CH 28

Although the Night Creation festival would not officially begin until evening arrived, by the hour of Shen (t/n: the time between 3 and 5 PM), Fei Cui Court had already been besieged from inside out by swarms of people – even across the street, spectators had also occupied any vacant space on top of the walls. Right down the next street, the tavern took advantage of its building’s considerable height with the top floor that allowed one to partially capture the scene, thus not even bothering to continue its regular business – all because during such an occasion, nothing else would yield better profit than the selling of seats. 

After taking his sweet time to finish the meal, Jing Qi finally headed out with Wu Xi, filling the air with endless chatters on various topics as they sauntered down the street. Witnessing the vast sea of people upon his arrival, Wu Xi took in a lungful of the cold air: there had always existed some fear within him when it came to visiting crowded places, thus he could not help but blurt out quietly: “Why are there this many people?”

Unfortunately, due to the deafening commotion from in the surroundings, these words were unable to reach Jing Qi’s ears. 

On the other hand, Jing Qi had soon come to this realization, thus he had deliberately brought along a few tall and burly bodyguards – as soon as the group arrived, these men proved to be useful, specifically in helping to clear the roads. Fearing that the crowd would push them apart, Jing Qi extended his arm and took a firm hold of Wu Xi’s hand. In this chilly weather of the autumn night, Jing Qi’s palm was of tender warmth, yet his fingers were of wintry cold. Wu Xi felt a shiver pass through his body, and the skin on his hand became remarkably more sensitive to that touch. He noticed that the hand of this person was much smaller compared to his own, and those fingers were also considerably more delicate; however, they carried the special kind of strength that could only be felt from a man’s grasp, along with the calluses residing on the tip of his fingers, which did not seem to be the marks left after having held a pen for too long.2

The struggle they had to go through in order to go inside Fei Cui Court was nowhere near easy, and someone finally came out to greet them. As soon as Ping An handed over the invitation card, they were immediately and attentively escorted to the private room upstairs. 

Zhou Zishu and He Yunxing had already long arrived by the time Jing Qi’s group entered the room — on one side, there was Su Qingluan whose presence was specifically to keep them company, along with several other young maidens with exquisite charm and beauty who were waiting to serve these guests. He Yunxing said with a smile: “You finally arrived! Brother Zishu almost thought that we couldn’t have the honor to receive you both today. Here, drink your forfeit! Drink!” 

His Highness the Crown Prince was not present, nor was Lu Shen the disciple of great sages — in some respects, those young men who showed up could be considered birds of the same feather, thus were given much freedom to fool around and have rumpus without restraint that night. 

Jing Qi did not refuse that offer – he took the drink into his hand in great delight and drained the cup in one gulp before casually sitting down, a smile on his face as he commented: “The flavor of flower wine has always been very distinctive – I can even drink a few more jars. Brother Yunxing, when has there ever been any fun time without me?” 

He Yunxing laughed: “Since you all have made it here, I can guarantee that your trip today was anything but fruitless! Beiyuan, let me tell you one thing: if you had not come to partake in this grand occasion, all the admiration of beauty and immersion in romance would simply be in vain.” 

A smile grazed Jing Qi’s lips; without saying anything in return, he poured himself another cup and thought, You little youngster, the number of experiences this grandpa has with “Night Creation” is more than the number of times you have ever heard about it.

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Nonetheless, he was simply sitting there on the side with a beaming face while watching He Yunxing get carried away and enthusiastically pull Wu Xi around to boast and blither. 

“Young Sorcerer, hurry over here and take a look! Do you see that stage below?”

Wu Xi followed He Yunxing’s gaze and looked over downstairs; came into his view was a giant stage that was mounted in the center of the main hall with flowers overflowing at its base; at a first glance, it seemed to have been built out of these blossoms. Adjacent to the elevated platform was a small staircase of a slightly narrower and more delicate build in comparison to those of the usual kind, yielding the feeling of featherlike grace and refinement as the maiden made her up the stage. 

Although the stage was set up at an elevated height, it was perfect enough for everything to be in plain sight in the eyes of the visitors sitting in the main hall below and in the private rooms from the upper level. After appraising it for a long time, Wu Xi finally commented: “Looking at its appearance, I find that it resembles somewhat the altars we use back home to worship the deities.”

