Chapter 48: Play

Yao Feng still maintained his usual expressionless face. "I wouldn't have guessed it. Though you look rather slender, kid, you're quite formidable in a fight."

Gu Yu offered a bitter smile. "You flatter me too much, Fifth Brother. I'm really not all that special."

Qian Gui chimed in, "Since you've captured Tang Haiqiu, I suppose everything is settled back at the manor. The few of us spend every day cooped up and feeling stifled in that blasted general's residence. Why don't we all go out and have some fun together?"

"This..." Gu Yu and Fang Wei exchanged glances.

"That is entirely doable," Dong Xinfu's voice drifted in from outside the courtyard as he walked in. "My lords, you generously offered your help, and I originally intended to visit your residence to express my gratitude, but I was tied up with mundane affairs and couldn't break away. Who would have thought you would arrive uninvited? There is no time like the present. Let these young fellows take you gentlemen around to experience the lively and bustling sights of the capital."

Qian Gui chuckled with delight. "As it should be."

Upon seeing Dong Xinfu, Gu Yu recalled their argument from the previous night. He awkwardly looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. Dong Xinfu, however, seemed completely unbothered. "Fang Wei, Gu Yu, I'll give you both the day off today. Go fetch Wu Haichao. That rascal is well-versed in every form of eating, drinking, and merrymaking; with him around, you won't have to worry about finding a good place."

Fang Wei said, "In that case, gentlemen, please lead the way."

As they reached the entrance of the prefectural office, Wu Haichao hurried up from behind. Gu Yu lagged at the very back. Wu Haichao pulled a brocade pouch from his bosom, opened the drawstrings, and showed Gu Yu the scattered copper coins inside. Looking at him with utter confusion, Gu Yu heard Wu Haichao whisper softly, "Master gave this to me. He specifically instructed that none of us brothers are to spend our own money today; everything is covered by the old man himself."

Gu Yu felt a tremor in his heart. Observing his expression, Wu Haichao added, "Since Master serves within official circles, he is no longer a free man. He has his own hidden difficulties, so please don't make things hard for him."

"Number Six!" Fang Wei called out from the front of the procession. "Where are we planning our first stop?"

Wu Haichao let out a mischievous chuckle, trotted all the way from the rear of the group to Fang Wei's side, and bowed deeply to Yao Feng, Qian Gui, and the others. "Hear this, esteemed generals! Your humble servant is Wu Haichao. The bustling and lively spots in this capital are too numerous to count. If we were to visit them one by one, we might not finish even in a full month. The place I am taking you to today is quite simply the most entertaining haunt in our northern capital."

The soldiers' faces instantly lit up with joy. "Let's go, let's go!" Their voices were loud, and their builds were exceptionally stalwart, causing passersby on the street to turn and stare.

Wu Haichao led the group through streets and alleys for nearly a quarter of an hour before the view suddenly opened up. In a massive square, everything from medicine vendors and fortune-tellers to gambling stalls and food stalls could be found. Pedestrians wove through the area like a bustling tapestry of life. Behind the square, a spacious building came into view. The plaque above read "Qu Family Variety Theater," the largest pleasure quarter in the capital.

These veterans, accustomed only to slaughter on the battlefield, were instantly dazzled. Satisfied with their reaction, Wu Haichao smiled and said, "It's a mix of all sorts of people here. Please keep a close eye on your purses, everyone, and make sure petty thieves don't pick your pockets. Now, let's go enjoy ourselves!" Taking the lead, he squeezed into the crowd.

With food, drinks, and games all around, the soldiers felt they didn't have enough eyes. Gu Yu had been walking at the very back of the group. Seeing the soldier ahead of him stop by a vendor frying dough fritters in a boiling vat of oil that sent clouds of fragrant aroma drifting into the air, Gu Yu noticed the soldier's youthful and tender face. "Little general, what is your name?"

The soldier looked at Gu Yu and replied with an honest grin, "My name is Ma Debao."

"How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen this year." He was even two years younger than Gu Yu.

Gu Yu mentally estimated the number of people, pulled a string of copper coins from his robe, and handed them to the vendor. "Give me nine fritters." Seeing a lucrative sale, the vendor beamed with joy as he took the coins. "Honored customer, please wait just a moment."

