Chapter 3: Ruyi Building

Chu Baige’s life can be roughly divided into two stages: the time before he met Shenfu and the time after.

Before meeting Shenfu, he was the second son of the Chu family, a prestigious family with a history spanning a thousand years. He studied under a renowned teacher and great Confucian, immersing himself in the Four Books and Five Classics. A banquet could cost him thousands of taels.

And now—

He stretched out his hand, opened his mouth, but could only sigh in his dreams. He was startled awake in the middle of the night by the sound of the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards. His hungry stomach growled, and he could only comfort himself with the thought of eating at dawn. He opened a piece of his cut robe, revealing a pocket cleaner than his face.

Those who saw him felt sorrow, and those who heard his plight wept.

He turned over on the ground, looked up at the starry sky, and asked, “I heard that the roast duck in Jinling is delicious. What do you think, Shenfu?”

Shenfu replied, “Dream on; you have everything in your dreams.”

Despite her words, when they arrived in Jinling the next day, they still indulged in roast duck.

They bought the roast duck from a small alley. The vendor had originally intended to eat it himself, but he couldn’t resist the two hungry souls who were drawn in by the aroma. They ended up purchasing his roast duck at any cost.

“Fat but not greasy, crisp but not burnt—this is the authentic Jinling roast duck!” Chu Baige exclaimed, resembling a seasoned glutton as he held the roast duck to his nose, inhaling deeply, his face filled with obsession.

One might think he was gazing at a beautiful woman.

Shenfu took a bite of the roast duck in her hand without hesitation. The flaky pastry crackled as she bit into it, and the rich flavor exploded in her mouth, instantly captivating her senses. The roast duck Chu Baige found was better than anything sold on the street.

As he savored the roast duck, he passed by a group of well-dressed young aristocrats. One of them suddenly turned his head, noticing Chu Baige, who was walking with an air of arrogance despite his ragged clothes, and frowned.

“Brother Chu, what’s wrong?” one of them asked with concern.

Seeing Chu Baiyi stop, another inquired, “Is everything alright?”

Chu Baiyi retracted his gaze, thinking he might have been mistaken. He turned to his friends and said, “It’s nothing; I just thought I saw someone I knew. I must have been mistaken.”

“Brother Chu, don’t linger! The Miss Ruyi at Ruyi Building will be playing the piano and entertaining guests on the Qinhuai River today. If we don’t hurry, we won’t get a seat!”

Hearing the conversations of the young aristocrats, Chu Baige nudged Shenfu with his dirty arm and casually remarked, “The Miss Ruyi? Isn’t she your good friend? Aren’t you going to see her?”

Shenfu pushed him aside and replied seriously, “You really need to clean up your act.”

Chu Baige’s eyes widened. “You, who even slept with the princess, are afraid to admit it? Who doesn’t know about your relationship with Miss Ruyi?”

“What relationship? It’s just friendship. Can’t women have pure friendships?” Shenfu retorted.

Chu Baige sneered, “If someone else said that, I might believe it. If a man said it, I could accept it, but coming from you? Hmph.”

He didn’t finish his sentence, shaking his head. “I just know you too well to believe that!”

The two approached the entrance of an inn, where the innkeeper greeted them enthusiastically.

Shenfu asked, “How much for a room? And how much for meals? What about feeding the horse?”

The innkeeper replied, “Our establishment has a herringbone room for two hundred taels a night, but unfortunately, it’s already booked. We do have two ground-style rooms for four hundred taels a night, and a sky room for eight hundred taels a night. We provide hot water and breakfast and dinner. If you dine alone, we have a different set menu. A simple meal will cost fifty taels, which includes one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a cold dish. It might be a bit small, so you may not be full. I recommend our signature dishes, like the eight-treasure duck; our chef’s skills are top-notch in all of Jinling…”

Shenfu tossed a silver coin over. “One sky room, and the horse needs the best fodder. Don’t touch him; otherwise, don’t blame me if you get kicked. Bring some water to the room; I want a hot shower.”

“Understood!” the innkeeper said, then turned to Chu Baige. “And you, sir?”

Chu Baige exclaimed in disbelief, “You actually booked a room?”

Shenfu thought for a moment and tossed a few copper coins to the innkeeper. “Book a room for him as well.”

The innkeeper’s smile faltered for a moment but quickly returned to enthusiasm. “The shop is here. You can walk straight in. The four outermost rooms are all shops. You can stay in any of them. The bedding is all sun-dried, so you should be satisfied.”

Chu Baige angrily dug into his shoes, cursing as he did so. “Bai Xiaosheng should be on the miser list. You can guarantee he’ll be number one.”

“If I’m ranked first, what would you be if you have money but ask a friend to treat you to dinner and lodging?” Shenfu retorted, reclaiming the copper coins she had given to the innkeeper. “Since he has money, this copper coin should be returned to me.”

Chu Baige replied confidently, “I’m different from you. You’re Shen Shuangdao; everywhere you go, women give you money. I’m just a poor writer, struggling to make ends meet. I have to be frugal to survive.”

Shenfu sighed, “I’ve seen my share of brazen people, but you take the cake.”

The innkeeper looked on in disdain.

Two iron roosters met on the roof in the middle of the night.

One asked, “Where are you going?”

The other replied, “Where are you going?”

Shenfu rubbed her stomach and said, “I ate too much eight-treasure duck. I’m going for a walk to digest.”

Chu Baige pretended to sigh dramatically. “Writing is truly uninspiring. Let me see if anyone is cheating.”

The two of them moved lightly and stopped simultaneously.

