Chapter 28
Jealousy and fighting were common among young men, and the students of Donglin Academy were no exception. Ten years ago, Yan Yunhe was the protagonist of such an incident at Wanhua Pavilion.
That day, You Liang and Fang Zhizhou had quarrelled for some reason, and You Liang wanted to skip class and go out to clear his head.
Although Yan Yunhe had often joined the noble young masters in climbing over the walls to sneak out and have fun during his time in Zhengyi Hall, after advancing to Shuaxing Hall, he hadn’t exactly turned over a new leaf, but the heavy coursework had restrained him considerably.
Besides, the place You Liang wanted to visit was utterly absurd.
Yan Yunhe stared at You Liang in disbelief. “Isn’t your family very strict with you? Why would you suddenly want to sneak out of the academy to go to a place like Wanhua Pavilion?”
“Just tell me if you’re coming or not!” You Liang said, somewhat irritated.
“I’m not,” Yan Yunhe replied firmly.
He might be Donglin Academy’s notorious troublemaker, but that didn’t make him a pleasure-seeking wastrel. The fact that the Marquis of Yong’an hadn’t actually broken his legs was because, despite his playful nature, Yan Yunhe had never done anything truly disgraceful. He had no interest in Wanhua Pavilion, so he naturally refused to go.
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade him, You Liang crossed his arms and heaved a dramatic sigh, “Ah, and here I was just about to mention the girl that recently arrived at Wanhua Pavilion. It’s not just me who wants to see her—even the guys from Zhengyi Hall already went there for a look.”
Yan Yunhe remained unmoved. He had been copying texts as punishment since that morning, his strokes swift and his focus absolute. “It seems they’ve become more dissolute since I left.”
You Liang snatched his textbook, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. “Can you guess why more than half the students of Donglin Academy were so attracted to this girl that they disregarded the precepts and snuck out?”
“I don’t want to guess.” Yan Yunhe did not raise his eyes. “I advise you not to go to that kind of place. Don’t break the precepts before you’ve finished your studies, much less succumb to infatuation, or you’ll never tear yourself away.”
His words made You Liang’s whole face turn red. “I wouldn’t do that!”
Yan Yunhe set down his brush and teasingly asked, “Then why would you go there?”
“It’s all Fang Zhizhou’s fault! He already has a beautiful concubine. When she came to deliver his clothes, the two of them were flirting with each other!” You Liang said through clenched teeth.
“Fang Zhizhou? You mean the Fang Zhizhou that we know?” Yan Yunhe asked in surprise.
Fang Zhizhou, the most courteous and modest gentleman there was, whom everyone called an elegant young master.
You Liang indignantly replied, “Of course I mean him! Who else could it be?!”
“That can’t be right. Fang-xiong’s family is extremely strict. How could they allow him to take a concubine before marriage?” Yan Yunhe was not quite convinced.
You Liang said, “He always pretends to be righteous and dignified, bossing me around all day, yet it turns out he secretly keeps a beautiful maidservant for himself!”
Yan Yunhe understood. “So you just want me to go to Wanhua Pavilion with you to defy Fang-xiong?” He stood up and placed the copied pages aside to dry. “Don’t drag me into this. I don’t want Fang-xiong to hold a grudge against me.”
You Liang sat right on Yan Yunhe’s desk and cut straight to the chase. “The new girl from Wanhua Pavilion, Miss Shen, looks almost exactly like Yu Qin.”
Crinkle. Yan Yunhe had crumpled the paper in his hand.
You Liang leisurely swung his legs. “The students who already saw her said their features are identical. Miss Shen will perform on stage tonight, and anyone at Wanhua Pavilion can catch a glimpse of her beauty.”
Yan Yunhe smoothed out the paper. “Wait here a moment.”
With that, he turned and went straight to the bedroom.
You Liang hadn’t figured out what Yan Yunhe could possibly be doing in the bedroom, until he saw the man come out in flashy, bright red clothes. “Let’s go. What are you sitting there for?”
You Liang was speechless. If he had known, he wouldn’t have wasted his breath. He was to blame for trying to create suspense.
