Chapter 137 Observations at the Pavilion of Blossoms

With Zhu Hao saying this, Wei Xiaobao finally stopped crying. Following the hand Zhu Hao extended to support him, he slowly stood up and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any plans for today?"

Hearing Wei Xiaobao's words, Zhu Hao could tell that he had some sort of suggestion in mind. Zhu Hao shook his head and replied, "I don't have any specific plans today. Is there something you want to do?"

Hearing that his master was free, a look of excitement immediately appeared on Wei Xiaobao's face. He said, "Your Highness, since you have nothing to do today, why don't this servant take you to the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion to have a look? Tomorrow is the day the top courtesan makes her debut, so you can go and familiarize yourself with the environment beforehand!"

Seeing Wei Xiaobao looking so excited, although Zhu Hao did not particularly want to visit such a place of pleasure, he did not want to dampen Wei Xiaobao's good intentions. With a smile, he said, "We can go take a look, but we must travel in disguise. Outside, you must address me simply as Young Master, and you must never reveal my true identity. I don't want people to know that I've been to a pleasure house like this."

Overjoyed to hear that Zhu Hao agreed to accompany him to the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion, Wei Xiaobao quickly promised, "Your Highness, rest assured! This servant will follow your every instruction. I will lead the way right now!"

With that, Wei Xiaobao started hopping and skipping as he prepared to lead the way. Seeing this, Zhu Hao frowned slightly, feeling a bit displeased. However, it was rare to see Wei Xiaobao in such high spirits, so Zhu Hao refrained from scolding him. Instead, he smiled, called Wei Xiaobao back, and changed into casual civilian attire. He let Wei Xiaobao walk ahead while he followed slowly at a leisurely pace.

Today, Zhu Hao was dressed as an elegant young gentleman of wealth, while Wei Xiaobao was attired as a young scholar's page. This master and servant thus stepped out of the imperial envoy's residence in plain clothes.

Zhu Hao followed behind Wei Xiaobao, threading through streets and alleys. After walking for quite a distance, he heard Wei Xiaobao say, "Your— ah, no, Young Master, we have arrived!" Wei Xiaobao had almost blurted out "Your Highness," but fortunately corrected himself just in time, sparing himself a severe reprimand from Zhu Hao.

As he spoke, Wei Xiaobao pointed toward a three-story building in the distance and continued, "Look, Young Master, that is the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion!"

Zhu Hao did not chide Wei Xiaobao for his near-slip of the tongue. Instead, following the direction of Wei Xiaobao's finger, he saw a three-story architectural structure appearing ahead. He walked a few more steps behind Wei Xiaobao and finally arrived right in front of the small three-story building.

Only upon drawing close did Zhu Hao take in the overall outline of the structure. The three-story building was constructed from unpretentious dark bricks and gray tiles, appearing ordinary at first glance. However, hanging above the open, vermilion-lacquered main entrance in the center of the building was a black gold-thread nanmu plaque, upon which three large characters, "Fragrant Blossom Pavilion," were inscribed in a bold, flying calligraphic script, proclaiming its extraordinary nature to the passing pedestrians.

Zhu Hao stood outside the gates of the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion for a good while, but none of the scenes he had imagined—where numerous women would come over and tug at his clothes—took place. This piqued Zhu Hao's curiosity. He watched as people constantly walked in and out of the pavilion, yet none of them paid any attention to him or Wei Xiaobao, as if the two of them were completely invisible.

Observing this situation, Zhu Hao frowned slightly. The Fragrant Blossom Pavilion had aroused his intense curiosity. He turned to look at Wei Xiaobao, whose expression remained normal, and thought to himself, "Could this Fragrant Blossom Pavilion be entirely different from what I imagined?"

Driven by a desire to explore and uncover the truth, Zhu Hao said to Wei Xiaobao, "Let's go! Follow me inside to take a look!"

With that, Zhu Hao took the lead and stepped into the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion. Upon crossing the threshold, the first things that came into his view were two circular solid-wood staircases. The steps gleamed with a dark polish, exuding an antique charm. People were constantly going up and down the stairs with poised and composed expressions, as if they were transcendent beings untouched by worldly cares.

At either end of the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion stood a massive pillar supporting the weight of the entire structure. Several private rooms surrounded the staircases, from which the soft laughter of women and the poetry-chanting of men drifted out from time to time. The entire floor of the pavilion was paved with brown solid wood, adding a solemn and dignified atmosphere to the interior. High overhead, palace lanterns hung suspended, looking exceptionally unique against the backdrop of the intricately carved and painted ceiling.

