bookrebus Chapter 16 Wan Shiyu
Chapter 16 Wan Shiyu
Last time we talked about Li Yi being pulled into a carriage by Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi, and all the silver he had on him was stolen. Let’s see what Yu and Qi are going to do.
Li Yi looked at Yu Qi and the other man opposite him with a dark face, and sighed helplessly: "Brothers, what do you mean? Just say it if you have something to say." Hearing this, the two of them broke down instantly.
Dugu Yu smiled flatteringly and said, "Brother Li, we are all good brothers!"
Nangong Qi also looked like he had succeeded in his evil plan, and said, "Brother Li, we are not trying to steal your money, we just need your help with something."
Li Yi said unhappily: "The customs and practices in Shangjing City are really strange. This is the first time I've seen someone begging for help like this."
Dugu Yu smiled and said, "Brother Li, we two are also forced to do this, so we can only resort to this last resort!"
Li Yi shook his head and sighed, "Is there anyone in Shangjing City who can make you two brothers helpless? It's unbelievable!"
Dugu Yu exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "Brother Li, you don't know! A month ago, a courtesan came to Shangjing City, and she was as beautiful as a fairy! When she came, the brothels in the whole Shangjing City were shocked! Brother Li, let's put it this way, looking at the whole Shangjing City, this courtesan is second to none except Brother Qi's sister Nangong Xue!"
As soon as these words came out, Nangong Qi continued: "Although it is a bit inappropriate to compare my sister Xue with the oiran, what Brother Yu said is true!"
Li Yi immediately developed a strong interest in Nangong Xue and the courtesan! Aren't these two the first and second most beautiful women in the capital? Or are they tied for first place? But he pretended to be calm and said, "It's just a courtesan. With your family background and financial resources, you two brothers haven't won her over yet?"
Dugu Yu said seriously: "Brother Li, I don't like what you said! You don't know the life experience of this courtesan. She was a poor woman!" Then Yu Qi and the others began to talk about the life experience of this courtesan.
The name of this courtesan is Wan Shiyu. She is originally Korean. Korea is located at the junction of Northern Wei, Western Chu and Southern Liang. It is a strategic location. Originally, Korea has always been neutral and would not help in the wars among the three countries. But if someone wanted to invade Korea, it would ask for help from the other two countries, so it was able to survive.
Thirteen years ago, for some unknown reason, the king of Han suddenly joined forces with Liang and Chu to launch an expedition against Northern Wei, and captured more than twenty cities within a month. At that time, the emperor of Northern Wei, Tuoba Tao, was over sixty years old. Upon hearing about this, he was bedridden for a month. The former crown prince and brother of the current emperor, Tuoba Hong, took command of the expedition and fought for two years with the country's elite troops. Not only did he recover all the lost territory, but he also captured the capital of Han.
Afterwards, Liang and Chu sent envoys to seek peace. The three kingdoms fought and eventually divided up Han. Northern Wei got half of Han's territory, and the other half was equally divided between Liang and Chu. Since then, Han was destroyed. Wan Shiyu, whose real name was Fang Shiyu, was the son of Fang Lun, the prime minister of Han at the time. As a result, he was pushed out by the king of Han as a scapegoat, beheaded in public, and all the male members of his family became slaves and the female members became maids. At that time, the young Fang Shiyu witnessed his father's head hanging high on the city wall.
After the fall of Han, the King of Han fled to Chu and became a guest of the King of Chu. Since then, Fang Shiyu changed her name to Wan Shiyu, remembering the hatred of her father's beheading! Later, she was displaced and fell into the Northern Wei Jiaofang Division. After years of training, she became Wan Shiyu, the famous courtesan in Shangjing.
After hearing about Miss Shiyu's life story, Li Yi sighed and said, "Alas! She is indeed a pitiful person. She used to be a lady from a wealthy family, but now she has become a woman in the secular world! How tragic!"
"That's right! Brother Li, you haven't seen Miss Shiyu. She is so pitiful. How could a gentleman like me and Brother Qi, who are so kind and considerate to a girl from a fallen country and a descendant of a noble family, use our family background or money to bully her?"
"That's right, Brother Li. Brother Yu and I have already discussed that if we can't win the heart of Miss Shiyu, not only will we not do mean things, but we will also protect her and not let her be bullied by others!"
