Chapter 61: Selling Lyrics

Fang Qingxue, who had already turned to leave, suddenly trembled all over upon hearing the final two lines of the poem. She murmured softly to herself: "If the two hearts are joined forever, does it matter if they are together day after day?"

Fiercely, Fang Qingxue turned her head to gaze at the man on the stage. The crowd below had also grown remarkably quiet after listening to this piece of ci poetry, many of them staring blankly at the man on the stage. Everyone was utterly captivated by the exquisite beauty of the verse—what profound affection was contained within it!

Clap, clap-clap, clap-clap-clap—enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience below. Someone called out loudly, "May I ask if this piece of ci poetry was composed by you, sir?"

The mustachioed man steadied himself, signaled for everyone to quiet down, and then spoke: "This poem was composed by my master, and the price is one thousand taels of silver!"

"Damn it, such a magnificent poem, and yet they're selling it for money! And only a thousand taels at that," someone cursed indignantly.

The mustachioed man chuckled and said, "Our family is poor and we are forced by circumstance to do this. I beg everyone's understanding."

"I'll offer one thousand taels! This young lady will take this poem," a woman's voice rang out from the crowd before Fang Qingxue could even speak.

"I offer one thousand five hundred taels."

"I offer two thousand taels."

"Two thousand two hundred taels."

"Two thousand five hundred taels."

"Five thousand taels!" As this voice rang out, a commotion immediately rippled through the crowd. A dazzling young maiden of about sixteen years of age walked toward the stage, then repeated firmly, "This young lady bids five thousand taels! Is there anyone here who bids higher than me?"

Someone in the audience who recognized her involuntarily blurted out, "Ah, it turns out to be Xue Ningyao, the third young miss of the Xue family." Once these words were spoken, no one else in the crowd dared to make a bid. Just as Xue Ningyao reached out eagerly to demand the handwritten poem of *The Magpie Bridge Immortal* from the mustachioed man, a calm voice sounded from below: "Five thousand one hundred taels." Following the voice, the crowd looked over to see Fang Qingxue. However, dressed in male attire, many failed to recognize who she was.

Xue Ningyao, on the other hand, recognized Fang Qingxue at a glance. The corners of her lips curled into a smile as she said, "I was wondering who it could be; it turns out to be Sister Fang. What, does elder sister also fancy this poem?"

"Hmph, younger sister should simply make her bid and not concern herself with whether I like it or not."

To everyone's surprise, Xue Ningyao flatly backed down, saying, "Forget it then. Since elder sister wants it, I won't compete with her. Besides, I've already heard the poem, so having the piece of paper doesn't matter much." With that, Xue Ningyao skipped merrily down the stage.

All eyes focused on Fang Qingxue. She stepped onto the stage, looked at the mustachioed man, and asked, "Good brother, might you inform me of your master's name?"

The mustachioed man cupped his hands in a salute and replied, "I am sorry, but my master does not wish for his name to be known."

A look of astonishment crossed Fang Qingxue's face; while everyone else feared obscurity, this man deliberately concealed his identity. Fang Qingxue then asked again, "Might I have the honor of meeting your master?"

"I am afraid my master will disappoint you. He is not currently in the capital."

"Then where is he?"

"This..." The mustachioed man glanced at the crowd below and said, "We only sell the poems, sir."

Disappointed, Fang Qingxue said, "Very well. Follow me back to my estate to collect the silver."

The mustachioed man followed Fang Qingxue down the high stage, and they gradually receded into the distance.

To everyone's astonishment, *The Magpie Bridge Immortal* spread like wildfire, quickly sweeping through the scholarly circles of the capital.

That evening, Chunxi and the carriage driver steered the carriage, laden with over five thousand taels of silver, driving around the city twice before finally pulling into the backyard of the Watching River Pavilion. Along the way, Chunxi's heart remained on high alert, constantly terrified of being followed. Yet, fear was futile; the agents dispatched by Fang Qingxue ultimately pinpointed the Watching River Pavilion.

Upon returning to the restaurant, Chunxi rushed excitedly toward the conference hall, where Xing'er and Zhang Guide, the manager of the Watching River Pavilion, were discussing matters.

Striding energetically into the room, Chunxi blurted out to the two of them, "Young Mistress, the master's poem has been sold!"

Xing'er showed no surprise at this. The poem had been written by Zhao Bin for her, and while he kept the original, the one taken out to be sold was merely a transcribed copy. As for why Xing'er chose to sell it, the reason was simple: selling poetry was by no means a rare occurrence in the Great Xia Dynasty, and those who acquired poems would invariably go around boasting about them.

"How much did it sell for?" Xing'er asked with curiosity.

"You might not believe it when I say this, but it fetched a full five thousand one hundred taels!" Chunxi exclaimed excitedly.

