If one were to talk about the current state of Changzhou, a large part of it was due to the rather famous Yong 'an Street, which spanned almost half of Jingxi. It was really an endless stream of horses and carriages, with tourists weaving in and out, and traveling merchants coming in and out. The Agarwood Courtyard, located in the center of this street, was the largest brothel in Jiangnan. The amount of money spent to build it and the number of guests was enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the four famous pavilions, Pavilion of Teng Wang, Yueyang Pavilion, Yellow Crane Pavilion, and Yuejiang Pavilion. Just as the flames of war were swirling and the Qing army was about to break through the capital, Agarwood Courtyard was filled with songs and dances every night. Countless Jianghu heroes and nobles were happy to live a drunken life in this gentle land.
During the Ming Long Qing period, a famous Mu Qingyan was born here. This woman's life experience was extremely mysterious and bizarre. She and the current dynasty's Princess Yong 'an were originally twin sisters. Both were daughters of Empress Xiao Ding, and also Wan Li Emperor's younger sister. But when she was just born, she was sent to Jianghu due to a power struggle and conspiracy, and fell into the dust of prostitution. Mu Qingyan was still young, but she was very experienced and knew how to use her beauty to stabilize her position. Every night, she would drink and chat with the guests as long as they could afford the price. She would not refuse anyone. Very quickly, she became the pillar of Agarwood Courtyard. However, every night she sang and danced was just for show. She used this to obtain many secret information about Jianghu. However, even such a clever woman could not escape the fate of being manipulated by others. Under a strange combination of circumstances, she entered the palace under the name of Princess Yong An who was secretly sent to the Jurchens. Because of this, later generations named this street "Yong An Street". The identities of these two women were difficult to determine, so there were no records in history.
Needless to say, Yong An Street was bustling with activity. In terms of jade shops, there were row upon row. When Li Yijie and Nangong Xue went down Mount Wudang, they did not remove their silk and satins. Jiang Liechen and Chu Menglin's clothes and accessories were also extremely gorgeous. The owner of the jade ware shop thought that this time he had a big customer, he wished he could snatch all the smiles of his entire family and present them on his face. Talking non-stop, he eagerly introduced, "Dear guest, look at these! These jade cups, buckles, and bracelets were unearthed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. These jade cups, buckles, and bracelets were from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It was said that these jade hairpins were given to Empress Xiao by Emperor Yang of Sui. These jade carvings, mainly of red-crowned cranes, dragons, and phoenixes, were precious cultural relics that reflected the social trend of the Song Dynasty! As for this … "
Chu Menglin was impatient. He waved his hand and said, "Do you have any small red jade?" "Yes, yes," the shop owner hastily said, "Although our shop is small, we have everything that Dear Guest wants. We guarantee that you will be satisfied!" Finished speaking, he hurriedly went into the inner room. Chu Menglin sighed and said, "Oh, luckily he did not mention anything about the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Otherwise, I am afraid he would talk for seven days and seven nights, and would not stop talking."
Not too long afterwards, the shop owner came out with another box of jade. Looking around, the box was full of glowing red jades, as if they were forming a layer of rainbow-shaped film; it was very beautiful. The shop owner rolled up his sleeves and was about to continue his eloquent speech, his saliva flying everywhere when Chu Menglin hastily said, "Hold on, we have eyes that can see. Ay, these sparrows are not small, but there are so many of them, I don't know which one is the Tear of Severing Soul! "
The shop owner was a man who could not stay still. Asking him to stay silent was like asking for his life. As soon as he heard what she said, his spirit was suddenly aroused. He asked enthusiastically, "Miss is talking about the Tear of Severing Soul?" Chu Menglin was surprised. "Exactly," she said, "Do you know about it?" The shop owner laughed and said, "If Miss is looking for the Wulin world's most valuable treasure, if I knew about it, would I still be in charge of this small jade shop?" Chu Menglin thought that what he said was reasonable, yet he had the leisure to entertain himself. He rolled his eyes and said in annoyance, "Then shut your mouth!"