He Yunxing was stupefied. Just then, he seemed to have gotten too carried away — although Wu Xi’s presence was often seen at Jing Qi’s residence, once the greetings were exchanged, the other party would also shut his mouth without fail, and hardly would Wu Xi ever give a response like how he did today. As a result, the Young Marquis who already had the tendency of a babbler became even more eager and excited, thus, without sparing another thought, he asked away: “What do you people use that altar for?”

“Ah?” Wu Xi was slightly taken aback — after a long while, to the point that He Yunxing had begun to lose hope of hearing an answer from the other person, Wu Xi finally opened his mouth: “Our altar is dedicated for making offerings to the Great Deity Jia Xi. In order to conduct this ritual, we need to use livestock and blood of the five poisonous creatures. There are also our ancestral memorial rites…”

He Yunxing immediately realized that he had asked the wrong question.

Wu Xi continued, his face void of expressions: “The ancestors whom we hold the memorial rites for often have been killed by the enemies; therefore, the head of their enemy will be displayed on the altar, and the blood of the enemy must be splashed on each step and trodden on as we walk up.”

He Yunxing’s complexion was somberly pale. 

Yet Jing Qi was nodding his head; wearing a humorless and solemn expression on his face, he said: “That is actually not wrong. When you put it like that, I can see there is a little resemblance.”

Wu Xi looked at him strangely and asked: “You know what our altar looks like?”

Jing Qi shook his head and thought to himself, Can there even be any difference? They all are platforms to display human flesh.

Of course, bearing in mind that this pertained to the religion of people from South Xinjiang, Jing Qi did not allow these words to part from his lips. From there, he simply walked over and leaned against the railings, his finger pointing at a few big baskets in the corner that had been filled up with flowers as he explained: “Do you see those? Later on, when the event begins, someone will come and bring those flowers here. If you take a liking to any of these girls, just throw a flower as she ascends the stage — there will be people who are assigned to collect her flowers. However, such practice is not meant for these maidens to compete against each other, and that is because the emphasis of ‘Night Creation of the Orchid Chamber' lies chiefly within the word ‘creation’ as grace and liveliness are to be sought, and harmony to be valued. All the ladies will be sitting in the back — if you fancy anyone, you can write down her stage name on a card of admiration and have it delivered to her hand; if she is also willing…”

Jing Qi erupted in laughter, one that was totally up to no good, and lightly swept a glance over with his peach blossom eyes: “Then, ‘ones can only wish to be a pair of lovebirds, envy not the life of an immortal’.”

Zhou Zishu asked in astonishment: “Your Little Royal Highness, have you truly never partaken in this ‘Night Creation’ gathering? How did you come to acquire such a thorough and crystal clear understanding of it?”

Jing Qi coughed softly: “What is so rare and unusual about this? When it comes to the kind of squandering gold and silver at Zhang Tai (1) shops and establishments, aren’t there only a few story patterns to be repeated over and over again? I might have yet to taste pork, but I certainly would have already seen pigs running.”

As soon as these words left his mouth, it immediately came to his attention that Wu Xi had been staring at him with a pair of eyes rather filled with contempt which clearly spoke: “you even dare to say you are not that kind of person.” Jing Qi could only feel his nose then return to his seat without another utterance.2

The crowd had yet to wait long before the string of lantern lights encircling the main hall was covered and everything fell into dimness. Procuress Li of Fei Cui Court brought along two little maids and personally went up to pay respect to all the guests — even the group of men who had been rambunctiously making a scene had to quiet down. Soon after, there came the servants assigned with carrying the flowers and distributing them to each of the guests.

One by one, maidens in fluttering, joyful shade of rose and jade ascended the stage amid the playing of both elegant tune and folk music, all were alluring and charming in their rouge.

With discussions exchanged in low whispers, the guests in the private rooms upstairs were comparatively reserved. On the other hand, the main hall was bursting in excitement and astir with loud shouts of comments and applause; some of them were extremely vulgar, and some were beyond obscene for one’s ears.

