Chapter 115: Old Rogue Makes the Twelfth Move

“The Way that can be spoken is not the eternal Way; Zen cannot be understood through contemplation; life’s loneliness is like a great avalanche.”

“Master, you’re getting sentimental again.”

“Silly Nanbei, you’ll be just like this once you have a wife.”

“Sigh, Mistress must have gone down the mountain to buy rouge again.”

“Master, why have you been sharpening your cleaver these past few days?”

“To make it sharp, good for chopping people.”

“What? Master, don’t do anything rash! We are monks. If we give up, what will happen to the Buddhist devotees who come up the mountain to burn incense? Even though Mistress and Dongxi always squander money…”

“It has nothing to do with Dongxi or your Mistress.”

“Oh, that’s good. So, is there another abbot you find displeasing? I think Abbot Huiguang deserves a beating, but using a knife isn’t good. Master, let’s stick to the old rules: put them in a sack and beat them with a club. It’s less harmful.”

“Ah? It’s not Abbot Huiguang?”

“It’s for that boy named Xu.”

“Ah? Why? Xu Fengnian is quite a good person.”

“This rascal dared to steal my daughter. If I don’t chop him, who will I chop?”

“Master, your disciple wants to go recite scriptures now.”

“What are you afraid of? With your little ability, even after so many years of Dongxi trying to steal from you, you haven’t managed it. Besides, if I chop you, who will do the laundry and cooking?”

“Nanbei, Dongxi talks about that boy all the time. Don’t you have any opinion?”

“No.”

“Having such a foolish disciple like you, it’s truly as if Buddha is dozing off. Aren’t you afraid Dongxi will run off with someone? Don’t come crying to your master then.”

“Heh, I bet you’d cry even harder, Master.”

“Master, if I somehow become a Buddha one day and produce sarira, will Dongxi be sad?”

“Nanbei, why don’t you go make dinner first? We can think about this after we’ve eaten, alright?”

“Okay.”

“Master, why is it that whenever you and Mistress argue, you’re always the first to admit fault?”

“Some things are right, and it doesn’t matter if other things are wrong. Do you understand?”

“Not really.”

“For example, your liking Dongxi is right, so…”

“Master, don’t say anymore, I understand.”

“Oh? Your enlightenment is stronger than your master’s now?”

“Heh, that’s the Zen your disciple cultivates.”

“Nanbei, after going down the mountain, have you not seen any girl more beautiful than Dongxi? Remember, monks don’t lie.”

“No!”

“Good.”

“Master, why are you holding your wine gourd?”

“If you had said yes, you’d know why.”

“Master, besides Dongxi and Mistress, is there anyone else you fear?”

“The abbot of our temple, who’s over 150 years old, that’s who your master fears—fears he won’t give me copper coins.”

“Outside the temple?”

“No one else, right?”

“Master, monks don’t lie!”

“Let your master think carefully. Oh, there actually is one. He tried to snatch your master away from your Mistress back then. They argued quite fiercely, but luckily, your master’s fists were harder. I suppose that old scoundrel wouldn’t dare come to our temple anywhere else in the world.”

“Old scoundrel? Wait, what do you mean ‘tried to snatch Master away from Mistress’?”

“Let bygones be bygones.”

Everyone in Xiangfan knew that Qingzhou’s most enchanting woman lived in Xiangguo Lane. Although she was clearly a courtesan who had fallen into the world of entertainment, no one dared to treat her like a common prostitute. Her name was Li Baishi, originally Li Xiaoru. Her ancestors were a third-rate official family in Dongyue. While it wasn’t a case of national ruin, her father’s generation was poor at managing affairs, leaving a mess for the young children after his death. Li Baishi followed her mother to Xiling Lake in Guangling, selling off ancestral property to survive. Living in a small house amidst a pine forest, enjoying the scenery, she grew into a stunningly beautiful young woman with an exceptionally graceful figure. Whenever she went out, numerous handsome young men would follow her. Later, to escape the forced abduction by a powerful general under the Prince of Guangling, she drifted thousands of miles away to Xiangfan in Qingzhou. She first became a Taoist nun, then entered Xiangguo Lane. With her talent in music and dance, and her skill in reading people, she quickly rose to become a famous courtesan whose beauty overshadowed all three provinces. She was especially skilled in the Xiling dialect of her hometown, earning her the title “The Voice Unrivaled Under Heaven, The Beauty Unrivaled Under Heaven.”

This time, the Rouge Ranking was the only one to include a courtesan. It further affirmed her reputation as ‘Double Apex in Voice and Beauty,’ delighting all men in Xiangfan who had ever visited a courtesan house. The Rouge Ranking, after all, was far more convincing than any ‘Four Greats’ or ‘Ten Masters’ appraised by scholars.

