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Morning is the most peaceful time in a brothel. It is quiet in Meixiang Building. The room is filled with fragrance. On the left is the classics, on the right is the history book. On the couch is a silky bed. There are also zithers, chess, calligraphy and paintings.
Bian Saisai, who had just returned from Suzhou, leaned against the window, looking at the willow trees outside the window, listening to the orioles singing in the wind, and sighed softly: "If life could only be like the first time we met, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan? The hearts of old friends change easily, but it is said that the hearts of old friends change easily..."
Since the Song Dynasty, it has been difficult to see such good words. After hearing the shocking news last night, Bian Saisai has been unable to calm down for a long time. She tossed and turned all night. She got up early in the morning and savored the words alone in front of the window.
Li Xiangjun, who had just finished washing up, did not disturb her. They were both famous Qinhuai girls, and they appreciated each other and had a close personal relationship. Li Xiangjun naturally knew that the reason why this poem moved Bian Saisai so much was largely related to her experience.
Bian Saisai was born in a Qinhuai official family. Because her father died early, she became a singer. She was proficient in poetry, music, calligraphy and painting, especially in regular script. She was well-versed in literature and history. She was skilled in painting, and her strokes were as smooth as flowing clouds. She was especially good at painting orchids. She often traveled between Qinhuai and Suzhou.
Two years ago, Bian Saisai met Wu Weiye on the top floor of Shengchu Tower outside Shuixi Gate. Wu Weiye was attracted by Bian Saisai's noble and unworldly, yet somewhat melancholy temperament.
Wu Weiye was the runner-up in the imperial examination in the fourth year of Chongzhen. He was very talented, and Bian Saisai also had a good impression of him. Since then, the two of them have been interacting more and more. At a banquet, Bian Saisai, who was a little drunk, asked Wu Weiye: "Are you interested?"
Emperor Chongzhen had ordered Wu Weiye to return home to get married, but Wu Weiye probably didn't want to ruin the glorious "marriage" for a prostitute, so he pretended not to understand what Bian Saisai meant. Since then, Bian Saisai never mentioned the matter again.
If life could only be like our first encounter, why would the autumn wind make the fan sad? These two sentences undoubtedly expressed all of Bian Saisai's thoughts, making her infatuated and unable to stop.
"Sister Xiangjun, tell me, what kind of person is he?"
"I can't see through him either." Li Xiangjun brought a cup of fragrant tea to Bian Saisai, then put her arm around her slender waist and leaned against her and said, "I've only seen him twice. Three years ago, he failed the imperial examination for the second time and came to my place to listen to a piece of music. He was polite but didn't talk much, mostly drinking alone. He came again this time after failing the imperial examination. At first, I thought he was a person who only knew how to study hard and was a bit cynical because of his repeated failures."
Bian Saisai shook her head and said, "It's absolutely not like that. The vast sorrow of parting is like the setting sun, and the whip of poetry points eastward to the end of the world. The fallen petals are not heartless, they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers. It is impossible for a person who can write such a poem without a broad mind and a broad mind. He has been famous for his talent since he was young, but he has probably suffered from pressure in recent years and has to bury his head in study and strive for fame."
"Okay, okay, didn't I admit that I was wrong? Sister Bian is relentless and defends him so much. Could it be that you are attracted to Young Master Qin?" Li Xiangjun has a petite figure. Compared with the tall and graceful Bian Saisai, she is almost a head shorter. She leans against Bian Saisai with a coquettish look, like a little bird relying on her man.
Bian Saisai couldn't help but twist her lightly and responded, "He is a modest gentleman. He only went to the red-light district when he failed the exam. And he came to you twice. When you were in danger, he saved your life regardless of his own safety. It is obvious that he must be in love with you. It would be fine if you didn't appreciate it, but you made fun of me. What's the reason?"
Li Xiangjun inhaled the pleasant fragrance of Bian Saisai and did not answer for a long time. In terms of temperament, talent and knowledge, Qin Mu was a rare person. If she did not already have a crush on someone, she would probably fall in love with him.
