A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 68.1

Li Yuxing woke up in the Hundred Flowers Room of Yifeng Pavilion, removed the hand of the man lying on the other side of the bed from her waist, and got up to tidy her hair.

At this time, the moon shone through the silk window, and the sky had just begun to lighten.

The man grunted, no longer sleeping soundly, and after a moment, he also sat up from the pillow, searching for his clothes everywhere. Li Yuxing had no choice but to stop her grooming and serve him by helping him change and wash up.

Li Yuxing said, “Didn’t you claim to be ill and excused from the morning court today?”

Just like the rule for court officials to attend court at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the women of Yifeng Pavilion also had to change, wash up, and welcome guests at the hour of Mao. The courtesan queen (Hua Kui Niangzi) did not need to follow this routine; as a living sign, when she was not entertaining a patron, no one dared to disturb her even if she slept until noon. Li Yuxing’s residence, the Hundred Flowers Building, was a private, detached structure, located deep within the courtyard, surrounded by peach woods and flower gardens, and inaccessible to ordinary people.

The madam was a plump and slightly round woman. The people in the pavilion called her Mother Yin, but Li Yuxing called her Elder Sister Yin. People said she was a well-preserved middle-aged woman, but upon inquiry, she was just past thirty. Her makeup was thickly applied, her collar often failed to cover her chest, revealing a pleasant view, and she moved through the upper and lower floors of Yifeng Pavilion’s main hall, swaying her hips and waist as she smiled for business.

She often said that emperors and ministers were not as comfortable as the women in the pavilion. Emperors had so many affairs to attend to, and ministers could lose their heads at any moment, while the women here were free from worry about food and clothing, provided they took the trouble to dress up beautifully and please their patrons.

Li Yuxing only felt that fate was playing tricks on people.

Just like the “patron” before her, who years ago had been her rightful fiancé.

Sheng Yuan countered, “What about you? Why are you up so early?” He spread his arms, making it easier for Li Yuxing to fasten the leather belt around his waist. “Don’t tell me it’s for that Dongyin man in the front hall.”

Li Yuxing said, “That Dongyin man is no ordinary person; he is powerful and influential…”

Sheng Yuan grabbed Li Yuxing’s wrist, “Powerful and influential? What difference does that make, no matter how powerful he is? Your bond of indenture belongs to the court; can you possibly go with him to Dongyin?”

Li Yuxing felt amused, that a relationship between a customer and a courtesan could also harbor such an undignified, petty jealousy.

Sheng Yuan continued, “A’Yu, are you really so willing to debase yourself? Do you rush to cling to any powerful man you see?”

Li Yuxing’s tone was flat. “Lord Sheng, who was not at the height of power before? My father visited your house twice before his execution, begging you to marry me. It was your Sheng family, fearing repercussions, who insisted on breaking the engagement. After the breakup, you repeatedly came to Yifeng Pavilion to present flowers and money. You now think I am debased. How do you know that your Sheng family won’t end up like my Li family in the struggles for power?”

After the engagement between the Li and Sheng families was broken, the social status of the two people separated by heaven and earth overnight.

She fell into a life of low status, while he passed the imperial examinations with distinction.

Sheng Yuan was once considered a role model among the young noble gentlemen—disciplined, talented, and outstanding—yet, after a poetry contest at a birthday banquet in the Eastern Residence, he frequently became a patron of Yifeng Pavilion, spending a fortune on the newly promoted courtesan queen, “Qin Sensen.”

Yifeng Pavilion referred to the money given by guests as “presenting flowers.”

Daisies, roses, white plums, and peonies in Yifeng Pavilion represented hard silver, valued at ten, fifty, one hundred, and one thousand taels respectively, while the King of Flowers, the peony, was the most valuable, a single stem costing ten thousand taels of silver. This was a forced attempt to attach a sense of elegance to the smell of money.

Those who came to visit the courtesans called it: “Jiangnan has nothing to offer, so I present you with a sprig of spring.” The meaning was, “I cannot give you a proper status, so I can only give you a flower.”

