Chapter 51: A good show with three twists and turns.
A hint of loss just emerged, but was suppressed by Zhou Xian.
Raising a child is such a hassle!
Look, that little tiger suddenly burst into tears for no apparent reason. A group of people surrounded him in a hurry, trying to coax and tease him, making the whole family in a state of chaos.
If there was a child like this in my family...
Zhou Xian shook his head, not daring to think about it.
It was said to be a full-moon banquet for the child, but in fact the child only showed up once before being taken back by the wet nurse. The rest of the banquet was a social event between the host family and the guests.
Zhou Shan couldn't even eat in peace. It was one lady after another, one after another, coming to talk to him. While the husbands were forming cliques in the halls, the wives couldn't let up in the backyards either. Interpersonal relationships were a profound art, and Zhou Shan could handle them, but he didn't want to.
After much delay, the show finally began on the waterside stage in the garden. The head steward personally ushered Zhou Xian in, his face beaming with joy. "Your Highness is a distinguished guest. What play would you like to see? Just choose, and I'll call the troupe to prepare it."
Zhou Xian asked curiously, "How was the play originally arranged? Which act was the first?"
"Your Highness, it's 'The Story of Handan'."
"The Story of Handan? Which act?"
"Into the Dream."
"Very good." Zhou Xian nodded. Zhou Xian had read the play and liked it very much, but she didn't know what the people who chose the play were thinking.
"What about the second fold?" he asked again.
"Madam heard that His Highness likes to listen to 'The Peony Pavilion', so she specially selected 'The Soul Separation'."
"Why did you choose this scene? I'm afraid it's not very suitable for the occasion."
"Hey, Your Highness, don't worry. The third act that follows is 'Resurrection.' The master said, 'A dream is all but over, and after leaving the soul, it will be reborn.' He's telling our little prince, who's just one month old, to dream less and do more practical things. Isn't that a kind of hope?"
What can a baby in swaddling clothes understand?
Zhou Xian said with a smile, "Your talent is rare in the world. If I randomly choose a play, wouldn't that ruin your good intentions?"
The chief steward hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please don't say that!"
"Just listen to these. They are all what I like. No need to make other arrangements." Zhou Xian flicked his sleeves, brushed past the frosted red maple leaves, and walked towards the dreamlike stage.
The air was filled with mist, and in the silence, someone sang "Dielianhua" leisurely: "...a dream of yellow rice, a hundred years of work return to dust..."
After the song ended, the ethereal Lü Dongbin arrived. He paced, gazed into the distance, stroked his long beard, and began to sing: "...The emperor's home in the Great Sophora Palace, the fishermen and woodcutters chat under the Diaoyutai. The prosperity is fleeting, don't wait until you are lost in the maze, and grasp the empty flowers in vain."
The "Xingyi" troupe really lived up to its reputation. Zhou Xian had only listened for a short while before he was already immersed in the play.
He sees Lu Sheng appear, ragged and lame, his fame and fortune unfulfilled. Lü Dongbin glimpses a hint of immortality between Lu Sheng's brows and offers him a white porcelain pillow, hoping to enlighten the impoverished scholar. Lu Sheng enters a dream, marries a beautiful wife, becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, achieves great success, rises to the highest position, and enjoys all the splendor and wealth of the world, only to meet a bloody end...
It is easy to get wealth and honor, but it is difficult to keep true love. Unfortunately, Lu Sheng did not realize this until his death.
"Your Highness... Your Highness?"
Zhou Xian was startled awake from the play. He quickly turned around and smiled at Madam Chen: "As expected of the famous Xingyi Troupe, they are so talented both on and off the stage. I was so mesmerized by it. My apologies."
Madam Chen smiled and said, "I cannot bear the apology from Your Highness. If Your Highness likes it, please come to my place more often in the future. If you want to see any play, just tell me!"
That's not allowed.
Zhou Xian stuck out her tongue in her heart, but her expression remained calm. She did not respond to Madam Chen's words, but just smiled mysteriously.
The stage setting changed, and Du Liniang emerged gracefully, her sleeves fluttering. Though her beauty was as beautiful as a flower, she seemed utterly worn, with a faint, sickly air, like a willow tree swaying in the wind. It was also magical: in late autumn, petals, gathered by the Chen family from who knows where, drifted swaying on the stage, while Du Liniang gradually lost weight amidst the spring scenery.
——I hate the west wind, which destroys the green and red in an instant for no reason.
Zhou Xian stretched out his hand, and a few petals floated into his palm. He looked carefully and found that it was a kind of fluffy brocade cut into the shape of petals and covered with gold foil, so it sparkled in the sunlight.
This is really a spread of gold.
Even within the palace, no one would dare squander all the gold on flower petals. Emperor Yongchang was a spendthrift, but his spending was primarily on Taoist temples and alchemy, so he wouldn't commit such an absurd act.
But then again, isn't it ridiculous to build a Taoist temple and make elixirs?
Zhou Xian picked up a piece of dessert, stared at the stage, and put the dessert into her mouth.
