Chapter 292: The Eunuch Faction

"The moon, as promised, keeps its tryst, its clear radiance lingering through this night. Fragrant voices sing of jade phoenixes, flower-brushed cheeks bear the imprint of a rosy tide. Having plucked the Ruan of Ruan Danger, still the flute plays the Xiao of Xiao Shi. I pity you, your soul is water — clouds and rain cannot be summoned."

On the Qinhuai River under the night, painted barges drifted like a stream. Ruan Dacheng stood on the deck of one, raising his cup toward the light-dappled, hazy river. As he finished reciting the poem, a deep, haunting bamboo flute melody also came to a perfect stop, its lingering resonance still swirling among the light and shadows.

Li Lihua set down the bamboo flute, swayed over with lotus steps, and pressed close to Ruan Dacheng. "You truly are a Presented Scholar laureate, sir — a poem completed in mere moments, and even your teasing brims with literary grace. 'Clouds and rain cannot be summoned' — are you now finding me old and faded, wanting to trade the old for the new? Shall I have Gu Mei come to this painted barge in my place?"

Ruan Dacheng pulled her into an embrace and laughed heartily. "Gu Mei's beauty may be famed as the finest in Qinhuai, hailed as the Goddess of Glancing Waves, but the name falls short of the truth. A goddess she may be, but how can she compare to your myriad charms, Lihua? 'Fragrant voices sing of jade phoenixes, flower-brushed cheeks bear the imprint of a rosy tide' — tell me, does Gu Mei have any of that?"

Li Lihua smiled alluringly, toying with Ruan Dacheng's thick beard. "Words that don't match your heart. If you're thinking of Gu Mei, then think of her. You gave her the script first, sir, and everywhere you call her the Top of the Southern Music — half of that fame that crowns Qinhuai is your doing."

Ruan Dacheng let Li Lihua play with his beard, still denying it. "Gu Mei's fame has grown, and Mei Lou's fortunes have risen with the tide — the extra silver earned is yours. In the end, you're the one who benefits, no? Next time a new play is staged, I'll still invite Hengbo to sing it first, but it's not because this old man favors Gu Mei."

Li Lihua said lazily, "What you say makes sense. Not everyone favors Gu Mei. That Wu Changshi, hosting a banquet for you tonight, booked Yu Cotton Lou with me, deliberately avoiding Mei Lou. If he didn't dislike Gu Mei, why would he need to do that?"

"Lihua, you have your own method for reading people, but you're being unfair to this Wu Changshi. He's not like those callow youths of the Restoration Society, who must always circle around women. Among the thousands of Restoration Society members, the one Zhang Pu values most is this Wu Changshi. This man is thoroughly versed in the ways of the world, and a shameless sort at that. All of Zhang Pu's errands — asking favors and Pacing connections everywhere — he has Wu Changshi handle. Do you think he rushes about for Zhang Pu's sake? I'm afraid not. What he's after is a future in officialdom. A man single-mindedly scheming for advancement would hardly lose himself in the world of wind and dust. In the eyes of such a man, even Gu Mei, Dong Xiaowan, or Li Xiang Army are no different from ordinary women. Avoiding Mei Lou is merely fear of being discovered by other Restoration Society members — it has nothing to do with liking or disliking Gu Mei."

Li Lihua released his beard and wrapped her arms around Ruan Dacheng's neck instead. "Then, sir, if you don't devote yourself to plotting your return to power, but instead linger with a woman of the wind and dust like me, does that mean you have no interest in an official career?"

Ruan Dacheng laughed heartily and gently pinched Li Lihua's cheek. "The illustrious Li Lihua, who stirs all Qinhuai — how can the phrase 'wind and dust' possibly encompass her? My bond with you, Lihua, is a friendship forged through drama, a friendship forged through poetry. Our Path is the same, our aspirations aligned. Whether I enter officialdom or not, I will always be your kindred spirit."

Li Lihua looked at Ruan Dacheng with eyes like strands of silk. "Kindred spirits, fine enough. But it seems that you and I, sir, are more than just friends through drama and friends through poetry. Is there not also friendship through the boudoir?"

"The pleasures of the boudoir are part of the natural order of human relations. With your myriad charms, Lihua, this old man's cultivation is insufficient — feelings arise, but I cannot stop them with propriety, so I can only follow my heart freely." Ruan Dacheng's face was utterly serious. "Moreover, in sharing boudoir friendship with you, Lihua, this old man has another layer of profound meaning."

