"What should we do? We've lost thirty taels of silver playing tea, even if we find a maid from this courtyard to sleep with, it'll still cost us several taels for the three of us." Uncle Xu panicked, feeling like he had gone back to the pre-revolutionary era, frowning and looking at his son.

"Cijiu, think of a solution quickly."

Is this a money problem? This is a problem of not getting any information...the two brothers were silently complaining in their hearts.

Xu Xinnian looked at his father. "What can I do? We were just trying our luck. Brother and I came here, doesn't Father understand that?"

His tone was a bit heavy, indicating that he was also anxious.

This was a real loss...the silver was not the main issue, the key was that they didn't get any information...looking at Zhao Gongzi, who was led away by the maid, Xu Qi'an suddenly remembered Fu Xiang's title as the top courtesan: "Unmatched in both music and poetry."

He immediately asked the maid serving the guests for paper, ink, and a brush.

Clearing a space on the table, he pulled Xu Xinnian over. "Cijiu, write for me."

Xu Xinnian didn't hesitate, assuming a proper sitting posture and holding the brush.

Xu Qi'an spoke quickly, reciting, "The fragrances of all flowers fade, only the beautiful one remains. The wind carries the scent to the small garden."

Xu Xinnian wrote quickly in a unique cursive script.

Xu Qi'an continued, "The sparse shadows slant across the clear shallow water, the faint fragrance floats in the moonlight at dusk."

Xu Xinnian didn't move his brush, he froze, as if petrified, murmuring and repeating the last two lines.

"Write quickly!" Xu Qi'an pushed him.

Xu Xinnian snapped out of his daze, his face tense as he quickly finished writing.

Xu Qi'an took the paper and called over a maid, saying, "Give this poem to Lady Fu Xiang and you can go. Tell her that Yang is waiting here."

The maid was not very happy, but after Xu Qi'an gave her a handful of broken silver, she immediately left in a small run.

...

In the main bedroom, four folding screens blocked the bathtub, and steam wafted around the ceiling beams.

Fu Xiang was soaking in hot water filled with rose petals, her hair tied up high, her neck slender and white, her shoulders and chest covered in water droplets reflecting a seductive light in the candlelight.

With skin as smooth as grease, she looked like a jade statue.

A personal maid was serving her by the bathtub, praising Fu Xiang's skin while saying, "Zhao Gongzi is waiting in the tea room next door. The guests outside say he's a scholar from the Imperial Academy."

"What's so special about a scholar?" Fu Xiang smiled, gently stirring the water with her hand. "But with Zhao Gongzi's talent, passing the imperial examination is not difficult."

The maid laughed softly, "I knew Lady likes these talented gentlemen, like that annoying Zhou Li, who relies on his father's official position to act arrogantly.""That Zhao young master is talented, treat him well, maybe it will become a good story. Women can also leave their mark in history."

"Even I'm being mocked..." Fu Xiang poked the maid's head with her finger and sighed, "It's so difficult for women to leave their mark in history. Many scholars can only dream of it."

The door to the main bedroom was pushed open and a maid came in, standing in the hall and saying crisply, "Madam, the guest surnamed Yang outside sent a poem for you."

Fu Xiang frowned and the head maid scolded, "How rude. Madam has already chosen Zhao young master. Can't change it. Did you accept his bribe?"

The little maid hung her head and dared not speak back.

Fu Xiang said lightly, "Put it on the table. Tell the guest that I have received it."

The little maid breathed a sigh of relief, put the paper on the table, and went out.

After taking a bath, Fu Xiang put on a light veil dress, her graceful figure appearing and disappearing, her snow-white feet bare, and sat down at the table.

"You go and invite Zhao young master in." She said, her gaze falling on the paper on the table, picking it up casually.

Her gaze suddenly froze, staring blankly at the paper.

"Gift to Fu Xiang from the Shadow Plum Pavilion"

The fragrances fall and the beauty alone shines, taking all the charm to the small garden.

Sparse shadows slanting across the clear and shallow water, faint fragrance floating in the moonlit dusk.

The maid walked to the door, about to open it to invite Zhao young master in, but suddenly heard the madam's sharp shout behind her, "Wait!"

