The prefect's wife hadn't understood why her youngest daughter had suddenly stopped learning household management from her and instead wanted to study with her brother. But looking at her graceful figure befitting a woman, the woman suddenly understood.
Being born a woman doesn't preclude her from shining brightly on the academic stage, just like men. The Four Books and Five Classics aren't just for men; women can study them too.
"Your two young masters and ladies are truly outstanding; they are not intimidated by so many people."
"Yes, if it weren't for Zixi and Ziyang, Class A probably wouldn't have won this debate."
The woman smiled, leaning back in her chair and inhaling the occasional fragrance of flowers wafting from the school. In the distance, the twins ran towards her, calling out "Mother!"
She stood up and embraced the two of them.
"Mom, we won!"
"Mom, are my sister and I good?"
The Prefect's wife nodded and said
"Amazing! My sons are all amazing."
This praise made them happier than any praise they had ever received since the twins became so sensible. This time, they earned it all on their own merit.
"I wish Dad could see how amazing we are."
Thinking of her husband, who was busy in Beining, the prefect's wife smiled and said...
"I'll definitely bring him next time."
Huo Xiaolong finally emerged from the brothel, holding two or three paintings in his hands. One painting depicted Sun Zixi standing before a table with feminine manners, debating with the students of Class B.
Another picture shows Sun Ziyang protecting his sister with a blank expression, and another picture shows the two siblings together.
To be honest, Huo Xiaolong really admires these two siblings.
"Give."
The little girl took the drawing from Huo Xiaolong and jumped around happily, shouting...
"Take it back to show your father!"
"Okay, take it back to your father to see."
After saying this, the Prefect's wife bowed to Cen's mother. She had just seen the girl behind Cen Ang picking up a brush and painting. Someone with such painting skills was willing to paint a few pictures for her child, which could not be repaid with money.
"Would the Prefect's wife like to come and sit with us?" Hua Luan asked.
Where to?
“Let’s go to the place where the ladies of Pingyang County enjoy themselves the most!” she said, glancing at Cen Ang.
The Prefect's wife nodded and said
"Ever since I came to Pingyang County, I've heard you talk about it every day. Today, I'll go with you to see for myself."
As the group left the county school and headed to the brothel, just as the girls stood up to leave, Zhiyin felt her skirt being tugged, and the girl turned around.
The little girl who had been competing with Hou Xiangxiang in music lowered her head, tugging at Hou's skirt, her face flushed, and said...
"Sister Zhiyin..."
"What's the matter?"
She clenched her fists twice, as if summoning all her courage, and asked...
"How...how did I play my piano?"
Today, Zhiyin is dressed in the same begonia color as her sister, and the pearl tassel hair ornament on her head sways with her movements, making the young girl look like a beautiful azalea in the courtyard.
Not knowing why the little girl would ask her this question, but having listened attentively, the girl squatted down and gently took the hand that was clutching her skirt, saying...
"When my sister was your age, she didn't play as well as you."
Feng Zining's eyes suddenly seemed to fill with a thousand stars, and she asked with a smile.
Really?
"real!"
"Thank you so much, sister!"
Zhiyin smiled and said goodbye to her, and the little girl hugged her guqin tightly. The Feng family lived far from the red-light district, but once when he was out on the street, he heard heavenly music coming from the red-light district's pleasure quarters.
She stopped the coachman and listened for a long time outside the brothel. From then on, whenever the young girl went out, she would go when her friend was playing the zither, just so she could listen to the music outside the brothel for a while.
In Feng Zining's mind, she had memorized the fingering techniques used at home, but the realm of understanding and the heart of the zither were things that technique and effort could not make up for.
If possible, she would like to become Zhiyin's apprentice.
That day, while defending Pingyang, she saw the girl with the heavy sword stuck in the guqin at her doorstep. Unlike what she had imagined, she seemed to resemble the guqin in her hand, its lingering notes melodious.
But there was something different. That day, the girl was exhausted and climbed onto the carriage rather inelegantly.
A few faint notes drifted from the carriage, stirring up a surge of emotion in Feng Zining.
She wants to be a confidante like that in the future.
“Zhiyin’s zither skills are better than yours, Mother,” Madam Feng said, stroking her daughter’s head.
“My sister cherishes her like a precious jewel,” Feng Ziqi said.
"If you want to see her, you can tell your mother, and she will take you there."
Feng Zining was usually quiet, spending her days fiddling with her guqin. Hearing her mother's words, she grabbed the woman's arm and shook it twice. The little girl thought Fengyue Tower was a brothel, and that her mother would scold her!
"Sister, you practice the zither every day without knowing that Mother has been going to the brothel for a long time."
The woman scolded her son; if she didn't say anything, no one would think she was mute.
The magistrate's wife was somewhat surprised when she arrived at the Fengyue Tower with the crowd, because not only her, but most of the ladies who had gone to the county school to watch the spring festival had come along.
"This is?"
“Fengyue Tower, a brothel,” Mother Cen said to the Prefect’s wife.
“My mother is the owner of the brothel!” Huo Xiaolong said.
"Wow! Huo Xiaolong, your mother is a brothel madam!?" Sun Ziyang exclaimed, looking around the brothel in amazement.
The magistrate's wife tried to cover her son's mouth, but it was too late. She looked at Cen Ang with great apology. Cen's mother shook her head, indicating that it was alright. The child hadn't said anything wrong; what was wrong with telling the truth?
"Yes!"
"Wow! That's amazing!" Sun Zixi looked at the magnificent brothel with curiosity, touching this and that.
This is her first time visiting a brothel. Her family and friends in Beining have definitely never been before. She can tell them about it when she gets back, without having to read those storybooks. She's been there!
"Plum Blossom Cream originated from the brothel, and to this day, all bottles of Plum Blossom Cream still have the brothel's name engraved inside."
He Qingzhu was waiting in the backyard early on. She had also wanted to go see the Spring Festival, but since the Zhang family had no children, she was too embarrassed to ask.
"May the He family be at peace."
"May the Prefect's wife be well."
The woman was led by Cen Ang to a private room on the fourth floor. Looking down at the ladies following the young woman to her room, she asked...
Who are these ladies?
“Our Fengyue Pavilion’s most outstanding feature is our beauty filters. Why don’t you give it a try?” Cen Ang said to her.
The Prefect's wife nodded.
"I asked the prefect's wife before why she looked so young again, her face was so tender you could pinch water out of it, but she just kept smiling while covering her face with her handkerchief and wouldn't tell me!"
"You'll find out today. Come on, lie down."
"Where are Zixi and Ziyang?" the prefect's wife asked, just remembering the children who had disappeared after entering the brothel.
"He's playing with Long'er. Don't worry, Bin'er is with him."
When the prefect's wife first came to the brothel, she felt somewhat uncomfortable, as she still had some reservations about brothels. Besides, she wondered if it would be inappropriate for her young child to come along.
As she stepped inside, she was enveloped by an air of elegance. Seeing the ladies and young women chatting happily arm in arm, she decided to give it a try as well.
The plum blossom ointment was different from the one sold at Huaxuetang. She could feel her skin breathing, taking deep breaths of fresh air she hadn't seen in a long time.
A maidservant was pressing acupoints on her feet, and soon the woman drifted off to sleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com