Seeing his expression, Li Lihua asked curiously, "What profound meaning could there possibly be in matters between man and woman?"

Ruan Dacheng leaned close to Li Lihua's ear, paused a moment, then said, "To prove that this old man is not a member of the Eunuch Faction."

Li Lihua burst out with a "pfft," released Ruan Dacheng, and doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach. After a long while, she straightened up and looked at Ruan Dacheng, smiling. "If anyone asks in the future, I will certainly testify on your behalf, sir."

Ruan Dacheng chuckled and frolicked with Li Lihua for a moment, then fell into Strategic Patience again. "Wu Changshi coming to see me may be at Zhang Pu's behest — it's nothing more than the matter of the court moving against the Restoration Society."

"This Wu Changshi is certainly loyal to Zhang Pu."

"Loyal to Zhang Pu? If Zhang Pu truly fell, Wu Changshi would be the first to throw stones at him... Come to think of it, knowing Wu Changshi's character, it's also possible he came to see this old man on his own."

Li Lihua pondered, reached out and took the wine cup from Ruan Dacheng's hand, and drank a mouthful herself. "You, sir, would not throw stones. But if the Emperor is truly determined to see the Restoration Society destroyed, what help can you possibly offer?"

"Who says the Emperor's mind is made up? If it were truly made up, Zhang Pu's head would already have fallen at the Western Market in the Capital. Why would this old man be meeting Wu Changshi? He has come to use this old man's channels, to understand the Emperor's true intentions, so as to decide on a counter-strategy. As it happens, this old man has the same idea."

Li Lihua's eyes sparkled as she watched Ruan Dacheng for a moment, then said teasingly, "Then I understand exactly who he wants to reach through you. And you still say you're not Eunuch Faction."

"Eunuch Faction my ass." Ruan Dacheng released her, picked up another cup from the square table, and drained it in one gulp. "Is there a single civil or military official in the entire court who doesn't want connections with those esteemed gentlemen? Are they all Eunuch Faction? To get their own people inside the palace, the things the Donglin crowd have done — you couldn't even imagine them. And they still have the nerve to call this old man Eunuch Faction. Their shamelessness is truly astonishing. Compared to the Donglin, those Restoration Society brats are mere children."

"What kind of things have the Donglin done?"

Ruan Dacheng caught his breath and said, "These are matters this old man cannot yet discuss with you in detail. Speaking of them stirs my anger again."

Li Lihua studied Ruan Dacheng's face carefully. "If you are so indignant at the Pure Stream's actions, sir, why do you still go out of your way to curry favor with the Restoration Society?"

"Who is the Restoration Society?"

Li Lihua couldn't help but be taken aback. Ruan Dacheng chuckled, released her, and walked alone to the red railing of the painted barge. Before him, painted barges crisscrossed on the river, the sound of strings and flutes mingling with the soft splash of wooden oars. The intersecting ripples of water made the reflected lantern lights undulate and shimmer within them.

Ruan Dacheng gazed somewhat entranced at the towers and pavilions lining both banks of the Qinhuai. "The Restoration Society has many people inside. With so many people, there won't be a single mind. Not everyone listens to Zhang Pu. There are those who wish to replace him. Some want to block this old man's return to power, while others hope to rely on this old man to pave their way forward. So anyone can be the Restoration Society, and the Restoration Society can be anyone."

Li Lihua followed and stood behind Ruan Dacheng. "The Restoration Society members naturally admire your talent, sir, but that may not be useful. Take your Ruan Family Troupe, for example. When the Restoration Society scholars want to watch a play, you eagerly send your family troupe over. People like Zhou Zhong clap and sigh in admiration while watching, but once the performance ends, they still curse you, sir, for having talent without Virtue."

"Ungrateful wretches among the scholars — plenty of people curse this old man. Do you think I'm afraid of a few callow youths?" Ruan Dacheng took a calming breath. "It's enough to ease things somewhat with those people, as long as they don't hinder my affairs. This old man has already established the Qun She in Nanjing, gathering heroes to discuss military strategy and swordsmanship. With the help of old friends, there will come a day when word reaches the Emperor's ears."

"And the foremost of those heroes must be that General Wang Battle Formations." Li Lihua tilted her head and looked at Ruan Dacheng teasingly. "That poem you composed in response to Wang Battle Formations, sir — tsk tsk — is truly the culmination of your literary talent. I still remember a few lines: 'Yellow Turbans and white feathers, how they swarm and seethe; the Central Plains swept clean of comet's baleful breath. His Majesty's Unicorn Pavilion awaits your service; strive, strive on, General Wang.'"

