El viaje de un mendigo alrededor del mundo

Capítulo 1

1. There is a woman in the city known for her frivolous nature...

In the spring of the ninth year of Yuanzuo's reign, the wise and virtuous Emperor Yuanzuo died young, and Prince Xiang ascended the throne, changing the era name to Datong.

From then on, the dynasty entered an era of incompetent rulers—or rather, a period of harmony. Fortunately, the previous wise ruler had laid a solid foundation for the dynasty, so in the early years of the Great Harmony, the world could barely maintain a prosperous appearance.

After discovering that the new, incompetent ruler, aside from being truly incompetent, seemed to lack any tyrannical or cruel traits, the people resumed their optimistic and positive lives. This positive national image and the high quality of the people were reflected in the thriving entertainment industry of the capital.

Have you not heard of the Xiaoyao Tea House, where one can savor fragrant tea and learn about the affairs of the world?

Have you not seen how talented men and beautiful women, after reading countless books, find joy in the world of happiness?

Even more so in the Red Powder Lane in the west of the city, where countless romantic figures have been buried.

"Today, this old man is going to talk about this joyous day!"

In the Xiaoyao Tea House, Old Zhang, the tea master, slammed his gavel, glanced around, and was pleased to see the engrossed expressions of everyone in the audience, except for one girl by the window. That girl was dressed in a woman's dress, but her hair was tied up high in a masculine style. She looked utterly bored, as if waiting for someone, showing no interest whatsoever.

Old Zhang raised his voice.

"Huanxitian is a bookstore, and it's the biggest bookstore in Beijing. Although the name sounds like a brothel, it's actually—it's not really a proper place at all!"

Everyone smiled knowingly.

"If you call it the biggest bookstore, it has everything from classics and historical texts to poetry, calligraphy, and paintings. If you don't call it a bookstore, what else could it be but books filling the shelves and the store? Everyone says that literature carries the Way, and while I can't speak for other books, I swear on my life that the books in Huanxitian truly do carry the Way!"

Everyone slapped the table and laughed, echoing their agreement.

"Besides its books, the most famous thing about Huanxitian is its manager. This manager is no ordinary person. Her surname is Fan and her given name is Qingbo. Although she is a delicate woman, her behavior is more unrestrained than that of a man. People call her 'Qingbo Girl'..."

This joke had been told countless times, yet everyone still listened with great interest. The shopkeeper was so engrossed that he ignored customers trying to pay their bills.

The man in front of the counter was dressed in a blue scholar's robe, with a square cloth bag slung across his shoulder; he looked like a scholar. Seeing this, I could only silently leave the silver. I thought to myself, "This capital city is truly different. Such is its cultural atmosphere; the people are so enthusiastic about books. The saying 'hearing the Way brings joy' is exactly what it means." Once settled, I'll definitely go to the Joyful Heaven to see for myself.

Thinking this, the scholar stepped across the threshold, only to be met by a travel-worn figure rushing towards him. Unable to dodge in time, he stumbled and crashed into the counter. The shopkeeper then reacted, repeatedly saying, "Are you alright? Are you alright?" and went to help the scholar up. Halfway there, he heard a commotion in the hall, looked up and saw the scene, and was shocked. He let go of the scholar's hand and hurriedly ran over.

With this help and release, the scholar fell flat on his back again.

It turned out that the old man had said something gossipy about the female manager of Huanxitian, which angered the well-dressed man who had arrived travel-worn, and he was about to strike. People tried to break up the fight, and others gathered to watch, making quite a scene.

Amidst the chaos, a bright voice rang out. "Zice, forget it, let's go."

The voice belonged to the girl by the window. She placed her hand on the man's arm, and the raging lion instantly transformed into a docile cat.

"Manager Fan, you haven't paid for your tea yet..."

The girl giggled and winked at Old Zhang, her alluring smile bringing a blush to his old face.

