Chapter 23

The prostitution industry in the Song Dynasty was so developed that it was hard to imagine. There were high-class courtesans in brothels, street prostitutes who smiled and flirted by the door, folk performers who earned a living by performing in the streets and entertainment quarters, official courtesans who were the children of criminals, house courtesans kept by the nobility, and military courtesans in the army camps...

These courtesans included not only women but also male courtesans, though not for the consumption of women, but rather as young boys.

Therefore, one should not mock Han Qi for keeping dozens of house courtesans or Wang Anshi for using courtesans to sell wine for the state. In those times, more people would understand.

The Zhu brothers entertained Wang Ju at the largest brothel in Yanzhou City, along with some scholars and young officials they were friendly with.

Wang Ju walked in curiously, and it seemed like a large household, with many brick and tile houses, small pavilions, and some flowers and plants, as well as artificial hills and lakes. The difference was that the back was divided into small courtyards, which were the residences of the various courtesans (flower queens).

In the main hall, there were some maids or courtesans serving back and forth. The walls were hung with calligraphy and paintings, making the place very elegant, perhaps the aesthetic standard of the time.

There were over a dozen guests sitting, some of whom Wang Ju recognized, and some he did not.

Everyone greeted each other politely.

Wang Ju was poor, but he had talent, which was also a kind of wealth.

Over a dozen scholars were exchanging their insights on reading. Suddenly, Li Wan yuan exclaimed with joy, "Lady Xiangyu has come out."

The pearl curtain was lifted, and a slender and graceful young woman in her twenties walked out from behind it.

"Please meet Lady Xiangyu."

The scholars all clasped their hands in greeting.

"Please meet all the gentlemen." Xiangyu returned the greeting with a graceful bow, her voice soft and melodious.

As Xiangyu sat down, she asked, "Have you brought any good lyrics?"

"Who is she?" Wang Ju whispered to Zhu Jun.

"She is the most famous courtesan in Yanzhou," Zhu Jun answered dreamily, his eyes fixed on Xiangyu, lost in thought.

The contrast between Zhu Jun's expression towards this courtesan and his fiancée made Wang Ju feel a bit bitter. It's not just that she was a bit more fashionable and prettier... she was indeed more beautiful. But his fiancée was not bad either. This bookworm was very similar to his former self.

Wang Ju kindly advised, "She is still a courtesan."

"So what?"

Wang Ju was speechless.

In this era, although there were many courtesans, they were mostly pitiable. Few entered this profession out of laziness or greed. Most were sold by their parents at a young age or had to make a living this way due to poverty. After their beauty faded, most had tragic endings, except for a few like Fan Zhongyan's concubine or Liang Hongyu. The story of Du Shiniang was a tale, but there were many beautiful courtesans with similar fates.

One of the famous twelve beauties of Jinling, Xue Jiu, ended up in the north after the fall of Jinling. Decades later, one day at Zhao Chun's house in Luoyang, she sang a song by Ji Kang, and everyone in the room wept. Zhao Chun asked her to dance, but Xue Jiu said she was old and stiff, no longer as graceful as before. She reluctantly performed a small dance and then stopped.

Wasn't such a woman far more beautiful and talented than the woman in Bai Juyi's "Pipa Xing"? Wasn't her fate even more pitiful?

The scholars did not notice him and all cheered.

A servant brought out writing materials and distributed them.

Wang Ju continued to advise, "I think Lady Zhao is really nice. She is pretty, obedient, and from a wealthy family, making her a good match for you."

"You don't understand. Daoist Baiyun said she is my nemesis. Her uncle is a commander in the Baojie Army, and my family dares not break the engagement," Zhu Jun said dejectedly.

"Your birth dates don't match, but how did you agree to the initial proposal?"

In the Song Dynasty, marriage negotiations usually went through three steps: the initial proposal, the formal engagement, and the meeting. In the first step, both families exchanged initial proposals, writing down the names, properties, and birth dates of three generations. Then a fortune-teller would check if the birth dates were compatible. If they were, a detailed proposal would be made, listing the dowry and gifts. If both parties were satisfied, they would proceed to the next step, where the man and woman would meet. If the man was satisfied, he would place a gold hairpin in the woman's hair. If not, he would give her some silk to calm her. After the meeting, the formal engagement ceremony would be held, officially establishing the marriage. There were many more steps, but they would be completed before the wedding.

Now, the two had already reached the formal engagement stage, let alone the initial proposal.

"Originally, my family also invited a monk, but he was later arrested by the authorities for improper behavior with a woman. My mother was worried, so she invited Daoist Baiyun to check again, and he found a problem."

"Bullshit..." Wang Ju didn't finish his sentence, no wonder Zhu Jun was so cold towards the girl. In Wang Ju's heart, if Zhu Jun didn't change his attitude, he might not be worthy of the girl.

But that was the limitation of the times.

Everyone truly believed, from the common people to the emperor and scholars, how many didn't believe in ghosts and spirits?

He thought for a moment and asked, "If your two families were to marry, what impact would it have?"

"What impact?"