Li Yi understood the hidden meaning of their words and said seriously: "My two brothers, if you are unwilling to tell the truth, then I will take my leave!" After saying that, he was about to get off the car.
Dugu Yu grabbed him and said, "Tell the truth, Brother Li, we are both telling the truth!"
Li Yi rolled his eyes and said, "But that's not the whole truth, right?"
Nangong Qi scratched his head and said with a smile: "Brother Li is very good at predicting things. I really can't hide anything from you."
Dugu Yu said with a look of regret, "Brother Li, this is exactly what happened. You know that Brother Qi and I went to Qingzhou to travel a few days ago. When we returned to Shangjing City, Miss Shiyu had been famous for half a month. Her admirers were lined up in a row. I don't know how many people spent a lot of money, but they didn't even have a drink. At most, they just met her and offered her a cup of tea."
"Yes, that's why Miss Shiyu doesn't care about money."
Li Yi smiled and said, "Gold and silver are worldly things, they are indispensable, too much is as bad as too little, so she doesn't love money, but she should love it, right?"
Dugu Yu clapped his hands and laughed, "Yes, yes, Brother Li is right! This Miss Shiyu is an outstanding writer, and she is already at the eighth level of Confucianism and Taoism! You know, she is only twenty years old!"
Li Yi waved his hand and said, "Let's get to the point!"
Nangong Qi said, "The reason why Miss Shiyu is famous in the capital is not only because of her beauty, but also because of her talent. She is proficient in everything, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs! This is definitely not just talk. Brother Yu and I came back half a month earlier than you. Although we didn't see her playing chess with several famous masters, it is said that she played ten games with the chess master Sun Heng, winning four, losing four and drawing two! She even won a great victory when playing the piano and singing with Zhou Kun, the Minister of Music!"
Dugu Yu went on to say, "Her beautiful calligraphy is obvious to all, and it has the style of a master! She is good at painting flowers and birds with her skillful brush. A painting of 'Hibiscus Blossoms' now sells for five hundred taels of silver!" The two began to tell the story of Miss Shiyu's proud achievements like a crosstalk.
After listening to the two people's description, Li Yi had only two words in his mind! Hype! It seems that the person behind this courtesan has great connections. Even people in the court like Qi Zhao of the Ministry of Rites and the Minister of Music are willing to pave the way for her. I think there must be a master behind the scenes. Ministry of Rites? Wasn't Lao Yinbi the Minister of Rites before? Why do I always feel that this matter is related to Lao Yinbi!
Li Yi asked, "Since Miss Shiyu is so outstanding, why is no one willing to redeem her and take her home?" Dugu Yu replied, "Brother Li, do you know how much Miss Shiyu is worth?"
Of course Li Yi couldn't guess it, he didn't know much about the prices here! How could he guess it? He just said casually: "It seems to be frighteningly high!"
Nangong Qi sighed, "Brother Li, it's 10,000 taels! 10,000 taels of silver!"
Li Yi took a deep breath. If we calculate it based on 1 tael and 50 grams, and 1 gram of silver is 6 yuan, then this Miss Shiyu is worth 3 million! Damn! This is too much! Oh my god!
The three of them were speechless in the car for a while, and finally Li Yi spoke up: "No, Miss Shiyu is so expensive, what kind of person can catch her eye?"
Dugu Yu replied, "Now Miss Shiyu lives in the Moon Palace on the fourth floor of the Exiled Immortal Tower. Young talents and children from noble families in the entire Shangjing City are proud to step into the Moon Palace! But to this day, no one has ever been able to pass Miss Shiyu's level."
Li Yi understood that the two princes wanted him to help them pass the level. He smiled and asked, "What level is so difficult?"
"After Miss Shiyu became famous, she set up exam questions on the third floor of the Exiled Immortal Building. The questions were based on the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, lyrics, songs, and prose. A new question was given every three days. As a result, no one passed the four questions in a row. Today's question is the fifth one! The question is about poetry!"
Dugu Yu's eyes sparkled after he said this. He looked at Li Yi expectantly and said, "Brother Li! Brother Qi and I have seen your poetic talent. There are only a few people in Shangjing City who can rival Brother Li! So we specially asked Brother Li to come forward and break the topic with poetry, and take my two brothers to the Moon Palace together!"
