A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 214 Why Don’t You Dare to Fight Him?
"Oh, no need to thank me."

Song Xuan pointed at the words that were still wet with ink:
"This is the first time I've met Miss Linglong today, so we can't be considered old friends."

When Yu Linglong heard this, she was stunned.

She never expected that Song Xuan would refuse to acknowledge this statement.

Song Twelve really looks down on me, that's why he said this.

I have never forgotten the look of disdain he gave me just now.

Ever since Yu Linglong was promoted to be the most beautiful courtesan in Hongtaifang, she has been admired by everyone.

How could there be someone like Song Xuan who even slightly dislikes her, Lei Xiao?
The scholar-official community likes this.

The madam was well-informed and quickly stepped forward to interrupt:

"Shi Er Lang, even though this poem is written for an old friend, my Linglong has long been yearning for you, so we can be considered old friends."

Then the madam lowered her voice and pleaded:
"I am willing to offer twelve ounces of gold as a fee. In the future, when Twelve Lang comes to play here, he won't have to spend a penny. I hope Twelve Lang can do me a favor."

Song Xuan nodded slightly when he heard this, but it was not easy to refuse bluntly again:

"I can't give you the lyrics, so I'll just give it to Miss Linglong as a piece of music. It will be good for her to sing on the pipa."

"Thank you, Twelve Lang, thank you, Twelve Lang. I'll go upstairs and have some tea with my Linglong and talk in detail."

The madam immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that the lyrics were excellent, and the singing was even better.

But no one at the scene stood up to praise what was good about it.

They all turned into wood.

No matter what, she had to get this done for her daughter.

She knew that Song Xuan was not short of money, but this money was also a token of his appreciation.

A rare opportunity!

She had to catch it.

In the entire Songcheng, including Liu Yong who is here, Mother Ding is very sure that no one can write better lyrics than Song Xuan!
Liu Sanbian stood in the audience, reciting the lyrics of "When Will the Bright Moon Appear" sung by Song Xuan.

The last time he wrote a lyric about the taste of sorrow, Liu Sanbian was convinced that Song Xuan was a master at writing lyric, and most importantly, he was extremely talented.

Now seeing him compose a Mid-Autumn Festival poem on the spot, I was even more stunned.

Is this genius?
Any poem he writes can become a popular poem that people will recite by the book.

And Liu Sanbian can be sure of it.

After Song Xuan's Mid-Autumn Festival poem was published, it became the best poem about Mid-Autumn Festival.

It is very rare for others to surpass you!
Or in other words, how else can others write Mid-Autumn Festival poems?
Song Xuan is here to cause trouble!
Liu Sanbian immediately felt the gap between himself and Song Xuan.

The last time he wrote a poem about sorrow, Liu Sanbian felt that it would be impossible for later generations to write a poem of the same type.

Whoever writes in the future will have to secretly compare and see if they can surpass Song Xuan!

Many people do not have the ability to appreciate the quality of a poem, and can only understand why it is good by listening to others’ explanations!
So when Song Xuan finished writing, everyone just cheered and applauded, or did not think the poem was well written.

But it just sounds more pleasant than Liu Sanbian's. I don't know when Yu Linglong will be able to compose it into a song and sing it.

Everyone had different expressions on their faces, but when the madam announced that Song Xuan was invited by the top prostitute Yu Linglong to go to the second floor for a detailed discussion, some of them were shocked!
"Is Shi Er Lang's poem really that good?"

"I don't think so. Liu Sanbian writes better."

"Yeah, why is Song Twelve allowed to go upstairs and talk to Yu Linglong alone? After all, this is the first time."

"I think the lyrics written by Liu Sanbian are the best."

Several people wanted to join Liu Sanbian in opposing him, but Liu Sanbian just smiled and said:
"You may not know this, but in my humble opinion, once Song Twelve's poem is published, it will be difficult for anyone to surpass it in writing Mid-Autumn Festival poems in the future."

"what?"

"How can it be!"

In fact, men are sometimes very hard-mouthed.

But it is still a bit surprising to hear a famous brothel poet say that someone else wrote better than him.

"Song Twelve's poems are just more pleasant to the ear, but will no one else be able to write better poems than him?"

"That's it."

