Chapter 9

In the early morning, the Qinglou was at its most peaceful. The Meixiang Building was quiet, with incense smoke curling in the rooms, and the left and right histories, the embroidered beds, and the silk curtains were all arranged. The rooms were decorated with musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and paintings.

Bian Saishi, who had just returned from Suzhou, leaned by the window, looking at the willows and spring mist outside, listening to the wind and the orioles singing, and sighed softly, "If only life could be like the first meeting, why should the autumn wind mourn the painted fan, and why should the old heart change so easily..."

It had been hard to find such good poetry since the Song Dynasty. After the shocking news last night, Bian Saishi had been unable to calm down, tossing and turning all night. Early in the morning, she came to the window to savor it alone.

Li Xiangjun, who had just finished washing up, did not disturb her. The two were famous courtesans of the Qinhuai River, and they respected and admired each other deeply. Li Xiangjun naturally knew that this poem moved Bian Saishi so much because it resonated with her own experiences.

Bian Saishi came from an official family in Qinhuai. Due to her father's early death, she fell into the life of a courtesan. She was skilled in poetry, music, calligraphy, and painting, especially in small regular script. She was well-versed in literature and history and proficient in painting, with a flowing brush that was especially good at painting orchids. She often traveled between Qinhuai and Suzhou.

Two years ago, Bian Saishi met Wu Weiyi at the Shengchu Building outside the Shuixi Gate. Her noble and refined demeanor, tinged with a hint of melancholy, captivated Wu Weiyi.

Wu Weiyi was the second-place winner in the imperial examination of Chongzhen's fourth year, and he was very talented. Bian Saishi also had a good impression of him. After that, they met more often. At a banquet, Bian Saishi, slightly tipsy, asked Wu Weiyi, "Do you have any intentions?"

Emperor Chongzhen had ordered Wu Weiyi to return home and get married. Wu Weiyi, perhaps not wanting to ruin the honor of the "imperial marriage" for a courtesan, pretended not to understand Bian Saishi's meaning. After that, Bian Saishi never mentioned it again.

"If only life could be like the first meeting, why should the autumn wind mourn the painted fan." These two lines undoubtedly expressed all of Bian Saishi's feelings, making her so engrossed that she couldn't stop.

"Xiangjun, tell me, what kind of person is he?"

"I can't see through him either." Li Xiangjun brought a cup of fragrant tea to Bian Saishi's hand, then hugged her slender waist and leaned against her, saying, "I've only met him twice. Three years ago, he failed the examination again and came to listen to a piece of music from me. He was polite but spoke little, mostly drinking alone. This time, after failing again, he came once more. At first, I thought he was just a hardworking scholar who had become disillusioned with the world due to repeated failures."

Bian Saishi shook her head lightly, "Not at all. 'The vast parting sorrow slants the sun, the whip points east, and the horizon is far. The fallen petals are not heartless things, they turn to spring mud to protect the flowers.' A person who can write such poetry must be broad-minded and far-sighted. He has been talented since childhood, but in recent years, he has probably been under pressure and has had to focus on his studies to achieve fame."

"Alright, alright, you admit you misjudged him. Sister Bian, why are you so protective of him? Could it be that you have feelings for him?" Li Xiangjun, petite and delicate, was almost a head shorter than the tall and graceful Bian Saishi. Leaning against her, she pouted, looking like a small bird.

Bian Saishi couldn't help but pinch her lightly, responding, "He is a gentleman, only visiting the pleasure quarters when he fails the examination. Both times he came to see you, and he even risked his life to save you in a crisis. Clearly, he is deeply in love with you. If you don't appreciate it, why do you tease me?"

Li Xiangjun inhaled the pleasant fragrance from Bian Saishi, hesitating to answer. In terms of appearance, talent, and knowledge, Qin Mu was a rare find. If she didn't already have a lover, she might have fallen for him too.

"I heard he even divorced his wife," Bian Saishi said, knowing about Li Xiangjun's engagement to Hou Fangyu, and changed the subject.

Li Xiangjun couldn't help but sigh, "Qin Mu failed the examination three times and was in a state of despair. In such a situation, any man would be upset if his wife wrote such a poem."

Bian Saishi couldn't stop talking about Qin Mu, making it hard for Li Xiangjun to ignore him. Qin Mu had visited all the famous courtesan houses along the Qinhuai River in one day but didn't come to the Meixiang Building. Was it just to avoid showing his poor state?

Qin Mu received invitations from scholars like Jiang Yeguang, the Hanlin Academician in Nanjing, Yang Shengyuan, the Minister of Rites, and Hong Guangsheng, the Chief of the Imperial Sacrificial Bureau. Even the innkeeper offered him a better room at half price. However, Qin Mu looked down on him, thinking, "No wonder your inn is barely surviving. If you're going to do something, do it properly. Why not just give me a free room? A good deed should be done thoroughly. Without some courage, you deserve to be mediocre."

If the innkeeper knew that his kindness would be met with such disdain, he might have jumped into the Qinhuai River.

Qin Mu wanted to make connections with officials to secure a position. The Ming Dynasty was on the brink of collapse, and life in Nanjing was becoming unbearable.

So, from that day on, he began to attend banquets with high-ranking officials, talking about saving the country and governing principles. It was all just talk, and anyone could do it.

