In the end, the matter concerning Li Shishi was settled two days before the Qingming Festival, when an outing to enjoy the spring greenery would be held in the outskirts of Jiangning. The gathering wasn’t, of course, being hosted by Li Shishi herself, but organized by a prominent Jiangning scholar named Chen Luoyuan, who had invited a select group of talented men and beautiful women out to the countryside beyond the city to admire the spring scenery, compose poetry, and express their aspirations through song. It was said that this Chen Luoyuan was good friends with the celebrated scholar Zhou Bangyan, recently arrived from the capital, and it was through this connection that Li Shishi had been reached.
That was the official story, at least—the actual details behind it were, in truth, rather hard to say with any certainty. Regardless, since this marked Li Shishi’s first public appearance in Jiangning—she being the capital’s foremost courtesan—the invitations to this outing had already stirred up considerable attention across the city. The Qin family had moved quickly on this front; after a conversation with Ning Yi, invitations had been secured within just two days of the announcement, though by that point Ning Yi had already received an invitation directly from Puyang Yi as well.
Ning Yi did intend to attend this gathering. His main reason wasn’t really the invitation itself, but rather that, under Yun Zhu’s influence, he’d developed considerable interest in the music of this era. Since this Li Shishi had managed to leave her name behind in the annals of history, her musical talent must surely be exceptional, and he figured it wouldn’t hurt to go and join in the fun. In this era, hearing truly good music was something one could only catch when the occasion happened to align, and that could get genuinely dull at times.
Invitations of this sort could generally be extended to friends or family members as well, and Ning Yi, treating the whole thing with the mindset of attending a concert, invited Su Tan’er to come along. But Su Tan’er had been busy lately arranging the summer trip to Hangzhou—not that she couldn’t find the time, but she still shook her head and declined. On this matter, the two of them had actually had a bit of a conversation about it while chatting on the second-floor balcony.
“This kind of gathering is really just an occasion for scholars and men of talent to show off in front of unmarried girls. What’s the point of husband bringing along an old, faded wife?”
“Calling yourself an ‘old, faded wife’ already? Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Not at all… Husband, think about it this way—if you brought your humble concubine along on this outing, and our own Miss Qilan, Miss Luo Miaomiao, and Miss Li Shishi all started showing you their favor in front of everyone, would you still feel free to write them poems?”
Ning Yi looked at her for a long moment, then reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, laughing. “Just go with an easy heart about it, wife. We’ll go, listen to some music, watch a bit of dancing—if Puyang Yi really wants me to write him a poem, I’ll just quietly hand it over to him and let the rest of them go hang.”
“Eh, no thank you.” Su Tan’er shook her head with a laugh. “What’s the fun in listening to singing and watching dancing? Husband doesn’t realize it, but lately your concubine has taken quite a liking to chatting idly with the shopkeepers’ daughters and wives—I love hearing them go on about husband’s poetry and such. How could I possibly pass up the chance to show off a little? In the old days, listening to them talk about talented men like Cao Guan or Li Pin, I’d always think, wow, they really are impressive. Now I love bringing it up myself, mentioning Cao Guan and the rest, and those gossiping old busybodies will say, your husband’s certainly no worse than them—some even say, what are those men compared to him? And I’ll put on a modest face and say, ‘Husband doesn’t really care much for these things, he only writes a poem now and then when the mood strikes.’ But inside, I’m thrilled.”
She pressed her lips together, clapping her hands together with a proud, self-satisfied air, but no matter what, she absolutely refused to be talked into going along. Ning Yi knew well enough this was simply how things worked—poetry gatherings like these were, in truth, mostly used by scholars and men of letters to build their reputations, and for most of them, that reputation was closely tied to their prospects in the imperial examinations. With a wife present at one’s side, how many men could really let loose and write truly good poetry without restraint?
Ning Yi’s own situation was a bit different, but Su Tan’er understood well enough what these gatherings were really like. If she went along, no matter what, she’d only end up spoiling the mood.
