On the morning of August 14, Lin Jue took Fang Huanqiu to the rehearsal venue in Qingbo Gate. Last night, Lin Jue told Fang Huanqiu about some things that happened between himself and Wangyue Tower, of course, some grievances in the family Lin Jue did not mention. Unexpectedly, Fang Huanqiu found it very interesting after learning that Lin Jue was secretly helping Mochizuki Tower win the Oiran Competition. This gave her something to look forward to the outcome of the Oiran contest.

As far as Fang Huanqiu is concerned, the Oiran Contest is just a lively scene, and she doesn't care at all who wins the Oiran. But now, Fang Huanqiu has found a sense of participation, because Lin Jue helped Mochiyue Tower, so that she was also involved.

The rehearsal of the script is the last intensive rehearsal today. After half a month of polishing and repeated scrutiny of every detail, this time called "Du Shi Niang" has approached the feeling that Lin Jue wants. Regardless of the costumes, characters, lights, singing, lyrics, and dialogues, Lin Jue has put a lot of effort into it. The women in the Moon Tower also lived up to expectations, from being jerky and unaccustomed at the beginning, to the current interpretation freely, and did not disappoint Lin Jue.

It took two sticks of incense to watch Lin Jue and Fang Huanqiu, as the only two audiences, to watch the fully formed "Du Shi Niang" from beginning to end. At the moment when the curtain was closed, Lin Jue nodded with a smile. Although it is not yet known whether such a play will meet the interests of the judges and the people, Lin Jue believes that this play is close to perfection.

There was a soft sobbing sound around him, Lin Jue turned his head to look, but found that Fang Huanqiu was gently wiping his tears, and seemed to be very excited.

"Senior sister, what are you crying for?" Lin Jue asked with a smile.

Fang Huanqiu's eyes were red and he turned his head and came: "I was moved, it's such a tragic story, but it's very beautiful." Did you really write this? If this is staged in the Oiran Contest, it will be full of tears. ”

Lin Jue smiled: "This is just a story, and it's not true, don't be too excited." Your body can't get too excited. I wrote the script, but no matter how good the script is, it can't be done if the performance is not good, these people have worked hard here for half a month, just for this play. It's finally polished. Do you want to find faults? Didn't you say you were going to serve as a staff officer for me? ”

Fang Huanqiu shook his head and said, "I can't find any faults, none of them are bad." Even if this play does not win the championship, it will be circulated. ”

Lin Jue laughed, while the two were talking, the lights in the room turned on, and the women who starred in the Moon Tower came out from behind the curtain one after another, and Xie Yingying and the red sleeves of the male actor Li Jia led everyone to Lin Jue to salute.

Lin Jue and Fang Huanqiu hurriedly stood up and returned the salute.

"Is Lin Gongzi still satisfied with everyone's performance? Today is the last day, and if there is anything to ponder, there is still a day to change. Xie Yingying said with a smile on her face.

Lin Jue smiled: "I'm quite satisfied, I don't know if the judges of those competitions are satisfied or not." ”

Xie Yingying smiled: "As long as the slave family and the sisters are satisfied, as long as the son is satisfied, as for the rest, let it be." Didn't Childe say that it's good to do what you can control without regrets? Childe did his best, and so did our sisters. ”

Lin Jue nodded and said, "Very good, it's good to have such a mentality." I'm just worried that you'll feel lost if you lose. This play has been polished so far, and it has been completed. You can now rest and wait for tomorrow night's Oiran Contest. ”

The women applauded together, their faces beaming with joy. Xie Danhong and Lan Niang instructed everyone to change their clothes and pack their things and prepare to return to the Moon Tower. Xie Yingying accompanied Lin Jue and Fang Huanqiu out of the door and came to the courtyard.

Under the autumn sun, the sky is high and the clouds are light. Xie Yingying kept sending Lin Jue to the gate of the courtyard, stopped and said: "Lin Gongzi, the slave family will not be far away, the slave family will clean up, and it will be my turn to select the preliminary round of the Moon Tower in the afternoon, if you can't even pass the preliminary round, it will be in vain." The slave family wants to polish the composition and singing skills of the son's one-cut plum, I don't want to capsize in the gutter. ”

Lin Jue smiled and said, "This will never happen." Also, I didn't write that one-cut plum, but you. Don't say anything about it when the time comes. The good news I await for you is. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll board your red boat, and we'll talk again. ”

Xie Yingying nodded in agreement, and Ying Ying bowed down to bid farewell to Lin Jue and Fang Huanqiu.

Lin Jue took Fang Huanqiu out of the Golden Gate to the West Lake. It was the venue for the Oiran Contest, and Lin Jue wanted to come and see it. When I came to Yongjin Gate, I saw the wharf hill on the east side of the West Lake, where a large amount of wood and bamboo were piled up. More than a dozen large ships are carrying logs, bamboo rafts and other materials from the shore to the surface of the water 100 steps away from the shore. There, a huge floating platform with a radius of 20 zhang made of floating rows and logs is taking shape, and that is the place where the fifteen Qinglou who will break into the semi-finals tomorrow night compete for the Oiran.

The pattern of the floating platform has begun to take shape, closed on one side and open on three sides. The closed side is naturally for people to change clothes and wait for the field, the other three sides are surrounded by water, facing the Hangzhou city wall to the east, the water area of 100 steps away from the shore can dock boats, and the avenue on the shore and even the city wall and the mountain can be watched by people. This should be a full consideration of the number of people who will come tomorrow night.

