Chapter 7: Bronze Sparrow Locks Spring
Ji Mingxiu was surprised; the girl hadn't used this tactic in a while. He suspected Yanru was distracted by him, so aside from flirting during class and asking the servants to buy her an extra portion when they went down the mountain to buy him food, he hadn't bothered to do anything else. Her sudden advances today intrigued Ji Mingxiu. He had just reached his seat, hoping to engage in a few more words, when his personal servant interrupted him, "Master, the carriage down the mountain is ready. We must hurry. The other masters and the two girls from Jinmengfang are probably already waiting for us."
"Oh yes, classmate You, the teacher has something important to attend to." Ji Mingxiu just remembered that he had an appointment, so he had to apologize to Yanru, then lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, it's not too late at 10:00 tomorrow, you can come to the teacher's yard, and the teacher will explain it to you." Then he left in a hurry, leaving Yanru alone in the hall, savoring his words.
There's a girl, and she's from Jinmengfang?! Ah, this is the largest brothel in Jinling City. The girls there are good at singing and dancing, and their mothers often embroider handkerchiefs for them. Teacher Ji... is he going to visit a prostitute? Yanru imagined a scene of a prostitute wearing heavy makeup, surrounded by Teacher Ji, and fawning over her. She couldn't help but feel a chill. On second thought, the servant said there were other masters. And although Ji Mingxiu was not as young and tall as Lu Zhiling, and a little muscular, he was usually handsome and elegant. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would seek pleasure. Calling her a prostitute might just mean providing some singing and dancing to entertain the gathering of scholars and poets, not necessarily visiting a prostitute. Yes, that's right, that's it.
Yanru tried hard to convince herself, as if to clear herself of the suspicion that Teacher Ji was not vulgar and mean, and that any private contact with him would just be a pure exchange of the Six Arts between teacher and student, which would not be so unbearable and disgusting.
Her heart raced all night and all day, until finally, as the waning moon hung high above the treetops, her classmates retreated to their rooms to study. Yanru, having dressed and dressed, clutched her painting, slipped out without anyone noticing. The female students' dormitories were located in the northeast corner of the academy, while Ji Mingxiu's residence, Cunyu Zhai, was built in the extreme northwest. Not only was it far away, but it was also separated by Ningbi Garden, where the master and his wife lived. The master emphasized the importance of avoiding sexual misconduct, and he had warned his students, both explicitly and implicitly, that since they were all of age, even between teacher and student, private contact between men and women was inappropriate. Fearing the master's anger, few students ventured there. Yanru traveled alone, needing only to avoid the two maids before trespassing uncomfortably into Cunyu Zhai.
There were no servants on duty, only the door was ajar. Yanru pushed it open and entered. The moonlight shone brightly on the painting of butterflies playing with peach blossoms on the screen wall. It was clearly a painting full of spring, but covered with the gauze-like moonlight, it seemed quiet and lonely. Yanru took a quick look and stepped into the courtyard. There were many small drums placed on the bluestone floor. Upon closer inspection, she found that the drums were arranged in a certain position. Ji Mingzheng was standing at the stone table in the courtyard, painting with his sleeves rolled up, drinking under the moonlight, quite elegant. He heard the sound, looked up and smiled, "Student You is here?"
"Greetings, Teacher." Yanru bowed and walked towards the stone table. She glanced at the sketch, which depicted a small drum on the ground. Curious, she asked, "Teacher Ji, aren't you good at drawing people? Why are you drawing objects tonight?"
"Student You, you may not know that those drums are not ordinary drums." Ji Mingxiu put down his pen and handed a small drum at his feet to Yanru. "A jade frost flows before the water-colored flute, and Zhao Feiyan serves Zhaoyang. The palm dance ends, and the flute music fades, and the autumn night in the Thirty-Six Palaces grows long. Because of the story of this stunning beauty, the world often talks about Zhao Feiyan's palm dance, but in my opinion, the pan drum dance is the best dance."
"Pangu Dance?" Yanru held the small drum and opened her eyes wide.
"The pan-drum dance originated in the Han Dynasty. At that time, dancers would wear long-sleeved clothes and special dance shoes, and dance to the music on wooden plates or drums. When they turned around to return, they were forced to jump up and down due to the fast rhythm, and their heels would rub and fall. The dance rose and fell with the beat of the drum, and the drum beat followed the dance steps. I have always felt that compared to the palm dance, this dance requires more from the dancers. They must be able to show strength and softness, combining strength and softness. They must show the momentum of the Yellow River water rushing from the sky to the sea and never returning, and also have the graceful beauty of the stream in the small stone pool like the sound of a ringing pendant." Ji Mingxiu talked a lot. The Yellow River water comes from the sky? Ji Mingxiu's mouth was more eloquent than the waterfall pouring down when the Yellow River flows through Guanzhong. Yanru's admiration for him was even greater: "Teacher Ji, you are really knowledgeable and talented. I thought you only knew painting, but I didn't expect you to know so much about music and dance!"
