Chapter 101: The First Singer of the Dongguan Kingdom

The Wind Moon Pavilion.

"Recently there have been so many guests in the building, girls, lift your spirits and respond to them with vigor~!"

The speaker wore a red-and-green outfit, her face painted with vivid, heavy makeup, a blooming peony tucked into her hair. She carried herself with dignified grace yet without coquetry, for the woman wearing that flower was somewhat aged, her figure ill-suited to those of tender maidens.

This was the madam of the Wind Moon Pavilion, once the most sought-after flower queen of her era.

"Jade Niang, the guests speak of how Luo Yue from the Yueying Pavilion has not perished and still holds back her grandest move. Must we keep tripping her up?"

The speaker possessed a pure, guileless face whose words chilled and repulsed, marking her as the pavilion's leading courtesan, Jiao Ling.

Jiao Ling had no father or mother; for survival she had entered the Wind Moon Pavilion, where her delicate youthful appearance and sweet singing voice had secured many patrons.

"Do not rush. The Yueying Pavilion has reigned for many years; this premier green tower status must yield ground in turn. Attend to your duties, girls, and spare the honored guests any long wait."

The madam waved her feathered fan with studied nonchalance, her every gesture still carrying the allure that once made her many a dream lover in youth despite her years.

The courtesans filed out one by one, leaving the madam alone at the window facing the Yueying Pavilion.

"Miss Nanyan? Where are you off to?"

A servant girl suddenly materialized behind her. Nanyan's back had looked anything but composed, her gaze darting left and right as though fleeing some shadow.

Startled, Nanyan steadied her paling features and offered a smile. "Just now a mouse darted out; I was hunting it. You startled me, so who knows where it scurried off to steal grain now."

The little servant girl grasped the situation at once and patted her chest. "Rest easy, Miss Nanyan. It is but a trifle. I will fetch some mouse poison later. These past days, with the matter of Miss Luo Yue, the mice in the Yueying Pavilion have grown rather abundant."

Half the Yueying Pavilion's staff prepared for Miss Luo Yue's performance next month. Patronage had dwindled, leaving Nanyan and her companions idle.

Luo Yue remained veiled in mystery; aside from her skill on the ancient qin, no one knew the pieces she would play.

Nanyan recalled the sisters' probing questions. "Sister Nanyan, do you know what tune Sister Luo Yue will perform? You two were closest, after all."

Whenever asked, Nanyan forced a smile to conceal her unease.

She understood that the entire Yueying Pavilion knew of the rift between Miss Luo Yue and herself, yet they spoke only behind closed doors, none willing to probe that raw wound.

After waking, Luo Yue's temperament had changed markedly; she now remained shut in her chambers all day.

Nanyan felt a twinge of dread. She did not know whether Luo Yue had discovered the truth of the poison, but several days had passed. Likely she had not.

The household moved about its business. Certain no one watched, Nanyan slipped a small scroll of paper from a wall crack and withdrew.

To be discovered sending word to the Wind Moon Pavilion would bring unthinkable consequences.

Back in her room, Nanyan unfolded the paper, poured a bowl of tea from her cup, and soaked the strip inside. The characters slowly emerged.

"Record Miss Luo Yue's recent circumstances."

Information from the Yueying Pavilion spread early and was kept tightly sealed.

All knew that next month the flower queen would perform, yet the nature of that performance remained a secret within the building.

Nanyan took up the brush. How to begin? Luo Yue had not spoken to her in days; how could she possess such knowledge?

After long thought she penned two lines:

"Communication ceased. Following Miss Luo Yue's awakening, her temperament altered greatly. Among the Yueying Pavilion's staff, only the red nanny may approach her."

She folded the slip into a small square, retraced her steps, and tucked it into the wall crack before departing.

An incense stick after she left, a white-haired old mouse scurried swiftly. Unobserved, it reached the crack, seized the paper, and fled through the pursuing crowd into Nanyan's floor.

"Hurry! That white-haired mouse has entered Miss Nanyan's room!"

"What now? Miss Nanyan abhors these creatures above all; if it reaches her quarters, disaster looms!"

A servant girl tapped gently at the door. "Miss Nanyan, has a white-haired mouse entered your room?"

Nanyan's hand froze mid-rouge. "A mouse?" She glanced about. Door and windows sealed tight. "None here. Perhaps it went to another sister's chamber."

The servant answered and led the others away. Scare the remaining girls, and the servants' incompetence would be exposed.

Nanyan watched their retreating backs in bewilderment, resumed her lipstick, pursed her lips, and muttered, "Humph. White-haired mouse? An eye ailment, perhaps..."

"A beauty~ Upon seeing her... I cannot forget... Ah!!!! Help! A mouse!!"

The reflection in the bronze mirror showed the woman about to apply her patterns when a white-haired ball appeared atop her head, complete with features and a faint gleam between the brows. The creature was urinating on her!

Her hand trembled violently. A shriek rang through the building; everyone rushed to the door. "Miss Nanyan!"

"Sister Nanyan, what ails you!"

No answer came for ages. Two male servants employed a crowbar to force the lock.

Behind the door, Nanyan's once-sleek black hair hung in disarray, her person utterly disheveled. Rouge, powder, and jewelry lay smashed on the table; pearls from a pearl hairpin rolled across the floor with crystalline notes.

"N-Nanyan sister..."

Nanyan seemed to return to herself, staring blankly at the entrance, then drew her clothes over her chest. "Ah! Out! All of you, out!"

Two men among them. The girls of the Yueying Pavilion prized their purity above all else. Though they sold their art, their bodies were not to be despoiled; redemption of a sold contract and a future marriage would be impossible.

Several young ladies recovered and coaxed the men away, shut the door, and approached Nanyan. Silently they gathered the scattered pearl hairpin and restored it to its place.

"Nanyan sister, fear not. We sisters are here."

"Yes, Sister Nanyan. The mouse has no eyes. Scatter mouse poison about, and it will trouble us no more."

Nanyan remained dazed. This was no fear of the rodent, but the memory of her disheveled form and the two men having glimpsed her half-naked upper body. Few knew, yet the knowledge lodged like a thorn in her heart.