A missed encounter

She finally appeared after much anticipation, still half-concealing her face like a pipa player.

When Bai Juyi wrote this line, did he secretly criticize the pipa player for being pretentious and affected?

Xu Qi'an thought the courtesan named Hongxiu was rather pretentious, or perhaps arrogant. She arrived late, only halfway through the tea ceremony, and with a nonchalant chuckle, said, holding her wine cup:

"I was feeling unwell and rested for a while. Please forgive me, gentlemen."

He drank a glass of wine as an apology, and then did nothing more.

However, there were also those who dutifully acted as order-givers, playing drinking games. Well, everyone present was playing gongs, so the games they played were definitely not elegant ones, but rather finger-guessing and dice-rolling.

Her smile was overly professional. Her posture was stiff and her back was always straight, indicating that she hadn't truly integrated into the atmosphere. She seemed to be averse to physical contact with other drinkers, and when I touched her hand earlier, she showed disgust in her eyes.

In conclusion: They look down on martial artists.

Xu Qi'an enjoys observing people's micro-expressions and subtle movements, because these details reflect their inner state to a certain extent.

This is an occupational hazard he developed back then.

The girl in red sleeves reminded Xu Qi'an of his first meeting with the courtesan Fuxiang. That courtesan, whose fame spread throughout the Imperial Academy of Music, also had a similar attitude of being polite on the surface but distant on the inside.

However, Fuxiang's professional ethics were higher, so she didn't show it so obviously, while Hong Xiu was rather blatant.

Of course, Fuxiang was the most beautiful courtesan in the capital's Imperial Academy of Music. What kind of place was the capital? It was a gathering place for high-ranking officials and nobles, far surpassing Yuzhou.

Aside from her professional ethics, Hongxiu is naturally extremely beautiful, possessing the gentle and delicate temperament of a woman from Jiangnan.

She always speaks with soft, gentle sounds like "ya" or "ne," making it sound like she's talking to her lover no matter who she's talking to.

"Let me play a tune for you gentlemen," Hongxiu said with a gentle smile.

"Hongxiu Niangzi's zither skills are unparalleled in the Yuzhou Imperial Academy of Music. When you come to our Yuzhou Imperial Academy of Music, you must hear Hongxiu Niangzi's music," the official from the canal transport office immediately praised.

It's like introducing local specialties to distinguished guests from afar—you have to say it in the most appealing way possible.

After the piece was finished, the officials from the Grand Canal transport office raised their wine cups with smiles. "Gentlemen, how was it?"

Song Tingfeng, a seasoned veteran, quickly raised his glass and took over the conversation. "For example, the most beautiful Imperial Academy of Music, Fuxiang, is no less stunning."

There are still some differences. Xu Qi'an wasn't biased towards his lover; he was simply making an objective evaluation.

"Is it that ' Fuxiang Flower Queen' who wrote 'Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water, a faint fragrance drifts in the twilight'?" The official from the canal transport office's eyes suddenly lit up.

Although the distance between Yuzhou and the capital was far, this poem had been around for quite some time, and through correspondence among scholars, it spread to Confucian circles in various prefectures.

These two lines of poetry are widely circulated and are even more popular than "Do not worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world does not know you?"

"That's right," Song Tingfeng said.

"Rumor has it that Lady Fuxiang is a beauty of unparalleled grace and fragrance, the most beautiful woman in the world," an official from the Grand Canal transport office asked expectantly.

This is the filter of fame. Fuxiang is the most famous courtesan in the capital. With such a halo, in the eyes of men who are keen on brothels, she is simply a goddess.

Hongxiu Niangzi's smile stiffened slightly, and she looked somewhat displeased.

She felt embarrassed that they were discussing a big shot in the same industry in her courtyard with such relish.

Song Tingfeng seemed oblivious to Hongxiu Niangzi's displeasure, chuckled twice, and pointed at Xu Qi'an, saying, "You'll have to ask him about that."

Xu Qi'an said calmly, "She's alright. Among the beauties I've ever seen, she'd rank in the top five."

As he spoke, images of beautiful women flashed through his mind: his aunt, Lingyue, Huaiqing, Lin'an, the Imperial Preceptor, and Chu Caiwei.

Does anyone say that?

Everyone couldn't help but glance at Xu Qi'an a few times.

"You're joking, sir," the official from the canal transport office chuckled dryly.

"I'm not joking," the taciturn Zhu Guangxiao spoke up, explaining on behalf of his colleague, "Fuxiang is his lover."

The officials from the canal transport office nearly lost their composure, but they managed to control their expressions and prevent themselves from bursting into laughter.

Fuxiang is his lover? The most famous courtesan in the capital, would she be interested in a boorish brute like you?

Why don't you say the princess is your lover? Why don't you say that the mysterious female imperial advisor is your lover?

However, boasting at drinking parties is a basic skill, and the officials from the canal transport department who came to drink with them were disdainful in their hearts, but on the surface they still smiled.

The disdain in the eyes of the courtesan, Hongxiu, was no longer concealed; she simply kept her head down and drank her wine, so no one else could see it.

She disliked warriors and had no sense of chivalry. She was rude in her speech and actions, unlike scholars who were gentle, refined, and skilled in poetry. She treated the women in the Imperial Academy of Music with courtesy.

"I never imagined that you, sir, had such a relationship with Lady Fuxiang. May I ask your esteemed name?" Hongxiu said, half-seriously and half-mockingly.

The official from the canal transport office gave her a reproachful look, then quickly picked up his wine cup. "Drink up, drink up."

The topic was dropped, and Song Tingfeng laughed, "Ningyan, it's a good thing the boss didn't come to Yunzhou with us, otherwise he would definitely not have agreed to us coming to the Imperial Academy of Music for pleasure."