Noticing the commotion, Wu Haichao brought the group to a halt, sidled up to Gu Yu, and muttered quietly, "Didn't I tell you not to spend your own money? Are you out of your mind?"

Gu Yu didn't answer. When the vendor finished making the fritters and handed them out to everyone, Ma Debao eagerly bit off half of one before Gu Yu could even stop him. Sure enough, Ma Debao's expression changed instantly. Panting heavily, he sputtered indistinctly, "Too hot!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Qian Gui scolded angrily, "What a disgrace!" This was one of the soldiers under his command. Taking advantage of the boy's open mouth, Gu Yu shoved the fritter in his hand right into Qian Gui's mouth. Qian Gui's face turned beet red in a flash, and Gu Yu sneered, "How does it taste?"

Qian Gui rolled his eyes at him and feigned composure. "It tastes... mmm..." Steam billowed out from both of his nostrils. Yao Feng's stern and rigid expression finally cracked, and he let out a sudden snort of laughter.

Fang Wei had already walked over carrying cold drinks—honey water simmered with red beans and osmanthus blossoms, sealed inside bamboo tubes. Qian Gui snatched one and chugged it down in large gulps. "Ah! Sweet and fragrant!"

Ma Debao had already swallowed his fritter, licked his fingers, and remarked with lingering delight, "Delicious."

Qian Gui shoved his own untouched fritter into the boy's hands. "This one's yours too." He roughly ruffled the boy's hair, messing it up completely.

Along the way, Wu Haichao kept picking up uncommon and novel snacks to buy for everyone to taste. By the time the entourage reached the Qu Family Variety Theater, all of them had their bellies completely stuffed. The sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from the courtyard. Wu Haichao led the crowd up the steps and into the grounds. The Qu Family Variety Theater housed thirteen distinct performance venues, each enclosed by railings and draped with cloth curtains that sealed them off completely. Inside the venues, seating arrangements varied in size, and the staged performances differed accordingly.

Whenever a show was underway, its title would be written down and posted along the surrounding beams. As the group walked and looked around, they spotted variety show performers alongside masters of various musical suites—a dazzling array of entertainment that left people dizzy with choices. Leading the group to one particular venue, Wu Haichao pointed to the name of the featured artist on the playbill—the junior singing courtesan Lu Shiliu—and said with glowing excitement, "This is the most renowned star in our northern capital! Lady Lu is truly peerless in her grace and breathtakingly talented. Would you gentlemen care to take a look?"

Qian Gui looked inquiringly at Yao Feng. Frowning, Yao Feng wore an expression of utmost solemnity. "Using beauty to pander to people is vulgar and utterly base... But I like it." With his deadpan face unchanged, he strode right in. Qian Gui breathed a sigh of relief, scratched his head, and muttered, "You gave me a fright. I suppose I'll go take a critical look as well."

The venue was already packed to capacity. The center of the stage was encircled by sheer gauze curtains, through which the graceful silhouette of a woman could be seen. Holding a zheng in her hands and parting her vermilion lips, every note she sang resonated directly into the listeners' ears. The piece being performed was *The Dragon and Phoenix Fate*, which recounted the romance of Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, who while hunting outside the city chased a white hare and accidentally wandered into the estate garden of Prime Minister Fu Yanqing, where he crossed paths with the prime minister's daughter, Fu Meiyong, and secretly pledged their lifelong love. Lu Shiliu's voice was plaintive and lingering, rendering the tale with such poignant tenderness that the audience in the audience burst into applause.

Fang Wei observed the reactions of Yao Feng and Qian Gui and saw that both of them had their arms crossed and were already nodding off to sleep. After a moment of thought, he rose from his seat, walked down to the front of the stage, and murmured a few words. Moments later, the gauze curtains dropped, revealing Lu Shiliu in all her true beauty. She possessed two brows resembling distant misty hills that seemed perpetually knitted in sorrow, and a pair of eyes that seemed to hold both smiles and amorous emotion. Her temperament was transcendent and ethereal, as refined and delicate as an immortal.