Hearing of the sum exceeding five thousand taels, Xing'er and Zhang Guide dropped their jaws in shock. They sprang up from their chairs simultaneously and gasped, "How much?"

"Five thousand one hundred taels."

"Good heavens! Five thousand one hundred taels for a single poem? Why are we even running this restaurant? We should just have the master write poems and go into the poetry-selling business instead!" Zhang Guide plopped back down into his chair, muttering to himself. Having seen some of the world lately, he was no longer as easily shaken as before, but a single poem selling for five thousand taels of silver genuinely surpassed his comprehension of this world.

"Do you know who bought it?" Xing'er asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes, it was Fang Qingxue, the eldest granddaughter of Fang Shutong, the Minister of War," Chunxi said. "At the poetry gathering, there was another woman competing for the master's poem—the third young miss of the Xue family, Xue Ningyao. She was the one who first proposed the price of five thousand taels, after which Fang Qingxue added another hundred taels."

Zhang Guide smiled sheepishly from the side and remarked, "Heh, who would have thought that the young masters and misses of these prominent noble families would be so extravagant with their money. Unbelievable."

"Actually, there is nothing surprising about that. Those great aristocratic families are powerful factions reigning over their respective territories, and this paltry sum means nothing to them. Take the Xue family, for instance; from the salt trade alone, their daily revenue countless thousands of taels. A mere few thousand taels of silver is utterly insignificant to them, and the Fang family of Shandong is no different. This is precisely one of the reasons why even the imperial court treats them with a measure of caution," Xing'er told the two of them.

"Young Mistress, the silver is still on the carriage. Should we have it moved into the vault first?" Chunxi asked, suddenly remembering.

"Yes, have it stored in the vault."

The group went out into the courtyard, and several guards carried the silver into the bullion vault.

Meanwhile, outside the Watching River Pavilion, two figures melted away into the bustling evening crowds.

"What? The Watching River Pavilion?" Fang Qingxue exclaimed in shock as she listened to her servant's report.

"Why is it the Watching River Pavilion again? Who on earth is behind this establishment?" she murmured softly.

"I heard the owner of the Watching River Pavilion is from the northern region, but no one knows his specific background," the servant replied.

These facts were already known to Fang Qingxue, as everyone had learned of them during the grand commotion surrounding the restaurant's opening. At that time, the establishment had displayed two peerless couplets with a reward of ten thousand taels, yet not a single person in the vast capital could provide matching lines. Everyone had been intensely curious about the mastermind behind the scenes, but the restaurant's security was impeccably managed. Aside from a few core members, the newly hired staff knew nothing at all. Moreover, those core individuals rarely showed their faces in public; even when venturing out, they wore disguises. Eventually, everyone shifted their attention to the hot pot cuisine of the restaurant, and no one cared anymore who the owner truly was.

"Send people to investigate the Watching River Pavilion in secret. Also, help me reserve a private room there for tomorrow," Fang Qingxue instructed.

"Yes, Young Mistress."

At noon the following day, Fang Qingxue, still dressed in male attire, stepped out of the Fang estate and headed straight for the Watching River Pavilion in the Elegant Market.

"This young master, the two of you, please come inside," the welcoming attendant at the entrance greeted them into the hall.

"Would the two of you prefer a table in the main hall, or a private room?" the attendant asked with an ingratiating smile.

The maid following behind Fang Qingxue spoke up: "My young master has reserved a private room," and with that, she produced a paper token resembling a receipt and handed it to the attendant.

The attendant accepted the token, inspected it closely, and handed it back to the maid before saying, "The two of you, please follow me to the third floor."

Following the attendant to the third floor, Fang Qingxue and her maid walked down the corridor and entered a private room named "Purple Bamboo Pavilion." The room was exquisitely and elegantly decorated, with several paintings and pieces of calligraphy hanging on the walls. Fang Qingxue glanced casually at the poems and paintings depicting bamboos and rocks, but none of them were the work of renowned masters; compared to the poem she had bought the previous night, their artistic conception fell far short.

The attendant unhooked the cloth from his shoulder and lightly wiped down the table.

"Please take your seats, esteemed guests. This is our restaurant's menu; please have a look at what you would like to eat. The most famous dish we offer is hot pot, but should you prefer something else, we also have various delicacies such as braised carp, stewed soft-shelled turtle, stir-fried sweet-and-sour carp, stir-fried prawns, battered tenderloin, battered chicken, mixed sausage platters, and stewed wild duck."

The maid accompanying Fang Qingxue said with some dissatisfaction, "Why is everything meat? Aren't there any light vegetable dishes?"

"Oh dear, my lady, look at the season! Fresh vegetables haven't come into season yet; right now we only have radishes and cabbages," the attendant replied helplessly.

