As dusk deepened, the long street along the river gradually grew busier. Oil-paper umbrellas of every color came and went over the bluestone paving, looking from above like lotus leaves drifting with the current.
Dressed as an ordinary young gentleman, Ye Jingtang held a blue umbrella over Yu Hu's head as he surveyed the streets and lanes beneath the misty rain.
The Empress strolled leisurely beneath the umbrella, a veil covering her face. Seeing Ye Jingtang looking only at the scenery without speaking, she said:
"With so many pretty young ladies and married women on the street, you're only looking at the scenery?"
Ye Jingtang turned back, helpless. "Look not upon what is improper. Jiangzhou isn't Liangzhou. The women are more reserved here. It's rude to stare."
"So in Liangzhou, you can stare all you like?"
Ye Jingtang did not hedge, answering honestly:
"You can, but it's rather dangerous. Liangzhou is famous for its fierce folkways, men and women alike. When I was thirteen or fourteen, working escort jobs, I saw a female stronghold chief whose arms were thicker than my thighs. Even She Long would probably have looked delicate standing beside her.
"I was curious and gave her a few extra looks. Well, she turned around, saw my rosy lips and white teeth, and immediately offered my adoptive father fifty taels of silver as a betrothal gift to take me back to her stronghold on Hong Mountain as its chief. My adoptive father refused, so she raised it to a hundred and even prepared to snatch me by force. If we hadn't run fast, the consequences would've been unthinkable..."
Seeing his lingering apprehension, the Empress teased, "That was only because the chief wasn't pretty. If Miss Fan had passed through the borderlands and snatched you away, you probably would've