Jinling City.The third day of the third month of the lunar calendar in the fifteenth year of Longyuan, according to the calendar, is an auspicious day.March 3rd is Shangsi Day, which is the day when talented scholars and beauties of all dynasties go out in spring. This day is also the annual election day for Jinling City. The blue clouds are high in the sky, the willows are flying and the flowers are flying. The whole Jinling City is immersed in a splendid prosperity.The light smoke and dust mixed with the smell of pearl powder spread wantonly in the streets and alleys.There are many pedestrians on the road, and there is a long queue of pleasure boats on the Chuchuan River.On Shenglong Street, there is an endless stream of fragrant cars and BMWs. There are old men selling calligraphy and paintings, entertainers performing stunts, and sorcerers who are famous for their bones.On weekdays, the Firework Alley, which is only lively at night, is busier than any other place today.

This is the sixteenth spring of my life. It should be in the Mood for Love, but in the mirror, I seem to be more haggard than in previous years, and I no longer have that flowery smile. The selection of the oiran is an event held every year in Jinling City, and a beautiful woman with both talent and beauty is selected as the oiran.Naturally, the woman selected was not a rich official, nor a lady from a famous family, but an outstanding singing girl from several of the most famous brothels in Jinling City.These famous prostitutes gathered in one place to compete in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, singing and dancing.And the people watching under the stage are celebrities and refined scholars who come here admiringly. There are princes and grandchildren on the top, and ordinary people on the bottom.Although there are also talented people among them, most of them are mediocre guests.

I am a singing girl at Miyuedu in Firework Lane, and I have been here for two years. I was ill when the oiran was elected last year, and I did not participate. This year, my mother called me to appear.To be honest, such an oiran doesn't have much temptation for me. Standing by the window, you can see the cars and sedan chairs in the alley lined up neatly, only waiting for the girl in the courtyard to pack up the sedan chairs. The maid Hongjian prepared rouge and pearl powder for me to dress up. I was wearing a light green dress with simple embroidery on the chest.Sitting next to the Linghua mirror, he said softly: "It would be good to apply the powder thinner, draw willow leaves on the eyebrows, and insert the jasper plum blossom hairpin that I usually like on my temples."

Hong Jian looked at me in the mirror and said with a smile: "Miss, others don't know what's on her mind, but I don't know? You usually dress plainly, and you don't like too delicate and charming colors." Hong Jian is my personal servant girl, she followed me when she was six years old, and I was four years old that year.I was originally the daughter of an ordinary family outside Jinling City, and I was the only one under the knees of my parents.It’s just that when I was twelve years old, both my father and mother died of drinking poisoned wine. The author who came to the autopsy said that my parents committed suicide. I still don’t know why the two elders chose to abandon their only daughter and leave.Afterwards, Hong Jian and I wandered in Jinling City, Hong Jian became seriously ill, and it was Miyuedu's mother who lent me fifty taels of silver to treat her illness.As for me, I became Miyuedu's geisha who was performing arts but not selling herself.

After a burst of hurried footsteps, I only heard my mother yelling in the corridor: "Meiwan, Yao Mu, you two give me a little quickness, today we will compete for an oiran in Miyuedu." Hong Jian stuck out her tongue towards the door: "What am I doing? It's not for the reward of one thousand taels from the Yue Mansion." As soon as the voice fell, the door was pushed open.My mother hurried in, looked at me, and shouted: "How can you dress up like this? It's too plain. Give me some brighter colors to catch people's eyes. Yao Mu is much more colorful than you. This year we will be in Miyuedu. The two of you are running for the election, you have to win some face for my mother and me."

Facing the mirror, I slanted the fresh white peony on my head and said, "Don't worry, mom, I will give them a different look with deep eyebrows." My mother sneered: "You know, we are singing girls, not famous ladies and beauties. What the spectators like are flowers, willows and peaches, not spring and snow." Waiting outside the door." I also sneered, I lowered my eyebrows in disdain for the eyes of those mediocre men. The place where the oiran is selected is a Yuxiu Pavilion specially set up in Jinling City, facing the Chu Chuan River. When I entered the Yuxiu Pavilion, almost all the women from the courtyards had arrived, and they were standing all over the room, which made me dazzled.

