Finding fun
At the banquet, Zhu Qinghe met the rumored sickly and gentle Prince Qi. From a distance, she could only see the white-clad man opposite her pursing his lips and remaining silent, unable to discern anything else.
But why hasn't Qiu Ru returned yet? Zhu Qinghe poked at the shrimp in her bowl, lost in thought.
It's rare that I don't have much of an appetite.
The king, however, was all smiles and seemed to really like his younger brother, happy for his arrival.
"It's been many years since I last saw Xiao Qi. He looks much rounder. It seems he's been doing well these past few years."
Under the human skin mask, Tingming complained endlessly; his master's physique was such that anyone dressed as him would look round and plump.
In recent years, in order to be able to appear in a photo op at any time, he hasn't had a proper meal in a long time.
He replied, "It is all thanks to Brother Wang's care that I am kept away from the strife, which allows me to feel at ease and carefree, with a relaxed and healthy mind."
The king laughed and changed the subject: "Xiao Qi is not young anymore. Look, your nephew is already married. You are three years older than him."
"Is there a girl you fancy? I'll make the decision for you."
Tingming was drenched in sweat; the king was actually concerned about the prince's marriage.
He can't handle this situation!
So he mimicked his grandfather's indifferent and detached tone: "I have no interest in this matter for the time being; I only wish to spend my life immersed in calligraphy and painting."
“That won’t do. You are my most beloved younger brother. How about this, next month we will hold a sky lantern ceremony. All the people with names and surnames will come. At that time, we will choose a consort for you from among the noble ladies of various families,” the king said.
On the way back, Zhu Qinghe humbly asked, "What is the sky lantern ceremony?"
Yinluoha: "The sky lantern ceremony is a tradition of the Yinshan tribe. Every year at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn when the temperature is most suitable, we light the sky lanterns to pray to the gods for blessings and protection for the peace and well-being of the people of the Yinshan tribe."
It seems to be a very grand and important festival.
The king said that people with names and surnames would come at that time, and perhaps she could develop some candidates among them.
Back in the bedroom, only Ya'er was there. Zhu Qinghe asked her in confusion, "Where did everyone go?"
Ya'er replied with a smile, "The girls found it too boring and went out to find their own fun."
Zhu Qinghe: "..."
Good grief, it turns out she was the only one who diligently completed the task; the others came here for a vacation.
Well, everyone knows how to have fun, so she'll go too!
As the thin black gauze curtain was lifted, a strong scent of perfume wafted out.
A scantily clad waitress in a black veil carried a wine tray as she walked back and forth, her snow-white thighs occasionally peeking out from behind her.
The interior decoration is so luxurious and exquisite that it rivals the finest buildings of the Great Li Dynasty.
A clear bell rang out, and someone immediately called out, "Lady, please go up to the third floor."
They even differentiate between male and female customers? It seems their service range is quite comprehensive.
Following the instructions, Zhu Qinghe went up to the third floor with the help of the maid. She sat by the railing and looked down at the view below, which was quite a unique experience.
The maidservant handed over the program with a practiced smile: "Please select your time, young lady."
The program was a large cardboard sheet, and I don't know what process was used to make it thicker and harder than ordinary Xuan paper, so that it could almost stand upright in the palm of your hand.
"What... what is 'Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl, Butterflies Flitting Through Flowers'?" Zhu Qinghe was completely baffled.
The maid's smile remained unchanged, but her tone carried a hint of ambiguity: "Why don't you try and see?"
A pair of dark, ink-black eyes flashed before Zhu Qinghe's eyes, and she inexplicably felt a chill down her spine.
She waved her hand: "Let's forget it, let's choose this storyteller named Xiaoruo."
She casually pointed, and the maid took the order and left.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but then a rhythmic thumping sound came from the wall next to her.
Interspersed with the woman's mournful sobs.
"This 'Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl' dish is really good. Next time we come, we'll order it again."
...Thank goodness I didn't order any, that would have been too exciting.
In the backyard, the short, plump old woman was pounding on the door.
"Xiao Ruo, get out here right now! The customer wants you, what are you doing hiding inside?"
"I'm not going! I'm too ugly to offend the guests' eyes! Every time I get picked up by curious guests and then sent back, Mom, haven't you learned your lesson yet?" A woman's clear voice rang out.
The intonation and rhythm were quite unique, and it was indeed a good storyteller's voice.
Mrs. Liu choked, "Even so, you have to go if the customer asks you to. We can talk about it later if you rush back."
The door opened from the inside, and Liu's mother saw the person in front of her clearly. The person was wearing a clean, wrinkle-free gray-blue cotton robe, with a side-braided pigtail that reached down to her waist, and an octagonal hat.
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed impatiently, and large patches of red spots covered her fair face, mottled and striking, their blood-red hue even more vibrant than rouge.
It gave her originally delicate and pretty features a somewhat eerie look, adding a touch of unease at first glance.
Even though she had seen them many times, Liu's mother still didn't dare to look directly at those birthmarks.
He looked away and said, "It's good that you've come out. The guests are on the third floor of the front building. Don't be late."
Xiao Ruo snorted: "You said the same thing last time, and then I was kicked off by a guest before I could even finish my opening remarks. He said I was too ugly and ruined his mood, which made my mother lose a lot of money."
Mrs. Liu thought to herself, "That's not necessarily true. Which of the guests who come here is short of money?"
They came here looking for fun and then asked for a refund; they're just making a fool of themselves.
It's just talk.
But she continued, "It's okay, don't worry, we can afford it."
Xiao Ruo pulled the small cloth bag containing storybooks in front of her: "What kind of storybooks do the guests want to hear this time? Romantic tales? Lewd songs? Sorry, I don't have any."
