Three days later.
Today was the once - every - three - years Flower Queen Contest in the capital of the Feng Kingdom. Many literati and scholars had arrived early at the venue, craning their necks in anticipation of the variously charming flower queens. They were afraid they might miss the chance to behold their grace at the first moment or fail to create masterpieces at this significant occasion.
Those idle young masters who always looked for excitement had also occupied good spots early on, waiting for the flower queens to appear so that they could bid for them from a prime position.
"May I ask if the Jade - faced Young Master has ever witnessed this once - every - three - years Flower Queen Contest?" In an upscale restaurant, Mei Qingxue, dressed in men's clothing, looked at the Jade - faced Young Master across from her with a faint smile.
The Jade - faced Young Master was still wearing a light - cyan waist - tied long gown today, which made him look as elegant and noble as a slender bamboo. A jade mask covered his whole face, leaving only a pair of dark - eyed pupils.
"I've only heard of it but never seen it with my own eyes."
"Oh? Then would the Jade - faced Young Master like to see the charm of those beauties today?" Mei Qingxue, in a jade - green front - buttoned long gown, deliberately coaxed. She had sent someone to invite the Jade - faced Young Master to meet again today. Her plan was to ask him to be on standby in case of any need. As for the silver needed later, she would consider it a loan from him and pay it back.
But if her plan succeeded, things would be much simpler.
However, it was better to be prepared for all eventualities. Who knew if an accident would occur?
The Jade - faced Young Master's dark, deep - pool - like eyes flickered slightly. He naturally guessed that the intention of this "young master" in front of him was not that simple. But he was quite curious about what "his" purpose was. Moreover, he felt relaxed when being with "him", so spending more time with "him" was not a bad idea.
"Since Brother Luo has said so, I do want to see this Flower Queen Contest today."
"In that case, let's set off. When I came this morning, I saw it was extremely lively over there. If we don't go quickly, we might not be able to find a place to sit."
"Alright."
The two got into a carriage and headed for the venue of the Flower Queen Contest, which was located on the Flower Street. As soon as their carriage got close, it couldn't move forward anymore. The road ahead was blocked by a sea of pedestrians.
Looking at the crowded scene outside, Mei Qingxue couldn't help but sigh that everyone loved beauty. There were already so many people coming to watch even before the contest started.
"It seems we have to walk there."
The Jade - faced Young Master also saw the scene outside and was a bit surprised by the large number of people. He nodded and followed Mei Qingxue out of the carriage one after another.
Fortunately, Mei Qingxue had asked Meiniang to reserve a place for them in advance. Otherwise, they really wouldn't know where to stay.
"Brother, which brothel do you think this year's top flower queen will come from?"
"Who knows? I heard the competition this year is extremely fierce. Those madams have been training their girls to the best of their abilities!"
"Hehe, yeah. Once the girls are well - trained, it's us who will enjoy them in the end. Hahaha..."
"That's exactly the point. Hahaha..."
Mei Qingxue was really speechless about the conversation of those two lecherous men. Were all men in ancient times like this? Would the man she was going to marry in the future be the same? Only God knew!
"Phew, we finally squeezed in. I've booked two seats. They should be around here." Since the contest venue was open - air, the guests' seats were set up in tents. The stage was an elevated round platform, not very wide but more than enough for one person to perform.
Finally sitting down in the seats arranged by Meiniang, Mei Qingxue was still on edge. She didn't know if Meiniang was ready. She had to go and check.
"Jade - faced Young Master, do you still remember my request?" Mei Qingxue looked at the Jade - faced Young Master seriously. Just before they came, she had told the Jade - faced Young Master that if the girl from the Fragrant Embers Brothel won the top flower - queen title, she hoped the Jade - faced Young Master could bid for her.
The Jade - faced Young Master just thought that Mei Qingxue had taken a fancy to the girl from the Fragrant Embers Brothel. Since he had regarded "him" as a friend, it wasn't a big deal for him to spend some silver. "Brother Luo, just rest assured. I will definitely help with this. No matter how much silver it costs."
"With the Jade - faced Young Master's words, I'm relieved. I will surely pay back the silver later." After saying that, Mei Qingxue walked towards the backstage.
There was a pavilion backstage for the participating girls to rest and do their makeup. It wasn't very big, but it ensured that each girl had an independent room. Mei Qingxue remembered that Meiniang had said she was in the third room on the second floor.
She came to the door and gently knocked. Soon, the door opened.
Mei Qingxue quickly slipped into the room. At this moment, Meiniang's room wasn't just occupied by herself. There was also a rather tall "maid".