Xu Qi'an said, "This isn't about seeking pleasure; it's about sightseeing. Next time the boss asks, that's your answer."

Ningyan, that should be his courtesy name. Hongxiu glanced at Xu Qi'an a few times.

The tea ceremony is over.

The courtesan, known as the "Red Sleeve Courtesan," left her seat early and then fell silent.

The fact that she didn't invite the guest to stay for tea suggests that she didn't think much of the Nightwatchers present.

"You don't know what's good for you!" a Nightwatchers said in a deep voice.

The officials of the canal transport office were somewhat embarrassed and quite annoyed, not at the Nightwatchers, but at Hongxiu.

However, the Imperial Academy of Music Bureau) was not under the jurisdiction of the Grand Canal Administration. As one of the six most beautiful courtesans in Yuzhou Imperial Academy of Music, Hongxiu did not need to live at the mercy of the Grand Canal Administration.

Song Tingfeng waved his hand dismissively, "It's alright, it's alright, shall we continue with the next match?"

Xu Qi'an agreed with Lao Song's approach; a forced relationship will not be happy.

After leaving the courtyard, Song Tingfeng and his two companions went to the riverbank. Under the cover of night, they stood on the bank and relieved themselves of their bloated bladders.

In the bedroom, where the charcoal fire blazed, Hongxiu took a sip of hangover tea, sat down in front of her dressing table, and had the maid who came in massage her shoulders.

"My lady, they've left." The maid chuckled. "They actually claimed that Fuxiang, the most famous courtesan in the capital, was his lover. Even I can tell he's exaggerating."

Hongxiu curled her lip and said indifferently, "That's just how martial artists are, unbearably vulgar."

After resting for a while, a maid knocked on the door and said from outside, "Madam, Duke Wei and his classmates have booked the entire venue."

Upon hearing this, Hongxiu's face immediately brightened, and she said happily, "Serve the young masters some wine and tell them to wait a moment."

After saying that, she hurriedly urged the maid, "Quickly help me change my clothes, and fetch that most beautiful gold-embroidered silk skirt."

Young Duke Wei was the nephew of the prefect of Yuzhou. He was a well-read scholar, handsome, and gentle.

Having changed into a beautiful silk dress, adorned with a jade hairpin and a gold hair ornament, Hongxiu, dressed in her finest attire, entered the wine room and gracefully curtsied. "Hongxiu greets you gentlemen."

She naturally sat down next to the young Duke Wei in white robes, a young man who, discussing current affairs and writing passionately, was the kind of environment she preferred.

At times like these, I feel immense envy for that famous courtesan of the capital, whom I have never met but whose reputation precedes me.

What incredible fortune it is to encounter such a talented student and receive a poem from him, which will be remembered for generations to come.

"Several high-ranking officials from the capital just arrived; they seemed to be Nightwatchers," Hongxiu said with a smile as she poured wine for Duke Wei.

"Some even say that the Fuxiang courtesan in the capital is his lover."

The scholars present burst into laughter. "This is truly amusing! How could Lady Fuxiang possibly fall for such a crude and vulgar warrior?"

"Brother Wei, you went to the capital half a month ago. Did you get to see the beauty of the Fuxiang Flower Queen?"

"I'm ashamed to admit it, I've attended tea gatherings three times, but I've only seen the Fuxiang Flower Queen once." The white-robed Duke Wei said, a look of infatuation on his face.

"A subtle fragrance drifts in the twilight; her name perfectly matches her beauty—capable of captivating a nation."

One of the young men immediately asked, "Does the courtesan Fuxiang have a lover?"

Duke Wei suddenly realized and said, "I just remembered something. When we were having tea that day, I was chatting with some of the guests. He said that Fuxiang had stopped accepting guests long ago, but now the tea parties are always packed with people who just want to catch a glimpse of her beauty."

However, there's someone who frequently visits Yingmei Pavilion. Yes, Fuxiang's courtyard is called Yingmei Pavilion. It's said this person is Fuxiang's lover.

The young men present were intrigued. "The poet who wrote 'A faint fragrance drifts in the twilight'?"

Duke Wei sighed, "Who else could it be but him?"

He paused, then looked around at everyone and said in a tone of sharing a secret, "This person's identity is extraordinary. This poem is widely circulated and known to everyone in the Great Feng Da Feng, so why is the poet unknown, and why is he not even mentioned? Don't you find that strange?"

This piqued everyone's curiosity, and they began to speculate. "Is their identity sensitive, and they can't talk about it with others?"

The courtesan, her eyes sparkling, listened intently, most curious about the poet's identity. He was a talented man who could transform the women of the Imperial Academy of Music.

After his companions had been discussing it animatedly for a while, Duke Wei gestured for silence to fall.

He shook his head and said, "Because that man's true identity is a Nightwatchers, not a scholar."

"Is that so?!" Everyone was shocked, then suddenly realized.

No wonder the Confucian scholars never publicized the poet's identity, tacitly choosing to forget him; it turned out he was a Nightwatchers, not a scholar.

The Nightwatchers's words were unintentional, but the listener took them to heart; Hongxiu's heart sank instantly.

She opened her mouth, and said in a hoarse voice, "What... what's your name?"

Duke Wei glanced at the beauty and said, "Xu Qi'an, courtesy name Ningyan."

The wine glass crashed onto the table, then slid to the floor and shattered.

Everyone turned to look at Hongxiu, whose face was deathly pale and whose eyes were vacant, like a lifeless paper flower.

Just as she was feeling lost, Hongxiu suddenly slumped onto the table, bursting into sorrowful tears, her body trembling as she cried her heart out.

PS: I finally finished a chapter. I didn't have time to check for typos carefully, so I'll just post it first and ask everyone to help me find the bugs.