The doors of Mudan Pavilion were pushed open, and Linlang walked in holding the guqin. She was also taken aback; she had already heard that the ones who were keeping her all night were these two young ladies, and originally thought that the private box must be a vibrant and lively scene. But she didn't expect to see the several quiet young men standing by the two's sides, being well-behaved and serving them tea and wine, without a trace of disorder. It wasn't until the appearances of the two turned around at the same time when she understood.
With such temperaments, presumably, they were ladies of some aristocratic family. Linlang's expression was calm, and she knelt down and said: "Linlang greets the two young ladies."
Worthy of being the headliner of Lingxiang Lou, her face was stunningly beautiful, she had a gentle temperament, neither humble nor overbearing. No wonder it caused all the men in the city to scramble over. The two glanced at each other, very satisfied.
(rush like ducks, an unruly crowd scrambling for something unobtainable)
"I just returned from the frontier fortress, and haven't seen any beauties for many years. Linlang-guniang certainly lives up to her reputation. Come, play a few songs to hear." An Ning smiled boldly, stealing glimpses at Linlang with her chin propped on her hands.
Linlang nodded. With a slight smile on her face, she gracefully walked to the stands and put the guqin in place. She breathed a sigh of relief, moved her fingertips lightly, and the refreshing sound of the qin smoothly flowed out.
The two were surprised. The sound that came to their ears was sonorous and unadorned. What Linlang played— was actually a requiem song that was often heard in the frontier military camps.
Presumably, having heard An Ning say that she had just returned from the frontier fortress, she thus selected this song.
Magnificent and heroic, with a touch of tenderness, the two of them closed their eyes, and in a trance, they seemed to see a young newlywed woman tearfully sending her husband far away to the borders, a picture scroll of anxious anticipation.
The imperial capital was stable and prosperous, and it was rare to hear such moving and tragic music. The entire Lingxiang Lou fell silent because of the abrupt and unusual sound.
After a short while, the sound of the song came to a spontaneous end, expressing a feeling of unfinished business.
An Ning and Ren Anle opened their eyes at the same time, both filled with ruefulness.
"Linlang-guniang is indeed brilliant at playing the qin, and few people in the world can match the requiem you played." An Ning's expression was serious, speaking slowly.
"Xiaojie's praise is fallacious, Linlang just feels that the two young ladies are worthy of this song." Linlang replied softly, "Although Linlang has not been to the border in this life, she has seen the helpless scene of sending husbands and sons to the frontier fortress. Sending your son away, it's hard expecting him to return. If Yunxia can reduce the flames of war, naturally these losses would be avoided."
An Ning felt a bit shocked. She never thought that a woman from a brothel could say such a thing, or… had the courage to say these words.
The current emperor is warlike, which is a matter known to the entire world.
(the 'rightful' emperor, the son of heaven)
Ren Anle's pupils were dark and her gaze was distant. She straightened up slightly and said, "The day guniang wishes for will definitely not be too far away."
An Ning swiftly turned her head to look at Ren Anle and glimpsed a firmness between her brows, feeling slightly moved.
"Xiaojie's words are valued, Linlang will present a few more songs." Linlang's face wore a slight smile. She lowered her head, and the sweet-sounding music began again.
Almost all the guests in Lingxiang Lou became aware that today, headliner Linlang's performance was completely different from the past, which made everyone even more curious; just who exactly was the saintly visitor in Mudan Pavilion?
However, this night was destined to be difficult to settle down. When the sound of galloping war horses sounded in the open streets, for a while, the high officials of the imperial capital who had long been accustomed to extravagant nights could not recover. Only until soldiers in armor walked into Lingxiang Lou coldly, did they then have to accept this practically absurd fact— that just now, Taizi-dianxia issued an imperial edict to rectify the capital, strictly ordering all brothels to stop business for a month.