Chapter 84: A poem and a lyric were tossed out from the brothel, and the entire room was stunned!

"Lu Xie Xiaofeng, you still dare to come to our Hundred Flowers Pavilion? Aren't you afraid that our Sister Yu Ruyi will kick you out?"

Lu Xie Xiaofeng was clearly a regular at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Just as he walked in, a woman with an extraordinary bearing approached him with a graceful gait and rolled her eyes at him!

As she spoke, the woman’s gaze shifted to Li Li Lianhua beside him, her eyes brightening slightly: "This young master is truly handsome, yet he looks quite unfamiliar. May I ask how to address you?"

"Cui Liu, today my friend, Young Master Li, has come specifically for Miss Qin Cao!" Seeing that the woman was quite interested in Li Li Lianhua, Lu Xie Xiaofeng spoke up!

"Sister Qin Cao is not so easy to see; one must pass the Three Barriers. It’s been so long since anyone succeeded. Can this young master really do it? Why not stay and let Cui Liu keep you company instead?"

Hearing what Lu Xie Xiaofeng said, the girl named Cui Liu looked at Li Li Lianhua and spoke!

Seeing the girl named Cui Liu being so proactive, Li Li Lianhua felt a bit uncomfortable for a moment!

"Hmph, you heartless thing, you finally decided to show up?"

However, fortunately, at this moment, a sharp, coquettish voice rang out, and immediately, a woman around thirty years old, yet still possessing a lingering charm, walked over.

She poked Lu Xie Xiaofeng in the chest with a fair, delicate finger, looking annoyed!

"Hehehe, Yu Yu Ruyi, didn't I miss you? Besides, all the brothels in the Great Ming want to invite this friend of mine, but I brought him to you instead. You should be thanking me!"

Lu Xie Xiaofeng grabbed Yu Yu Ruyi’s small hand with a backhand grip and chuckled!

Being held by Lu Xie Xiaofeng, Yu Yu Ruyi didn't pull her hand back, but instead looked at Li Li Lianhua with curiosity: "What kind of sacred person is this young master?"

Indeed, all the brothels in the Great Ming want this young master to visit?

This made Yu Yu Ruyi extremely curious!

"My friend’s surname is Li. As for who he is, allow me to keep you in suspense for now. My friend claims his poetry and lyrics are the best in the world, so he should pass the Three Barriers and meet Miss Qin Cao!" Lu Xie Xiaofeng chuckled!

"Alright then, Young Master Li, please!"

After pondering in her heart and finding no clues, Yu Yu Ruyi was still very happy to have people prepare for the Three Barriers!

From the conversation between Lu Xie Xiaofeng and Yu Yu Ruyi, as well as their mannerisms, Li Li Lianhua understood that while Yu Yu Ruyi was called the top headliner of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

In reality, she was the madam of this Hundred Flowers Pavilion!

The relationship between Lu Xie Xiaofeng and Yu Yu Ruyi was clearly an ambiguous one, more than friends but not yet lovers!

No wonder he was so familiar with this Hundred Flowers Pavilion!

And after the matter of the Three Barriers was announced, whether it was the high-ranking officials and nobles or the scholars and poets, everyone’s attention was drawn!

In this ancient setting, entertainment was relatively scarce, so when there was excitement to watch, everyone naturally wanted to see it!

The Three Barriers challenge was a hot topic in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion!

However, to pass the Three Barriers, one needed genuine skill; if one lacked confidence, going up would only make one a laughingstock!

Therefore, only those with both skill and confidence dared to try. It had been so long since anyone had come to challenge these Three Barriers!?

"It seems I have good luck today, someone is actually coming to challenge the Three Barriers!"

"Yes, yes, I wonder who wants to get close to the beauty?"

"Wanting to get close to the beauty isn't important; what matters is having real skill!"

……

In the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, many customers were whispering and discussing!

And the Hundred Flowers Pavilion quickly prepared everything for the Three Barriers!

"Brother Lu, you said one must pass the Three Barriers to see Miss Qin Cao? Is that Miss Qin Cao a Persian?" Hearing the name Qin Cao, Li Li Lianhua felt a reflexive chill in his heart!

Remembering a show he watched before, *Flirting Scholar*? There was a so-called beauty from Persia named Miss Qin Cao in it?

In reality, it was a man practicing the Formless Divine Art in disguise!

If it really were a man, that would be quite chilling!

It seems that the *Royal Tramp* series also had a Great Ming background?

