Chapter 31 Liang Jiaojiao was clearly angry…

Chapter 31 Liang Jiaojiao was clearly angry…

With obvious anger, Liang Jiaojiao stormed towards the viewing tower on the opposite bank. She didn't try to hide her words and actions along the way, and many people immediately guessed that the singing and dancing that shouldn't have been happening on the lake was probably related to her.

Some well-informed individuals have already pieced together the relationship—a noble young man from the capital, the daughter of the prefect, and a dancer from a brothel; such a love triangle is not something one can easily witness on ordinary days.

It must be said that the young master from the capital and Miss Liang are quite remarkable. They've only just arrived and haven't even made their official debut yet, but they've already generously provided everyone with such fresh topics to discuss.

"Sister Xian'er, look! Isn't Miss Liang about to go into that viewing tower?" Zhao Danya's tone was filled with barely concealed excitement.

"..." Xiao Quexian did not answer her question, because at this moment all her attention was focused on the extremely familiar figure blocking Liang Jiaojiao.

"It's a pity it's a bit far; we can't hear anything or see their expressions clearly." It was Xiao Yan Hui who spoke up; she was currently leaning against a tree, peering towards the viewing tower.

Although he was quite annoyed by Liang Jiaojiao's accident, his gossipy nature eventually overcame his anger.

After seeing Miss Liang rushing towards the observation tower on the opposite bank with sparks flying, she no longer cared about being angry; instead, she just wanted to see how things would develop next.

Qingfu was whispering "demeanor, demeanor" in Xiao Yan Hui's ear, trying to make his young lady pay attention to her image instead of just watching the fun.

Unfortunately, it didn't have much effect.

If someone were to look around at this moment, they would notice that there are quite a few young women relaxing their demeanor and watching the melons under the cover of trees and flowers. It should be said that ever since Liang Jiaojiao made a high-profile move towards the viewing tower, many of the young ladies who had gradually dispersed from the lakeside have all turned back without making a sound.

"Wow! The people at the door couldn't stop Miss Liang. She went in! She went in!" Xiao Yan heard a low exclamation coming from behind a bush not far away.

After the initial amazement, all sorts of opinions followed.

"I wonder what kind of chaos will ensue inside the observation tower?" This person regrets not being able to see the whole thing.

"She does have the demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family, as she didn't make things difficult for the dancer." This person was trying their best to find something positive about Miss Liang.

"I think that dancer deserves a lesson. Doesn't she know what kind of occasion this is? To dance like that, if gossip spreads, it could not only ruin everyone's reputation." This oddball took the mud that everyone was trying to shun and poured it back on himself.

"What nonsense are you talking about? It must be a popular dance in the capital. We're just curious because we've never seen it before."

"That's right, that's right, our Jiangzuo region is still somewhat isolated."

"Yes, we don't go out often, so it's understandable that we haven't seen these novel dances before."

Just as everyone was speaking in unison, admitting for the first time that it was their own lack of knowledge that was the problem, rather than the dance itself, a clear and melodious sound, like tearing silk, suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of a flute.

To be fair, this was the prefect's family, and their ability to react and handle situations on the spot was quite strong. The dance on the lake had ended, but the performance was not over.

Two more awning boats on the lake shore rowed out to the sound of flutes. After the first clear and melodious flute music, as the boats slowly came to a stop, the flute music changed its tune, becoming as ethereal and lingering as a wisp of silk, full of a rich exotic flavor.

Just as everyone was captivated by the mysterious melody, a blazing fire dragon suddenly spewed out of the cabin without warning.

"Ah!" Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, a foreigner with a colorful robe, a high nose, and deep-set eyes emerged from the fire, playing a flute.

With a "whoosh," another handful of flames scattered out of thin air, and the mysterious flute music was mixed with the clear and melodious sound of bells. A graceful figure appeared out of thin air amidst the scattered fireworks.

A young girl dressed in a light blue gauze dress glided out from the fireworks. Her face was covered by a light veil, and small golden bells hung all over her body. Her figure was as slender as a tender willow in early spring.

She wasn't standing; instead, she arched her body backward at an incredible angle, her slender waist twisting as if boneless. As the music grew more mysterious, the girl's arms twisted and extended, her body flowing and contorting like water, displaying various postures that surpassed the limits of human endurance. It was clear that the girl's contortionist skills were extremely refined.

After another burst of flames, the girl plunged into the lake with her legs together, her long skirt billowing out, revealing a snake's tail beneath.

Even though they knew in their hearts that this was a trick often used in illusions, the people on the shore were still amazed and mesmerized.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the girl exerted her strength, executing a "Snake's Tail Sweep," instantly unleashing a torrent of water that cascaded down onto the piper on the boat. Sparks flew and water splashed everywhere. On the small awning boat, illusion and contortionist techniques perfectly orchestrated a spectacular battle between a demon hunter and a beautiful snake woman.

Compared to this thrilling and visually stunning spectacle, the previously suspected erotic dance seemed utterly unremarkable. Even some less perceptive viewers began to reflect on whether they had been overthinking things.

Actually, they just arranged a dance performance.

......

"The lady has arrived!" Just as the performance on the awning boat ended and everyone was still enjoying themselves, a slightly drawn-out voice came from the moon gate in the garden. Immediately afterwards, a group of people slowly emerged from the moon gate.

