Chapter Fifteen Fragrance
Recommend new book "Desire Doctor - Magic Needle", Dai Xiaolou's new work, just listening to the name is *** content, ah, I didn't say anything...
Gao heard the words and was both shocked and delighted. He had originally ordered Yan Qing to find a suitable courtesan in Bianjing, planning to use the story of Emperor Zhao Ji's visit to the brothel as an opportunity to offer some advice. However, he did not expect this rogue to have made progress so quickly, and even more surprisingly, to have produced such a beautifully painted scroll. Not only were the beauties depicted vividly, but there were also critiques written alongside, making Gao think that Yan Qing truly lived up to his reputation as a rogue. A professional in the field of romance was indeed different from others. This painting could be called "The Six Beauties of Tokyo".
When he unrolled the painting and took a closer look, there were six beautiful women on it, each with their own unique charm. As he looked at them one by one, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he saw that in the lower right corner of the painting, there was a person painted, slender and elegant, with a subtle expression, a melon-seed-shaped face with a hint of a smile, as if she were about to step out of the scroll.
Gao Jianyi was overjoyed and pointed at the beauty saying: "Xiao Yige, who is this beauty?"
Yan Qing smiled and said, "The official's question is quite timely. This beauty is the leader of the courtesans from the Xiwashi Brothel outside the Zhuque Gate, with the surname Bai and nicknamed Chenxiang. Not only is she a top-notch figure in the pleasure quarters of Bianjing City, but she is also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her conversation is witty and charming, making people forget their worries when talking to her. Moreover, there's something extraordinary about her - the lyrics she sings are elegant and beautiful, extremely ingenious, and every time she performs, they spread like wildfire in the pleasure quarters. The refined taste of her songs can be compared to those of Shaoyou, but I've never heard them being transmitted elsewhere. In my opinion, if she didn't compose them herself, then there must be a talented person behind her."
"What about Bai Chenxiang? Is there another talent behind him?" Gao Qiang was slightly stunned, he also knew a thing or two about Yan Qing's taste, and to get his approval, Bai Chenxiang's lyrics must be exceptional. But who could this other talent be, that he could be mentioned in the same breath as Qin Shaoyou, one of the Four Scholars of the Su Gate?
"Xiao Yi, what is the name of this wonderful tune that can be worthy of your praise?"
"Please listen to this tune." Yan Qing smiled, raised his hand and tapped out a few beats in the air, softly chanting: "The wind blows out the candle flame, the dew wets the oven, the flower market shines brightly. The cassia flowers flow like tiles, the thin clouds disperse..."
When he heard the phrase "Gui Hua Liu Wa", Gao Qiang suddenly woke up: "Zhou Bangyan!" He remembered that when he read Wang Guowei's "Ren Jian Ci Hua", he mentioned Zhou Bangyan's lyrics and Qin Shaoyou's lyrics, and cited this "Jie Yu Hua" as an example, so he remembered it. If Yan Qing sang another song, he wouldn't be so familiar with it, just because Zhou Bangyan was good at writing long songs, one song would have more than 100 words, Gao Qiang didn't read books carefully, and didn't have the patience to savor them slowly.
"Zhou Meicheng?" Yan Qing was also taken aback: "Xiao Yi has been lingering in the brothels and wine houses for several days, and indeed heard people mention the name of this poet. He said that during the reign of Emperor Shen Zong, he presented ' Bianjing Fu' and became a professor at Taixue, now living as a Shangshu Lang, skilled in wordcraft and music, but in recent years, there have been few excellent works. I didn't expect him to be hiding behind this Bai Xing Shou. However, this Qingzhen Jushi is also considered a master of poetry at the time, why does this Bai Xing Shou have such ability, able to dominate his poetic works for many years? This is indeed puzzling. Also, how did the official know that the author of this poem was Qingzhen Jushi?"
"Ah, this...". Gao Jiang was momentarily speechless, but fortunately he had a quick wit and hastily said: "At present, the poets of our dynasty are not as flourishing as those of the previous one. After Qin Shaoyou, it's all about Zhou Qingzhen. In the yamen, I also made some inferences based on this poem. Xiao Yi, you're right, there is indeed something suspicious about this. However, since this woman can be so talented and reserved, she will be very beneficial to our important matters in the yamen. It's still early now, why don't we go and investigate?"
Yan Qing saw that he was in high spirits, and naturally had no choice but to follow him. The two of them took some silver and copper coins and left the Commander's Mansion, heading straight south. They passed by Jingling West Palace and Kaifeng Prefecture, turned onto the street west of Zhongyi Bridge, and went on their way. This was one of the most prosperous nightlife areas in Eastern Capital Bianjing - Zhuque Gate West Street, also known as Yuanjie Street by the people of Bianjing.
This place is exceptionally prosperous, and at night it's even more bustling. Every household and shop has bright lights on, with people coming and going shoulder to shoulder. In front of famous shops like Cao Babao's wonton shop, Li Si's teahouse, and Lu Jia's baozi shop, there are long queues of people waiting. Everywhere is a scene of music and dance. The brothels in this area have more style than those near the East Gate Taixue, and you don't see any prostitutes soliciting on the outside. Instead, they hang red and green silk curtains at the door to block the view inside. Occasionally, passersby will lift up the curtains, and the sounds of music, dance, and laughter will spill out, making people's hearts itch with curiosity. There are many idle people in this area who will approach anyone who seems to be lingering around, and after a few words, they can tell whether you have money or not, whether you're familiar with the brothels in the capital, and whether you're an old customer or a newcomer.