However, it was rumored that Li Baishi had been in a bad mood recently, as if overnight, all the Taoist priests in Xiangfan had left the city. It seemed as if, before the Grand Taoist Ritual of the Great Zhou, Longhu Mountain, the ancestral home of Taoism, had made a wager with the Buddhists, and now it appeared Longhu Mountain had lost. How could Longhu Mountain, with its four god-like Grand Celestial Masters, possibly lose? For a time, rumors proliferated throughout the city. Some said that on that night, a Bodhisattva in a snow-white monastic robe was seen leading ten thousand ghosts out of the city. Others claimed that Longhu Mountain had not lost, but rather that after decades of performing rites for spirits, the Taoist priests were all going to Longhu Mountain to receive their merits. Somehow, the mention of white-robed monks led to discussions about the unrelated White-Robed Imperial Master of yesteryear, the living Bodhisattva whom hundreds of thousands in the capital had knelt before. Combined with the gossip about the Prince of Beiliang entering the city, the people of Xiangfan had endless topics for conversation these days, and business in taverns and tea houses was exceptionally booming.

The entire city of Xiangfan knew of the White Jade Lion, Li Shuangjia, and by extension, that she had a personal zither player—a young blind man who never showed his face while playing.

In the early morning, the blind chess master, who had moved into the Residence of the Prince of Jing’an yesterday, arrived at the White Jade Lion Tower in the middle of Xiangguo Lane. Unlike his usual practice of carrying his zither and heading there under the cover of night, this time his hands were empty. A young servant in charge of the back gate of this courtesan house, still groggy from sleep, was squatting on the stone steps at the entrance. Upon seeing the zither player of the tower’s heavenly beauty, Li Baishi, he immediately jumped up, his face breaking into a smile—a smile that held more genuine warmth than his usual polite greetings to guests. Young Master Lu, while playing the zither at the White Jade Lion Tower, was known by hundreds of people, high and low, for his exceptionally good temper, noble character, and abundant elegance. He could converse gently and gracefully with anyone. Any genuine silver and gold he received as tips he would give away before even leaving the building, keeping only a few copper coins for himself. Thus, the small servant who had once looked down on this blind man and spat at him, now always claimed that he and Young Master Lu had become friends through a quarrel. He was especially diligent, leading the blind zither player, who had not brought his zither today, inside.

The young servant happily said, “Young Master Lu, I’ve memorized the name you taught me to write last time.”

Lu Xu smiled faintly.

The clean-cut young servant kindly said, “The fairy sisters at Red Fish Pavilion prefer to wake up late, Young Master Lu, so you’ll always have to wait a while once you get there.”

Lu Xu, blind but knowing the way, nodded and said, “I understand, I’ll go alone. No need to trouble young Song.”

The servant smiled, acknowledged, and returned the way he came.

Before the blind zither player reached Red Fish Pavilion, he met many maids and servants who were up doing chores. The ‘orioles and swallows’ happily called out to Young Master Lu several times before stopping. Those who had grown bolder from being pampered by the courtesans in the tower would even flirt with Lu Xu, intentionally asking the young master to explain phrases like “a pear tree pressing down on a crabapple” or “palm prints seen before Mount Hua,” making the blind zither player beg for mercy, which only provoked more delightful laughter. Young Master Lu, with his elegant speech and gentle demeanor, was initially very inconspicuous in the White Jade Lion Tower, where scions of officials, nobles, and wealthy families were as common as cabbages. If not for the high regard and favor of Li Shuangjia, the great artist, who would have given him a second glance? One day, a year after he entered the tower, while playing the zither, he happened upon a prominent and wealthy city magnate forcefully deflowering a young courtesan. Although the White Jade Lion Tower had more rules than ordinary brothels, commoners didn’t contend with officials, and she was just a minor courtesan. It wasn’t worth antagonizing the local bigwig of Xiangfan. The man, whose ancestors had been Qingzhou military figures for generations, not only forced himself upon the young courtesan in the corridor but also tried to hack her to death with a knife afterward. Disregarding his own safety, the blind zither player rushed forward, wielding his family’s antique zither. He failed to strike the villain and was instead trampled by the guards. It was a chaotic scene until Li Baishi herself intervened to plead, finally suppressing the incident and saving the blind zither player’s life from the blade.

Many in the White Jade Lion Tower still remember Lu Xu, covered in blood, sitting in the corridor, holding the poor, deceased young woman in his arms. He gently removed his own shabby clothes and covered the indecently exposed body.

Today, Red Fish Pavilion somehow learned the news of Lu Xu’s arrival. Qifu, Li Shuangjia’s personal maid, was already standing at the courtyard entrance to welcome him. Seeing the blind zither player, she softly smiled and said, “Young Master Lu, our mistress is already waiting.”

Lu Xu shook his head and said, “I only came today to personally tell Red Fish Pavilion that I will no longer be playing the zither here. Miss Li once borrowed my ancient zither, the ‘Painted Dragon,’ for a performance. I intend to gradually repay some silver coins each month that I earn in the future. Miss Qifu, I won’t go inside and bother Miss Li.”

The beautiful maid, whose status in the White Jade Lion Tower was higher than some of the top courtesans, sighed with regret. She bowed slightly, performed a full bow to the blind zither player, and then turned back towards the courtyard.

