazing as the rumors say? "
He nodded furiously again.
"Then, then how is she?" This person was protective of the fairer sex. He still remembered that the Flower Fairy had not been feeling well recently. "Is she very haggard? Is it serious? Do we need a famous doctor to take a look? "
The youth puffed up his cheeks and said after a while, "She … the Flower Fairy is locked in the house and under house arrest! When I passed her the note, she opened the window and let me in. She even asked me if I could save her. "
Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what he meant. Lin Shuanghe put away his fan and asked doubtfully, "Do you mean that Cloud Tower mistreats her?"
The youth nodded, then shook his head and stomped his foot. "I don't know. Forget it. Come with me!"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
He Yan's heart skipped a beat. This matter was getting out of hand.
"It's okay. The Flower Fairy said that those people only go to her house twice a day. After today, they won't go again. Her door is locked and there are guards downstairs. We can go up and ask what's going on. If there's really a problem, as men, we can't just leave her in the lurch, can we? "
Young men around the age of ten were always looking forward to the day when they could become the "hero" who saved the beauty. The more beautiful the beauty was, the more powerful the hero would be. If the beauty was a peerless beauty, it would be even better. The hero would definitely become a legend.
He Yan subconsciously refused. "This … this isn't good, right? How about I stay here and keep a lookout for you? I won't go up. "
The youths looked at him with burning eyes. "What's not good about it? You're weak and easy to bully. If there's any movement, you might run away first. We don't trust you! Brother Mingzhi, your body is weak. Why don't you keep a lookout? "
Yang Mingzhi couldn't ask for anything more and agreed.
Xiao Jue and Yan He didn't want to go, but after being coaxed by the youths, they finally agreed. He Yan wanted to vomit blood, but he couldn't do anything about it. He followed the crowd and climbed up the rope to the attic. The windows of the attic were already open. The youths went in one by one. When they entered the room, they suddenly felt a woman's fragrance. There was only a dim oil lamp in the room. Under the oil lamp, there was a peerless beauty sitting on a rattan chair.
There were actually many beauties in Shuo City, but the woman in front of them was captivating. Her eyes were round, but the corners of her eyes were sharp. She was charming and innocent. Her skin was extremely white and her lips were shockingly bright. Her long hair wasn't tied up and just casually draped behind her head. It contrasted with her vermilion muslin dress. There was no need to talk about her appearance. Her gentle and charming manner was more charming than words. At first glance, she was like a goddess descending to the mortal world.
The usually arrogant and noisy youths all fell silent in front of this woman. Their faces were all red and their eyes were stunned.
He Yan's face was covered by the mask. He only thought that there was actually such a beautiful woman in the world.
"I am Hua Youxian." The woman's smile was like a flower. Her voice was soft and sweet. "Greetings to the young masters."
Hua Youxian was a few years older than the oldest child here. Because she had always stayed in Ru Yun Lou, she didn't look immature at all. When the children were suddenly spoken to, they stuttered and didn't say anything. One by one, they turned into quails. Even Lin Shuanghe, who was the most skilled in this, didn't know what to say for a moment.
It was Xiao Jue who opened her mouth and said calmly, "I heard that Miss is under house arrest?"
Hua Youxian looked at Xiao Jue. Her gaze couldn't help but pause. There was no other reason. This youth's appearance was too outstanding among his peers. And his gaze was calm from the beginning to the end. He wasn't fooled by her appearance. His gaze was as calm as water. This was rare. Hua Youxian also felt that it was interesting. But soon, she answered, "That's right."
"Who put you under house arrest?" Yan He was a straightforward person. He immediately asked, "Mother from Ru Yun Lou?"
"Not really." Hua Youxian smiled. Although she was a woman from Ru Yun Lou, she was neither servile nor overbearing when speaking to these youths. She had a good sense of propriety. She was neither too distant nor too domineering. "Mother had no choice. The one who put me under house arrest was the cousin of the governor's wife."
This was a slight detour. Lin Shuanghe was indeed someone who had read all kinds of stories. He immediately asked, "Did that person want to force you to return home?"
Hua Youxian looked at the young master holding a fan in front of her. She was slightly surprised. Then, she smiled and said, "That's right."
For a moment, there were low gasps in the room, followed by angry reprimands.