Leading the group was naturally the Prefect's wife. Following closely behind her were dozens of wives of prominent families in Jiangzuo, excluding the maids and servants. They had all brought generous gifts and their younger family members, thus supporting the Prefect's wife both financially and personally.

These ladies had previously visited the Jingming Courtyard, where the Prefect's wife entertained guests, while the younger generation who came with them were sent to play in the garden on their own.

Xiao Yan looked around the crowd and saw her mother chatting with a plump and healthy woman beside her, and they seemed to be getting along very well.

Closer to the prefect's wife, the ladies walking around were mostly accompanied by young women. Judging from their obviously closer relationship with the prefect's wife, these were likely the female relatives of the prefect's colleagues or subordinates.

Although they were all there to attend today's flower viewing party, they clearly formed a more upscale inner circle.

Suddenly seeing such a large group of people enter, mostly elders, the lakeside and waterside pavilions, which had been bustling with activity due to the performance on the lake, fell silent for a moment. Then, all the young women subconsciously straightened their posture, composed themselves, and put on the most dignified and perfect smiles.

"Don't be shy, don't be shy. I love seeing you young girls so lively and cheerful. If you become shy when you see me, I'll be very sad." As soon as the prefect's wife saw this, she immediately walked and smiled as she told the girls not to be shy.

He seemed quite cheerful and amiable.

The prefect's wife was supposed to be over forty, but her fair skin had a healthy glow, and her round face made her look like she was only in her early thirties. She was younger and more energetic than the wives of the county and prefectural officials around her.

"Greetings, Madam!" As she walked, girls kept coming forward to greet her. She smiled gently at them all, telling them there was no need for such formalities, and occasionally she would chat with those she found pleasing to the eye and offer a few words of praise.

It's no exaggeration to say that the place only truly came alive with the arrival of this prefect's wife.

"We old women tend to talk a lot when we start chatting, and we've said a few extra words at the beginning, so we've neglected the young ladies," the prefect's wife said with a smile after she had settled down.

"Although the girls have been kept waiting for quite a while, the garden is full of beautiful flowers and scenery, and the madam even specially arranged such a wonderful program for them, so the girls' wait was not in vain." The madam of the prefect had barely finished speaking when she tactfully added what she wanted to say.

"They still have their trump card up their sleeve, we can watch it later." The prefect's wife didn't dwell on the topic, and gave a wink to the servants around her.

The man then stepped forward and clapped three times loudly.

"I have just arrived in Jiangzuo, and you may not know this yet. I am a shrewish woman who always dotes on the girls, but I love to make things difficult for the young men. The more outstanding the young man, the more I love to make things difficult for him. Today, all the people who have come here are talented young men from various families. Since they have come to my flower-viewing banquet, they cannot be easily let off the hook."

The governor's wife's words were so amusing that all the women in the household burst into laughter.

As she spoke, the servants in the garden, having received instructions, began to move. Then everyone saw that the flower walls in the garden had moved, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, these flower walls had formed a long floral partition.

But this partition neither blocks sound nor completely obstructs the view. You can even vaguely see the figures on the other side through the gaps between the leaves and flowers.

Looking at people through the flowers creates a more hazy, veiled beauty than usual.

"Madam has such a clever and ingenious mind," the Prefect's wife exclaimed with a smile.

"It's just a few flowers, nothing special, and I don't usually care about these things."

"It's broad daylight and in public, with elders present, so it's fine for the young people to see each other. It's just that there are so many people here today, and I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, I might bump into some young lady. That's why I'm saying this," the Prefect's wife said casually.

"The hearts of parents are always full of love and concern." Xiao Yan whispered in the First Madam's ear.

The prefect's wife clearly understood that Liang Jiaojiao's previous behavior was inappropriate. At this moment, she seemed to say nothing, but in fact, she was constantly trying to cover up for her.

"You talk too much." The First Madam glared at Xiao Yan, warning her not to speak so recklessly, and then led her to look at the plump and healthy woman.

"This is Mrs. Huo. What do you think of her? Young Master Huo looks about seven or eight parts like her. She is good-looking and has a very strong physique. It is said that the Huo family members are all good-natured. I chatted with her for a while just now, and she is indeed easy to get along with."

The first wife acted quickly; before anything was even settled, she was already considering the Huo family's wife's temperament.

While the mother and daughter were chatting, the ladies in front of them were quite efficient. In just a short while, they wrote a stack of questions and had them delivered to the male guests.

During this time, the lady mentioned the distinguished guests from the capital and the Prince of Cheng, but the prefect's wife brushed it off with a few words.

It wasn't that the Prefect's wife didn't want to show off, but Prince Cheng had specifically requested to enter through the side gate where no one was around, and she simply couldn't understand what the Prince was thinking.

If you're not interested, then don't come. You're here and then you put on this show of not wanting to be seen, making her, the host, wonder whether she should introduce him to everyone.

These so-called distinguished guests are all incredibly difficult to deal with.

However, the governor's wife soon stopped feeling troubled.

While the women were still chatting elegantly, the men were getting restless. Before the prefect's wife could even send someone to inquire, a servant came to deliver a message:

"His Highness the Prince said that the withered lotus flowers on our side look very picturesque from afar, and asked if any of you gentlemen and ladies would like to compose a poem. His Highness said that he has a recommendation quota for the Imperial Academy, which can be used as a lucky draw."

"What a joke!" Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. What exactly did this Prince want to do?