After three rounds of wine on Pillow-the-Stream Terrace, the bright moon gradually approached the zenith, with a few wisps of gauzelike cloud drifting beside it. Its radiant disk was reflected in the water nearby, like a silver platter fallen into the lake, seemingly close enough to scoop up with an outstretched hand.
Just as the moon drew near, the music changed in the distant pavilion at the lake's center, and two troupes of singing girls began dancing before the banquet. Lovely brows turned and flowing sleeves flew together, transforming the waterside terrace before Xing Yan into a world of flowers, wine, and revelry.
These singing girls from the Young Marquis's Residence were naturally unlike ordinary painted beauties. Every one of them was exceptionally lovely, and their dancing was exquisite beyond compare. Their soft singing and graceful movements held every guest's gaze.
As the two troupes of beauties reached the height of their dance, a radiant singer in purple floated out from their ranks. Holding a flower and swirling her sleeves, she lifted her voice:
"Among myriad flowers, where lovely hours linger, how could I let the rosy clouds drift away?
Lost in longing, still I cannot fathom my dream of three lifetimes; tenderly, a tiny touch teases the spring breeze.
Beside my singing lips, amid laughing words, my autumn-water glances fly,
And faintly a loving heart stirs, detained by the calling orioles-the homebound wild goose above the river..."
Sung sweetly to the accompanying dance, this tender song truly stirred the soul with every movement and note. Almost everyone felt their hearts flutter and their spirits sway.
The lavish performance opened Xing Yan's eyes, yet it also left him with a feeling he could not quite describe. Looking from the fragrant robes and gleaming hair before the banquet to the venison