Chapter 41: One Night of Fish and Dragon Dance (6)

The woman stepped out of the room in the courtyard to fetch water, and the lights ahead reflected the bustling prosperity of the Lantern Festival night. This small courtyard behind Jin Feng Tower was not large, but it was exquisitely designed. Only the top courtesans of Jin Feng Tower could afford to live in such a place. On this Lantern Festival, it was quite rare for such a courtyard not to be brightly lit.

In fact, most of the lights in the courtyard had only recently been extinguished. It was already nearly midnight, and not many people would come to visit at this hour. Nie Yunzhu glanced around, then turned and re-entered the room. Yuan Jin'er, the owner of the small courtyard, lay on the bed, staring blankly at the oil lamp before smiling at her. Nie Yunzhu also smiled, put away the basin, and sat back by the head of the bed.

By all accounts, Nie Yunzhu should not have been here tonight. Although she came every few days to teach the zither, she had already left Jin Feng Tower, and particularly on nights and holidays, she ought not to be near this place. However, this occasion was an exception. Tonight, she had gone out with Hú Táo to admire the lanterns when she encountered a Jin Feng Tower woman who was learning zither from her. The woman was out to fetch medicine for Yuan Jin'er, who had caught a cold. Upon hearing this, Nie Yunzhu asked Hú Táo to visit. Learning that Yuan Jin'er wished to see her, and realizing it was getting late, she then entered through the back door of Jin Feng Tower.

Yuan Jin'er was currently the star attraction of Jin Feng Tower. Although she had coincidentally fallen ill, it was still difficult to decline visitors on such a day. People had been coming to visit constantly, and only after confirming Yuan Jin'er was truly ill would they chat for a few moments before leaving. Cao Guan, now hailed as the foremost scholar in Jiangning, had already visited twice. He was currently outside, drinking and composing poetry with a group of scholars. When Nie Yunzhu arrived, he even entrusted Yuan Jin'er's maid, Kòu’er, with a poem about a beautiful woman suffering from illness. Yuan Jin'er could only smile and accept it, asking Kòu’er to go out and express her thanks.

"Speaking of which, Cao Guan truly has impressive literary talent... How are you feeling, my dear?"

After indicating they wanted to have a private chat and sending Hú Táo out, Yuan Jin'er handed the poem to Nie Yunzhu. Nie Yunzhu read it once and put it down. Both Yuan Jin'er and Nie Yunzhu had met many scholars. While such spontaneously written poems revealed talent, it was hard for them to be truly striking. Nie Yunzhu was more concerned about Yuan Jin'er's illness, and Yuan Jin'er smiled and shook her head.

"Actually, the illness is minor. A dose or two of medicine should clear it up. It’s just that with this cold, my period also arrived, so I'm feeling sore and weak all over, making it even harder to sing. Fortunately, Mother also agreed to shield me from some guests today. She must be having a terrible time."

"Mother has a good heart." Nie Yunzhu nodded. With order and leniency, people tend to have some conscience. In other places, she might not have been able to buy her freedom back then. She then smiled and changed the subject: "How are things between you and Cao Guan, my dear?" She was somewhat aware that Yuan Jin'er and Cao Guan had been spending more time together recently.

"What could there be? Just the reputation of a talented scholar and a beautiful courtesan. Didn't you say it yourself, he is indeed talented. To Yuan Jin'er, what's the difference between Cao Guan and Li Pin? To Cao Guan, it probably doesn't matter whether it's Yuan Jin'er or Lu Caicai."

Yuan Jin'er was younger than Nie Yunzhu and usually full of vitality. Her playful cheerfulness was the main reason people liked her, but today she seemed lazy and disheartened. Nie Yunzhu wiped her face with a towel: "Don't talk like that. Since he chose you over Lu Caicai, he must have a greater liking for you."

"Jin'er said she wants to find someone from a good family, someone who can spoil her like a pig, hee-hee. Cao Guan doesn't have money, so I don't like him much."

"If he really raised you like a pig, you'd probably be kicked out immediately." Nie Yunzhu patted her face, "Since Cao Guan is talented, passing the imperial examinations in the future should be no problem. At that time, won't he truly be able to spoil you like a pig?"