"I heard that he actually divorced his wife." Bian Saisai knew that Li Xiangjun and Hou Fangyu had an engagement, so she changed the subject.
Li Xiangjun couldn't help but sighed: "Qin Mu failed the exam three times, and he is in a sad mood and needs comfort. Under such circumstances, any man who receives a poem like that from his wife would probably not be able to bear it."
Bian Saisai talked about Qin Mu all the time, making it difficult for Li Xiangjun to get rid of him. Qin Mu visited all the famous brothels along the Qinhuai River in one day, but didn't come to her Meixianglou. Could it be that he just didn't want to see her looking so destitute
Qin Mu is not at all depressed now. On this day, he received notes from Nanjing Hanlin scholar Jiang Yueguang, Ministry of Rites doctor Yang Shengyuan, Taichang Temple Secretary Hong Guangsheng and others, all of whom invited him to a banquet.
Even the inn owner came to join in the fun, and offered to change him to a higher room with a 50% discount. Little did he know that this made Qin Mu look down on him, and he took advantage of him but still complained in his heart:
No wonder you run a half-dead inn. Either you don't do it, or you can be more generous and give me a room to live in. Do you think you can kill yourself? Be a good person to the end, and send Buddha to the west. If you don't have any courage, you deserve to be a coward for the rest of your life.
If the boss knew that being a good person would result in such criticism, I wonder if he would jump into the Qinhuai River and swim back and forth.
Qin Mu was just trying to make friends with some officials in the hope of getting a job. The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and life in Nanjing was getting tough.
So, from that day on, he began to roam around the tables of officials and dignitaries, talking about ways to save the country and his philosophy of governance. He was just bragging, who couldn't do that
For example, when he went to Jiang Yueguang's banquet and Jiang Yueguang tested his way of governing, he followed the idea of "if you don't make a sound, you'll be shocked", and spoke passionately at the banquet, directly attacking Chongzhen;
It is said that although the emperor has many good policies, he is eager to govern and sometimes has harmful policies. When appointing ministers, he often ignores the people recommended by the court and appoints ministers who are corrupt and cunning, such as Zhou Yanru, and Wen Tiren and Yang Sichang. The ministers he has are corrupt and cunning, such as Wang Yongguang and Chen Jiaxin, the generals he has are frivolous and dissolute, such as Wang Pu, and the censors he has are corrupt and tyrannical, such as Shi Zhi and Chen Qixin... ... .
Qin Mu relied on his high position and far away position to directly criticize the emperor during the banquet, which shocked everyone and made them look at him with awe.
This is much more realistic than the irrelevant remarks made by Hou Fangyu and others at Taoye Ferry. The banner is much clearer and the key points are much more accurate.
This made Jiang Yueguang and other high-ranking officials in Nanjing look at him with new eyes, and they thought he had courage, vision, and determination, and was indeed a rare talent.
In the Ming Dynasty, civil officials were extremely arrogant. They were proud to be beaten with a stick in the court, and even more glorious to be beaten to death. So even though the factory guards were cruel, the literati still enjoyed criticizing the emperor.
In their view, Qin Mu's remarks not only hit the nail on the head, but the key point was that his spirit of daring to fire at the top leader was exactly the quality that a scholar should have, and it was the proud legacy of loyal ministers such as Wei Zheng and Hai Rui!
A country will not perish if it has loyal ministers. Doesn't the Ming Dynasty need such loyal ministers
The happiest person is Hou Fangyu. Qin Mu is cutting off his own retreat. You are bragging loudly now, but once Huichang's appointment comes down, if you hesitate and refuse to take up the post, it will be tantamount to slapping yourself in the face. Others will ask, where is your courage and integrity
Hou Fangyu has already thought of countless plans. If Qin Mu refuses to take up the post, he will ruthlessly expose his hypocritical face, ruin his reputation, and even make him infamous for all eternity.
