“After countless calls, she finally appears, still half-hiding her face behind the pipa.”
When Bai Juyi wrote this line years ago, did he secretly mock the pipa player for being coy and affected?
Xu Qi An certainly felt that the courtesan named Hong Xiu was rather affected, or perhaps held herself in too high regard. She arrived fashionably late in the second half of the tea party, giving a light, indifferent laugh as she held her wine cup and said:
“This humble one was feeling unwell and rested for a moment. I hope the gentlemen won’t take offense.”
She drank a cup of wine as an apology, then showed no further expression.
However, she did dutifully act as the game master, playing drinking games. Well, since everyone present was of low rank, they certainly weren’t playing elegant games, but rather finger-guessing and dice-rolling.
Her smile was overly professional… Her back remained straight, her body slightly stiff, indicating she hadn’t truly immersed herself in the atmosphere… She seemed averse to physical contact with the guests. When I touched her hand earlier, there was disgust in her eyes…
Conclusion: She looks down on martial artists.
Xu Qi An liked to observe people’s micro-expressions and subtle movements. These details were, to some extent, a reflection of their inner thoughts.
This was a remnant of his former professional habits.
Hong Xiu’s behavior reminded Xu Qi An of his first meeting with Courtesan Fu Xiang. That day, the famous courtesan from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau had also displayed a superficially polite but inwardly distant attitude.
However, Fu Xiang’s professional ethics were higher, and she didn’t show it so blatantly, while Hong Xiu was quite obvious about it.
Of course, Fu Xiang was the top courtesan of the Imperial Capital’s Entertainment Bureau. How could Yuzhou compare to the Imperial Capital, where distinguished officials and nobles gathered?
Apart from professional ethics, in terms of appearance, Hong Xiu was undoubtedly extremely beautiful, possessing the soft beauty and delicate temperament of Jiangnan women.
She always ended her sentences with “ya” or “ne,” sounding soft and gentle, as if she were talking to a lover no matter who she was addressing.
“This humble one will play a tune for the gentlemen,” Hong Xiu said with a gentle smile.
“Hong Xiu’s qin skills are unparalleled in Yuzhou’s Entertainment Bureau. Now that you’ve come to our Yuzhou Entertainment Bureau, you must listen to Hong Xiu’s music,” the official from the Canal Transportation Office immediately flattered.
This was like introducing local specialties to distinguished guests from afar, praising them as much as possible.
After the tune ended, the Canal Transportation official raised his cup with a smile: “What do you think, gentlemen?”
Song Tingfeng, being an old hand, quickly raised his cup and took over the conversation: “It’s on par with Courtesan Fu Xiang from the Imperial Capital’s Entertainment Bureau.”
There’s still quite a gap… Xu Qi An wasn’t favoring his lover; he was purely evaluating from an objective standpoint.
Fu Xiang’s qin skills were as superb as her oral skills.
“Is that the Fu Xiang of ‘Slanting shadows cross the shallow water, a hidden fragrance floats on the yellow dusk of the moon’?” The Canal Transportation official’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Although Yuzhou was far from the Imperial Capital, this poem had been circulating for some time. Through correspondence between scholars, it had spread to the literary circles of various states.
These two lines of poetry were widely circulated, with even more popularity than “Don’t worry that there are no kindred spirits ahead, who in the world doesn’t know you?”
“That’s right,” Song Tingfeng said.
“It’s rumored that Courtesan Fu Xiang is of unparalleled beauty, a top-tier beauty in the world,” the Canal Transportation official asked expectantly.
This was the filter of fame. Fu Xiang was the most famous courtesan in the Imperial Capital. With such a halo, in the eyes of men who frequented pleasure houses, she was practically a goddess.
Courtesan Hong Xiu’s smile stiffened slightly, showing some displeasure.
In her courtyard, discussing a big name in the same industry so enthusiastically made her feel like she was losing face.
Song Tingfeng seemed not to notice Hong Xiu’s displeasure. He chuckled oddly and pointed at Xu Qi An, saying, “You should ask him about that.”
Xu Qi An said calmly, “She’s alright. Among the beauties I’ve seen, she could rank in the top five.”
As he said this, images of various beauties flashed through his mind: Aunt, Ling Yue, Huai Qing, Lin’an, the Female Guru, Chu Caiwei…
Is that so?
Everyone couldn’t help but glance at Xu Qi An a few times.
“You jest, sir. You really know how to joke,” the Canal Transportation official laughed dryly.
“It’s not a joke,” the usually silent Zhu Guangxiao spoke up, explaining to his colleague: “Fu Xiang is his lover.”
…The Canal Transportation official’s face almost couldn’t hold its composure. He struggled to manage his expression to avoid laughing out loud.
Fu Xiang is his lover? The number one courtesan of the Imperial Capital would fall for such a crude martial artist like you?
Why not say a princess is your lover, or that mysterious Female Guru is your lover?
However, boasting in drinking parties was a basic operation. The Canal Transportation official who came to accompany them inwardly disdained but still smiled on the surface.
Crude men… The contempt in Courtesan Hong Xiu’s eyes was no longer concealed, but she lowered her head to drink, not letting others see.
She never liked martial artists, who didn’t know how to cherish delicate things. Their words and actions were all rough, unlike scholars who were gentle and refined, composing poems, and always polite to the women in the Entertainment Bureau.
“I didn’t expect that sir would have such a connection with Courtesan Fu Xiang. May I ask for your esteemed surname and given name?” Hong Xiu said, half-serious and half-mocking.
The Canal Transportation official gave her a reproachful look, then hurriedly raised his cup: “Let’s drink!”
The topic was thus dropped. Song Tingfeng smiled and said, “Ning Yan, it’s a good thing the boss didn’t come along to Yunzhou, otherwise he definitely wouldn’t have agreed to us coming to the Entertainment Bureau for fun.”