For example, at Jiang Yeguang's banquet, when Jiang Yeguang probed his political views, Qin Mu, following the principle of making a big impact, directly criticized Emperor Chongzhen.

He said that while the current emperor had many good policies, his eagerness for reform sometimes led to harmful results. When appointing ministers, he often bypassed the court's recommendations and issued imperial edicts, leading to the appointment of corrupt and cunning officials like Zhou Yanru, and treacherous and cruel ministers like Wen Tiren and Yang Sichang. The department heads he appointed were often devious and greedy, like Wang Yongguang and Chen Jiaxin, and the generals he chose were often incompetent, like Wang Pu, and the censors he appointed were often greedy and tyrannical, like Shi Xi and Chen Qixin...

Relying on the distance from the emperor, Qin Mu directly attacked the emperor at the banquet, shocking everyone and drawing their attention.

This was much more substantial and clear-cut than the meaningless words of people like Hou Fangyu at Taoye Ferry. It hit the key points accurately.

As a result, high-ranking officials in Nanjing, like Jiang Yeguang, began to look at Qin Mu with new respect, considering him brave, insightful, and capable, a rare talent.

In the Ming Dynasty, scholars were extremely arrogant, taking pride in being beaten with court rods, and even more so if they died from it. So, despite the harshness of the secret police, scholars still enjoyed criticizing the emperor.

Qin Mu's words, in their view, not only hit the key points but also showed the spirit of a scholar who dared to criticize the highest leadership, a quality that should be admired, like the integrity of Wei Zheng and Hai Rui.

A country with loyal ministers would not fall. Wasn't the Ming Dynasty in need of such loyal ministers?

Hou Fangyu was the happiest. Qin Mu had cut off his own retreat. Now that he had boasted so much, if he refused to take up the appointment in Huichang, it would be like slapping himself in the face. People would ask, "Where is your integrity?"

Hou Fangyu had already planned numerous schemes. If Qin Mu refused the appointment, he would expose his hypocrisy, ruining his reputation and making him a laughingstock for generations.

During this time, he worked tirelessly to build support for Qin Mu among the Fusha members, praising him to the skies, and thinking, "I don't believe I can't bring you down."

Although Qin Mu didn't know he was secretly gloating, he began to make things difficult for him, frequently visiting the Meixiang Building to talk with Li Xiangjun about life and ideals, and occasionally writing a poem that moved her deeply.

One day, while drinking with Li Xiangjun at the Meixiang Building, Qin Mu, already tipsy, recited, "Do not sing the 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow' of old, for there is a Milky Way in the human world. In the village of Shihao, the parting of husband and wife, the tears are more than those in the Hall of Eternal Life!"

Li Xiangjun, though delicate and gentle, had a chivalrous heart and a noble spirit. Hearing this poem, she couldn't help but sigh and pour Qin Mu three cups of wine in admiration. Her face, flushed and beautiful, was like a flower with dew, and the water with mist.

Seeing her beauty, Qin Mu felt a surge of anger and determination.

He secretly decided to mercilessly cut off Hou Fangyu's legs, not just cut them, but crush them into pieces!

"Miss Xiangjun, I've heard you are skilled in the lute, but you don't play often. I have long admired your talent. Could I have the honor of hearing your music?"

Qin Mu put down his wine cup and sighed.

Li Xiangjun smiled, "Qin Mu, your talent and literary skills are no less than those of Zhonglang. You have always hidden your abilities. My simple skills, how dare I pollute your noble ears?"

"Ha ha ha... Miss Xiangjun, you are too modest. In terms of talent, I am far inferior to you. My few crude works are just to earn a living, a last resort. Now, with the state of the Ming Dynasty, such words as 'tears and rain in the Lingling' are of no benefit to the country. I am ashamed, ashamed."

"Then what about the words 'I advise the emperor to shake off his lethargy and not to confine talent to one mold'? Are they of no benefit to the country?"

"Ha ha ha... Miss Xiangjun, those are just the complaints of a failed scholar. Ha ha ha..."

Qin Mu's humility was mixed with a sense of grandeur, a stark contrast to their previous meetings. Perhaps he had given up on the imperial examinations and let go of his inner conflicts.

Li Xiangjun gave him a playful glare, then gracefully rose, took out her lute from the inner room, and asked, "What piece would you like to hear, Qin Mu?"

"How about 'Spring River Moonlit Night'?"

"I thought you would want to hear 'The General's Order.'"

"If one day I break through the enemy's defenses and stop the river with my whip, I will ask you to play 'The General's Order' for me."

As Qin Mu said this, he spread his sleeves, raised his eyebrows, and looked spirited. For a moment, Li Xiangjun felt as if she could hear the sound of war, and she didn't think he was exaggerating. She responded, "Impressive! If that day comes, I will definitely play 'The General's Order' for you."

"Good, let's make it a deal. Ha ha ha, today, let's listen to 'Spring River Moonlit Night'!"

Qin Mu drank a cup of wine, and Li Xiangjun sat by the bed, the lute music beginning, like the wind rising from the grass, like the sound of the goddess crossing the water.

But at that moment, Hou Fangyu's voice came from downstairs, followed by heavy footsteps on the stairs.

The pearl curtain was lifted, and Hou Fangyu appeared at the door, his face black as ink. Li Xiangjun's lute music stopped abruptly...

***

PS: Continue to recruit talented people, please collect and recommend...!

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