Chapter 211: Silence

The event concerning Li Shishi was finally set for two days before the Qingming Festival: a spring outing gathering would be held in the suburbs of Jiangning. The gathering was not ostensibly hosted by Li Shishi. Instead, it was initiated by a renowned scholar from Jiangning named Chen Luoyuan, who invited talented individuals to an outdoor excursion where they would compose songs and poetry to express their aspirations. It was said that Chen Luoyuan was a close friend of Zhou Bangyan, a prominent scholar from the capital, and this connection was how Li Shishi was invited.

While that was the official story, the true underlying reasons were hard to ascertain. Nevertheless, as the initial public appearance of Li Shishi, the capital's foremost courtesan, in Jiangning, the spring outing generated considerable interest, and invitations were highly sought after. Qin Shaohe acted quickly; two days after his conversation with Ning Yi, the news was announced, and he managed to secure several invitations. However, by then, Ning Yi had already received an invitation directly from Puyang Yi.

Ning Yi planned to attend the gathering. His primary reason wasn't merely the invitations, but rather his growing interest in the music of this era, influenced by Yunzhu. Given that Li Shishi had left her mark on history, her artistic skill in this area was likely exceptional, making it worthwhile to attend. In this era, good songs could only be heard on rare occasions, which could often be quite dull.

Such invitations typically allowed guests to bring friends or family. Ning Yi, feeling like he was inviting someone to a concert, asked Su Tan'er to join him. However, Su Tan'er had been busy recently making arrangements for their summer trip to Hangzhou. While she wasn't unable to spare the time, she still shook her head and declined. This led to a conversation between them in the second-floor corridor.

"These gatherings are for scholars to show off in front of unmarried young women. What's the point if my husband brings his old-faced wife?""You're calling yourself an 'old-faced wife' now? Aren't you ashamed?""No, I'm not... My dear, let's think about this: if you bring me along to the spring outing, when Miss Qilan, Miss Canmiaomiao, and Miss Li Shishi are making overtures to you in the crowd, will you still be able to write poems for them?"

Ning Yi looked at her for a moment, then put his arm around her shoulder and laughed. "Just relax, wife. We'll just go to listen to the singing and dancing. If Puyang Yi really wants me to write a poem for him, I can just secretly give it to him. Who cares about the rest?""Oh, no way!" Su Tan'er shook her head, smiling. "What's the fun in singing and dancing? You don't know, my dear, but lately I've enjoyed gossiping with the daughters of shopkeepers and other ladies. I love hearing them talk about your poems and verses. If there's a chance to show off, why wouldn't I? Before, when I heard them talk about talented scholars like Cao Guan and Li Pin, I always thought, 'Wow, they're amazing!' Now, I love discussing these things with others. I'll mention Cao Guan and others, and then those gossipy women will say, 'Your husband is no worse than them!' Some even say, 'Who are they anyway?' I'll pretend to be modest and say, 'My husband doesn't really like doing these things; he just occasionally writes a few poems and verses,' but inside, I'll be thrilled."

She pursed her lips, proudly clapped her hands, and looked utterly pleased with herself, yet she absolutely refused to go with him. Ning Yi understood that this was typical. Such poetry gatherings were primarily used by talented scholars and literati to gain fame, and for most, this fame was linked to success in the imperial examinations. If one truly had family members present, how many could genuinely be unrestrained and compose excellent poetry and prose?

While Ning Yi's situation was different, Su Tan'er knew what such gatherings were like. Her presence, no matter what, would simply spoil the fun.

In fact, they had already been on two outings that spring. Ning Yi had brought spices and food, setting up a barbecue in the wilderness to showcase his cooking skills. Su Tan'er had initially thrown a tantrum, declaring that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen and that cooking was women's work. She flailed her arms, trying to snatch things from Ning Yi's hands. They wrestled, and Ning Yi pinned her down on the grass, leaving her flushed with embarrassment. Such an act in the wilderness was, after all, a bit too daring. Ning Yi only released her after forcing her to admit, "I won't dare again." Fortunately, the spot they chose was secluded and empty, so no one saw them.

Later, the blushing Chan'er and others also came over to help with the food. Su Tan'er initially refused to eat what Ning Yi had made, feeling angry. However, after trying some, even though the cooking skill was similar, she ultimately felt that what her husband grilled had a unique flavor. Now, in her mind, *that* kind of outing was what truly counted as a spring excursion, and she would definitely go to one. As for poetry gatherings, where her husband could show off while everyone else schemed and put on an act, she saw enough of that in her daily life. Now, she felt indifferent and no longer wished to attend.

Since his wife wouldn't go, Ning Yi thought about giving an invitation to Yunzhu and Jin'er. Having often heard Yunzhu sing, he felt she might also be interested in Li Shishi. Because it had rained the day before, he only met Yunzhu in front of the small building the next morning. When he brought up the matter, Yunzhu tilted her head, showing a hint of hesitation.

"Liheng... do you want me to accompany you?"

Her hesitation stemmed from a question of identity. At the spring outing before Qingming, Li Shishi, Qilan, Canmiaomiao, and likely many other former courtesans would be present. If she accompanied Ning Yi dressed as a woman, she would probably be recognized as Nie Yunzhu from Jinfeng Tower, especially Jin'er, who would have an even higher chance of being recognized. When she was still at Jinfeng Tower, accompanying someone she favored to such a gathering would naturally help that person gain fame. If Liheng were to ask her to appear publicly now, she... might not refuse, but it would pain her heart.