The shop owner laughed and said, "I don't know about the treasure. But the Tear of Severing Soul I am talking about is a song that Miss Yun sang recently. It is a lot more valuable than a mountain of gold and silver. "Chu Menglin said," How come I have never heard of this Miss Yun? That's right, if you like her, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what's so strange about that? "
The shop owner laughed and said, "What you said is true. But Miss can go out and ask around. Who in Jing Xi doesn't admire her? Miss Yun entered Agarwood Courtyard not long ago. It is said that she is proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and painting. After hearing her sing, no one cares about the other girls. We all say, 'We don't eat when we are hungry, we don't drink when we are thirsty, we don't have to drink when we are thirsty, we don't have to listen to Miss Yun's songs every day.' How many rich young masters are willing to throw away a lot of money for her? Her fame is comparable to that of the famous courtesan Mu Qingyan. "
Li Yijie was very curious. He wanted to say it, but didn't want to be called a lecherous man. After thinking for a while, he made up his mind and said, "The girls of Agarwood Courtyard must like to dress up very much. The Tear of Severing Soul is very suitable as an accessory. We can go and try our luck. Moreover, there are many heroes of the Wulin world gathered there. At the very least, we should be able to find out some information. "
Chu Menglin laughed and said, "Aiyo, the disciples of the famous and righteous sects have so many taboos. They want to see a girl, but they have to be sanctimonious. Xueer, let's go in and take a look. Jianghu people shouldn't care about trifles. If other people can go, why can't we? "
Nangong Xue was very frightened. She grew up in the Huashan sect. The rules of the sect were very strict. Needless to say, she had never been to those brothels. She didn't even dare to mention them. But because of this, she was even more curious. At the same time, she regretted not meeting Chu Menglin sooner. She admired his carefree nature, but also envied him for being able to do things that she didn't dare to do. She made up her mind and said, "That's fine. I want to see who this Miss Yun is!" She glared at Li Yijie and pulled Chu Menglin along. Behind them, the shopkeeper cursed loudly. Li Yijie couldn't help but smile when he thought about how much effort he had put in, only to end up wasting his breath.
As soon as they stepped into Agarwood Courtyard, a strong smell of cosmetics assaulted their nostrils. On the stage, there were a few young ladies with heavy makeup on their faces. Their breasts were slightly exposed, and they were dancing happily. Their bodies were only draped in a light veil that was like a thin mist, and it just happened to set off the curves of their bodies to be extremely exquisite and exquisite, causing one's soul to be captivated. Each of their hands was holding a fragrant handkerchief. Their dancing posture was extremely charming and tender. Li Yijie's head was dizzy. He couldn't stop himself from cheering, "Good!"
His praise elicited disdain from his three companions. One of them coldly said, "That's it? Compared to Miss Yun's song, this kind of dance can only be considered an appetizer. "Li Yijie said," Is Miss Yun's singing really that good? "The big man seemed to regard this question as a serious offense." Humph, "he snorted and ignored him. Li Yijie was snubbed, but he didn't really care. He only focused on watching the dance.
Not long after, the dancers stood in a row and bowed to the guests. The guests had been waiting impatiently for a long time, and only sporadic applause could be heard. The dancers didn't get angry. They blew kisses to the guests and slowly stepped off the stage. Two more women dressed as maidservants stood on the stage and slowly pulled up the curtain. The mood of the guests reached its peak in an instant. For a moment, whistles and shouts of "Miss Yun, come out quickly" rang out. Because of the urgency, the tinkling of silver coins under the stage could be heard.
