On the morning of the fourth day of the fifth month, in the courtyard of Viscount Dong Xiaoyuan outside Bianliang City, servants came and went, cleaning the place noisily. Although it was noisy for a while, and there were some protests from the host, it was not a big deal.
"What scholar? Isn't it just that Miss Shishi came back and met someone else before you? How dare you say that you are not against Li Shishi? It's not the first time this kind of thing happened. It's just jealousy. Hey, who's next door? Come if you know. Don't be a pushover. It's not the first time. It's not a good thing, and it's in my place … "
In times of peace, all kinds of things happened, and most of them were not out of the ordinary. Even in a big city like Bianliang, one could roughly understand what was going on after living for a long time. As the owner of the courtyard, the viscount was not a high-profile man in Bianliang City. After all, in the capital city, the nobles were everywhere. As a viscount, he had always treated people politely. This time, he was dragged out of the city, and after a little questioning, he understood what was going on.
He had not been to the courtyard for a long time, leaving only two or three servants to look after it. Next door was the property of Fan Lou, so it was nothing more than jealousy for the girls of Fan Lou. There were many young masters in Bianliang City. Most of them were scholars and scholars who pursued fame, and there were also wealthy idlers who did not want to be famous for their entire lives. They were full of energy, and when they had nothing to do, they would fight and snatch women. It was not unusual for two groups of people to be jealous of each other and want to teach each other a lesson every day in Bianliang City. Dong Xiaoyuan did not care at first, but when he was about to arrive at the courtyard, he heard that Li Shishi was there today, so he gave up.
It was fine if it was just ordinary girls. It was nice to watch the show, and it did not matter if they were offended. But the top courtesans in Bianliang City … Why should he get involved in this kind of thing? Although he was not familiar with Li Shishi, he had met her a few times. He knew that she had just returned from abroad. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, there must be a lot of visitors, and she could only receive a few people. It was obvious that they didn't get the chance to get close to Li Shishi, so they came over to provoke Li Shishi's guests.
The few people who came to borrow the courtyard had some friendship with him in the past, so he couldn't refuse them now. He couldn't help but feel a little helpless. No matter what, this matter might not be interesting to him. If his friends made the other party lose face, it might make Li Shishi hate him. On the other hand, a woman from a brothel usually had the highest standards. If the other party came here today to entertain Zhou Bangyan, he and his friends became the antagonist and were slapped in the face. If this matter was spread out, could he still live in this house in the future?
The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. The group of people opened the gate to the courtyard and asked the servants to go in and get ready. Then, they went to welcome the others. Dong Xiaoyuan didn't bother to ask more. He asked someone to find out who was coming over there and asked someone to prepare a carriage to take him out. After a while, a servant came to report that Miss Shishi was entertaining Yu Ho-chung, Chen Sifeng, and a few other childhood friends.
"Yu Ho-chung? Chen Sifeng? I think I've heard of him, that's … "He thought for a while and then his shoulders slumped. He had heard in the past that when Miss Shishi interacted with others, she treated a few people specially. It wasn't because they were talented or learned, but because they were old acquaintances. Wouldn't this be more troublesome? If the other party was Zhou Bangyan, it would be fine. But it was a fight between scholars for Miss Shishi's favor. If he made these people lose face, wouldn't it be a direct slap to Miss Shishi's face …
*****
While Dong Xiaoyuan was distressed, time went back a little. White clouds floated leisurely in Bianliang City, and the shade gradually swept by.
In Prince Chong's Residence, Zhou Pei sat on a stone bench under a tree. She watched as the boundary line between light and darkness was pushed over from one side. Very quickly, it extended across this area. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the trees, making it a little dazzling.
She didn't know what she was thinking. From last night to this morning, she almost couldn't close her eyes in peace. She felt that she liked someone, and the fact that she had to choose another person to marry after more than a month was weighing on her. She didn't know how to choose at all. If she chose based on her teacher, she probably wouldn't be able to choose someone she liked. But if she let go of this standard … she couldn't let go.