Nangong Qi also nodded heavily, looking at Li Yi solemnly. The latter looked completely uninterested, closed his eyes and said calmly: "Thank you for your kindness, but I am really not interested at the moment, so I am afraid I will disappoint you."
Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi were both from aristocratic families, so they couldn't tell that Li Yi was raising the price. Nangong Qi raised the price first and said, "Brother Li, how about this? If you take us to the Moon Palace, I will give you 500 taels of silver as a reward. How about that?"
Li Yi had no reaction, "Five hundred taels per person, that's one thousand taels, how about it?" Still no reaction. Dugu Yu offered, "One thousand taels per person, how about it?" Still no reaction.
Dugu Yu understood that Li Yi was not after money! Then he changed his mind and said with a smile: "Brother Li, do you know how my two brothers knew that you came to Shangjing City, and how to find you?"
Li Yi looked up at Dugu Yu and asked, "Someone must have reported the news first."
"Yes, Brother Li, do you want to know who reported the news?"
"Sister Ruyun must have written to inform Brother Qi first, asking Brother Qi to help take care of it, so there is nothing to guess about this matter."
Dugu Yu smiled and said, "Yes, it was Sister Ruyun. She also told us what Brother Li did in Qing'an City. If I tell you about the biggest competitor in tonight's quiz, Brother Li will probably be very interested!"
Li Yi did not speak, but listened quietly to what was said next. Nangong Qi immediately understood what Dugu Yu meant and said with a smile, "Brother Li, you know that Yuwen Ye is a pervert, but there are so many perverts in the Yuwen family!"
Dugu Yu replied, "That's right, the eldest son of the Yuwen family, Yuwen Zhong, and his younger brother, Yuwen Xiu, will also be there tonight!"
"Alas, Yuwen Ye bullied a weak woman in Qingzhou City, and she refused to let him go even when she arrived in Qing'an City. What do you think will happen if Yuwen Zhong and Yuwen Xiu also bully a weak woman in Shangjing City? Is the Yuwen family rotten to the core?"
Yu Qi and the other two felt sorry for a while, but Li Yi just said calmly: "If Miss Shiyu is really as outstanding as you two said, can the two young masters of the Yuwen family get Miss Shiyu's approval? I don't think so, so there is no need for me to come forward, and those two can't enter the Moon Palace!"
Dugu Yu hurriedly explained: "Brother Li, you don't know that this time Yuwen Zhong invited the top talents in Shangjing City, Yang Hua and Yang Yunhao!"
"The most talented person in the capital?"
"Exactly! For Miss Shiyu, Yuwen Zhong really spent a lot of money this time. I don't know what means he used, but he was able to invite Yang Hua! Yang Hua is 23 years old this year, and he is at the seventh level of the Confucian and Taoist Yangqi realm. He became famous in the Juxian Hall half a year ago, and shocked the court and the public with his article An Guo Ce. Now he is a councilor of the Secretariat. His poetry and prose are both of first-class standards. Now he has several poems that have been handed down from generation to generation, and even more famous and excellent works. He is regarded as the hope of the future of the Wei literary world!"
Nangong Qi kept saying, "Brother Li, you want to be the leader, but if you can't suppress him, it won't work!"
Dugu Yu fanned the flames, "Brother Li, if you want to make a name for yourself in Shangjing City, tonight is a good opportunity! As long as you defeat Yang Hua, you will become famous!"
Li Yi had actually been tempted a long time ago. When he heard that there was a chance to become famous, he stopped pretending and said with a smile, "I want to know, if Yang Hua really gets the approval of Miss Shiyu, what does it have to do with Yuwen Zhong and Yuwen Xiu? Are they trying to help others? Help Yang Hua find a woman?"
Dugu Yu said with a wicked smile: "Brother Li! This is wrong. Yang Hua is not interested in women. If he enters the Moon Palace, the two brothers of the Yuwen family will definitely send Yang Hua away. The rest depends on how they deal with it. Brother Li, do you have an idea too?"
Li Yi said, "I have an idea, but if I solve the puzzle and enter the Moon Palace, what are your plans, brothers?"
Nangong Qi said, "Brother Li, to be honest, we know that Miss Shiyu will not be attracted to people like us who have no talent, but the two brothers of the Yuwen family are unwilling to give up and have been eyeing Miss Shiyu. We had conflicts with the two brothers of the Yuwen family before, and then we made a bet. The winner will go to a brothel in the next year, and the loser will have to retreat! Brother Li, this is not as simple as being an oiran!"
