Chapter 29: Embracing the Beauty and Taking Her Home

  The music of the two classes started, and the woman bowed to the audience and began to sing.

  ……

  You're a natural-born rebel, always going against the wind.

  Merciless or compassionate, it all depends on your smiling face when you come to ask.

  I'm also clever in my heart, with a fake tough face and a mouth that pretends to be hard.

  How can I respond to his words with such shame and embarrassment?

  I met him with false courtesy, and parted from him with lingering thoughts.

  I see these flowers in the shade of the moon, desolate and cold, shining on him alone, shining on me alone.

  ……

  He only sang one sentence, and Wang Pu secretly admired it. The Kunshan dialect of this water mill is similar to the later Huangmei Opera and Yue Opera, with a few similarities. Listening to it is like being in a spring breeze. When he sang to the most exciting place, everyone listened as if they were drunk, and Wang Pu was also teased by the woman's shy and charming eyes, and his heart surged.

  Suzhou Prefect Wang Shicheng saw it and a hint of pride flashed across his face.

  As the song came to an end, everyone was immersed in that beautiful singing voice for a long time and couldn't extricate themselves.

  Wang Shicheng suddenly stood up and pointed at Wang Pu, saying to the actress: "Yuan Yuan, do you know who this general is?"

  Little Round Girl?

  Wang Pu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this - could she be the legendary beauty Chen Yuanyuan?

  If it were really Chen Yuanyuan, then no wonder, only such a beauty like Tian Xian would make the great traitor Wu Sangui and the king of Li Zicheng's bandits infatuated, ultimately brewing a tragic tale of "crazy for red makeup" that has been passed down for thousands of years.

  The woman's eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Pu, and replied in a soft voice: "If this humble girl is not mistaken, this young general must be the one who led his solitary army deep into Liaodong, captured the slave chieftain alive, General Wang Pu."

  Wang Shicheng smiled and said: "Miss Yuanyuan is indeed clever, guessing correctly at once. Why doesn't Miss Yuan toast General Wang with a cup?"

  The woman smiled and said: "General Wang is a great hero of our time, I should respect him."

  After that, the woman walked to Wang Pu's front with lotus steps, took over the wine cup from the maid and filled it up, saying: "General Wang, I am Chen Yuanyuan, here's to you."

  Chen Yuanyuan is really Chen Yuanyuan!

  Wang Pu stood up tall and raised his cup with a smile: "Please, Yuan Yuan."

  Just as the two were about to clink their cups together, a figure suddenly stood up from the next table and shouted: "Wait!"

  Everyone was shocked and turned around, and Chang Yanling, who sat next to Wang Pu, said in a low voice: "Wang Dage, this guy is called Mao Xiang, with the courtesy name of Bi Jiang, from Rugao, Yangzhou. He's a famous talented scholar in Jiangnan."

  Mao Bi-jiang, one of the Four Gentlemen of the Revival Society?

  Wang Shicheng on the other side was already very unhappy and questioned: "Mao Xiang, what do you want to do?"

  "I mean no offense to General Wang." Xiang bowed slightly and said loudly, "I just think that today's banquet has fine wine and food, as well as beautiful women singing and dancing. If there were no poems to add to the excitement, wouldn't it be a shame? Therefore, I propose that if General Wang wants to drink the cup of fine wine offered by Miss Yuan, he must compose a poem on the spot. What do you all think?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, several young gentlemen who were familiar with him chimed in one after another.

  These young masters' minds are mostly like Rong Zhi's, and they have all started drinking flying vinegar.

  Wang Shicheng's face turned iron-green with rage. Who doesn't know that most of the generals in the Ming dynasty are just a bunch of illiterate martial artists? Asking Wang Pu to compose poetry is like asking Zhang Fei to embroider flowers! Ma Xiang is deliberately trying to embarrass Wang Pu, and Wang Shicheng is filled with hatred in his heart. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have invited this guy to join them today.

  "Since General Big Talent looks up to me like this, I can only show my ugliness."

  Contrary to Wang Shicheng's expectations, Wang Pu readily agreed.

  Wang Pu certainly knew that Mao Xiang was vicious, but he wasn't afraid. What's the big deal about writing poetry? Wang Pu's past life had at least attended a third-rate university, and with his accumulation of over 300 years of poetry, how could he not come up with a few small poems? How could he be afraid of Mao Xiang, that untalented "genius"?

