On the day of the Green House Flower Festival, the sun shone brightly, casting sparkling reflections on the water. The air was filled with the fragrance of cosmetics, intoxicating the passersby.
The scent was so thick and complex that it almost mixed into a metallic, blood-like odor.
Perhaps the rise of courtesans had always been steeped in blood.
The madam of the Hundred Flowers House felt uneasy, constantly fanning herself with a handkerchief. Although it was a cold day, she had worked up a sweat.
She had originally planned to have Zhang Baoyue perform to warm up the crowd, but she had woken up saying she didn’t feel well. Her face looked yellowish, and she appeared listless and unwell, so the madam had no choice but to give up.
Fortunately, the Hundred Flowers House did not rely solely on Zhang Baoyue. Other courtesans could go on stage and perform just as well.
The Flower Festival was a big day. The madam was busy promoting her three young girls, running around like a spinning top. For a while, she even forgot about the back rooms.
After all, the indentured contracts of the girls were in her hands. If they ran away, they would be fugitives. Where could they possibly go?
She was sure they wouldn’t dare.
The festival was held on Flower Street, where a tall stage was erected at the central crossroads. The tall buildings around were filled with customers, creating a lively atmosphere.
They were eating and drinking, chatting and laughing. Some literati who considered themselves refined were commenting on the women performing below, occasionally bursting into laughter.
When the mood struck, they might compose a poem, drawing loud applause and turning it into a tale of romantic legend.
To them, this was just a festive occasion.
But for many women, it marked the beginning of a tragic life.
Zhang Baoyue and Pucao sat in a room at the back, listening to the distant sounds of celebration. They tightly held each other’s hands, their hearts pounding.
Not long ago, they had been the commodities on display on that high stage.
Today was an annual event, and naturally, there were fewer staff members around.
The guards were inevitably drawn by the excitement outside. Since there was no activity in the back, most of them had left their posts to sneak off and watch the festivities.
Since many years had passed without any courtesan attempting to escape, they had already become complacent.
The two girls secretly removed their makeup in the room, revealing two identical sallow faces. They exchanged glances and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Zhang Baoyue thought for a moment, then took out a brow pencil from her makeup box. She thickened both of their eyebrows and added a faint bluish-black under their eyes, making them even more unremarkable.
It is said that only thirty percent of beauty comes from natural features, while seventy percent comes from makeup. Zhang Baoyue and Pucao were not exceptionally beautiful to begin with. Without makeup, their sallow faces, thick eyebrows, and dark eye bags made them look like ordinary, unremarkable women.
After a few more days of rough travel and lack of care, they would become even less noticeable.
After finishing all this, Zhang Baoyue slowly exhaled, stared at the makeup box for a while, and then snapped it shut.
This makeup box had been a gift from a patron when she was at her peak. It was carved from a single piece of sandalwood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, pearls, and gemstones, worth a fortune.
It was a symbol of her past glory, but also a mark of shame.
“I won’t need to dress up to please men anymore.”
Zhang Baoyue turned her gaze away, but after a while, she turned back, staring at the jewels on the box.
After a moment, she took out a hairpin and began prying off the gemstones one by one, not even sparing the small, fingertip-sized golden lock.
“It’s better to be poor at home but rich on the road. We don’t have any skills to make a living now, so we need some valuables to carry with us.”
Silver coins were too obvious and of limited value, and silver notes were easily damaged.
These gemstones, however, were easy to carry and didn’t take up much space. A few hidden in the hair could support them for years.
Pucao peeked through the door crack and whispered excitedly, “Sister, they’re gone!”
The guards who were supposed to watch them had finally given in to temptation and sneaked out to see the festival.
Pearls had lost their value over time, and the mother-of-pearl could not be removed. Along with the small golden lock, Zhang Baoyue managed to pry off a small bag of gemstones, about the size of chestnuts. She immediately tucked them into her chest, securing them tightly so that no one could see from the outside.
“Let’s go!”
Outside, everyone was celebrating, while the courtyard was eerily quiet, the only sound being the rustling of autumn wind through the withered branches.
Zhang Baoyue and Pucao hurried along with their heads down, and no one noticed them.
What should have been a grand gathering of customers had turned into something resembling an empty city. When they reached the street outside, they found it strangely deserted.
The fewer people, the better!
The two girls held hands, kept their heads low, and hurriedly lifted their skirts, running all the way to the street Ma Bing had mentioned. They searched anxiously.
“Sister,” Pucao’s voice trembled slightly as she pointed ahead, “Red lanterns!”
A striking red glow stood out like a flame suddenly ignited on the desolate autumn street.
Zhang Baoyue saw it too.
In fact, she was trembling as well.
They were so nervous that their hands were sweaty. When they tried to unlock the door, the key fell once, nearly making them cry with anxiety.
They didn’t know whether the guards had discovered their escape yet or if people from the Hundred Flowers House were chasing them. They only knew that the longer they delayed, the more dangerous it would become.
Zhang Baoyue took a deep breath, then slapped herself hard on the cheek. The ringing in her ears helped her calm down a bit.
On her third attempt, she aligned the key with the lock. With a click, it finally opened!
The two quickly slipped inside.
Due to nervousness, Pucao tripped over the threshold and fell, but as she got up, she saw a horse-drawn carriage already harnessed in the stable nearby.
It was a plain blue-clothed carriage, with two horses hitched in front—fast enough to flee quickly if needed.
In the corner, bundles of dry hay were stacked, and the feed and water troughs were half full. The two horses were calm and gentle, not startled by the strangers but continuing to chew hay and drink water leisurely.