"How can this be? This local official is too overbearing! "
"Is no one going to do anything about it? Snatching a civilian girl in broad daylight! This is a violation of the law. "
"Is there any way to get you out of here?"
The Flower Traveling Deity looked at these young youths and smiled. Her voice was also very gentle as she comforted them, "Actually, it's fine if it's just the Traveling Deity. Once you enter the Cloud Pavilion, you have no choice but to do so. I already knew that this day would come, but because I implicated others, I …" Her expression dimmed, and a layer of worry appeared between her brows.
The worry of a beauty was pitiful. Yan He swung his ponytail and said, "Miss, if you have something to say, just say it. If you have any difficulties, we may be able to solve them for you." He coughed lightly and praised himself, "My family background is much more powerful than that governor."
Although he was dressed very extravagantly and his clothes were embroidered with layers of gold and silver thread, one could tell that he was wealthy. Not only him, the group of youths, especially the one in the white robe, did not look like ordinary people. Hua Youxian had stayed in Ru Yun Lou since she was young. Although she was not as sharp as Madam Ding, she was better than ordinary people. When Yan He said this, a ray of hope rose in her heart. Here, she was a weak girl. Naturally, she could not go against the government. Even Ru Yun Lou and Madam Ding had to obey Ying Tian Fu. But if this young master was really more powerful than the governor as he said, she might have a chance of survival.
It did not matter how she was … what was important was that that person was fine.
Thinking about this, Hua Youxian smiled and looked at Yan He. She asked gently, "May I know young master's name?"
Yan He blushed from Hua Youxian's smile. He was about to say his name when he suddenly remembered that he came to Ru Yun Lou behind his family's back. He said, "My surname is Yan."
"So it's you, Young Master Yan." The Flower Fairy looked at him. "No matter what, I have to thank you, Young Master." She sighed softly. "Actually, I was the cause of all this …"
Just as Lin Shuanghe had guessed, Hua Youxian was famous in Ru Yun Lou when she was fourteen. After she turned sixteen, there was an endless stream of people who wanted to marry her.
Madam Ding could not bear to part with such a money tree. Of course, she wanted to keep Hua Youxian for a while longer. Besides, they had called each other mother and daughter for many years. There was some warmth between them. Madam Ding was also planning to find a good family to marry Hua Youxian off when the time came. With Hua Youxian's status, it was inevitable that she would be criticized as a wife. But if she went to a rich family and served them well for a few years, she would have a son by her side. She would have a good life in the future.
But when Hua Youxian was eighteen, she fell in love with someone.
This person was called Wang Sheng. He was not from Jinling. He came from Yangzhou. To be precise, he was the son of a rich silk merchant in Yangzhou. He came to Jinling with his friends for business. He entered Ru Yun Lou by chance and was stunned by Hua Youxian. It was love at first sight.
Hua Youxian was so famous. There were countless young men who liked her. Wang Sheng was not particularly outstanding among them. But love came out of nowhere. Hua Youxian fell in love with Wang Sheng, who looked like a scholar, among all the young men in Wuling.
To be honest, although Wang Sheng came from a merchant family, his literary talent was not ordinary. His family hoped that he would pass the exam and become an official. But Wang Sheng thought it was too utilitarian. In his entire life, he only wished to travel freely. This was exactly the same as the Flower Fairy's wish since she was a child. On the first day they met, they drank and chatted all night. Wang Sheng's family was in business. He had traveled extensively since he was young. He heard many strange stories. Hua Youxian, who had never left Ru Yun Lou, was naturally attracted by these stories.
A talented man and a beautiful woman. Under the moonlight, everything came together naturally.
Madam Ding looked down on Wang Sheng. She felt that Wang Sheng's family was just a business. She would rather be a concubine than a merchant's wife. And if Hua Youxian really followed Wang Sheng, she would have to go back to Yangzhou. They would not be able to see each other again.
She did not want Hua Youxian to leave Jinling.
"My good daughter, don't be blinded by men. I have seen many in these years." Madam Ding guided her patiently. "If you go to Yangzhou with him and suffer in the future, who will you complain to? You will be the one who suffers."
Hua Youxian smiled perfunctorily.
She wanted to redeem herself. These years, she had saved a lot of money. Just as she was about to get enough money to redeem herself, she met an uninvited guest.
It was Yingtian Prefecture's governor's wife's younger brother, Tong Qiushi.
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