Chapter 103: A Chance Encounter at the Yancui Pavilion

Page 1 of 3

As daylight faded, Jiangning City came alive. Painted pleasure boats and grand pleasure barges drifted along the river, while every brothel shone with lantern light. Naturally, nighttime entertainment here consisted of more than simply visiting brothels. One could admire the night view along the Qinhuai River, sample pastries and snacks, sit in a teahouse, or listen to stories and little songs. Relatively speaking, however, visiting brothels was certainly the most fashionable pastime of all.

The tense situation inside and outside the city, and the floods that came every few years, did nothing to disturb this scene of prosperity and extravagance. The wealthy remained wealthy. Besides, in affluent places such as Jiangning, Yangzhou, and Dongjing, the authorities still maintained a fairly firm grip. Even after the city gates were closed some days later, most brothels and pleasure houses would continue operating as usual. Indeed, with the gates shut, prices would rise and fees would become even steeper. Since the wealthy had nowhere else to go, they would visit even more frequently. For such places of entertainment, this was their golden season.

By the time Li Pin, Su Wengui, Su Wenxing, and the others reached the front of Yanzui Tower, the rest of the invited party had already arrived. Most were friends of the Su family’s younger generation, including two obscure scholars who had come hoping to meet Ning Yi and Li Pin.

This time, not only had Su Wenxing of the Second Branch come, but Su Wenzhu and Su Wentian as well. From the other branches there were Su Wenluo and Su Wenji, who were usually quite close to Su Tan’er, and Su Wending had come too. In short, Su Zhongkan had greeted everyone he saw and invited the entire younger generation of the Su family out for an evening of amusement at his own expense.

As Su Tan’er had said, Su Zhongkan was not exactly an upright man, and he certainly had some interest in becoming family head. Still, one had to distinguish between matters. Even so, there was no need for him to play petty tricks on Ning Yi now. The banquet was merely a casual gesture: on the one hand, it was being held in the Su family’s name to see Li Pin off; on the other, he genuinely wanted the younger members of the family to spend more time with Ning Yi and Li Pin. After all, Su Zhongkan knew perfectly well that these young people were mostly good for nothing.

If his purpose had been to humiliate Ning Yi, he would only have ended up humiliating himself. Besides, Li Pin was present—a man skilled at moving among people and certain to stand on Ning Yi’s side.

Yanzui Tower was not as famous as the brothels that regularly produced celebrated courtesans and renowned beauties. Places such as Golden Wind Tower and Condensed Rain Tower, where Qilan performed, belonged to Jiangning’s first tier of famous establishments. Yanzui Tower was among the best of the second tier, barely ranking among Jiangning’s top ten. Its service and entertainment were actually quite attentive, but it lacked the elegance of Golden Wind Tower or Condensed Rain Tower. That was simply the effect of reputation and branding.

For instance, if the Governor of Jiangning or a distinguished man such as Prince Consort Kang Xian invited guests to Yanzui Tower, it would be considered beneath him. Wealthy merchants, however, still liked to come here and show their support. Scholars came too—many were not so particular—but not in great numbers. This was, after all, not their first choice.

As they made their way there that evening, no one brought up poetry or literary discussion. Men such as Su Wenxing and Su Wending ordinarily enjoyed posing as talented scholars, but they had enough self-awareness at present. Ning Yi and Li Pin were both minor celebrities among Jiangning’s scholars, and no one wanted to make a fool of himself before them. Chen Jiwen had once encountered Ning Yi and, unable to compose a poem, had not even dared to put brush to paper. Why invite further embarrassment by discussing such matters?

These men belonged to the First, Second, and Third Branches, and there were occasional frictions and quarrels among them in daily life. At present, however, they were united in purpose: they spoke only of business and avoided poetry altogether.

Use one’s own strengths to attack another’s weaknesses. Su Wenxing, Su Wengui, and Su Wenji all had some experience managing shops for the family. During the journey, Su Wenji got along particularly well with Ning Yi. He was known as the Su family’s little Mengchang. Though his own abilities were limited, he knew how to employ people and kept a suitably humble and courteous attitude.

