Chapter 5: Misunderstanding the Joys of the World

  Chapter 5: Misunderstanding the Joys of the World

  After thanking Chong Bo, Zhao Xingde was overjoyed, as if his five internal organs were all smeared with honey. He walked back to the crowd of Taixue students, one foot deep and one foot shallow, like riding on clouds and fog. Kang De'ou came up to talk to him, but he still gazed longingly at the road back to Bianliang, his heart surging with emotions, a foolish smile on his face. Kang De'ou saw that he was in such a state of mind and thought that he must be feeling proud and complacent after gaining great fame in front of everyone today. He intentionally tried to make friends with Zhao Xingde and asked him, "Brother Zhao, how did you practice your archery skills to become so proficient?"

  Zhao Xingde came back to his senses after listening to him speak and was about to respond when a beautiful maid in a red dress and blue skirt approached him. After taking a closer look at his appearance, she curtsied and presented Zhao Xingde with a blue silk handkerchief, smiling before speaking, her eyes shining brightly as she said: "This servant congratulates Young Master Zhao on glorifying the Great Song Dynasty, this is a gift from my master to Young Master Zhao."

  "What a reward?" Kong De raised an eyebrow and followed the maid's gaze with Zhao Xingde, only to see that it was the outing group that had just gotten entangled with Li Ruoxu's kite, already preparing to return. Dozens of horseback riding guards held up the imperial flag, and some noblewomen lifted the curtains of their carriages to look over, but it was unknown which noble person gave this handkerchief. Zhao Xingde could only take it over, smiling: "It would be impolite to decline, thank you to your master."

  After seeing the maid off, Kang De smiled and said: "The princesses of the Great Song Dynasty are strictly educated, each one is gentle and virtuous. Compared to the arrogant and cruel princesses of Xia Guo and Liao Guo, they can't be mentioned on the same day. Brother Zhao is very fortunate." He made this joke lightly, but Zhao Xingde quickly said: "Xingde is just a Confucian scholar, imperial dignity, brother Kang don't make fun of it."

  The two chatted for a while, and Kantou asked Zhao Xingde where he learned his archery skills. Zhao Xingde explained: "Archery is one of the six arts, I started practicing every day from the age of seven when I entered school, it's just that my hands are familiar with it."

  "Is it?" The eyes of the descendant of Kant flashed slightly, and he asked again: "Isn't there a master who teaches archery?"

  Zhao Xingde shook his head and said in a low voice, "I haven't learned from a master. I practiced the techniques of ancient archers Gan Zhi, Fei Wei, and Ji Chang as described in 'Liezi', and figured it out through practice." Kang Deyi found this very interesting and asked, "You really learned archery skills from the various schools of thought?"

  Zhao Xingde nodded and smiled, saying: "Indeed, it's just a matter of time, but it's only because I'm familiar with it." Kang Deyi nodded and smiled, saying: "This is the way to read books, this is the true scholar. Meeting Brother Zhao, it was not in vain that I accompanied those two clowns for a show." At this time, the scholars of Taixue gathered around, and Kang Deyi made an appointment with Zhao Xingde to meet again. When they parted ways, Kang Deyi exchanged name cards with Zhao Xingde, with his name on the front and his home address on the back.

  Just after parting with Kang De, Zhao Xingde was pulled over by Deng Su and Zhang Biao. Deng Su said loudly: "Today Yuan Zhidao will show off the prestige of our Great Song scholars, let's go to Hui Xian Lou, today we won't return until we're drunk!" Zhao Xingde was pulled along by the two, seeing Li Ruo and other fellow students around him, he had no choice but to follow the crowd to the wine house in Xinmen. Along the way, Zhao Xingde asked: "Why can't I see Shao Yang?" Deng Su shook his head with a smile: "Can't say, can't say." Zhang Biao said softly: "He went to respond to Zhao Jian's invitation. The green apricot wine of this shop is the best, Yuan Zhidao wants to drink more," and asked the store clerk: "Bring five more jars of green apricot wine first."

