The Death of Yuhuan (I)
"The Yang family has a daughter who has just grown up. She is kept in the inner chamber and unknown to the world. She is naturally beautiful and cannot be abandoned. One day, she will be chosen to be by the emperor's side..."
The four corners have pointed eaves pointing towards the sky, the walls are white with green tiles, and there are carved beams and painted buildings. The stage entrance is divided into three bays, with a white wall at the back as scenery. People are sitting on all three sides, and there are people standing behind them.
The people on the stage were singing, and the audience were shaking their heads and drinking melon seeds, peanuts, grapes and fine wine.
"When she turns her head and smiles, she becomes extremely charming, and all the beauties in the palace pale in comparison—"
This is a luxurious stage, brand new, spacious, and with fine carvings. A plaque with gleaming gold letters hangs on the large beam, which reads "Du's Stage".
Xu Wei looked down at herself. She had her hair in a bun, a bright red sleeveless cheongsam, small leather shoes, a delicate pocket bag in her hand, and her fingernails were painted pink, which made her look very fashionable.
"Great!" On the stage, when a wonderful part was being sung, the crowd burst into cheers.
While watching the show, he opened his pocket bag, which contained only a few silver ingots.
“Lychees are fresh, lychees are beautiful, and lychees are so fresh and beautiful that they make people cry.
I remember when I was a child, I cried every time, and lychees made me smile and raise my eyebrows. "
Turning his head and looking around, he didn't see Lu Fanye. Nearby was a group of gorgeously dressed ladies, smelling strongly of perfume. Further away, there was a mixture of suits and cheongsams, with sweatshirts and cotton and linen clothes standing behind them.
The theater was packed with people, and there were heads everywhere, making it dizzying.
"Ms. Xu, what's the inconvenience for you?" someone asked from behind.
Xu Wei then had a reason to look back. The person who was asking the question was also dressed in cotton and linen, with pigtails, small eyes, thick lips, and a hint of red on his cheeks. He looked very simple and honest.
As he hadn't figured out the current situation yet, Xu Wei didn't dare to say much. He shook his head slightly and turned back in silence.
The person behind her didn't care about her ignoring him, but leaned forward and said in a flattering tone: "You are a returned overseas student, so it's normal that you don't like these old things. Please bear with me. After watching this play, the master has asked us to host a banquet for all the distinguished guests."
Xu Wei nodded slightly, then straightened his body, staring at the stage without moving his eyes, while glancing at the people in the theater.
Sitting there are distinguished guests, accompanied by maids and servants behind them. The guests are dressed in both new and old styles, but all of them are luxurious and exquisite.
I am wearing a cheongsam, a fashionable new outfit, but I am listening to an old opera here. Should I show an impatient expression?
So, Xu Wei listened to the whole show with a hint of well-controlled impatience on his face.
The name of this play is "The Complaint of the Imperial Concubine". It was written by the Du's Theater and performed exclusively for the masters of the Du Mansion. Now that guests have come from afar, they have the honor of listening to this exclusive creation together.
The story tells the past of Yang Guifei who died young. The first half is tender and lingering, while the second half is cold, desolate and full of resentment.
After the curtain call, Xu Wei was still sitting there, his little leather shoes grinding on melon seeds and peanut shells silently.
The crowd left one after another, and the scene in front of me was like a group of fish swimming together through a leaky sieve, rustling and dispersing.
Only a few fat ones were still fluttering on the net.
There were four other people who stayed with Xu Wei, two men and two women, all dressed in modern styles.
Lu Fanye was among them, wearing a gray-blue suit, with his hair combed back, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and his lips tightly pursed. With his reserved appearance, he looked gentle and refined, and extremely noble.
He was very far away, so it was no wonder that he couldn't be seen when there was a crowd of people just now.
Lu Fanye walked towards here and stopped in front of Xu Wei, his shiny big leather shoes pressed against her small leather shoes.
The two people looked at each other in silence.
"Mr. Lu, distinguished guests," the man with pigtail braids stepped forward, placed his hands on his abdomen, bowed to Lu Fanye first, then greeted the three people behind him, and said respectfully, "Everyone is here, please follow me."
The five people, led by the girl with pigtails, left the theater, passed through the huge garden of the Du Mansion, walked along a long corridor, passed the artificial lake and many pavilions and rockery, and arrived at the central hall.
Pigtails instructed the servant to serve the tea: "Master and Master Du Qi are still in the office. Please wait a moment."
After saying this, he told the maids and servants who were accompanying him to go out together.
The six people were silent for a moment, and the young man in the blue suit said, "This should be the time left for us to exchange information. I'll go first."
"I am a rich young man who studied abroad. My last name is Li, Li Shaodong, and I am a distinguished guest of the Du Mansion."
The woman in the white dress next to him continued, "I also studied abroad and came back from a wealthy merchant family. My name is Zhang Yuan."
Xu Wei and Lu Fanye introduced themselves, and they were similar except for their names - they had studied abroad and came from wealthy families.
Only the girl in the blue cheongsam was left. When she first came in, her face was pale and she looked around in horror.
"What's your name?" Zhang Yuan asked as gently as possible because she was young.
The girl started and shrank in her seat, her thin arms and legs trembling slightly.
Zhang Yuan was very patient and soothed him, "Is this your first time here? Are you a novice? Don't be afraid, we are players just like you."
"Now I'll explain to you what a player is and where he is."
The gentle voice was very effective, and the girl gradually relaxed. Although she was afraid, she was still trying hard to understand the message in Zhang Yuan's words.
While the newbies were introducing themselves next door, Xu Wei tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Lu Fanye: "What a pity, I don't know how to blow the hooligan whistle."