Having spoken, Li Lihua covered her mouth and laughed. Ruan Dacheng shook his head with a wry smile. "Lihua, don't mock this old man. Occasionally I write some casual pieces, not wishing others to know, yet somehow everyone knows. If they can still win a beauty's smile, that is enough. Though this reminds me of an old matter from my time in Tongcheng, when I wrote that 'Shatian Barley Ripe' cursing the yamen runners. It was unfortunately seen by that young Pang Xiaoyou, who was a runner himself. This old man was just as embarrassed then as I am now."

Li Lihua looked at Ruan Dacheng sidelong. "You consider him Pang Xiaoyou, but he may not acknowledge you as an old friend."

Ruan Dacheng said dismissively, "I hear that young friend of mine has run into some trouble in Nanjing recently."

"Both the Nanjing Inner Garrison and the Southern Ministry of War have people eyeing Bai Shun Tang." Li Lihua moved slightly away from Ruan Dacheng and smoothed a strand of hair from before her eyes. "That Garrison Commander Pang has always followed the Restoration Society. Last time he was clearly still in Nanjing, but when you went to see him, they said he had already returned to Anqing. He was simply avoiding you, the Eunuch Faction member."

"After all, he is a young friend. In the seventh year of Chongzhen he was only seventeen, and this year he's just nineteen. This youth has high natural talent — everything he does is extraordinary. Not to mention that 'Female Prince Consort' is sung throughout the Southern Capital, marking a recent flourishing period for the Pear Garden. Who could have imagined that in two years, he would rise from a yamen runner to Anqing Garrison Commander, leading troops to reinforce Yingtian? With the Restoration Society's current-affairs paper trumpeting his deeds, everyone in Nanjing knows him, and he's even gained a reputation with the Emperor. If we're talking about joining my Qun She to discuss military strategy and swordsmanship, he would naturally be a hundred times better than Wang Battle Formations." Ruan Dacheng sighed. "It's just that in matters of officialdom, he has mostly heeded the bookish views of people like Fang Yizhi and Wu Yingji, and grown distant from this old man. Some things cannot really be blamed on him. Shi Kefa and Zhang Guowei, who oversee the Anqing Garrison Battalion, are both Donglin, and the Restoration Society is seen as a branch of the Donglin. He thus believes the temple of the Restoration Society houses true bodhisattvas — that's only natural."

"Jiang Chen is also a young Restoration Society scholar from Tongcheng. Why does he know to privately befriend you?"

"Jiang Chen is someone Zhang Pu has mentored, so naturally he understands the way of things a bit more. Officialdom is not a clear-cut divide; rather, it's a confluence of a thousand rivers. How many can clearly distinguish one from another? Pang Xiaoyou comes from a yamen runner background — among the clerks and runners in the county yamen, naturally no one guided him. And now, the people he associates with daily are the likes of Wu Yingji, Fang Yizhi, and Sun Lin. Who is there to tell him these things? This old man originally intended to guide him step by step, but he himself set his mind on the wrong path. Compared to Wu Changshi, the difference in caliber is immediately clear. But I still value him. This person cannot be measured by common sense."

By now the boat had reached Banqiao, and Yu Cotton Lou was already in sight. The Banqiao area was where the Qinhuai River's pleasure houses were most concentrated, but each establishment was built facing the water, with its own Wharf for painted barges to dock. There was no need to approach from the street; coming by water avoided prying eyes and ensured privacy.

Li Lihua turned around and tidied herself up. "You and I are kindred spirits, sir, but business is business. The people in the yamen want Bai Shun Tang. That young friend of yours has quite a reputation, but they haven't figured out his background yet. They only know he has ties to the Restoration Society, and they know I hold shares in it. Now, seeing the Restoration Society weakened, they want me to test the waters — ideally to swallow it whole in one bite, and my share would even increase. If you've come to intercede, I can't make the decision either. Whether that Pang Xiaoyou can hold onto Bai Shun Tang still depends on whether he knocks on the right temple door."

The painted barge docked on the left bank. Ruan Dacheng tidied his beard. "When a young man has no one to lead the way, taking a few detours is also a form of tempering. His future achievements will depend on his own perceptiveness."

The two descended from the deck. Once the painted barge was securely moored, they stepped onto the Wharf, which was Yu Cotton Lou's own small riverside courtyard. There were no outsiders along the way.

