Chapter 7: Wu Meiniang Gazes at the City Walls

The Purple Jade Pavilion was famous, extremely famous, renowned even. Its fame was so great that rumors circulated about the Emperor himself once visiting incognito when he came to the Northern Liang King's residence to escape the summer heat, all just to catch a glimpse of Li Yuanyuan, the undisputed chief courtesan of the Four Regions of Liang that year, whose beauty was said to be captivating.

Of course, these were just unverified rumors. After Li Yuanyuan disappeared without a trace, no single courtesan in the Four Regions was ever again universally acknowledged as the chief. Instead, a hundred flowers seemed to bloom simultaneously, with beauties from various brothels striving meticulously to outshine each other, until Yu Youwei appeared, a woman from a fallen family who had descended into the world of courtesans.

Women who debase themselves likely wouldn't use their real names. So Yu Youwei's original name was unknown; perhaps her real surname was Yu (余), with her chosen name being a homophone.

The Purple Jade Pavilion's most prominent patron, His Royal Highness the Heir Apparent, once privately asked the most taboo question in that establishment. Yu Youwei merely smiled without speaking, yet she didn't disappoint Xu Fengnian too much. She performed a dazzling sword dance that had never been seen before, leaving Xu Fengnian utterly stunned.

First came admiration, then came chilling fear. If it weren't for the deaf and mute old monster, a retainer of the Northern Liang King's residence, standing outside, Xu Fengnian, who feared death and pain alike, would have fled in terror long ago.

After that, his visits to the Purple Jade Pavilion became increasingly infrequent, and the doubts in his heart grew stronger.

Three young masters rode three swift horses, galloping wildly down the main thoroughfare of Lingzhou City, followed by a large retinue of guards.

Li Hanlin burst into wild laughter, feeling thoroughly relieved. Without Brother Feng for the past three years, life hadn't been very enjoyable.

Yan Chiji, having been dragged into such antics countless times, had long since resigned himself. He made every effort to avoid pedestrians to the greatest extent possible.

Xu Fengnian, the most prominent young master of the Four Regions of Liang, led the way in the center. He had removed his purple-gold coronet, simply using a jade hairpin to tie his hair, and discarded the cumbersome accoutrements like his sword, folding fan, and jade ring, appearing even more dashing, refined, and exceptionally handsome.

They headed straight for that lavish haven of pleasure.

The madam of the Purple Jade Pavilion had herself been a renowned courtesan in her youth. In recent years, as the Purple Jade Pavilion's prestige grew, she rarely bothered to show her face unless it was for a distinguished guest. Today, however, she quickly dressed in her finest attire and personally went out to greet the three great young masters who could walk sideways across the entire Liang region, such was their influence.

The three dismounted in unison, handing their reins to the awaiting head pimp, who, eager to serve, would even humble himself to do menial tasks. Without Xu Fengnian needing to say a word, the familiar Li Hanlin pulled out a five-hundred-tael banknote, slipped it into the neckline of the madam—who, though no longer young, still possessed more charm than any fresh courtesan—and chuckled wickedly:

"Aunt Han," he said, "I've never sampled a woman of your age. How about you make an exception today? Aunt Han, do you possess skills in bed worth ten thousand taels of silver? I've heard that your 'jade fluting' back in the day was truly exceptional."

The madam playfully poked the mischievous-looking Li Hanlin with a soft finger and smiled alluringly:

"Oh, Young Master Li, you're in quite a refined mood this time. As long as you don't mind an old cow eating tender grass, Aunt Han is ready to display all eighteen of her skills. Forget 'jade fluting,' even the 'Guanyin sitting on a reverse lotus' is quite perfected."

While she was playfully flirting with Li Hanlin, the madam's eyes constantly darted towards Xu Fengnian.

Li Hanlin, his arm around Aunt Han's still slender and flexible waist, entered the Purple Jade Pavilion with Brother Feng and Yan Shugui, chuckling mischievously:

"Aunt Han, you know my tastes. I snuck out this time and didn't have time to bring my page boy. Do you have any well-trained young gentlemen here? As for you," he continued, "I suggest you try to entice Young Master Yan. He's still a virgin. If you can make him so sore, stiff, and cramped that he can't get out of bed, I'll give you all the money on me, plus I'll owe you five thousand taels. How does that sound? And of course, don't forget to give Young Master Yan a small red packet of sixty-six taels afterward."

