Chapter 004: The Land of Fireworks and Smoke

Before long, Yu'er returned.

Behind her followed a handsome young gentleman dressed all in white, graceful and refined — none other than the young talent renowned throughout Luoyang, a man of profound learning and immense wealth, Yuan Zhen!

By all logic, Wang Shao'ai and Yuan Zhen—one a notorious libertine, the other a young talent of distinction—should have been worlds apart, with no connection whatsoever.

After all, these are people from two different worlds.

But as it happened, the two shared a common hobby... A youth without wild oats is no youth at all!

To put it bluntly, it was visiting brothels.

Wang Shao'ai was fond of visiting brothels, lingering and forgetting to return in the land of smoke and flowers, while Yuan Zhen, as a young talent, did not shun such places like dirt, because in the Tang dynasty, this was not something that literati looked down upon.

In fact, many literati and poets of the Tang Dynasty enjoyed visiting such places.

In the Tang dynasty, there was even a famous story called "A Visit to the Immortals' Grotto." The so-called immortals' grotto was precisely the pleasure quarters—places of carnal delight.

First, people liked to poeticize their romantic and amorous affairs; second, visits to the pleasure quarters were indeed soul-stirring. Thus, when the ancients spoke of 'visiting immortals,' it often meant visiting prostitutes, just as Westerners say they are going to wash their hands when they actually mean to urinate.

Therefore, the pleasure quarters in Tang dynasty literature all convey a sense of fairyland.

Yuan Zhen was also influenced by this, and like Wang Shao'ai, he often went to such places, occasionally writing some brilliant poems there, which won him the favor of many courtesans.

He was far more dashing and carefree than Wang Shao'ai.

Often, some courtesans were even willing to pay out of their own pockets, just to obtain a poem from Yuan Zhen.

Wang Shao'ai naturally envied him to the core.

But this fellow was no fool; knowing Yuan Zhen's talent, he shamelessly latched onto him, pandering to his interests, and after a few comings and goings, became one of Yuan Zhen's disreputable friends.

The two often arranged to visit the pleasure quarters together.

"Brother Shao'ai!" Yuan Zhen entered, cupped his hands toward Wang Bo, and then exclaimed in surprise: "Why are you still sitting, Brother Shao'ai? Hurry and freshen up, change into clean clothes."

Wang Bo asked in surprise, "Why is that?"

Yuanzhen was taken aback and said, "Brother Shao'ai, have you forgotten our appointment today?"

Yu'er reminded him from the side, "Master, you've forgotten—you made an appointment with Young Master Yuanzhen today to go to Shuyuxuan together."

Upon hearing this, Wang Bo knew at once that Shuyu Pavilion was definitely a place of pleasure.

But he did not refuse, for in all his life, Wang Bo had never visited an ancient pleasure quarter.

After all, he was a modern man.

Now that he had finally come to ancient times, the nature of a man stirred within him, and he couldn't help but say, "Worthy brother, wait a moment—I'll go change my clothes right away. Liu'er, Yu'er, come and help."

Yu'er responded and hastily followed.

Liu'er curtsied to Yuanzhen and said softly, "Please wait a moment, young master. We shall go help the master change his clothes now."

Yuanzhen nodded and said, "Please urge Brother Shao'ai to hurry; we must not miss the appointed time."

Liu'er said, "On this point, please rest assured, young master."

With that, she turned and left.

About ten minutes later, Wang Bo returned to the hall in a change of clothes—an elegant cyan robe, a folding fan in his hand, and a jade pendant hanging at his waist.

Though not strikingly handsome, he possessed a rugged masculinity that was no less captivating.

Yuan Zhen looked at him for a moment and couldn't help saying, "Not seen for a few days, Brother Shao'ai seems to have been reborn, brimming with spirit and vitality. Truly, I wonder how many young ladies will be thinking of you day and night."

Wang Bo burst out laughing, pointed his folding fan at Yuan Zhen, and said, “How can your words be so hypocritical? It’s not me who makes the girls yearn day and night, but you, the renowned Young Master Yuan Zhen of Luoyang.”

Yuan Zhen hurriedly said, "Brother Shao'ai, you flatter me too much."

"All right, enough idle chatter, let's go." Wang Bo was already impatient to see how the pleasure quarters of ancient times differed from those on television.

Yuan Zhen nodded and replied, "There's no time to lose; let's go at once."

The two left the Wang residence, boarded a horse-drawn carriage, and proceeded on their way.

In less than half an hour, the coachman said, “Young Master, Master Wang, we have arrived at Shuyu Pavilion.”

Yuan Zhen lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down, with Wang Bo following close behind.

The moment they stepped down from the carriage, they noticed that the sky had already grown completely dark. The setting sun had vanished, and clusters of stars hung high in the night sky, brilliant and enchanting, yet far outshone by the myriad lights on either side of the street.

Wang Bo looked around. On this bustling street paved with blue flagstones, lantern after lantern hung high, illuminating the void and piercing the darkness. Even the star-filled sky overhead paled in comparison.

He couldn't help but think of a line: "A myriad homes ablaze with light, the night sky banished; for ten miles, silks and satins waft their fragrance on the breeze."

"Excellent, excellent." Yuan Zhen could not help but applaud vigorously, looking at Wang Bo with newfound respect. "The world says that Brother Shao'ai is a notorious good-for-nothing libertine of Luoyang, but with this line of poetry alone, I can tell that Brother Shao'ai possesses great talent."

"A myriad lights in homes, the sky knows no night; for ten li, silks and brocades, the wind itself is fragrant. Wonderfully said, but I feel this poem seems to have more—would Brother Shao'ai be willing to finish it, so that I, Yuan, may savor it fully?"

Wang Bo shook his head and said, “There is no more, just this one line. This line alone has drained every drop of literary talent from my belly, so my worthy brother should not expect a continuation.”

Yuan Zhen: ...

Wang Bo raised his head and swept his gaze around. Seeing a splendid pavilion with the three large characters "Shuyu Xuan" hanging above it, he couldn't help but pull Yuan Zhen inside. "Let's go. What are you standing there for? We've arrived at Shuyu Xuan."

Yuan Zhen had no choice but to follow Wang Bo inside.

As soon as the two entered the main hall, they heard a strain of decadent music—bells and chimes playing together, accompanied by flutes and pipes. It was like Suhe playing the pipa, or green bamboo blowing the bili.

Wang Bo looked around, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, appearing especially curious about every place.

But at the same time, Wang Bo also appeared rather ill at ease.

After all, he had never been to a place like this before.

Although Wang Shao'ai was a libertine, long a veteran of the battlefield of love, he was Wang Shao'ai, and Wang Bo was Wang Bo—the two were not the same.

Fortunately, he had an old hand by his side.

Yuan Zhen, having recovered from his earlier gloom, had long since opened his heart and was guiding Wang Bo through this pleasure quarter. After finding a place to sit, they wholeheartedly admired the Hu dancers performing on stage.

In the main hall of Shuyu Pavilion, there was a lotus-shaped stage where several gorgeously dressed foreign dancers stepped to the music and danced gracefully, their alluring postures and wafting fragrance drawing cheers from the men below.

Wang Bo couldn't help but be greatly amazed.

Just then, a brothel attendant came over.