Xu Qi An said, “This isn’t fun and games, this is sightseeing. Next time the boss asks, that’s how you should answer him.”
Ning Yan should be his courtesy name… Hong Xiu glanced at Xu Qi An a few times.
The tea party ended.
Courtesan Hong Xiu left early, and then there was no more news.
She didn’t invite any guests for tea, which meant she hadn’t taken a liking to any of the constables present.
“How ungrateful!” one constable said in a deep voice.
The Canal Transportation official felt somewhat embarrassed and quite annoyed, not at the constables, but at Hong Xiu.
However, the Entertainment Bureau wasn’t under the Canal Transportation Office’s jurisdiction. As one of the six top courtesans of Yuzhou’s Entertainment Bureau, Hong Xiu didn’t need to worry about the Canal Transportation Office’s opinion at all.
Song Tingfeng waved his hand dismissively: “It doesn’t matter. Shall we move on to the next venue?”
Xu Qi An agreed with Old Song’s approach. Forced abalone isn’t fresh, and forced melons aren’t sweet.
The group left the courtyard. Song Tingfeng and his two companions turned towards the riverside. Under the cover of night, they stood on the bank to relieve the swelling of their bladders.
Song Tingfeng: 8==D
Zhu Guangxiao: 8==D
Xu Qi An: 8====D
…
In a bedroom warmed by burning charcoal, Hong Xiu took a sip of sobering tea, sitting at her dressing table while a maid who had just entered massaged her shoulders.
“Miss, they’ve left,” the maid said with a light laugh. “To think he claimed the Imperial Capital’s top courtesan Fu Xiang was his lover. Even I could tell he was bragging.”
Hong Xiu pursed her lips and said coldly, “That’s just how these martial artists are, unbearably crude.”
After a moment, a maid knocked on the door and said from outside, “Miss, Young Master Wei has brought his classmates to book the entire place.”
Hearing this, Hong Xiu’s face immediately brightened. She said happily, “Serve wine to the young masters and ask them to wait for a moment.”
Then she hurriedly urged the maid: “Quickly, help me change. Get out that most beautiful gold-woven silk dress.”
Young Master Wei was the nephew of Yuzhou’s prefect, a well-read scholar who was handsome and refined.
After changing into the beautiful silk dress, adorned with jade hairpins and golden ornaments, the elegantly dressed Hong Xiu came to the wine room and curtsied gracefully: “Hong Xiu greets the young masters.”
She naturally sat down beside the white-robed Young Master Wei. Young scholars discussing state affairs and expressing their passionate words – this was the environment she liked.
At such times, she was extremely envious of that never-met but famous top courtesan of the Imperial Capital.
How fortunate she must be to have met a talented scholar who gifted her a poem that would be passed down through the ages.
“Earlier, some officials from the Imperial Capital came, seemingly constables,” Hong Xiu said as she poured wine for Young Master Wei, bringing up the matter with a smile. “One of them even claimed that Fu Xiang, the top courtesan of the Imperial Capital, was his lover.”
The scholars present burst into laughter. “How amusing! How could Courtesan Fu Xiang possibly fall for a crude martial artist?”
“Brother Wei, you went to the Imperial Capital half a month ago. Did you get to see Courtesan Fu Xiang’s beauty?”
“I’m ashamed to say, I’ve been to three tea parties but only saw Courtesan Fu Xiang once,” the white-robed Young Master Wei said, his expression turning enchanted:
“A hidden fragrance floats on the yellow dusk of the moon… She lives up to her name, truly a beauty that could topple a nation.”
A young master immediately asked, “Does Courtesan Fu Xiang have a lover?”
Young Master Wei suddenly recalled, “I do remember something. During the tea party that day, I chatted with other guests, and one mentioned that Fu Xiang no longer receives clients. Every day, guests flock to her tea parties just to catch a glimpse of her beauty.
“But there is one man who frequently enters and exits Ying Mei Xiao Ge… ah, that’s the name of Fu Xiang’s courtyard. It’s said that this man is Fu Xiang’s lover.”
The young masters present were intrigued: “The poet who wrote ‘A hidden fragrance floats on the yellow dusk of the moon’?”
Young Master Wei sighed, “Who else could it be?”
After a pause, he looked around at everyone and said in a tone of sharing a secret, “This man’s identity is quite extraordinary. The poem has spread far and wide, known to every scholar in Great Shang, but why is the poet’s name not widely known, and why does no one talk about him? Don’t you find it strange?”
This piqued everyone’s curiosity. They all started guessing: “Is his identity sensitive, something that can’t be spoken of?”
Courtesan Hong Xiu listened with bright eyes, being the most curious about the poet’s identity. He was a talented scholar who could transform a woman from the Entertainment Bureau.
After his companions discussed for a while, Young Master Wei raised his hand, and the scene immediately quieted down.
He shook his head and said, “Because that man’s true identity is a constable, not a scholar.”
“Is that so?!” Everyone was shocked, then suddenly understood.
No wonder the literary circles didn’t promote the poet’s identity at all, choosing to forget it by tacit agreement. It turned out he was a constable, not a scholar.
Constable… The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. Hong Xiu’s heart suddenly sank.
She opened her mouth and said hoarsely, “What… what’s his name?”
Young Master Wei glanced at the beauty and said, “Xu Qi An, courtesy name Ning Yan.”
Clang… The wine cup fell on the table, then slid to the ground and shattered.
Everyone looked at Hong Xiu. The beauty’s face had turned deathly pale, her gaze blank, like a lifeless paper flower.
Still, in a daze, Hong Xiu suddenly slumped onto the table and began to cry bitterly, weeping like a rain-soaked pear blossom, crying as if her heart was breaking, her body trembling.