NCCnovel Chapter 264 Dong Xiaowan
Chapter 264 Dong Xiaowan
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A gentle breeze stirred, causing the beaded curtain to rustle softly as it blew in through the window. The girl before me stirred slightly, her delicate face showing a hint of weariness, as if she were half-awake, her every movement exuding a languid air.
Isn't this young lady, Xiaowan, the same woman I met by chance on the river yesterday?
The two said at the same time, "It's you?" Then they smiled at each other.
Liu Ye then realized that Miss Dong, whose stage name was Xiaowan, was none other than the famous Dong Xiaowan! He never expected to meet the legendary Dong Xiaowan, who was both talented and beautiful, in such a setting.
After Yan Guang's interpretation of prostitutes and courtesans, and the example of Su Wen, Liu Ye was no longer as averse to the identity of a courtesan. Isn't she just similar to female celebrities in later generations? Besides, she is a legendary courtesan like Dong Xiaowan.
He looked at Dong Xiaowan with a smile, "Before I came here, I heard Mr. Yan say that Miss Xiaowan was both talented and beautiful. I thought it was an exaggeration, but I didn't expect to see her in person and know that it was true."
Dong Xiaowan smiled gently, "The praise from the public is undeserved. I am just an ordinary woman with average looks, but I know a few words and can write a few bad poems. It is my rudeness to come out and meet people without makeup that has made you laugh, sir."
Perhaps unprepared for the visit, Dong Xiaowan wasn't wearing makeup, and a hint of fatigue was undeniable in her expression. However, her natural beauty and fresh charm were even more striking. Gazing at her lovely face, Liu Ye unconsciously uttered a line of poetry:
"Clear water brings out hibiscus, and nature removes the carvings."
Dong Xiaowan was taken aback. These two lines were from an autobiographical poem by the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. They were originally used to describe the freshness and naturalness of poetry and lyrics, and to oppose the piling up of ornate words and excessive embellishment. However, in this situation, these two lines were clearly used to describe her appearance, yet they did not feel out of place at all.
No woman would reject praise, especially in such an elegant way as using poetry to describe a person. Dong Xiaowan lowered her head, fiddling with a few strands of her hair, and softly asked, "Does the young master also admire the Qinglian Hermit?"
Liu Ye, being a liberal arts student, knew that Qinglian Jushi was Li Bai, so he quickly nodded, "Of course I like Qinglian Jushi's poems..." He didn't know that Dong Xiaowan's favorite poet was Li Bai. Her real name was Dong Bai, and her pen name was Qinglian. She was a die-hard fan of Li Bai.
Now, Dong Xiaowan had found a kindred spirit. She discussed Li Bai's life and representative works with him, from Emperor Xuanzong to Gao Lishi, and so on. Fortunately, Liu Ye had a background in humanities and a decent foundation in literature, so he could keep up. His deliberate attempts to please her made Dong Xiaowan feel more comfortable than ever before. In the past, her interactions with scholars always involved pandering to their preferences; she had never experienced such free and unrestrained conversation.
Yan Guang, Liang Xiaoming, Li Fu, and the others sat blankly to the side, watching Liu Ye and Dong Xiaowan chat animatedly, and more than an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Yan Guang and Li Fu were both well-intentioned to play supporting roles and had no complaints, but Liang Xiaoming gradually became dissatisfied.
He came here to experience the pleasure quarters of ancient times; while he didn't necessarily intend to patronize a woman, he certainly wasn't there to be a third wheel. Now everyone's sitting here like idiots watching Liu Ye flirt with girls—what happened to their planned stroll down Bantang Street together?
Liu Ye hadn't noticed yet, but Dong Xiaowan had keenly observed that Liang Xiaoming's face practically screamed "I'm so unhappy!" She stopped talking and said, "I had a very pleasant chat with you today, sir. It's getting late, and I'm a little tired. How about we continue our conversation another day?"
Liu Ye was captivated by Dong Xiaowan's soft Wu dialect when he suddenly heard her say this. He was a little puzzled, but out of respect, he quickly composed himself.
"Miss Xiaowan has had a long and tiring journey, and it is not right for us to bother you today. Please rest well and come to visit another day. We will take our leave now."
Dong Xiaowan smiled slightly: "Xiaowan will see you off, young master."
"No need, no need, you should go back to your room and rest," Liu Ye quickly declined.
But Dong Xiaowan insisted on seeing him off, and Liu Ye couldn't refuse, so he let her see him off to the front door downstairs.
The madam clicked her tongue in amazement. Dong Xiaowan had always been very aloof, and this was the first time she had ever offered to see a guest off.
At the door, Dong Xiaowan asked, "Xiaowan and you hit it off immediately. May I ask where you are from and whether you have ever passed the imperial examinations?"
This question was very direct and bold. In later times, it would be equivalent to asking, "Do you have a Beijing hukou (household registration)? What's your education level? Do you own a car and a house?" This is often seen in the pre-arranged qualification screening stage before a blind date. However, in Dong Xiaowan's opinion, this question wasn't too abrupt. The two got along well, so it wasn't a big deal to know his background. Besides, judging from his conversation just now, even if he wasn't the best, he was still a student of the Imperial Academy, and maybe even a Juren (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). Asking this question might have hit a nerve.
Unexpectedly, this question didn't just scratch an itch, but hit a nerve. Liu Ye is a top student from Peking University, and in terms of breadth of knowledge, he far surpasses these scholars who only read the "Four Books and Five Classics." However, when it comes to interpreting the classics and writing contemporary essays, Ming Dynasty literati who aimed for the imperial examinations throughout their lives are far superior to him.
Liu Ye vaguely understood Dong Xiaowan's intention: the famous courtesans of this era were like celebrities of later generations; although they were adored, they were not content to spend their lives selling smiles. They might have their own little personalities, tempers, and sentiments, choosing their clients amidst the spring blossoms and autumn moonlight, and also choosing their life partners through vows of eternal love. Asking this question indicated that he was very likely to become a potential "surveyee" of Dong Xiaowan.
Although it was only a theoretical possibility, and merely an "examination" subject, not a confirmation of his own feelings, Liu Ye was initially in a good mood to be recognized by a girl he admired. However, the final question, "Have you ever passed the imperial examinations?", was somewhat of a downer. It seems that even in the waning days of a dynasty, studying and taking the imperial examinations remained the mainstream path, and even the most talented and beautiful courtesans still yearned for the romance of talented scholars and beautiful women.
"I have never passed the imperial examinations... To be honest, my surname is Liu, my given name is Ye, and I am a registered military officer of the imperial court, holding the position of Assistant Commander of Qiongzhou Camp."
After he finished speaking, he looked into Dong Xiaowan's eyes, and a hint of disappointment clearly flashed across her gaze.
"So you are the Lieutenant General, my apologies for not recognizing you earlier!" Dong Xiaowan said, but Liu Ye felt that her tone was noticeably more distant, lacking the harmony she had shown when discussing poetry earlier.
After bidding farewell to Dong Xiaowan, the group left Leyun Tower. Liu Ye declined Yan Guang's suggestion to visit other brothels, as he didn't want to be asked such an unpleasant question by other courtesans about whether he had passed the imperial examinations. Although Liang Xiaoming was somewhat unsatisfied, he was also a little timid about visiting brothels alone, so he had no choice but to return to the inn with Liu Ye.