Volume 6, Chapter 19 - An Old Guardian'S Vague Outline

Volume 6, Chapter 19: An Old Guardian’s Vague Outline

The young man, around twenty-nine years of age, was a young Confucian scholar. He wore black robes washed so many times they were fading into white. A bamboo flute was tied to his waist. He seemed to have fallen on hard times, but his appearance was handsome and scholarly. He had a noble bearing and didn’t seem to care in the least about leading an impoverished lifestyle. The young man had been fiddling with the folding fan in his hands this entire time, fanning it open and closed. The beautiful women on the fan peeked out now and again. The ornate and luxurious fan was at clear odds with his destitute attire. In addition, the flirtatious beauties painted on the fan and his cold expression were even more mismatched. Bizarrely though, these incompatibilities combined with an ineffable harmony. It made this young man look ever more charming and elegant.

The young man downed several more cups of wine, then sang in a soft and plain voice:

He was a little flat, but as he sang this poem, it wandered and echoed through the building, its deep emotions sent out to everyone who could hear it. This restaurant was full of distinguished guests, and when he started singing, everyone fell silent. His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone could hear him clearly and distinctly. They all listened attentively, and some people even gently clapped along to the tune. When he got to the second verse, a flute began playing, the sound elegant and touching. The sound of the flute accompanying the singing enthralled everyone further.

After the song finished, the flute did not stop playing. Instead, a woman’s clean and clear voice rang out through the building. The woman sang the young man’s song again, but even though it was the same tune and lyrics, the phrasings changed a great deal. And the woman’s voice twisted and turned in agitation, giving full expression² to the deeper meaning in the lyrics. Her singing made everyone fully forget what evening this was.

The young man closed his eyes a little, enjoying the outstanding and wonderful singing. A long while later, after the singing had vanished, lithe footsteps stopped in front of the entrance to the private room. He opened his eyes and said, “Lady Rumeng must have come to visit in person.” He sighed. “Your songs and dance are priceless, but today, you performed your singing in this tiny restaurant. If the womanizers of Jianye learn of this, they will stomp their feet and lament it.”

Brushing aside the bamboo curtain door, a young woman wearing a red