fake gentry

Xie Hong left the hall, silently chanting to himself, "Come quickly, come quickly."

"Phoenix arrives!"

Hearing Shen Chong's voice coming from behind, Xie Hong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Damn it.

If no one chases after me, I'm in big trouble. I didn't have any money on me when I left Chaisang.

"Lord Shen, did the Duke send you to kill me?"

Xie Hong turned around and gave Shen Chong an arrogant look.

Shen Chong strode forward and grabbed his hand: "How could the Prime Minister kill Feng Zhi? Come with me quickly, the Prime Minister has already arranged accommodations for Xie Lang."

Wang Dun arranged for Xie Hong to stay in the military camp on the east side of Anle Palace, where Lu Wan, Wen Qiao, and others lived.

Anle Palace was originally the sleeping quarters of the King of Wu, and now it naturally became the residence of Wang Dun.

Shen Chong personally led Xie Hong through corridors and passageways to a secluded courtyard on the east side of the Wu King's Palace. Then, he turned to look at Xie Hong, his tone full of admiration: "Is Feng Zhi truly not afraid of death?"

Xie Hong laughed and said, "Who isn't afraid? But I... I really am that kind of man."

Shen Chong was silent for a moment, glanced around, and then said in a low voice, "Young Master Xie, please listen to me. The Prime Minister not only spared your life but also treated you with the respect due to a renowned scholar. Even Xie Youyu was not treated this way. Tonight, a private banquet will be held to entertain you. Do you know that there will never be another person in the world who treats you like the Prime Minister?"

Xie Hong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Lord Shen, I will not join the Duke's staff. As Confucius said, 'Those who follow different paths cannot make plans together.' I have already explained the Duke's predicament in the main hall just now. You should understand this, Lord Shen. I know you value righteousness, but the Duke's ambitions are surely just a mirage."

Shen Chong was taken aback and asked, "What is meant by 'a flower in a mirror and the moon in the water'?"

Xie Hong chuckled: "A flower in a mirror, the moon in the water—you can see it, but you can't touch it."

Shen Chong suddenly realized, then stared at Xie Hong for a long while before finally shaking his head helplessly.

"Enough, I won't try to persuade you, Xie Lang, and you shouldn't try to persuade me either. But there is something I must tell you. The Prime Minister has ordered that you may move freely within the palace, but you are not allowed to leave. All your daily expenses will be provided according to the standards for a military officer. The Prime Minister has given his orders..."

Shen Chong paused for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat subtle: "From this moment on, Song Yi will be Feng Zhi's concubine."

Xie Hong thought he had misheard and froze on the spot.

Having grown accustomed to Xie Hongtian's fearless demeanor along the way, Shen Chong felt a strange sense of pleasure seeing him finally reveal a hint of youthful embarrassment.

He winked at Xie Hong, a hint of mischief in his voice: "Could it be that Xie Lang is still a virgin?"

Xie Hong...

Shen Chong laughed heartily, patted Xie Hong on the shoulder, and then turned and strode away.

Xie Hong watched Shen Chong's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, feeling a mix of emotions.

Shen Chong was not a bad person; he just chose the wrong side.

He really wanted to bring him back, or even subdue him, as he was definitely a fierce general who could bring his own rations and even heal Xie Hong.

But what is Shen Chong's current status?

He was the governor of Wu and was also appointed Grand Commander by Wang Dun, in charge of the military affairs of Eastern Wu, with power comparable to that of a governor of a prefecture.

As he stood there in a daze, he suddenly heard a series of light footsteps behind him.

Turning around, I saw Song Yi holding a pipa, with eight beautiful maids behind him, standing under the eaves with their heads bowed.

Her eyes were still slightly red, but there was a hint of shy joy in her expression, clearly indicating that she already knew where she was going.

Xie Hong looked at her, not knowing what to say.

A beauty who could leave her mark on history actually became his concubine?

Song Yi is about one or two years older than Xi Xuan, and in terms of appearance, she seems to be three points more beautiful, but in terms of temperament, they are different.

The thought of someone being handed over as a gift from one person to another, with no choice whatsoever, always made Xie Hong feel uneasy.

But that's just how this era is.

Concubines had no independent status and belonged entirely to their master as private property. The master could freely transfer, exchange, or even use them as stakes.

On the contrary, singing girls are much better than concubines.

Concubines only needed to please with their beauty, but singers had to be proficient in Qing Shang music or other artistic skills such as dance.

Song Yi was a top-tier courtesan. In Wang Dun's presence, she was naturally a concubine, but in front of renowned scholars like Wen Qiao and Lu Wan, she could even receive treatment equivalent to that of a noble family based on her talent.

Of course, even the most top-tier singers are essentially still appendages of the powerful and wealthy, and can be transferred at will.

"Do you...have a nickname?"

Song Yi was taken aback when Xie Hong asked her nickname. She paused for a moment, then immediately raised her head and curtsied to Xie Hong: "I was sold when I was young and originally had no name. Song Yi was a name given to me by my master. You may call me A Yi, my lord."

Xie Hong thought to himself, "You're taking advantage of me." But he swallowed the words back and walked into the courtyard.

