No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 845: Late at night, I suddenly dreamed about my youth [One and a half days left for the monthly ticket draw]

"Why did an old friend say that? Madam, could you give me some hints?"

In the pleasure boat by the river, everyone was looking at him sideways. Ouyang Rong searched his memory but couldn't remember, so he asked politely.

Luo Niang held the pipa in her arms, half covering her face, with a somewhat bitter smile:
"Your Excellency looked straight ahead at that time, so it was normal that you didn't recognize me. Now that I think about it, I was really insignificant that day, and I was just a little ridiculous and arrogant, not worthy of your Excellency's attention."

Ouyang Rong looked at the self-deprecating Pipa woman in astonishment.

Looking at the half of her face that was exposed, it seemed as if she was trying hard to recall something.

Luo Niang lowered her head, strummed the pipa, and spoke slowly:

"It was the end of summer in the first year of Jiu Shi, at a banquet for scholars. The young master was in Luoyang preparing for the autumn exam, and was invited by his peers to attend the night banquet in Qingyin Tower. I remember that the young master was also wearing a scholar's robe, but he was a scholar's white robe and had not yet put on official uniform..."

Ouyang Rong felt a little dazed and murmured:

"You've been here for a long time, haven't you? It's been a long time since you passed the imperial examination that year. It's been three or four years. You're an old friend from Chang'an."

Luo Niang smiled and said:

"Sir, do you still remember that the atmosphere at the banquet that day was not very friendly to you? And I was the singer who was sent here to accompany you for drinking."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and said softly:

"At that time, the scholars from Luoyang who participated in the autumn examination came from all over the country. They came from different academies and regions, and they formed small cliques on their own initiative. In particular, the northern scholars liked to bully the southern scholars because there were fewer southerners."

Luo Niang smiled more brightly:

"So the little adults knew. Seeing you staring straight ahead and not moving at all that day, I thought you were really a piece of wood."

Ouyang Rong sighed:
"Of course I could feel it a little. Although my mind was on books, I wasn't that slow. I rarely attended banquets at that time, only one or two. I was dragged there by my good friend from Bai Ludong Academy, who said that there was a knowledgeable and talented female schoolmaster in Qingyin Xiaolou, and I could improve my knowledge there. But who knew..."

Everyone saw the young man in Confucian robes speaking calmly and shook their heads.

Ye Weilai and Pei Shisanniang listened with great interest and said in unison:
"How do you know what?"

Without waiting for Ouyang Rong to speak, Luo Niang said directly:
"How could I know that it was all about singing, dancing, furs, and women, and had nothing to do with the learning of scholars, but was all about pleasure? The so-called talented women and singing girls only served to increase the interest of men, didn't they?"

Ouyang Rong took a sip of wine and smiled without saying anything.

Luo Niang also smiled, looked directly at him and asked:
"Then, young sir, do you know what the guests' greatest pleasure is at the banquet that day and night?"

Ouyang Rong was helpless: "It sounds like... me."

"Yes, the little adult is the protagonist, but he is the protagonist of the fun that the scholars want to see."

Ouyang Rong looked reminiscing and sighed, "I remember that I didn't provoke them."

"No, your upright existence is the biggest nuisance. At that time, the scholars in Luoyang all knew that you never went to brothels or dance halls, and you never went to the houses of important people to seek connections. This was clearly an unwritten rule for students in the Autumn Examination, but you advised your friends to be down-to-earth and prepare for the Autumn Examination."

Luo Niang smiled and said:

"This is totally out of place in Luoyang where some evil trends are rampant. Even I have heard about it in the Music Bureau."

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but laugh at himself: "Is it so conspicuous?"

"Yes. If you don't go along with the crowd, you will stand out. Many scholars in Luoyang privately say that you are a hypocrite. Some people even laugh at you for being a hypocrite, pretending to be good and maintaining a good reputation. There are even rumors that you may have abandoned your wife and children and become a heartless man in your hometown. These rumors are beginning to spread."

Ouyang Rong remained silent after hearing this.

