Volume 6, Chapter 19: An Old Guardians Vague Outline (1/2)

Volume 6, Chapter 19: An Old Guardian’s Vague Outline

The young man, around twenty-nine years of age, was a young Confucian scholar. He wore black robes washed so many times they were fading into white. A bamboo flute was tied to his waist. He seemed to have fallen on hard times, but his appearance was handsome and scholarly. He had a n.o.ble bearing and didn’t seem to care in the least about leading an impoverished lifestyle. The young man had been fiddling with the folding fan in his hands this entire time, fanning it open and closed. The beautiful women on the fan peeked out now and again. The ornate and luxurious fan was at clear odds with his dest.i.tute attire. In addition, the flirtatious beauties painted on the fan and his cold expression were even more mismatched. Bizarrely though, these incompatibilities combined with an ineffable harmony. It made this young man look ever more charming and elegant.

The young man downed several more cups of wine, then sang in a soft and plain voice:

<blockquote cla.s.s=”Quote”>I spy hills and moon on an inclined beam.The wall but darkens dim the window’s plates.Was once upon my belovèd bestowed.

Perhaps like the plum blossom after a springtime snowstorm,</sup></blockquote>

He was a little flat, but as he sang this poem, it wandered and echoed through the building, its deep emotions sent out to everyone who could hear it. This restaurant was full of distinguished guests, and when he started singing, everyone fell silent. His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone could hear him clearly and distinctly. They all listened attentively, and some people even gently clapped along to the tune. When he got to the second verse, a flute began playing, the sound elegant and touching. The sound of the flute accompanying the singing enthralled everyone further.

After the song finished, the flute did not stop playing. Instead, a woman’s clean and clear voice rang out through the building. The woman sang the young man’s song again, but even though it was the same tune and lyrics, the phrasings changed a great deal. And the woman’s voice twisted and turned in agitation, giving full expression to the deeper meaning in the lyrics. Her singing made everyone fully forget what evening this was.

The young man closed his eyes a little, enjoying the outstanding and wonderful singing. A long while later, after the singing had vanished, lithe footsteps stopped in front of the entrance to the private room. He opened his eyes and said, “Lady Rumeng must have come to visit in person.” He sighed. “Your songs and dance are priceless, but today, you performed your singing in this tiny restaurant. If the womanizers of Jianye learn of this, they will stomp their feet and lament it.”

Brus.h.i.+ng aside the bamboo curtain door, a young woman wearing a red hat with a layer of animal fur sewed on floated in. Behind her were a black-robed maid and a doughty, powerful, burly man. Once the young woman entered the private room, the black-robed maid helped her take off the headband. The young woman was tall and slim. She wore a simple, unadorned white satin gown that touched the ground. She looked like a white lotus in silent bloom. The young woman was in her early twenties and had a beautiful, elegant face. Putting the complexion of her skin aside, her willowy eyebrows were shaped like leaves. Thousands of flirtatious expressions swirled in her limpid and lucid, bright and s.h.i.+ning eyes. She stepped forward and gracefully bowed low. “Your servant, Liu Rumeng, has met Song Yu, Sir Song, before,” she said.

The young man smiled. He stood up and said, “All of Jiangnan knows of and criticizes the song and dance of Rumeng, known aboard the pleasure boats as Lady Liu. I am but a humble wastrel. How can I be deserving of such courtesy from you?” However, the arrogance on his features did not diminish. There was not a single trace of humility.

The young woman sighed softly. Her barely furrowed brows gave off the slightest bit of distress. Her eyes roamed about, making her seem further weighed down with anxiety. She said in a low voice, “Your servant entertains people with sensuality in Qinhuai but is often supplanted and abused. As the Southern Chu army has beat back the Yong army, all the brothels and pleasure boats in Qinhuai have discussed that on the day of the Lantern Festival, a beauty pageant will be held at Xuanwu Lake. Three will be selected as the zhuangyuan, bangyan, and tanhua. From that point forward, only those three women can be called ‘most popular courtesan.’ In the past, everyone worked independently, but because more supporters are needed, everyone in the occupation is recognized as most popular courtesan. This pageant is different from the previous ones. All the sisters are required to perform on the spot, and all the honored guests at the latke will be judging us. The winners’ names will resound throughout Jiangnan, while the losers will never show their faces again.”

“Who in Qinhuai doesn’t know that Lady Rumeng has mastered artistry and beauty? Why are you worried about this?” the young man quietly returned.

Tears seemed to form in Liu Rumeng’s eyes for a moment. “Your servant has always come and gone as she pleased, never inhibited,” she said. “Among Qinhuai’s brothels are two giants in a secret standoff. Myriad Flowers Tower and Moonlight Pavilion refuse to give in to each other. In this struggle to be the most popular courtesan, both sides wracked their brains. Forget about Myriad Flowers Tower. Their designated lead, Lady Qiuyan, has artistry and beauty no worse than that of your servant’s. But Second Miss Xiao of Moonlight Pavilion used every possible scheme to force your servant to ally with them, while your servant would not permit it. Then they played a trick to steal away your servant’s requested new songs for this pageant. If your servant can only sing those hackneyed tunes at the Xuanwu Lake Pageant, I fear I’ll be mocked by people, much less achieve the status of most popular courtesan. After much thought, your servant realized only Sir Song could help her. Please have mercy on me, sir.”

