Lin Mengshu was a courtesan in Chang'an during the Sui dynasty. Perhaps she could not compare to those legendary women whose names had been passed down through the ages, but she was still somewhat famous in Chang'an at the time.
Whenever she performed, the audience below would be packed with spectators, including many young nobles, talented scholars, and renowned writers from Chang'an.
During every holiday and festival, she received countless gifts from admirers. But... even so, she still did not feel happy, despite living far better than those who could not even afford food.
But... trapped within that pleasure house, she could not leave or go outside... like a bird in a cage, unable to control her own fate.
Though she appeared glamorous to outsiders, deep down she longed for freedom. She longed for a world that belonged to her, for the romantic love found only in biographies and poetry.
Yet cruel reality bound her wings. Though she had long possessed the means to buy her freedom, how could the people behind the pleasure house give up such a lucrative cash cow?
Until one day, that poor admirer... though he possessed neither power nor influence, was exceptionally gifted with words. On her birthday, he presented her with a poem expressing his love, confessed to her, and said, "Let's elope! Leave this place, leave Chang'an, and go somewhere unfamiliar."
Hearing the words of this young man... whom she rather liked as well, Lin Mengshu felt that she ought to laugh...
Elope? Just the two of them... how could they possibly get away?
The force behind that pleasure house was an aristocratic clan of Chang'an. Though the Great Sui appeared to be ruled by the Yang family, in reality... it was the great aristocratic clans who ruled.
There were only clans that