The girl who entered the room to sing was called Sang Wen, and she was a famous singer in the capital. In the past, it was not easy for the nobles to see her.
The reason why Fan Xian recognized her was because more than a year ago, when he was spending the summer with Wan'er and Ruoruo's family in the summer resort to the west of the capital, Sang Wen had been invited by Wan'er to sing a song in the villa for a whole afternoon.
At that time, the wind was blowing across the lake, and Fan Xian was sitting next to Wan 'er, Ye Ling' er, and Fan Xian. It was the most beautiful moment he had experienced since his rebirth, and the song Sang Wen sang had a line that said, "Suddenly, we meet again." It was a line that matched the first time Fan Xian and Wan 'er met at the Qing Temple, and so he had a particularly strong impression of her.
After Sang Wen entered the room, she bowed slightly and sat down in the corner, expressionless. She held an instrument that looked like a lute, and in a clear voice, she said, "What song would you like to hear?"
Fan Xian's eyebrows furrowed. He knew that she had not recognized him, but he did not know if she remembered the lines he had written for her. Last summer, when Fan Xian was in the summer resort, he had copied a poem by Tang Xianzu and given it to Sang Wen. Sang Wen used this poem to become even more famous in the capital, but she did not reveal the true author of the poem, as Fan Xian had told her.
"Let's sing a song."
Fan Xian leaned back into Yan 'er's soft embrace, and closed his eyes. He picked a song that he was most familiar with, and in his heart, he was wondering how a singer like Sang Wen could have been recruited by the Bao Yue brothel, and how could they have sent her out so casually? In addition, Yan 'er was not an ordinary person, either. Had the owner of the Bao Yue brothel already seen through his identity?
Ding! Ding! Two crisp sounds rang out, and Fan Xian was pulled out of his thoughts. He smiled, and thought that it made sense. Even if the Bao Yue brothel knew who he was and wanted to please him, he did not have to worry about anything. Being a commissioner at night was not a big deal, and the Imperial Censorate would come and report him.
Sang Wen's eyebrows were thin and curved, and she looked very weak. Her lips were not painted, and so they looked a little light. Her facial features were beautiful, but her cheeks were a little too wide, and her face was a little too big. Her mouth was also a little wider than the average beauty.
Her fingers brushed across the strings, and her lips parted as she sang, "Why have I come to cover my skirt? For the jade skin, and the fragrance of my waist. For the spoons, I sleep like a pancake, and breath like a thread. To be killed by Zhe Mo, if one is honest, why would he refuse? What should have been a happy ending has turned into a yearning to the bone. "(Note 1)
Her voice was graceful and soft, especially when she reached the part where her breath was like a gossamer. Behind Fan Xian, Yan 'er's breathing grew heavier. It was extremely provocative. Fan Xian's eyes were half-closed as he listened, and he noticed that there was a wine cup next to his lips. He did not open his eyes, knowing that it was Yan 'er feeding him wine. He opened his mouth and drank it. He felt warm all around him, and the atmosphere was lovely and relaxed. It was a good feeling, and he thought it would be nice to relax for a night like this. As for who the owner of the Baoyue house was, he could find out later.
But when the song reached the last few lines, the atmosphere in the room became strange. Fan Xian slowly opened his eyes and looked at Sang Wen, who did not seem to notice anything. He was sure that she did not recognize him, and that she was purposely acting cold. Perhaps she was having an argument with the Bao Yue brothel.
The last few lines of the song made the meaning of the song clear. This song was written in the language of everyday people, and it vividly described a wife's pain and lovesickness because her husband had not returned from a long journey.
The song was simple, and the words were simple, but the meaning was good. It was worthy of Sang Wen's status. But at this time, everyone was visiting prostitutes, and for her to sing a song like this, it was a bit of a wet blanket.
Yan 'er saw Fan Xian's calm expression, and for some reason, she felt afraid. She quickly poured another cup of wine and brought it to his lips. She softly begged, "Mister Chen, this Sang Wen is a famous singer in the capital. Ordinary noblemen would not be able to meet her. Why don't you let her pick a few more songs to sing for you?"
Sang Wen did not expect that the popular lady of the Bao Yue house would help her out of her predicament. Her sad eyes were now filled with gratitude. She did not want Yan'er to suffer because of her conflicted feelings. She knew that the song she had chosen was not appropriate, so she quickly stood up and said, "Mister Chen, this is Sang Wen's fault."
Fan Xian grunted and did not say anything.
Everyone in the room looked at his face, and Shi Chanli and Deng Zi Yue did not know what Fan Xian was going to do. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian immediately smiled and said, "The people of the capital are different from those of Jiangnan. It is a good place, and even the songs tell people to be kind."
Hearing this joke, the girls all felt relieved. Yan 'er quickly smiled and said, "If you are going to be kind, how am I going to make a living?"
Fan Xian smiled and patted her leg. His fingers slid across Yan 'er's slender thighs, taking advantage of her. He did not allow her to rub his shoulders, and instead, they sat side by side and drank.
