Chapter 55 - Disguise

Speaking of Fengyuechang, almost nine out of ten people will mention Jinling in the south of the Yangtze River. Colorful ribbons and delicate flowers adorn the riverboat, slowly sailing on the river. The lanterns on the shore and on the boat cast vague shadows on the water, while the girls display graceful figures.
In Huaiyang, there is always mist and rain, but the capital is never lacking the sound of swallows. This spring, the courtesans and talented musicians each occupy a famous pavilion. Every night, as the lanterns are lit, their shadows extend with the moonlit river until the Light Swan Bridge, where one realizes that there is also beautiful music to be heard here.
The Huai Shawlou was originally not called by this name. It is a girl from the Warm and Tasty Water Village by the Huai River in Jiangnan. With cherry lips and delicate eyebrows, she looks as if she has been sprinkled into the painting. Not only are northern men who prefer roughness attracted to her, but even in the south, she is also a rare beauty.
大抵是在二十年前，这楼里有个女子爱在槐树下奏唱家乡小曲，高雅她不唱，偏生她唱得高雅，引了许多人的青眼，后来韶华正好，死了。
"Did you change your name after that?" The young man in white touched his chin and looked up at the hazy silk lanterns of the Huai Shao Building.
The lanterns were made of ordinary white silk, but the paintings on them were embroidered and of top-notch quality. Under the candlelight, the white appeared slightly warm, with the pagoda tree and red plum blossoms hanging down on either side, arranged perfectly.
He stood in the opposite corner of the street, gazing at Huishao building from afar. His eyes were like sparkling candlelight, displaying a slightly shallow amber color. They were transparent and beautiful, as if naturally carrying a smile and a sense of liveliness, letting people know at a glance that the owner of the eyes possessed a clever and intricate mind.
He said, "White gauze is for commemoration, after twenty years, there are still people who remember. People say that there is no love or too much love, but I don't know what it should be."
Another young man, dressed in crimson clothes, adjusted the golden silk crown on his head and also looked in the same direction. He just thought the lanterns were beautiful, and they were no different from the ink-painted umbrella faces on the paper umbrellas held by the passing crowd: "You don't know Huaishao Building?"
"I am not like those pretentious aristocrats who are always thinking about brothels. But you, on the other hand, are quite familiar with this place!" He was about to grab the ear of that young man in purple clothes, but missed. He then whispered, "Come here! The emerald crown is tilted again. Let's not wear it anymore. We'll wait for Liang Xi to bring back the one you were wearing before."
"Poor Lian Xi was released from the house by you and has to do your bidding," the boy muttered, obediently allowing him to act.
As the emerald crown was taken off, the green silk scattered along, complementing the person in the crimson dress and making them look quite beautiful, like a young lady.
The man in the white clothes, shorter in stature but older in age, ordered the servant next to him to open the umbrella, looking helpless and speechless.
The young man in purple clothes asked, "Why are you sighing again? Hey, do you want to know why that woman died?"
The young man in white said, "This is the Qinglou Chu Guan, where even if you're not a scholar, nobles and generals may grant you a romantic affair. But once you wake up from the dream, there's nothing left. You also mentioned that the girl has a stubborn nature. How can someone like her survive in a place like this for long? It's better to say that a girl like her, living in a place like this, can only find lightness in death."
The young man in a crimson robe shook his head and said, "You are wrong. The woman died because she didn't want to enter a high-ranking family. Although her social status was not high, she maintained her integrity throughout her life. One of her good friends buried her remains and took over this place, changing its name. For so many years, there have been only virtuous women living in this building, without any courtesans."
He exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually my ignorance and impoliteness."
The young man in a purple robe suddenly felt sad and said, "Mutual attraction does not guarantee a successful marriage, and a successful marriage does not necessarily mean mutual attraction. There are also cases where love is not reciprocated, sigh... Relationships between men and women, sigh."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was hit on the forehead and he stopped groaning.
Regretfully in his heart, he thought: Why did I even bother telling him this? It's obvious he is ignorant about these things too.
When Lianzhi casually came back with something in his hand, the crowd had already become bigger - tonight, the new courtesan of the Huai Shao Building was making her debut on the stage, attracting many people to come and watch. The snow was falling unhurriedly, landing on the paper parasols of the people. The umbrella surface, adorned with green bamboo, mixed with peach color, always had a lingering sense of cold that couldn't be dispelled in the night.
She sighed inwardly, smiled, and walked over to the thinly dressed white-clothed young man. She handed him a hairpin inlaid with white jade and said, "Why didn't you wait for me inside? The snow has been falling continuously, and I'm afraid our lord will fall ill again. The young master warned you the other day to take care of yourself. If he finds out you're fooling around like this, he will have a lot of complaints to make."
He turned around, took the thing, stared at her, and said, "I also want to wait inside. It's not that I'm not familiar with the place and scared, I just lack a girl to show me the way. Furthermore, I have been practicing martial arts since I was young. People who practice martial arts can come and go in the snow with just a thin dress. Why should I be afraid of the cold weather?"
The bossy girl has a sharp tongue and always has something to say.
She is unreasonable.
The young man in white is naturally Yan Jiuye in disguise, and the other young man in purple is Sun Mei. As for Shu Nuo, this little girl is also dressed as a boy, holding an umbrella and standing silently on the side.
连皌对着孙湄道了声好，转头看着言玖夜，道：“我倒不知道你换个素雅些的冠簪是做什么用的，若是指望着这里看人风雅就能放过，我看你倒不如让我去寻两身布衣，装成书生模样，也许就真的混进去了？”
“槐韶楼进门需请帖，提前几日发出，上头是个什么图案外人一概不知，造假也不行。”言玖夜帮孙湄戴好白玉冠簪，上下打量，道，“金丝翠冠俗气，衣裳现下也没法子换，还好这个白玉的看着就觉得仙气，小湄你别露出在马背上的英姿就好，活脱脱一个嫩白可口不谙世事的小公子啊。”
Sun Mei, in female dress, is naturally delicate and beautiful, but even in male attire, she is still adorable. Her eyes are particularly shining and clear, adorned with a crimson dress and a white jade coronet. This appearance clearly indicates that she is a curious noble girl. Even if her identity as a female is recognized, it doesn't matter. The mere presence of the white jade coronet is enough to signify her nobility. Otherwise, our young miss wouldn't have been so envious and deceived it from Lord Fang of Great City. It's a pity that the naive Zhe Xian has made such friends!
Yan Jiu Night seemed to know what Lian Xi was thinking, and she secretly glanced at him. Fang Bai Wei wore a white robe all year round, and it was possible to discern the embroidered colors on the top-notch silk fabric by getting close. Unfortunately, he was like a living fairy that can only be admired from afar, and wearing such a white jade crown is like drawing a face on white paper! How beautiful it would be if his dark hair was left loose, and this white jade crown would also be put to good use, making everyone happy.
Sun Mei listened to what she said about the invitation letter, but she naturally didn't have one and was unsure:" A-Jiu, did you come up with some prank? You made me look so good, could it be that you want to sell me or something?"