Due to Li Miao Zhen and Li Na’s return, Aunt had instructed the kitchen to slaughter a goose and prepare a sumptuous feast.
The room was brightly lit with candles, and ice blocks were placed in the four corners of the inner hall to ward off the summer heat. Before the meal, each person was served a bowl of chilled sweet rice wine, which was deliciously sweet and refreshingly cool.
The little dumpling, Xu Ling Yin, also held a bowl, gulping it down. Ever since she started practicing the body-strengthening techniques of the Force Insect Sect under Li Na’s guidance, her appetite had grown even larger, and her digestive system had become frighteningly strong.
Not only could she handle sweet rice wine, but she could also drink several large bowls of strong liquor. Of course, she wouldn’t drink any adult beverages that might make her question her childhood.
During the meal, the conversation inevitably turned to the events in Jian Province.
Uncle Xu, using his “extensive knowledge” and experience, explained the historical background of Jian Province to the younger generation. Although Jian Province appeared to be the most stable, the imperial court’s control over it was pitifully weak.
The place was teeming with martial artists, and the current alliance leader, Cao Qing Yang, was someone that these juniors couldn’t hope to contend with.
After listening for a while, Aunt found an opportunity to join the conversation, saying, “My lord, Ning Yan’s sword is a peerless divine weapon. I heard from Second Brother that it’s priceless.”
Uncle Xu nodded while sipping his sweet rice wine, “A peerless divine weapon is naturally priceless… Pfft!”
He spat a mouthful of rice wine onto the face of the little dumpling sitting next to him and exclaimed with wide eyes:
“You’re just a woman, what do you know about peerless divine weapons? Ning Yan’s sword is unparalleled in sharpness, but it’s not a peerless divine weapon. Don’t misuse terms you’ve just heard.”
The little dumpling raised her chubby hand to wipe the sweet rice wine from her face, couldn’t resist licking her palm, then licked it again. She silently continued licking…
Aunt, unwilling to back down, widened her beautiful eyes and said heatedly, “That’s what Second Brother said. It can even fly! If you don’t believe me, ask Big Brother.”
Uncle Xu immediately turned to look at Xu Qi An, staring at him intently.
Xu Qi An snapped his fingers and called out, “Taiping!”
Whoosh… the Taiping sword flew into the hall, circling above everyone’s heads.
Uncle Xu raised his head, his expression frozen as he stared at the Taiping sword, like a motionless stone statue.
“It… it is a peerless divine weapon…” After a while, Uncle sighed in amazement.
“I told you it’s priceless. From now on, it will be our Xu family’s heirloom,” Aunt said gleefully.
“Yes, yes, an heirloom, this is indeed an heirloom,” Uncle said, so excited he could barely hold his bowl steady.
Li Miao Zhen lowered her head, holding her bowl and eating small bites of food, listening to the family’s endless discussion.
She felt somewhat envious of Xu Qi An. Although this guy had lost both parents at a young age and often joked about being dependent on others, with Aunt not treat him well.
Having lived in the Xu residence for so long, Li Miao Zhen could see clearly that the mistress of the house simply had a rather youthful mentality, which made her lack the qualities of a nurturing mother. But in truth, she wasn’t bad to Xu Ning Yan at all.
It’s just that she had a strong personality, and when Xu Ning Yan didn’t show her respect, she would get very angry and speak ill of him, calling him an “unlucky fool” or “little rascal” at every turn.
In reality, when it came to food, clothing, shelter, and daily necessities, she always remembered her nephew’s share.
Uncle Xu had a carefree personality and would pretend to be dense whenever he heard his wife and nephew bickering, as it gave him a headache. But Li Miao Zhen could see that he was the one who treated Xu Ning Yan the best in the family.
Xu Xinnian’s personality was similar to his mother’s; they both said one thing but meant another. While outwardly disdaining his elder brother and father as uncouth warriors, he harbored a deep affection for them.
As for Xu Ling Yue, Li Miao Zhen felt that her admiration for Xu Ning Yan was excessive. She would probably be fine once she got married and focused her attention on her husband.
Regarding Xu Ling Yin, she also relied heavily on Xu Qi An. That afternoon, she had licked the horse hoof cakes with tears in her eyes, but in the end, she had gritted her teeth and left them for her big brother to eat…
Well, this shouldn’t be mentioned to Xu Ning Yan.
“Li Miao Zhen, oh Li Miao Zhen, these are all karmic obstacles,” she silently admonished herself. “If you want to be as enduring as heaven, prosperous and never-declining, you must break free from worldly love, hate, and grudges. Learn to be appropriately detached. Yes, deep emotions lead to a short life.”
A few seconds later, she thought again, “That bastard Xu Ning Yan still hasn’t shared with me the treasures he plundered from Duke Cao’s private residence. I want to open a porridge stall to help the poor…”
Aunt had drunk half a bowl of sweet rice wine and felt it was too cloying, so she didn’t want to drink anymore. She said, “My lord, you finish this for me. Don’t let it go to waste.”
Uncle Xu was focused on examining the Taiping sword. Without thinking, he pushed Aunt’s half-bowl of sweet rice wine towards Xu Ling Yin.