"There are many talented scholars in the world. Even if he's called the 'foremost scholar of Jiangning,' is it really that easy to pass the examinations? Besides, if his family doesn't have money for connections, even if he passes the jinshi exam, he'll have to wait and wait and wait for a proper official position..." Yuan Jin'er lay there talking, then pursed her lips and thought for a moment, "Sister Yunzhu, what do you think if Jin'er also bought her freedom and sold preserved eggs with you?"

Nie Yunzhu laughed: "Are you sick and silly?" She occasionally visited and had some conversations with Yuan Jin'er, so Yuan Jin'er knew that she currently operated a flatbread cart and had recently dabbled in things like preserved eggs, though she hadn't seen them yet.

Yuan Jin'er thought for a moment, then giggled, "No, it's just that Hú Táo is getting married soon. After she gets married, won't you feel lonely, Sister Yunzhu? Jin'er can come and keep you company. You spoke so highly of the preserved eggs, it must be a profitable business. Jin'er would have someone to rely on!"

"Always thinking about being spoiled like a pig, and now you say you want to work? You must be confused by your illness." Nie Yunzhu just smiled. She naturally knew that Yuan Jin'er's words at the moment were not to be taken seriously; it was just a sudden thought. "And where is there a guaranteed profitable business? I'm still just figuring things out, and before, I was losing money every day. Besides, you might find it hard to marry, and end up an old maid. Jin'er, you should still find a great scholar who can spoil you like a pig and also dote on you..."

"Being a female shopkeeper sounds quite impressive, too..." Yuan Jin'er said, and then the two chatted about scholars like Cao Guan and Li Pin. In truth, there were many scholars every year, and they knew quite a few. Yuan Jin'er, being ill and having her period, spoke a little more sharply, which Nie Yunzhu found amusing. During their conversation, Ning Yi was also mentioned.

"That 'Shuidiao Getou' is truly wonderful. It's a pity such a person married into a merchant family, and those lyrics were bought..."

Nie Yunzhu said softly, "You don't even know Ning Liheng, how do you know they were bought?"

Yuan Jin'er pursed her lips and smiled, "If Sister Yunzhu is interested, you could go to the front and listen. Tonight is the Lantern Festival, and those scholars are sure to talk about it again, suspecting the lyrics were bought."

The topic of Ning Yi lasted only a few sentences. Nie Yunzhu had no intention of expressing her opinion, and Yuan Jin'er merely commented casually. Soon, she grew a little tired of talking, so Nie Yunzhu brought her a cup of water, "Rest a bit, it's best if you can get some sleep."

Yuan Jin'er hugged the quilt but didn't sleep, as the faint sounds of a lively banquet drifted in from outside. Nie Yunzhu sat by the bed with her, then took the zither next to them and placed it on her lap, casually plucking a few notes. After a while, she began to sing softly, "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the fragrant grass stretches to the sky..." Her voice was light and soft; though she sang slowly and casually, it imbued the entire space with an ethereal quality, as if it masked the noisy sounds outside. Yuan Jin'er looked over, and Nie Yunzhu smiled at her, "The evening breeze brushes the willows, the flute notes fade, beyond the mountains, more mountains."

"Sister Yunzhu, what kind of music is this?"

The zither music softly continued. Nie Yunzhu smiled but didn't answer. Soon after, she sang again, "At the ends of the sky, at the corners of the earth, half of our friends are scattered..."

This song, "Farewell," was the second song Ning Yi had given her before the New Year. Nie Yunzhu had been refining it recently. After the song was finished, the zither continued to play for a long time before stopping.

Yuan Jin'er looked puzzled, "It sounds like 'Ruan Lang Gui,' but the first line of the first stanza should be seven characters, and the second stanza is somewhat different, with the flat rhymes changing to oblique. How can it be like this? But Sister Yunzhu's singing is truly beautiful..." She thought for a moment, her eyes widening, "Could it be that Sister Yunzhu is researching a new singing style? But... this also seems a bit... uh, it must be just a playful composition..."