The madam, who was not young but far from faded, replied alluringly, "Oh, no, that won't do. Lord Governor would certainly seal up my Purple Jade Pavilion. As for young gentlemen, I just happen to have a few darlings about to debut. They're even more tender than girls, and their skin, I guarantee, feels just like Shu silk or Su satin. I assure you, you'll be a hundred percent satisfied."

Li Hanlin chuckled, "Then it's the old custom: His Royal Highness the Heir Apparent goes to Courtesan Yu, I'll find my own fun, and Aunt Han, please find two refined courtesans for Young Master Yan who can play Go and perform dances."

She feigned a pained expression and said, "Don't you, Young Master Li, want to try the taste of Aunt Han's 'beauty's tongue wrapping around the spear'?"

Li Hanlin slapped her ample backside and said, "Next time, next time. After I've rested and built up my energy, I'll battle Aunt Han for eight hundred rounds and truly experience your eighteen skills."

Xu Fengnian, accustomed to such antics, went directly to the back courtyard, found a private compound filled entirely with banana trees, and pushed open the door to enter.

Unlike the bustling Madam Han, the woman sitting in the courtyard, staring blankly at a withered banana tree, was barefaced. She wore only green clothing, as she always did, and although she clearly heard Xu Fengnian's soft chuckle, she remained motionless.

Unlike other courtesans who emphasized grand displays, she had no personal maids or servants. She even tidied her own room and swept the courtyard herself, truly an independent spirit. In the world of brothels, she stood out like a crane among chickens.

Perched on the stone table was a white cat, neither plump nor slender, perfectly proportioned, just like its owner's graceful figure—not an ounce more or less would do. The cat, radiating intelligence, had eyes that sparkled like rubies, and when it stared at someone, it evoked a sense of eerie absurdity.

The most clever detail was that this snow-white pet was named Wu Meiniang.

Xu Fengnian sat beside her and softly said, "I just got back to Lingzhou, slept my fill in one go, and immediately came out to see you."

Courtesan Yu extended a slender hand to stroke Wu Meiniang's head, and like a petulant young woman, softly murmured:

"Youwei is merely a woman of the world; how could I dare hope for more? The first time, I merely dared to jokingly suggest to His Royal Highness the Heir Apparent that I be granted the status of a concubine. In response, that person made several blunders during a game of Go, allowing me to capture a large dragon. The second time, I simply performed a sword dance, and that person didn't dare to stay in this courtyard for long. I just don't know what kind of trouble will arise this time, and then that person will never come again."

The kindness of a beauty is truly the hardest to bear.

Xu Fengnian, feigning indignation, said angrily, "That fellow is truly despicable! Cowardly as a rat, narrow-minded as an insect. My lady, you shouldn't be upset over such a person. Next time you see him, just strike him squarely on the head!"

Yu Youwei's lips curled slightly, but she deliberately kept a straight face and said, "Oh? May I ask, young master, where are you from, and what is your name?"

Xu Fengnian brazenly replied, "Coincidentally, my surname is Xu and my given name is Fengnian, the same as that scoundrel. But I'm ten thousand li stronger than him! Even if you, my lady, were to say you wanted to be a concubine, I would, without a word, immediately bring you home with gongs, drums, and an eight-bearer sedan chair."

Yu Youwei finally turned to look directly at Xu Fengnian, but in the eyes of this beauty, whose gaze was as clear as autumn waters, there was no great surprise or joy. She continued gazing at the banana tree and said, "It's too late. I'm going to Chuzhou tomorrow. That's my hometown. Once I go, I won't come back."

Xu Fengnian gasped aloud.

Yu Youwei withdrew her gaze, looking at Wu Meiniang, her sole companion, and said bitterly, "Regretting it, aren't you? But there's no medicine for regret in this world for us to take."

Xu Fengnian remained silent, his brows deeply furrowed.

Yu Youwei leaned on the stone table and whispered, "Your Royal Highness, look, Wu Meiniang is looking at the top of the wall."