Amidst this clamor, a few melodious notes could be heard. The sound of the zither was not loud, but it made people feel as if a mountain spring was winding its way out of a deep valley, flowing slowly. Their bodies and minds were unprecedentedly relaxed. The melody repeated several times, like the spring breeze passing through the green fields, like the rain falling on the bamboo forest; like the sound of frogs echoing each other, like the sound of waves beating the shore, like the bright moon shining in the dark night. Although the appearance of the woman behind the gauze curtain could not be seen clearly, she was wearing a light pink dress, her long hair trailing on the floor. Her black hair was combed into a beautiful bun. Her skin was like congealed cream, pure-white than snow. Her slender jade-like hands lightly plucked the zither strings, giving people the feeling that she was like a willow in the wind. They heard her lightly moving her lips and teeth as she sang the Southern Tang Li Yu's' Beauty Yu ':
"The wind returns to the small courtyard, the willow eyes continue with the spring. Alone for half a day, the bamboo sound of the new moon is still the same as in the past. The music is still there, the ice on the pond is beginning to melt. The candle is bright, the incense is dark, the hall is deep, the hair is full of frost, the residual snow is hard to bear. "
When the song ended, the guests were still immersed in it. If the sound of the zither just now was enough to make people's spirit and soul turn upside down, as the saying goes, 'the sound lingers in the beam, for three days it lingers in the ear', then her singing voice was the real sound of nature, exactly matching the saying 'this song should only exist in the heavens, how many times can it be heard in the human world'. The audience was silent for half a day, and then in an instant they burst into thunderous applause. Li Yijie sighed and said, "Now I finally understand why Jing Xi people described her so vividly, but I always felt that there seemed to be some hidden sadness in her singing voice."
"That's right," Jiang Liechen said, "Didn't you hear the song she sang? That Li Yu is the successor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, as the ruler of a fallen country, his poem naturally contains the sadness of his country's fall. " Li Yijie praised, "Miss Yun was able to combine the sadness of the predecessors with a song of today's age, so that the listeners could not help but feel the same way. Good! Very good! "Chu Menglin sneered and said," Li Dage, when did you become so proficient in music? "
Miss Yun did not pay her respects to the guests, she stood up, hugged her zither, turned around and was about to leave, as if whether this song's reception was good or bad, or how the guests below the stage viewed it, it had nothing to do with her. The only thing that was visible was her back, like a fairy from the heavens, untainted by the smoke and fire of the mortal world.
Suddenly a man in magnificent clothes laughed and said, "Miss Yun sang very well, I have long heard of your great name, you really did not disappoint me. But listening to only one song, I am already addicted to it, it can be said that I am not satisfied. "A young maidservant below the stage stepped forward and bowed, saying," Asking Gongzi's understanding. Miss Yun has a rule: she only sings one song a day. If Gongzi is willing to support her, you can come back tomorrow … "
The man laughed and said, "What kind of messy rule is this? I want her to break it for me today. " As he said that, he took a big step forward and rudely pulled open the curtain. Miss Yun cried out in alarm, her wrist was caught by him.
The man laughed and said, "Miss Yun's song makes people feel as if they are in the clouds, if she stopped halfway, I would have nowhere to go." Yun 'er coldly said, "Please be a little more respectful." The two dancers who had been ignored swayed their slender waists and went up on stage, they held onto the man and said in a tender voice, "This Miss Yun is arrogant, we sisters can also make Gongzi happy. Come on … "
The man fiercely swung his sleeve, throwing the two dancers away, he then said to Yun 'er, "You are nothing but a prostitute, why are you putting on airs? What's so difficult about singing a song? If you don't agree, then come with me to my mansion today. To be honest, little beauty, I can't bear to see you buried here, as long as you follow me, I can guarantee that you will enjoy a life of luxury. "His words were full of frivolity. Yun 'er shook her head and said, "No, I don't want to, quickly let me go!" Her voice began to be mixed with a little bit of panic, she no longer had her spotless and noble charm.
As he pulled open the curtain, everybody had a good opportunity to carefully look at Yun 'er's appearance. They saw that she had a pretty oval face, slender willow leaf eyebrows, skin that could be broken by the wind, her eyes that were brimming with tears were hazy like the stars in the mist, the corners of her eyes and the tip of her eyebrows were full of boundless flirtatious feelings, her appearance was lovely and pitiful, but not at all delicate and pretentious, she was indeed a beautiful woman carefully created by the Heavens. Li Yijie blurted out in surprise, "It's her?"
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