"Young master, you misunderstand. I have no such intentions. It is just that I am not feeling well today and my singing has been greatly affected. If I continue, I fear I will disturb the mood of all the young masters," the beautiful girl bowed and said apologetically.
"What do you mean by not feeling well? Don't use this excuse to brush me off." A young man stood up from his seat and said impatiently, "How come I don't see anything wrong with you? If you are asked to sing, then sing. Today, all the officials and your peers are present. If you don't sing, it will ruin everyone's mood."
At this time, he was annoyed that this performer did not know how to appreciate favors. It was because he had seen how good she was at singing that he had asked her to sing his best work. He hadn't thought that she would sing someone else's work so straightforwardly and readily. When it came to him, she made excuses. This was clearly making him lose face in front of all his peers and all the officials.
The beautiful girl had a difficult expression. Today was wangfei's birthday banquet. All the famous performers and singers of the prefectural city had been invited to sing and dance. They could not refuse. Even though she was on her period, had a cold, and was not feeling well, she didn't dare to disobey.
But at this time, the feeling of discomfort was getting worse. Her head was dizzy and she couldn't sing no matter how good she was. It was not suitable for her to speak.
But she knew that none of the people present tonight could be offended by a small performer like her. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to nod and agree when a laughing voice came from the side. A singer walked over and said with a smile, "Master Cui, you don't know, but Ruoqing is not feeling well today. If Master Cui doesn't mind, how about I sing this song?"
There was gratitude in Wan Ruoqing's eyes as she looked at the singer. She was also skilled in singing and had some fame in Qing An Fu. The two of them did not have a close relationship. She had not thought that she would come forward to help her out at a time like this.
"Who do you think you are?" The Cui man glanced at her coldly and turned to look at Wan Ruoqing. In a cold voice, he said, "You really won't sing?"
The woman trembled under his glare. She opened her mouth but didn't say anything in the end.
She was only a lowly songstress, while the other was an outstanding talent among the scholars of Qing An Fu. Naturally, she did not dare to say anything more.
After casting an apologetic look at Wan Ruoqing, he quietly retreated.
They were already used to such a scene. The singers and actors had expressions of grief and indignation on their faces, but they could only lower their heads in silence.
"You really don't want to sing?"
When the man from the Cui Clan said this, he raised his voice slightly. Many people in the surroundings stopped talking and looked over in puzzlement.
"Eh? What happened to Brother Yan Xin?"
"Strange, why is Brother Yan Xin making things difficult for a performer?"
"Haha, he drank quite a bit just now. I'm afraid he's a little drunk now."
There were also some people who were closer and knew the whole story. They gave a simple explanation. Everyone guessed that Cui Yanxin was really drunk tonight for making things difficult for an actor for no reason.
Speaking of which, the wine in the manor was really good. Scholars couldn't live without wine. All of them had amazing alcohol tolerance, but they didn't dare to drink too much tonight because the wine was too strong. Normally, they would raise their cups and drink to their heart's content, but tonight, they were worried that they would get drunk and cause trouble …
Everyone looked at the two of them with an expression of interest, but no one went up to mediate.
A mere performer, a lowly girl, if she was in trouble, then she was in trouble. No one would take it to heart.
"Brother Yan Xin, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to make things difficult for a weak girl like this." Wan Ruoqing was about to grit her teeth and agree when a luxuriously dressed young man walked out of the crowd and walked over.
"Brother Zian, what is the meaning of this?" Cui Yanxin looked at the young man coming over and asked with a frown.
He and Jiang Zi 'an were both scholars of Qing An Fu who had passed the exams this year. In the past, they hadn't interacted much. Tonight, they had spoken a few words. Presumably, he wasn't someone who liked to meddle in other people's business. Why was he standing up for this performer?
The young man smiled and said, "Brother Yan Xin, don't be angry. Miss Ruoqing is an old friend of Zian's."
Cui Yanxin was stunned for a moment. After the two of them looked at each other, Cui Yanxin looked at him strangely and said with a smile, "I really didn't expect Brother Zian to be such a sentimental person …"
"Haha, to tell you the truth, Brother Yan Xin, I've admired Miss Ruoqing for a long time. This time, when I return home after graduating, I want to help her get rid of her lowly status and take her back …" The young man smiled and cupped his hands at Cui Yanxin.
