Shu Ke puede recuperar una fortuna perdida

Capítulo 5

She replied lazily, "They're just ordinary people. I'll just pretend I didn't see them."

Wang Pang laughed and asked, "Hasn't Lord Sima Guang's son come looking for you again?"

"My lord!" Xiao Yanran sighed, "Wasn't his father dismissed by you? I don't even know if he has left the capital with his father. Even if he is still alive, why would he be in the mood to come looking for me?"

Wang Pang then asked, "What about the current officials in the capital? I don't believe that not one of them has tried to woo you, young lady."

Xiao Yanran glared at him and said, "Lord Lü Huiqing does come often, but he only drinks and listens to music." As she spoke, she poured a cup of tea and handed it to Wang Pang.

The Lü Huiqing she mentioned was from Jinjiang, Fujian. At the time, he was not yet forty years old, but was learned, shrewd, quick-witted, and extremely eloquent. He was also known for his deep understanding of the world and decisive actions. His literary talent and eloquence were considered comparable to those of Yang Xiong and Sima Xiangru. In the second year of the Jiayou reign of Emperor Renzong, Wang Anshi met Lü Huiqing when he was the prefect of Changzhou. They immediately agreed on the current problems and reforms, and the two were considered kindred spirits. Wang Anshi recommended him to Ouyang Xiu, and Lü Huiqing was transferred to the capital. Lü Huiqing then treated Wang Anshi with the respect due to a teacher, as if he were a student. He was currently serving as a scribe in the Regulations Department of the Three Departments, and along with Zeng Bu, was considered Wang Anshi's right-hand man.

Wang Pang took the tea and sipped it, then asked casually, "Is he alone?"

"Ha, thanks to your prime minister, this gentleman has become a big shot. He has people following him wherever he goes. He doesn't even have to spend his own money to have a drink with the courtesans. There are already minor officials from other places waiting to entertain him." Xiao Yanran seemed to be quite disdainful of Lü Huiqing in her words: "If he is happy, he might point out some shortcuts to promotion to them."

"Oh, what shortcut?" Wang Pang asked, frowning.

Xiao Yanran was taken aback, then realized she had misspoke, so she smiled apologetically and said, "I don't understand things in officialdom, and I didn't hear them very clearly."

Wang Pang sighed and said, "If you don't understand, how do you know it's a shortcut? Sigh, Yanran, you've been treating me like an outsider since I last visited a few days ago. You've been keeping your thoughts to yourself and won't say anything. I don't even know who to give the cat's eye gold hairpin that I ordered for my confidante to now."

“That’s not how it works, young master!” Xiao Yanran quickly retorted, “What he said wasn’t really a secret. He just told your father what he wanted to hear. If your father was pleased, he would then have them tell the Emperor about the benefits of the reforms. If the Emperor was pleased, he might promote them.”

After listening for a long time, Pang Di gradually understood that Wang Pang was trying to trick Xiao Yanran into revealing information about the officials in the court. He probably intended to find out the dissent of the old party, but instead he discovered the flaws and blemishes within his own new party.

Wang Pang remained silent for a moment before laughing and saying, "Is it because Lü Huiqing's arrival scared away all the other old party officials in Beijing?"

Didn't they used to love coming to you to complain?

Xiao Yanran replied, "A few did come, but their conversations were long-winded and lacked originality. In fact, Lord Su Zizhan's words had already said everything they wanted to say."

"Your Majesty is too eager to govern, listens to too many opinions, and promotes too many people too hastily?" Wang Pang asked, repeating Su Shi's famous words from his memorial to the throne.

Xiao Yanran nodded and said yes.

Wang Pang laughed it off. Then, after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Has there been any news about Su Shi recently?"

Xiao Yanran smiled and said, "Then you'll have to ask my two new sisters."

Just then, the beaded curtain on the door was lifted, and two more beauties walked in.

The two women had lightly applied rouge to their lips and delicately painted their eyebrows. Their figures were slender and graceful. Although they lacked the coquettish charm of Yanran, their elegant demeanor, like orchids blooming in a valley, made them stand out even more. They were about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in identical clothes, and even their appearances were exactly the same. They were twin girls.

The two women approached and gracefully bowed. Xiao Yanran introduced them to Wang Pang: "These are Gu Lingbo and Gu Lingyun, who recently arrived from Hangzhou. They are twins from the same mother, making it difficult for most people to tell them apart. Can you tell who is the elder sister and who is the younger sister, young master?"

"Is it really worth asking such a simple question?" Wang Pang said leisurely, gently waving his folding fan.

Xiao Yanran found his confidence quite strange. She looked at the two women again and still found them remarkably similar. Although there were some slight differences, they were not enough to tell who was older or younger. So she asked, "How did you recognize them, young master?"

Wang Pang suddenly smiled and said, "The one next to the older sister is the younger sister, and the one next to the younger sister is the older sister!"

Xiao Yanran then realized he was teasing her, and Pang Di couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Playing this trick again? You've been doing it since you were little, and it's still not enough?" It turned out there was a story behind it: When Wang Pang was only a few years old, a guest presented Wang Anshi with a deer and a roe deer in the same cage. Wang Pang happened to be there, and the guest asked him, "Do you know which one is the roe deer and which one is the deer?" He thought for a moment and replied, "The one next to the roe deer is the deer, and the one next to the deer is the roe deer." This became a well-known anecdote, familiar to all the scholars in the capital.