However, this thought only briefly crossed her mind. She knew Ning Yi likely wouldn't ask her to do such a thing. Indeed, she then heard him say, "Of course, you can't go dressed as a woman; dressing as a man would be fine. My barbecue skills aren't bad. We can eat barbecue on the side and watch them compose poems and verses, and see Li Shishi and the others sing and dance. Actually, it's mainly because I've been influenced by you recently, and I want to see how good this Li Shishi really is. If she's terrible and still dares to call herself the capital's best, I'll write a doggerel poem to mock her, haha..."Yunzhu, sitting there, chuckled softly. She felt a sweet happiness that Ning Yi said he was influenced by her, and was quite pleased. "I haven't heard her yet, so it's hard to say. But since she's called the capital's best, she must have amazing artistic skills. However, when it comes to these things... I'm not afraid of her." Her nature was calm and unassuming, and after hesitating for a moment, she quietly uttered "I'm not afraid of her," with a hint of small pride and confidence.

Ning Yi smiled and shook his head. "I'm not planning to compete with her... So, it's settled?"

"If Liheng says we're going, then we'll go." She thought for a moment. "I actually do want to see Miss Li's performance."

"Heh."

As they finished discussing and sat talking on the steps, the room door behind them opened. Usually, only one person would emerge at this time. Without needing to look back, Ning Yi knew it was Yuan Jin'er, dressed in men's clothes today. She sat down next to Yunzhu, glanced at Ning Yi from across Yunzhu, and her expression was unfriendly.

While her expression wasn't usually very pleasant, today felt different. Ning Yi paused, then, speaking past Yunzhu, said, "You don't look very well today."

Jin'er gave him a dismissive look, then looked at Yunzhu. "Sister Yunzhu, could you go inside for a moment? I need to speak to him alone!"

"Uh..." Yunzhu was taken aback, then perhaps recalling something, her face flushed slightly, and she looked at Jin'er with some confusion.Jin'er pursed her lips and whispered, "Sister Yunzhu, don't worry! I won't tell him about yesterday morning. I have something serious to talk to him about privately."

Yunzhu thought for a moment, saw her determined expression, and finally stood up. She walked into the room with a hint of worry, then laughed, "You two don't fight, now."

"We won't fight," Ning Yi couldn't help but laugh. "At most, it'll be a one-sided beating."

"Tch." Jin'er scoffed disdainfully. Once Yunzhu went inside and closed the door, the two looked at each other for a long time. Ning Yi smiled, "Alright, what's wrong today? Did I do something outrageous again?"

Jin'er scooted her bottom a few times towards Ning Yi, taking Yunzhu's spot. She glanced at Ning Yi, then turned her head to look straight ahead. "I have something to tell you."

Her expression was serious, so Ning Yi also stopped smiling and nodded. "Yes, I'm listening."

"It's useless even if you laugh."Ning Yi thought, *Psychological examples show that when you say that, the other person's laughter is usually effective.*

"...I've fallen for Sister Yunzhu."

"Uh..."Ning Yi was stunned. Although she had often said she liked Sister Yunzhu before, this time it felt different. Jin'er didn't hear his reply. A moment later, she turned to look at him and repeated, "I've fallen for Sister Yunzhu."

"Hmm, is this a different kind of 'like' than before?"

"It's simple to talk to smart people..." Jin'er mumbled grudgingly, but also wondered why he was acting so normal. "Anyway, I've fallen for her."

"...I have no prejudice against such things, but... I must admit, hearing you say it so seriously, my feelings are quite complex." Ning Yi smiled, but it wasn't a mocking smile.

"I discovered it yesterday, because Sister Yunzhu said some things to me, things about you, and then I felt that I had fallen for Sister Yunzhu." She rested her chin in her hands, looking wistfully at the road ahead, resembling a melancholic little boy. Then she turned her head and said, "I know you'll think it's strange, but these kinds of things... they happened in places like where we used to be. It's all because none of you men are any good!"

"I don't think it's strange..." Ning Yi pursed his lips. In his previous life, he had held a high position and seen many eccentric people. What was so strange about lesbians? "Lalas," flaunting themselves in front of him. Of course, a thousand years later, homosexuals were often very firm in their identities, but not now. Jin'er seemed to have some self-doubt; she probably wasn't even very sure herself, yet she dared to speak so defiantly...

"Do you know? You're not worthy of Sister Yunzhu..." Jin'er didn't look at him, speaking to herself. "Although, if you're judged alone, you're not bad. But you can't even marry Sister Yunzhu and bring her home. You know it, Sister Yunzhu knows it, and yet you shamelessly don't hide anything. You don't try to cover up your faults, so Sister Yunzhu has to bear the responsibility. You're the most despicable person... Do you know, we were talking about you yesterday morning?"

"Hmm." Ning Yi nodded, offering no defense. He had wanted to say that even if she were a lesbian, she couldn't give Yunzhu a proper home, but seeing her unstable emotions, he let it go.

"I asked Sister Yunzhu what you two would do in the future, and Sister Yunzhu said something then..." She pointed to the road ahead. The daylight had turned white, willows stretched along the river, and a thick white mist obscured the road into the distant, unknown. "Sister Yunzhu said... 'By the time I'm sixty, an old woman, I'll still be able to wake up early, and before dawn, he'll be walking over from that direction, and I'll still be waiting for him here.'" Ning Yi fell completely silent. Jin'er's gaze was fixed on him: "That's exactly what she said. Did you hear that clearly?!"