Mr. Lu glanced at her and said nothing in a cold tone.
“You look so expensive.”
As still as a mountain.
"So handsome, Ono-nii-san."
"As expected of Brother Lu, he is noble and cool, just awesome!"
Lu Fanye closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again: "It smells good."
"What's that smell?" Xu Wei moved closer to him and sniffed, but smelled nothing.
The latter leaned closer, only an inch away from her neck, and sniffed the falling hair: "It smells like orange, with a base note of jasmine."
After saying that, he sat back calmly, leaving only the tip of the ear of the person who heard it stained red.
“I think I got it from watching the play just now! I’m used to it, I didn’t smell it…” Xu Wei tried to restrain himself from stuttering.
Now everything is settled.
"Hello everyone, my name is Qi Xiaopei, I'm fourteen years old, and I'm in the second grade at Shiliu No. 1 Middle School." The girl in the blue cheongsam finally digested the reality before her, mustered up the courage, and timidly introduced herself to everyone.
Such a young age. This was Xu Wei's first reaction, and he looked at her with an unconscious fondness.
"Xiao Pei is great. Many adults are not as calm as you. They scream in fear when they find something unusual!" Zhang Yuanru, who is taking care of the children in the kindergarten, encouraged gently.
Qi Xiaopei shrank his head shyly and stopped talking.
The remaining four people did not get any useful information from the conversation, they could only get to know each other.
After an incense stick of time had passed, Pigtails finally arrived and invited everyone to go to the dining hall.
The feast in the dining hall had been prepared. A huge round table was filled with all kinds of delicacies, delicious food, and fine wine. It was truly luxurious.
Before everyone sat down, a man walked over with steady steps. He was about fifty years old, wearing a neat uniform, with a strong build, a square face, a beard, and a serious expression, which made him look intimidating without even getting angry.
Behind the man were three beauties with different looks.
The one in the lead was elegant and wealthy, with a steady face, and traces of time visible between his eyebrows; the woman standing beside her, stroking her pregnant belly, exuding kindness and maternal love, smiled gracefully and movingly, but unfortunately there were dark circles under her eyes, probably because of the hardship of ten months of pregnancy, and even makeup could not hide her haggardness; the remaining one looked very young, with delicate skin, soft and pretty, as young as a flower.
The man and Lu Fanye shook hands with Li Shaodong: "Sorry for the long wait."
This is Du Xingye, the head of the Du family, and following behind him is his third favorite wife among his fourteen wives.
After brief introductions to each other, please take a seat.
At this time, the girl with pigtails came in with small steps and whispered in Du Xingye's ear.
"Let them in. This is also a farewell banquet for him," he waved his hand and instructed, then turned to explain to the crowd, "My foolish brother Du Qi, I sent him to Jiangcheng to do something. The journey is long and the time is long, so I'm sending him off formally."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Du Qi came in with a woman.
He does not look like his brother. He is also wearing a uniform, has a handsome face and an upright figure. The woman in a dress beside him is even more gentle and tender, bright and charming. Her watery eyes are always looking at Du Qi, and they are holding hands in a warm and sweet manner, creating a unique atmosphere.
In Xu Wei's words, they are just young lovers in the passionate love period with pink bubbles all over their bodies, and they have a barrier with other people.
Seeing everyone looking at them, Du Qi felt a little shy, coughed softly, and explained: "I'm sorry to make you laugh, this is my new wife's full moon, we are in a free love relationship."
"Okay, take a seat," Du Xingye waved at him, "Sit down and talk."
The host and the guests took their seats.
"You are my distinguished guests who have come from afar, and you are also the pillars and hope of Yue State. I, Du, would like to toast to you on behalf of all the people of Xidi!"
At the banquet, Xu Wei was not good at drinking and chatting. Fortunately, Du Xingye was not interested in people like her. He only drank with Lu Fanye and Li Xiangdong, and talked about everything under the sun, which saved a lot of trouble.
If he really asked something and couldn't answer it, he might just be sent away - Li Xiangdong next door was drinking and sweating profusely.
He didn't say anything, just concentrated on eating, observing the people in the seats one by one with his peripheral vision.
The graceful and elegant older woman was the first wife, Du Xingye's legal wife. The two of them rarely interacted with each other, almost none at all. She didn't say a word and just ate the food mechanically.
The one with an obviously pregnant belly is the second wife. Du Xingye has a very good relationship with her. He picks food for her from time to time and his words reveal a rare warmth.
The young girl had just been brought in not long ago, and Du Xingye was still in high spirits, paying attention to her from time to time.
In addition, there is his younger brother Du Qi, who is particularly reluctant to leave his wife. Even at the dinner table, they can't wait to stick together. If there were no one else around, the two of them would probably kiss on the spot in such a passionate atmosphere.
Du Xingye was probably usually very serious with his younger brother, but just a word of concern at the farewell banquet made Du Qi flattered and he thanked him repeatedly.
It’s been one month since my brother’s wife’s birth. So far, it seems that she and Du Qi are a love-brained couple. Besides her beauty, her heart and eyes are full of her new husband. She is very tender and affectionate, and they are very loving.
Finally, Xu Wei's eyes seemed to be focused on the person with the strongest presence in this scene——
Du Xingye, the most powerful man in Xidi, is very sensitive to gazes, and his words and deeds show an iron-blooded style, being harsh and unkind.
Not only that, there are still some traditional old ideas.
Although he wore Western clothes and had modern food and drink, he lived in a prince's mansion and had maids and servants. Most of the guests he invited were ladies from overseas, but he only spoke to men and treated them as if they were air.
It can be said to be new on the outside and old on the inside.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