Ji Mingxiu enjoyed these girls the most, always looking at him with stars in their eyes. But he was a modest gentleman, keeping himself humble. No matter how arrogant he became, he would wave his hand and say, "I'm not erudite, I've just met more people and read more books than you. I learned dancing in order to paint, you see—" He spread the drawing paper towards Yanru, and saw a magnificent platform on it. Behind it, in the thick fog, there was a four or five-story dark red building rising from the ground, with flying pavilions and double eaves, magnificent and imposing. On both sides of the platform, two bronze sparrows were cast facing each other, pretending to sing, with wings spread out as if flying. Behind the bronze sparrows, in the center of the platform, several dancing drums were arranged in an orderly manner. A closer look showed that the positions of the drums were exactly the same as those in the Cunyu Zhai courtyard.
Yanru exclaimed: "Where is this? It's so beautiful." It was as if I was a noble lady in my dream, attending a banquet.
"The Bronze Sparrow Tower, one of the Three Towers of Yecheng," Ji Ming replied. "Last year, I traveled extensively throughout my dynasty. When I arrived in Handan, I saw the remains of the Three Towers of Yecheng."
Bronze Sparrow Tower? Yanru searched her stomach, remembering that Zheng Sirui had once used a related poem to practice calligraphy, and now it was just the right time for her to borrow it and say it delicately: "The east wind is not with Zhou Lang, and the two Qiao sisters are locked up in Bronze Sparrow Tower deep in spring."
"Hahaha, yes, it's that Bronze Sparrow Tower. But according to legend, it wasn't Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao who were locked up in Bronze Sparrow Tower, but Cao Cao's group of beautiful concubines. After I die, my maids, concubines, and dancers will all work hard to use Bronze Sparrow Tower and treat them well. A six-foot bed will be placed in the hall, with a tasseled curtain. Morning and evening, meat and other food will be served. On the fifteenth day of each month, from morning till noon, there will be music in the tent. Cao Cao once left this will before his death, asking his concubines and dancers not to leave Bronze Sparrow Tower after his death, and to perform before him on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Dancing on an empty bed, all day long, without rest. These women, clearly in the prime of youth, are stripped of their freedom like playthings by those in power. The beautiful dances they've painstakingly practiced for years cannot be performed for themselves, but only for the sake of power—and this power is deceased. Pitiful, pathetic. Therefore, I will paint them, letting their graceful figures bloom through the centuries under my brush, so that the world can know and cherish their beauty, rather than just dancing before bed curtains and memorial tablets.
Yanru sighed, "Ah~ It must be difficult to describe a scene you've never seen."
"Yes, it is difficult. Especially the songs and dances that are popular nowadays are very different from those of the past. It is extremely difficult to depict the dances of the Han Dynasty. I traveled thousands of miles, and with the help of friends, I finally found two girls from Jinmengfang who had learned the pan-gu dance. So today I went to visit them and record how beautiful their dance is." After saying this, Ji Mingxiu looked up and recited a poem to the moon:
"When will my love last? The high platform has several empty floors.
With tears in her eyes, she reflected her tears in her sleeves and could not bear to look at Xiling.
The Zhang River flows eastward and never returns, and the path covered with flowers is covered with moss.
The brothel is lonely in the moonlit night, and the blue clouds are swirling in the sky at dusk.
Don’t you see that everything in Ye is different from what it used to be, and the ancients are no longer with us today.
The spring breeze does not chase the king away, and the grass remains green along the road to the old palace year after year.
The singing and dancing in the palace have become floating clouds, and I can only point to where the pedestrians are coming and going."
Ah~ Really, the teacher is not going to visit a prostitute today, but to do such a wonderful thing! The porcelain cleaned by the silk handkerchief is shiny and smooth, and Ji Mingxiu's long-winded speech also turned into an invisible silk cloth, which not only wiped away the image of him in Yanru's heart that was dusted by misunderstanding, but also made his originally round figure become taller and more upright. The king's heart is towards the bright moon, and the concubine's heart is towards the lover. Yanru admired and yearned, looking up at Ji Mingxiu's profile. He is really knowledgeable, knowing astronomy and geography; he is also very gentle, such an outstanding, rich and high-ranking man, who can remember to give her extra meals, and can work hard for the humble dance skills of the previous dynasty. It's a pity that Yanru couldn't recite "I have realized the vastness of the universe, and I pity the depths of the grass and trees", so she could only condense her infinite admiration into one sentence: "Teacher Ji, you are really amazing. Your painting is also good, very beautiful, and very real."