——The dim sum is not as delicious as Aunt Cui’s.
He finally found a place where his family could compare with the Chen family. The dim sum made by Aunt Cui drew the essence of sweets from all over the world. They were not too sweet, but just right, and you would not get tired of them.
When Madam Chen saw the princess eating the snacks, she turned around and told the servants to bring several more plates of different snacks.
Zhou Xian was already satiated, but she didn't want to offend others, so she had to eat one each. When she felt so greasy that she couldn't stand it anymore, she quickly picked up the covered bowl and took a few sips of strong tea to wash it down.
The song on stage had already reached the part about Du Liniang's death. The peerless beauty lay sickly leaning on the couch, a delicate figure, with a graceful figure like a spring mountain. Suddenly, millions of petals fell from the sky, and the flower gods came to welcome her soul.
"Is that the 'Empress Chen' on the stage?" Zhou Xian was dazzled by the petals in the sky. He couldn't help but turn his head and ask Madam Chen.
"Yes, the mainstay of the Xingyi troupe." Madam Chen pressed her handkerchief to the corner of her lips, her eyes full of warm smiles. "But this 'Empress Shen' has a secret. I wonder if Your Highness would be interested?"
Not interested.
Zhou Xian shook his head subconsciously.
It’s better for the characters in the play to stay in the play. If they leave the play, everything will be a mess.
But Madam Chen had already spoken. Although her eyes were full of smiles, it was impossible to tell whether they were real or fake. "Your Highness, don't be fooled by 'Empress Shen's' soft figure. Look at her, she's a real woman... In fact, she's a man who has been playing female roles since she was a child. He's played them so many times that he even takes them seriously. Please don't be offended, Your Highness."
…
Is he overthinking it?
Zhou Shan couldn't sleep. He opened his eyes in the darkness, reached out and groped around for a few times. When he felt the man's warm body, he breathed a sigh of relief and moved into his arms little by little.
He clung tightly to Zhang Jinwei, burying his head in the other's neck, and only then did he feel a little at ease.
Zhang Jinwei was awakened by him.
"Can't sleep?" Zhang Jin was drowsy and lowered his head to kiss his wife's forehead.
"Yeah." Zhou Xian rubbed his face aggrievedly, "I can't sleep, and you can't sleep either."
Zhang Jinwei had just woken up and had a rather romantic dream. She felt uncomfortable immediately after being touched by him like that.
"Did someone cause you trouble at today's full moon banquet?" Zhang Jinwei hissed softly and moved carefully to the bed.
Zhou Xian wanted to say something, but then felt like she was just imagining things. Whether it was holding a child or introducing a key member of the troupe, it wasn't unusual. The only odd thing was the disguised "Empress Shen."
Besides, how did Chen Yi and his son know their identities?
"...I just can't sleep." Zhou Xian decided to slow down. His mind was in a mess and he couldn't think clearly. What if he said something wrong and implicated Madam Chen who had just given birth? That would be a lack of virtue.
"Hmm..." Zhang Jin felt uncomfortable being rubbed by him, "Don't move, close your eyes, you will fall asleep soon."
They were so close that I couldn't notice it at first, but now it was hard not to notice. Zhou Xian immediately rolled back to the innermost part of the bed and stammered, "I'm sorry... What are you going to do..."
what to do?
Zhou Xian bit the corner of the quilt tightly, trying her best not to make any sound.
He always felt that it was very shameful. If he could hold it back and speak quietly, it would be fine. But the more familiar they were with each other's bodies, the more he couldn't hold it back. Sometimes he would be embarrassed by his own voice and cry.
For two consecutive nights, instead of being able to endure, he became even more sensitive. He only needed a few gentle rubs to start trembling all over, biting the corner of the quilt, and the sounds coming out of his mouth were fragmented.
The body was turned over again, into a somewhat strenuous position, with the knees together and the legs resting on the same shoulder.
Facing each other head-on, Zhou Xian felt even more uncomfortable. He pulled the corner of the quilt over his face and said in a hoarse voice, "Can you... turn back?"
Zhang Jinwei said, "Don't cover your face, okay?"
His tone was gentle, but his actions were not. He reached out and lifted the quilt, revealing Zhou Xian's dazed face. After rubbing it for a few times, he saw a few tears sliding down her face in the darkness.
Zhou Xian was kissed so hard that he felt dizzy and his eyes were almost turning white. He heard Zhang Jinwei saying some inappropriate things in his ear.
Pregnant……
Maybe the loneliness I saw in the child during the day was all because of the dirty words someone said in bed!
"Don't say anymore..." Zhou Shan cried.
Zhang Jinwei was stunned for a moment, then he lowered his movements and gently sucked the earlobe of the person under him: "Don't say anything."
"...You ask even though you already know the answer." Zhou Xian lowered her head and bit the corner of the quilt.
Zhang Jinwei thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something. He reached out and tucked Zhou Xian's sweat-soaked hair behind her ear, then said with a smile, "I can keep it to myself, but there's a condition."
Zhou Xian looked at him pitifully.
"Don't talk, but keep grinding for a while."
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