Xu Ling Yue wiped her lips and looked expectantly at Xu Qi An, “Big Brother, I can’t finish mine either…”
“Big Brother will help you,” Xu Qi An took the bowl and placed it in front of the little dumpling. “Help you give it to Ling Yin.”
The little dumpling was overjoyed.
Li Na looked at her disciple with an envious expression.
…
Early morning, before the sun had risen but the sky was already bright. In the Courtesans’ Quarter, the maid Xiao Mei was once again awakened by Fu Xiang’s coughing.
She rubbed her eyes as she got up, poured a glass of water at the table, and walked lightly to the bedside, softly saying, “Miss, have some water.”
Fu Xiang, her face as pale as paper, sat up with the maid’s support and took a sip of water. Her voice was weak, “Mei’er, I’m a bit hungry.”
“Miss, you rest for now. I’ll go to the kitchen and get you a bowl of porridge.”
Mei’er put on an outer garment and left the main bedroom. When she arrived at the kitchen, she found the pot empty; no one had risen early to cook.
Yingmei Pavilion had six singing girls, eight serving maids, seven menial maids, four guards, and one doorkeeper.
With Fu Xiang, the top courtesan, having been ill for so long without recovery, those guards, singing girls, and serving maids had been sent to other courtyards. Only one menial maid remained.
Recently, that menial maid had been slacking off and complaining everywhere, resentful of her situation. In other courtyards, menial maids could occasionally receive a few coins as tips.
Staying in Yingmei Pavilion to look after a sick person offered no benefits at all.
Mei’er angrily barged into the menial maid’s room, where she was comfortably sleeping.
“Get up, you get up right now!”
Mei’er, with a cold face, dragged her out of bed and loudly questioned, “When Miss was in her prime, she treated you all with the utmost kindness. Weren’t her tips always more generous than those from other courtyards?
“Now that she’s ill, she can’t even get a bowl of hot porridge. Have you no conscience at all?”
The menial maid put her hands on her hips and argued back, “That was in the past. When Miss was in her prime, we were willing to serve her day and night. But now she’s about to die, why should I still serve her?”
Mei’er was furious, “Miss is just ill. She will get better. When she recovers, see how she’ll deal with you.”
The menial maid retorted, “Come on, everyone in the Courtesans’ Quarter knows she’s dying. If there was even a slight chance, Madam wouldn’t have reassigned everyone.”
At this point, she sneered, “Sister Mei’er, you’re serving Miss day and night just for her savings, aren’t you? Don’t be so indignant. What kind of loyalty is there in the Courtesans’ Quarter? Aren’t we all just putting on an act every day?
“We all know that men only want our bodies. If you believe there’s true love with those clients, you’re a fool. Miss Fu Xiang is just such a fool.
“Back then, Officer Xu would stay in the pavilion night after night without spending a single coin. For his sake, she even stopped receiving other clients. She even paid money to the Courtesans’ Quarter out of her pocket. Just because people flattered her a bit, she thought she had true love with Officer Xu. Isn’t that laughable?
“Now that she’s sick and dying, has that man come to see her even once?”
These words struck Mei’er’s sore spot. She gritted her teeth and said, “You bitch, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
The two began to fight.
“Stop!”
Outside the door, Fu Xiang, wearing a white single-layer garment, looked so weak she could barely stand. She leaned against the doorframe, her face pale.
The fighting stopped. The menial maid lowered her head without a word. Although this woman was now sickly and seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her over, she had once been so glorious that the impression she left was indelible.
“Go back…”
After uttering just two words, Fu Xiang swayed and fainted.
The scent of sandalwood lingered. In the main bedroom, Fu Xiang slowly regained consciousness. She saw an elderly doctor sitting by her bedside, apparently having just finished taking her pulse. He was speaking to Mei’er:
“Her qi and pulse are weak, her five organs are failing. Medicine is no longer effective. Prepare for her final affairs.”
Mei’er lowered her head, sobbing quietly.
…
The news that Beijing’s top courtesan Fu Xiang was near death spread quickly throughout the Courtesans’ Quarter.
Some were secretly pleased, while others sighed with emotion.
After lunch, in the Qing Chi Courtyard.
In the reception hall, laid with brocade carpets, courtesans dressed in colorful robes sat by the tables, drinking afternoon tea.
The table was set with fruits and iced plum wine.
Ming Yan, a courtesan with exquisite makeup, glanced at the sisters present. Including her, there were nine courtesans, all of whom had shared intimate moments with Officer Xu.
“Think of how glorious she was back then. With just one plum blossom poem, Officer Xu made her the top courtesan in Beijing. Wealthy gentlemen would spend fortunes just to see her once, and talented scholars from afar would travel to Beijing. But after just half a year of burning bright, she’s now reduced to embers.”
Xiao Ya, a courtesan wearing an indigo gauze dress and a jade hairpin, with a gentle and cultured demeanor, sighed. Xiao Ya was well-read and particularly favored by scholars.
“A beautiful woman’s fate is often tragic. This certainly applies to Fu Xiang. It’s truly lamentable.”