Yan Yunhe’s martial arts skills were more than enough. He grabbed You Liang by the collar and used his qinggong1 to leap over the high courtyard wall.
You Liang took Yan Yunhe to Zhaohua Pavilion, which his classmates had also mentioned. “They said you can’t show up empty-handed on your first visit to Wanhua Pavilion. Besides silver, what the girls love the most is the rouge from Zhaohua Pavilion.”
Zhaohua Pavilion was exquisitely decorated, filled with a rich fragrance. The customers were all women, making Yan Yunhe and You Liang stand out like sore thumbs. Feeling deeply embarrassed, Yan Yunhe asked the shopkeeper for the latest rouge, refused any packaging, and stuffed it hastily into his lapels before dragging You Liang out as if fleeing.
Wanhua Pavilion wasn’t far from Zhaohua Pavilion. They arrived when Miss Shen was taking the stage. Yan Yunhe asked for a private room on the second floor, from where they could watch the beauty without having to squeeze in with the crowd in the main hall.
Miss Shen wore a silk veil on her face, revealing only her beautiful eyes. Yan Yunhe had excellent eyesight, and he could definitely see the resemblance. Looking at the touch of rouge Miss Shen had applied at the corners of her eyes, so similar to Yu Qin’s, Yan Yunhe wondered whether Yu Qin would look like this if he wore rouge.
When he realized what he was thinking, Yan Yunhe immediately took a sip of tea to calm his suddenly racing heartbeat.
He quickly understood why that bunch from Donglin Academy had come to see Miss Shen. Since those booklets depicting Yu Qin as a woman had become so popular, their filthy thoughts were obvious at a glance.
And these people are the future of Great Jin. We’re done for, aren’t we?
Oblivious to the fact that he was no different from them, Yan Yunhe was about to call for refreshments when he heard a voice from the adjacent private room.
“Is that the girl that looks like Yu Qin?”
With his martial arts prowess and exceptional hearing, he could catch even the faintest of sounds, especially since there was only a wall separating the rooms.
The voice on the other side continued. “I wonder if Yu Qin would look like that if he dressed in women’s clothing.”
The remark immediately caused an eruption of laughter.
“Yu Qin is so arrogant, always acting like he’s above everyone else. Yet Zhao Yi and his cronies fawn over him. Do you think…?” That person’s tone turned vulgar. “Do you think he spends his nights with Zhao Yi and the others, just like Miss Shen here? Maybe that’s why they’re so devoted to him?”
The one who had spoken was Yang Ye, a student at Donglin Academy. His father had been publicly reprimanded by Yu Chang’en in court for being hesitant and indecisive, and his reputation was ruined ever since, a blow from which he never recovered.
He deeply despised Yu Qin for this, which was why he spoke with such malice.
Those around him listened to his words with contemplative expressions, as if they were actually imagining it. Yang Ye felt somewhat disgusted.
Just then, the door of the private room was suddenly kicked open. Everyone turned pale with fright.
Yang Ye was initially startled when he caught sight of Yan Yunhe standing in the doorway, but he quickly regained his composure.
Just like them, Yan Yunhe had snuck out of the academy to visit Wanhua Pavilion, so he had no right to report them. Besides, to Yang Ye, anyone who disliked Yu Qin as much as he did was a friend.
“Yan-xiong, what brings you here tonight? You sure have refined…” Before he could say “interests,” a kick landed squarely in his chest.
Yang Ye was sent flying into the table with a crash, overturning it. A sharp pain tore through his chest, and he vomited all the wine he’d drunk and all the food he’d eaten.
Before he could even rise, Yan Yunhe appeared before him like the Black and White Impermanence2 and stomped him back into the ground. As if that weren’t enough, he leaned down, pressing his arm on his knee, the weight making Yang Ye feel his sternum was going to break in any second.
Yan Yunhe chuckled softly, “Go on, why don’t you say more?”
Yang Ye grabbed Yan Yunhe’s ankle, his face contorting as he struggled desperately.
Yan Yunhe’s smile still carried the breeze of spring,3 but his foot pressed down with three times the force. “Such a filthy tongue you have. Shall I help you cut it off?”
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E/N (04/04): Chapters 9 and 10 have been re-edited.
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