The Third Book: Official Career Chapter 16: The Fragrance of Flowers
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Gao Fang was overjoyed, able to show off his "talent" in front of a great genius of this era, it's the best thing that has happened in his past life. Now that he had this opportunity to proudly display himself, he felt extremely lucky! He quickly adjusted his clothes and hat, looked around and found nothing embarrassing, snapped his fan shut and pointed at the old procuress: "Lead the way!" For a moment, he was so excited that he even started singing Kunqu opera, but unfortunately, this era didn't have Peking Opera, and no one in the room knew how to applaud. The official could only silently sigh "What bad luck! Wasting my charming eyes on a blind man."
It was almost two o'clock, the moon in the sky had risen halfway, and it was just the busiest time on this street. The sounds of silk and bamboo music and dance filled the air, with red-clad men and green-clad women laughing and passing by from time to time. The old procuress held a palace lantern and led the way with a "plump" body swaying back and forth, Gao Qiang followed behind her strolling along, while Yan Qing trailed half a step behind them.
As they walked, the surroundings gradually became more secluded, and after a few turns, the sounds of human voices could no longer be heard. Occasionally, some instrumental music drifted over, but it was as if the heavens were singing, adding a touch of elegance to this place. Gao Fang nodded his head in secret delight, thinking "This place is indeed not ordinary". As he turned around a clump of short trees, a pond suddenly appeared before him, with a painted boat in the middle and four corner lanterns hanging high. The rest was covered with light gauze, while the surrounding walls were all overgrown with wisteria, making the painted boat look like a heavenly palace.
Gao saw the scene and couldn't help but exclaim "good"! Thinking back to when he traveled to Suzhou, the Humble Administrator's Garden was nothing compared to this. Adding to that, this place had a living, breathing beauty of ancient charm, making his heart even more appreciative. It's just a pity that it lacked a bit of Jiangnan's misty rain, otherwise it would truly be a paradise on earth.
As soon as the words were spoken, a voice from the painted barge responded: "Candle flowers report, noble guests have arrived! Has High Commissioner Gao arrived?" The sound of the oriole's chirping had just faded away when the door curtain of the painted barge was lifted, and two palace lanterns emerged side by side. A pair of maidservants stood on either side, and a beautifully dressed woman floated out to greet them.
Although the lamp lit up, it was a pity that they were separated by several steps, and the figure was vague. Gao hurriedly took a few steps forward, and the beauty curtsied slightly and said: "I am Bai Chenxiang, at your service, Lord Gao."
What a beautiful woman! Previously, I saw Yan Qing's brush painting flowers, and the beauty in the painting seemed to come alive. It was as if I was facing a living, breathing beauty. Now that I've seen Bai Xue Xiang herself, I feel like this real person is also wandering in the painting. Not only are her eyebrows and eyes like a painting, but her movements are elegant and refined. The subtle charm hidden beneath her elegance is unstoppable, making one forget oneself at first sight.
Gao Jian stopped for a moment before coming to his senses, secretly shocked in his heart: This Bai Chenxiang is indeed a top courtesan, just one glance and it makes people feel like they can't hold on, no wonder she's so hard to meet. Such beauty is born to entice men, it's true that she shouldn't be taken lightly. Fortunately, this official comes from 900 years later, usually seeing beauties online and on TV has made him somewhat immune, otherwise he might have really been stunned by her!
"Miss Xiang, please get up. I've heard of your great talent for a long time, and today I see that it's truly not in vain. How fortunate! How fortunate!" But he didn't dare to help her up right away, nor could he mention anything about her beauty, only her talent; otherwise, wouldn't he become a lustful ghost?
That white and fragrant eyes slightly flashed a surprised color, seemingly thinking that this famous vulgar official, High Eunuch Gao, was unexpectedly so well-versed in literature. However, this person had previously pointed out the flaws in Zhou Bangyan's poetry, showing some literary talent. It seems that rumors are often false, and whether or not High Eunuch Gao has any real talent will be revealed once the old scholar tests him.