Sang Wen regained her spirit and smiled. She sang another song, "In the Luofu dream, there is a real immortal, with two locks and a screw, and nine rings of pearls. Clear willows are soft, spring onions are delicate, and autumn lotuses are round. In the cup of wine, there is a sense of bashfulness, and in the painting, there is the beauty of the cicada. Let me ask you, the moon is setting, what year is it? "
As soon as she finished, Fan Xian was the first to praise her, and said sincerely, "Good singing." Tilting his head to look at Yan 'er's beautiful face, he smiled and said, "So this song is about Yan' er. Spring onions are delicate, and autumn lotuses are round …" His hand followed Yan 'er's fingers and slipped into her sleeve, and squeezed. His other hand gently lifted Yan' er's chin and said, "What a beauty. Only, you don't drink enough, so you don't have that bashful blush."
He looked down at Shi Chanli, who was holding the prostitute, and his face was bright red. He laughed and said, "So this is about you."
Hearing his funny words, the girls couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. Yan Er smiled sweetly and picked up two wine glasses. She clinked glasses with him and drank the whole glass. However, she was in a trance for no reason. This childe was really a master at manipulating the mood of the audience. Was it really like what Sister Yuan said … that he was an official?
— — — —
It was late at night, and Fan Xian had chased Deng Zi Yue and Shi Chanli into a room on the side of the courtyard. The room was soundproof, and for a long time, the sounds of the men and women could not be heard. Fan Xian could not help but smile. He thought that Deng Zi Yue might be able to keep his mind clear, but he was not from the Third Bureau, so it would be difficult for him to get any information from these prostitutes. As for Shi Chanli, the scholar, he was afraid that he had long been stripped and eaten alive by those girls. When he was drinking earlier, he had tasted a trace of aphrodisiac in the wine. He knew that this was a common method used by the brothels, so he did not pay it any mind.
Inside the room, Sang Wen's expression was one of caution. She carefully looked at Mister Chen on the couch. She did not know why he had asked her to stay after the banquet was over.
Yan 'er, who was dressed loosely, stroked her hair, and looked at Mister Chen. She was surprised. She thought of the person that the Baoyue Brothel had their eyes on tonight, and he wanted to kill two birds with one stone. She felt a little uncomfortable. No matter what, she was the most popular person in the Baoyue Brothel. She did not expect that this young man would not be satisfied, and that he would force Sang Wen to stay in the room. She knew that the brothel had spent a lot of effort to get Sang Wen to join them. They had even torn down an entire courtyard. But Sang Wen was not a prostitute, and she had some reputation in the capital. She had agreed that she would not spend the night with a guest.
Just as she was about to smile and explain the situation, she did not expect the young guest to pull her up. She could not help but feel a warmth in her body, and she fell into his arms.
Looking up, Yan 'er could still see the faint smile on Fan Xian's face. Her heart skipped a beat. When this young man smiled, the pockmarks on his face were no longer an eyesore. His entire person exuded a sense of gentleness and warmth, and it was indescribable.
"Earlier, I troubled you to rub my shoulders. Now, let me rub yours," Fan Xian said softly. One of his hands was caressing her waist, and the other was rubbing her temples. He did not allow Yan 'er to refuse.
Yan 'er's heart froze, and she could not resist the feeling of comfort brought by the steady fingers. Her mind began to blur, and her long eyelashes closed. She slowly fell asleep.
…
…
Seeing Yan 'er lying on the man's knees, her head tilted to one side, and then there was no more movement. Sang Wen stood up in shock, and covered her mouth. Her eyes were full of fear.
"Do not be nervous. She is only asleep," Fan Xian said gently. He carefully placed the woman who had served him for half the night on the bed. He then carefully fetched a pillow and placed it under her neck.
Yan 'er made a sound of comfort, and her eyes were closed. Who knew what she was doing in her dreams? Seeing this, Sang Wen could confirm that Yan 'er was not dead, but she still carefully retreated to the door. After all, this young man had only rubbed her twice, and then he had hypnotized Yan' er. It was very strange.
Fan Xian sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at Sang Wen with a smile that was not a smile. He raised his finger and gestured for her to be silent.
Sang Wen felt her vision blur, and in the next moment, this young man was already by her side. She was shocked and embarrassed, and turned her head, ready to escape from this tiger's den. Unexpectedly, she heard the next sentence in her ear, so quiet that it could not be heard. "So the blooming of the purple and the brilliant red is all for the broken well and the broken wall … You are so fickle. You don't even remember me."
Sang Wen only felt that tonight was really too tense. She looked at this "Young Master Chen" in astonishment. After a long while, she finally found a trace of clarity and tranquility in his eyes that she had always missed. She matched the face in front of her with the face she had seen in heaven last summer.
She opened her mouth wide, and her eyes suddenly showed a trace of surprise and sorrow. It seemed that there were countless things she wanted to say to Fan Xian.
Fan Xian looked at her expression and knew that his luck had been good that day. But he still shook his head resolutely and stopped her from speaking. He walked to the red toilet behind the bed and squatted down. Circulating the zhenqi in his body, his finger like a knife, he quietly tore off the bed curtain, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into the hole behind the hollowed brass armrest. (Note 3)
(Note 1: Yuan, Qiao Ji's order to win the laurel, sent far away. (Note 2: Yuan, Qiao Ji's order to win the laurel, sent to Luo Zhenzhen. (Note 3: Today, the country made of clay, old godmother …)
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