sbdcsierra Chapter 355: Unparalleled Beauty vs. 720
Chapter 355: Unparalleled Beauty vs. 720
As the time of Si hour got closer, the faces of the people waiting became more and more excited.
"Come here, come here——"
Someone shouted.
When everyone heard the sound and looked, they saw a large sedan chair slowly approaching, carried by eight strong men.
The sedan has light-colored gauze curtains hanging on all four sides, and the roof is supported by a huge canopy supported by wooden poles from front to back. There are exquisitely lacquered railings on three sides of the sedan.
A string of small bells was hung on the four corners of the sedan chair's eaves. As the sedan bearer walked, the sedan chair swayed, the light-colored gauze curtains scented with scent moved in the wind, and the bells made clear and crisp tinkling sounds.
The distant sound of bells came slowly along with the misty fragrant breeze, adding a sense of mystery to the woman playing the zither behind the gauze curtain.
"This is Hua Manlou's sedan chair!" Someone noticed the sign hanging on the sedan chair and immediately shouted loudly and made way for passage.
The sedan chair carried by these eight people was simply too big.
When the sedan chair stopped under the Huayu Terrace, a pair of white hands slowly lifted the gauze curtain that made the vision blurry, and the onlookers immediately exclaimed in amazement.
Such white hands and such tender skin.
When Xianxian came out of the sedan, she was wearing a rose-scented bra made of shaggy gauze, a soft green silk skirt with scattered flowers tied around her waist, and a white plum blossom gauze dress as thin as a cicada's wing on the outside, which dragged on the ground.
Her waist is as slender as a willow, her collarbone is faintly visible, and her skin is fair, which instantly attracts attention.
"Wow-- "
Some people couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, praising it for being worthy of being the main pillar of Hua Man Lou and being so beautiful!
Before the competition even started, most people already favored the slim girl.
Xianxian was pleased to hear the compliments coming from everywhere. She looked around but didn't see Qu Xinyue coming, so she asked in a teasing tone.
"Didn't you see Miss Qu from Guiyin Pavilion? Why hasn't she shown up so late? Is she scared?"
"Oh, Xianxian seems to have said something wrong. I know it's not good to think of Miss Qu like this, but if Miss Qu doesn't want to compete, why is she teasing everyone? Hey!"
Some men have been completely bewitched by Xianxian, and when they heard Xianxian's regretful and self-blaming words, they felt extremely distressed for her.
"Miss Xianxian, we support you!"
"Miss Xianxian is so kind. We don't blame you. If we want to blame someone, we should blame Miss Qu from Guiyin Pavilion. She agreed to the competition but then went back on her word and left us here. It's really disrespectful of us!"
Xianxian received support from most people. She showed a shy and grateful smile on her face and kept nodding to thank those who supported her.
But deep down she despised those who supported her, thinking they were nothing more than peddlers.
These people have no money at all. If it weren't for ruining the reputation of Guiyin Pavilion and Qu Xinyue, she wouldn't want to put on a show.
After all, gossip can make a person lose his temper. As long as Guiyin Pavilion and Qu Xinyue have a bad reputation, customers will no longer choose Guiyin Pavilion.
"Who said I didn't come?" Suddenly, a sweet and soft voice came.
Qu Xinyue walked out from the crowd. She was wearing a pure white dress with a silver-white gauze coat on the outside. She went out with plain makeup, except that she had a white silk scarf on her face to cover her features.
No one expected that Qu Xinyue would make such a plain appearance. After all, Hua Manlou's Xianxian's appearance before was so gorgeous.
Xianxian didn't expect that Qu Xinyue had already arrived and was hiding in the crowd. She felt like she was caught saying bad things about someone behind their back.
However, she was only uncomfortable for a moment, and soon she adjusted herself thick-skinnedly, pretending nothing had happened, and asked Qu Xinyue.
"What talent will Miss Qu be competing in today?"
Qu Xinyue, whose skills had already been fully maxed out, spoke indifferently.
"Whatever talent you show, I'll show you."
Xianxian almost laughed out loud at Qu Xinyue's frivolous tone.
She had long been famous for her talent in Huamanlou, and many distinguished guests came for her talent.
Well, since Qu Xinyue is determined to get slapped in the face, she won’t be polite!
Xianxian spoke confidently.
"Then let's perform a dance, calligraphy and painting as one."
Qu Xinyue nodded and said, "Just dance, write and draw at the same time, no problem with that."
The requirement is that while painting and writing, one must maintain graceful dancing posture, and the final painting or calligraphy must also have high appreciation value.
Xianxian: "But how about the high-end game we played today?"
Her voice brought Qu Xinyue back to her senses, so she raised her eyebrows and asked, "What is a high-end game?"
As they were talking, someone came up carrying a basket of hairpin flowers.