Shenfu said, “If you want to see an affair, you should go to the east side. The people who live there are high-ranking officials and nobles, including householders and mistresses, young ladies and young men. I believe you’ll find plenty of inspiration.”

Chu Baige replied, “It’s still early. I’m dealing with old men and women in a love affair. The names are even more pretentious than Sister Hua in Yanliu Alley. I’ll go to other places to see if I can find new material. And you, why are you on the roof at this hour? Do you have a hobby of watching people like me?”

Shenfu was momentarily speechless.

The two exchanged glances and then, in unison, took off running across the rooftops.

In martial arts, Chu Baige couldn’t even compare to Shenfu’s little finger, but in lightness skill, they were both first-class masters. When they landed, they were as light as feathers, and the people in the yard only saw a dark shadow. When they looked up, the tiles remained undisturbed, leading them to suspect that the shadow they saw was merely an illusion caused by their poor eyesight.

Soon, they reached the Qinhuai River.

It is said that ten miles of Qinhuai is a dreamland in Jinling.

As they approached the river, it felt as if they were falling into a dream. Flower boats of various sizes were docked along the river, adorned with red lanterns. Literati and gentlemen waved their folding fans, chatting in groups on the decks. The riverside was bustling with vendors and pedestrians, each calling out their wares.

“Each by ability.”

“Each by ability.”

Chu Baige had long been curious about the Miss Ruyi at Ruyi Building. Even when he was the second son of the Chu family, she had already made a name for herself in Jinling.

It was said that she was a descendant of great Confucians but had fallen into obscurity. Rumor had it that she possessed an enchanting beauty; once someone met her, they would never forget her.

Like many young men, Chu Baige was deeply intrigued by such a beauty. Unfortunately, the threshold for Ruyi Building was quite high; one couldn’t easily enter without a thousand taels of silver. The courtyard of the Miss Ruyi was even more exclusive. Without exceptional literary talent, one would never gain entry. Even to hear the Miss Ruyi play the piano, one could only stand outside the flower building and listen from afar.

As the second son of the Chu family, he appeared to be well-off, but in reality, he felt ashamed. The Chu family invested most of their resources in his elder brother, Chu Baiyi, leaving him with far less.

Despite his seemingly lavish lifestyle, it took him a long time to invite someone to a meal, and he often had to attend several banquets just to break even. High-end venues like Ruyi Building were naturally not places for someone like him.

Moreover, the Chu family had strict rules; children who had never excelled were not allowed to visit such romantic establishments.

What’s more, aside from her captivating aura, the Miss Ruyi had another intriguing aspect: her connection with Shenfu.

It was rumored that Shen Shuangdao was a guest of the Miss Ruyi. No one thought there was anything wrong with a woman being a guest of another woman. However, given that one of the parties involved was Shenfu, who was known for her prowess, it raised eyebrows.

Countless women in the martial world were infatuated with Shenfu, and many chivalrous women only wished Shenfu were a man.

As a writer, Chu Baige loved to pen gossip and scandalous tales. People like him were curious about everything, especially sensational news with glamorous undertones.

Long before he met Shenfu, he had already filled his mind with countless stories of “infatuated courtesans and ruthless chivalrous women.”

Now that he had finally arrived in Jinling, he was determined to uncover the truth about the rumored relationship between Shenfu and the Miss Ruyi.

He wasn’t merely trying to satisfy his curiosity.

Chu Baige told himself, “I do this for Shenfu’s sake. If she truly has any connection with the Miss Ruyi, as a friend, I should advise her to keep things clean. Otherwise, I fear the princess will get angry and call the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards to deal with her. If they see me as an eyesore, I could be caught in the crossfire, and that would be an injustice I cannot bear.”

“I also want to advise the Miss Ruyi; there are thousands of good men in the world. Why hang on to the crooked-neck tree that is Shenfu? For instance, I, Chu Baige, am one of the best men in this world.”

…

The Ruyi Tower’s boat was filled with guests early on.

Different from the singing and dancing nearby, the atmosphere on the Ruyi Tower is particularly unique.

In front of the guests was a table laden with pens, ink, paper, and inkstones. The girls in the building were not as provocatively dressed as elsewhere; instead, they were modestly wrapped, their skin fair and beautiful, with delicate wrists that seemed too thin for their bodies. They resembled young ladies pampered by wealthy families rather than courtesans.

In fact, these girls were indeed spoiled daughters from wealthy families.

Anyone familiar with Ruyi Building knew that its owner was quite influential. The girls in this establishment were all brought in from the Jiaofang Division, a place where the imperial court trained official courtesans.

The women there were not simply raised in the usual manner; they were carefully groomed by mothers who had come from the palace or by female relatives left behind after their families were ruined.

All of them were beauties who could command high prices in the marketplace. Just one of them could support an entire flower house.

However, in Ruyi Building, they were relegated to serving tea and water.

This was naturally because there was a more beautiful and talented woman in Ruyi Building.

These beauties were overshadowed by her presence, turning from bright and radiant moons into mere fish-eyes that couldn’t be seen on the table. Only the pearl was worthy of dazzling brilliance.

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Author’s Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided support during the period from 2020-02-20 20:40:22 to 2020-02-21 22:03:27. Special thanks to the little angel who threw a landmine: caramel horse head, no integrity at all; and to those who provided nutrient solutions: 30 bottles from the tip of the iceberg, 10 bottles of yogurt, 8 bottles of no integrity at all, and 5 bottles of ink staining. Thank you very much for your support; I will continue to work hard!