When I came to, I found myself tightly bound with hemp rope, with a rag stuffed in my mouth, unable to speak. It was pitch black all around, and I couldn't see where I was. I just felt dizzy and heard the sound of rushing water.
Qiu Zeyu rode his horse without leaving Lin'an, nor did he go to find his old friends. Instead, he went to find the talented woman Xiao Hongtao.
Xiao Hongtao is eighteen years old, petite, with outstanding looks and a beautiful voice. She is the top courtesan at Zuiyue Tower. She has an agreement with the manager that she will only sell her art and not her body.
After stepping down from the stage and turning away several groups of bored people who wanted to come to her boudoir for tea, she returned to her room to rest with her maid.
Once inside, Little Red Peach poured herself a cup of tea and drank it.
“Miss, you can’t go on like this. You have to find a suitable person to marry eventually. Lord Gao is so generous to you! Aren’t you tempted at all?” Xiao Hongtao’s maid, Huanxi, closed the door and earnestly advised her mistress, after all, 18 is the best age for a woman.
"Miss, are you still waiting for that young master? He hasn't shown his face for two years. You don't even know his name. If you keep waiting like this, you'll only waste your time. If you miss out on Master Xin, how difficult will it be to meet someone who truly values you again?"
"I don't want to marry just anyone. How can I live a peaceful life if I don't like anyone at all?" Little Red Peach complained, then drank another cup of tea before putting it down and walking towards the dressing table inside while taking off her hair ornaments.
She removes her heavy makeup immediately after each performance, perhaps because she is so eager to leave this place. When she is not on stage, Xiao Hongtao is always without makeup.
“Miss, once we enter this family, we won’t be considered innocent by the world. We don’t even know if that young master is married or not. Even if he’s not married yet, his family will have opinions about people like us.” Huanxi followed behind, nagging and trying to persuade her.
"Pah! If you say that again, I'll tear your mouth apart! Let me tell you, no one can look down on you unless you look down on yourself. What's wrong with me, Little Red Peach, supporting myself by singing? I don't steal, rob, or do anything immoral, so why should anyone look down on me?" Little Red Peach seemed to be lecturing Huanxi, but she was actually shouting it to herself.
"Clap clap clap clap... Well said!" The sudden burst of applause behind them startled the master and servant.
Turning around suddenly, I was surprised to see the face I had been longing for day and night.
Little Red Peach froze on the spot, her eyes welling up with tears. She gritted her teeth and said after a long silence, "I thought I'd never see you again!"
Huanxi recognized the person; it was indeed the young master. Although two years had passed, he hadn't changed much. Now that the person she had been longing for day and night had arrived, she exclaimed excitedly, "It really is you!"
After arguing with Lan Ya Mei, Qiu Ze Yu felt exhausted. He felt like he'd warmed up a stone, but this iron bean still didn't understand his feelings for her. Frustrated, he wanted to relax and thought of Little Red Peach, who sang a sweet song.
"It's been two years, and you're still as beautiful as ever." Qiu Zeyu walked to the dressing mirror and placed a pearl necklace down. He had originally planned to give this necklace to Lan Yamei, but he decided to give it to Xiao Hongtao as a greeting gift.
Little Red Peach's gaze lingered on him, unwilling to leave him for a moment; they had finally met again. He had even thoughtfully prepared such an expensive pearl necklace. Little Red Peach picked up the pearl necklace, her face flushed with shyness, and said, "Young master, may I put this on?"
Qiu Zeyu didn't hesitate. He placed the fan on the dressing table and gently helped Xiao Hongtao put on her necklace. The white pearl necklace was draped over her bright red stand-up collar jacket, and with her beautiful face reflected in the mirror, Qiu Zeyu was momentarily stunned.
Seeing this, Xiao Hongtao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she asked, "Young master, I still don't know your name? Why haven't you come to see me for two years?"
Qiu Zeyu quickly snapped out of his daze and said, "My name is Qiu Zeyu. I forgot to introduce myself, miss. I've been too busy these past two years and haven't had any time. But as soon as I had some free time, I came to listen to you sing. How have you been these past two years?" Qiu Zeyu felt both that the girl in front of him was beautiful and that he felt bad for thinking this way towards Lan Yamei, so he hurriedly drank some tea to ease the awkwardness.
“No good,” Xiao Taohong said, then got up and poured Qiu Zeyu another cup of tea, offering it with both hands. She continued, “Although the steward has kept her promise these past two years, she has also been urging me to make a decision as soon as possible: either redeem myself early and get married to live a clean life, or settle down and enter the mortal world, so that I won’t have wasted this time.”
Qiu Zeyu didn't understand what the girl meant. He took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and asked, "What are your plans?"
"I..." Little Red Peach was both scared and expectant, and couldn't say it for a moment. In this era, it was considered shameless to confess to a man, so she could only wait anxiously for him to speak first.
Huanxi exclaimed, "Our young lady refuses to marry and is waiting for you, young master!"
Little Red Peach was so embarrassed that she didn't say a word.
Qiu Zeyu was also stunned. Now that he had a girl in his heart, how could he easily agree to this? He could only say, "I wouldn't dare to talk nonsense. I already have someone in my heart."
Seeing that the other party wasn't interested in her, Xiao Hongtao was taken aback at first, but quickly concealed her disappointment and put on a congratulatory expression, saying cheerfully, "Congratulations, Young Master Qiu! I'm really curious which girl is so lucky to have won your favor. Look, I've been talking so much that I forgot to serve the dishes. Huanxi, go and serve the wine and dishes. Tonight, I want to drink and chat with Young Master Qiu."
Huanxi felt heartbroken seeing her young mistress forcing a smile, but she could only obey and do as she was told.
The food and drinks were served, and the two ate and drank, chatting about interesting things they had seen and experienced over the past two years. They were like long-lost friends, laughing and joking. When the conversation got lively, Xiao Hongtao would dance and sing, and Qiu Zeyu would practice swordplay while drinking. By almost dawn, Qiu Zeyu was completely drunk, but he kept muttering one name: Lan Yatou.
Little Red Peach stopped pretending to be drunk, took one of her own cloaks and covered Qiu Zeyu with it, then asked Huanxi, "Is Lord Xin still waiting for me downstairs?"
"I just went to refill your wine. Lord Xin is still waiting for you. I heard from Mother that Lord Xin has been promoted again and is about to take up his post in another place. I don't know when he will be able to come back after he leaves." Huanxi couldn't figure out what her young mistress meant either.
"Go tell Mom I agree, but I have one condition: I want to take you with me." Little Red Peach said this with her back turned, tears welling in her eyes, and through gritted teeth.
"Miss, you agree?" Although Huanxi had always hoped that her mistress could marry a decent man and escape her suffering, she was filled with heartache and sympathy for her mistress in this situation, and it could not be considered a happy ending.
By the time Qiu Zeyu was fully sober, it was almost noon. After waking up from his drunken stupor, he heard joyful music coming from downstairs. Rubbing his head, he opened the door and looked out. He saw a wedding procession downstairs, with Huanxi dressed in festive attire, following beside the sedan chair as they went out.
Qiu Zeyu stopped a passing shopkeeper and asked, "What's going on here?"
"You don't know yet! Our top courtesan at Zuiyue Tower got married today!" The man said and left.
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