The people watching were also curious about what the high-end game that Miss Xianxian was talking about was. At this time, there was already a lot of discussion.
Xianxian explained the doubts to everyone.
"The so-called high-end game is that one hairpin costs one hundred taels. We divide the Yuhuatai into two. We each perform on one side, and the number of votes is determined by the number of hairpins we get. How about that?"
'hiss--"
"One hundred taels for a hairpin?!"
"Oh my God, even if our whole family didn't eat or drink for three years, we still couldn't save a hundred taels!"
……
The huge amount of one hundred taels caused a lot of discussion among the onlookers.
Xianxian glanced at the audience obscurely.
Several of them were old customers who had already made arrangements.
These people had already agreed to support her. In addition, Hua Manlou's mother also helped her arrange people to throw the hairpin flowers.
In this round, Xianxian thought that she had done it foolproof.
After all, there were rumors that Master Nan Ze, who had spent a large sum of money on Guiyin Pavilion a few days ago, had left the capital for a long journey.
This situation would definitely catch Guiyin Pavilion off guard. Without any preparation, they would not win at all.
At this time, someone hung up two canvases high and brought up two large brushes.
And two small buckets of ink.
The crowd had never seen such a scene before, and they were all interested and curious, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to watch.
Qu Xinyue looked at the brush handed to her and reached out to take it.
Countless people had already gathered on the second floor of a teahouse not far from Yuhuatai.
Most of these people were girls from other Meirenlou who had heard about the competition between Huamanlou and Guiyin Pavilion and had booked seats early, or they were businessmen and children of officials who came to watch the fun.
These talented people pride themselves on their status and will not crowd in with the common people downstairs.
As the pianist's music began, Xianxian moved confidently.
The brush dipped in ink painted stroke by stroke on the huge canvas as she danced lightly.
Qu Xinyue took a slow step, not because she didn't have a painting or dance in mind.
But just now when she picked up the brush covered with ink, she felt something was wrong.
The brush head is shaking a little bit. Brushes are heavy to begin with, and with the unstable brush head, the resulting calligraphy or painting is likely to be very unsatisfactory.
Just as Qu Xinyue was hesitating whether to change a brush, two pillars of the Yaqing Pavilion were talking in a low voice behind the viewing platform on the second floor of the teahouse not far away.
"Yunyun, who do you think will win?"
The girl named Yunyun has delicate eyebrows and eyes, and her long jet-black hair falls on her shoulders. She is an elegant and quiet beauty.
Yunyun looked at Miss Ruoxue beside her, smiled, shook her head, and spoke softly.
"I don't know, but I see that Miss Xianxian is full of confidence, and now the calligraphy is half done, the characters flow smoothly, and the brushstrokes are delicate. It can be predicted that it will be a good work."
Ruoxue smiled sweetly and nodded in agreement: "I agree with you. Guiyin Pavilion lost."
At this time, other teahouses on the second floor were also discussing the same topic.
Few people are optimistic about Qu Xinyue.
Meanwhile, below the Yuhua Terrace, the discussions grew louder, with everyone wondering why the contestant from Guiyin Pavilion hadn't made a move yet?
If you don't move now, the slender girl in Hua Manlou will be finished!
At this moment, Qu Xinyue suddenly moved.
She dropped the large brush in her hand to the ground.
Just when everyone was wondering whether Qu Xinyue had given up, she suddenly shook her sleeves.
The originally stacked sleeves spread out and turned into long water sleeves.
When Qu Xinyue came, she didn't know what talent she was going to compete in. She happened to see this long-sleeved dress among the dance dresses that Rong's mother had prepared for her.
On weekdays, stack the sleeves up and it looks like an ordinary white dress.
If you roll down your sleeves, the length of the sleeves will be longer than the length of your arms, about 1.5 to 1.6 meters.
Qu Xinyue dipped her pure white long sleeves into the ink.
"Huh? What is she doing? Wouldn't her skirt be dirty?" someone asked in confusion.
Just when everyone was confused, Qu Xinyue suddenly threw away the long sleeves in the ink bucket.
Her waist was soft as cotton wool, curled and stretched, and as her body spun at high speed, she swung her ink-soaked long sleeves violently onto the white canvas.
The audience was suddenly in an uproar.
This...what is this for?
On the other side of the stage, Xianxian was almost done with her calligraphy and painting. When she heard the unusual noises from the crowd, she distracted herself and looked towards Qu Xinyue.
She knew that there was something wrong with the brush given to Qu Xinyue, and thought that everyone's exclamations were because Qu Xinyue made a fool of herself during the performance.
But when Xianxian looked over, what she saw was not the embarrassing scene of Qu Xinyue as she had thought, but Qu Xinyue's graceful dance with her long sleeves fluttering and her skirt flowing.
Qu Xinyue had long since given up the brush and used her long sleeves and hands as pens, constantly patting and smearing to paint.