Ji Mingxiu smiled, and suddenly remembered Yanru's original intention in looking for him: "Oh, by the way, did you want to see my painting?"
"Yes, yes." Yanru shyly handed the painting to Ji Mingxiu, "Teacher, please show it to me. I feel like I can never draw something that looks lifelike, beautiful, and real."
Ji Mingxiu took it and commented meaningfully on the painting of Flying Swallows Playing with Willows on the paper: "Hmm... your painting... your brushwork has improved a lot, but it lacks charm. You're missing something: 'emotion'. Only with emotion can there be spirit. Those with 'emotion' can add the finishing touch to a dragon and turn a fish eye into a pearl. Those without 'emotion', even if the magic brush Ma Liang is reincarnated, can only turn a dragon into an earthworm and a phoenix into a pheasant. Do you understand?"
"Hmm..." Love? I lack love? Teacher, did he mean that he could tell that I had never been in love with a man? Yanru was not sure whether she understood it or not. She was still young and only understood the word "love" narrowly as the love between men and women. It seemed that she really did not understand it. Yanru pondered for a moment, looked at her own paintings, then looked at Teacher Ji's paintings, and suddenly asked: "Teacher, you said that my paintings lack love, so they are not good. Then how did you become a great painter? It is because you and your wife are very much in love. You can hold love and love in your heart, so everything you paint has spirit, right?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Mingxiu's face showed regret and loneliness. "Alas, Yanru, you know, I seem to have everything: wealth, fame, status, but in fact, I have never had what I want. I want an equal, mutual understanding, and a loving relationship. Not one of respect, but one of embracing each other. Not one of respect, but one of mutual support. But it's too difficult."
"What's wrong?" Yanru asked anxiously, "Are you and Master's wife... not getting along?"
Ji Mingxiu shook his head in pain. "Alas, what a pair of grudges! My wife and I were betrothed to each other from infancy, a marriage forced upon us. When we were engaged, our families were well-matched. Later, her family achieved military success and rose through the ranks, surpassing mine. She then began to think I was incompetent and unworthy of her. Even if I could have a say in the painting world, I was no match for her, a daughter of a powerful family. She would rather have no children than have one with me. She was the youngest in the family, and had been pampered by the whole family for many years. She was a fierce and cruel person. I, a man of honor, was not as well-off as hers. In the past, if I didn't please her, she would beat and scold me at will. She didn't even know how to appreciate my paintings. Alas. When I was young, I thought it was common for men in the world to have three wives and four concubines, but I only wanted to take one scoop from the vast ocean, never to switch sides. I never thought I would have to face such a fierce woman later. Alas."
Such a talented man, with unlimited glory outside, but when he returned home, he was insulted and tortured by the vicious Hedong Lion. Teacher Ji must be in great pain, otherwise why would he use the pot to pour wine to drown his sorrows? She was also in pain. Her mother was aggressive, her father was cowardly, and she had a younger sister who took away her love. Her best friend was too outstanding, so the prey she had been pursuing for half a month threw herself into his arms. Alas, she had nothing, and even her pain was so weak and helpless. But no matter how weak a woman was, in front of a man who had no lover, she could also have the loving and vast power of the mother earth. Yanru was distressed and determined, and suddenly grabbed Ji Mingxiu's hand holding the pot: "Teacher Ji, I understand you!"
Ji Mingxiu gently broke free, making a desolate and relieved gesture. He didn't respond to Yanru's words, pretending to be indifferent. He focused on the Bronze Sparrow Tower, then on the chime bells of the pre-Qin Dynasty, the makeup of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Buddhist temple murals of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the dance of the early Tang Dynasty. His eloquent talk opened Yanru's eyes and touched the girl's heart. In the past, Pei Lan only told her that a man who could throw a silver ingot was worthy of infatuation, but now she found that her mother was wrong. A man who could spit out a pile of ink was the most handsome and elegant - even if the man was middle-aged and overweight, so what? Teacher Ji said that men in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties loved to put on makeup more than women. Why bother? Age and experience are the best adornments for men. No wonder Lu Zhiling likes Zheng Sirui. Her encyclopedic knowledge and strong memory are the most charming. Why else would Yanru, clearly seated on a stone bench with her teacher, polite and respectful, without crossing any boundaries, and teetotal, be so engrossed in the sounds of pre-Qin chimes, Wei and Jin makeup, Northern and Southern Dynasties Buddhist murals, and early Tang dances, blushing and dazed, as if she had fallen into some mysterious and sweet world of wine and meat? She no longer remembered how she returned to her dorm, only that the moonlight that night was like a fine nectar, intoxicating even without intoxicating herself.