The two women exchanged a smile and introduced themselves. Wang Pang pointed to Pang Di and said, "You two can sit next to her."

The younger sister, Gu Lingyun, sat down next to Pang Di as instructed, but the older sister, Gu Lingbo, did not come over. Holding a pipa in her hands, she chose a corner to sit down and said indifferently, "If you want my daughter to play music to entertain you, it's better to stay away."

Wang Pang was slightly surprised. Upon closer inspection, he felt that this woman was different from others. She had none of the obsequiousness that was common on the faces of prostitutes. Although the two sisters looked similar, their expressions were completely different. The younger sister was gentle and obedient, while the older sister was much more aloof and arrogant.

He didn't insist that she sit closer, but simply said, "In that case, please play and sing a song for us, young lady."

Gu Lingbo did not respond, but began to pluck the strings and tune them. After producing a melody as clear as pearls falling on a plate, she sang: "The flowers have faded, the red petals are gone, and the green apricots are small. When the swallows fly, green waters surround the houses. The willow catkins on the branches are blown away again. Where on earth are there no fragrant grasses?"

Inside the wall, a swing; outside, a path. Outside, passersby; inside, a beautiful woman laughs. The laughter fades, the sound grows quiet; the passionate are troubled by the heartless.

Wang Pang nodded and said, "This poem, 'Butterfly Loves Flowers,' is delicate yet not decadent, elegant yet not seductive. It is fresh and smooth, as if it were created by nature. It seems simple, but the skill it contains is beyond the reach of ordinary people. I wonder which famous scholar wrote it?"

Before Gu Lingbo could answer, Pang Di already knew: "It must be from Su Shi's pen." Her father had always admired Su Shi's talent, so she had been familiar with Su Shi's poems and songs since childhood and was well-versed in his various writing styles. Moreover, the poem contained a sense of disappointment, which was in line with Su Shi's current state of mind. Furthermore, she had heard that the Gu sisters had just come from Hangzhou, where Su Shi had been demoted to a sub-prefectural post, so she knew that it was very likely that Su Shi had written it and that they had recorded and sung it.

Gu Lingbo agreed.

"It really is him." Wang Pang smiled slightly at Pang Di. "If it is him, then this poem has a deeper meaning. This gentleman, even in such a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, and so many beautiful women, still has so many complaints?" This poem seems to be a joke about being disappointed in a beautiful woman, but in reality, it expresses a lament that he is full of resentment but cannot gain the favor of Emperor Shenzong. Wang Pang and Pang Di naturally understood this immediately.

Xiao Yanran, however, did not understand the deeper meaning and said with a smile, "If one cannot win the heart of the woman one desires, resentment is inevitable. Sister Lingbo, was this poem written for you?"

Gu Lingbo sneered, "Who is Lord Su? How could he care about an insignificant woman like me? I also hope that one day he will write such moving poems for me, but if he really writes poems and lyrics only for personal feelings, then he is not the Lord Su I admire." After saying that, she turned to Wang Pang and said, "Mountains and rivers can soothe the mind but not relieve worries, and beautiful women can please the eye but not the heart."

Wang Pang waved his hand and said, "Who cares about grievances or whether it can bring joy or comfort? Since you are skilled in singing and playing instruments, I will compose a few lyrics for you to recite another day."

Gu Lingbo, however, did not appreciate the gesture: "Thank you for your kindness, young master, but I am naturally dull-witted and cannot memorize the poems of any famous scholar."

Her younger sister, Gu Lingyun, turned pale instantly and hurriedly tried to signal her to say something to salvage the situation, but Lingbo ignored her, turning her face away and refusing to look at Wang Pang. Pang Di turned to look at her husband, secretly amused: "Oh dear, they've really run into a brick wall this time!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanran smiled and explained to Wang Pang, "I don't know what got into Mother today, but she actually had Lingbo come to serve her. There are so many romantic and talented men in the world, but this girl only loves Su Shi. If you shared the same political views and were of one mind with Lord Su, that would be fine, but you happen to be Lord Su's enemy. Asking this girl to greet the members of the New Party with smiles is harder than climbing to heaven!"

Wang Pang, however, seemed unconcerned, maintaining his usual smile, and asked Gu Lingbo, "What merits does Su Zizhan possess that make you so enamored with him?"

Gu Lingbo said, "I have only met him once. He did me no favors, but everyone knows that he is not only exceptionally talented, but also an honest and benevolent official. Since he took office as the Vice Prefect of Hangzhou, he has treated the people like his own children and has been adept at judging cases. The people of Hangzhou admire him greatly."

Wang Pang asked again, "How exactly does he love the people like his own children and is skilled in judging cases? Could you give some examples, young lady?"

Gu Lingbo sneered and said, "Young master, do you not believe me? Fine, I'll tell you a story: One day, a silk merchant went to court to sue a fan maker, claiming that he owed him 20,000 taels of silk and had not paid it back. Lord Su sent a constable to summon the fan maker to court for trial. The fan maker knelt and said, 'My family has been making fans for generations. My father died recently, and since the beginning of spring this year, Hangzhou has been experiencing continuous rain and cold weather. No one is buying fans, and I cannot come up with the money to pay the debt. I did not intentionally delay paying.' Lord Su felt pity for his plight and, after a moment's thought, said to the fan seller, 'Go and fetch your fans; I will help you sell them.'"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanran asked in surprise, "Lord Su himself stepped forward to help him sell it? That makes sense. If he takes the lead, who would dare not give him face?"