In truth, the two of them had already gone out into the countryside twice already this spring—Ning Yi had prepared some spices, brought food along, and put on a display of his grilling skills out in the open. Su Tan’er had gotten worked up over it at the time, insisting that “a gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen” and that this was women’s work, and had made a show of trying to snatch the food right out of Ning Yi’s hands. The two of them had ended up wrestling around, and Ning Yi had tackled her right onto the grass, leaving her blushing furiously with embarrassment—out in the open like that, it really had been a bit too bold. In the end, Ning Yi refused to let her go until she’d properly admitted, “I won’t do it again,” and fortunately, the spot they’d chosen was secluded enough that no one had seen them.
Later, a red-faced Xiao Chan and the others had come over to help with the food too. Su Tan’er had at first refused, indignantly, to eat anything Ning Yi had prepared, but eventually ate some anyway—though the cooking method was more or less the same, deep down she still felt her husband’s grilling had a special flavor all its own. By now, in her mind, this was what a proper spring outing was supposed to look like, and she absolutely intended to go along on those. As for the formal poetry gatherings, where her husband could show off while everyone else played their little political games and put on their performances—she’d seen plenty of that sort of thing in her time, and honestly, she’d lost all interest in attending anymore.
Since his own wife wasn’t going, Ning Yi thought he’d send an invitation over to Yun Zhu and Jin’er instead—having heard Yun Zhu’s singing so often, he suspected she’d probably be quite interested in hearing this Li Shishi as well. Since it had rained the day before, he didn’t meet up with Yun Zhu until the next morning outside the small building, and when he brought up the matter, she tilted her head slightly, looking a touch hesitant.
“Liheng… you want me to come with you?”
Her hesitation, in truth, was about the matter of her identity. At the pre-Qingming outing, women like Li Shishi, Qilan, and Luo Miaomiao would all be in attendance, and along with them, quite possibly, a good many other former courtesans as well. If she accompanied Ning Yi dressed as a woman, there was a real chance someone might recognize her as Nie Yunzhu of Jinfeng Tower—and the odds of Jin’er being recognized would be even higher. Back when she’d still been at Jinfeng Tower, accompanying a favored patron to a gathering like this would naturally have helped build his reputation. But now, if Liheng wanted her to show her face in public like that… she probably wouldn’t refuse, but her heart would ache over it.
The thought only flickered through her mind briefly, though—she knew Ning Yi surely wouldn’t ask that of her. And sure enough, a moment later she heard him say, “Of course you’re not going dressed as a woman—just dress as a man, that’ll do fine. My grilling skills are pretty good, so we’ll sit off to the side eating grilled food while they compose poetry and trade verses, and Li Shishi and the others sing and dance. Honestly, mostly I’ve just been influenced by you lately, and I want to see just how good this Li Shishi really is—if she turns out to be a complete disappointment despite calling herself the capital’s number one, I’ll write her a mocking doggerel poem, ha…”
Yun Zhu, sitting there, burst out laughing. Hearing Ning Yi say he’d been influenced by her left her feeling sweetly, quietly pleased. “I haven’t heard her sing yet, so it’s hard to say for certain, but if she’s earned the title of the capital’s number one, she must have some genuinely impressive skill. Still, on this front… I’m not afraid of her, myself.” Her nature was ordinarily rather detached and unassuming, and it took her a good while of hesitation before she finally spoke that quiet declaration—”I’m not afraid of her”—though it carried, too, a small note of quiet pride and confidence.
Ning Yi laughed and shook his head. “I’m not planning on making it a contest between you two… Well, it’s settled then?”
“If Liheng says we’re going, then we’ll go.” She thought for a moment. “Honestly, I’d like to see Miss Li’s performance myself.”
“Ha.”
Having settled the matter, the two of them sat by the steps chatting, when the door behind them opened. Only one person was likely to come out at this hour. Without even turning around, Ning Yi already knew it was Yuan Jin’er, dressed today in men’s clothing, who came and sat down beside Yun Zhu, glancing this way across her—her expression rather unpleasant.
Though her expression usually wasn’t especially pleasant to begin with, something about today felt different. Ning Yi blinked, then said, leaning past Yun Zhu, “You’re not looking too good today.”
Jin’er shot him a look, then glanced sideways at the person beside her. “Sister Yun Zhu, would you mind going back inside for a moment? I need to talk to him alone!”