After hearing Liu Sanbian's confirmation, the others immediately waved their hands:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"With so many literati in the Song Dynasty, how could we not write poems better than those of Song Twelve?"

"Even the immortal poet Li Bai felt inferior when he saw the Yellow Crane Tower written by Cui Hao."

"Song Twelve is still young, how could he be like this?"

Liu Sanbian smiled without saying anything, watching Song Xuan walk towards the room on the second floor under the guidance of the courtesan Yu Linglong.

Many people are unwilling to admit that others are better than themselves!

However, after so many years of failing the imperial examinations, Liu Sanbian no longer had the mentality of being arrogant because of his talent.

Instead, I feel that there are always people better than you.

"Damn it! Twelve Brother is actually the first man to enter Miss Linglong's room alone!"

Lu Lejian gritted his teeth and said:

"Is his poem really better than Liu Sanbian's?"

"I don't think so. It's obviously Liu Sanbian, with his protruding belly and sagging face, who doesn't look as handsome as Twelve Brother."

"He~is handsome?"

"Impossible." Lu Lejian snorted.
"Then I'd still like to admit that Song Twelve's poem is well written!"

A few people were saying sarcastic words on the first floor.

Song Xuan was sitting in Yu Linglong's "boudoir".

The whole room is not decorated luxuriously, but rather very elegantly.

"Sir, would you like tea or wine?"

"Bring me a pot of tea, I just drank a lot of wine at home."

Yu Linglong waved.

There is the best dragon and phoenix tea and a few plates of snacks.

Song Xuan extended his hand to express his gratitude.

Yu Linglong then took off her veil and showed her true face to Song Xuan.

"The young lady is quite pretty."

Song Xuan nodded slightly in approval.

At this time, Yu Linglong was only fifteen years old, sixteen in lunar age, and had not yet grown into a young lady.

Her eyebrows and eyes look young, but she is wearing heavy makeup.

Song Xuan felt that girls like her who were in junior high school also had delayed development.

Maybe he changed his career late, didn't get enough nutrition, and developed late?

Song Xuan felt that his values ​​were okay and he didn't have any thoughts about young girls.

Yu Linglong could of course hear Song Xuan's polite words, and she frowned slightly:

"Isn't my beauty really outstanding?"

"I just told the truth."

The more Yu Linglong heard Song Xuan say this, the less she believed it.

If it was true, how could he sit opposite her so obediently?

Those sisters had told me long ago that all men are impatient.

If he acts like a gentleman, it won't work unless it's in that aspect.

But Song Xuan is so tall, so this must not be the case.

In addition, the look of disdain he gave me when I appeared on the stage has always been in my mind.

Yu Linglong was in a bad mood, and Song Xuan did not say that he would give the poem to her.

And even if it was Qu'er, Song Xuan only agreed after Mother Ding gave him gold separately.

Let everyone be fair, it has always been men who spend money in brothels.

Who would go to a brothel without spending a penny and even put money into their own pocket?
"Then why did Twelve Lang just say that the poem was written for an old friend?"

"I have a good friend named Su Xun. He wrote me a letter a few days ago, so of course I have to respond!"

"Is that true?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Song Xuan then smiled and said, "Besides, why should I write lyrics for you just because I come here to play?"

When Yu Linglong heard this, she was so angry that she cried.

But her chest still couldn't breathe, so Yu Linglong decided to act coquettishly:
"Then can I invite Twelve Lang to write a poem for me?"

"For now, I can't think of it."

Song Xuan put down the tea bowl directly.

Yu Linglong has also met many customers, but not one-on-one.

She had never seen a customer like Song Xuan who could repeatedly make her angry!

Didn’t Mother Ding say that being a courtesan depends on customers coming to flatter you? Why doesn’t that work with Song Xuan?
Yu Linglong couldn't figure out why she lost!
So he could only pout and stand aside, at a loss.

Song Xuan didn't care at all. He leaned back in his chair and tasted the snacks.

To be honest, it would be better if this top star was replaced by a long-legged big sister.

Just do it at such a young age, I don’t know what these scholars are thinking?

There is no sense of accomplishment at all!

Song Xuan was chatting alone with the courtesan Yu Linglong in the room, and he didn't care.

But the group of men outside began to feel uneasy.

