plumnovel Chapter 29 Purple Maiden
Chapter 29 Purple Maiden
Zhao Heng followed the man who was leading the way out of the room. The sun was already slightly setting in the west, casting a dim light on the corridor.
He paused briefly outside the threshold, listening intently.
The flute music that had been swirling around the building, seemingly both near and far, had ceased sometime earlier. Scattered strings and bamboo instruments drifted from downstairs, mixed with faint laughter and conversation, and everything returned to the usual afternoon atmosphere of the music hall.
A slight sense of regret crossed his mind, but he didn't dwell on it and quietly followed the man leading the way up the stairs.
Ji Cheng and Luan Ding followed behind Zhao Heng, one on each side. Ji Cheng's face still showed signs of excitement, and his lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something to Luan Ding, but the latter stopped him with a silent look.
Just as the group was going downstairs, on the other side of the third floor, near the railing, a woman in a purple dress was leaning against the railing.
The girl was no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. Her face was covered with a semi-transparent purple veil, revealing only her eyebrows and eyes. A form-fitting purple fishtail dress cascaded down her increasingly exquisite curves, and her long, dark purple hair was styled into an elegant updo, adorned with several plain silver hairpins. Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the music hall, she inexplicably exuded a cool and elegant aura.
An old woman dressed in a brown silk shirt stood beside her. When she saw Zhao Heng and his party come out, she quickly pointed and lowered her voice, saying, "Please look, my lady. That is Prince Heng, the son of Lady Han. He was just invited into Lord Xinling's room."
The woman looked in the direction her grandmother was pointing and saw the boy's back as he walked towards the stairs.
The boy was still rather thin, walking at a moderate pace with steady steps and a straight back. He didn't jump or cower like children his age often do, and he had a faint smile on his face, appearing very generous and composed.
The woman watched quietly for a few moments, then shifted her gaze from Zhao Heng to the door of the room where Lord Xinling was.
Grandma continued to ramble on, "Although Lord Xinling was a guest in Zhao, even the King of Zhao treated him with great respect. Today, he specially invited this young master to meet him, and they talked for quite some time. This encounter is probably a tremendous opportunity for this young master; in the future..."
"It may not be a good thing."
The woman suddenly spoke, her voice coming through the veil, clear and melodious like a young girl's, yet also carrying a hint of composure beyond her years.
Grandma was taken aback: "What does Your Highness mean...?"
"Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune." The woman turned back towards the stairs, but Zhao Heng's figure had already disappeared around the corner. She pondered, "Sometimes, Lord Xinling's favor is more likely to attract trouble than open warfare."
Grandma seemed to understand, opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.
Just then, a sudden argument broke out from the second floor.
Zhao Heng had just come down to the second floor when he heard the commotion coming from the private room area ahead.
"This little brat, barely weaned, why should I pay her ten thousand coins? Does she really think my money grows on trees?"
It was a man's voice, clearly tinged with alcohol and an impatient condescension.
Then came the voice of a middle-aged woman, smiling obsequiously and anxiously:
"Oh dear, Your Majesty, please calm down. I have already explained repeatedly that my concubine has always been a person of the rule of 'hearing her voice but never seeing her in person'... It was Your Majesty who heard the flute music and insisted on spending ten thousand coins to see her... That's why I made an exception... If Your Majesty does not believe that the flute music just now came from my concubine, I will have her play another tune on the spot to prove her innocence, how about that?"
Another voice immediately broke in, fast-paced and aggressive, clearly belonging to the man's follower from before:
"Hey, stepmother, that's not a pleasant thing to say. My lord is of such high status, surely he wouldn't doubt the exquisite beauty of that flute music? But... after meeting her, this young girl is far too inexperienced. Though she has talent, to ask her to perform for a single audience costs a staggering ten thousand coins? Even the top musicians in Handan only charge three to five thousand coins for a single piece! You're clearly extorting money on the spot, taking advantage of my lord's generosity!"
Zhao Heng paused upon hearing this.
Is that the owner of the flute music?
He became somewhat interested, stopped, turned his head, and gave Ji Cheng and Luan Ding a look, signaling them to pay attention to the direction from which the argument was coming.
The man leading the way couldn't help but speak up, "Young master, perhaps we should..."
"It's fine to watch the excitement," Zhao Heng said.
The man leading the way frowned slightly, glancing at Ji Cheng and Luan Ding, attempting to signal them to dissuade him with his eyes. Unexpectedly, the two only exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and simply followed Zhao Heng as he turned and walked towards the source of the commotion.
The man who was leading the way had no choice but to follow after a moment's hesitation.
