After watching Liu Dacheng and the three eunuchs leave, Huang Xiao turned and returned to his lodgings.
When Du Ge had brought him here earlier, he had not taken a close look at the room. Now that he did, he found the furnishings quite elegant, entirely unlike the bold, unrestrained atmosphere of the Jianghu. Although most constables of the Six Gates came from the Jianghu, they ultimately served the Imperial Court, so in many respects they differed somewhat from the purely Jianghu world.
"A zither!" Huang Xiao walked up to a table, where a zither lay. Although he knew nothing about zithers, even he could tell that this was a superb instrument.
"A Go board!" Beside the zither sat a Go board with black and white stones on it. Huang Xiao reached out and touched one. It felt smooth and cool; these black and white stones were probably carved from ivory. No small expense had been spared.
With zithers and Go, naturally there were also calligraphy and painting. The table held brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone, along with plenty of fine xuan paper. Brushes of various sizes hung from a brush rack. Quite a few works of calligraphy and painting also hung on the walls. These were not authentic works by ancient masters but copies, though the copies themselves were the work of renowned masters from later generations. Thus, even if they fell somewhat short of the originals, their level was not something just anyone could attain. They were certainly good enough to admire and copy.
"Heh, the Six Gates really have thought of everything," Huang Xiao thought with an inward chuckle. Most of those who could stay here were First-Class Constables of the Six Gates, though occasionally someone like Huang Xiao would stay as well. Experts who could