Why did Song Xuan receive such treatment just for writing a poem?

Is the lyrics really that good?

"I just think Liu Sanbian is afraid of Song Twelve, so he thinks the poem he wrote is not as good as Song Twelve's."

"Correct."

"I've counted the words in Liu Sanbian's poem. It has far more than Song Twelve's. How could he lose?"

"That's right, Liu Sanbian, why are you so afraid of Song Twelve?" "Why don't you dare to fight him?"

"In this way, Miss Yu Linglong will definitely be impressed by you."

Liu Sanbian, who was at the center of public opinion, had an expression of disbelief on his face.

Putting aside the fact that a poem's success is not determined by the number of words, even Liu Sanbian was truly impressed by Song Xuan's Mid-Autumn Festival poem.

Not to mention the fight with Song Twelve.

Liu Sanbian raised his eyes and thought carefully, wondering who wanted him to die so much.

With Song Twelve's skills, can he really compare with him?
Seeing that everyone was making a lot of noise, Liu Sanbian could only serve himself some tea and pretend that he had not heard anything.

The madam was very happy tonight, especially since the guests in the lobby were making a lot of noise.

She was prepared.

After all, Yu Linglong is the top girl in the building. If there are no men vying for her, can she still be a cash cow?
Especially Song Twelve, he is handsome and capable.

The only shortcoming was that the madam felt that Song Xuan was like a naive youngster.

Seeing that there is no trace of lust in Yu Linglong's eyes, this is too abnormal!
Even the knowledgeable madam couldn't figure out what kind of women Song Xuan liked, after all, they didn't have much contact with each other.

So while there was a commotion outside, the madam knocked on the door and came in, placing twelve taels of gold wrapped in red cloth in front of the table.

"I hope Twelve-sir will accept it."

"Of course."

Song Xuan took the gold ingot and shook it. The current exchange rate was one catty and sixteen taels, so this amount of gold was still acceptable.

"This is what I earned through hard work. If you hang that calligraphy in your building, I guarantee you won't lose it."

"Yes, yes, if Twelve Lang can pass the imperial examination, I wonder how many people will come to ask for this calligraphy."

The madam quickly said some flattering words, then changed her tune:
"Then Shi Er Lang, do you think there is something wrong with my Linglong?"

"Not really."

Song Xuan pointed to the scarf beside him and said:
"It's better for her to wear a veil on weekdays. Men like that feeling of half-covering her face."

Yu Linglong and the madam both had expressions of disbelief in their eyes.

Do all men like it?
You don't like it?

"Shi Er Lang said so, he still doesn't like my Ling Long!"

The madam was bolder and even thought about finding a servant to serve Song Xuan.

"It's not like I like you. We just met by chance. There's no chance that I'll do anything for a woman."

Song Xuan put down the gold in his hand:
"I like girls with long legs and big breasts. Young girls like Yu Linglong who haven't opened their breasts yet are not my type."

Yu Linglong is totally a little loli.

Plus it's dry and shriveled.

Yu Linglong widened her eyes, a look of disbelief on her face.

Is Song Xuan a scholar?
Mother Ding had said a long time ago that scholars and officials all liked women like her.

Who would like a woman with long legs and big breasts?

The madam immediately understood Song Xuan's preference, but she couldn't call other girls in at this time.

Otherwise it would be a blow to Yu Linglong.

After all, the top courtesan came to accompany you, but you still asked someone else's lady to come in.

If that gets out, what value will the title of Oiran have in the future?
In addition, the madam had already made up her mind and was ready for Song Shier and Liu Qi to write poems to express their jealousy for Yu Linglong.

Let people spread it on the streets tomorrow.

How can you invite another woman in at this time!

Thinking of this, the madam quickly sat down:
"I understand what Shi Er Lang said, but it's hard to find a woman like this in such a hurry tonight."

"How about letting Twelve Lang rest here for a while and then leave later?"

"can."

Song Xuan picked up another piece of fruit.

Yu Linglong was sulking there!
What do you mean it’s not his cup of tea?
She doesn't understand.

Song Xuan is obviously a scholar, why does he like a woman like me like others!

Yu Linglong was very angry. As a top courtesan, she also had her own pride.

At least for now, no one has broken her self-esteem.