Especially when she realized that she used Ning Yi as the standard for liking someone, she became more and more aware of the fact that she was gradually drifting away from her teacher, and would quickly drift away from him. Perhaps from now on, it would be difficult to see her. After falling into a dead end, she made her mind become blank and pretended that she was already used to this fact.
Then, Zhuo Yunfeng came to find her. She tried to make herself more spirited. Zhuo Yunfeng didn't seem to notice her abnormality and chatted with her for a while. Then … he still hesitantly asked a question.
"Do you know … where did Ning Liheng go today?"
"… Teacher?" Zhou Pei's mind went blank for a moment, but she didn't show it on her face. "I don't know."
She paused, and finally asked, "What's wrong?"
Her voice was a little low, and Zhuo Yunfeng's expression was still hesitant. Finally, he tilted his head and took a breath. "He … I heard that he went to see Li Shishi outside the city, and then …"
Spots of light sprinkled down from the gaps between the trees. He told Zhou Pei everything he heard in detail …
*****
"… He Zhong, you've seen this Brother Ning before. Shishi has always said good things about him. How … is he?"
Under the sunlight, Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng walked side by side on the tree-lined path. Chen Sifeng also asked Yu Ho-chung some questions out of curiosity. Although they weren't close friends, they had visited each other many times in Bianliang City. Therefore, they were much more familiar with each other than with Ning Yi. There were some things that Ning Yi couldn't ask when he was around. For example, Ning Yi's status as a married man, his talent and education, and whether he had a strong background. If Zhuo Yunfeng's status was low, it would be too much to ask him face to face. However, he was still curious.
Yu Ho-chung shook his head with a slightly complicated expression. "To be honest, I'm not very clear either. I didn't see it clearly when I was in Jiangning. However, it's true that he's married into the family. "
Once someone married into the family, they wouldn't be able to get any fame or fortune. Now, Yu Ho-chung was already working in the Ministry of Revenue. Although he was a low-ranking official, he had a promising future. Chen Sifeng's status was even higher. He had been an eighth-grade official in a county government near Bianliang for several years, and was now working hard for a promotion. Since this was confirmed, the image of Ning Yi in their eyes was somewhat similar to that of a poor relative from the countryside. There was nothing to compare them, and they became closer.
"I've heard from Shishi that he's the number one scholar in Jiangning. I've seen those poems, and they're really impressive. What's going on?"
"I'm not sure either. But based on what I've seen in Jiangning, this Brother Ning's behavior is indeed very different from that of a normal scholar. He didn't participate in the poetry meet, and to talk about poems … it's also a little strange. There's a local saying that his poems were recited by Daoist priests, but I haven't looked into it, so I'm not sure. However, Brother Chen also knows that Shishi has always been kind to people. It's hard to tell whether the words that she came because of Brother Ning are true or not … "
When Yu Ho-chung mentioned this, Chen Sifeng couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Of course, they knew this the best. Although Li Shishi wouldn't go so far as to praise people to death, she had always been tolerant towards her friends. For example, if Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng had five points of talent, she would probably praise them seven points. But she also took care not to let them be in the limelight and embarrass themselves. As for what she said about Ning Yi, rather than saying that it was true, it was better to say that Li Shishi was willing to believe that it was true.
Chen Sifeng smiled, "But these things have nothing to do with us. From Brother Ning's point of view, there's no harm in making friends."