If you look closely, he did not abandon his son, but abandoning his wife does count as the same thing, even though he was not the one who abandoned her.

Ouyang Rong was not angry. He looked at the Pipa woman calmly for a while and said apologetically:

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I really don't remember you. It's my negligence."

"Do not."

Luo Niang suddenly shook her head, sniffed, and asked word by word:
"Then, my dear, do you know why I was drinking with you that day?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head.

Luo Niang choked up more and more, but said with a smile:

"I am also one of those people who want to make fun of the little master and ruin his reputation!"

Every word she spoke was like a pearl, and her voice was more sonorous and shocking than the sound of a pipa:
"During that banquet, someone paid me to flirt with you. Not only did they tarnish your reputation at the banquet, but they also seduced you. After the banquet, they continued to flirt with you and staged a scene of a talented man and a beautiful woman redeeming their freedom and eloping. In the end, they would turn the tables on you, or simply abandon you and ruin your righteous heart."

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

Ye Weilai and Pei Shisanniang looked angry.

Ouyang Rong looked at Luo Niang in silence:

"Is there another time like this..."

At that time, he was indeed unaware of it.

There were many sword fights in Luoyang, the world of fame and fortune.

After Luo Niang finished speaking, her shoulders slumped slightly, as if a balloon had been deflated.

She stared at Ouyang Rong without blinking and asked:

"That's right. The young master is also surprised. Who did he offend? Why would someone be so filthy?"

Luo Niang said to herself:
"Sir, you haven't actually offended anyone. You may not even know the person who paid the money to instigate this. You wouldn't have any impression of him if you met him. In fact, I don't know him either. He was bribed by someone else.

"But human nature is like this. They just can't stand others being better than themselves, and they like to spy on them secretly.

"Even if there is no grudge, no social connection, even if it hurts others and does not benefit oneself, if there is a chance to step on someone, they will do it without hesitation and then pretend nothing happened. This kind of thing is not uncommon in Luoyang's romantic and fame-seeking circles."

After Luo Niang finished speaking, the whole place fell silent.

Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, and seeing the solemn atmosphere, he took the initiative to joke:
"It's all over. Madam, isn't she in Luoyang? Why did she come here?"

Luo Niang stared at Ouyang Rong and realized that he really didn't care. Her eyes became more guilty and sad.

"Why are you here..."

The pipa player suddenly put down the plectrum and stopped playing the pipa.

Putting the pipa aside, she straightened her clothes, restrained her expression, and looked serious.

It was a round face with tear-stained cheeks, tired brows, and some signs of being weathered.

Without the wrinkles on her eyebrows, one can vaguely see some of her feminine charm. I guess she must have been a little courtesan in Luoyang Jiaofang Bureau back then.

Luo Niang pointed at herself and said:

“When I accompanied the young master to drink, I was curious whether he could remain calm. But the young master did not look away the whole time, and nothing happened afterwards.

"I didn't feel admiration for you. On the contrary, I looked down on you even more. The more I thought about it afterwards, the more I felt that you were hateful and hypocritical. Even after the young master passed the imperial examination, I secretly resented you. Now thinking about it, it's really ridiculous."

Ouyang Rong wanted to speak, but Luo Niang leaned over, poured him a glass of wine, and interrupted him with a smile:
"Young Master, you don't need to comfort me. I am in a place of pleasure and I am just one of the vulgar people. How can I be above it?" "Young Master, do you know that later, you wrote a letter to criticize Princess Changle and advise the emperor. In the end, you were thrown into prison. It was only through the help of your teachers and superiors that you were released in a miserable state. You were demoted and exiled to a small county in the south of the Yangtze River. What did I think when I first heard about this?"

Ouyang Rong didn't answer.

Ye Weilai took the initiative to speak, looking at this lonely woman with a sneer:

"Of course I am secretly proud of myself, and feel that my Tan Lang deserves what he got."

Luo Niang turned her head and looked at Ye Weilai for a while, as if she was attracted by her silver-haired Hu Ji's face. After a while, the woman nodded slightly and lowered her head and said:

"My dear young lady, as we are both women, you really understand my thoughts, and what you said is right.

