The fragrance of sandalwood lingered as the pipa's notes echoed like an intermittent heartbeat.
Su Xingyao walked through the main hall of Peach Blossom House, her gaze fixed straight ahead. From the second floor came the broken melody of a pipa as a courtesan leaned against the railing, tuning her instrument. Drunken young masters stumbled down the stairs arm in arm, while in the corner, a merchant poured wine for the woman in his embrace, her silver hairpin glinting in the lamplight. Several familiar sisters spotted her return, their mouths agape in surprise, yet they dared not speak.
"Why are these accounts wrong again?" Madam Liu's voice carried from the back hall.
"Mother."
The account book fell to the ground with a distinctly clear thud in the silence. Madam Liu turned, her eyes flashing with joy, pain, and an indescribable complexity. Her outstretched hand trembled slightly in mid-air, wanting to caress her most beloved daughter's face, yet she held back.
"Xingyao..." She took Su Xingyao's hand, only to find it was no longer as soft as before. "All these years at the Zhao mansion..."
"I want to participate in the courtesan selection banquet," Su Xingyao's voice was quiet but firm as steel.
"The courtesan selection? But aren't you already a married woman?"
"Mother, you haven't changed, always advising me against difficult endeavors." Su Xingyao continued as if she hadn't heard the question.
Madam Liu froze, then understood: "I see, I see, you'll be a qing ji then." Seeing her slight nod, she sighed: "Come, your old room has been occupied, I'll arrange another fine chamber for you." With that, she snatched the bundle from her hands.