The room was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which smelled wonderful.
A vertical painted screen divides the room into two parts.
In front of the painted screen was a small table, which was already laden with fine wine and delicacies.
Behind the painted screen, a figure sat quietly, clearly a woman, with a guzheng placed in front of her.
The soft moonlight shone through the openwork carved window lattice into the floral screen, making the overall atmosphere very elegant.
"Please, Mr. Boyang."
Shen Wansan looked around at the surroundings and nodded in satisfaction. This arrangement was quite elegant and suitable for quiet conversation.
The madam didn't come in. After seeing Li Boyang and Shen Wansan sit down, she said something to the figure behind the painted screen:
"Pan'er, I'm entrusting these distinguished guests to you. You must take good care of them for me."
"Don't worry, Mom, I will take good care of our distinguished guests."
"Mama" doesn't mean the woman behind the painted screen is the madam's biological daughter, but rather refers to the madam, a term used to address all the female entertainers on the pleasure boat.
The sound emanating from behind the painted screen was like a solitary orchid in a secluded valley, making him feel refreshed and comfortable.
"Wait, don't go yet."
Just as the madam was about to leave and turn around, Liu Bowen called her back.
Liu Bowen looked at Li Boyang with a fawning expression and said ingratiatingly:
"Teacher, you're here talking to people, so I won't get in your way. I'll go for a walk and you can continue your conversation."
"roll."
Li Boyang responded with only this one word.
"Okay."
Liu Bowen grabbed a handful of chicken legs from the table and followed the madam out of the room with a smile.
The madam closed the door to the side room when she left.
"This humble servant, Pan'er, greets you both."
Behind the painted screen, a girl named Pan'er came out and gave Li Boyang and Shen Wansan a deep bow.
Li Boyang looked up and saw that the woman in front of him had exquisite features, delicate hands, and skin as smooth as cream. She wore a light pink inner dress and a white gauze outer dress, revealing her beautiful neck and clearly visible collarbone, which made her look incredibly alluring.
Shen Wansan glanced at the other person, then turned to Li Boyang and said:
"Mr. Boyang, please select a piece of music."
"Request a song?"
Li Boyang was a little confused. He had never been to a place like this before, and today was like a young girl getting on her wedding day for the first time. Fortunately, he understood from the conversation that it meant requesting a song. After thinking for a moment, he asked:
What are your skills?
Pan'er said softly, "I can play any guzheng, please choose whatever you like, sir."
Li Boyang nodded. The girl in front of him was very confident. She was probably the top performer on this pleasure boat. She was the kind who sold her art but not her body, and she had absolute confidence in her skills.
"Then let's play 'Autumn Moon over the Han Palace'."
Li Boyang didn't know many guzheng pieces, and he didn't pay much attention to music. The guzheng pieces that he could remember were obviously the kind that were famous beyond compare and had been passed down through history.
"Autumn Moon over the Han Palace" is such a famous piece, known as one of the ten most famous pieces. It tells the story of Wang Zhaojun's journey to marry a foreign ruler. Of course, Li Boyang had never actually heard of it before, but the piece was so famous that he had a vague impression of it and just mentioned it casually.
As soon as Li Boyang finished reciting the song title, Shen Wansan was taken aback. He was a veteran of brothels, but he had never heard this song before. He thought to himself that the other party was indeed an extraordinary person, as he had heard songs that he had never seen before.
Upon hearing the title of the piece, Pan'er closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, recalling all the pieces she knew. Then she froze, realizing that she didn't have that title in her mental repertoire.
After carefully examining Li Boyang and seeing that the other man's expression was calm and not at all like he was trying to make things difficult for him, he felt a little embarrassed and could only say:
"Sir, could you please choose another poem? I have never learned this one."
When Pan'er said those words, she felt her pretty face turn red with embarrassment. She had just said that there was no guzheng piece she couldn't play, but the other person's words immediately proved her wrong.
Her heart was pounding faster than usual, and she kept stealing glances at Li Boyang's face, wanting to see how he would react after he found out she couldn't do it.
"Let me think of another one."
Li Boyang had no intention of making things difficult for the other party. He only chose "Han Palace Autumn Moon" because he had a vague recollection of the song's name. Since the other party didn't know it, he would simply choose another song.
Actually, this can't be blamed on Pan'er; it's Li Boyang's fault. "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace," also known as "Chen Sui," was originally a pipa piece from the Chongming School, composed by Wu Wanqing during the Qing Dynasty, which was still the Yuan Dynasty. This piece has never been published yet.
After recalling the few tunes he could remember, Li Boyang said:
"Then let's play 'Fisherman's Song at Dusk'."
As soon as Li Boyang finished announcing the name of the piece, Shen Wansan looked at him strangely again. This man was truly extraordinary; he could casually mention a piece he had never heard before. He turned to look at Pan'er and noticed that her expression was also somewhat odd.
Pan'er looked distressed, her cheeks flushed red, and her two delicate hands, which hung naturally between her hips, were clenched into tight little fists. It seemed that she didn't know how to sing this song either.
Is this guy here to cause trouble? He doesn't seem like it.
After Li Boyang announced the name of the piece, Pan'er racked her brains to recall all the pieces she had ever learned, but found that none of them matched the name Li Boyang had chosen.
Obviously, the timing of the piece "Fisherman's Song at Dusk" is not right. Many people have heard this piece, which was composed by Master Lou Shuhua and can be said to be an epoch-making work in the art of Chinese guzheng.