Yu Ho-chung nodded, "To be honest, ever since he came out with those poems, I haven't heard of any more poems appearing in the past year … But, so what if it's true or not, it seems that he has never thought of publicizing this matter. I've heard that for the sake of reputation, a merchant's family can do anything. I guess this might not be true … You and I have seen Ning Yi when he was young. Hehe, do you still remember? He spent his days reading books. Now, it seems that his appearance and demeanor are very different … If it's true, it's not surprising … "
"That's right. I don't think it's necessarily false. "
In her heart, she already had a sense of familiarity with Ning Yi, and wanted to be kind to people. Therefore, it wasn't bad to talk about it. The two of them had originally used the excuse of going to the toilet as an excuse to leave. Since they had something to whisper to each other, they made a detour forward. As they approached the main entrance, they heard some noise from outside. The two of them went out to take a look and saw that the noise was coming from the courtyard next door. It seemed like there was also a party going on there. When they were about to go back, they saw a man in fine clothes next to a carriage not far away looking at them. The man looked to be about 25 or 26 years old, with a small beard on his chin. His eyes were kind and his temperament was quite calm. He held a folding fan and walked over with a smile.
"Brother Yu, Brother Chen, what a coincidence."
This man wasn't an official, but he must be from a rich family. Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng didn't have much impression of him. The man then introduced himself, "I'm Dong Xiaoyuan. I met you two at the Chongyang Poetry Competition last year."
He didn't introduce his family background, but when he said that, Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng naturally knew how to deal with it. After a while, they smiled and asked each other if there was also a party next door. Dong Xiaoyuan shook his head and said, "Someone is coming, but it's not me." He lowered his voice and asked, "May I ask if Miss Shishi is inside?"
Yu Ho-chung was slightly stunned, and Chen Sifeng frowned. When Yu Ho-chung gave an affirmative answer, Dong Xiaoyuan's eyes were solemn, and at the same time, he showed an expression that said "everyone understands", "To be honest, I'm afraid that Miss Shishi came here to meet her friends, and the news leaked out. I don't know why, but it was misunderstood …"
He roughly explained what happened next, smiled and cupped his hands, "Actually, it's not a big deal. Everyone knows what happened, so it's nothing … I still have something important to do in the city, so I'll take my leave first. Please send my regards to Miss Shishi. "
Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng looked at each other and smiled bitterly, then cupped their hands to bid farewell, and watched Dong Xiaoyuan get on the carriage and leave.
For them, for Shishi, this wasn't the first time they had seen and encountered this kind of thing. It was really a bit helpless, but … there really wasn't much to be nervous about. They believed that it would be resolved soon …
*****
Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng thought so, so did Dong Xiaoyuan. After sending the message, he returned to the city in a carriage. In any case, he had already sold a favor to Li Shishi. In the future, if he met her in Fanlou, he might be favored and get a good relationship with her. With this thought in mind, he didn't go far when several carriages passed by him. He looked at them curiously, and then was slightly stunned.
The scenery here was pretty good. Several villages were connected together, and the houses were dotted in the middle. It was the layout of a village, surrounded by trees. His friends were naturally welcoming people on the road. Just like that, he arrived at the end of the forest at the entrance of the village. He stopped the carriage and greeted a friend under the shade. The other party was a little strange, "Little Yuan, where are you going?"
"I still want to ask you, who did you invite?"
"That I'm not too sure. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I've invited everyone I can. I don't know who will come." The one who passed by just now was the third young miss of the Marquis of Huiming … Next, there's Princess Qing from the Chong Wang Manor, Fang Wenyang, a few elders from the Literary Society, oh, and the recently famous "Ode to the King", Yu Shaoyuan, Master Ji Xianqing from the Tingyan Residence, and a few ladies from the Little Candle Workshop and the Fan Tower … "
"Ji Xianqing, you've already invited all of them …" Why did you invite so many people … "
"Hey, I told you, tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Everyone saw that the weather was good today, so they came out to play, walk, and recite poems. That's all. "Little Yuan, Young Master Little Yuan, how can you leave? If you leave now, we won't have any face at all. Stay and watch the show together …"
"Stop joking …" You guys aren't really just out for a walk, are you? "
At this point, Dong Xiaoyuan's heart was already in chaos. Originally, he thought that it was just an admirer who had been rejected by Li Shishi who was jealous of her, but now that he had invited so many people over, the situation was different. It was not surprising that the famous courtesans of Bianliang City had conflicts with each other. It was not surprising that you wanted to be higher than me, and I wanted to suppress you. However, every time they clashed head-on, at least with the help of the scholars, it would cause a huge commotion. If it was just pure jealousy, he might not have pulled Ji Xianqing out.
