Back in the Ming Dynasty, the government would erect memorial arches for chaste widows. They look something like

　　弱冠 – coming of age. This refers to the capping ceremony. When men come of age at 20, they wore their hair up in a bun and wore a special cap. Here's a . And now you know how old Tingye is ?

　　I no longer have Microsoft Word, and I gave up on copy-pasting dashes right in the middle of this chapter. If you see "–", just bear with it.

　　Also, such salt from the ukes.

　　The intricate music hung in the air, shattering the silence that gripped the night. Vivid notes flowed from the young woman's pale, thin fingers. It brought to mind the poignant play of moonlight on water, the merry bubbling of a running stream. It brought to mind the sweet chime of jewelry on a , the gentle rustling of a breeze through a bamboo forest.

　　When the song ended, everyone was still. The young woman giggled and rose from her seat to make a deep curtsey. "Greetings, I am Jiang Zhaorou of Funan. Long live the emperor."

　　"Jiang Zhaorou? The renown songstress of Funan?" muttered Yan Ran while poking Shao Zitang, who was besides him.

　　"If she's not lying, then yes, that's the right Jiang Zhaorou."

　　"So it’s her then. I heard that this Jiang Zhaorou is a very proud woman. Many a rich merchant and n.o.bleman in Funan would give a fortune to hear her play but a single song, but she spurns them all. She haughtily turns them away at the door, but it only incites more young n.o.blemen to try," Yan Ran said, smiling, but there was a hint of ridicule in his eyes as he drained a cup of rice wine on the table.

　　"No matter how proud, she's still just a wh.o.r.e. There's no point in pretending to be n.o.ble and virtuous when you've fallen to prost.i.tution. Her slender jade arm has been a thousand men's pillows, her vermillion lips have been tasted ten-thousand times. Is she hoping for a chast.i.ty memorial or something?" Shao Zitang glanced at the charming woman still on the pavilion with loathing. He looked away quickly as if disgusted. "If she's so virtuous, then why does she act so seductive? Playing qin? Hah, I think she's not here to play qin, more like here to play men."

　　"Xiao Tangtang is right. Tsk tsk tsk, looks like Prince Rui's turning senile in his old age. Does he really think that by bringing this songstress to court, Our Majesty will be bewitched by such a vulgar little s.l.u.t? So naive. Even if Our Majesty liked women, there's plenty of n.o.blewomen at court. Why would he fall for a tramp like her? Even that girl from the State of Xia is better than her by…."

　　"What's wrong?" Shao Zitang was gratified by his rant, but he had no choice but to pipe up when Yan Ran suddenly stopped. He was a little baffled.