“Fu Ling—” Watching Fu Ling and Yue Ning move further away, Qin Wan frowned helplessly as the crowd surged in one direction, forcefully carrying her along an increasingly divergent path.
Meanwhile, Fu Ling and Yue Ning were also anxious. Fu Ling said tearfully, “Miss has been separated from us. What should we do?”
Yue Ning quickly replied, “Don’t panic. These two small streets meet at the end. We just need to follow the crowd there. Your Miss will likely be waiting for us at the endpoint.”
Fu Ling nodded hurriedly, worried about her Miss being alone, unsure if she might get bumped or hurt.
On her side, Qin Wan listened to the conversations around her and finally understood where the crowd was heading.
“The Shuang Qing Troupe hasn’t been to Jinzhou for ten years.”
“Indeed. They’re the most prestigious among the southern opera troupes. I heard only noble families in the capital can attend their performances. Now they’re returning to Jinzhou, showing their roots and blessing us common folk.”
“Yes, how could we common folk usually afford their shows?”
Listening to the discussions, Qin Wan was carried forward by the crowd and suddenly understood. The Shuang Qing Troupe had come to perform at Jinzhou’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. No wonder everyone was so enthusiastic. The Shuang Qing Troupe had risen to prominence in Jinzhou and Jian Prefecture more than ten years ago as a legitimate southern opera troupe. Over the past decade, they had become increasingly famous, their reputation in the capital rivaling that of the northern troupes based there. Though their tickets weren’t impossible to get, many nobles patronized their performances.
She wondered what attraction had drawn the other group that Fu Ling had gone with.
As Qin Wan pondered this, looking ahead, she suddenly realized this street seemed to meet the other one at its end. Reassured, she decided to follow the crowd. Soon, she heard vigorous drum music – the Shuang Qing Troupe had begun warming up!
Wearing her mask, which appeared quite fierce, people kept their distance from Qin Wan. Looking around, she noticed most others also wore masks, though theirs featured auspicious beasts and birds with beautiful patterns. Unconcerned, Qin Wan continued following the crowd forward until she saw the Shuang Qing Troupe’s venue.
The troupe had taken over an entire teahouse, clearing it out and extending the stage from inside to outside. Currently, musicians were seated on the left side of the stage, while curtains hung across the main stage. Faint singing could be heard from behind – presumably, the performers rehearsing. Though Qin Wan hadn’t previously enjoyed opera, her mother had loved it, so from the musicians’ melody and the singing, she could guess which performance was coming.
“Will Master Qing Li perform today?”
“Today’s ‘Meeting at the Celestial Bridge’ is Master Qing Li’s specialty!”
“No way! Master Qing Li has long been the troupe leader. Unless specifically requested by capital nobility, no one gets to hear her sing anymore. The troupe now has two famous younger performers, Qing Lan and Qing Xian, both Master Qing Li’s disciples. Qing Xian is performing today.”
The people around Qin Wan were troupe supporters, readily sharing the performers’ names. Qin Wan knew none of this. If Fu Ling and Yue Ning were here, she might have stayed to watch “Meeting at the Celestial Bridge,” but knowing Fu Ling must be worried, she pushed forward through the crowd. After a few steps, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
In the crowd to her left front, someone was also trying to leave. The blue robe was extremely familiar – who else could it be but Yue Qing? Qin Wan frowned. Had Yue Qing finished escorting Princess Tai Chang and come looking for them?
Qin Wan shook her head. Impossible. An Yang Marquis’s boat had come from a different direction than theirs. If it was Yue Qing, there was no reason he could have gotten ahead of her. But if not him, then who?
As these questions arose in her mind, her feet had already started moving. She squeezed through the crowd following that person’s direction. Finally breaking free of the crowd, she saw the person run into a small alley beside the street, their figure disappearing in a flash.
Qin Wan pressed her lips together, hesitated for just a moment, then followed.
Fu Ling and Yue Ning also didn’t know why the crowd was pushing forward, but soon they understood. At the end of this street, wealthy city residents were distributing relief grain and blessed money!
Fu Ling looked around, seeing mostly simply dressed commoners had come this way, while the well-dressed had gone Qin Wan’s way. Fu Ling pressed her lips together, keeping her head down as she walked forward, wishing she could reach the street’s end in two steps.
Fortunately, the grain and money line moved quickly. When Fu Ling and Yue Ning reached the end, barely half a cup of tea’s time had passed. Yue Ning walked across a cross street and looked toward Qin Wan’s direction, immediately seeing the Shuang Qing Troupe’s stage. She smiled wryly, “So the Shuang Qing Troupe is performing. Let’s wait; she’s probably still pushing through the crowd.”
Fu Ling knew of the Shuang Qing Troupe. Though performers had low status in Great Zhou, those who became famous and had patrons wielded considerable influence. Just mentioning the Shuang Qing Troupe’s name would draw countless officials and nobles to watch.
“Everyone’s gathered at the stage. Why hasn’t Miss come out yet?”
Fu Ling twisted her sleeves worriedly. Yue Ning narrowed her eyes and walked forward two steps. Looking around, her brows immediately furrowed. The crowd was packed three layers deep, blocking the street entrance. It would take considerable effort for Qin Wan to get through.
“Don’t worry, she should be able to spot us. Come, let’s stand somewhere visible.”
With the crowd gone to watch the Shuang Qing Troupe perform, the street entrance was clear. Yue Qing led Fu Ling a few steps to the side where they would be easily visible. Yue Ning trusted that with Qin Wan’s intelligence, she would know how to find them quickly.
The two had moved quickly, and by Yue Ning’s estimation, Qin Wan should have pushed through within half a cup of tea’s time. However, after nearly a full cup of tea’s time, Qin Wan still hadn’t appeared!
“Why hasn’t Miss come out yet? Did she take a wrong turn?”
Fu Ling worried endlessly. “Please wait here, Princess. Let me go in and look for Miss.”
Yue Ning grabbed Fu Ling and was about to advise her when a gentle call came from behind.
“Sister, have you also come to watch the Shuang Qing Troupe’s performance?”
Yue Ning turned around to see Yue Jia and the others approaching. Yue Jia and Yan Chi carried nothing, but Wei Yan Zhi held a lantern and a small peach wood sword. Yue Jia called out, but scanning the scene, he sensed something amiss. Just as he was about to ask, Yue Ning said gravely, “Brother, Qin Wan has disappeared…”
As her words fell, the faces of all three men changed dramatically.