Wu Xi has been watching for a while, yet he only felt insipidity and tastelessness from those songs and dance full of fawning attempts. Originally, he intended to come along and see it with his own eyes since he was unable to fathom Jing Qi’s words; but at that moment, it finally dawned on him what the other person had meant by “standing in front of the large crowd and allowing others to point fingers and whisper frivolous remarks about their appearance.”

Wu Xi thought about how it had turned out to be entirely different from the festivals from his hometown, where the young ladies from their clan partook in singing and dancing as some of the young men went as far as openly conveying the admiration held in their hearts; and that was because all the clansmen only looked at the females with the eyes full of tender kindness, like those of a father, a brother, and a lover. They treated the maidens with respect and still found joy when they were urged to join in the dance. 1

Unlike this place.

He felt that those maidens with dazzling charms and beauty who were standing on that stage were truly pitiful: not only that others were treating them with disdain, but they were also disdaining themselves. 

As a matter of fact, there was nothing elegant about this “Orchid Chamber” at all. 

The atmosphere was gradually being brought to its climax; and at that moment, Jing Qi stumbled over with two jars of wine in his hands. After giving one to Wu Xi, he casually and carelessly leaned against the railing, leaving little distance between him and the other young man. Noticing the aroma of wine lingering on Jing Qi’s body, Wu Xi recalled catching a glimpse of this person and Zhou Zishu like two drunkards with endless rounds of “One cup for you and one cup for me, we won’t be done until we are drunk” just moments ago — indeed, it seemed like he had overdone it.

Jing Qi’s gaze traveled down the stage and stayed on the girl who was singing “Gazing to the South of the River” (2) while playing the ruan (3). Then, unexpectedly he began to tap his fingers on the carved railing, his singing voice quietly blended in with the instrument’s melody: “Don’t hold onto me, for it would only make my heart waver. I am the willow drooping by the side of the Winding River. This person breaks me, that other grabs. Their love lasts only a moment…”  1

The sound of his voice was very low as if it was a soft whisper by the ear, rending hearts in the sorrowful hum; yet, for some inexplicable reason, he had chosen to stifle more of the vibration in his voice compared to that girl, singing lyrics like “greener than grass” and “redder than fire” (4) which harmonized even more to the tune she played. A soulmate does not only listen to the words of the song but to the unsung meaning within. 

Wu Xi suddenly felt the tickling sensation creeping on his ears, thus could not help but turn his around: “What did you say?”

Jing Qi raised an eyebrow and smiled. Gesturing at the maiden who was gracefully gathering her sleeves for a curtsy, he whispered under his breath: “Have you seen the smile on her face?”

Wu Xi gazed over and nodded his head in silence — that maiden appeared to be fifteen or sixteen at most, a smile beaming radiantly on her face, yet, for a nameless reason, invoked a feeling of agony in the hearts of others. 

“The red belt on her waist indicates that she is the girl whose chastity has yet to be taken (5). Her singing today was not bad at all; quite a number of people have just thrown their flowers to her just now. It seems like her first night can be bought at a good price today,” Jing Qi mumbled heedlessly.1

There have always been pearly tears soaking fine silk robes, as has always stood the young nobleman who turned away unfaithfully and ungratefully.

A low and long sigh tenderly left Jing Qi’s lips — its sound, unbeknownst to one which part from the past or present life it was drawn over, made Wu Xi’s heart tremble lightly, and he could not help but reach out his hands to hold the other man’s shoulders: “You drank too much.”

Jing Qi gave a few nods of his head: “Mm, I drank too much…  But even with as much wine that I had, only for a while could I drown in this drunkenness. What else can I do? Mundane affairs flow with the stream, fleeting life stays a prolonged illusion…” 

All of a sudden, he pulled away from Wu Xi, his hand picking up a flower; and, with much force, he flung it down to the stage and raised his voice: “I have taken a fancy to this young lady!”

Once his declaration was finished, tottering and wobbling, he immediately wanted to find his way downstairs. Ping An, having stood on one side, followed along in hurry; even Su Qingluan who was accompanying them during the wine drinking also rose to her feet, worries tinted her voice: “Your Royal Highness…”

Wu Xi gave her a few dismissive waves of his hand: “It is alright, I am going to follow along and take a look as well.”