During this period, he spared no effort to mobilize the members of Fushe to build momentum for Qin Mu. He praised Qin Mu as high as the sky was, and added in his heart: I don't believe that I can't throw you to death!
Although Qin Mu didn't know that he was secretly happy, he began to make things difficult for him frequently in line with the principle of not letting his servants and lackeys go. His natural way of making things difficult was to go to Meixiang Tower to talk to Li Xiangjun about life and ideals, and occasionally recite a poem to make the beauty feel heartbroken and excited.
That day in Meixiang Tower, Qin Mu drank with Li Xiangjun and talked about the miserable life of the people in the Central Plains. Qin Mu, who was already a little drunk, immediately chanted:
Don't sing the "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" of the past.
The world also has its own Milky Way.
In Shihao Village, the couple parted ways.
There are more tears than in the Palace of Eternal Life!
Li Xiangjun was delicate and gentle, but she was a chivalrous woman with a graceful figure. After hearing this poem, she couldn't help but sigh. She poured three cups of wine and toasted Qin Mu. Her face was flushed, like a flower with dew and water with smoke.
When Qin Mu saw this stunning beauty, he couldn't help but feel furious and wanted to do evil.
He secretly decided that he must ruthlessly cut off the leg that Hou Fangyu's servant stretched out. Well, not only cut it off, but also chop it into pieces!
"I've heard that Miss Xiangjun is good at pipa poetry, but she doesn't sing easily. I have admired her for a long time. I wonder if I will have the honor to hear her fairy music." Qin Mu put down his wine glass and sighed softly.
Li Xiangjun smiled cleverly and said, "Mr. Qin is as talented and elegant as Zhonglang, yet he has always been hiding his incompetence. How dare I use my humble skills to tarnish Mr. Qin's ears?"
"Hahaha... Miss Xiangjun, there is no need to be modest. In terms of talent, I am far inferior to Miss Xiangjun. I wrote a few humble poems just to earn enough to eat. I had no choice but to do so. Now that the Ming Dynasty is in such a mess, the spread of 'Tears and Rain, But No Complaints' is of no benefit to the country. I am ashamed, ashamed."
"Then what about my advice to the God of Heaven to shake himself up and send down talents regardless of their background? Wouldn't this be of no benefit to the state?"
"I'm sorry to make you laugh, Miss Xiangjun. This is just the lament of a person who failed the exam. Hahaha..."
Qin Mu was modest but heroic, and he was like a completely different person from the previous two times they met. Perhaps he had given up the imperial examination and let go of his worries.
Li Xiangjun could not help but glare at him, then she stood up gracefully, took out her pipa from her inner room, brushed her hair, and asked in a delicate voice, "What song would you like to hear, Mr. Qin?"
"How about asking Miss Xiangjun to play a piece of 'Spring River Moon Night'?"
"I thought you wanted to listen to the General's Order." Li Xiangjun joked.
"If one day I can defeat the enemy and stop the flow of the river with my whip, how about asking Miss Xiangjun to play the General's Order for me?"
When Qin Mu said this, he spread his sleeves, raised his eyebrows, and was in high spirits. In a trance, Li Xiangjun seemed to hear the sound of war and did not feel that he was talking nonsense at all. She replied without thinking, "How magnificent! If such a day really comes, I will play a song "General's Order" for Mr. Qin."
"Okay, it's a deal. Hahaha, let's listen to "Spring River Moonlight Night" today, let's listen to "Spring River Moonlight Night"!"
Qin Mu drank a cup by himself, and Li Xiangjun sat down beside the couch. The sound of the pipa rang out, like the wind blowing on the tip of the green duckweed, like the sound of the goddess of Luo River wading through the water.
However, at this moment, Hou Fangyu's voice was heard downstairs, followed by heavy footsteps running up the stairs.
The pearl curtain was lifted, and Hou Fangyu appeared at the door with a face that looked like it was covered with ink. Li Xiangjun's pipa music stopped abruptly... ... ... ... ...
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ps: I am still recruiting talents, please collect and recommend... ... ...!
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