Passing through the garden and entering the main hall, the dignified and imposing Wu Changshi was already waiting at the door. He respectfully performed the junior's salute. "Latecomer Student Wu Changshi pays his respects to Ruan Xiansheng."

Ruan Dacheng returned the greeting warmly. "Laizhi, it has been too long."

Wu Changshi's face bore genuine respect. "Our last meeting was a hurried parting. I have been at Shao Garden, diligently rehearsing your great work, sir — 'Muni He.' I originally felt I had achieved seventy to eighty percent of the Ruan Family Troupe's standard. But coming to Nanjing this time and watching your troupe again, I realized I had lost the script's spiritual essence. A miss is as good as a mile. This visit is precisely to ask for your guidance on the key points, sir."

Ruan Dacheng waved his hand. "Laizhi, you are too modest. The Zhu Ting Troupe is known as one of the Three Great Troupes of Jiangnan — this old man has always admired them. It's just that troupes generally emphasize song over drama, which this old man does not agree with. Take 'Muni He,' for example. The feeling I had when writing the lyrics — one must always grasp the unyielding spirit within Xiao Siyuan's wrongful suffering to fully savor its flavor."

Wu Changshi put on a look of sudden enlightenment. Xiao Siyuan was the male lead in 'Muni He.' He naturally understood that Ruan Dacheng was using the opportunity to whitewash himself, yet he still eagerly responded, "So that's it. With those words, sir, I suddenly feel a profound empathy for Xiao Siyuan. Furthermore, I've heard that 'Muni He' has two scripts. Which one would be better to stage? Could you offer guidance on both?"

Ruan Dacheng did not answer hastily. Instead, he observed Wu Changshi. His 'Muni He' indeed had two versions. One was performed for the Pure Stream, with the opening three roles being Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and Qin Shubao. In the other script, those same roles were changed to the three Eunuch Officials Niu, Nature, and Pei — used to curry favor with the Eunuchs.

Most of those implicated in the Reverse Case back then were not Eunuchs, but their public personas were all classified as Eunuch Faction, including Ruan Dacheng. Wu Changshi was a Restoration Society scholar; his public persona was naturally Pure Stream. He should have been rehearsing the Cheng Yaojin version. But by deliberately using the differences between the two versions, he was probing whether Ruan Dacheng intended to introduce him to the Eunuch Faction's resources.

Ruan Dacheng paused in Strategic Patience for a moment, then said, "If you are willing, Laizhi, both scripts can be performed. See which one is better and which is worse, and decide for yourself."

The two looked at each other for a moment, then smiled simultaneously. In this sensitive moment of political struggle, they had discreetly and decorously probed and understood each other — both sides had the will to cooperate. Wu Changshi bowed again. "It's a pity I didn't bring the troupe with me this time. With my meager natural talent, if after your guidance I still fail to grasp the essentials, I must insist that you come to Jiaxing to instruct me in person."

The meaning behind these words was that if Wu Changshi failed to reach an agreement this time, the invitation for Ruan Dacheng to visit Jiaxing might involve a meeting with Zhang Pu.

Ruan Dacheng immediately responded, "I have long heard that your Shao Garden, Laizhi, was designed by Zhang Nanyuan himself, a place where literary brilliance gathers by the shores of Yuanhu. This old man has long yearned to see it."

Shao Garden was Wu Changshi's estate, located by Yuanhu Lake in Jiaxing (note: Nanhu), also known as Zhu Ting. Hearing this, Wu Changshi understood that Ruan Dacheng also wished to meet with Zhang Pu, and that choosing Zhu Ting as the location would avoid the eyes and ears of others.

Although the attack Wen Tiren had launched against the Restoration Society this time appeared to be centered in Jiangnan, the core of the struggle was in the Capital. It would become a decisive battle for various factions. Currently, the Embroidered-Uniform Guard horsemen were heading south, Wen Tiren held the advantage, and the Restoration Society was barely fending off blows. But it was still in the opening phase — the final outcome was yet unknown. This was precisely the moment for the major powers to entangle, bargain, and deal with one another.

In this brief exchange, the conversation had been entirely about drama. The nearby Li Lihua and the maidservant were completely unaware, yet Ruan Dacheng and his companion had already reached a consensus on cooperation. Now it was time for the details.

"If you would honor me with your presence, sir, Zhu Ting would be graced with brilliant light, and this student would want for nothing more." Wu Changshi bowed. "Please, sir, let us go upstairs to discuss in detail."

Ruan Dacheng cupped his hands. "After you, Laizhi."