Mei Qingxue thought that since Meiniang hadn't asked this "maid" to leave, it meant this "maid" was trustworthy. Without much thought, she asked, "Have you packed all your things?"
"Meiniang has done as the young master said. I've packed everything, and Brother Lin is here too." Meiniang said this and glanced shyly at the tall "maid" standing beside her.
"Ah? What? This is your man?" Mei Qingxue was surprised by this man's boldness. She took a closer look at him. The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. Although his makeup was really unappealing, Mei Qingxue was sure she had seen this man before.
While pondering in confusion, she inadvertently saw the blood - jade bracelet on Meiniang's hand. She remembered! It was Lin Sheng, who had won first place at the painting exhibition that day! No wonder he looked so familiar. Remembering Lin Sheng's calmness when he received the prize that day, Mei Qingxue thought this man was not as simple as he seemed. Now it seemed that he was not only not simple but also a very responsible man. It was really a pity! Pity that such a good man had been discovered by Meiniang first. Otherwise, he was quite malleable...
Ahem! She had wandered too far in her thoughts...
"I'm Lin Sheng. Thank you, Brother Luo, for your help this time. If there's a chance in the future, I will surely repay you with all my might."
Looking at Lin Sheng in the maid's clothing, Mei Qingxue really wanted to laugh, but she held it back. This was a serious moment. How could she burst out laughing! "Since I've helped you, I never thought of asking for repayment. Well, the time is almost up. You two should leave quickly and go far away to live the life you want." After saying that, Mei Qingxue took out a money - pouch from her bosom. There was some silver in it. She knew that the money these two had earned on weekdays had all been used for Meiniang's mother's medical treatment. They must not have much travel money. Without money on the road, they would be waiting to starve. She might as well do a good deed to the end.
"Brother Luo, this really won't do. You've already helped us so much. How can we take your silver?" Having seen so much of the coldness of the world, Meiniang had never thought she would meet such a kind - hearted person as Mei Qingxue in her life. Moved, tears welled up in her eyes. She was full of gratitude towards Mei Qingxue.
"Alright, stop talking so much nonsense. You two should leave quickly. It won't be good if the madam comes to check the rooms and finds you."
"Yes, yes."
Meiniang quickly went behind the screen and changed into the clothes Mei Qingxue had asked her to prepare. Then the two quickly left.
Meiniang and Lin Sheng had left. She hoped they could live a happy life in the future. Now she had to deal with the mess left behind.
Meiniang had told her that she was the last one to perform. So she had plenty of time to prepare. Damn it! Where was Yue Ru? She was really slow.
As soon as she had decided to do this today, she had asked Yue Ru to take the design drawings to a tailor outside to make the performance clothes she wanted. When she and the Jade - faced Young Master were in the restaurant today, she had sent Yue Ru to pick up the clothes. Why hadn't she brought them yet? Had something happened on the way?
"Miss, Miss, it's Yue Ru. It's Yue Ru..."
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes speechlessly. One really shouldn't talk about people during the day. As soon as she did, the person appeared.
"Why did you take so long? I thought something had happened to you on the way."
"Miss, you don't know how many people there were on the way. I squeezed for a long time to get in. But Miss, are you really going to replace Meiniang on stage?"
"Yes. I want to give Meiniang and the others more time to escape. Otherwise, they might be caught before they even leave the city gate."
"Yes, Miss is the kindest person Yue Ru has ever seen."
"Stop flattering me. How many people have you seen? Alright, stop talking so much nonsense. Hurry up and help me dress up."
"Yes, Miss. What kind of look do you want today?"
"Just do as I say..."
The two began to get busy, while at the competition venue, the Flower Queen Contest had already kicked off.
The area around the competition venue was already crowded with people. In ancient times, people had few entertainment activities, so wherever there was a bit of excitement, people would flock there. Among these onlookers, a group of people were enclosed within a fence. The rest, except for the guests sitting in the guest seats, were separated outside the fence.
A gaudily - dressed middle - aged woman walked onto the stage. Her cheeks, painted bright red with rouge, were beaming with a big smile as she looked at the bustling scene below.
"Welcome all folks to watch our competition for the top flower queen today. The once - every - three - years Flower Queen Contest is about to start. Each of the 300 people within the fence has a blue flower in their hand. There are a total of 300 such flowers. After all the flower queens have finished their performances, these 300 people will vote for the flower queens. The one with the most votes will be the top flower queen of this session. Of course, the honored guests here can also buy flowers to vote. These blue flowers cost ten taels of silver each."