Turning around, she saw the madam tightly holding the paper, slightly trembling, with a strange expression on her face that the maid had never seen before.

It was an emotion that the courtesan madam had never shown before.

The courtesan madam's urgent and sharp voice said, "Who sent this poem, which young master? Tell me quickly!!"

The maid was taken aback and stammered, "It seems to be surnamed Yang..."

The courtesan madam rushed towards the door regardless of everything.

"Madam, madam...you can't go out like this, it's not proper..." The maid held her tightly.

"Let me go, let me go." Fu Xiang was so anxious that her face turned red, "Don't let that young master go, hurry and bring him back."

The maid couldn't understand why a poem could make the madam lose her composure like never before, forgetting her usual knowledge and elegance.

"Madam, please calm down. I'll go...go invite the young master who wrote the poem."

After the maid left, the courtesan madam sat at the table in disarray, staring blankly at the paper in her hand.

"Sparse shadows slanting across the clear and shallow water, faint fragrance floating in the moonlit dusk...gift to Fu Xiang, gift to Fu Xiang..."

Tears the size of soybeans rolled down her pretty face and she cried on the table.In the front hall, some guests left while others stayed.

After the tea ceremony, the unsuccessful guests had two options: either go to another courtyard for the next round or choose a maid to spend the night with if they were tired and unable to hold their liquor.

"Fu Xiang doesn't seem to be impressed with your poem," Xu Pingzhi said anxiously to his nephew.

The poem was sent, but the only response was a dismissive comment.

Clearly, Xu Qi'an's poem did not move the courtesan.

Xu Xinnian sneered, "How could a mere woman understand the essence of poetry?"

Xu Pingzhi stared at his son and asked, "Was Ning Yan's poem just now excellent?"

Xu Xinnian, who was proud of his poetry skills, replied, "It was excellent."

Xu Qi'an was also puzzled, as he had absolute confidence in his poem.

This seven-character poem was very famous, especially the last two lines, which were considered the ultimate ode to plum blossoms.

At that time, the two lines became famous for all eternity.

"Hidden fragrance" and "Sparse shadows" even became the names of poetic genres, which showed the high status of this poem among ancient literati.

Famous people such as Ouyang Xiu and Sima Guang gave high praise to these two lines of poetry.

The author of this seven-character poem was also famous for it throughout the ages... but Xu Qi'an forgot who the author was.

"This is impossible. She has no reason to reject me... If I give this poem to the two great scholars of Yunlu Academy, they will treat me like their own son," Xu Qi'an thought, realizing that the courtesan, who claimed to be a master of poetry and music, was actually just a showy facade.

She was just trying to gain fame and sell an image, but in essence, she had little culture.

However, there was a paradox here. If Fu Xiang was just a showy vase, she would not be recognized by literati.

Compared to the publicity stunts of modern-day artists, the courtesans of this era had similar operations, but the latter had real skills.

The reason was simple: ancient scholars were not as easy to fool as modern young people.

As Xu Qi'an frowned, the large maid who had been serving Fu Xiang quickly walked over, searching anxiously in the crowd. When she saw Xu Qi'an, her expression relaxed, and she walked over gracefully, curtsied, and said in a soft voice:

"Master Yang, did you write this poem?"

Xu Qi'an, Xu Pingzhi, and Xu Xinnian looked at each other in relief.

"Yes, it was me," Xu Qi'an nodded calmly.

The maid smiled and became even more respectful. She lowered her head and said softly, "My mistress invites you to her chamber."

Xu Qi'an calmly nodded and followed the maid towards the master bedroom on the other side of the building.This scene also caught the attention of the guests who planned to stay at the "Yingmei Xiaoge". They whispered to each other.

"Huh, why did he follow in too?"

"This... isn't proper, how can two people go in together?"

"Just now, that maid seemed to mention poetry, and I just happened to see him and that handsome young man writing something."

A middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy businessman walked up to Xu Xinnian and Xu Pingzhi and bowed, "Gentlemen, I don't know what Miss Fu Xiang means. How did that young man just now get in? What poem did you write?"

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