Of the singing girls in the room, the only one I know well is the painting fan girl from Yingxuelou, who has won the title of oiran for two years in a row.I met her by chance when I was offering incense in Cuimei Temple, and we have become confidantes since then, and our friendship has become extraordinary.When she saw me entering the pavilion, she came over to hold my hand, and said softly with joy on her face: "I haven't seen my sister for a few days, and she is more and more fresh and charming. This appearance is really elegant and refined, making people look clean." I smiled and said, "My sister will frown in embarrassment when she says that."

She looked at me with a smile, still clinging to my hand.We looked at her carefully. She was wearing a peach red dress, with a graceful figure, a double-ringed bun, and a phoenix nobile, flowing beads swaying.A gold inlaid flower is pasted on the forehead, and a string of ruby ​​​​pendants is hung on the ear.Seeing that there is a romantic charm between her eyebrows and blacks, her bearing is graceful and elegant, and she is also stunning. Can't help exclaiming: "My sister is such a stunning beauty, anyone who sees her will never forget it." Hua Fan lightly pursed his lips and smiled: "Sister, please don't tease me. In fact, I just came here to play a show, not for the beginning, not for the process, but only for the ending."

I can comprehend a little bit of the words of the fan here. Although the title of Oiran is not such a great honor, for a singing girl, it is a talisman used to show her status.With this talisman, you can avoid a lot of humiliation, and you can also enjoy the treatment that ordinary singing girls can't have. Because I was waiting for the opening, I chatted with Huafan about the past few days.Hong Jian was also whispering with Xiangqin, the maid who painted the fan. I could only hear a sharp cry coming from the other side of the room: "Oh, you're going to die, you did this at this time." Huafan and I turned our heads, only to see an old bustard in his early forties, dressed in bright red The dress was full of flowers, her face was smeared with thick rouge, her eyes were wide open, and she grabbed a little maid with one hand and scolded her.

The little maid who was caught was wearing a green shirt, and her eyebrows were a little delicate.Already trembling with fright at this moment, he lowered his head and wept: "I... I didn't... I didn't mean it." The old bustard's eyes became more and more fierce, he raised his hand, and slapped the little maid: "Little hoof, how dare you talk back!" The little servant girl was beaten back two steps, and quickly plopped and knelt on the ground: "Don't dare, mother, please forgive me." I saw a woman walking over, pointing to the little servant girl who was kneeling on the ground, and said: "Your hoof should be replaced. You don't care when you do things, but at this time, you broke the strings of my zither. Seeing that the oiran who is about to get your hands is taken away by you!" This..." She frowned slightly, and her face looked a little anxious.