  The shopkeeper nodded and took note, then smiled and said: "Our store has just brewed a new batch of cherry blossom wine, would the officials like to try some?"

  "Of course," Zhang Bing said with a wave of his hand, "I won't leave until I'm drunk today!"

  A crowd of people arrived at the Hui Xian Building, where a private room had already been booked by some classmates from the Imperial Academy. The table was filled with various snacks such as lychee paste and sugar-coated plums, as well as fresh seasonal fruits like peaches, pears, apricots, and loquats. Female attendants carrying musical instruments sat alongside twenty or so students from the Imperial Academy, filling the room with the sounds of young scholars' laughter and playful chatter. Deng Su noticed that Zhao Xingde seemed a bit stiff and smiled, saying: "Today's gathering at the Hua Zhang Studio is a grand affair, but Chen Shaoyang didn't show up due to some reason, so we need to have some punishment to serve as a warning."

  "Oh?" Zhang Bing's eyes moved slightly, as if he had guessed Deng Su's intention. He smiled and continued: "How about a light punishment?" Deng Su laughed softly and said: "Why don't we use Chen Shaoyang's name card to invite Li Shishi from the Matou Building to keep us company? It can be considered as 'the husband owes, the wife pays'." After finishing speaking, he let out a hearty laugh, raised his hand and downed a cup of fine wine. The surrounding maidservants either covered their mouths and giggled or playfully scolded him.

  "How is that possible?" Zhao Xingde knew Chen Dong and Li Shishi's relationship was not ordinary, he asked urgently. "What's wrong with that?" Deng Su laughed and stretched out her hand to press down Zhao Xingde, instructing the wine house staff to come in, took a name card of Chen Dong and asked him to invite Shishi. After the person left, Zhang Biao said: "If Chen Shaoyang doesn't come, Yuan will teach Shishi a lesson until she's drunk." Everyone laughed loudly again, only Zhao Xingde secretly cursed his bad luck, wondering how he would explain this to Chen Shaoyang.

  Li Shishi appeared at the door with a pipa in her arms, and the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. She casually tied up her hair, wore a light green skirt, and didn't have any luxurious decorations on her body. Her face was lightly powdered, and her eyes were as clear as autumn water. She looked around and soon discovered that Chen Dong was not present, revealing a disappointed and resentful expression. Although she hadn't spoken yet, even Deng Su and Zhang Biao felt quite embarrassed. Since the prostitute had already arrived, there was no reason for her to leave without permission. She first bowed to everyone in the room, and her gaze finally fell on Zhao Xingde, who was hanging his head. Holding the pipa, she knelt down beside him, looked at him with a humble expression, and said in a low voice: "Shishi has been summoned by all the officials, I don't know what kind of song you want to hear?"

  Just now, Deng Su and Zhang Biao, under the influence of wine, called over Li Shishi. At this moment, seeing her pitiful appearance, they were worried that if they joked too much, they would offend Chen Dong, so no one spoke up. Instead, another scholar, Mo Qi, loudly shouted: "We are all students of the Imperial Academy, and naturally we want to hear the Emperor's 'Shallow Wine Shared with All'." After finishing speaking, he burst out laughing. Deng Su's face sank, and he scolded: "Mo Qi, you've had too much to drink." Mo Yu loudly said: "The Emperor has written a poem, can't Shishi sing it?" His tone changed again, and he said: "What kind of courtesan is she? She's just a prostitute. What's the big deal about singing a song? Are you guys afraid of Chen Dong? I'm not afraid. Could it be that he has some private dealings with Shishi?"

  Zhang Biao didn't expect things to turn out like this, and he stood up to try to persuade him again. Zhao Xingde also furrowed his brow, seeing Li Shishi's lips tremble slightly, with tears welling up in her eyes. Although she was a courtesan, she wasn't an official one, and because of her beauty and artistic talent, she had always had the freedom to choose her clients, and had only gotten to know gentle and considerate patrons, and had never been humiliated in public before. If it hadn't been for Chen Dong's invitation card, she definitely wouldn't have come out to sing today.