Xu Fengnian followed the white cat's gaze, turned his head to look at the low wall top—there was no particular scenery—and rubbed his cheek, saying, "Passersby outside the wall hear the laughter of a beauty on a swing inside, and they feel helpless. But I've already walked inside the wall. If you secretly leave, wouldn't that be even more helpless?"

Yu Youwei smiled sweetly, made a mischievous face, and said, "Serves you right."

Xu Fengnian was stunned. In all his acquaintance with her, he had never seen her act so lively. Previously, she had always been as tranquil as still water, as calm as an ancient well, leading Xu Fengnian to mistakenly believe that even if Mount Tai crumbled before her, she would remain unfazed. He had also never thought she would genuinely become a beautiful concubine for a wealthy family.

She was most captivating as a floating duckweed; if she became a well-fed courtyard banana plant, perhaps she would lose her vitality.

Xu Fengnian inwardly cursed himself for his pretentious literary leanings, having learned all the bad habits from his old soldier-thug father. That old man had deliberately placed a book he authored, "Memories of a Half-Life of War," in the Tide-Listening Pavilion, alongside the timeless classics of great military strategists, shamelessly whining about his own trivialities.

She held Wu Meiniang in both hands, lowered her head, and asked, "Fengnian, shall I perform one last sword dance for you? Do you dare to watch?"

Xu Fengnian felt an inexplicable surge of heroic ambition. "What is there to fear?" he said.

Yu Youwei softly replied, "There really is no medicine for regret in this world."

Xu Fengnian smiled, "It would be worth dying for."

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu Youwei emerged, breathtakingly beautiful. She performed her sword dance, adopting an extreme, unorthodox style, with red silk wrapped around her hand, and the sword attached to its end.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with sword light.

Last time, for her sword dance, she had invited a zither player to perform "Riding Out of Liangzhou." This time, however, she personally recited a poem titled "Gazing at the City Wall." This poem had circulated from the Shangyin Academy after the fall of Western Chu; it did not seek rhyme, but every word was filled with sorrow and indignation, earning it the reputation as the foremost "mournful poem" of its era:

In Western Chu, there was a maiden of the Gongsun clan,Whose single sword dance moved the four directions.Spectators, like mountains, grew somber;Heaven and earth rose and fell with it.Among the Emperor's three thousand maids,Gongsun's sword art was paramount.On the Great Phoenix City, the surrender flag was raised,Yet only the beauty stood atop the wall.One hundred eighty thousand men laid down their arms,And in the whole nation, not one was a man!

Moments ago, Wu Meiniang was looking at the top of the wall.

Who, then, had been watching that beauty standing atop the city wall of a fallen nation?

The song ended.

The long sword, imbued with a chilling aura, flew out rapidly, aiming directly for Xu Fengnian's head.

She seemed to hear the dying man's "last words": "How wonderful it would be if your slender fingers, like peeled scallions, didn't wield a sword, but merely played Go with me."

In that instant, the assassin Yu Youwei's slender hand trembled slightly, but the sword had already thrust forward.

In this world, there is no medicine for regret.

This poem, "Gazing at the City Wall," was written by Yu Youwei's father for her mother. At that time, father and daughter were swept up in the tide of refugees, and looking back at the city wall, there was only one frail figure.

Not long after her father returned to Shangyin Academy, he died of depression. So, Yu Xuanji, her real name, embarked on a long journey to Lingzhou. She first learned the most authentic Fengzhou accent, and then became the most despised of all people – a courtesan. Fortunately, her outstanding beauty meant she was, wittingly or unwittingly, groomed to be a courtesan, sparing her from the flesh trade she found revolting.

Then, naturally, she encountered His Royal Highness the Heir Apparent, who frequented pleasure quarters. Most of their time was spent playing Go. This son of a butcher, he was truly unlike his father! He didn't know any martial arts, was fond of beauty but not desperate for it, and didn't even mind telling her that many of his poems were bought from scholars to impress.

Yu Xuanji had only learned the superficial aspects of the Gongsun family's sword dance, widely known, but she was confident it was enough to kill Xu Fengnian. The prerequisite was that no Northern Liang King's hound stood outside the room. For five whole years, she hadn't found an opportunity.