The maid was about to say more when Fang Qingxue stopped her. Fang Qingxue spoke up instead: "It is said that the hot pot at the Watching River Pavilion is the most delicious, and that the wealthy merchants and noble families of the capital all come here to taste it."

"Very well, please rest a moment, and I will make the arrangements right away," the attendant said, exiting the room.

Before long, several attendants entered carrying a bronze hot pot and various ingredients, placing everything neatly upon a food rack. The attendant then briefly explained how the hot pot was to be eaten.

Under the attendant's guidance, Fang Qingxue placed a few slices of beef and mutton into the bronze pot. The bright red meats turned white the instant they hit the boiling broth. After a few seconds, Fang Qingxue picked up the meat slices, dipped them lightly into the special sauce unique to the restaurant, placed them in her mouth, and chewed gently.

"Mmm, indeed, it is truly exceptional. The mutton is tender, the texture is delicate, and it is delicious."

"Hehe, you flatter us, honoured guest. Putting everything else aside, when it comes to this hot pot, our Watching River Pavilion is one of a kind in the capital; you won't find it anywhere else," the attendant said proudly.

"Little brother, the mutton you serve here seems somewhat different from what is sold on the market. Is it purchased from the local meat market?" Fang Qingxue inquired casually.

Realizing the guest was probing, the attendant did not conceal anything and replied, "To be honest with you, sir, the mutton on the market cannot compare to ours. All the mutton in our restaurant is imported from Hebei Circuit."

"Brother attendant, are you not trying to deceive me? Hebei Circuit is sparsely populated and its people impoverished; where would they get so much mutton?"

"Oh, what are you saying? How could I dare deceive you, sir? Every day, forty or fifty fat sheep pass through the Yellow River ferry crossing before being transported to the capital to be slaughtered. The nobles in the city have all witnessed it," the attendant answered earnestly.

"Oh? Is that so? I heard your owner is a native of Hebei Circuit?"

Hearing this, the attendant became somewhat vigilant, as such inquiries had frequently occurred over the past few months. The manager had long since established a strict rule: no one was to speak carelessly on the matter under penalty of immediate dismissal. For the staff here, the business of the restaurant was booming, and their wages were nearly three times higher than elsewhere; getting fired would be nothing short of a catastrophe.

Despite his warfulness, the attendant answered Fang Qingxue's question truthfully: "Yes, my master is indeed a native of Hebei Circuit." But he immediately added, "As for which specific part of Hebei Circuit, I am not clear, nor have I ever seen him."

The latter half of the attendant's statement implied: I only know he is from Hebei Circuit, and you needn't ask any further, because even if you ask, I know nothing more.

Yet Fang Qingxue was unwilling to give up. She pulled two taels of silver from her person and tossed them to the attendant, who caught the small silver pieces in his hand with a joyful expression on his face.

"This silver is a reward for you, little brother."

"Oh, many thanks, young master," the attendant bowed gratefully with a pleased look.

"Little brother, might you invite your manager here? I have some matters to discuss with him," Fang Qingxue said indifferently.

After a brief hesitation, the attendant replied, "Sir, I have something to say, though I do not know if I should speak it."

"It's quite all right. Speak."

"If you are inquiring about our master, sir, there is no need to trouble the manager. You are not the only one who has asked about this; many people have inquired, but the manager himself does not know who the master truly is. He is merely an employee working for the master."

"How can that be? Even an employee must know whom they are working for," the maid interjected from the side.

"There is nothing strange about that. Someone pays your wages, so you work for them. Since the master does not wish to be known, it is naturally not our place as employees to pry, is it?"

Hearing this, Fang Qingxue pursued the matter no further, instead saying, "I understand. Thank you, little brother. You may go about your business now."

"Very well, then please enjoy your meal, sir. Call for me if you need anything else," the attendant said, bowing as he backed out of the room and gently pulling the door shut behind him. Descending the stairs without a moment's pause, he went to a small room behind the counter and gently tapped on the door, which was left unlatched. Inside, Zhang Guide was reviewing account books; he looked up at the attendant and motioned for him to enter.

"What is the matter?"

"Manager, two guests just arrived on the third floor and were inquiring about the master again," the attendant reported.

"Oh? What kind of guests?"

"A handsome young gentleman accompanied by a maid. However, I noticed that the young gentleman had no Adam's apple and spoke in very gentle tones."

"What did he ask?"

"Nothing much, actually. But I could tell he was trying to probe into the master's origins and even mentioned wanting to invite the manager over to speak with him. I turned him away just as you instructed beforehand."

"I understand. Go back to your work."

"Yes."

Meanwhile, on the third floor, tempted by the hot pot, Fang Qingxue temporarily set aside her investigation and began to savor the rare delicacy.