Yanru was smug about sharing a secret with such a popular teacher. The next day, she stood a bit more upright than usual in front of Gan Yao Mengqi. As dusk fell, Yanru, once again filled with excitement, pushed open the door of Cunyu Hall and met Ji Mingxiu. Just like the night before, Ji was drinking and painting, his spirits unrestrained. Tonight, he was even more generous, sharing two glasses of wine with Yanru, then saying, "Yanru, take off your coat and shoes."
"Ah? Ah?"
Ji Mingxiu said gravely, "Yanru, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not being frivolous with you. You said last night that you also learned dancing for a while when you were a child, right?"
"Yes, I learned some when I was a child." Yanru answered loudly. Who said that secretly following the dancers in the palace for a few days is not learning?
"That's great. Last night, I noticed that you have a beautiful figure, very much like the ladies in ancient Han Dynasty paintings. I thought, since you've learned to dance, why not use you as the prototype for the lead dancer in my painting of 'The Bronze Sparrow Locking Spring'?"
"Ah! Really?" If she had become part of the painting, wouldn't she be able to be immortalized along with the painting? Yanru was overjoyed. After receiving repeated affirmations, she took the dancing shoes and costume handed to her by Ji Mingxiu. The costume had water sleeves, and the shoes were specially made for the pangu dance, with small copper bells sewn on them. Chanjuan was hanging high in the sky, gently watching her change clothes in the side room, and then she walked out, nervous but excited, standing in the white light. Ji Mingxiu brought a pipa from somewhere, and when she stood on the drum in the center, he played for her:
"Your green collar is so longing for me. Even if I don't go, why don't you send me a message?
"Your green jade pendant, I am thinking of you. Even if I don't go, why don't you come?"
The two glasses of wine played their part, leaving Yanru, already dizzy all day, even more groggy. She twisted her body, her feet clacking against the drum, creating a rhythmless yet melodious ringing sound. Others saw Yanru's dance as clumsy and feeble, unable to keep pace with Ji Mingxiu's pipa. But now, in her own world, she transformed into the most accomplished dancer in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Atop the podium, she used her body to express her sorrow and melancholy. She moved with the grace of a startled swan and a swift dragon. Her every frown, smile, gesture, and movement were filled with a desperate beauty, captivating the gaze of every noble present.
Ji Mingxiu put down his pipa, clapped his hands and sang, then walked towards Yanru step by step:
"Your green collar is so longing for me. Even if I don't go, why don't you send me a message?
Your green jade pendant makes me think of you. Even if I don't go, why don't you come?
I am standing at the city gate. One day without seeing you feels like three months."
Yanru was completely lost in thought, perhaps even drunk, as she leaped back and forth on the drums, dancing in a dreamlike state. Suddenly, she missed a step and fell into an embrace—Ji Mingxiu's quick eyes and hands saved her. The two, a man and a woman so vastly different in age, were now pressed so tightly together, their eyes locked, their noses linked. Yanru asked mournfully, "We are all suffering, all despised, all in need of love. Teacher would think the same, wouldn't you?"
Ji Mingxiu didn't hear clearly what she said, but still replied, "Yes, that's right." Then he didn't allow her to resist and forced her into his arms.
Dark clouds drifted across the sky, blocking the waning moon. The darkness of night obscured a past.
[Random Thoughts]: The story of Yanru and Teacher Ji is largely based on a classmate and teacher of mine. Teenagers often harbor a certain yearning for a humorous, well-read male teacher. This yearning can be pure admiration (like me), or it can blossom into love (like my then-best friend). At first, everyone liked this male teacher. The girls were proud to chat with him privately. I even became the class representative for him. My admiration for him seemed to continue unabated, until one day, my then-best friend, who served as the model for Yanru, told me that the teacher had been chatting with her on the playground until 2 a.m. about his married life. He said his wife was wealthy, but he was unhappy in his marriage and missed his first love. This sparked a vague feeling in my friend's heart for him, and she secretly confessed that she would be his lover if possible. I don't know if they ended up together, but from that day on, I no longer admired that teacher.
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