It was a wasted question, so Wang Ju rephrased it, "Is the Zhao family very wealthy and powerful?"

"Sort of," Zhu Jun was even more dejected, otherwise, his family would have broken the engagement long ago.

"Then is there someone who doesn't want you two to marry?"

"Why?"

Another wasted question.

"Here's what you can do. Have your family spend some money to invite a more skilled monk or Daoist from the capital or another place, preferably someone from far away from Yanzhou. Have them check the initial proposal again."

"Hey, Second Master Zhu, aren't you going to write a lyric?" the servant asked Zhu Jun curiously.

Wang Ju was talking but also watching the courtesan.

Although his body was poor, he knew some Song Dynasty customs. Many famous courtesans were not only beautiful but also talented. It seemed that Xiangyu was a courtesan with both beauty and talent. She sang very well but was very reserved. Not singing was bad, but singing too much devalued her. So she gave a difficult task, asking everyone to write poetry. If the poetry met her standards, she would sing it.

This was a very smart way to promote herself.

She gained elegance, value, and increasing fame.

As expected, as the scholars submitted their lyrics, she read them one by one, frowned, and put them down.

The servant mocked, "Second Master, are you daydreaming again?"

"Mao Mao, be respectful," Xiangyu gently scolded.

"Playing both sides, what a clever move," Wang Ju thought disdainfully.

But it was effective. Zhu Jun stood up, his face red, and said, "Lady Xiangyu, Mao Mao is right."

"He really is like my former self," Wang Ju thought, and then pulled Zhu Jun down, whispering, "Courtesans, for their livelihood, are used to putting on a show and changing their affections. Such women are fine for occasional entertainment, but if you take them seriously, you will only harm yourself."

"Lady Xiangyu is a true virtuous woman!"

"Have you examined her body?"

"Wang Xiaolang," Zhu Jun glared, "You may be young and inexperienced, but you shouldn't say such rude things!"

The servant noticed their low conversation and mocked, "This is the famous Wang Xiaolang of Yanzhou. Can you write a lyric for my lady?"

"Not interested."

"Are you not interested, or just pretending?"

Sometimes being refined is genuine, but sometimes it's just showing off.

But being refined is not mocking. Whether refined or showing off, it's just a way to elevate oneself, not to look down on others.

Mocking is different. It's not about elevating oneself but belittling and discriminating against others.

Wang Ju looked at the beautiful woman behind the curtain. The autumn wind gently swayed the tassels of the pearl curtain, brushing against the slender young woman, who remained silent.

Wang Ju had read too many stories and novels, about Du Shiniang, Huo Xiaoyu... and heard too many legends, about Liu Rushi, Li Xiangjun, and the Song Dynasty concubine who bore Fan Zhongyan a son, and Liang Hongyu.

But Xiangyu's behavior finally made him realize that courtesans were just courtesans, and he was poor, so he was naturally looked down upon.

He thought of the little princess.

She was a noble, but how did she treat people? Fortunately, he had felt pity at the time and did something, or he would have felt guilty later.

Of course, he wouldn't argue, that would be pointless.

So he whispered to Zhu Jun and then said, "I've had a bit of wine, I'm dizzy. Gentlemen, please excuse me."

Wang Ju got up and left.

This dampened the mood. The servant looked at Zhu Jun, "Second Master, what did he say to you?"

What did he say?

"I have a lyric, Second Master, you can use it to please the lady, but I still advise you not to get too involved."

Zhu Jun, of course, wouldn't say that.

So he stammered, "Nothing else, just a lyric."

"A child, writing a lyric."

It was true. Writing lyrics wasn't easy. Each line had to have the right number of characters, rhyme, and be in the right meter to be easily sung. So, although Su Dongpo's lyrics were beautifully written, they were often criticized in the Song Dynasty, far less respected than Zhou Bangyan. The lyrics written by the scholars might not meet Xiangyu's standards, and if Wang Ju wrote one, it would be even less likely to meet her standards.

But that was fine. Good lyrics didn't need to be many.

Plagiarism was beneath him, but occasionally copying one or two wasn't too bad.

So Zhu Jun recited this lyric: "The north wind shakes the fields, the clouds level the house. The cold stream trickles through the ice-filled valley. The setting sun sends the returning geese, the evening mist rises in layers. The desolate pond shows the handle of the Big Dipper, the north is close to the hometown. Why speak of returning? The pavilion is full of spring branches."

"Setting sun sends the returning geese, evening mist rises in layers... what a beautiful line," Xiangyu exclaimed.

"Wang Xiaolang is disappointed... he's leaving Yanzhou," Li Wan yuan said after a while.

Sure enough, Wang Ju left the Zhu family with the goods he had purchased, and they couldn't catch up.

Looking at the rolling yellow clouds in the sky, the clear water of the river was already cold, and the distant mountains were withered. Yang sighed, "Peaches and plums do not speak, but a path is formed beneath them."

Mao Mao was still angry and said to Xiangyu, "Lady, that poor boy actually looked down on you."

"Pay him no mind," Xiangyu smiled faintly. "Scholar Song's plan is about to be put into action, right?"

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