"Stop being sarcastic. This time it's a female guest, so none of the things you're worried about will happen."
Xiao Ruo paused for a moment, then lowered her voice slightly: "Okay, I'll go right away."
Zhu Qinghe was getting sleepy when she heard light footsteps on the stairs.
When the person came up from below, she finally saw the storyteller named "Xiao Ruo".
No, she should be called a storyteller.
Her gaze lingered on the intense, vibrant red spots, and she raised her eyebrows slightly.
When Xiao Ruo was looked at, she shrank back and covered her face, feeling embarrassed and ashamed, and said, "I am too ugly to offend your eyes, young lady."
The girl before me had fair skin and a beautiful face, making all the other alluring beauties in the room pale in comparison.
Xiao Ruo had never seen such a beautiful person in her life, and she also had a special temperament. She felt even more ashamed of herself.
"It's just a birthmark, how can it be considered ugly?" Zhu Qinghe said calmly. "What books can you read?"
Xiao Ruo quickly recited the book title: "The Romantic Scholar and the Pretty Widow... uh, no, that's..." She almost bit her tongue.
It's really not her fault; the book is so popular that she's read it so many times that she unconsciously blurted it out.
Zhu Qinghe: "Is there anything more exciting? Not in this aspect."
Xiao Ruo slowly opened her eyes wide.
"Now, let's say Liu Lang secretly went through the back door and saw... that his newly acquired concubine actually pierced through a servant's chest with her bare hands and held his bloody heart in her palm."
"He was terrified. His legs were trembling so badly that his eyes rolled back. Suddenly, he remembered the talisman that the Taoist priest by the river had given him. He quickly took out the talisman and carefully went around to the front door, pretending that he had just returned."
“The concubine greeted him gently, every move she made was full of affection, but Liu Lang gripped the talisman in his hand tightly and thought to himself that he could no longer be deceived by this poisonous woman.”
"As the concubine turned her back to him to pour tea, he suddenly pressed the talisman in his hand against her back. In an instant, the concubine screamed in agony, and a hideous wound appeared on her back as if it had been corroded, dripping with blood."
"The old Taoist priest by the river jumped out and laughed loudly, saying, 'It wasn't for nothing that I've been waiting for you for so long. You're definitely not going to escape this time.'"
"The concubine looked at Liu Lang with sorrowful eyes and asked why. Liu Lang hardened his heart and said, 'You are a demon. I have been so devoted to you, yet you have deceived me. How can a human and a demon fall in love?'"
"I am heartbroken and furious. What's wrong with being a demon? It's not something I can choose. Besides, we've been together for so long. When have I ever harmed you? You're cowardly and timid. I must have been blind to have fallen for you."
The old Taoist priest by the river sneered, "Enough with the nonsense, prepare to die!" Just as he was about to subdue the concubine with one move, a white-robed immortal flew in from the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the old Taoist priest vanished into thin air.
The white-robed immortal, with an indifferent expression, asked his concubine, "I have already witnessed the love and affection of this world. Now, can we return to heaven together?"
"It turns out that the concubine was a fairy from heaven. Because of a past life, she had a karmic bond with Liu Lang and came to repay his debt of love in this life. The fairy was not yet free from worldly desires and originally wanted to give up the opportunity to become an immortal and stay with Liu Lang for life. She even used her fairy power to learn that Liu Lang was destined to suffer a calamity. The servant she killed was the culprit who would betray his master and cause Liu Lang to wander and suffer for half his life. So the fairy helped him get rid of the servant. She thought that the two of them could stay together forever. However, Liu Lang, who was bewitched by the Taoist priest by the river, misunderstood her as a demon and hurt her badly."
"Upon learning the truth, Liu Lang was filled with remorse and knelt on the ground, weeping and begging the fairy for forgiveness. But the fairy had already come to her senses and was determined to return to heaven to be her own immortal, living a carefree and happy life for a hundred lifetimes."
"Finally, the fairy sighed, 'The love in this world is nothing more than this. What I thought was eternal love until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble was all just a mirage. We can never go back to how we were before. Only in the face of life and death did I realize that he only loved himself.'"
"From now on, I will not be bound by petty love and affection, but will love every person in the world and do my duty as a deity."
"The two immortals departed gracefully, and no one ever saw them again. Liu Lang spent the rest of his life in regret, and everyone who saw him said he was crazy."
"Because he always said that he could have grown old with a fairy, but in the end he missed the chance."
Xiao Ruo closed the storybook, and Zhu Qinghe, resting her chin on her hand, asked, "Is it over?"
Xiao Ruo: "It's over. Tragedy is the most perfect ending. Because life is a tragedy. No matter how exciting and dramatic the middle is, in the end, we all return to dust. So, perfect things are illusions, and only brokenness is real."
Zhu Qinghe nodded: "That makes some sense. Your story is quite interesting. Who is the author?"
Xiao Ruo's face showed a hint of surprise as she said, "It's me! You actually find it interesting? Don't you think it's unconventional and intolerable to the world?"
Zhu Qinghe shook her head: "No, I think it's great. The fairy's choice is not wrong. Rather than wasting time on a man who is not worth it at all, it is better to be a fairy."
"Giving up the chance to become an immortal for a so-called love that is both illusory and fragile is really not worth it."
Xiao Ruo's eyes sparkled: "Yes, you're a true kindred spirit. My mother even said that no one would ever like my unconventional writing style."
"No, you have great ideas, keep it up."
Xiao Ruo asked, "Can I be your friend? What's your name?"
"Zhu Qinghe," she said, extending her hand as she introduced herself.
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