If Li Shishi of Fanlou, Ji Wanqing of Tingyan Lodge, Tianer of Little Candle Shop, and Yin Hongxiu of Qin Garden were the most popular courtesans of today, it would be difficult for the scholars to get along. Right now, they had brought so many people over. Either they were really going for a walk and had randomly chosen a place to do so, or … That was because Ji Xianqing wanted to give Li Shishi a show of strength before the Dragon Boat Festival. Right now, Li Shishi was not prepared at all, and she only had people like Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng by her side. This was really troublesome …
When he thought of this, he sighed in his heart. Things had become even more complicated. It turned out that it wasn't just jealousy, but also trampling on others to create momentum. But in this way, the complicated situation became interesting. He stopped the carriage and decided not to leave for the time being.
It was good to watch the show.
From afar, a few more carriages were heading this way …
*****
People came and went like the wind and clouds. Even if they were in the middle of it, they often didn't know what was going to happen in the next moment.
At the very least, at this moment, Ning Yi had no idea what would happen during the day. Beside him, Li Shishi was the first to notice it, but she couldn't guess the outline of the whole thing.
In the past few years in the capital, she had already seen many things. Although she wasn't familiar with the viscount next door, the moment she saw that the viscount had suddenly started cleaning up, she vaguely realized that this matter might be directed at her. In the Fan Lou, his whereabouts were actually not completely sealed. This was not the first time he had been jealous of her. However, she didn't want it to happen right now, because she knew that Ning Yi didn't seem to like this kind of thing.
If it was an ordinary scholar, he wouldn't be disgusted by a little bit of competition. Even if he was disgusted, with her years of experience, she could let him enjoy it. She completely believed that Ning Yi was very talented. When they met in Jiangning, she was even impressed by his talent. Li Shishi had also thought about how shocking his talent would be if he came to the capital one day and made a name for himself. However, after traveling north together, she suddenly dispelled this idea.
This man was in the capital with a blood feud, so he probably had a lot of things to do. He must have his reasons for not liking this kind of thing. Especially after seeing how he dealt with the Liangshan bandits, she felt that she might not be able to understand this man's breadth of mind and boldness. It belonged to a completely different part of the scholars in Bianliang and Jiangning. Therefore, when such a thing might happen, she was a little distressed. After all, it was better if it didn't happen.
Of course, for a moment, she only guessed this possibility. As for whether someone was really coming here, she was still a little conservative. In the pavilion, Shi Shi taught Ning Yi how to fold paper. She briefly talked about whether Liheng was going to leave soon, and then told Ning Yi about the recent trivial news about the dangerous situation in Shandong. After all, it was not good to talk about such a topic in front of Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng. Li Shishi also guessed that Ning Yi was not willing to spread the news that many people in his family had been killed.
After chatting for a while, she felt a little strange that Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng hadn't come yet. Shishi led Ning Yi back to the room to find a pen and ink. Then, she asked the people in the courtyard to inquire about the news next door, and also to see where Yu and Chen Er were. In any case, it was almost noon. Even if the other party really came with bad intentions, they had to have lunch before leaving. There were still many ways for him to deal with the situation on his side.
At this time, Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng were coming back. Most of the people in the courtyard had already noticed something was wrong. However, whether it was Yu Ho-chung, Chen Sifeng, or Li Shishi herself, most of them put the center of the matter on Shishi. Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng didn't feel it was strange. However, when they thought of Ning Yi, they felt that he was more or less innocent and might be surprised later. As for Ning Yi, he more or less sensed that something might happen, but... of course, it had nothing to do with him. He had been in the capital for a few days and hadn't offended anyone, so he shouldn't encounter any trouble.
