Chapter 52

Wan'er brought them to the Clear Shadow Hall of Yunshao Manor; already at the gate they could hear the sound of string and bamboo drums, inside they were rehearsing.

Eight girls in white long robes were dancing gracefully; Huo Xiaoru stood at their center, also in a white long robe, holding a Lan-colored silk ribbon in both hands, her slender body tilting and spinning, the ribbon winding around her forming beautiful curves, pleasing to the eye and dazzling.

Murong Feiyan then learned that Hu Xiaotian's lover was actually the talented lady Huo Xiaoru, who was quite famous; she had come to the capital especially to rehearse the "Rainbow Robe Feather Garment Melody" for the Emperor's sixtieth Shoucheng, and upon arriving in the capital she caused quite a stir, with countless officials and nobles considering it an honor to meet her.

The music's rhythm grew ever more urgent, like large and small pearls falling on a jade plate, and Huo Xiaoru's slender body spun faster and faster.

Hu Xiaotian stared with his mouth wide open; he never expected Huo Xiaoru's dance skill to be so superb that just watching made him dizzy.

Huo Xiaoru suddenly stopped, waving her hand and saying, "Not right! Still not right!" She was clearly dissatisfied with the choreography of this dance segment.

The musicians stopped playing, and the eight attendant dancers stared blankly at Huo Xiaoru; she frowned slightly, lowered her head, thought for a moment, then softly said, "Let's stop here for now; I need to think it over carefully."

Wan'er said, "Miss!"

Huo Xiaoru turned around and saw Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan; she was quite surprised, unable to fathom how Hu Xiaotian had come, yet one thing could not be denied: his performance at the Mist Water Pavilion that day had left a deep impression on her. Huo Xiaoru always had high standards, and few men could earn her admiration; it could be said that Hu Xiaotian truly deserved the phrase "talented and outstanding."

Huo Xiaoru smiled gently; her smile perfectly embodied the meaning of "the powder and rouge of the six palaces have no color." She approached Hu Xiaotian gracefully, made a slight bow, and said softly, "I, a common girl, did not know Sir Hu was coming; please forgive my failure to greet you properly."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "I just happened to be passing by here, ran into Wan'er, so I followed her over." Last time, because Huo Xiaoru had her face covered with white gauze, he hadn't seen her true appearance; today, upon seeing her, she was truly a peerless beauty, exquisite and unmatched, his gaze lingered on her lovely face, unable to look away.

Huo Xiaoru knew her personal maid very well, aware that this little girl loved to meddle; she smiled and said, "Let's go sit in the Flower Hall."

Hu Xiaotian, however, shook his head and said, "Constable Murong and I had planned to go to the Natural Residence for a meal; Miss Huo, if you're free, why not join us?"

Huo Xiaoru hesitated a moment, then nodded and said softly, "Sir Hu and Constable Murong, please wait a moment; I'll go change my clothes and be right back."

Hu Xiaotian immediately realized that waiting for a beauty to change clothes was a lengthy process; Huo Xiaoru's absence would be at least half an hour, and Murong Feiyan grew impatient, standing up and saying, "How can changing clothes take so long?" She was by nature impatient and careless, and due to her profession she never paid much attention to attire.

Hu Xiaotian, on the other hand, was more patient, smiling as he held his teacup and took a sip of fragrant tea: "A woman beautifies herself for the one who pleases her!" This fellow was obviously flattering himself; he was clearly the one who pleased her, meaning Huo Xiaoru had dressed up carefully for him.

Murong Feiyan fixed him with her familiar contemptuous gaze and gave him a very unfriendly remark: "A horse doesn't know its own face!" "One who pleases oneself"? Anyway, she didn't think Hu Xiaotian was such a person; no matter how she looked at him, she found him disagreeable, and she felt that her dislike had only just begun—at least she was willing to accept his invitation to go out and eat together, showing that her opinion of him had improved somewhat.

After much urging, Huo Xiaoru finally appeared, wearing a lake-green long robe, her black hair washed but not yet dry, tied into a lotus hairpin, with no extra adornments except a silver hairpin inserted into the bun. Huo Xiaoru did not deliberately dress up, yet each time she appeared her attire left a deep impression.

Her skin was white with a hint of red, unadorned, pure and elegant like an autumn chrysanthemum, transcending the mundane, like a fairy who does not partake in earthly fire.

Even Murong Feiyan, a woman herself, was drawn by Huo Xiaoru's peerless grace, secretly admiring her; no wonder Huo Xiaoru had such fame, she was truly gorgeous. It was unexpected that among dancers there could be such a pure and lovely maiden.

