Chapter Twenty: A Gathering of Beautiful Women

  It was night, and Cao Gong had put down his worries and fell fast asleep. However, Cao Yin was tossing and turning, unable to close his eyes, and would occasionally let out a long sigh. Li saw that her husband was like this and couldn't sleep either, so she got dressed and sat up: "Husband, what's wrong? Is it that the silver for receiving the imperial carriage can't be used? Should we send a message to Big Brother?" The Big Brother she referred to was her paternal cousin, Suzhou Weaving Official Li Xue.

  "I'm worried about Yu'er!" Cao Yin said slowly.

  "Yuan'er, what's wrong?" Upon hearing her son mentioned, Li's voice couldn't help but carry a few hints of anxiety.

  Cao Yin's face was filled with worry: "Zong'er is a clever young man, he can recite books after just glancing at them, and he is also skilled in horsemanship and archery. He is so similar to Nalan Rongruo when he was young."

  "Skilled in riding and shooting?" Li knew his son was good at reading books, and had also become quite robust physically over the past few years, but this was the first time he had heard that he was skilled in riding and shooting.

  Cao Yin nodded, four years ago Cao Ao moved to Qiu Ji's residence, saying he wanted to practice martial arts and archery. He thought of him as a child who was temporarily enthusiastic, teaching him how to shoot arrows on the school field. In the following years, Cao Ao shot a hundred arrows every day without anyone supervising, and in the end, although not all of them hit the target, it was close enough. The targets went from stationary targets to moving targets. These moving targets were not the ordinary cat and rabbit targets used by young men, but rather targets that could be manipulated with a sliding pole to move back and forth, left and right.

  "Nalan Rongruo is a famous scholar of the country, if our son can be as accomplished as him, it would be a blessing for our Cao family. Why are you worried, husband?" Li Shi didn't understand.

  "Great talent often invites jealousy from heaven, I'm afraid it will bring a loss in good fortune and longevity!" Cao Yin replied helplessly.

  Mr. Li heard Cao Yun's words and felt uneasy, slightly frowning: "How can it be so? There are many young people who are both civil and martial, how could you expect Yan'er to be like this."

  Cao Yin shook his head: "It's not that simple, how can an ordinary family's young man be compared to Yan'er?" He went on to recount the events of the previous night in the study.

  Li heard of the crisis in the Cao family and was so frightened that she was speechless for half a day.

  Cao Yin said, "Zong'er's understanding is not something that an ordinary eleven-year-old child can have. He has always lived a simple life, and the people he meets every day are countable. If it weren't for his exceptional talent, how could he understand these things?" There was another point he didn't mention, which was that the amount of tax silver in Cao Zong's story was about the same as the current year's tax silver. Jiangnan bore four-tenths of the empire's taxes, and Cao Zong had inferred the amount of tax silver entering the treasury based on information from the Ministry of Revenue. Cao Zong was just a young boy, yet he could speak with such insight - how could it not shock Cao Yin?

  "What about the Cao family? What about Ruan Er?"

  Cao Yin sighed: "What else can I do, paying off debts is the natural order of things. I'll risk my old life to make up for these losses in my lifetime, and I won't leave troubles for my children."

  Mrs. Li couldn't help but burst into tears: "What about our child, if it's really as you said, not to mention the old lady can't take it, even I won't be able to live!"

  "First pretend to be unaware, don't reveal any clues in front of the old lady. The old lady is most fond of Yuan'er and can't bear to part with her for a single day. After the old lady passes away, send Yuan'er to the temple to stay for a few years, bask in the blessings of the Buddha's family, and maybe things will take a turn for the better." Cao Yin replied.

  Mrs. Li returned home, where did she have any ideas, listening to her husband's opinions, slightly relieved in her heart, but thinking that life is unpredictable, she couldn't help but start worrying about her son again, and tears flowed down "suddenly".

  Cao Gong slept soundly in his residence, but if he knew that due to his own words, Cao Yin decided to send him to the temple for cultivation, he would be crying and laughing at the same time.

  A few days later, on March 25th, Cao Yuan hosted a banquet for his guests.

  Because Cao Yan had an early birthday celebration, Cao Yun went to Yungongzhai before school. Cao Yan and her servants got up early, thinking about what clothes to wear and what accessories to put on.

  When Cao Yun came in, Cao Yan smiled and said: "Your sister Lin Xiaojie has been famous for a long time, today I finally got to see her. You must make all the arrangements properly, if anything goes wrong and ruins our Jiuzhou She's reputation, I won't forgive you!"

  "Don't worry, sister, Cao Fang has been preparing for several days!" Seeing Cao Yan's happiness, Cao Yun's mood also became much brighter. The anxiety caused by waiting these few days seemed to have lessened a lot. He was really puzzled, according to his thinking pattern, after understanding the Cao family's situation, he should have come to discuss countermeasures with him as his son, why did he wait for several days without any movement? He didn't consider himself a child, so he thought others were the same, this is a case of being misled by one's own perspective.