Yet, who would have thought that by the time that one single sentence was completed, Jing Qi and Ping An had already been engulfed in the sea of people crowding at the main hall; and in an instant, there remained no more trace of these two.

Wu Xi furrowed his brows as worries heightened a little in his heart. Fearing that the other man in his drunken state would encounter a mishap, he immediately turned around and motioned A Xin Lai to come along. Since A Xin Lai who used to be the most skilled bird hunter back in their clan possessed incredibly good eyesight, Wu Xi tugged him over and asked: “Help me to take a look and find out where Nan Ning Wang has gone just now.”

Although A Xin Lai could battle against the most cunning prey in the dense forest, when standing amidst the noisy bustles of the crowd as the reek of rouge and wine weaved together and assailed his nose like this, he could only be rendered somewhat muddleheaded. He widened his pair of eyes that were shaped like bronze bells and scanned the place; after a good amount of time had passed, he turned around and looked at Wu Xi with a hint of embarrassment: “Young Sorcerer, this is really…”   

Wu Xi could only heave a sigh: “I will go down and look for him.”

From the beginning with, he was indeed very sensitive to smell — it was acceptable when they were staying in the private room upstairs; however, the moment he stepped foot in the main hall, a burst of peculiar and miscellaneous scents imbued in cloying sweetness from the mingling crowds immediately rushed towards his nostrils, causing him to choke up in a sneeze and suffer a surge of nausea.  

As the young ladies whose beauty was of scarlet blossoms and verdant willows passed by, they would all try to steal a glance of this handsome young man. Some of the women even deliberately rub their bodies against him, leaving Wu Xi with no choice but to drag A Xin Lai over to become his shield. Poor him, the South Xinjiang fellow of eight-foot height, whose face did not take long to flame up to the deepest shade of red and purple, as if his vessels were about to burst into bleeding. 

The maiden whom Jing Qi had declared to “take a fancy to” just right then already stepped down from the stage, and another one already walked up in replacement; yet, Jing Qi was still nowhere to be found. Wu Xi darted his eyes around in cluelessness, his brows still tightly knitted together. He truly disliked this place.

Suddenly, someone standing beside suddenly tugged him over. Wu Xi turned his head around and immediately saw that person was Ping An. The latter placed the index fingers against his lips to hint silence from the other two before saying in a low whisper: “Young Sorcerer, come with me this way.”

Amid the ongoing dizziness induced by the incense burned in the main hall, Wu Xi became level-headed at once — he knew that Ping An was the most loyal person, and if Jing Qi had been running helter-skelter around during the state of intoxication, it would have been impossible for him to leave his master alone to come over here. Wu Xi immediately understood that there must have been something, thus threw a signal glance at A Xin Lai and soundlessly moved along the wall with Ping An in order to slip outside.

It turned out that at one secluded corner of the main hall there existed a side gate almost undetectable to the eyes. Ping An beckoned them and took both the master and the guard outside from that exit. As soon as they stepped outside, a blast of wintry air immediately struck, sending a quiver through Wu Xi’s body — he then finally asked Ping An: “What is going on? Where is your prince?”

Ping An answered: “His Royal Highness is waiting for you, Young Sorcerer. This way, please.”

After walking a long, narrow, and winding path with multiple turns, Ping An finally led them into a small room that appeared to be the resting place for Fei Cui Court’s servants. The moment their feet crossed the threshold, they saw Jing Qi and a middle-aged man in coarse clothing already sitting inside. This legendary Nan Ning Wang who fooled around in his drunken madness seemed sober to the point he could not sober up any further. 

------------ End of Chapter 28 -----------

Translator’s note:

(1) Zhang Tai (章台) is the name of a famous street in Chang An that had a lot of brothels during the Tang Dynasty

(2) “Gazing to the South of the River”, or “Wang Jiangnan” (望江南), is a folk song that was composed during the Tang dynasty.

(3) The ruan is a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument with a circular body and four strings. The ruan comes in 5 different sizes, and the one mentioned in this chapter is the small ruan. It is different from the pipa, which has a pear-shaped body. 

(4) Quoted from the poem Recalling Jiangnan (忆江南) by Bai Juyi (白居易) 

(5) In the original text, Priest used 梳拢, which means “combing hair”, a word indicating that the courtesan had just “served” her first customer.