On the canvas, a majestic ink painting has emerged.
That imposing mountain ridge stands tall and majestic!
The misty and lingering clouds represent the tranquility and peace that I have experienced away from the hustle and bustle of the world!
The black and white rocks make the best use of black, white and gray colors!
The scattered trees around add vitality and vigor to the painting!
Xianxian's pupils trembled. How could it be possible?
She was painting, but now her concentration was distracted, her steps became disordered, and her dance instantly became ugly.
Seeing that Qu Xinyue was about to finish her calligraphy and painting, Xianxian could only grit her teeth in panic and finish her own calligraphy and painting.
But she knew that she lost this time.
But how can I be willing to accept this?
Obviously well prepared...
The pianist's playing gradually faded.
It also means it's time for a talent show.
The two calligraphy and paintings have been displayed to the public.
There were some stains of ink on Qu Xinyue's plain white dress.
She stood gracefully in front of the calligraphy painting. Her white dress stained with ink made it look like there were dots of red plum blossoms on it, adding a touch of ancient beauty.
On the other side, Xianxian looked pale and had a dazed look in her eyes.
Behind her is a painting of flowers, birds and wealth.
If it weren't for Qu Xinyue's breathtakingly beautiful scenery, after looking at the paintings for a long time, I would even feel that my soul has been baptized and purified.
With the pearls and jade in front, the delicate flower and bird painting seems a little petty.
There is no harm without comparison.
The spectators on the second floor of the teahouse not far away all had looks of surprise on their faces.
They stared at the two paintings in front of them for a long time without saying a word.
Some children of officials have been asking about Qu Xinyue's news.
Some people even thought that Qu Xinyue’s dancing posture just now looked very familiar!
Those who are smart have already suspected that the person with extraordinary talent who has recently emerged in Guiyin Pavilion is Qu Xinyue.
But it's just a guess and I dare not confirm it.
After all, the two people's external images are too different!
At this time, the voting time at Yuhuatai has arrived.
The first person to come on stage was the voting tool that Hua Manlou's mother had prepared long ago.
"Miss Hua Manlou Xianxian got five votes!" The person in charge of counting the votes shouted loudly.
"Miss Xianxian from Huamanlou got three votes!"
"Miss Xianxian from Huamanlou gets ten votes!"
……
As the number of flowers in Xianxian's hairpins increased, the people standing on the stage watching became a little uncertain.
They were all puzzled, wondering why Miss Xianxian's calligraphy and paintings, which looked not as beautiful as Miss Qu's, got so many votes?
The onlookers couldn't understand it and just thought that they might not be well-educated enough. Maybe it was really that Miss Xianxian's calligraphy and painting were more impressive?
But although there were some playboys among the spectators in the teahouse, even if they did not study, they would be exposed to calligraphy and painting from a young age.
They all saw the trick.
There is something fishy about Huamanlou’s voting!
At this time, the playboys in a private room were unhappy.
They are a group of people who get along well with Master Nan Ze.
I used to think that the Nan Ze brothers treated Qu Xinyue differently.
They were thinking, Brother Nan Ze is not in Kyoto, and now the person that Brother Nan Ze treated differently is being bullied like this?
Is this okay?
The rich young men in this private room all donated generously.
You make up a hundred, and I'll take fifty...
"Miss Qu from Guiyin Pavilion, you got thirty votes!"
The dandies looked unhappy.
They spend a lot on a daily basis, which is why they can still afford thirty hairpins.
That's because it's only a few days into the month. If it were the end of the month, they would have probably spent all their money and would have become freeloaders.
But all the money they raised was only enough to buy thirty flowers. Thirty flowers, but Hua Man Lou already had two hundred flowers!
The dandies in this private room were dejected, feeling that they had finally become the side of justice, but were powerless to do anything.
"It would be great if Brother Nan Ze was here. If Brother Nan Ze was here, would he be afraid of the mere two hundred hairpin flowers in Hua Man Lou?
Two hundred flowers, but only twenty thousand taels of silver.
To Brother Nan Ze, it's nothing!
Just when this group of dandies were at their wit's end and feeling extremely frustrated, a tall and majestic figure hurried over.
He still had his armor on and his eyes were sharp.
"Give me a hundred flowers first. I'll have my people get some money later so you can buy more." He placed a silver note worth ten thousand taels next to the basket of hairpins.
On the stage, Xianxian, who had overwhelmed Qu Xinyue with the two hundred hairpins, has recovered.
Seeing the people in the audience exclaiming in amazement, she suddenly understood something.
Many people cannot understand calligraphy and painting, but as long as the vast majority of people praise her calligraphy and painting as good, then everyone will recognize that her calligraphy and painting are the best!
Xianxian, who had just calmed down, saw Qi Yao coming hurriedly. Her eyes suddenly lit up, her heart pounded like a deer, and a sweet smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
It's him!