  Cao Yan saw Cao Gong holding a green package in his hand, with a hint of curiosity: "What's this? Could it be that the birthday gift has arrived?"

  Cao Gong nodded: "That's right, since sister wants to celebrate her birthday today, I'll offer congratulations in advance!"

  Cao Yan got up to thank him, Cao Gong saw that Cao Yan's face was as lovely as a spring flower, and couldn't help but stretch out his hand to touch her hair: "For twenty years, I have been distinguishing right from wrong, the pomegranate flowers are blooming, illuminating the palace."

  Cao Yan was taken aback by the words, and when he came to his senses, Cao Yun had already disappeared. Cao Yan smiled and said, "You little scoundrel, you have no respect for your elders!" But in his heart, he was pondering over Cao Yun's last sentence, unable to understand it.

  Cao Yan personally opened the package, inside was a black sandalwood box. When she opened it, a copy of "Shan Hai Jing" appeared in front of her. Cao Yan gently picked up this book, which was actually a wooden movable type edition from the Northern Song Dynasty's Qingli period. Her eyes couldn't help but redden, as this was something she had casually mentioned last year on her birthday, and unexpectedly, her younger brother had taken it to heart.

  Half a day has passed, and Cao Kun, Cao Ning, and Gu Na have finished their studies. Wei Xin is waiting at the door with his book boy servant. His vacation is over, and he begins to work diligently as a long-time follower.

  Cao Gong said he wanted to go back to the mansion directly, Wei Xin was so anxious that he couldn't move, he pulled the reins of his horse and went to Cao Gong's side, saying in a low voice: "Don't go back to the mansion, young master, today is the Huafang meeting!"

  "What's this 'Huāng Fāng Huì'?" Cao Yun glanced at Wei Xin with a hint of oddness, thinking to himself: This kid isn't planning on taking me to a brothel, is he?

  Wei Xin saw Cao Guang looking at himself, with a hint of coquetry: "Yes, the gathering of beauties, all the ladies from the city will gather here."

  Cao Gong only then realized he had misjudged, and his heart skipped a beat. In the few years since coming to this world, apart from his own sisters and maidservants, he hadn't seen any outstanding women outside. Gu Na was young and naive, having read many romantic novels, and after hearing Wei Xin's words, her imagination ran wild. Only Cao Song, foolishly unaware of the situation, muttered: "Mao Yatou is nothing special, not even as good as going horseback riding outside the city." In the end, it was two against one, and Cao Song reluctantly followed behind Cao Gong.

  Led by Wei Xin, Cao Guang began his first attempt at stealing a glance in this strange world. As they walked further, he became increasingly perplexed - this was clearly the path to Linxia Temple. Cao Guang reined in his horse and turned back to ask: "Where is this gathering of beauties taking place?"

  "Wei Xin replied: 'Of course it's not a common place, but in the Linxiaozhai under the famous Dingding!' "

  As they spoke, the crowd had already arrived near Linxia Temple. In front of the teahouse opposite Linxia Temple, Wei Xin dismounted his horse and smiled, saying: "Young master, Second Master, Gu Ye, I've booked a private room on the second floor here, the location is just right."

  Cao Gong looked at Wei Xin's slightly lewd smile and felt uneasy in his heart. This so-called "Gathering of Fragrant Flowers" was actually a "Society of Voyeurs". He seemed to be familiar with it, definitely not the first time he had done this kind of peeping. Thinking that some of Cao's sisters were also among them, Cao Gong couldn't help but feel that this kid deserved a beating. As he thought about it, his heart suddenly woke up again, wondering how he had become so accustomed to this society and turned into a small antique. Not to mention looking at each other from afar, in the previous life, men and women worked together every day, which was also normal.

  Went up to the second floor's elegant room, and indeed it was a good location, diagonally opposite the entrance of Linxia Temple, where one could see people's shadows and figures clearly.

  At the entrance of Linxiaozhai, a row of horse-drawn carriages stopped. Except for several coachmen who were either squatting or sitting, there was no sign of any beautiful woman.

  Wei Xin realized this and thought he had come too early. He hastily said: "They will gather at the time of Chen (7-9 am) and disperse only at the time of Shen (3-5 pm)."

  Cao Gong nodded, sent the book boys back to the mansion to report, saying that they and their fellow students were eating out, and then called the partner to go to the neighboring wine building to order tables and dishes.

  After more than half an hour, two pots of tea had been drunk, and the dishes from next door were finally delivered. Cao Yun and his companions were so hungry that they didn't bother to pick at the flavors of the food anymore, and they wolfed it down in a few mouthfuls. Wei Xin was also present, and apart from addressing them as "young master" and "your humble servant", he showed no awareness of being a long-time follower. Cao Yun didn't mind this at all, treating him just like an extra companion.

  After finishing his meal and rinsing his mouth, Cao Song glanced at his pocket watch. It was 2:40 in the afternoon, just over a moment away from Shen time.