Most people Yuan Jin'er encountered were merely skilled vocalists. Only Nie Yunzhu had truly mastered her art and could be called a teacher. She was qualified to alter singing styles. Of course, it would be difficult for others to accept it, but this was not for public performance anyway. Yet, even to Yuan Jin'er, while it sounded beautiful, this style was truly too unconventional. After a moment of surprise, she dismissed it as a playful piece, and then savored the imagery in the lyrics.

"Although simple, these lines convey such a beautiful mood. It's a pity it's not a classical ci poem; it can only be called a short verse. Jin'er truly envies Sister Yunzhu's talent."

"It's not my creation... Jin'er, stop moving around, and get some rest."

"Sister Yunzhu, have you met someone you like?"

"Don't let your imagination run wild. I can't marry."

"Oh, it must be some young lady from a good family... Hmm, these playful short verses, they're quite like..."

This song, "Farewell," also paid attention to rhyming, but it didn't conform to the rules of ci poetry, nor was it a poem. While its imagery was beautiful, it could only be considered a playful creation. As she thought this, Nie Yunzhu didn't explain further, merely smiling and tucking her into the quilt. Just then, footsteps sounded outside; it was Kòu’er and Hú Táo. Kòu’er looked anxious, holding a poem in her hand: "Miss, Miss, something happened! Something happened! This time Young Master Cao is probably going to lose again..."

Before Nie Yunzhu arrived, Kòu’er had been serving Yuan Jin'er by the bed, and the two had been discussing the many poems presented that night. In terms of quantity, the best works naturally came from Lichuan. However, individually, Cao Guan had performed exceptionally well that night, with several acclaimed pieces. Li Pin, who attended the banquet at Pu Garden, had only a mediocre performance. Therefore, in Kòu’er's opinion, Cao Guan's reputation was likely to be solidified once again at tonight's poetry gatherings. However, her sudden, breathless entrance clearly indicated a new problem. Yuan Jin'er asked, puzzled, "What happened?"

"Another poem came from Pu Garden! This time everyone was shocked, and the atmosphere outside is so strange..." Although this was not the six-boat procession, the poetry gathering at the Púyáng family was still known as the Pu Garden Poetry Gathering on Lantern Festival night.

"The Púyáng family... what now?" Although her future goal was to be spoiled like a pig, having had such long contact, Yuan Jin'er still hoped Cao Guan's reputation would remain high. At this moment, she took the paper with a puzzled expression.

Nie Yunzhu, however, smiled: "It seems Young Master Li Pin finally couldn't hold back..." It was already astonishing when a dark horse emerged from the Púyáng family five months ago. This time, it seemed Li Pin, who had been unremarkable all evening, had erupted and produced a masterpiece that stunned everyone. This was not surprising; Li Pin's style had always been unconventional, sometimes leading to truly amazing results.

Hearing her mistress speak, Hú Táo's expression was complex, as if she had something she didn't know whether to say. Kòu’er frantically shook her head: "No, no, it's not Young Master Li! It's Ning Yi, Ning Liheng! He wrote another Lantern Festival poem..."

"Ah?"

Nie Yunzhu was startled, and quickly looked at the poem on the paper. Kòu’er was already excitedly narrating: "They're saying such interesting things outside! I heard Ning Yi wasn't even planning to attend the poetry gathering today, but someone saw him while he was strolling and invited him. A large group of people even tried to make things difficult for him..."

By the time Nie Yunzhu had read halfway through the poem on the paper, she could no longer hear the extraneous chatter.

She and Ning Yi had known each other for some time. Their connection wasn't based on talent, but Nie Yunzhu had always heard about Ning Yi's literary prowess. They never discussed literary talent or poetry, interacting merely as ordinary friends, but it was impossible for Nie Yunzhu not to harbor any expectations or doubts in her heart.

For her, what lay before her was another side of Ning Yi she had never seen.

"The east wind tonight sets a thousand trees aflame with blossoms. It blows them down, and the stars fall like rain..."

Yuan Jin'er whispered the lines, down to the final inscription:

Su Residence.Ning Yi.Ning Liheng.

It's dawn again, another all-nighter. Everyone, please give plenty of recommendation votes.