“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. Zen that can be pondered is not true Zen. Life is silent and vast, like a great snowfall.”
“Master, you’re feeling melancholy again.”
“Foolish Nanbei, one day when you’ve found a wife, you’ll understand too.”
“Sigh, I bet Madam must have gone down the mountain to buy face powder again.”
※※※
“Master, why have you been sharpening the kitchen knife these days?”
“Sharpen it; I need to kill someone.”
“What? Master, don’t do something rash! We’re already monastics—if we act out, what will the devotees who climb the mountain to offer incense think? Although Madam and Dongxi do tend to spend a lot…”
“This has nothing to do with Dongxi or Madam.”
“Oh, good then. Are you angry with the Abbot again? I think Abbot Huiguang does deserve a beating, but drawing knives seems too harsh. Master, let’s just follow the old tradition: sack them and hit them with clubs. That way, no bad feelings are created.”
“…”
“Oh? Not Abbot Huiguang?”
“This is for that kid Xu’s sake.”
“Oh? Why? Young Xu Fengren is quite a decent fellow.”
“That little brat dares to steal my daughter away. Who else should I cut down?”
“Master, I think I need to go recite some sutras now.”
“What are you afraid of? With your abilities, Dongxi has been trying to steal her from you for years but still hasn’t succeeded. Besides, who will do the laundry and cook if I kill you?”
“…”
“Nanbei, whenever Dongxi whispers in your ear about that kid, don’t you feel anything?”
“Not really.”
“To take you as a disciple—Buddha must have dozed off. Don’t you fear Dongxi will run off with someone? Don’t come crying to me then.”
“Hehe, I think you’ll be the one crying harder then.”
※※※
“Master, suppose one day I actually attain Buddhahood and leave behind relics—do you think Dongxi would be sad?”
“Nanbei, you go cook first. Let’s eat well first and then think about this, okay?”
“Okay.”
※※※
“Master, why do you always apologize first whenever you quarrel with Madam?”
“Sometimes, when you’re right about one thing, being wrong about others doesn’t matter. Understand?”
“Not really.”
“For example, if it’s right that you love Dongxi, then…”
“Master, no need to say more—I get it.”
“Huh? Since when did your Perception become sharper than mine?”
“Hehe, this is the Zen I’ve cultivated.”
※※※
“Nanbei, when you go down the mountain, have you never seen any girl prettier than Dongxi? Remember, monastics must tell the truth.”
“No!”
“Good.”
“Master, why did you raise your wine gourd?”
“If you had said there was one, you’d know why.”
※※※
“Master, besides Dongxi and Madam, who else are you afraid of?”
“The abbot here who’s over one hundred and fifty years old—I fear he won’t give me any cash.”
“How about outside the temple?”
“None, I guess.”
“Master, monastics must not lie!”
“Wait, let me think. Oh right, there was one. Once, a guy battled with your master over Madam. They argued evenly, but fortunately, my fists were a bit stronger. That old Rogue would never dare to come here anymore.”
“An old Rogue? Wait, what do you mean by ‘battled over Madam’?”
“It’s ancient history. Let it pass with the wind.”
※※※
In Xiangfan, everyone knew that the most bewitching woman in Qingzhou lived in the Prime Minister’s Lane. She was obviously a courtesan fallen into the mundane world, yet no one dared to treat her as just another woman of ill repute. Her name was Li Baisi, originally named Li Xiaoru. Her ancestors were minor officials in the Eastern Yue, not quite a family fallen from grandeur. They simply mismanaged their affairs, and upon their death, left behind a tangled mess to their young children. Li Baisi traveled with her nursemaid to the banks of the Xiling Lake in Guangling to sell off the family estate to survive. She lived in a small towerhouse nestled among pine trees, enjoying the mountain scenery, growing into a ravishing beauty, seductively graceful. Whenever she went out, countless dashing young men followed close behind. Later, to escape the forced abduction of a general under the Prince of Guangling, she wandered far to Qingzhou’s Xiangfan, first becoming a Taoist nun before settling into the Prime Minister’s Lane. With her mastery of music and dance and her talent for reading people, she soon ascended to become the most celebrated courtesan from three provinces. Especially skilled in the singing styles of Xiling, her voice was hailed as “the voice of a thousand lands, the beauty of ten thousand.”
This year’s The Rouge Review listed her as the only courtesan to make the rankings, further affirming the claim that her allure and voice were unmatched. This recognition delighted every man in Xiangfan who had ever visited a pleasure house, for the The Rouge Review was far more credible than the endless rankings of flower maidens debated by literary circles.
