Chapter 106: The Premier Songstress of the Dongguan Kingdom

“Son! Come down right now! You’re a scholar! Are you really going to ruin your reputation for her sake?”

The woman calling out was the same elder who had been idly embroidering at the alley entrance that day. The young man on the stage was her son, a scholar.

The scholar paid no heed to his mother’s words until the madam summoned the doctor to carry Xiangling off the stage.

“It’s just exhaustion. A little rest, and she’ll wake soon,” the doctor said reassuringly.

His words eased the young man’s worry. He quietly gazed at Xiangling’s sleeping face, gently stroking her disheveled hair.

To him, Xiangling was the most beautiful girl in the world. He was determined to take her away from this place, to raise her with his teaching salary.

“Son! Come out here! Let me through!” The embroidery elder still shouted from behind the human wall formed by the servants.

Soon, a group arrived wielding sticks, driving the scholar away.

Each blow landed silently on his back; he bore it without a word, his heart only on the girl resting in his arms.

Outside, the elder finally broke free and yanked the scholar up by his clothes, slapping him hard.

“Have you truly been bewitched by a fox spirit? Look at the women here—are they clean?”

The madam, feeling a pang of sympathy, called off the servants beating the scholar.

Hearing the elder’s words, the madam felt anger rise within her. She had once been a courtesan herself—what was wrong with these women earning their living by their own means?

Though she thought this, she still maintained a facade of politeness.

Many onlookers had now gathered near the stage, mostly gossiping women.

“Madam, this young master often visits our establishment. The servants were just ignorant, and it was wrong to lay hands on him. Please don’t take it to heart,” the madam explained with a smile.

“Don’t take it to heart? That’s my son you’re talking about, and you just hit him because you pleased? I think—”

“Mother!” the scholar interrupted.

Xiangling in his arms was slowly waking. Seeing the scholar’s face, weak but familiar, she whispered, “Master Duan… you’ve been here all along…”

The scholar tightened his embrace around the delicate jade in his arms—she was his treasure; he would not allow her to suffer any harm.

“Xiangling, I’m here. I’m always here,” he comforted. Hearing that, she relaxed completely in his arms.

“Mother, since today you’ve seen Xiangling, I will tell you—I intend to marry her and redeem her freedom.”

At these words, the embroidery elder was furious and immediately threatened to cast her unworthy son out.

Xiangling nestled silently in the scholar’s arms, afraid to breathe lest she be caught in the storm.

“Say that again!”

“Mother, I want to redeem Xiangling and make her my wife,” the scholar repeated firmly, neither humble nor defiant.

No sooner had he spoken than the elder’s palm struck his cheek.

“I raised you to adulthood, and this is how you repay me? Say it again—are you really going to marry her?”

Tears welled in the elder’s eyes as she pointed to the motionless Xiangling in her son’s embrace.

“My son loves Xiangling and wants to make her his wife!”

At last, tears fell to the ground.

“Fine, if you insist on marrying her, then consider me no longer your mother! I’ll pretend I never had a son!” With that, the elder bent over and left the establishment, leaving behind a crowd of spectators and the scholar’s companions.

The stage was still alive with fervent performance, but the audience had dwindled to a sparse few.

The scholar handed the madam the savings of his lifetime—an amount equal to the price of two courtesans, befitting a top star.

Satisfied, he took Xiangling to the private residence he had purchased. It was small, just enough for the two of them.

“Xiangling, we will never be apart again.”

A smile graced Xiangling’s face, but her mind drifted elsewhere, lost in thought.

The embroidery elder, having left the establishment, returned home. It was just her and her son there; her husband had passed early, and now her son had left. The house felt empty.

She believed her son was merely blinded by infatuation and would return once he suffered hardship.

At first sight of Xiangling, the elder’s intuition told her this woman was no ordinary person. But since her son was so deeply entangled, perhaps only bitter experience would bring him back to his senses.

Because of the scholar’s departure, half the patrons left the establishment. Thankfully, the scholar’s redemption money filled the financial gap.

In this contest, their establishment had been utterly defeated.

Meanwhile, at the other theater, the atmosphere was lively, crowded but orderly.

“I knew that Miss Luo Yue was far too talented to lip-sync! Have you all seen clearly now?”

While a farce unfolded at the other establishment, here the absurd rumor of Luo Yue’s fake singing was decisively debunked.

People freely approached the stage to offer flowers to Luo Yue, and those nearby could clearly hear her genuine voice.

Some spectators who had doubted her showed regret; they should have trusted Miss Luo Yue.

Her talent conquered their senses—this theater was truly the premier establishment!

Miss Luo Yue was the greatest songstress in Dongguan.

And now, she was sure to gain another title: the foremost qin player as well.

The young dancers had already left the stage after the final act. The theater offered them as much spotlight as Luo Yue, and they felt honored to share the stage with her.

A pity that the most graceful dancer, Nan Yan, had claimed stomach pain and did not perform.

Otherwise, the gathering of the top songstress and the foremost dancer would have surely left many breathless.

Outside, the sun was setting, the moon rising. Soon, a gentle moonlight would bathe the world.

This was the last piece of the night, the cherished “Song of the Water Tune,” often hummed by Tao Tao.

“The final piece tonight, ‘Song of the Water Tune,’ is for you all. Thank you for your support. Luo Yue expresses her gratitude.”

Luo Yue unveiled her face and drew aside the sheer veil. If before she had seemed an enigmatic beauty hidden beneath gauze, now her radiance was bold and commanding—a beauty that demanded distance.

Such was the visage of a celestial maiden. How could they let her fall into the mundane world?

Her slender finger danced upon the qin, delicate and graceful.

“When will the bright moon appear? Raising my cup, I ask the blue sky.

I wonder, in the celestial palace above, what year this night may be…”

At this moment, the entire theater fell into an unusual stillness—not the ordinary quiet, but one that calmed the soul, in harmony with all things.

A moon palace built of jade, dancing in dreams beneath the moonlight, crimson pavilions bathed in cold silver—the worldly paradise sought after by mortals.

“…May we live long and share this beautiful moonlight, though miles apart.”

Luo Yue’s music flowed with grace and depth, voice and instrument entwined in a soaring melody—heavenly music that touched the soul.