The young man furrowed his brows at her words and said, “You should know that although I frequently write lyrical poems for others, I mostly serve the girls working for Myriad Flowers Tower. I have a rather good friends.h.i.+p with the Myriad Flowers Tower Madam. This is a matter of grave importance, and if I help you, won’t I offend the Myriad Flowers Tower Madam? Furthermore, who in Qinhuai doesn’t know that Moonlight Pavilion’s Second Miss Xiao is ruthless? If I spoil her big plans, I’m afraid I won’t be able to take shelter in Qinhuai any further. You should know of my difficulties.”

Liu Rumeng covered her face and replied, “If I don’t get four or five new songs, I fear it’ll be difficult for me to survive. Time is urgent. Where can your servant go to purchase new songs this magnificent? Alas, will your servant really suffer a crus.h.i.+ng defeat this time? Whatever. I, Liu Rumeng, have never measured up to Liu Piaoxiang. When I remember how Lady Piaoxiang toppled a city with dance, how she struck out on her own on the Qinhuai River, when I remember how she teased n.o.bles and aristocrats, the story of her denouncement of the Prince of Han, I, Rumeng, often feel emotional. I’ve always wanted to imitate elder sister Piaoxiang’s das.h.i.+ng appearance. Today, it looks like it was nothing more than a pipe dream.”

The deepest of griefs shone in the young man’s eyes for a split second before vanis.h.i.+ng. He sighed and said, “I admire that Lady Rumeng has this sort of ambition. If you don’t mind, I’m willing to accompany you to the dressing table to compose music and lyrical poems for you. Although, I don’t know if you’re missing a zither player. My zither skills are quite worth watching too.”

When Liu Rumeng first saw that her hopes had been destroyed, she poured her heart out. She never expected Song Yu to suddenly agree to write for her, even willing to take it a step further and leave himself at her mercy. She started with delight and dropped her arm. The sleeve of her gown no longer hid the strings of pearly tears rolling down her beautiful face. A smile broke through the tears as she stopped crying, making her beauty look ever more incomparable. She went over and tugged on Song Yu’s sleeve. “Aiyah, if Sir Song deigns to do so, Rumeng is willing to address Sir as master. I’ll listen and benefit from your advice.”

When Song Yu saw her expression of pleasant surprise, he felt his mind swept away, surprisingly unable to control himself. He had been lurking in the brothels among prost.i.tutes to numb himself. He had done no more than join the many prost.i.tutes for fun on occasion. Even in his most indulgent moments, he only looked and moved with l.u.s.t. His heart was impervious to desires and pa.s.sions even though he stayed among all sorts of flowers. He may have heard of Liu Rumeng’s name before, but he had reservations. When he heard this woman was surnamed Liu, he purposely avoided her. They hadn’t met until this very day. He never could have imagined that Liu Rumeng would exactly resemble the beautiful woman he had long adored no matter her bearing and talent. He couldn’t help but be enraptured.

Song Yu had been born into a poor family in Southern Chu. His given name was Song Min, and by the age of twelve he had pa.s.sed the imperial examination. His hometown lauded him a prodigy, but his home was unexpectedly destroyed in a fire. With no alternative, he was stranded in Jianye. On the brink of death and stricken by poverty and disease, he was saved by the renowned Liu Piaoxiang, famous throughout Jiangnan, and he earned his keep aboard the Floating Fragrance Pleasure Boat as a page. Though he was young at the time, he began to admire Liu Piaoxiang. Because of his infatuation, he willingly and gladly stayed aboard the pleasure boat managing the servants. Even though he had zero opportunities to get close to this beautiful woman, each furrow of Lou Piaoxiang’s brow and each smile had become his most precious memories. Because he had always been watching out for Liu Piaoxiang, he knew a little of the love affair between Jiang Zhe and her. Although he was happy for Liu Piaoxiang finding a husband, the pain in his heart could not go away. After Liu Piaoxiang floated off the pleasure boat, he left as well, heartbroken, and thus avoided the slaughter of witnesses that followed. Because of this, he happened to join the Secret Camp. But he was appalled to learn that Liu Piaoxiang had died. To get revenge for his beloved, he concentrated on training hard. His martial prowess may have been above average, but with his tireless hard work, he eventually advanced to become one of the eight elite operatives of the Secret Camp, leading to Jiang Zhe conferring him the name “Yulun.”

Among the eight elite operatives of the Secret Camp, of the Dragon Group, Jiang Zhe most often put Chiji in an important role, as he was a talented commander and valued comradery; Daoli had a determined nature and handled matters without emotion, but he was only cold on the outside, for he was warm on the inside. Of the Tiger Group, Baiyi looked simple on the surface but had talent for leaders.h.i.+p, so he led the main force of the Secret Camp. Of the Covert Group, Shanzi was skilled with concealed weapons and at scheming to the point that he neglected his martial arts later on. Still, the a.s.sa.s.sinations the Covert Group of the Secret Camp all relied on his support. Quhuang, also in the Covert Group, blended into the crowd with a normal appearance, and only when an enemy was on the brink of death would they notice his presence. Of the Hidden Group, Hualiu looked gentle on the surface and was easy to get close to, but he was calculating. Even though he was often soft because of friends.h.i.+p, he could act coldly and emotionlessly in the truly necessary times. Lü’er, also in the Hidden Group, was candid and kind on the surface but was in fact shrewd and capable, good at business.