Zhang Baoyue lifted the curtain and glanced inside. Half the carriage was packed full:
Grain and hay for several days, water skins, various commonly used medicines and clothes, boxes of snacks, steamed buns, and dried meat, and neatly placed on top were the official documents of identity.
Zhang Baoyue grabbed them and opened the documents. One was named Zhao Siya, the other Hu Chun.
Zhao Siya was about her age, and Hu Chun was close to Pucao’s, both from Liangzhou.
Zhang Baoyue trembled as she touched them, her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her face.
“Sister!” Pucao exclaimed in delight, feeling the inner lining of the carriage, “It’s lined with fur! Sister Ma is so thoughtful.”
There were also two thick sheepskin coats, fur hats and boots already prepared, and fur rugs laid on the bottom of the carriage.
The wind outside the city was strong and bitterly cold. A single layer of carriage wall could not keep out the chill. But with the fur lining, a small brazier inside, and wrapped in the sheepskin coats, they could even spend the night outside.
Zhang Baoyue quickly wiped away her tears and said to Pucao, “From today on, I am Zhao Siya, and you are Hu Chun.”
Pucao nodded firmly and immediately changed her address, “Sister Zhao!”
Hu Chun… she silently repeated the name in her heart, growing more delighted.
How wonderful! Chun, the vibrant spring!
“Ah!” Zhang Baoyue responded joyfully.
Everyone said the name “Zhang Baoyue” was elegant and touching, but she disliked it.
She would rather not be elegant or touching, but simply a plain country girl.
No one would have imagined that her long-held wish would come true in this way.
The two quickly changed clothes, taking off their cumbersome and complicated dresses and putting on simple, practical long coats and trousers. Then they worked together to fetch water and fill the skins. After double-checking everything, they immediately set off in the carriage.
Unless it was a holiday or there was a major case in the city, people were generally not checked when leaving the city.
The iron horseshoes clattered on the bluestone road, each sound echoing in their hearts, making them tremble with excitement.
This was the sound of freedom.
Pressure is the greatest motivation for learning. The two carefully drove the carriage, quickly becoming more familiar and less awkward.
It was still lively away from Flower Street. The roads were lined with bustling crowds and tightly packed small stalls, filled with the sounds of vendors and the smell of food, stimulating all the senses.
This was the worldly life that Zhang Baoyue and Pucao had once longed for but could never reach. But today, they dared not even glance for too long.
Faster, faster, even faster!
Get out of the city!
At this time, not many people were entering or leaving the city, so they didn’t have to wait in line. Both felt relieved and shook the reins, shouting, “Gee up!”
At last, they were leaving this prosperous hell!
The city gates stood wide open on both sides. Inside lay the bustling prosperity that countless people yearned for, while outside stretched boundless wilderness and desolation—the very freedom they had longed for.
A single gate separated two worlds.
Zhang Baoyue and Pucao exchanged glances, looking at the towering city gate and walls, momentarily feeling dazed.
Were they really leaving?
Could they really leave?
It felt like a dream.
Almost simultaneously, they turned their heads and looked back deeply at the capital city that had once given them false prosperity and glory, and where they had shed countless tears and blood.
Once, they had thought they would be buried in this city tomb, like countless other skeletons.
But now, although the tomb remained cold and terrifying, a small crack had quietly appeared—a narrow gap, but just wide enough for them to slip through.
“The carriage behind!” a city guard suddenly shouted, making both of them shudder.
Had they been discovered?
They heard the guard urge, “Are you leaving or not? You’re blocking the way for others!”
Zhang Baoyue and Pucao trembled violently, nodding frantically, “Yes, yes, we’re leaving!”
They would rather die outside than stay another moment.
As Zhang Baoyue was about to shake the reins, her half-turned gaze caught sight of a figure.
It was Ma Bing!
The Ma Bing who had promised that day would be their last meeting!
She was sitting in a tavern at the city gate, gazing at them gently.
When their eyes met, Ma Bing smiled through the flowing crowd and raised her wine bowl in a distant toast.
She moved her lips, saying a few words.
Even from afar, Zhang Baoyue couldn’t hear them, but she understood.
She said, “To freedom.”
Seeing Zhang Baoyue lost in thought, Pucao instinctively looked too, almost crying out in surprise.
The city guard urged again, and suddenly Zhang Baoyue smiled, tears streaming down her face.
She finally shook the reins, urging the carriage forward, shouting, “Gee up!”
Ma Bing drank the muddy wine in her bowl and watched the carriage, filled with hope, slowly start moving.
The wheels turned, first walking, then running, and finally galloping into the cold northwestern wind.
How vast the world outside was! In no time, the carriage had completely disappeared from sight.
Everything around remained the same, unaware that just now, two brave girls had taken control of their own destinies.
The tavern waiter was still enthusiastically greeting customers, street vendors were still shouting their wares, and a child who had just entered the city tugged at his father’s hand, staring longingly at the brightly colored clay figurines on the stalls…
Everything was so vivid.
Ma Bing sat for a while longer before standing up, paying for her drink, and slowly walking back.
The weather was wonderful, with the unique autumn sun shining fiercely, warming her entire body.
Some pigeons flew by from somewhere, cooing and flapping their white wings as they soared diagonally across the blue sky.
Ma Bing couldn’t help but stop, shielding her eyes with her hand, tilting her head, slightly narrowing her eyes, watching the pure white doves disappear into the distance.
Fly, fly!
You are free!
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