The woman in the purple dress on the third floor was about to turn and leave when she heard the commotion on the second floor getting louder and louder, and saw Zhao Heng walking towards that direction. A hint of curiosity flashed in her light purple eyes.
She gently raised her hand, stopping the old woman beside her from speaking, and leaned back against the railing, calmly looking down.
From this angle, you can see most of the noisy area at an angle.
When Zhao Heng approached, a group of people had already gathered at the entrance of the private room.
Two sword-wielding guards blocked the doorway, their expressions unfriendly.
A well-dressed middle-aged woman stood in front of the guards, tightly holding a young girl's arm, bowing repeatedly towards the door, clearly wanting to leave, but was stopped by the guards.
Zhao Heng's gaze involuntarily fell on the girl.
The girl was about ten years old, her figure not yet fully developed, wrapped in a light blue, fitted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). The fabric wasn't of the finest quality, but the color was clean, and amidst the brocade and embroidery of the Zuiyue Tower, she appeared somewhat out of place, her cool elegance standing out.
What was most striking was her hair, an almost snow-white silver that flowed smoothly over her shoulders and back, seemingly glowing faintly in the dimly lit corridor. She stood there holding a jade flute, her light blue eyes indifferent, gazing at some empty space in front of her, as if the surrounding arguments, tugs of rage, and coercion had nothing to do with her.
Is she the one who played the flute just now?
Zhao Heng pondered to himself.
As for the woman, she continued with a forced smile, "Well... how about this, Your Majesty, I'll return the ten thousand coins to you intact? It was truly a misunderstanding today, and I've disturbed Your Majesty's enjoyment..."
A cold snort immediately came from inside the door, followed by the attendant's voice, which rose in pitch:
"How could my lord possibly take back the money he sent out? It would be a laughingstock if word got out! Stepmother, let's be frank. The rule here is 'only hear her voice, never see her.' Today we've made an exception, but she's nothing special. Isn't that a waste of talent? Rather than let her languish here, she should come back to my lord's manor. Consider this ten thousand coins as her ransom! What do you say? This is a stroke of good fortune for your little girl!"
The stepmother's face turned pale instantly.
She waved her hands repeatedly, pulling the girl away, saying, "No, no, Your Majesty! My little concubine... she is not a prostitute, but... she is a respectable woman from a good family, living here and entertaining guests only with her art. She cannot be bought or sold!"
She stammered, as if she had something difficult to say, and was so anxious that she couldn't speak coherently.
Upon seeing this, the two guards at the entrance of the private room stepped forward again, one on the left and one on the right, completely blocking the woman and the girl's escape route.
Fortunately, the music hall's guards arrived at that moment. Three or four burly men dressed in matching dark short-sleeved shirts rushed over, and the leader shouted from afar, "Who is causing trouble here?!"
The attendant inside the room strode out abruptly, standing at the doorway of the private room, and arrogantly shouted, "How dare you! Lord Jianxin is hosting a banquet here; how dare you behave so presumptuously?"
The guards of the music hall changed their expressions drastically. They stopped in their tracks, looking at each other, not daring to go any further.
The patrons and waiters who had been peeking around to watch the commotion quickly turned away, some whispering amongst themselves, others quietly retreating into the distance.
In the private room, the person in the main seat slowly rose and walked out.
The man appeared to be around thirty years old, dressed in a crimson brocade robe over a light gauze overlay, with a jade crown on his head and a jade pendant at his waist. His face was so handsome it was almost effeminate, with fair skin, and he casually toyed with a jade pendant in his hand. His eyebrows and eyes were long and narrow, and he habitually narrowed them slightly when looking at people, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.
This man is Jianxin Jun, who was favored by the King of Zhao because of his handsome appearance. He is now the Prime Minister of Zhao and a truly important minister of the state, wielding great power in Handan.
No wonder the patrons at the scene retreated upon hearing the noise.
Jianxin Jun walked to the door, his handsome face now showing obvious displeasure. He first glanced at the cowering guards of the music hall, snorted coldly, and then looked at the stepmother, speaking slowly and deliberately:
"Oh? I'd like to hear what you mean by that. Just downstairs, you were praising your 'hearing only' treasure to the skies, making me quite interested. Now that I've seen it, I think it's nothing special and want to appreciate it in a different way, but you're making all sorts of excuses... Could it be that your Drunken Moon Pavilion thinks I'm easy to bully?"
The fake mother was drenched in cold sweat, bowing even lower: "I wouldn't dare, I had no such intention! It's just that Xiao Ji really won't sell herself. I'll immediately return the ten thousand coins Your Majesty gave me, and I'll cover all Your Majesty's expenses in the brothel for the next month, as an apology... You see..."