He can't be said to be in dire straits, but being confined to the Wu King's palace, where he could lose his head at any moment, he has no time to flirt with beautiful women.

He had no better way to get out of there at the moment, so he could only settle down for the time being.

This is a courtyard house, which has been swept very clean. The interior is also very spacious, with side rooms on one side and utility rooms on the other. There are even stables and outhouses, which can accommodate twenty or thirty people.

Song Yi followed in, carrying her pipa. She was very observant and asked softly, "Is my lord satisfied? If there is anything you are not satisfied with, I will instruct the servants to take care of it."

Xie Hong waved his hand and said, "No need, it's fine. Ah... Yi, tell them to go about their business. I want to wander around."

Song Yi led the beautiful maids to bow to Xie Hong, then ordered them to leave. She then said to Xie Hong, "Young master, you may not know that this place was originally the residence of Lord Youyu."

Xie Hong exclaimed in surprise, "How can I, a mere commoner, be allowed to live in the Chief Secretary's residence?"

Song Yi smiled gently and said, "I have never seen the Prime Minister value someone so much, except for you, my lord."

Xie Hong raised his hand and gestured towards his neck: "I'm afraid the speed at which you died is unique, isn't it?"

Song Yi was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she was about to kneel down to apologize.

Xie Hong glared at him and said, "What are you kneeling for? You're not allowed to kneel in front of me from now on. If you don't obey, you can return me!"

Song Yi's knee, which was bent halfway, abruptly stopped and snapped back.

She understood what returning the goods meant.

If she were to be returned, Wang Dun would naturally be reluctant to kill her, but she was unwilling to be returned.

Even if Wang Dun held a high position and great power, he was still a decrepit old man. How could he compare to a handsome young man like Xie Langjun?

Moreover, Song Yi wasn't stupid. Xie Hong had almost pointed his finger at Wang Dun and cursed him in the main hall, but Wang Dun just smiled and let it go. His words shocked all the famous scholars and dignitaries in the hall, and even Qian Feng was speechless.

So, if you follow Xie Langjun, how could you worry about not having a chance to succeed?

After visiting Xie Kun's former residence, Xie Hong discovered many of Xie Kun's belongings. He didn't touch any of them, but returned to the main hall and instructed the servants to boil water so he could take a bath.

He was itchy all over from the long journey.

There was a well in the backyard, and the servants quickly boiled hot water. Song Yi was going to serve Xie Hong a bath, but Xie Hong, having already been influenced by Aheng and Aling, wasn't embarrassed at all.

After taking a bath, Song Yi brought clean, bright clothes for Xie Hong to wear on the boat.

The Mingyi is a close-fitting shirt made of light and thin silk. After bathing, when the body is not completely dry, the Mingyi can quickly breathe. It was the most common dressing habit of scholars at that time. After bathing and taking medicine, they often wore this thing to run around, almost like running naked.

But Xie Hong wasn't used to it.

Wearing this thing is like wearing nothing at all; what kind of talk is this, acting all nonchalant?

So he directly asked for a loose and breathable white oversized shirt to wear, which made Song Yi keep covering her mouth and giggling.

Is Xie Langjun still a virgin?

Seeing Xie Hong staring intently at her, Song Yi blushed and quickly lowered her head.

Xie Hong looked at the Ke Ting flute at her waist and suddenly became interested: "Take the flute and use it."

Song Yi was slightly taken aback, then quickly presented the Ke Ting flute with both hands and asked softly, "Does the young master also know how to play the flute?"

Xie Hong did not answer, but took the Ke Ting flute in his hand and examined it carefully.

The flute is played horizontally and the xiao vertically, but in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the flute and xiao were not distinguished. The vast majority of flutes were played vertically, although some were played horizontally. However, the Keting flute was a vertical flute.

He wiped it clean, then put it to his lips and tried a few notes. The flute sounded clear and melodious, better than any xiao he had ever played before, and far superior to the Jiao Wei Qin.

He took a deep breath and began to blow.

He was playing the official theme song of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4: Dream of Immortals".

The sound of a flute drifted from the courtyard, mournful and plaintive, like weeping and lamenting, carrying far beyond the walls.

Song Yi stood there, as if nailed to the spot.

She had been learning the flute since childhood and was quite accomplished. She had heard countless pieces of music, but she had never heard a melody like this before.

The sound of the flute reached Anle Palace. Wang Dun tilted his head and listened for a moment, then frowned slightly and turned to ask Qian Feng, "The Xie family's son can play the flute?"

Qian Feng said, "This voice is powerful and resonant; it must be Xie's son, not Song Yi's."

Wang Dun slowly closed his eyes and began to listen carefully.

Wen Qiao was discussing with Lu Wan how to persuade Wang Dun to release Xie Hong when he heard the flute music. His eyes widened in disbelief as he murmured, "The Liezi records that King Mu of Zhou rode eight steeds to Kunlun, where the Queen Mother of the West feasted him at Yaochi. This is probably what is meant by celestial music. This music seems to be able to make one's soul leave the body, travel to the heavens, and then return."

Lu Wan sighed, "This music should only exist in heaven; this boy is truly a god-like figure."