"It seems that being the top courtesan in the capital is not easy..." Sighing slightly in his heart, Ning Yi wrote a love poem on a piece of paper to pick up girls. Of course, the poem was copied. He felt it was a bit mushy, so he weighed whether he should write two or three copies. In the end, he decided that it was not good to use it on Yuan Jin'er, so he made three copies, one for Xiaochan, one for Yunzhu, and one for Tan'er to send back.
Shishi came back from outside the door, still thinking about the possibility of those troublesome things. Seeing that Ning Yi had just finished writing the second piece of paper, she knocked on the door cautiously. Ning Yi glanced at her and then tapped his finger on a piece of paper. "It's done. I promised you." He picked up the pen and wrote the third piece. He touched his chin and said, "It should be okay. Is it a bit mushy... They should like it..." The last sentence was a little self-comforting.
Shishi walked over and saw a poem with six lines on the paper. She knew it was "Huan Xi Sha" at first glance. She picked it up and read it softly after a while...
*****
At the same time, Prince Chong's Mansion.
After Zhuo Yunfeng left, Zhou Pei sat there in a daze. Her mind was a little blank, and she didn't know what to feel.
What Zhuo Yunfeng said just now was still turning in her mind.
"... We know that your teacher knows Miss Shishi. Two days ago, he went to look for Miss Li and arranged to meet this morning in the courtyard outside the city. It was said that this news had been leaked by someone in Fan Lou. Originally, someone just wanted to question Li Shishi about why she could take the time to meet with others but not with them. But later, your teacher's name was known by a few young ladies and young masters here. They invited some people and decided to go there together to embarrass Li Shishi and your teacher. I only heard about this this morning. Some scholar from Jiangning is fishing for fame and wants to teach him a lesson in person. He even invited a few elders of the literary world. He said it was an outing, but he mainly wanted them to be present. Also, there are a few famous scholars in Bianliang now. Yu Shaoyuan, who is the most popular, should have gone there by now... "
She still caused trouble for her teacher after all...
This thought flashed through Zhou Pei's mind.
From last night until this morning, she had actually been thinking about her teacher. When facing Ning Yi, she pretended to be normal, but after leaving, her heart suddenly felt empty. She wanted to say something to Ning Yi, but she couldn't say anything. Even though she understood this, she still wanted to say something. Anything was fine.
People's thoughts were so strange. She told herself in her heart that she probably wouldn't have any reason to see her teacher anymore and would never see him again. This was a situation that she should accept. But at this moment, as chaotic thoughts flashed through her mind, she felt guilty for causing trouble for her teacher, and at the same time, she felt a little joy.
I still have to meet Teacher … The young girl thought about this matter in her heart. She couldn't help but smile, and then she walked in a certain direction. After taking two steps, she realized that she was walking in the wrong direction. She turned around and jogged towards the courtyard gate not far away …
I've caused trouble for my teacher...
Coming out of the city of Bianliang, the weather was very good. Big white clouds cast shade on the ground. On the official road to the other side of the mountain, carriages and pedestrians were either fast or slow. Scholars, scholars, and gentlemen in luxurious clothes were walking among the ordinary pedestrians. Occasionally, they would greet each other or pull each other onto the carriages.
In the vicinity of Bianliang, this kind of scene was not unusual. Yu Shaoyuan sat on the beautiful carriage, feeling the wind blowing towards him, the sound of a woman's soft laughter. He looked to the side, and the beautiful woman called Ji Xianqing also smiled at him. Her fan was gently fluttering, and her clothes were like a painting. She admired and liked him … He liked this feeling. After twenty years of hard work, this was the time he was the most proud of himself. Of course, there would be more times in the future when he would be even more proud of himself, and those who would like him would not only be Ji Xianqing, the courtesan.
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