Ning Yi found him rather interesting. He had a talent for handling relationships, which was already a good thing. But anyone who truly wished to manage others also needed the ability to weigh, balance, and restrain talent. In that respect, Su Wenji’s weakness was probably quite apparent.

Such abilities required long years of cultivation and were connected both to innate aptitude and later education. If one wished to employ a person possessing a hundred points of ability, one needed at least sixty points oneself. It was not impossible to develop such skills, but Ning Yi naturally had no reason to lecture him on the subject.

As Su Wenji shared his experience and a few amusing stories from the world of commerce, Ning Yi smiled and nodded, indicating that he had learned something. Su Wenji grew increasingly pleased. It was rare to have a chance to display himself before a man like Ning Yi, so he naturally went on to elaborate in greater depth.

From time to time, Su Wenxing and Su Wengui would interrupt.

“Liheng, you don’t understand business matters like this. Don’t listen to his nonsense—he’s trying to fool you. As for that deal involving Taihu, Wenji had no idea where the real problem lay.”

“Who says I didn’t know?”

“You only listened to whatever your managers told you. You believe everything they say.”

“At least I can tell which arguments make sense.”

The two sides inevitably began to quarrel. Ning Yi and Li Pin found it entertaining as they watched from the carriage. After a while, someone from the other side came over and said to Ning Yi, “Why don’t you ask Second Sister when you get home and see what she thinks? Hmph.”

Page 2 of 3

Although Su Tan’er was a woman and everyone was secretly fighting over the family fortune, no one could honestly deny her talent for commerce. As for Ning Yi, he might be a great scholar, but when it came to business, he understood virtually nothing. Both Su Zhongkan and Su Gongfang had probably explained to these young men why Ning Yi had originally been taken into the family as a live-in son-in-law. Xi Junyu, on the other hand, had been rejected precisely because he possessed too much commercial talent. There was no doubt about that.

Thus, as everyone boasted of his business experience and tried his utmost to display the excitement of the marketplace before Ning Yi and Li Pin, they arrived at the entrance and joined several friends who had been invited. Su Wenxing entered Yanzui Tower first, but soon encountered an acquaintance ahead.

When the main group entered through the doors of Yanzui Tower, they saw Su Wenxing engaged in a battle of pointed sarcasm with Xue Jin of the Xue family. Beside Xue Jin stood his elder brother, Xue Yan, said to be a candidate for head of the Xue family’s younger generation and perhaps its future patriarch. Several of their friends and guests had also gathered after seeing more than a dozen members of the Su family arrive at once.

The madam of Yanzui Tower and several male attendants sensed that matters might turn sour and hurried over to smooth things over and mediate.

Brothels and pleasure houses were places where jealousy could easily ignite tempers, but at present there had been only a few exchanged remarks. Everyone had a certain status and was unlikely to begin a real quarrel. Both sides merely watched with interest. Xue Jin, however, looked distinctly uncomfortable when he saw Ning Yi. Ever since Ning Yi had composed two poems, Xue Jin had scarcely dared to write another himself; he always felt that people were mocking him.

There was a noisy, lively atmosphere on both sides. Xue Yan exchanged smiling greetings with Su Wenzhu and the others while the madam stood between them to keep the peace. Xue Jin and Su Wenxing traded a few more barbs, while Xue Jin continued to brood over the remarks Ning Yi had made to him earlier. Beside Ning Yi, Li Pin greeted one of the men across from them.

“Brother Qingqiu, you’re here too.”

“Brother Dexin, what a pleasant surprise.”

The other man was also a scholar, named Liu Qingqiu. His reputation was comparable to that of Li Pin and Cao Guan. After the greetings, Xue Jin raised his head and introduced him as well.

“This is my elder brother’s friend, Liu Yan.”

The customary expressions of admiration followed. Xue Jin stared at Ning Yi, while Ning Yi turned his head to inspect the arrangement and furnishings of the pleasure house.

A moment earlier, with only Xue Jin and Su Wenxing present, the atmosphere had been full of hostility. Now that more people had arrived, everyone appeared cordial and harmonious. They exchanged greetings, their mouths honeyed while their hearts concealed daggers, and slipped in a few veiled insults.

