Chapter 64
In the backyard, Tang Jing asked someone to bring out a chair and sat in the yard. She closed her eyes and tapped her fingers on the armrest.
Zhou Li's stage was only separated from her by a wall. Because she was a newcomer, the courtyard she lived in was the most remote. However, she didn't expect that the courtyard was right behind the stage.
Tang Jing imagined Zhou Li's radiant look on the stage, his fingers tightly gripping the armrests, no longer relaxed at all.
But what could she do? Just a wall separated them from each other like the ends of the earth. She had once dreamed of avenging her enemies and wandering the world. Her adoptive father had once promised her, while drunk, that he would let her go. But her great cause was not yet accomplished, and no matter where she went, she would find a safe place.
Having witnessed too many tragedies, Tang Jing understood very well that if the world is not at peace, there will be no place for her to stay, and that individuals are insignificant in the face of the world's trends.
On the stage, Zhou Liyu held up her slender jade fingers, swung her sleeves, and had a dreamy look in her eyes. Her singing was melodious and lingering, like the song of an oriole, the green color pleasing to the ears, fresh, natural and alluring. Many people were immersed in her wonderful voice and clapping their hands to the beat.
Today's plays were all personally selected by the Prince's Mansion. They were all festive lyrics and could not bring out even one tenth of Zhou Li's skills. However, even so, they still fascinated the crowd. Even after Zhou Li finished his performance, everyone was still immersed in it, and only felt the lingering sound in their ears. Many people asked about the singers on the stage.
These people have usually listened to many famous opera singers, but when it comes to ranking, Zhou Li is the best. Even people who don't usually listen to operas have listened to him, which shows how talented Zhou Li is.
After the show, everyone applauded, forgetting that this was a celebration of the old prince's birthday. Instead, it became Zhou Li's home court. Zhou Li flicked his sleeves left and right, bent his knees, lowered his chin, gestured left and right, and then walked off the stage in small steps.
The old prince did not look displeased at all. He was in high spirits and felt that he had invited the right person. It was his honor that the people in the audience liked him, which showed that he had a good eye.
When Zhou Li arrived backstage, everyone in the troupe was extremely excited. They thought that people in the capital had seen the world and heard good things, so they shouldn't have any big reaction to them. At least the response to the other people's performances was mediocre. Even when the martial artists went up to do some acrobatics, few people looked up. They were treated as background boards. But the troupe owner was different. Wherever she went, as long as she opened her voice, everyone would pay her attention.
The excitement of the people around her did not affect Zhou Li. Her singing received a good response, and soon someone requested another performance. After watching it, Zhou Li asked someone to change her headgear and clothes. She went on stage and sang three songs in a row before being let go.
The people in the main seat were enjoying the music. Before the old prince could say anything, the middle-aged man sitting next to him spoke first, "Reward!" The people next to him would do it themselves. He said to the old prince, "I didn't think these convoluted music was any good before, I just thought it was annoying. But after listening to it today, I realized that I hadn't encountered anything good before. This person..."
Hearing the distinguished guest's hesitation, the old prince immediately followed up: "Feihua, the one performing on the stage is called Feihua."
"This Feihua's singing is so good that you and I are just ordinary people."
The old prince laughed and said, "If you are a vulgar person, then everyone here is inferior to you."
His words immediately pointed out the noble status of the host.
The middle-aged man shook his head and laughed, "Uncle, you're embarrassing your nephew by saying that." Seeing that the old prince was about to speak, he stopped him, "Today is your birthday. We don't care about status, we only care about seniority."
The old prince said he dared not, but he sat firmly on the seat.
The auspicious time had not yet arrived, and everyone was eating, drinking and listening to music. In addition to Zhou Li, there were other performances that were dazzling. After Zhou Li received the reward, before she could see clearly what the reward was, she was asked to leave and was told that a distinguished guest wanted to see her.
Zhou Li couldn't refuse, so she followed her entourage out of the stage. Without changing her makeup or costume, she suddenly appeared in the waterside pavilion. She awkwardly greeted the two adults with the etiquette she had just learned from the housekeeper a few days ago.
The man sitting high up had seen all kinds of beauties and was not interested in Zhou Li. He just asked her a few more questions, especially about her experiences traveling in the south. When he heard Zhou Li talking, his eyes sparkled.
Zhou Li also took the opportunity to look at him.
The middle-aged man was wearing a brocade suit. It was obvious that he tried to dress casually, but the reflection of the fabric made it clear that he was not dressed like an ordinary person. He wore an emerald ring on his hand, so emerald that water could drip out of it. Zhou Li lowered her eyes slightly, trying not to let anyone notice her staring at him. In fact, she had already scanned the middle-aged man's whole body. When she heard him use the words "son" and "nephew" in his conversation with the old prince, she had already realized that this man was probably Wu Meng, the current ruler of the northern government.
Wu Meng had a scholarly air, and his words exuded the aura of a superior. Zhou Liping talked about what she had seen and heard in the south. Her speech was not very vivid, not as good as that of the storytellers in the martial arts world. Just telling what she had seen was enough to keep Wu Meng's full attention.
After listening to Zhou Li, Wu Meng couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
In his mind, all the warlords in the south were rebels, and he secretly thought that life under the rule of the rebels would definitely be worse than in the north. However, what Zhou Li said was completely different from what he imagined, and Wu Meng felt a little panicked.
