I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 376 Jade Slave
As the moon rose above the willow branches, the painted boats on the Wusong River were brightly lit, teeming with people, and filled with laughter and merriment.

The most bustling pleasure boat was the Yang family's pleasure boat, moored in the middle of the river.

After the grand gathering of scholars and intellectuals concluded, Yang An, as was customary, invited them to enjoy the night view of the Wusong River, listen to songs and dances, and compose poems.

Looking at the pleasure boats coming and going on the Wusong River, Mingjing sighed, "The last time I took a boat trip was for the Qingtan Conference last year. A year has passed in the blink of an eye. The scenery on the Wusong River remains the same, and the prosperity is even greater than before."

"It is clear that the people of Jiangnan live in peace and contentment, and there is absolutely no need for the imperial court to intervene in reforms, especially since it is just a woman!"

"Hmph! That woman is short-sighted; what does she know about important court affairs? It's clear His Majesty appoints his relatives and cronies."

“Brother Ming!” Yang An interrupted, “Today we will only talk about romance and nature, and not about state affairs or mundane matters.”

Ming Jing realized he had spoken too quickly and almost said something he shouldn't have. "Brother Yang is right. Come, let's drink. Today we must drink until we're both drunk!"

"What's the fun in being drunk?" Yang An swirled his wine cup. "A new lady has arrived at Qingyan Pavilion. She plays the pipa beautifully. Brother Ming, would you be interested in hearing her play?"

"Oh?" Ming Jing's eyes lit up. He loved the sound of the pipa more than anything in his life. As a great Confucian scholar, he could not lower himself to learn the pipa, so he had to search everywhere for someone who was good at playing the pipa.

Unfortunately, the pipa is a musical instrument from the Western Regions, and there are not many people in the Great Yu region who can play the pipa, let alone those who are skilled at it. Ming Jing traveled all over the territory of the Great Yu region, but he still could not find a single courtesan who suited his taste.

Unexpectedly, upon returning to Suzhou, I encountered such a person.

Even someone as discerning as Yang An thought it was good, which shows that the musician was indeed exceptionally skilled.

Thinking this, Ming Jing became somewhat impatient, "Where is he?"

"Brother Ming, please be patient. I have already sent someone to invite him."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the steward came over to report, "Master, Miss Yu Nu has arrived."

"Brother Ming, please."

Mingjing returned to the elegant hall first, where he saw a woman standing in the middle. The woman wore a long blue dress, her long black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and she had a slender waist. Just by looking at her back, one could tell that she was a beauty.

Ming Jing clenched his fingers, walked to his seat, and casually glanced at the woman's face, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

The woman had a beautiful and refined appearance, but unlike ordinary prostitutes who wore heavy makeup, she wore no powder on her face except for lip rouge on her full lips.

The woman gently bowed and said, "This humble servant is Yu Nu, greetings to all the gentlemen."

Yang An sat in the head seat and said with a smile, "Miss, there's no need for such formalities. Someone, please have a seat."

The servant brought over a stool and placed it behind Yu Nu.

Yu Nu thanked her, but did not sit down.

"We have long heard that a young lady named Yu Nu has come to Qingyan Pavilion. Not only is she exceptionally beautiful, but she also plays the pipa beautifully. It is truly our good fortune to have her here today."

Yu Nu smiled slightly, "Mr. Hongru, you flatter me. It is my honor to play the pipa for you gentlemen."

Yu Nu sat on a stool, tuning her pipa as she asked, "Which piece would you gentlemen like to hear?"

Yang An glanced at Ming Jing, and seeing that he didn't speak, he said, "Miss Yu Nu, please play the piece you are good at!"

"I have recently acquired a new piece of music called 'The Song of the Pipa.' If you gentlemen would not mind, I would like to play and sing it for you."

"please!"