At this, Zhi lightly opened her vermilion lips and smiled: "If the official can point out the flaws in my humble words, that would be a true man of talent. Xiangxiang wouldn't dare mention anything about literary talent in front of the official, so please come in and let's discuss it in detail." As she spoke, she extended her hand to invite the guest in.
Gao Jian, however, did not enter the house in a hurry. He pulled Yan Qing towards Bai Chenxiang and smiled: "Xiang Xiang, wait a moment, this brother Yan Qing is one of the few young romantic heroes of today, you should come and meet him."
That white fragrant scent was shocked to hear the words, originally the old procuress had only mentioned that Gao Yi Nei had visited, and then saw Yan Qing following behind Gao Qiang's back in silence, thinking he was just a guest helping with trivial matters, so she didn't pay attention. Only now did she realize she had neglected the guest, which was the greatest taboo for a courtesan house. She hurriedly came forward to apologize: "Yan Xiao Ge is of such status, yet he is also so gentle and tolerant, if the official hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known, this humble woman truly didn't recognize him, please forgive me." A string of soft words and smiles, making one feel that even if they had a grudge, they couldn't express it.
Yan Qing stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Gao Qiang. He straightened his back slightly and White Fragrance suddenly felt a bright light in front of her eyes. She saw that he was wearing a wooden melon-shaped hat on his head, a white shirt with silver silk threads embroidered on the collar, and a goose-yellow silk scarf tied around his neck. On the left side of his hair, a moon-white pear flower was pinned, freshly picked. He bowed and smiled: "Miss Xiang is too polite, I'm just a humble servant by the official's side. If Miss treats the official with respect, that would be my greatest honor. These empty words are not worth paying attention to." Indeed, he was as elegant as a jade tree in the wind, rivaling Pan An, and a pear flower surpassing the beauty of a sea of flowers!
Bai Chenxiang was a remarkable person, as the leader of the flower chariots in Wase, he had seen countless young men from all walks of life in Bianjing, but rarely saw someone as extraordinary as him. He also heard that Gaoliang's tone was not shallow with him, and couldn't help but wonder: "How come I've never heard anyone mention this excellent person?" However, the rules of the pleasure quarters emphasized welcoming guests and sending them off, and what they avoided was being careless with their affections. No matter how extraordinary someone was, they would only be treated as an ordinary customer. Therefore, Xiang Xiang just slightly nodded her head, then immediately put on a smile and said: "It's rare for Young Master Yan to have such a generous heart, I'm truly fortunate. Please come in with Gaoliang and have some tea."
As soon as the words were spoken, a maid lifted the silk curtain and Gao Qiang and Yan Qing entered side by side. Originally, Gao Qiang had found it so difficult to see Bai Xianxiang from outside that he was afraid of being met with cold words and indifference after meeting her. But now, looking at this courtesan, she was smiling and pleasant in speech, making people feel like they were sitting in a spring breeze in an instant, and couldn't help but feel puzzled. It seemed that the rules here were strict for entry but lenient for exit, since he had been allowed to see her, she would go all out to welcome him, determined to make the guest who came seeking fragrance leave satisfied.
As they entered the cabin, it was surprisingly elegant and refined, without any grand decorations. The walls were adorned with Qing Shui Huali wood furniture, and in the corner, large ceramic pots held flowers that reached up to a person's height. On the table, there were six small dots, three pairs of cups, and several accompanying musicians and maidservants who stood up and bowed as they saw guests arriving. After a round of toasting and cup-changing, Gao Fang waved his hand to signal them to stop, and the three men took their seats. Unavoidably, another round of toasting began, while Gao Fang responded politely, but in his heart, he was secretly wondering: "I wonder where that great poet Zhou is hiding?"
Just then, Bai Chenxiang smiled and said: "Just now, High Commissioner Li's words pointed out the flaws in my humble phrases, his literary talent is truly admirable. I wonder if the Commissioner has ever written any exquisite articles, may I borrow one to take a look?"