“At that time, I was secretly proud of myself, thinking that you, Ouyang Lianghan, had always pretended to be a gentleman, and finally ran into someone you shouldn’t have messed with, and now this day has come.

"As for the charges you made against Princess Changle and other powerful people, I don't think it matters. The powerful are naturally superior to the common people. This is reality, isn't it? So I secretly resent you for upholding justice. I think it's wrong for you to anger the bigwigs. Instead, you're easily angry at everyone else. I think you're too childish."

Ouyang Rong said nothing, just drank silently, looking somewhat calm.

Pei Shisan Niang looked at Luo Niang deeply, turned around, picked up the wine jug, and poured wine into Ouyang Rong's empty glass.

The young master drinks a little too fast alone.

Khufu suddenly said:
"I don't blame you. Let alone the singing girls in the brothels, looking around the world, many people probably think the same as you. They are afraid of being exploited by the powerful, but they have different feelings towards those who criticize the powerful. They may even think that they are meddling in other people's business... We have seen many such people in the palace."

Ouyang Rong put down his glass, stared at the remaining drink in the glass, and spoke slowly:
"At that time, I didn't think too much about it. I just prepared the coffin and wrote the book for the sake of my heart's satisfaction."

For some reason, Luo Niang suddenly said excitedly:

"I know! I found out everything later."

She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and said:

"But I didn't get it by myself. It was a punishment from fate that fell on me. I had no choice but to understand it."

As everyone was puzzled, Luo Niang forced a smile and said:

“In fact, when I met you, I was already quite old. When I was young, I was the chief singer in the building. In addition, I was skilled in playing the pipa, and I was ranked among the best in Luoyang.

"At that time, I don't know how many rich and powerful men pursued me. They all rushed to spend huge sums of money to buy me for a night. Now thinking back, that time passed so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was time to redeem myself, but I was too proud to find a suitable place.

“That’s why someone who is jealous of you contacted me and tried to flirt with you. Actually, I had some improper thoughts at the time, and I thought it might be possible to make the fake play real. But as you know, you didn’t even look at me the whole time, and I didn’t even have the chance to make eye contact with you.

"As soon as the banquet was over, the young master was the first to get up and leave. Now it seems that he really did not sneak a peek at my face and has no memory of me at all.

"So when I later learned that the young master was imprisoned and demoted, in addition to the thoughts this young lady had, I also secretly fantasized late at night whether the young master would change his mind, regret rejecting me, and pursue me relentlessly. That kind of fantasy is really intoxicating."

She laughed sarcastically and pointed at herself:

"I even had this wild thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea to agree to it then... Now it seems so ridiculous and lamentable."

Everyone was silent, looking at the haggard and pitiful singer in front of them.

Luo Niang and Ouyang Rong kept looking at each other and continued:

"After you were demoted, by coincidence, Princess Changle's residence continued to recruit singing girls and opera troupes. I thought it was a good place to go. In addition, I had empathized with Princess Changle at the time, so I couldn't help but feel close to her, so I went there. As a result..."

She laughed sarcastically:
"I have tasted retribution. Princess Changle is moody and got tired of pipa music after listening to it too much. My efforts to please her were in vain. She disliked my old age and ugly looks and sent me away. However, the original Jiaofangsi no longer accepts older singers like me.

“I now understand how miserable it is to lose a beloved one. Because I was arrogant when I was young, I looked down on those poor sisters. Now, in the end, I have no close sisters to help me in Luoyang.

"Plus, I was far away from a wise man like you, and was completely alone... Later, I gave up and married a profit-seeking merchant. I could live a good life, but I knew how to live a good life. Later, I left Luoyang and drifted all the way to the south of the Yangtze River...

"These days, I often wake up in the middle of the night, thinking that I am still in the prosperous red building of my youth, wearing a blood-red silk dress that attracts everyone's attention, playing the pipa that talented scholars compete to sing about... But when I wake up and look around, the house is dark and silent.