Yu Nu's slender, jade-like fingers touched the pipa, and a clear, crisp sound immediately rang out, silencing the entire painted boat as everyone listened attentively. "At night, on the streets of Xunyang, I saw off a guest, the maple leaves and reeds rustling in the autumn breeze. The host dismounted, the guest remained on the boat, raising their cups to drink, but there was no music... Lightly plucking and slowly strumming, first the 'Rainbow Skirt' and then the 'Six Melodies'."

When Yu Nu sang this part, she suddenly switched to opera singing: "The large strings clang like a sudden rain, the small strings whisper like a private conversation, like a private conversation... The Jiangzhou Sima's blue robe is wet with tears."

When the music ended, you could hear a pin drop on the painted boat.

Yang An was the first to clap, and the others, snapping out of their reverie from the pipa music, joined in with cheers and applause.

It took Mingjing a while to pull himself out of his reverie about the lyrics and music, and he hurriedly asked, "Who wrote this piece?"

Yu Nu shook her head, "This servant does not know who that person is."

"How could I not know?" Mingjing pressed. "How could someone of such great talent be unknown?"

Which writer doesn't care about fame? Even if he was unknown before, he will become famous after writing this piece!
“I dare not deceive you, sir. This song was given to me by a down-on-his-luck beggar,” Yu Nu explained. “The beggar came from who-knows-where and wandered to the banks of the Wusong River. He had not eaten for many days. I couldn’t bear it, so I gave him a few steamed buns. To repay the kindness, he wrote this poem for me.”

"I was overjoyed to have found such a treasure, and I worked day and night to compose and sing this poem."

"So that's how it is," Mingjing murmured.

Kind-hearted people give food to those in distress, and a down-on-his-luck scholar composes a song in gratitude. Yu Nu tells this wonderful story that only exists in storybooks, which arouses the admiration of Confucian scholars and literati, who admire Confucianism and are inspired to write poetry.

Mingjing, however, did not want to compose a poem. He kept thinking about Yu Nu's recitation of "The Song of the Pipa" and wanted to discuss it in depth with Yu Nu, but he was hesitant to speak because of the stares of the people around him.

Yang An's eyes flashed, and he looked up at Yu Nu.

Yu Nu nodded almost imperceptibly, stood up and said, "It's time, I should return to Qingyan Pavilion." With that, she bowed and slowly retreated, holding her pipa.

Mingjing suddenly stood up and was about to chase after Yu Nu.

"Brother Ming!" Yang An stepped in front of him and whispered, "Brother Ming, you mustn't be impatient in front of everyone."

Through the window, Mingjing watched as Yu Nu, supported by her maid, crossed the stepping stone and boarded another painted boat. He called out anxiously, "Brother Yang!"

"Brother Ming, don't you trust me?" Yang An reassured him. "I have already made arrangements for you, just like in previous years."

Seeing the confident smile on Yang An's lips, Ming Jing barely managed to suppress his restless heart and continued to the banquet.

As the moon rose high in the sky, Yang An sent men to escort the drunken scholars home one by one. Then he took off the jade pendant from his waist and said, "Brother Ming, Miss Yunu has finished dressing up and is waiting for you on the painted boat."

"Thank you, Brother Yang!" Mingjing took the jade token, pushed away the servant who was helping him, jumped onto the small boat that came to fetch him, and after sitting down in the cabin, he urged the boatman to row faster.

The boatman readily agreed, rowing the small boat swiftly past a group of pleasure boats, heading towards one of them on the lakeshore.

"Have someone keep a close eye on things, so nothing goes wrong!"

"Don't worry, sir. The men under my command are all used to this job, and nothing will go wrong."

Yang An nodded. This was his most capable manager, someone who always put his mind at ease.

But for some reason, Yang An had a bad feeling. "You go and keep an eye on things yourself tonight."

The steward agreed, turned around, boarded a small boat waiting nearby, and rowed towards the pleasure boat.

Exhausted from a busy day, Yang An didn't want to take a carriage back to the Yang family ancestral home. He ordered the painted boat to dock and found a Yang family villa to rest.

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