Li Yi nodded and said, "Yes! This is the ownership of the Oiran for the next year!"
Nangong Qi nodded and said, "That's right, that's right!"
Dugu Yu said unhappily: "What's the point of being an oiran or not! The most important thing is face!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Brother Yu is right! It's a matter of face!"
Li Yi rolled his eyes at the two of them and said, "Then let's make it clear first. First the villain and then the gentleman. If I help you two win this bet tonight, whoever Miss Shiyu takes a fancy to will be the one. Don't turn your back on me when the time comes."
Dugu Yu smiled and said, "Of course!" In fact, Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi were better than Li Yi in both appearance and family background. They thought that as long as they entered the Moon Palace, they might still have a chance. It was still unknown who would be the winner, so they agreed readily.
Li Yi added: "Those two brothers still owe me one thousand taels of silver each!"
Nangong Qi smiled and said, "If this is done, I will give you the money right away!" The three of them smiled at each other, and the deal was done!
So the three of them took a carriage to their destination tonight, the first brothel in the capital, the Exiled Immortal Tower. On the way, Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi were very excited. They were full of confidence in Li Yi. After all, they had seen Li Yi write two famous poems when he was in danger at Liumoxuan. Tonight's test questions must be easy for Li Yi.
Li Yi was thinking about how to become famous, so he asked Yu Qi and the others, "It was said before that Miss Shi Yu is best at writing poems. I want to ask you two, do you have any good poems?"
Dugu Yu smiled and said, "The songs I competed with others before were all excellent, but the most outstanding one was "Flowers Falling"."
Nangong Qi also became interested and said, "That was written when Miss Shiyu was discussing poetry with a literary giant in Shangjing City. As soon as she wrote the poem, a stream of purple air gathered on the paper and circled around Shiyu three times before entering her body."
"Oh? Do you two still remember this poem?" Dugu Yuzheng recited:
"In the cold winter, flowers begin to bloom, waiting for the clouds to part and the sun and moon to shine.
I don’t see the golden crows flying in, the rain hitting the falling flowers is the most ruthless. "
Li Yi tasted the poem and thought it was good, but too sad. No wonder, after years of wandering, she must have suffered a lot, so it was normal for her to feel resentful. Yu Qi and the others sighed, Dugu Yu sighed, "What a poor woman. Although I wanted to help her, I was ultimately unable to do so."
Nangong Qi also beat his chest and stamped his feet. Li Yi looked at the two of them and said sarcastically in his heart: You two, you want to be flower protectors, but you don’t understand. Although you are playboys, you are kind-hearted. However, I’m afraid that your kindness has been dedicated to many courtesans, and Wan Shiyu is not the only one.
Later on the way, Dugu Yu and Nangong Qi introduced to Li Yi the number one brothel in Shangjing - the Exiled Immortal Tower, saying that it was like a fairyland with gorgeous ceilings.
Li Yi laughed secretly in his heart: No matter how much you two flatter, you can't compare a brothel to a fairyland. Although I haven't been to those high-end consumption places in my previous life, I have been to large nightclubs or KTVs for company team building several times. Whether it's beautiful women or magnificent decorations, I have seen the world. Can I still be fooled by this era of backward productivity?
With this thought in mind, Li Yi put away his smile and put on a contemptuous expression as he looked at the changing street scenes outside the car. The carriage drove all the way to the widest section of the Bishui River, where was the city that never sleeps in Shangjing.
The Bishui River runs across Shangjing, and an artificial lake was dug in the northeast of the city. Later, the lake was expanded and embankments were built several times to enhance the scenery, making the Bishui Lake a scenic spot in Shangjing City. All the buildings built around the Bishui Lake are the best in the city, and the area around the Bishui Lake has become the most prosperous commercial district in Shangjing City.
The Exiled Immortal Tower is built on the north bank of the Bishui Lake, facing south, occupying a prime location in a prime area. You can enjoy the lake view by opening the window, listen to the frogs croaking, smell the fragrance of lotus flowers, and enjoy the mirror reflecting the sky.
Not to mention anything else, just from the geographical location, we can tell that the person behind the Exiled Immortal Tower must have extraordinary abilities, or at least be a royal relative. However, Yu Qi and the others didn't say anything, so Li Yi didn't ask.