  What the emperor has written, "Shallow Wine and Shared Joy", is indeed a lewd poem. The following lines are: "Soft jade lamp edge embracing. Returning gaze into an embrace, all emotions combined, painful, painful, painful. Gently pushing away the lover. Gradually hearing the trembling voice, slightly startled by the surging redness. Trying to alternate and indulge, completely without any seam, this time the flavor becomes frenzied, moving, moving, arms embracing each other, lips meeting, tongues entwining." If Li Shishi were teased like this today, even if she were to reform and follow Chen Dong afterwards, it would be difficult for her to hold her head up in front of his fellow students and colleagues.

  He was determined to make a scene and threatened to report Chen Dong's affair with the courtesan. Li Shishi had no choice but to comply, just as Zhao Xiangde intervened, saying: "Today, since everyone is celebrating for me, I happen to have composed a new poem, so please ask Shishang to sing it lightly." Although the court had banned poetry and songs at that time, the law was not enforced, and even the elegant officials occasionally produced excellent works. Scholars privately gathered to show off their talent by writing poems and composing lyrics to demonstrate their elegance and freedom. Everyone cheered when they heard that Zhao Xiangde had another clever idea.

  Zhao Xingde immediately composed a poem, "Yu Suanzi", which would be passed down through the ages. Li Shishi took up her brush and ink, gazed intently at it for a moment, and then a hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes. She lightly plucked the silk strings, her throat singing softly and melodiously as she sang: "It's not that I love the mundane world, but rather I was misled by past karma. The blooming and falling of flowers each have their own time, all relying on the master of the East. Even if one must leave, how can they stay? If only I could wear a crown of mountain flowers, don't ask me where my home is."

  Li Shishi sang the wandering and helplessness of a woman in a brothel so vividly, with a hint of sadness and melancholy amidst her charm. Zhao Xingde secretly praised her, thinking that such good lyrics deserved to be sung by a beautiful woman, and he poured a cup of turbid wine down his throat. When the song ended, everyone applauded loudly, and Li Shishi also stood up to thank the scholars, but Mo Qi still insisted on asking her to sing those lewd and erotic songs. Deng Suyan frowned, about to scold him, when Zhao Xingde said: "Shi Shi's singing voice is truly a lingering aftertaste that lasts for three days, I have some playful compositions here, let me sing them one by one." He took out paper and pen, wrote down seven or eight good lyrics on the paper, and asked Li Shishi to sing them one by one.

  Thus, everyone knew Zhao Xingde's intention to protect him. Before long, Deng Su and Zhang Biao also wrote down the good words they had written every day, and let Song Ji sing them one by one. Mo Qi was intimidated by Zhao Xingde and did not dare to offend the crowd, so he had to retreat and join everyone in appreciating the lyrics and music. Li Shishi secretly thanked Zhao Xingde in a low voice. Zhao Xingde smiled and said in a low voice: "This is what they call 'helping each other out', I think Brother Shaoyang won't blame me, right?" Li Shishi looked at him with a glance, covered her mouth and laughed lightly. At this moment, the other song girls were singing lyrics, she put down her pipa and poured wine for Zhao Xingde to drink.

  Before long, all sorts of delicious dishes were served in the Hui Xian Tower, and the scholars of the Imperial Academy were having a lively time, with cups and chopsticks clinking together, music and singing filling the air. In contrast, the private room next door was quiet and elegant, with the three princes, Jing Wang Zhao Qi, sitting in the middle, dressed in formal attire. To his left was Hong Shu Shao Qing, Wang Heng, wearing a simple Confucian robe, and below him was Bai Mao Xin, the Military Equipment Supervisor. To his right was Wanyan Zongbiao, the envoy of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, and below him was his deputy, Wanyan Xiyin. Several beautiful and elegant singing girls were quietly pouring wine at the side of the table.