Wasn't the peaceful and prosperous China under Zhang Mei's rule exactly the prosperous era he had imagined? Could he have been wrong? He shouldn't have stuck to the old ways. He should have supported his uncle and actively sought reform from the West. But Wu Meng had heard the advice of those Westerners before; it was simply against the laws of his ancestors.
After hearing what Zhou Li said, Wu Meng was flustered. After sitting for a while, he returned to the palace.
The old prince remained calm as he sent Wu Meng away and continued to happily listen to everyone saying auspicious words to him.
Zhou Li went down and was surrounded by the crowd. Dapeng asked nervously, "What did the troupe owner and the others ask you to do? Did they fall for you? Didn't the play say that these dogs... ahem, the nobleman loves to take concubines the most?"
Zhou Li took off her head ornaments, revealing a head full of pearls and jade that made her neck ache. Every time she went on stage, she had to wear a costume weighing more than ten pounds. Although she was used to it, it still felt heavy.
Zhou Li rolled his eyes when he heard what Dapeng said.
"What kind of day is today? No one would dare to have such thoughts."
"That's good, that's good." Dapeng patted his chest, "Then what did they ask you to do?"
"I asked some questions and wanted to hear about what we saw and heard along the way."
Dapeng smiled innocently and said, "Indeed, these nobles don't usually go out, so they probably haven't been to as many places as we have. As for me, being trapped in this big house is nice, but I can't stand it, only seeing this square sky."
"That's you!" someone nearby teased, "If you were a woman and could marry into this family, you'd enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory, and even your family would enjoy the blessings. Isn't there a folk saying that it's better to be a rich man's concubine than a poor man's wife?"
Dapeng said in disgust, "Go away, go away! What dirty talk is that! If I ever get married and my child becomes some rich man's concubine, I'll break her legs!"
"Oh! You don't even have a lover, and you're already thinking about getting married?"
Everyone's topic changed again and their attention shifted to Dapeng, which only made the young boy blush and get angry.
Zhou Li took off the paint on her face, and her face was a mixture of white and red. She was stunned for a moment, thinking of what Dapeng had just said, that it is better to be a concubine of a rich man than a wife of a poor man. After all, this world is bad. In the past, which decent girl would want to be a concubine? But in this world, people are cannibalistic. Marrying a rich man can give you some protection, but the poor may be drafted into the army and have no right to resist.
Zhou Li sighed. Although she was the one who carried out the task, she also hoped that a ruthless person would come down from the sky to put an end to this chaotic world. But among the several choices, Zhang Mei should be the most suitable one because she could fight and understood management.
It is easy to conquer an empire, but it is not easy to keep it, as foreigners are eyeing it covetously. At this stage, I am afraid that only Zhang Mei has noticed the movements of foreigners, otherwise Tang Jing would not have reacted so strongly.
Thinking of Tang Jing, Zhou Li wanted to sigh again.
After a busy day, the housekeeper lent today's money to Zhou Li. Zhou Li distributed it to the people in the troupe and left the prince's mansion. But before leaving, she looked at the prince's mansion and thought that she should meet Tang Jing.
It was the old prince's birthday. Sixty-five years old was considered a long life. Zhou Li did not comment on his private behavior. In public, he was indeed a man of high moral character. Therefore, the birthday celebration was held for three consecutive days. Many people spontaneously celebrated for him, and the opera troupe also performed in the mansion for three consecutive days.
The first day was a performance for distinguished guests, the second day was a performance for the inner courtyard of the palace, and on the third day the prince's palace entertained the people and invited Zhou Li to perform for the people. Zhou Li naturally had no objection, but she hesitated whether to extend the olive branch of Youxiatang's desire to cooperate with the old prince.
The northern government is now recruiting heroes from all walks of life, and the bandit general who was killed by Tang Jing in the county town before is one of them. The Rangers Hall originally wanted to move from being in the dark to being in the open, preferably with the government's guarantee, but now it seems that the northern government is not a very good partner.
The next day, Zhou Li entered the mansion. The people from the prince's mansion were sitting in the audience. In addition to the women in the backyard, there were also young prostitutes. When Dapeng saw those charming men, his eyes widened. He was amazed and thought that people in the capital were really good at having fun. They could even bring out people who were not presentable.
The old prince's wife died early, and the house was managed by two concubines.
At this time, all the beautiful girls in the mansion gathered together, and they were surprisingly harmonious. It was simply a great wonder in the capital. Tang Jing was also sitting among them, but she had a cold temperament. There were fewer sisters around her since the last time they met. There were still some people sitting at the same table with her, but they didn't talk much. It seemed that she was also a marginal figure in the mansion.
Dapeng didn't notice Tang Jing, but Zhou Li immediately spotted Tang Jing among the crowd of gorgeous women. Tang Jing was dressed more femininely, unlike her usual neutral look. Her figure had a more gentle air. Her usually plain facial features were now dressed in a very feminine style, making her as calm and elegant as a green bamboo. She was not at all outshined by the crowd of beautiful women.
Zhou Li frowned at Tang Jing. She was standing in the waiting area for going on stage. A performance was going on on the stage. She was standing in the corner and was unnoticeable. But Tang Jing's eyes looked over at her. She saw that Zhou Li's face, which originally did not like to smile, naturally showed a smile. The corners of her lips were raised, and her whole face was like a splash-ink landscape painting, with clouds and mist flowing between the mountains and rivers. Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly averted her eyes, not daring to look closely.
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