This style of Ci poetry reached its peak in the Five Dynasties and Northern Song periods. After the Southern Crossing, the poets' works were tinged with a sense of decline. If I wanted to plagiarize again, the only one who could rival Ou Yangxiu, Su Shi, Qin Guan and others from the Northern Song would be Xin Qiji alone. No one else is worthy of surpassing Zhou Meicheng, such a great Ci poet. However, that person's bold and unrestrained style doesn't suit this place of smoke and flowers, music and dance. Can't have this delicate flower-like courtesan sing "Drunk, I challenge the lamp to look at the sword, in my dream, I blow the horn to connect the camps"? But if we just retreat and disband without a fight, it's hard to accept. If we can't subdue this White Fragrance with one move, how can we expect her to help us win over the Emperor and pave the way for our own advancement?
At this moment of hesitation, he suddenly had an idea and remembered a famous poem from ancient times. He secretly called out "Xin Qiji, I'm sorry!" Then, with a smile, he said: "I've been idle for many years, only recently have I started reading books under the emperor's orders. Therefore, I haven't written many poems, nor can I compare to the excellent songs of Miss Xiangxiang. However, in my spare time, I did manage to write one or two stanzas, but the rhythm is not quite right. Please, Miss, correct me." As he spoke, he called for paper and pen, his own handwriting was not good enough to be seen by others, so he had Yan Qing record it while he dictated, and they copied out that stanza of "Qing Yu An".
As soon as the words came out, Yan Qing recorded them with one hand and matched a melody to them with his mouth. He saw that his handwriting was like a dragon and snake, and he hummed softly: "The east wind blows at night, releasing thousands of trees, blowing down, stars like rain..."
She only sang this sentence, and Bai Chenxiang's face suddenly changed as she stood up abruptly, not caring about her elegant demeanor. She took two steps to get behind Yan Qing, leaning forward to watch him write, her ears perked up high to listen to the lyrics of this rogue. As she leaned forward, the silk gauze on her chest fluttered lightly, revealing a glimpse of her fragrant skin, half-hidden in the valley between her breasts. The lamp light made it even more dazzlingly white and smooth, shining brightly in Gao Qiang's eyes, making his heart skip a beat. He almost changed the line "smiling words overflowing with fragrance" to "asking guests where they came from". The following lines were almost incoherent, and he had to quickly collect his thoughts and silently recite "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" before he could continue writing this verse.
The whole song was recorded, and Yan Qing finally put down his pen. Bai Chenxiang snatched the paper away and sang out this verse of "Qing Yu An - Yuan Xi" with a slight change in tune, without any accompaniment from silk or bamboo instruments. This rendition by the famous singer was different from Yan Qing's, and also distinct from Xiao Shifu's bright and clear voice. Bai Chenxiang's tone was as clear and transparent as a sunny sky, and as gentle and winding as a quiet stream, making this melancholic verse sound even more captivating.
The audience was silent after the song, as if mesmerized by Xin Qiji's exquisite lyrics and Yan Xiaoyi's melody, combined with Bai Chenxiang's unparalleled singing skills in the capital. Even someone like me, who has been exposed to music from all over the world for 900 years, was stunned. As for the people of this era, they were even more so. And as a singer, Bai Chenxiang was completely absorbed in the performance, with the lingering sound still resonating in her throat, unable to extricate herself.
Suddenly, a person behind the painted screen let out a long sigh: "This melody should only exist in heaven, how can it be heard by humans? It's truly an exquisite phrase, 'searching for her among the crowd for thousands of times, and suddenly turning back, that person is actually in the midst of the lanterns!' The voice came from behind the screen, and a person emerged, who appeared to be around fifty years old, wearing a blue robe with three long braids, his face was quite refined, but at this moment, his eyes were somewhat vacant, and his appearance was even more disheveled than Bai Suzhen.
As soon as he saw the man's appearance, it was clear in his mind: this must be Zhou Bangyan without a doubt. Let's see how you compare to me, this courtesan is related to my official career, how can I let you spy on us!
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