  "The ambassador's admiration for the heavenly dynasty is already known to me. The matter of forming an alliance to strike against Liao is of great importance and requires careful consideration." Zhao Ji pondered over his words. The Jurchen people called themselves a vassal state, but in the register of the Honglu Temple, there was only Goryeo among the northeastern vassals, without any mention of the Jurchen nation's name. It seemed that they were just using the pretext of forming an alliance to resist Liao in order to swindle more gifts and grain from the outer barbarians. If it weren't for this Wan Yan clan presenting three hundred eastern pearls and a thousand taels of gold, and also having connections with Chancellor Cai, Zhao Ji wouldn't have even bothered to see them.

  "The Khitan are cruel and oppressive, bullying our people. Please sympathize with us." Wanyan Xi Yin said, Zhao Ji nodded slightly impatiently, and Wang Heng replaced him to answer: "Military and national affairs are not trivial matters, naturally it's not something that can be settled in one day or night. However, King Jing and Prime Minister Cai sympathize with your suffering from the cold land and being bullied by foreign tribes, so they specially permit you to buy armor, iron tools, gunpowder, and crossbows from the military equipment supervisor using gold, and to purchase grain and fodder on various routes in Shandong. After inspection by the maritime authorities at Mishi Board Bridge, you can set sail." His words carried an unyielding tone, and the Jurchen envoys could only nod in agreement.

  "The details, you can discuss with Lord Bai. " Zhao Ji said the last sentence and stood up, leaving the seat with Wang Heng to attend a gathering of scholars and officials to appreciate paintings, in order to create momentum for replacing the crown prince, he had to continuously improve his reputation among the literati. As the most favored third imperial son, showing his face already gave these two barbarians a huge favor.

  Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Xiyin sat in the elegant pavilion, with mixed feelings of joy and worry. They were worried that the Song Dynasty refused to form an alliance with the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty to attack the Liao Dynasty, but they were also pleased that the Song Dynasty had finally agreed to allow trade by sea between the two nations. The gold secretly mined from the rivers and mines occupied by the Wanyan tribe could now be exchanged for money, grain, and military equipment in large quantities, allowing more men to escape the hardships of hunting and farming, and train as skilled soldiers. However, this "large quantity" was only a few tens of thousands of warriors, far inferior to the armies of the Liao, Song, and Xia Dynasties, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

  The Military Equipment Supervisor Bai Maoxin's face was unreadable, and after the King of Jing left, he didn't even bother with others, only chatting and laughing with the Song Ji. Wanyan Xiyin thought to himself, "It seems that high-ranking officials from the Central Plains are indeed good at keeping their cool." Following the instructions of his superior, before speaking, he first took out a 300-tael gold note and respectfully presented it to Supervisor Bai, smiling and saying: "A small specialty from the barbarian lands outside the passes, please accept it with a smile, sir."

  He saw him follow the rules and regulations, secretly praising him for being a good student. Without making a sound, he took over the so-called "Huitong Tianxia" (a famous sword) and scanned it with his eyes, but was actually shocked. Three hundred taels of gold, it seems that it is indeed worth putting in effort. He smiled on his face: "I am ashamed to accept it, but it would be impolite to decline. Since it is the order of King Jing and Prime Minister Cai, and the military equipment needed by Prince Wanyan San, I will definitely do my best to select the best for you."

  Wanyan Xiyin was one of the few Jurchen people who had read a lot of Han poetry, and immediately started drinking with Bai Maoxin. When they were drunk, the two of them became close friends, and Wanyan Zongbiao was left out, accompanying them cup by cup. After becoming familiar, Bai Maoxin said vaguely: "The Liao people are good at riding and shooting, and their city walls are high. The most effective way to control riding and shooting, and attacking the city, is with fire weapons." Wanyan Zongbiao's eyes lit up, and he personally handed the wine cup to Bai Maoxin, asking him to drink it down, saying: "My tribe has been invaded by the Khitan people many times, please, sir, point out a way to save us."