Gao Jian arrived at this place, and his spirit was lifted. This kind of scenic spot indeed has the effect of relaxing one's mind, not to mention that he is now troubled by many worries, and coming here is just right. The idle helpers were also sensible, recognizing from a distance this famous figure in the Bianjing pleasure quarters, and looking aside, it was actually Yan Xiao Yi, who had been in the limelight for several days. These two together, it seemed like they were about to...
Throwing away thousands of gold, the hearts of tens of thousands of song girls have arrived, what reason is there for not coming to fawn? Unfortunately, today's High Official has come with a purpose, shaking the folding fan in his hand and laughing as he passes by, leaving behind only the sighs of the idle crowd.
After a few turns, they arrived at a tile-roofed house with a sign hanging above the door that read "Rong Le Fang" in three large characters. The font was elegant and beautiful, obviously written by someone of high status. However, the signature below was unclear, and it was unknown who had written it.
Yan Qing had just been here the other day, and such a charming figure was rarely seen. Almost all the idlers in this place recognized him, and several came to greet him as soon as they saw him. Later, it turned out that Hua Hua Taixi had arrived, who was a first-class flower seeker (this "first-class" naturally refers to his generosity, but as for being elegant and refined, this official was notorious for being ignorant). Everyone perked up their spirits to welcome him, bowing and nodding to lead him in.
The old procuress came up with a smile, and upon hearing that the high official wanted to summon Bai Chenxiang today, she secretly frowned and thought to herself: "This commoner is really untimely, where is that old talent inside?" She hurriedly smiled and said: "Official, it's not convenient, today Xiang Xiang has closed the door to practice her music, as usual, she doesn't see guests. I'll find another girl who is even better than her for you to sing with, how about that?"
He said that if he wanted to listen to the tune, there were a few who could compare with the young master in our courtyard. Is it true that you have come to find pleasure? Yan Qing was a person with a straightforward expression and didn't wait for He Qiang to speak before stepping forward and smiling: "This is good intentions, but my master is usually busy practicing literature and martial arts, and doesn't have time to spare. Today, I came incognito, hoping that you would be kind enough to report it and let us meet in person." It seems that the atmosphere of this era's brothels was quite good, seeking romantic stories and despising bullying people with power. Therefore, Yan Qing smiled and spoke calmly, not using his identity to pressure others at all.
The old procuress, seeing that he was so polite and such a fine-looking man, was immediately willing to oblige. She hastily called two singing girls to keep the High Imperial Commissioner company for a while, and ordered tea and refreshments to be served, while she herself went in to report.
Gao sat there, looking around, and saw that the Rong Le Fang was not very big, but it was arranged in a elegant way. Everywhere he heard the sound of silk and bamboo music and dance, but he didn't hear any lewd or rude language, and he couldn't help but nod his head in approval, thinking that this was what a high-class entertainment venue should be like. Before long, the old madam came out, smiling awkwardly: "Your Honor, today Xiang Xiang is really very tired, but hearing your sincere words has moved her, so she's asked me to give you a riddle. If Your Honor answers correctly, then it's fate, and if not..."
It's actually quite interesting, this kind of scenario is usually only seen in plays, it's rare to encounter it today, so playing along won't hurt: "Please have the nanny give us a riddle."
That old procuress was originally nervous, afraid that this young master would get angry, but now seeing him answer so refreshingly, she was also surprised, and quickly put on a high hat: "Your Excellency is so elegant, it's really worthy of the word 'fashionable', I admire you very much." This is called lifting you up to the sedan chair, first letting your identity stand up straight, lest later you can't answer questions and turn around to make a scene, the small Rong Le Fang can't afford those wolf-like soldiers from the Temple Commander's residence.
Only then did the old procuress whisper a few words into the ears of the two singing girls, and immediately began to play the silk and bamboo instruments. The song they sang was indeed the "Yan Qing" that Yan Qing had just sung, but these two singing girls were mediocre in talent, and the twists and turns lacked many flavors. Gao Fang had heard Xiao Yi's performance before, and now hearing the performance of these second-rate singers, he couldn't help but feel disappointed and uninterested.
Here is the translation:
It was easy to finish singing that song, and then the old procuress came up to discuss the topic, but it turned out she was asking what was wrong with the word "high strength" and how to change it. Gao Fang listened and immediately knew that this White Fragrance girl was intentionally trying to make things difficult for him. How many people in this world could pick out the flaws in Zhou Bangyan's words? Fortunately, I came from 900 years later and happened to have read the commentary in "Words of the Human World". At this moment, I could show off: "This is truly an excellent poem! Although its artistic conception is not as good as Ouyang Yongshu or Qin Shaoyou's poems, its expression of emotions and depiction of objects can be said to be extremely skillful. However, using the two characters 'gui hua' to replace the character for 'moon' can be considered a minor flaw. In poetry, it is taboo to use substitute characters. Whenever substitute characters are used, either the artistic conception is insufficient or the poetic lines are not elegant. When Su Shi asked Qin Guan about his recent work, Qin recited 'Small building connected to the clouds, looking down at the embroidered carriage and carved saddle passing by', but was ridiculed by Su Shi as 'thirteen characters only describing riding a horse in front of the building'. Today, Fragrance's poem also has this flaw. As for how to change it...". Pretending to think deeply for a moment, I actually couldn't remember if Wang Guowei had said anything about changing it, and after thinking for half a day, I still couldn't come up with anything, so I could only laugh and say: "I have high aspirations but limited abilities, and this change is something I am unable to do. I can only answer halfway, please go back and report to Fragrance."
The old procuress looked suspicious, seemingly thinking that this commoner was talking nonsense and couldn't tell right from wrong, but she memorized it vaguely and went inside. After a short while, she came back with a joyful face, her plump body shaking like waves, panting and saying: "It turns out the official is a destined person, Xiangxiang invites the official to sit in the water pavilion for a moment, and after finishing her makeup, she will come out to meet the official."
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