  Mao Xiang obviously didn't expect Wang Kuo, this martial artist, to agree so readily. He somewhat awkwardly replied: "Well, I'll be all ears."

  Wang Pu turned back, smiling and gazing at Chen Yuanyuan, and recited a poem with slight modifications from the one Cao Xueqin used to praise Lin Daiyu in Dream of the Red Chamber:

  Two curved eyebrows, like frowning but not frowning, with delicate smoke-like brows.

  A pair of eyes with a hint of joy and a tinge of sadness.

  Rosy cheeks with spring in her eyes

  Fiery red lips tempt people.

  A faint anger

  Coquettish and lovable.

  Quiet as a lotus flower reflected in water

  Although acting like a weak willow in the wind.

  The mind is more clever than the body by one trick.

  She is as beautiful as Xi Shi, surpassing her by three points.

  Just as Wang Pu finished reciting, Wang Shicheng exclaimed excitedly: "Good poem, good poem! Using General Wang's poem to describe Miss Yuanyuan is the most fitting. General Wang is both literary and martial, I admire him, I really do."

  Chang Yanling and Li Zushou also followed suit, and the officials of Suzhou Prefecture all cheered along. The short poem that Wang Pu had casually recited seemed to be frivolous in its language, but judging from the poem itself, it was actually a rare good poem. Especially when using this poem to describe Chen Yuanyuan, it was truly exceptional.

  Chen Yuanyuan's cheeks were flushed with a mixture of shyness and joy as she gazed at Wang Pu, while on the other side, Mao Xiang had already turned green with envy. Originally, he had wanted to humiliate Wang Pu in front of Chen Yuanyuan, but instead, he ended up helping the martial artist, allowing him to win over the beauty's heart. What a futile effort!

  Chen Yuanyuan raised her wine glass again and said with a blush: "General, please."

  Wang Pu smiled and said: "Please, Yuan Yuan."

  The two lightly touched cups together, Wang Pu drank it all in one gulp, while Chen Yuanyuan covered her face with her sleeve and stopped after a small sip.

  The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, with Chang Yanling and Li Zushu being particularly enthusiastic.

  "Haha, good." Wang Shicheng clapped his hands and laughed loudly, stood up and said, "I have a proposal, please listen to it, everyone."

  After everyone quieted down, Wang Shicheng smiled and looked at Wang Pu and Chen Yuanyuan, saying: "As the saying goes, heroes love beauties, beauties respect heroes. General Wang is a great hero of our time, and Miss Yuanyuan is the number one beauty in Jiangnan. Today, I, your humble official, would like to take this opportunity to bring you two together in marriage. What do you think?"

  Chen Yuanyuan's face flushed with two red clouds, her beautiful eyes glanced at Wang Pu lightly, then she lowered her head shyly and didn't dare to look into Wang Pu's eyes again. However, this expression was enough to reveal her intentions. She, Chen Yuanyuan, was willing a thousand times, ten thousand times, even if it meant being only a concubine for Wang Pu, she would still be willing.

  Chen Yuanyuan dared to be so direct and bold in revealing her feelings to Wang Pu, which was related to the social atmosphere of Jiangnan at that time.

  In the late Ming Dynasty, Jiangnan scholars considered flirting with courtesans as a elegant thing. The stories of Qinhuai courtesans and literary talents forming good relationships were common. Over time, the prostitutes in Jiangnan gradually formed a kind of atmosphere, once they met the right object, they often dared to take the initiative to confess, dared to bravely pursue their own destiny.

  Although Wang Pu is not a talented young man from Shilin, he is young and handsome. The poem he just composed on the spur of the moment also proves that he is not only a martial artist but also a young talent with both literary and military skills! Moreover, Wang Pu has just made great contributions to the court and is now a famous hero in the world.

  Since ancient times, beautiful women have admired heroes, this is not empty words.

  When she met Wang Pu, a man of such good fortune, how could Chen Yuanyuan not be moved?

  Seeing Chen Yuanyuan's expression, Meng Zhong and the other young masters couldn't help but cover their foreheads with their hands, revealing painful and disappointed expressions.