Yet, recently, murmurs had spread that Li Baisi’s mood had soured. All the Taoist priests of Xiangfan seemed to have left the city overnight. It was said that before setting up a grand Taoist ceremony, the Longhu Mountains, the sacred Taoist ancestral ground, had made a wager with the Buddhist side—and it appeared that Longhu might have lost. Could the four great Heavenly Masters of Longhu have truly lost? Immediately, rumors flew wildly. Some claimed they saw a white-robed female bodhisattva leading a host of ghosts out of the city, while others insisted Longhu hadn’t lost, but had merely completed a mission to redeem countless demons, so the priests all journeyed to Longhu to receive merit. Somehow, these tales of the white-robed monk led people to talk about the past—of the legendary White Robe National Preceptor who made the entire capital kneel in worship, the living bodhisattva. Adding to the chatter was news, whispered in narrow alleys, of the Beiliang prince entering the city. These days, the people of Xiangfan had no shortage of topics to keep conversation lively in teahouses and taverns, making for unusually bustling business.
Everyone in Xiangfan knew about the beautiful Baiyu Lioness, Lady Li Shuangjia. Many also knew she had an official blind lute player.
At dawn, the blind weiqi player who had moved into the Prince Jing’an’s Mansion the previous day arrived at the Baiyu Lioness Pavilion midway along Prime Minister’s Lane. Unlike his usual habit of arriving by nightfall with a zither on his back, this time he carried nothing. A young servant who managed the back gate had just woken up and was drowsily sitting on the stone step outside when he saw the lute master to the pavilion’s deity, Miss Li, approaching. Immediately the boy jumped to his feet, his face stretching into a broad grin—more genuine than his usual service. Everyone from top to bottom in the brothel knew that Lu Gongzi, as he played his lute, had a temperament of the finest kind, a noble spirit, a refined presence. He spoke to everyone with gentle grace. The golden coins and silver taels he received as tips were always given away before ever leaving the establishment, keeping only a few copper coins for himself. Thus, even the little gatekeeper who once sneered at him with disdain was now proud to claim that their relationship had grown through conflict, and offered him eager service, ushering the blind musician, who carried no instrument that day, inside.
The little servant beamed, “Master Lu, I remembered the name you taught me to write last time.”
Lu Xu smiled slightly.
The young servant, his face honest and open, added kindly, “The divine ladies at Hongyu Pavilion tend to rise late. Master Lu will need to wait patiently for some time upon reaching there.”
Lu Xu, blind but familiar with the paths, nodded gently, “I understand. I can go alone; no need to trouble you, Brother Song.”
The servant laughed and bowed, then turned back from where he came.
Before reaching Hongyu Pavilion, the blind lute master encountered many maids and female servants rising early to work. The chirping crowd joyfully called him “Master Lu” a few times before they moved on. Those emboldened by the affection of the famous courtesans even teased him, deliberately asking for explanations of phrases like “a tree of pear blossoms crushing the hibiscus” or “seeing the palm mark before Mount Hua,” and the blind musician could only plead mercy, earning even more giggles. This refined, gentle Master Lu, who spoke in elegant prose and had a tender nature, had initially gone unnoticed among the nobles and wealthy youths as common as cabbages at the Baiyu Lioness Pavilion. If it weren’t for the special favor of Lady Li Shuangjia, who else would have looked him in the eye? Yet during his second year in the Pavilion, while playing, he witnessed a notorious local aristocrat forcing himself upon a young entertainer—a girl not yet fully grown. The Baiyu Lioness Pavilion was stricter than most pleasure houses, but commoners usually avoided conflict with local officials. The girl was just a junior performer, certainly not worth provoking the local power. The fellow, whose ancestors had controlled the Qingzhou army for generations, took the girl in the corridor and then slashed her with a blade. The blind musician, without considering his own safety, rushed up with his family heirloom zither but failed to strike the evildoer. Instead, he was trampled beneath the guards. It became a farce until Li Baisi herself intervened to mediate, saving the blind musician’s life.
Even now, many at the Baiyu Lioness Pavilion still recalled the blood-streaked Lu Xu sitting in the corridor, holding the lifeless young girl in his arms, carefully removing his threadbare garments to gently cover her torn body before her eyes closed forever.
Today, for reasons unknown, Hongyu Pavilion had learned of Lu Xu’s coming. Li Shuangjia’s personal maid, Qifu, stood early at the courtyard gate to welcome him. Seeing the blind musician, she softly smiled, “Master Lu, the young lady has been waiting.”
Lu Xu shook his head, “Today I came to personally say that I will no longer play the lute at Hongyu Pavilion. The ancient qin Lady Li once lent me, I intend to gradually repay with what I earn each month. Miss Qifu, I won’t enter the pavilion to disturb Lady Li.”