At a second-floor window stood a woman of unparalleled beauty. Qifu was already considered a rare beauty in Xiangfan, but compared to the woman upstairs, she lost all her luster.

What was astonishing was that behind the world-renowned courtesan and former Taoist nun, Li Shuangjia, an old man sat on a huanghuali wooden chair, tuning an erhu.

Li Shuangjia waited until Lu Xu’s figure disappeared, then turned around, looking submissive, and asked, “Old Ancestor, is it really unnecessary for Shinu to go meet the Prince of Beiliang in the reed marsh outside the city today?”

The old man with grizzled temples, holding the erhu, simply closed his eyes and plucked the strings, listening to the sound.

Logically, Li Baishi was already one of the ten most famous courtesans before the Rouge Ranking. For over a decade, she had cultivated connections, forging deep friendships with noble families and scholars. She almost married Liu Zonghui, the leader of the Xilin faction. Over the years, she had generously supported many impoverished scholars who were struggling to achieve their potential, several of whom had since become esteemed officials in the imperial court. With collective effort, Li Baishi earned her reputation as ‘Double Apex of Jiangnan.’ Now, having topped the Rouge Ranking, she was the undisputed queen of courtesans. It was never heard that Li Shuangjia had ever been intimate with anyone; it was even said she was still a virgin. So why would she allow an old man to stay in her room? Could it be that Li Baishi had such a peculiar taste? That would be quite extreme. If word got out, wouldn’t it shock the world?

The erhu-playing old man, respectfully addressed as ‘Old Ancestor’ by Li Shuangjia, opened his eyes but still said nothing.

Already knowing that the Old Ancestor disliked her dwelling on that topic, Li Baishi changed the subject. “Why does the Old Ancestor give such importance to that poor young man with the wooden sword?”

The old man looked up and cast a sidelong glance at the enchantress standing gracefully by the window. His eyes, however, showed no emotion, and his tone was even colder. “When this old man plays chess, I know the endgame from the opening. You’re just an ornamental vase, good for looking at but not for use. Why speak such nonsense?”

Li Shuangjia, the courtesan, though utterly humiliated, showed no anger. Instead, she became even more submissive, unconsciously bending her slender waist, which made her chest swell dramatically, almost bursting through her clothes. Her body was petite and exquisite, yet her cleavage was remarkably ample and imposing. It was even rumored that she possessed a pair of lotus-white jade feet, had mastered Taoist chamber arts and esoteric Buddhist Tantric practices, capable of myriad intricate poses in bed, thus giving rise to the alluring saying ‘White Jade Lion rolling the embroidered ball.’

The erhu-playing old man possessed the art of preserving his youth; though his temples were frosted white like snow, indicating an age in his sixties or even seventies, his face appeared only as that of a middle-aged man. He plucked a string with his finger and said, “Lu Xu’s chess was taught by this old man. My purpose in coming to Red Fish Pavilion this time was to see if that boy would become arrogant once he gained success. Fortunately, I didn’t waste my efforts teaching him chess; he understood the importance of leaving some leeway and still left the ancient zither you gave him. Originally, based on his character when I first met him, he was unwilling to accept favors if he could avoid repaying them. Whether he can stir up trouble or not next depends on his own destiny. The most wonderful aspect of a chess piece is that even a skilled player initially never expects it to become the decisive move.”

Li Shuangjia lowered her head and said, “Old Ancestor, your chess skills are naturally unsurpassed in this world. The entire world is your chessboard.”

The erhu-playing old man ignored her, saying, “That boy from Beiliang leaves the city today, so your business in Xiangfan is done. You go to the capital.”

Li Baishi nodded without hesitation, “Shinu only obeys Old Ancestor.”

The old man silently left Red Fish Pavilion. He was headed to a private residence in the northeast corner of Xiangfan, where he kept a ‘puppet’ he had personally trained. This woman bore a six-tenths physical resemblance and seven-tenths spiritual resemblance to Princess Pei Nanwei, and she was now secretly kept by Zhao Heng, the Crown Prince of Jing’an. Each time Zhao Heng went to favor her, he did so furtively, fearing his father’s discovery. Zhao Heng believed his arrangements were flawless, unaware that behind a hole in the wall, an old man stood, observing the two of them tumbling in bed as if they were mere automatons. Zhao Heng’s cautious nature led him to have her background thoroughly investigated, and finding nothing unusual, that private residence became his greatest haven of pleasure on earth. The woman resembled the Princess, whom he had to address as mother every time they met, so closely; her every frown, smile, and even the way she furrowed her brows were almost identical. Each time he was reprimanded by his father in the princely residence or encountered the Princess in the garden, he would come to this private house to vent his frustrations fiercely, indulging in intimacy until utterly exhausted.

After the Spring and Autumn National War concluded, a new chess game began, and the old man had quietly placed twelve pieces. Most of these pieces were still taking root, but some were about to exert their force.

After a visit to the private residence, the old man immediately left the city and headed to the reed marsh outside Xiangfan, known for its scenic views.