The speaker was a beautiful woman with an oval face, dressed in a yellow dress. Her name was Dong Xue, and her voice was as pleasing as an oriole’s. Her singing was unparalleled in the Courtesans’ Quarter.
“Back then, I was jealous of her being the sole recipient of Officer Xu’s affection. Now, seeing her in such a state, I can hardly eat from distress,” another beauty lamented.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since Officer Xu visited her, hasn’t it?”
“If I remember correctly, after Officer Xu went to Chu Province in March, he never came back to the Courtesans’ Quarter or visited Yingmei Pavilion again.”
“If we calculate carefully, the time Officer Xu returned from Chu Province coincides exactly with when Fu Xiang fell ill…”
The courtesans sighed. Fu Xiang had been bedridden and showed no signs of recovery, so naturally, Officer Xu wouldn’t come anymore.
Men came to them for pleasure and entertainment. It wasn’t as if they would attend to a sickbed. Officer Xu was just an ordinary man, after all.
Ming Yan sighed softly, “Sister Fu Xiang’s love for Officer Xu was deep and unwavering…”
She then turned to the maid beside her and instructed, “Send someone to notify the Xu residence. It’s not far from the Courtesans’ Quarter. Go quickly and return quickly.”
The maid hurried off with small steps.
Ming Yan swept her gaze over the courtesans and said softly, “Let’s go see Sister Fu Xiang.”
…
“We’ve been mistress and servant. After I’m gone, take the silver notes in the cabinet. Use them to buy your freedom, then find a good family to marry into. The Courtesans’ Quarter is no place for a woman to settle.
“Remember to give my remaining possessions to Officer Xu. Don’t forget.”
Fu Xiang, leaning against the bed, was making her final arrangements.
Mei’er sat on a round stool, nodding as she sobbed.
Light yet chaotic footsteps came from outside. Ming Yan, Xiao Ya, and the other courtesans entered the room gracefully, smiling, “Sister Fu Xiang, we’ve come to see you.”
Fu Xiang forced a smile on her paper-white face, her voice hoarse, “Please, sit down.”
The courtesans took their seats and chatted casually for a while. Suddenly, Ming Yan covered her mouth and sobbed, “Sister, we already know about your condition…”
Fu Xiang smiled nonchalantly, “For me, it’s just the end of one journey in life. I’ve wanted to leave this place for a very long time.”
The courtesans, hearing this, felt a shared sentiment. A mournful atmosphere filled the room.
Ming Yan spoke softly, “Sister, please don’t be upset. I took the liberty of sending someone to notify Officer Xu.”
Fu Xiang frowned, her tone somewhat urgent, “Why did you call him? I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to see him at this moment.”
Mei’er, standing by the bed, cried, “He’s a heartless man. Ever since he went to Chu Province, he hasn’t visited even once. He must have heard about Miss’s serious illness and now looks down on my Miss. When he was still an officer, he often brought his colleagues to the Courtesans’ Quarter for drinks. Miss always entertained them wholeheartedly… wuwuwu.”
The courtesans exchanged glances and sighed softly.
Ming Yan spoke gently, “Sister, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”
Fu Xiang didn’t speak but looked out the window at the vast world beyond.
For women in the Courtesans’ Quarter, their greatest wish was nothing more than to escape their lowly status, leave this place of carnal pleasures, and live with dignity.
The courtesans understood her meaning but could only sigh.
Fu Xiang’s redemption price was as high as eight thousand taels of silver.
Yingmei Pavilion probably hadn’t been this lively for a long time. Fu Xiang was in high spirits for conversation, but as time passed, she gradually became distracted. She kept looking towards the door as if waiting for something.
The courtesans all knew who she was waiting for.
Thinking of you day after day, yet never seeing you.
Ming Yan glanced at the water clock in the room. A hint of sadness flashed in her beautiful eyes. That man would ultimately not come.
“It’s getting late. We should… we should go now…” Tears nearly spilled from her eyes. “Sister Fu Xiang, take care.”
As her vision blurred with tears, Ming Yan noticed that Fuxiang’s gaze was locked on the doorway, her pale face suddenly flushing with an intoxicating red hue.
Ming Yan’s delicate body stiffened abruptly.
Xiao Ya, the Courtesan Queen, bit her lip.
The other courtesans also noticed Fuxiang’s unusual behavior. Instinctively, they held their breath and slowly turned to see what had captured her attention.
At the entrance stood a young man in a moon-white scholar’s robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist—not too fine, but not shabby either.
“The robe didn’t fit quite right, so I had the maid at my residence adjust it a little,” he said warmly.
Tears streamed from Fuxiang’s eyes. This outfit… It was how they had first met.
Last October, a young man in a moon-white scholar’s robe had walked into the Yingmei Pavilion and into her life.
If only life could remain as it was at the first encounter.
Xu Qi’an smiled gently, his voice soft. “I had to take care of something at the Directorate of Music on my way here.”
He stepped forward and placed an item gently on the table.
The courtesans’ eyes were drawn to the object, unable to look away. It was a deed of indenture.