"Persian? No, not at all. Miss Qin Cao was once from an official’s family, proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Later, her family fell, the men were sentenced to exile, and the women were sent to the Music Bureau, so Miss Qin Cao drifted to this Hundred Flowers Pavilion!"

Hearing what Li Li Lianhua said, Lu Xie Xiaofeng looked at him with some surprise, then shook his head and said!

Phew...

Hearing this answer, Li Li Lianhua felt a slight sense of relief in his heart!

If it’s just passing three barriers to see a beauty, there’s no problem!

But if he spent so much effort just to see a man in disguise, he wouldn't be able to stand it!

"By the way, Brother Lu, you often investigate cases, so you must know something about the imperial court. Do you know of the Dragon Guard Clan? Do you know of a secret agent named Ling Ling Fa?" Li Li Lianhua followed up with a confirming question!

"Dragon Guard Clan? Never heard of it!"

"As far as I know, our Great Ming court has the Eastern Depot, the Six Doors, and the Dragon Protection Villa, but I’ve never heard of any Dragon Guard Clan, nor do I know anyone named Ling Ling Fa!" Lu Xie Xiaofeng continued to shake his head!

Alright, not knowing Ling Ling Fa is one thing, but not even hearing of the Dragon Guard Clan.

It seems this Great Ming Jiang Hu has not merged with the *Royal Tramp* show.

Then, the name Miss Qin Cao is just a pure coincidence!

This made Li Li Lianhua completely relax!

Afterwards, Li Li Lianhua turned his focus to the Three Barriers!

The first barrier is to compose a lyric; as long as one composes a high-standard lyric, one can pass.

As for the second barrier, it is to compose a poem, and it must be a poem on a set theme!

As for the final barrier? It is a test with a topic chosen by Miss Qin Cao herself!

It looks simple, but it’s actually not!

The first barrier is fine; if one has literary talent, one can always come up with a good poem or lyric when inspiration strikes in leisure time!

The second barrier is a bit difficult!

Since it is a set theme, unless one has heaven-defying luck, one can only compose it on the spot!

Not to mention there is a third barrier!

"Young Master Li, do you have a good lyric to present?" After confirming the content of the first assessment, Yu Yu Ruyi looked at Li Li Lianhua with curiosity!

Even Lu Xie Xiaofeng looked quite curious!

He had never heard of Li the Divine Physician’s literary talent!

A lyric? Li Li Lianhua pondered silently in his heart; the good lyrics he remembered in his mind were truly not many!

For example, Su Shi’s *Nian Nu Jiao: Reflections on the Red Cliff*, or Yang Shen’s *Lin Jiang Xian: The Rolling Yangtze River Flows East* from the Ming Dynasty in history were all good lyrics!

However, writing such historically heavy lyrics in this brothel didn't seem quite appropriate!

"Wait, hold on, that Liu Yong is the true master of brothel-hopping; when he died, countless brothel singers wept bitterly. Didn't he also have a pretty good lyric?" After a moment of thought, Li Li Lianhua’s heart stirred!

Since Liu Yong was a top-tier expert in the brothel scene, his lyrics must be very suitable for this place, right?

"Got it!" After a brief thought, in just a few dozen breaths, Li Li Lianhua spoke up!

"I invite the young master to recite it aloud, and I shall transcribe it for you!"

A gentle and elegant woman nearby, holding a wolf-hair brush, said softly to Li Li Lianhua!

People upstairs and downstairs in the brothel all quieted down at this moment, their gazes fixed on Li Li Lianhua!

In this brothel, those who spend money to play are low-class guests!

Those who can recite poetry and discuss it with women are middle-class guests!

Those who dare to challenge the Three Barriers and succeed are the high-class guests!

People who dare to challenge the Three Barriers are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, so seeing Li Li Lianhua so young yet daring to challenge them, everyone was naturally full of curiosity!

"I wonder if this young man can come up with a good lyric!"

"Since he dared to go up, he should have some skills, right? Otherwise, wouldn't he just be a laughingstock?"

"The lyric for the first barrier, even if it’s a masterpiece that can be presented at ordinary times, the standard for passing is relatively high!"

"Although scholars tend to belittle each other, since this young master dares to challenge the Three Barriers, at least his courage makes me sigh in admiration!"

"Shh, don't talk, the young master is about to start!"

……

Many scholars and poets whispered, and as Li Li Lianhua began to speak, they all gradually quieted down!