“Er…” Yun Zhu blinked, startled, then seemed to recall something, her face flushing slightly as she glanced back and forth between them in some confusion. Jin’er pressed her lips together and said quietly, “Don’t worry, Sister Yun Zhu, I won’t tell him about yesterday morning. I’ve got something serious I need to discuss with him alone.”
Yun Zhu thought it over, and seeing the resolute look on Jin’er’s face, finally rose to her feet, casting a somewhat worried glance as she headed back toward the room, saying with a laugh as she went, “You two behave now, no fighting.”
“We won’t fight.” Ning Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “At most it’ll be a one-sided beating.”
“Hmph.” Jin’er gave a disdainful snort. Once Yun Zhu had gone inside and closed the door, the two of them sat looking at each other for a long moment before Ning Yi finally spoke with a smile. “All right, so what is it this time? Did I do something unspeakably wicked again?”
Jin’er scooted a little closer to Ning Yi, settling into the spot Yun Zhu had just vacated. She glanced at him once, then turned to look straight ahead. “I have something to say to you.”
Her expression was thoroughly serious, and Ning Yi reined in his own smile, nodding. “All right, I’m listening.”
“Laughing won’t help you this time.”
“Psychology suggests that when someone says that exact sentence, laughing at them usually does help, actually.”
“…I’ve fallen for Sister Yun Zhu.”
“Er…”
Ning Yi froze for a moment. She’d said countless times before that she loved Yun Zhu, of course, but this time felt different somehow. Getting no response from him, Jin’er turned to look at him after a moment and repeated herself. “I’ve fallen for Sister Yun Zhu.”
“Hm, is this a different kind of liking than before?”
“Talking to someone smart really does make things simpler…” Jin’er muttered, somewhat put out, though also puzzled by how normally he was taking this. “Regardless, I’ve fallen for her.”
“…I don’t have any particular judgment about this kind of thing, though I have to admit, hearing you say it this seriously does leave me feeling rather conflicted.” Ning Yi laughed, though it wasn’t a mocking laugh.
“I realized it yesterday, because of something Sister Yun Zhu said to me—she was talking about you, and that’s when I realized I’d fallen for her.” She propped her chin in both hands, gazing wistfully down the road ahead, looking rather like a melancholy young boy, then turned her head and said, “I know you’ll think this is strange, but this kind of thing happened plenty back at… back where we used to work. What can I say, not a single one of you men is any good!”
“I don’t find it strange at all…” Ning Yi pursed his lips. In his previous life, occupying a position of considerable standing, he’d encountered plenty of unusual people—what was so strange about lesbian relationships, women loving women, showing it off right in front of him? Of course, a thousand years later, that kind of orientation tended to be quite firmly settled in people; here and now, though, Jin’er herself seemed rather unsure of it, probably not even fully certain in her own mind, and yet here she was, declaring it with such bold defiance…
“You know what? You don’t deserve Sister Yun Zhu…” Jin’er said, not looking at him, talking on regardless. “Taken on your own, you’re not bad, I’ll grant you that much—but you can’t even bring her home as your proper wife. You know it, Sister Yun Zhu knows it too, and yet you’re so shamelessly upfront about it, not even trying to hide it, which just leaves her to carry the whole burden herself. You’re the most despicable kind of person there is… You know what? We were talking about you yesterday morning.”
“Mm.” Ning Yi nodded, offering no defense. He’d been about to point out that even being a lesbian wouldn’t give her any way to offer Yun Zhu a proper home either, but seeing her emotional state, he let it go.
“I asked Sister Yun Zhu what you two would do about the future, and she said something…” She pointed down the road ahead, where the sky had by now turned pale white, the willows along the riverbank stretching out into a thick, misty haze that swallowed the road into some distant, unknowable place. “Sister Yun Zhu said… ‘when I’m sixty years old, an old woman, I’ll still be able to rise early in the morning, and before the sky’s even light, he’ll come strolling over from that direction, and I’ll still be here waiting for him…'”
Ning Yi fell completely silent. Jin’er’s eyes stayed fixed on him. “That’s exactly what she said. Did you hear that clearly?”