Li Yuxing became the new leading courtesan of Yifeng Pavilion with an underwater dance performance in the Xushui River that made her famous throughout Yongdu. After the poetry contest at the Eastern Residence, she received an inscription personally written by the Old Princess, greatly increasing her fame, and whenever she performed, the flowers in Yifeng Pavilion were sold out every day.

Among all the flowers, there were only three peony stems available each day, worth three thousand taels. As long as Sheng Yuan appeared, everyone else knew they had no chance of buying a peony that day.

Sheng Yuan tightened his grip, saying, “Did you resign yourself to me out of necessity that day, or are you like me, unable to forget the connection we had as an engaged couple?”

Li Yuxing said, “What are you talking about, Lord Sheng? The formal procedures of matchmakers, six rites, and auspicious consultation—that is the connection of an engaged couple. Today, our relationship is merely one of romance and pleasure; you cannot give less money.”

After Crown Prince Yizhang was assassinated and Princess Jiangning, who could have secretly protected her, fled to the South, the Li family had suffered tribulations. Her sensitivity to shifts in power struggles was greater than that of an ordinary person, so after Yongdu was sealed off, she once again survived safely by utilizing Sheng Yuan’s status as the Minister of War’s son.

Considering this, it was indeed accurate to say she gave herself to him out of necessity.

Sheng Yuan’s face turned from red to green several times before he finally threw off Li Yuxing’s hand. “When will the Princess arrive? Though breaking the engagement was unavoidable back then, I still owe you. A’Yu, I don’t blame you for using me.”

Li Yuxing was taken aback and scoffed. “You, Sheng Yuan, are arrogant and proud; how could you be willing to be used by me? The Sheng family once supported Prince Qi, and now that Prince Shen has ascended the throne, your family is in danger, not knowing when the sword hanging over your head will fall. Didn’t Lord Sheng willingly fall into my vulgar trap to preserve your family’s power and seek a new patron? You must be quite moved by your own performance of deep affection, Lord Sheng, aren’t you?”

Sheng Yuan said, “Li Yuxing, do you think now that the Princess has returned and you have a new backer, I, this old bridge, can be torn down?”

Li Yuxing said, “Lord Sheng, I don’t think you’ve seen your situation clearly yet. Right now, you need me to be the connection to reach the Princess. It’s not appropriate to be so overbearing when you are asking for a favor, is it?”

Sheng Yuan said, “The Sheng family does want to attach themselves to the Princess, but the Princess only controls agricultural matters and has no one in the Six Ministries. It is conceivable that she is now eager to consolidate the Ministry of War, right? Otherwise, why would she let you try every possible way to keep me here?”

Li Yuxing smiled faintly to herself, “Since Lord Sheng has said so, and the Minister of War also intends to offer allegiance to the Princess, then please straighten your clothes and accompany Lord Rong to see Her Highness.”

There was a small reception hall in the Hundred Flowers Room, usually used for meeting guests, playing music, and writing lyrics. The small hall had a secret door that allowed people to enter and exit the building.

The hall door opened, and Rong Jun walked out from inside, saying, “Lord Sheng, please.”

Sheng Yuan felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head. Only when he calmed down did he realize he had fallen into a trap.

Minister of War Sheng Xiuyuan did intend to curry favor with the Princess, but it was merely an intention. Although the Princess currently appeared to have some power, Sheng Xiuyuan believed that the power held by Princess Jiangning was insufficient to ensure the Sheng family’s prosperity when compared to the formidable imperial authority.

Sheng Yuan was right about one thing: compared to the Sheng family urgently seeking a new patron, Xie Wenjun was in greater need of consolidating the personnel of the Six Ministries. In Xie Wenjun’s view, the Ministry of War was indeed the weakest and easiest to penetrate among the Six Yamen (Ministries).

In a single careless move, he was provoked by Li Yuxing’s few words into revealing his true intentions.

If he went, the Sheng family would have no retreat and would be forced to align with the Princess.

But if he didn’t go… Rong Jun wouldn’t permit him not to go.

The main hall of Yifeng Pavilion was also exceptionally lively.

After You Feibo was taken away by Xie Wenjun, he did not return for a night. The other Dongyin envoys grew restless, clamoring and demanding the person from the postmaster, threatening to write a memorial to their own emperor and send troops if the person was not produced.