  The fellow presented a cup of clear tea. Cao Song took a sip and asked Wei Xin, "How did you know the time of their gathering so clearly? Does your family have sisters attending the meeting?"

  "Hmm, my little seventh received the post and was delighted for several days, until my old master said 'the world is getting worse', but didn't dare to stop her." Wei Xin replied: "These young ladies, either rich or noble, are all daughters of wealthy families, that post isn't something you can just respond to casually!"

  Cao Gong didn't speak, and Cao Song asked, "Brother, since it's the Huafang Society, I wonder if our family's eldest sister, second sister, and third sister have received the invitation? It seems like I vaguely heard Eldest Sister mention it to Mother."

  Cao Gong couldn't help but laugh: "I've heard enough, this post was written by Second Sister, and both Eldest Sister and Third Sister have arrived."

  Wei Xin was stunned, only then realizing his own abruptness. Seeing that Cao Guang did not show any displeasure, he scratched his head and smiled, saying: "The several young ladies from the governor's mansion must be extraordinary in appearance, it is only right that they were selected for this gathering of beauties."

  What a wonderful gathering of elegant ladies, yet they were referred to as the "Fragrant Flowers Society" by outsiders. Cao Rouyi felt sorry for Cao Yan and her friends. Alas, what could be done? Although the girls enjoyed reciting poetry and painting, and were willing to form close friendships, in their parents' eyes, it was just another social gathering.

  Just then, Wei Xin excitedly shouted: "They're out! They've come out!"

  For a moment, several young men gathered in front of the window and looked towards the Linxia Gate.

  The first to emerge were two young ladies walking side by side, followed by several maids. One of the ladies wore red and the other purple; the one in red was slightly taller and seemed to have noticed someone watching, scanning her surroundings before finally fixing her gaze on the teahouse, making Cao Zhong and the others feel uneasy. It wasn't until the lady in purple pulled on her sleeve that she lowered her head, and the two of them got into a carriage with crystal decorations on its curtains.

  "That's the Yang family's carriage from Bihe Tower!" Wei Xin said with a smirk, "It was given by the White family to their granddaughter, designed by Master Fu of the White Treasure Brand, and it's the only one in all of Jiangning."

  It turned out to be Zheng Woxue's sister. Judging from her demeanor, she seemed like a young lady from an official family, where could you see that she was from a merchant family?

  Just as Cao Guang was thinking, he heard Wei Xin say: "The one wearing purple is the eldest sister of Bihelu, and she's a sworn sister with my family's seventh brother. I've seen her twice in the past two years. Who would have thought that her ungrateful father could give birth to such a delicate girl? It's said that the newly appointed Jiangning General has a good relationship with the Yang family, so I guess the one wearing red is his daughter. No wonder she's different from our Han family girls, with the boldness of a flag-waving woman!"

  Then, more and more ladies came out. Wei Xin looked at the carriage and the family following behind, introducing them in a vague and guessing manner: "This should be Miss Chui's daughter from the Chui Mansion. Her mother's maiden family is a nouveau riche who loves to flaunt their wealth with gold and silver decorations. Look, the carriage curtains are all pasted with golden foil, what a pity for their daughter."

  He also said: "That is the second daughter of Liuhe Qianzhuang, a wealthy family. Although that carriage looks ordinary, it's made of high-quality nanmu wood."

  Combining rumors from the streets and household gossip, Wei Xin actually revealed the identities of these women quite clearly. If he hadn't kept saying "should be" and "seems like", Cao Guang would have thought he had met these people before.

  Cao Guangzheng thought Wei Xin was talking too much, but Wei Xin stopped speaking and stared intently at the entrance of Lin Xiaozhai's residence. Cao Guang followed his gaze and saw a delicate figure wearing a veil emerging from the doorway, supported by several maidservants, slowly making her way to the carriage. For some reason, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed awkward.

  When the young lady got on the horse carriage, Wei Xin finally let out a breath and said with sparkling eyes: "Gentlemen, take a good look, that is the thousand gold of Magistrate Ma's family, it's a real three-inch golden lotus, I don't know which lucky one will marry her in the future!"

  Cao Gong finally understood why he felt awkward when he saw the young lady walking just now, it turned out to be a small foot. Ma Jia, Ma Shi, Cao Gong thought of it and felt a chill, as if vaguely remembering that the wife he married in history was also surnamed Ma, it shouldn't be this small-footed woman in front of him. Thinking of that deformed small foot, Cao Gong suddenly lost his interest in stealing glances at her.

  The carriages at the entrance of Linxiaozhai gradually dispersed, leaving only two or three carriages. Two were dark green carriages, and the one in front with a dark green awning was much larger than ordinary carriages. Cao Yun recognized it as Cao Yan's carriage, apparently the three sisters had come together. Wei Xin was still gazing longingly, when Cao Yun reached out and patted his head: "Let's go!"