The beautiful maid, who held a status above even some famous courtesans in the Baiyu Lioness Pavillion, sighed with slight regret. She slightly bowed, offering a respectful salute to the blind musician before turning into the courtyard.
At the second-floor window stood a woman of divine beauty. Qifu was already a rare beauty in Xiangfan, yet when compared with her, she seemed to vanish into shadow.
More strangely, seated behind the yellow pearwood chair beside the legendary courtesan Lady Li Shuangjia, was an old man hunched over tuning the strings of an erhu.
Li Shuangjia, waiting until Lu Xu’s figure disappeared, gently turned her head downward toward the old man and softly asked, “Master Ancestor, truly, do I not need to go to the reed marsh outside the city to meet the Beiliang prince today?”
The old man with white temples merely closed his eyes, plucking and listening to the sound of the strings.
Indeed, even before the The Rouge Review, Li Baisi had been among the top ten courtesans. With a network built over more than a decade, she had forged deep ties with noble families and scholars. She had nearly married Liu Zonghui, leader of the Xilin party. Over the years, she had generously supported many poor but talented scholars, some of whom had become esteemed officials in the imperial court. With their help, she earned fame as the most celebrated beauty of Jiangnan. Now on the The Rouge Review, she was unquestionably the most famed courtesan in the pleasure houses. No one had ever heard of Li Shuangjia having a romantic night with anyone, and even whispers claimed she remained untouched. Why then would an old man be allowed in her chamber? Could it be Li Baisi had a secret taste for the elderly? If so, it would surely shock the world if it spread.
The old erhu player, respectfully called “Master Ancestor” by Li Shuangjia, opened his eyes but remained silent.
Knowing full well that her Master Ancestor disliked such discussions, Li Baisi shifted topics, “Master Ancestor, why concern yourself so much with that poor boy carrying a wooden sword?”
The old man raised his eyes slightly, casting a cold glance at the woman standing by the window, his gaze devoid of all emotion, his voice indifferent, “Old man plays Go. Moves show the outcome. You’re just a beautiful but useless vase. Why speak so much?”
The humiliated beauty, Lady Li Shuangjia, showed no anger at all. She submitted even more respectfully, instinctively bending her slender waist. Her posture pushed her chest forward powerfully, nearly tearing her garment. Though small and delicate, her curves were bold and enticing. Rumors spoke of jade-like feet trained in Taoist sexual techniques and Buddhist Tantric arts, allowing her to perform exquisite poses in bed, hence the whispered phrase: “White Jade Lioness rolling upon the embroidered ball.”
The erhu old man, with a face preserved in youth despite his white temples—likely in his sixties, perhaps even seventies—only plucked a string and said, “Lu Xu learned Go from me. Today he came to Hongyu Pavilion. I wanted to see if he’d become arrogant after gaining some achievement. Fortunately, I didn’t waste my teachings. He still knows to leave room, and left behind the ancient qin you gave him. Initially, when I first met him, I didn’t want to accept kindness from someone who would never repay it. As for whether he can stir up storms ahead, it depends on his own fate. The beauty of a chess piece lies in how even the best players never realize that it may become the crucial move deciding the game.”
Li Shuangjia lowered her head, “Master Ancestor’s skill at Go is second to none in the world. The entire world is your Go board.”
The erhu old man ignored her, saying, “That Beiliang boy leaves the city today. Your task here in Xiangfan is done. Go to the capital.”
Li Baisi nodded without hesitation, “I obey only Master Ancestor.”
The old man silently left Hongyu Pavilion. He had to visit a private residence in the northeast corner of Xiangfan. There lived a female puppet, trained from youth by the old man himself. She bore six points of resemblance and seven points of aura to Princess Pei Nanwei. Now, she was the secret favorite in the private chambers of Prince Jing’an’s heir Zhao Heng. Each visit was secret, for fear of discovery by the King. Zhao Xun, ever cautious, had ordered investigations into the girl’s backstory, and everything checked out. Thus, this private residence was the greatest place of indulgence in his life. The girl looked so like the princess who lived in the palace—each glance, each smile, even her frown mirrored her. Every time he was scolded by the King or encountered the queen in the garden, he would return to the home, releasing his rage and passion upon the tender body of the girl, whom he lovingly called Nanwei. Unknown to him, however, every time he indulged in passion with her, the old man, watching like a corpse observing life, stood behind a hole in the wall.
After the end of the Great Spring Wars, a new game had begun. The old man had already silently set twelve pieces upon the board.
Most of them were still taking root, but a few were about to make their move.
After visiting the private residence, the old man immediately left the city, heading to the reed fields outside Xiangfan, where the view of the city was best.
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