At the same time, Li Li Lianhua began to speak, his clear voice resounding throughout the Hundred Flowers Pavilion!

"My lyric is titled *Rain Bell: The Cold Cicada Chirps Sadly*."

"The cold cicada chirps sadly, facing the long pavilion at dusk, the sudden rain has just ceased. At the city gate, drinking in the tent, there is no mood; in the place of lingering, the orchid boat is urged to depart."

"Holding hands, looking at each other with teary eyes, we are speechless and choked with sobs. Thinking of going, going, a thousand miles of misty waves, the evening mist is heavy and the Chu sky is vast."

"Sentimental people have always been saddened by parting, how can one bear the cold and desolate autumn season! Where will I wake up from my wine tonight? The willow-lined bank, the dawn breeze and the waning moon."

"After this departure, the good times and beautiful scenery will surely be in vain. Even if there are a thousand kinds of amorous feelings, who can I share them with?"

Silence!

As Li Li Lianhua recited this *Rain Bell*, the sorrow contained in the lyric instantly permeated the entire Hundred Flowers Pavilion, making the whole place deathly silent for a moment!

"Holding hands, looking at each other with teary eyes, speechless and choked with sobs? This, these short ten or so characters, give people a feeling of a scene appearing before their eyes!"

"Sentimental people have always been saddened by parting, this line is like a knife, stabbing straight into the heart!"

"And the last line, even if there are a thousand kinds of amorous feelings, who can I share them with? This feeling of sorrow and loneliness makes my heart feel heavy!"

"Every line is a peerless masterpiece!"

"A masterpiece, this *Rain Bell* is truly a peerless masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages!"

"Who exactly is this young master? I never expected to hear such a masterpiece that will be passed down for generations in this Hundred Flowers Pavilion!"

……

After a long silence, the atmosphere in the entire Hundred Flowers Pavilion suddenly exploded, and many scholars and poets began to critique it word by word!

However, a good lyric that can be passed down for a hundred generations is truly like the face of a peerless beauty; no matter from what angle you view it, it is a flawless beauty of the prosperous age!

"Good lyric, good lyric, Brother Li said his poetry and lyrics are the best in the world, he really wasn't just bragging!"

Even Lu Xie Xiaofeng couldn't help but give Li Li Lianhua a thumbs up, praising him sincerely!

Although Lu Xie Xiaofeng is a man of the Jiang Hu, at least he has the most basic ability to appreciate poetry and lyrics!

Just this *Rain Bell*, in Lu Xie Xiaofeng’s view, is absolutely not inferior to any famous master in the world!

With this *Rain Bell*, Li Li Lianhua completely conquered everyone in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion!

This first barrier was naturally passed without any suspense!

Following that, Li Li Lianhua began the second barrier!

The crowd, who were originally arguing intensely, all stopped their discussions and looked at Li Li Lianhua with burning eyes!

This first lyric could still be said to have been prepared in advance, or even that someone else had composed such a unique masterpiece and given it to him!

But this second barrier is a poem composed on the spot with a set theme; this cannot be prepared in advance!

For the second barrier, a tray was brought out and presented to Li Li Lianhua, containing more than twenty small wooden plaques.

Yu Yu Ruyi explained roughly that after flipping over a small wooden plaque, the theme for this poem would be written on it!

These themes were all wild and imaginative!

Some were about love, some about flowers and birds, some about the weather, some about the Jiang Hu; in short, looking at them, there were more than twenty small wooden plaques, and what one drew depended on luck!

Moreover, after drawing the wooden plaque, one must compose the poem within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea!

Li Li Lianhua understood that the time to brew a cup of tea, converted into the accurate term from later generations, was 15 minutes!

So? The difficulty of composing a poem on the spot with a set theme was still there!

"I didn't expect that I would also have a time to 'flip the plaque'!" Looking at the tray in front of him, Li Li Lianhua smiled inwardly, then casually picked up a wooden plaque and flipped it over. This

The wooden plaque had two characters written on it as the theme: Loneliness.

"Everyone, Young Master Li has drawn the two characters 'Loneliness' as the theme for this poem!" Yu Yu Ruyi picked up the wooden plaque in Li Li Lianhua’s hand and showed it to everyone in all directions!

Then, she flipped over all the wooden plaques in the tray to prove that the characters on each plaque were indeed different!

— Author's Notes —

0 ·Seeking flowers· ········