"If that's the case, I naturally won't make things difficult for her." Cui Yanxin nodded. Since the other had already spoken, he naturally wouldn't insist. He turned his head to look at the performer and said, "Tonight, there are many lords and people of the same age present. Since Brother Zian is interested, why don't you agree? It can be considered as a witness."
He saw Jiang Zi 'an's intentions. At this time, he intended to speak up to help him.
"Yan Xin's words make sense."
"Haha, if Brother Zian stands up for a woman, it will be a story to be told."
"Yes, yes. Tonight, there are so many witnesses. He won't be allowed to go back on his words in the future. Just agree."
In an instant, countless scholars stood up and said.
They were all Jinshi and naturally couldn't legally marry a lowly woman, but they could still take her as a concubine. In reality, such things were not uncommon among them.
The officials who were a little further away had long become accustomed to this. Even the favored concubines of their families used to be famous performers in Qing 'an Prefecture or prostitutes who had been in the limelight for a while. This kind of atmosphere was quite prevalent among the literati.
At this time, the resentment on the faces of the other singers and performers had long disappeared. They looked at Wan Ruoqing with eyes full of envy.
For these lowly women, compared to aging and dying alone, this was probably the best ending in this life.
That young man had become a Jinshi at a young age and had a promising future. Even if she became his concubine, it would not be a disgrace. Instead, it would be a great blessing.
Jiang Zi 'an looked at the beautiful woman with a smile and said softly, "Ruoqing, what do you think?"
Hearing this, Ruoqing looked up at him with a smile on her face. She said, "Master Jiang, Ruoqing appreciates your kindness, but … I'm sorry."
The feeling of discomfort was getting stronger and stronger. She resisted the dizziness and picked up a piece of rice paper with Cui Yanxin's new lyrics written on it. After bowing slightly to Jiang Zi 'an, she walked toward the pavilion without looking back.
Seeing this, everyone was slightly stunned. She would rather choose to sing than be Jiang Zi 'an's concubine?
When the singers and performers saw this, some regret appeared on their faces. If it had been them, they would have agreed without hesitation.
The smile on Jiang Zi 'an's face froze. After a while, he smiled again and said, "Haha, it seems that it was Zian's wishful thinking."
Being rejected in front of so many people had already caused him to lose a lot of face. However, even though he was extremely furious in his heart, he did not reveal the slightest bit of displeasure. Otherwise, it would only make others think that he was too narrow-minded.
Cui Yanxin was a little surprised by this, but he did not care too much. After all, Jiang Zi 'an's matter had nothing to do with him. Since the performer went up to sing, his original purpose had been achieved.
After a short surprise, everyone stopped thinking about this matter and turned to discuss Cui Yanxin's lyrics just now.
"I just saw Yan Xin's lyrics. It is a rare piece of work."
"When the performer sings, Brother Yan Xin will be in the limelight again."
"Haha, with the world in your heart, you can't eat and sleep well. You are worried about the country and the people. Brother Yan Xin is really a role model for us."
Hearing this, Cui Yanxin's face showed a little pride. Tonight, he was in a good state of mind, so he wrote such a poem. He wanted to leave a good impression in front of everyone. The performer's singing was good, and he was afraid that he would add a lot of color to the lyrics.
Before Wan Ruoqing reached the pavilion, the feeling of dizziness became more and more intense. When she stepped on the steps, she accidentally stepped on air, staggered, and almost fell.
Right at this moment, a pair of strong hands supported her shoulders. She was startled and quickly pulled away. When she turned her head and saw a familiar face, her heart finally calmed down.
"Are you okay?" The young man looked at her with some worry.
"I'm … fine." Wan Ruoqing resisted the discomfort and gently shook her head.
The young man looked at her pale face and remembered what he had just seen outside. He frowned and took the rice paper from her hand. After glancing at it, he crumpled it into a ball and threw it on the ground.
"What the hell is this?"
A faint disdainful voice was clearly heard by everyone present.
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