Huo Xiaoru apologetically said, "Sorry to have kept you two waiting."

Murong Feiyan said, "Sir Hu just said a woman beautifies herself for the one who pleases her; Miss Huo, who are you dressing up for?"

Hu Xiaotian was embarrassed by Murong Feiyan's betrayal, but Huo Xiaoru smiled enchantingly: "The saying 'a woman beautifies herself for the one who pleases her' is truly profound; only a great talent like Sir Hu could utter such a philosophical remark." As she spoke, her eyes flowed like a feather stirring someone's heart, truly moving; Murong Feiyan thought to herself that Huo Xiaoru's gaze was truly alluring and captivating—even as a woman she could feel her charm, let alone a lecher like Hu Xiaotian.

Even if Hu Xiaotian's skin is thick, he can't help feeling a bit flushed right now—great talent! These words aren't my original creation; reading more really does have its benefits. Some ordinary sayings from the past, when placed in the present, can astonish and impress others. I became a great talent so easily!

After leaving Yunshao Fu, the rain had stopped; the streets and alleys were scrubbed clean, the willows fresh, the grass like mist. Walking between the two beauties, Hu Xiaotian felt his steps grow much lighter, his heart swelling with pride and confidence—being flanked by two great beauties as they strode down the road, the feeling could be summed up in one word: refreshing.

Liang Da Zhuang's gang were still waiting outside, honest and earnest; seeing the young master emerge with two great beauties on either side, they were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out—after a while they realized the young master was going to pick up girls! This term was just picked up by Liang Da Zhuang from Hu Xiaotian: 'pao' means to sweet‑talk (soft‑soak hard‑soak), 'niu' means a pretty girl; the phrase 'pao niu' is a stroke of genius, concise yet packed with deep meaning, using just two characters to capture the essence of the act—indeed the young master is a great talent!

The Natural Dwelling is not far from here; Hu Xiaotian and his companions didn't take a carriage, and after walking past East Four Archway they already saw its sign. Outside the Natural Dwelling hung a couplet—'Guests ascend to the Natural Dwelling, the Natural Dwelling indeed hosts heavenly guests.' Only the upper line was posted; the lower line was left blank, clearly awaiting a response.

Even before Hu Xiaotian arrived, he had already thought of this couplet—vulgar, ridiculously vulgar; as early as the Qianlong era, the Qianlong Emperor and Ji Xiaolan had exhausted this couplet. A few scholars stood before the door, shaking their heads as they pondered. Seeing the blank lower line, Huo Xiaoru couldn't help glancing at Hu Xiaotian; in her mind his talent for couplets was absolutely top‑notch, even surpassing everyone—back at the Smoke and Water Pavilion he had outshone them all.

Murong Feiyan is a regular here; when shopkeeper Yang Sanqi sees her arrive, he hurries over to greet her, clasping his hands and bowing: 'Captain Murong, it's been a while since you've come.' People in their line of work constantly run into trouble; Yang Sanqi has no backing, but thanks to Murong Feiyan's help he has avoided harassment from local ruffians, so he has always been very grateful to her.

Murong Feiyan said, 'I've actually wanted to come for a while, but official duties keep me busy—I can't spare the time.'

Yang Sanqi said, 'Today's meal is on me!'

Murong Feiyan laughed, 'No need—you have a rule: only those who can match this upper line get to eat and drink for free. I don't have that talent, and I wouldn't want to break Boss Yang's rule.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I do!'

One sentence drew everyone's gaze; Hu Xiaotian said, 'Why are you all looking at me like that? This couplet isn't hard at all!' This guy already knew the standard answer—he basically had it all figured out.

Yang Sanqi looked curiously at Hu Xiaotian, then clasped his hands and said, 'Sir, this couplet has only an upper line, no lower line; the upper line was penned by a former official of the court. It has hung here for three full years, and still no suitable lower line has been found. Over these three years who knows how many guests have come and gone at the Natural Dwelling—among them are no shortage of extremely learned great talents, and countless lower lines have been proposed, yet none seem quite fitting. If you can come up with a response that is neat and fitting, as long as the Natural Dwelling exists you may eat and drink freely here forever, never having to pay the bill.' The official he spoke of was none other than the former first‑rank official and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Zhou Ruiyuan; after the Crown Prince Long Yelin was deposed and he was implicated, the present Emperor reduced him to commoner status and he left the capital for home, so Yang Sanqi does not dare to speak his name outright. ********************************************************** Mid‑Autumn Festival, sending another First Update, wishing everyone a happy reunion.

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