The old bustard pointed hard at the little maid's head, causing her to lean back.He scolded: "You damn girl, do you know how much I have spent thinking about choosing the leader for her this year, mom, and even doing bad things to me at this critical moment." After finishing speaking, he shouted again: "Kneel here for me, choose Get the hell out of here after I'm done." The little maid who was kneeling on the ground trembled with fright and wept softly. I was very angry in my heart, and wanted to step forward to stop me, Hua Fan gently took my hand, and said softly: "Don't mess with them, she is the mother of Cuiqionglou, but she is notoriously fierce. The woman beside her It is Yin Xianxian, the number one player in Cuiqionglou, and it is said that she is also a cold beauty, but she plays the pipa wonderfully, and I have won the top prize in the past two years, and I am only slightly better than her." "Oh? No wonder she said just now that the oiran is about to be obtained, as if they are very well prepared." I whispered.It was only then that she looked at Yin Xianxian carefully, and saw that she was wearing a light purple dress, with a jasper hairpin pinned to her bun, a few beads were delicately inlaid on it, and a pair of blue gemstone earrings flickered coldly on her ears.Her eyebrows seemed to be frowning, her facial features were exquisite, and there was a hint of coldness in her expression. All the girls and bustards in the room were just watching, but no one stepped forward to dissuade them. I saw the little girl kneeling on the ground lowering her eyebrows and weeping. I couldn't bear it, so I walked over and said to the old bustard with a smile: "Mom, you have a lot of adults, so why bother with a little girl. Don't disturb your mood on the day of today's election. yes." The old bustard looked at me and said with a smile: "Who am I, isn't this the girl with curved eyebrows in Miyue Ferry? I've heard that you are very talented and beautiful, and you don't fall into the trap of vulgarity. Seeing you today, you really deserve your reputation." I smiled slightly: "Mom was joking, eyebrows are just characters in the pile of rouge, how can I say so. I just hope that mother will spare this ignorant little girl, and everyone will be happy to prepare for the election." Immediately, I turned to Yin Xianxian again, and said softly: "Young lady, don't worry, I have a pipa here, although it is not as expensive as the young lady's, but with the young lady's talent, any pipa would be like fairy music if you think about it. The jade pendant is like a bead." Yin Xianxian just kept silent, smiled coldly, and turned around with a flick of his sleeves. The old bustard standing aside let out a "hum" and didn't make a sound. I raised my hand to help the little maid who was kneeling beside me, and said softly, "Get up." The little maid was full of gratitude, wiped away her tears, bowed her head and thanked: "Yanping, thank you for saving the siege today, the girl's kindness, Yanping will remember it in my heart." I smiled thinly, and beckoned to Hongjian, at this time she had already fetched the pipa and handed it to Yanping.Yanping held the pipa in his hands, then bowed and said to me: "Thank you, miss." I smiled, flicked my sleeves, turned around and walked towards the painting fan. Huafan came over and took my hand lightly, and said, "Sister, how can you perform without a pipa when you are in the election for the first prize?" Here, the mother standing beside me has already yelled: "I think the girl is too generous. She helped others to lose her piano. After a while, performing arts will become a show of shame." Turning around, she said to Yao Mu : "It seems that we, Miyuedu, can only count on you, girl." I glanced at my mother coldly: "I don't need to worry about this, I have my own plans." Yao Mu smiled at me, and I smiled back at her.For the past two years, although we have been in the same brothel, we rarely communicate with each other on weekdays. She has a jovial personality, and many princes and princes come to Miyuedu to have fun with her all day long.She and the other sisters often joked and played together, but I never liked talking, and she didn't disturb each other much.Sometimes my mother blamed me, but she helped me a few times, which made me feel a little more fond of her. The people who watched the fun also dispersed, and each went to prepare for himself. I sat down with the painting fan, took a cup of tea, and drank a cup of Biluochun to moisten my throat.He calmly said to her: "Sister, don't worry about me. Although the pipa is given to someone else, it doesn't matter to me. I don't have any intention of competing for the oiran today. I just come here to count, so as not to provoke my mother to gossip again." , bothering my purity. Furthermore, I have never liked the tone of the pipa very much. It is more than mellow, but it is difficult to touch the state of mind. In contrast, I prefer the jade flute, which is melodious and clear, and expresses my feelings directly." Hua Fan also picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Your sister's kind deeds today make you appear more generous. Listening to this conversation again makes my heart feel a lot better." I smiled and said: "Sister, don't listen to my nonsense, I have no intention of competing for the oiran because I am usually lazy, not to mention my sister's talent and beauty are outstanding, and those girls in the courtyard should not be underestimated, I don't want to bother. " Hua Fan's heart was moved, he held my hand tightly, and sighed: "Sister, your heart is as pure as the moon, but we are singing girls, but we can't do it smoothly. If it is a coincidence, if we meet a lover, we can entrust him for life Let it go. If the heart is restrained and cannot be stretched, the bright pearl is covered with dust, and we live in the place of love and moon for a long time, and when we are old and the pearl is yellow, who will wipe the wind and frost for us?" I secretly marveled in my heart, Huafan is such a person who understands.I remembered what Mrs. Miaochen said to her when she was in Cuimei Nunnery that day: "If you want to live this life from the beginning, but look at the blue sky with a wisp of cloud." Cause and effect. Outside the Yuxiu Pavilion, there was already a sea of ​​people boiling. I knew that the prelude to the competition for the crown jewel was about to begin.