Lin Jue and Fang Huanqiu wanted to take a closer look by boat, but before they reached the dock, they were stopped by several soldiers.

"On the orders of Lord Yan, the prefect of the Hangzhou Ning Navy, and Lord Song, the commander of the Hangzhou Ning Navy, from yesterday to tomorrow afternoon, the shores of the West Lake and the water surface will be banned by the Ning Navy's marine, land and water soldiers to ensure the normal progress of the Oiran Contest, and idle people are not allowed to approach. Don't you see the proclamation at the gate of the city? A soldier shouted as he pointed to the city gate.

Lin Jue hurriedly took Fang Huanqiu back into the city. I really didn't pay attention to the poster when I left the city just now. The regular army and the Ning Navy stationed in Hangzhou have already been dispatched to maintain law and order, which shows the importance that the government attaches to this Oiran competition. It must be known that the Ning Navy is a regular army, and if it is not a major event, they will not be dispatched.

Although Lin Jue has been a human being in two lives, and in the previous life, he spent almost his entire life in Hangzhou City, but he did not participate in the Oiran Contest once, and he did not know that the scene and spirit were so grand and huge. Since entering August, seeing and feeling the grandeur of this grand event with his own eyes, Lin Jue's heart has also begun to be excited and looking forward to it.

How many wonderful things did I miss in my last life, how could I live a life in such a mess? It's really puzzling.

……

In the early afternoon, the examination room for the preliminary round of the Oiran Contest set up in the hall of the Hangzhou Pavilion was set up here. Outside, twenty or thirty women from the Qinglou waited behind a screen, accompanied by the maid and their mother. There were already ten finalists in the morning preliminaries. Chu Xiangxiang of Wanhualou, Gu Panpan of Qunfang Pavilion, Ai Zhenzhen of Piaoxiang Yuan and other ten strong contenders have been shortlisted. Especially Chu Xiangxiang and Gu Panpan, the two of them respectively composed songs and dances with a new song by Dongfang Weiming and Sima Qingshan, who were both walls in the lyric world at that time.

Xie Yingying sat on the side of the small table behind a green bamboo screen, drinking her own throat-moistening tea and waiting. Xie Danhong on the side was obviously a little nervous, and looked out of the screen from time to time. She cared too much about this Oiran contest. Originally, she didn't plan to participate, but later Xie Yingying brought the script of "Du Shi Niang", which touched her heart.

These words are simply too suitable for the life of a woman in the Qinglou, and since she entered the flower world, I don't know how many times similar tragedies have happened in front of her. Those Qinglou women who hope to find a lover to entrust their lives to them, I don't know how many have been abandoned and trampled on, and they ended up in despair and death. And she herself has encountered bad people, although she is not as miserable as Du Shi Niang, but she also has a sense of kinship. So she agreed to Xie Yingying's request, on the one hand, because the script moved her, and on the other hand, Mochizuki Tower was indeed at the time of life and death. There is no way to survive the suppression, and the only way to reverse it is to win the Oiran.

But in the past half a month, Mochizuki Lou did not have a penny, but spent a lot of money on rehearsing this play. Xie Yingying took out her body, and Xie Danhong also moved her old book. When it was full, a huge sum of nearly five hundred taels of silver had been invested. How could Xie Danhong not lie in the result of this time. That's her own pension money, she has been in the flower world for so many years, but she doesn't have much savings, because she can't bear to be too exploitative of the sisters in the building. She is also from a dusty background, and she knows the joys and hardships of it.

A woman's cry came from outside the screen, mixed with a woman's scolding: "Little hoof, let you learn more skills on weekdays, but you just don't want to." In our line of work, is it as simple as lying down and stretching your legs? Now in the building of Hangzhou City Flower World, it is not Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, each has its own ability, but the old man is blind and holds you as the first card. Not motivated all day long. couldn't even pass the preliminaries, and he boasted all day long that he wanted to be an oiran, and he lost his old face. The old body can tell you that the cost of this registration will be deducted from you. What are you crying about, I knew it was like this, why didn't I get motivated on weekdays? Let's go, it's embarrassing to be ......"

The woman's angry scolding and the woman's crying gradually faded away, Xie Danhong smacked her lips and rubbed her hands and said in a low voice: "It seems that the top girl of Jinshui Pavilion has not passed the test. Hey, this is the sixth loss in a row. Thirty people are vying for five seats, which is too difficult. It's so unfair, why did you give away ten seats in the morning? Ay! ”

Xie Yingying frowned and said to Xie Danhong: "Mom, you are so anxious, it makes me nervous." Don't be nervous, okay? You've been fidgeting, and you're very upset. Didn't we say yes? If I can't even pass the preliminary round, I'll take full responsibility. After the Oiran contest I ...... I'll comb the cage and start picking up customers. ”

Xie Danhong hurriedly said: "Yingying, mother didn't mean that. That's it, mom shouldn't make you nervous. I'll just go out and stay. Let you be alone. ”

Xie Danhong sighed and walked out, and heard someone outside shouting: "Moon Tower, Miss Xie Yingying." Please enter the hall to participate. ”

Xie Danhong turned around suddenly, but saw Xie Yingying slowly get up, grabbed the pipa on the spring stool next to her and hugged it in her arms.

"Oh, it's coming!" Xie Danhong replied repeatedly.