The madam secretly glared at Yu Linglong, signaling her not to be so petty.

How can you treat guests like this?
Do you really think they will respect you as much as they say?
To put it bluntly, you are just a plaything to them.

When someone is in a good mood, they want to play with you, but they must know their own identity.

Don’t ever think that just because you play the pipa well, you have any bargaining power!

People like Song Xuan who are quick-witted and outspoken are good people.

Yu Linglong lowered her head quickly, and after a while, a smile appeared on her lips:

"It's my fault that I didn't become the dish that Twelve Lang likes."

"Serious words, serious words."

Song Xuan glanced at the madam standing beside him and asked, "Didn't Miss Linglong grow up here since she was a child?"

"Shi Er Lang is right."

"She has been protected so well by you that she has no idea how dangerous the world is."

Song Xuan patted the snack crumbs in his hand:

"Please be more careful in the future."

"Thank you, Twelve Lang, for your warning. I will definitely remind her again in the future."

The madam stood up and saluted Song Xuan, but her eyes rolled back and she almost fell into Song Xuan's arms.

He was able to hold me up.

"Mother Ding." Yu Linglong exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?"

"That's all right." The madam closed her eyes and waved her hands, "I'll just sit for a while."

Song Xuan helped the madam sit down, and listened to her thanks and talk about her old ailment.

"Is Sister Ding always like this?"

The madam supported her head with one arm and nodded slightly.

"If it's convenient, I'll take your pulse and take a look."

Yu Linglong immediately asked back:
"Shi Er Lang, do you also know medical skills?"

She didn't believe it.

But the madam knew that Song Xuan was really knowledgeable in medicine, and that Dr. Wang from Songcheng had close contacts with him.

It is said that after Judge Gu was assassinated, it was Song Xuan who helped him stay in the human world for a few more days.

Anyway, there are all kinds of rumors.

But she believed that he had medical skills.

"Linglong, please don't ask me that. I am extremely grateful to Twelve Lang for extending a helping hand."

At thirty, you are already old and not suitable for this job.

It's not surprising that Mother Ding calls herself "old woman".

Besides, very few people in this line of work can live to old age.

Song Xuan didn't mind whether others believed it or not. This skill required more diagnosis so that one could review the old and learn the new.

Some old Chinese medicine practitioners would call their apprentices over before they died, ask them to feel their pulse, and then give them some final instructions.

Song Xuan held his breath and said with a smile after a while:

"Sister Ding is fine. She's just overtired and suffering from anemia since childhood. She needs to get more rest and eat red dates and other blood-boosting foods from time to time to slowly nourish her body."

Anemia since childhood.

Mother Ding didn't say much, but instead kept thanking her.

As for rest!

Will it still be valuable once she rests?

I'm afraid he has been replaced by someone long ago.

She didn't dare to rest!

Yu Linglong looked at Song Xuan taking her pulse and stood there in a daze for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Seeing that there was no point in staying any longer, Song Xuan put away the gold ingot wrapped in red cloth.
"Then I'll take my leave. It's too late, so I won't stay here. This is my first time here, so I'll just broaden my horizons with my classmates."

"Linglong, please send Shi Erlang out."

Yu Linglong woodenly saw Song Xuan out and saluted directly at the door.

After she returned, the madam could not help but say:

"It wasn't until today that I realized that the rumors about Song Twelve were actually true."

"what?"

Yu Linglong didn't quite understand what her mother Ding said.

"Song Twelve is a man of great ambitions, but Song City is too small to keep him."

Yu Linglong shook her head. "For someone like him who loves money over sex, is Mom sure he'll make the list?"

Mother Ding chuckled, not wanting to answer her simple question:

"Not only will I pass the exam, I might even have a problem winning the first place."

After saying this, the madam looked a little lonely. She had met many scholars.

But this was the first time she had met a scholar like Song Xuan.

So there are some things that cannot be understood without a certain amount of experience.

"I heard that the questions in the Yingtian Prefecture's exam this year are very difficult."

Yu Linglong herself can play the pipa and is extremely talented, but she still has to work very hard.

She didn't believe that someone like Song Xuan, at such a young age, could be both good at reading and good at medicine.

Where in the world can there be such a person?

(End of this chapter)