Xue Yan smiled and said, “The true charm of Yanzui Tower is still the main hall. It is far more comfortable to sit here and watch the performances. We will be staying in the main hall tonight. What do the rest of you say?”

Su Wengui laughed. “Brother Xue has an excellent eye. Who in Jiangning does not know this? Since Brother Xue is here tonight, naturally we will sit in the main hall as well. Let us go up to the second floor.”

Generally speaking, the first and second floors of a pleasure house were laid out in much the same way, arranged around a stage at the front like a theater. There were private rooms as well, where guests could drink flower wine and receive courtesans, but the performances onstage were intended for the general public. In full view of everyone, one naturally could not make overly intimate advances toward the women providing company.

No one came here merely to watch a show. If one truly wished to take a courtesan and develop the relationship further, one had to move to a private room.

Ning Yi followed the others upstairs, then turned to Li Pin.

“How do these fellows intend to compete for a beauty tonight?”

Li Pin laughed. “The performances in Yanzui Tower’s outer hall are quite impressive. Popular women such as Lyu Xia sometimes refuse advance invitations and instead perform in the outer hall. If one of them takes a fancy to someone, she will leave the stage, offer him a cup of wine, and then accompany him into the inner hall. To receive a cup of wine in full view of everyone—that is a matter of considerable prestige. Merchants and scholars alike enjoy watching such contests, each man using every means at his disposal to win the beauty.”

Ning Yi nodded. “So if one takes a liking to someone, he still has to spend money.”

“Of course.” Li Pin smiled. “Though it is not always that simple. Perhaps you are already one of her old acquaintances. Or perhaps, Liheng, you could write her a fine poem. She would naturally come over and offer you the wine herself. In the end, it is always some variation of the same methods. If you want to make an impression, you still have to put in the effort.”

Page 3 of 3

“Oh? Brother Li, are you planning to write a poem later and win the beauty for yourself?”

“That would be difficult. Liu Yan’s poetic talent is no weaker than mine. Besides, just look at Xue Yan and the others. They are clearly regulars here, and they are certain to win. Naturally, your brothers have confidence because they saw the two of us here tonight. If I alone were to write a poem, then even if I lost, Lyu Xia would still have to come over and greet me. But if you, Liheng, were to write one as well, with your reputation as the foremost scholar and a genius of uncanny talent, and with your brothers launching an assault of silver, the final outcome would truly be impossible to predict.”

“Oh. In other words, it is all about prestige.”

“Haha. It is precisely for the sake of prestige.”

As they made their way toward the private rooms on the second floor from which the performances could be viewed, the two men laughed and chatted. In truth, Li Pin was rather interested in this sort of affair. Even if Ning Yi refused to write, he would probably compose a poem himself to take up Liu Yan’s challenge.

Ning Yi glanced back. In the main hall below, the scholar named Liu Yan seemed to be looking in their direction as well. He smiled and waved, appearing quite friendly.

Ning Yi’s gaze moved past him, however, for he was suddenly drawn to the view from a room beside the stage. The window itself seemed unremarkable. Since it was at the side of the stage, the room was probably not used for entertaining guests. What caught Ning Yi’s attention was the madam who had just been mediating the quarrel. She was entering the room, and a moment later Ning Yi saw a face appear within.

It was Nie Yunzhu.

He had no idea how long the woman had been watching from that room. When she met his gaze, she immediately smiled and gave him a gentle wave. Ning Yi smiled and waved back. At that moment, another figure leaned out beside her from the window. It was another woman. She glanced curiously at Nie Yunzhu’s expression, then searched the crowded hall for familiar faces.

When she spotted Ning Yi, she blinked, then scrunched up her entire face.

It was Yuan Jin’er.

So these two had come here to sell preserved eggs?

That was what Ning Yi was thinking when Yuan Jin’er said something he could not hear. Nie Yunzhu smiled and gave her an exasperated glare, replying with a few words of her own. The two then began to tussle. Yuan Jin’er shoved Nie Yunzhu away from the window.

A second later, she leaned back into view, stuck out her tongue at Ning Yi, and made a face, as though she had successfully monopolized Sister Yunzhu. With a sharp snap, she shut the window.

Ning Yi laughed in amusement.

“All right. We made it before eleven.”