"I often think back to how absurd life is. It seems that people only have a few short years to be truly alive, happy and glorious. The rest of the rest of life is useless and dull, and what is the meaning of living like this..."

The woman playing the pipa slowly stopped talking, lowered her head, picked up the pipa again, and rubbed it unconsciously with her palm.

The sound of the pipa has no specific tune, but is surprisingly sad.

Ye Weilai, who originally had a bad look on his face, fell silent as he listened.

Pei Shisan Niang seemed to have guessed it long ago. She looked at the haggard and lonely girl playing the pipa alone and sighed softly.

Hu Fu and Miao Zhen, both palace maids in similar situations, kept drinking with their heads raised, not knowing what they were thinking about.

Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his glass to Luo Niang and said:
"From this point of view, he is indeed an old friend."

Without waiting for her response, he tilted his head back, drank the wine, and let out a long breath.

Seeing this, Luo Niang hurriedly raised her glass and drank up the wine.

The look she gave Ouyang Rong was full of guilt and respect.

Everyone then understood why she was so excited when she met Ouyang Lianghan before.

Ouyang Rong asked calmly:

"Madam, you came to see me not just to talk about that past event, right?"

Luo Niang nodded heavily:

“When I came to Jiangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River with my husband’s family, you should have been still in Longcheng. It was only when I heard your name that I realized you had been demoted to this place.

"At first, I felt that I had the same fate as you, but I was still a little afraid to see you. But later, I heard about your heroic deeds in Longcheng and how you saved the poor people in Jiangzhou. I was deeply moved.

"We are both people who have fallen on hard times, but you are able to survive in desperate situations. You still make something useful in such a dangerous environment. Although I am not a man, I can understand the heroism and difficulties in this process, and I am deeply moved."

Luo Niang's eyes were blurred with tears and her pipa fell to the ground.

She leaned forward and accidentally kicked her beloved pipa, without lowering her head to pay attention.

Staring at Ouyang Rong, he wept bitterly:

"After a year of wandering, I finally had the opportunity to pass through Longcheng with my husband's family. I got off the boat and entered the city. I saw your heroic deeds with my own eyes and saw the poor people you saved living and working in peace and contentment. At that moment, I wanted to cry so much.

"It's a pity that by then, you had been promoted to the position of Chief of Jiangzhou and were no longer in Longcheng. However, several of your poems, such as "On Chrysanthemums" and "On Teachers", became famous in Luoyang and were sung in the singing and dancing shops in Jiangnan. I read them with great pleasure and could not put them down. I even stayed up for several nights to compose two pipa songs for them.

"I don't know why, but on the night I left Longcheng, I was walking along the Tanlang Ferry you built. After I played two pieces of pipa music in silence, I suddenly wanted to see you.

"Yes! I must see you. I will play two more pieces of pipa for you and offer you a glass of wine! This is to apologize for my ill-intentioned behavior at the banquet and also to fulfill my wish.

"So I waited patiently, and after traveling all the way, I finally had the opportunity to come to Xunyang, and I also went to the Pipa Night Banquet that you nominally hosted. It's a pity that I didn't see you at that time."

She wiped her tears, laughed and cried and said:
"As this gentleman said, I am already a merchant's wife, and I cannot go out at will to visit you at the governor's mansion in the city. Besides, there are too many people in the world who want to see you. Who doesn't want to meet a gentleman? I am just a humble merchant's wife, and I can't even get a number.

"I can only wander along the Xunyang River with the boat and play the pipa. This is also the grotto and ferry you built yourself. If you pass by occasionally, I can let you hear me from afar, which is also a kind of perfection...

"I have stayed here for a long time and am about to set off to change places. I thought I had missed the Pipa Night Banquet and would never see you again in this life. I never thought that I would meet you on board tonight. I... I..."

When Luo Niang said this, she burst into tears and stammered. She couldn't help but reach out and grab Ouyang Rong's sleeve:
"I have no regrets in this life!"

(End of this chapter)