Beside Jianxin, another person also came out.
He was a fair-skinned young scholar, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with his hands tucked into his sleeves and a gentle smile on his face, exuding an air of refined elegance. When Jianxin Jun spoke, he merely nodded slightly at appropriate moments.
The attendant of Lord Jianxin scoffed, "My lord is not the kind of person to covet such a small gain. She's just a lowly courtesan; what's wrong with selling her? What respectable woman would live in a music brothel? Do you think my lord is a three-year-old child?"
The stepmother opened her mouth, a forced smile on her face, but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't speak for a moment.
The girl remained expressionless, simply holding the jade flute and standing quietly, like a lifeless jade statue.
Just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out: "Huh? Doing business... can be done like this?"
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it.
Zhao Heng stood a few steps away, subtly protected by Ji Cheng and Luan Ding. He tilted his head, looking at the tense scene with a puzzled expression, as if he didn't quite understand what was happening.
"If you see something you like, you just have to buy it regardless of whether the other person wants it or not?" He turned to Ji Cheng beside him and asked again, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.
Seeing that Zhao Heng was a child and that the people accompanying him didn't seem to be of any importance, the attendant immediately frowned and was about to scold, "Where did this little brat come from..."
"shut up!"
The pale-faced scholar beside Jianxin Jun suddenly spoke up, interrupting the man's words.
The attendant was taken aback and turned to look at Jianxin Jun.
Lord Jianxin couldn't help but glance at the scholar, who instantly broke into a warm smile, quickly stepped out from beside Lord Jianxin, and greeted Zhao Heng, bowing and saying with a smile, "Oh my, who do we have here? It's you, Prince Heng! What a coincidence, what a coincidence!"
Zhao Heng looked at the man and felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember his name for a moment.
Luan Ding immediately stepped forward and whispered quickly in Zhao Heng's ear, "Young Master, this man is Guo Kai, the steward of Gongzi Yan's household..."
Zhao Heng's heart stirred, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, after Luan Ding reminded him, he immediately showed a slightly shy and hesitant smile, as if he had just recognized the other person.
At this moment, Guo Kai had already approached and finished his greetings. As if just remembering something, he smiled and turned back to Jianxin Jun, explaining, "Your Majesty is so busy with affairs of state that you may not have noticed, but this is Chunping Jun..."
Jianxin Jun stroked his beard and chuckled, looking Zhao Heng up and down:
"Of course I know. He's the young master of the Chunping family. What's wrong? At such a young age, instead of studying and learning etiquette at home, he's running around in this music hall. Madam Han is being far too indulgent."
These words were quite impolite, carrying a hidden admonition. However, for a prime minister to say this to a prince was not considered overstepping his bounds.
Guo Kai's smile remained unchanged, but he turned to Zhao Heng and asked with concern, "Young Master, I heard a few days ago that you accidentally fell into the water and fell unconscious. My master was extremely worried when he heard the news, and this morning he specially sent someone to the manor to visit you and prepared some small gifts. How come... Young Master is already able to go out and walk around today? Are you feeling much better? This is...?"
He looked at the man leading the way behind Zhao Heng, as well as Ji Cheng and Luan Ding, intending to ask Zhao Heng why he was there.
Zhao Heng's shy smile remained unchanged. He first politely returned Guo Kai's greeting, speaking in a humble tone: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Guo. Please also convey my thanks to my uncle for his care. I am much better now."
As he spoke, he pointed to the girl and her stepmother who were being stopped by the guards, and asked innocently, "Mr. Guo, are they here... trying to buy this flute-playing lady regardless of whether she wants to or not?"
A glint of light flashed in Guo Kai's eyes.
He clearly sensed that Zhao Heng was avoiding his question and was about to ask again when Zhao Heng seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to look at the man sent by Lord Xinling to guide him, and showed a somewhat embarrassed expression: "Uncle, you see... it seems a bit troublesome."
The man who had been leading the way remained silent the entire way. Now, seeing Zhao Heng's gesture, he hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Lord Jianxin, and said, "Lord Jianxin, Prince Heng came here today at the invitation of Lord Xinling. After our conversation, he instructed me to escort you back to your residence. You did not come here without a reason."
Upon hearing this, Jianxin Jun's expression changed visibly. He then stroked his beard and subtly gave Zhao Heng another once more sizing.
Guo Kai's smile remained unchanged, growing even more gentle as he immediately replied, "I see! Lord Xinling's refined taste and noble character in inviting you, sir, to enjoy tea and discuss philosophy is truly an honor for you! If King Zhao knew of the close relationship between Lord Xinling and you, he would surely be very pleased."