  Everyone's attention was focused on Wang Pu, and Chen Yuanyuan's willingness was obvious even to a blind person. Now it depends on whether Wang Pu wants to marry her or not.

  If this matter were to be changed to a scholar of the time, such as Mao Xiang, who was most severely affected by vinegar, due to the dual pressure of worldly and moral constraints, he might have refused Chen Yuanyuan's deep affection. Anyone can pretend to be romantic, but if they really want to bring a courtesan back home, it takes courage. After all, if this matter is not handled properly, it will affect one's secular reputation and official career prospects.

  Most people present also felt that Wang Pu would tactfully decline Chen Yuanyuan's affection, after all, Wang Pu had just made a great achievement and finally had the opportunity to become a high-ranking official in the imperial court. If he were to ruin his future because of this courtesan Chen Yuanyuan at this time, it would be too regrettable.

  Ke Wang Pu is a modern person who has crossed over from another world. The secular and moral pressures of ancient times have no binding force on him.

  A beauty like Chen Yuanyuan, if she were to appear in the 21st century, would surely captivate countless people. A stunning woman like her who comes knocking on your door, if you were to reject her, you'd be asking for a lightning bolt!

  Under the gaze of everyone, Wang Pu didn't say a word, first picked up the wine jug and poured a cup of wine, took a sip himself, then handed the wine cup to Chen Yuanyuan. Chen Yuanyuan obviously understood Wang Pu's intention, her powdered face showed a blushing and joyful expression, took the cup of wine and lightly sipped it in front of everyone before handing it back to Wang Pu.

  Wang Pu smiled and took the wine cup, drinking it in one gulp. Then he loudly declared to everyone: "I trouble Wang Gong and all of you distinguished guests to bear witness that today I, together with Yuanyuan, have exchanged cups and sealed our love, making a marriage pact. After returning to the capital to pay respects to the emperor, I will return to Jiangnan, lay down red carpets, and use eight carriers to bring her home in a grand sedan chair!"

  Everyone's face showed an incredible expression, they were not only surprised that Wang Pu would unhesitatingly accept Chen Yuanyuan, but also surprised by Wang Pu's public promise.

  In the Ming Dynasty, weddings were a big deal, marrying a wife had its own grandeur, and taking a concubine had its own etiquette.

  Wang Pu wanted to use red carpet to pave the way, and eight sedan chairs to marry Chen Yuanyuan into his home. This means that after Chen Yuanyuan married Wang Pu, she would be his legitimate wife, not a concubine or an outside mistress. This also implies that in the future, Chen Yuanyuan would have the opportunity to receive imperial appointment and become a noble lady.

  It's hard for a woman of humble origins like her to imagine such a thing.

  Chen Yuanyuan's eyes, looking at Wang Pu, were filled with shyness and a hint of tenderness. Although she didn't care much about the imperial edict, Wang Pu's public promise to marry her with proper ceremony touched her deeply. In Jiangnan, there were many romantic affairs between scholars and courtesans, but most were fleeting and insincere. It was extremely rare for someone to truly love a courtesan and be willing to bring her home as his legitimate wife.

  Although Chen Yuanyuan didn't fully understand Wang Pu's character, just by his daring to make this vow in public, it can be seen that he is a real man with a sense of responsibility.

  "Good." Wang Shicheng laughed loudly, "Then today's banquet will be considered as General Wang and Yuanyuan's engagement wine. I'd like to take the lead in congratulating both of you here, haha!"

  Chang Yanling also stood up and said with a smile: "Congratulations, big brother, you've brought back a beautiful woman!"

  The rest of Suzhou's officials also congratulated each other.

  "Thank you very much."

  Wang Pu bowed his head in gratitude, and Chen Yuanyuan took the opportunity to stand by Wang Pu's right side, making a courtesy call to the crowd. The scene was just like a newlywed couple thanking their guests for coming to congratulate them. Li Zushu suddenly shouted from the side: "Big brother, your new sister-in-law is hand in glove with many famous ladies of Qinhuai, don't forget about me while you're having fun with her!"

  "You rascal." Wang Pu smiled and said to Li Zushou, "Alright, little brother, take note of this. When the time comes, I'll definitely be your matchmaker."