"So you know how to call me Manager Fan? You go around gossiping about Huanxitian and my private affairs right in front of me all day long, and we haven't even charged you for your nonsense yet, and now you're asking me for tea money? Even if we take a step back, I was the one who saved you when Zice was about to hit you. Shouldn't you treat me to a cup of tea to express your gratitude?"

His words left everyone in the teahouse speechless.

The two walked away hand in hand. Reaching the door, the scholar, who had just straightened up, quickly stepped aside. Unexpectedly, the girl stopped. She nudged the man beside her, "Quick, apologize to him."

The man pursed his lips and casually apologized. The girl seemed dissatisfied, and the man impatiently reached for his silver. The scholar quickly waved his hand at the two men and said gently, "I'm fine. Besides, I believe this young master didn't do it on purpose, so there's no need for payment. However, this young master should be more careful when walking in the future. I'm thick-skinned and can easily fall, but if I bump into an elderly person or a child..."

"Stop nagging!" The man glared at him fiercely, then grabbed the girl and strode out.

"It would be bad if we bumped into an elderly person or a young child," the scholar mumbled, finishing his sentence.

Once the two people had walked far away, the people in the hall started whispering among themselves again.

"Only that frivolous woman can tame this little tyrant!"

"Otherwise, why would they be a couple? They're a wild and carefree guy/girl, aren't they?"

The scholar frowned upon hearing this, retracted the foot he had stepped out the threshold, turned to face the crowd, and said solemnly, "If you have any opinions about those two young masters and ladies, why not speak them out to their faces? As the sages said, 'Do not speak of what is improper,' and it is not the behavior of a gentleman to speak ill of others behind their backs. The sages also said, 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you,' for you should know that what you do to others today will be repaid to you tomorrow. You should all change your ways."

After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at the scholar as if he were a madman.

"go!"

Boos erupted, and the scholar was also pushed out of the teahouse.

The teahouse owner, fiddling with his abacus, scoffed, "If we're not allowed to gossip behind people's backs, how are we supposed to stay in business? The late emperor knew we discussed politics and gossiped about palace affairs, but he only levied a tax on our idle talk. You, you silly scholar, are quite something, directly ordering us to be silenced? You're dreaming!"

There is a Happy Heaven in the city, and the female manager of Happy Heaven.

Her surname was Fan, and her given name was frivolous; she knew nothing of the three obediences and four virtues.

Showing their faces in public is commonplace; they don't shy away from arranging marriages or seeking favors.

Her behavior was dissolute and she was fond of men; young men in their boudoirs would flee at the mere mention of her name.

This is a limerick that even a three-year-old in the city can recite.

Fan Qingbo acknowledged the first few sentences and even took pride in them, but she disagreed with the last sentence.

The claim that she was "licentious and lustful, causing young men to flee at the mere mention of her name" makes it sound as if she were so indiscriminate that she would seduce any young man. This is a huge injustice! Fan Qingbo has lived two lives, survived countless near-death experiences, frequented the palace, and mingled in the marketplace; she has seen it all. How could she be so indiscriminate?

Fan Qingbo always believed that a man should have a skill. He should be able to grace a formal occasion, cook a delicious meal, be exceptionally intelligent, or be highly skilled in martial arts. If he lacked both literary and martial talents and good looks, he should at least be able to get into bed.

How many of those weak teenagers in the city meet the criteria?

She even retreated at the first sign of trouble. Are all those people who secretly slipped her notes inviting her to guide them in their lovemaking a ghost?

She found it strange that she, a woman in her twenties, did not even have a lover and believed that she had not done anything too outrageous except for the fact that her job required her to appear in public. So how did this reputation of being "experienced and having defiled countless virgins" spread?

Oh well, she'd never considered getting married since discovering she'd been reborn into this time and space anyway. Reputation isn't really worth much money. But from another perspective, wouldn't it be wonderful if the rumors and gossip inadvertently provide free publicity for Huanxi Heaven?

While she was busy calculating her plans, Zhou Zice, known as the Little Tyrant of Beijing, was having a lot of troubles because of her.

"Xiao Fan, do you really have to be the female manager of Huanxitian?"