Then Xu Fengnian disappeared for three years. In another five days, it would be her mother's memorial day, and Yu Xuanji had prepared to abandon everything and guard her mother's tomb for life. But he returned, and there were no personal guards lurking near the courtyard gate. Was this fate at play?

She had asked him if he dared to watch the sword dance. He had said it would be worth dying for.

Assassinating His Royal Highness the Heir Apparent, the son most cherished by Grand Marshal Xu Xiao, would surely mean her death. No one who did such a thing could survive in this world. Well, at least she'd have company on the road to the underworld. If he wanted to scold or beat her then, she'd let him.

Yu Xuanji could not bear to look anymore.

With a clang.

The long sword, just an inch from Xu Fengnian's forehead, snapped into two. Yu Xuanji opened her eyes, dazed and disoriented. At some point, a woman in white robes had appeared in the courtyard—a beauty even Yu Xuanji herself had to admire.

The assassination had failed?

Yu Xuanji didn't know whether to feel sorrow or relief. She still held a sword, originally meant for suicide to escape humiliation. She raised her hand, ready to slit her throat and die cleanly. But alas, Wu Meiniang would become a stray cat. And that man had also said that when snow covered the ground, standing in the Tide-Listening Pavilion of the King's residence, one could see the most beautiful scenery. How beautiful was "most beautiful"?

Without Xu Fengnian needing to speak, Yu Xuanji, intent on her self-sacrificial mission, was seized. The "woman", whose beauty was like peach blossoms, simply gripped the cicada-wing sword blade with one hand, plucked it away, and casually tossed it, diagonally slicing through a large swathe of banana trees. This wasn't enough; she then delivered a knee strike to Courtesan Yu's abdomen, causing the poor beauty to double over like a shrimp.

Xu Fengnian had originally intended to mutter something like "Why must one beauty trouble another?", but witnessing the ruthless methods of "White Fox Face," he wisely kept silent. Then, seeing the dispirited Yu Youwei, Xu Fengnian, though certain he wouldn't die here, longed to curse her as a "bitch" and then rush forward to deliver seventeen or eighteen swift slaps to her face.

But he silently reminded himself that impatience ruins great plans, and exhaled a stale breath. Outside the Four Regions of Liang, death was easier for Xu Fengnian than living. But within Liang territory, dying was far, far harder than living. These assassins, like carp crossing a river, did they truly think his father, who was both Grand Marshal and King of Northern Liang, was a mere figurehead?

Furthermore, Xu Fengnian had experienced the bitterness of the lower strata for the past three years, and his mind had matured considerably. Back then, he had merely been perplexed by Courtesan Yu's inexplicably murderous sword dance. He, who spent every day with his father and Yuan Zuozong, a group of top-tier martial "killing gods" fresh from the battlefield—it was true that His Royal Highness possessed no martial arts, but even if he hadn't eaten pork, he had surely seen pigs run.

His return to Lingzhou was merely a decision to put himself at risk, to determine what "medicine" Yu Youwei was selling in her gourd. If it was an aphrodisiac, then excellent; he'd carry her home for some connubial bliss. If it was poison, well, apologies, he'd still carry her away, but as for the outcome, what else could a man brimming with suppressed lust after three years do when faced with a beautiful woman he yearned to possess even in his dreams?

The only unexpected development, perhaps, was that the one who acted was "White Fox Face," rather than the absolute most powerful, domineering, and formidable master from the residence that he had arranged with his father beforehand. Of course, judging by the situation, even if White Fox Face wasn't *that* high-level, she was still quite formidable.

Xu Fengnian shamelessly asked, "White Fox Face, do you have a way to make her lose resistance? Like acupoint striking or something?"

White Fox Face nodded and said, "There's something simpler."

She immediately delivered a hand chop to Courtesan Yu's fair neck, knocking her unconscious.

Xu Fengnian, his face stiff, rushed over to check her breath. After confirming she hadn't died, he gave a triumphant smirk. Looking up, White Fox Face had already vanished, truly the demeanor of a master. Xu Fengnian lifted the delicate body onto his shoulder and carried her out of the Purple Jade Pavilion.

On that day, Lingzhou City began to spread the news like wildfire: "His Royal Highness the Heir Apparent forcefully took Courtesan Yu."