"Well! My cousin bought a farm from Prince Yun. It's too run-down, so we need money to renovate it. So, we want to sell the treasures we have. We asked Prince Yun to come to our house today to see the treasures. Unexpectedly, the emperor got the news from somewhere and came over too."
Li Shishi said, "If you two brothers are short of money, I have some here. You can take it."
"Thank you, my lady. I've already gathered a few hundred thousand. It's almost enough."
"Oh!" Li Shishi took him and walked straight towards the piano room.
Zhang Shixun looked around as he walked, "I've been here several times, and I didn't see any guards here."
"There are two guards, both in the front yard. They stay in the gatehouse during the day and only walk around the yard at night. They are only allowed in the front yard and are not allowed in the back yard."
"Two are not enough, let's find a few more."
"No need. I'm just a weak woman in this world. What do I need so many guards for?" Li Shishi let him into the piano room.
"Madam Li is the most famous courtesan in the capital, and she is in a relationship with the emperor... this..." Zhang Shixun stammered, not knowing how to explain their relationship. He was afraid that she would be angry if he made it too clear.
"I have no relationship with the government. If I do, it's no different from my relationship with those beauties out for the flowers." Li Shishi lit a stick of incense and put it in the incense burner. Her expression had turned cold.
"But people outside are spreading rumors, saying that you and the official..."
Li Shishi interrupted him and said, "You've made it very clear that those are just rumors."
"Madam Li, what you mean is that this is pure nonsense?"
Since the topic was brought up, Zhang Shixun didn't care how ugly her expression was and decided to get to the bottom of it.
He had long wanted to know whether the relationship between Li Shishi and Zhao Ji was as the legend said.
This kind of mentality is very subtle. It is not about having any improper thoughts about Li Shishi, but is mainly about mood.
It is always an unpleasant thing to see a bright and beautiful flower thrown into the mud.
Li Shishi glanced at him and suddenly smiled: "Someone said that I have a tunnel leading directly to the palace. Do you believe it, Master Zhang?"
"I don't believe it!" Zhang Shixun laughed, "I've heard this rumor too, haha."
Are you kidding? The distance from Jinqian Lane to the Imperial Palace is about seven or eight miles. It is not easy to build a tunnel.
Not to mention the Song Dynasty, even in later generations, building such a tunnel would not be an easy task.
Although Zhao Ji was absurd, he would not do such a meaningless thing.
If he wanted to meet Li Shishi privately, he could just come directly.
A maid came in and made tea for the two. Li Shishi asked Zhang Shixun to sit down, picked up the teacup and blew gently, then looked up and said, "I have been alone since childhood. If it weren't for Mother Li taking me in, I might have died long ago. Later, I met Ambassador Ding... Saisai's grandfather. He took great care of me, hired people to teach me the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and carefully nurtured me. As I grew older, my reputation gradually spread, attracting countless wealthy businessmen and talented scholars to follow in my footsteps..."
Zhang Shixun listened quietly without interrupting. It was a rare opportunity to hear Li Shishi tell her life story in person.
“Later, I met the Muslim lay Buddhist.”
Zhang Shixun said, "Zhou Bangyan, also known as Qingzhen Jushi, is a master of poetry and verse, and is well versed in music. I have read his 'Ode to the Capital of Bian' before."
Li Shishi nodded, opened her red lips, and chanted, "She is dressed in a new outfit, lightly decorated with a graceful demeanor, naturally different from the ordinary. We both know each other, and although we just met, we already have feelings for each other. The smoke from the stove is faint, and the clouds dance across the screen. I am half asleep, and the fragrance permeates the jade. It is a blessing for us to meet. If we were to waste our time, our lives would be inadequate."
“I’ve read that poem, too.”
"This is a poem written for me by Qingzhen, called Magnolia. He advised me not to waste my youth and to find a good man to marry as soon as possible." Li Shishi said this with a self-deprecating smile, and said, "Later, the officials came, and Qingzhen left..."
Zhang Shixun listened quietly without interrupting.
"People say that scholars look down on each other. When two scholars met here, they couldn't help but dislike each other. Not long after, Qingzhen was exiled. He was old and could not withstand the hardship. He passed away from illness in Nanjing this year." Speaking of this, Li Shishi's eyes were filled with tears. "He was my good teacher and my good friend. I learned a lot from him and benefited a lot."
"How old was he when he died?" Zhang Shixun asked.
"Sixty-four."
Zhang Shixun nodded.
Zhou Bangyan is so old, and there is a huge age gap between him and Li Shishi, more than 40 years apart, so there should be nothing that he cannot tell others.
Zhao Ji sent Zhou Bangyan away purely out of jealousy, which was too much.
Everyone has jealousy, it is a common emotional response among people.
Honest people will work hard to improve themselves because of jealousy, which is a kind of benign jealousy.
Malicious jealousy is different and can cause harm to others.
Zhao Ji's sending Zhou Bangyan away was the result of uncontrolled behavior and a typical case of malicious jealousy.
Li Shishi looked up into the air and murmured, "Because of Master Qingzhen's passing, I have been deeply remorseful. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been exiled, and he wouldn't have passed away so early."
"Madam Li, you are not at fault in this matter. There is no need to blame yourself. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame the Queen Mother... the Queen Mother..."
"Don't say it! Don't say it!" Li Shishi stopped him and lowered her head.
No wonder Li Shishi secretly laughed when Zhao Ji's beard was pulled out the night before yesterday. It turned out that she was repulsed by Zhao Ji deep down in her heart.
As for whether she has hatred or not, it is not easy to ask Li Shishi.
The two were silent for a long time, no one spoke.
Zhang Shixun was the first to break the silence, saying softly, "Madam Li, let's not talk about these unpleasant topics anymore. Let me play a song for you."
Li Shishi was so smart that she knew what he meant. She nodded and said, "Okay! Shishi is all ears."
Zhang Shixun picked up the pipa and tuned the strings.
"What song do you want to play?" asked Li Shishi.
"Pipa language."
Zhang Shixun tuned the strings of the zither, plucked them with his fingers, and beautiful music slowly rang out.
Although this song is very short, it is able to evoke people's emotions the most, as if a beautiful woman is bathed in the bright moonlight, whispering softly and expressing her heartfelt feelings.
The repetitive melody does not feel out of place at all. Instead, it will slowly lead you step by step into the artistic conception created by the song.
After Zhang Shixun finished playing, he asked Li Shishi, who was already obsessed with the piece, "How do you like this piece? Do you like it?"
"I like it! I like it very much."
Zhang Shixun smiled, put down the pipa, picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Li Shishi sighed and said, "This song is very beautiful. It is clearly a woman pouring out her heart to her lover, hesitant to speak. The lingering feeling evokes melancholy and makes one daydream."
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