Taking in this sight, Zhu Hao couldn't help sighing in praise, "What a truly refined and elegant place!"

Hearing Zhu Hao's exclamation and seeing him momentarily dazed, Wei Xiaobao excitedly introduced, "Young Master, look at the east, south, west, and north sides of this pavilion. Each direction has a large arched window. Through these four windows, you can take in the bustling, prosperous street scenes of every corner of Hangzhou City. At night, you can look out at the surrounding nightscape; with all the brilliant lights, it is simply breathtaking!"

Hearing Wei Xiaobao speak with such enthusiasm, Zhu Hao teased him, "You speak of this with such familiarity. You must have frequented this place quite often in the past, haven't you?"

A look of desolation crossed Wei Xiaobao's face. He replied, "Young Master, I can neither compose poetry nor write prose. Although I've been to the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion a few times, it was always on your business and never for any other reason!"

Noticing Wei Xiaobao's dejection, Zhu Hao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiaobao, I didn't mean to blame you. Alright, Xiaobao, let's find a place to sit down and have a pot of tea!"

Hearing this, an awkward expression appeared on Wei Xiaobao's face as he said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid that won't do!"

Zhu Hao frowned slightly and asked, "Why won't it? Don't you have any silver on you?"

Hearing Zhu Hao's question, Wei Xiaobao shook his head repeatedly and explained, "Young Master, you don't understand. In this Fragrant Blossom Pavilion, tea is only served in the private rooms!"

Thinking that Wei Xiaobao was simply being stingy and reluctant to spend money, Zhu Hao replied, "A private room it is, then! Even if it's expensive, so be it. It's rare for us to come out, and since this place is so refined today, I want to properly relax. There's no need to skimp on silver!"

Realizing that his master had misunderstood, Wei Xiaobao hurriedly clarified, "Young Master, you've got it wrong. It's not that I'm reluctant to spend the money; rather, every single private room in the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion has a young lady residing in it. If a new guest wishes to enter a private room, they must compose a piece of poetry. If the poem manages to touch the heart of the lady inside that room, she will extend an invitation for them to enter. Otherwise, no matter how much silver one has, it is impossible to enter the private rooms of the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hao thought to himself, "This Fragrant Blossom Pavilion really is an interesting place! One has to pass a literary test just to enter a private room. With such a rule in place, no wonder these ink-stained officials are drawn to it. It truly is a fascinating spot!"

With these thoughts, Zhu Hao grew even more interested in the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion. However, he was not well-versed in poetry and rhyming prose, which momentarily put him in a difficult position and made him consider leaving.

Just as Zhu Hao was about to turn and leave, however, he noticed Wei Xiaobao looking at him with eyes full of hopeful anticipation. Knowing that Wei Xiaobao had done so much for him and didn't want to disappoint him on their rare outing, Zhu Hao reconsidered.

Although Zhu Hao was an engineering major, he had read some poetry from the late Ming dynasty and earlier during his school days. He decided to plagiarize a piece to get by. Remembering the poem *Five Poems on Poetry: Poem II* by Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty—and keeping in mind that his right hand was currently injured and inconvenient for writing—he said, "Xiaobao, I will recite a poem. You write it down, hand it in, and let's see if anyone invites us in for a chat!"

Hearing this, Wei Xiaobao's eyes lit up with joy. He eagerly replied, "Young Master, please wait a moment while I fetch the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone!"

Zhu Hao nodded. A moment later, Wei Xiaobao returned with the four treasures of the study and said to Zhu Hao, "Young Master, please go ahead!"

Zhu Hao nodded slightly, then began to sway his head and recite with affected demeanor: "The poems of Li Bai and Du Fu are spread by thousands of mouths, yet by now they no longer feel fresh. Generation after generation produces men of talent, each leading the literary world for hundreds of years."

Knowing nothing about poetry, Wei Xiaobao felt no particular awe at the famous verses recited by Zhu Hao. After writing them down, he excitedly handed the paper to the person responsible for collecting poetry at the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion, then returned to Zhu Hao's side to wait for news.

A moment later, the door to the first-class private room on the left side of the third floor opened. A maid walked out and announced in a clear voice, "Fairy Ziyan invites Young Master Bai to her private room for a chat!"

Although the maid's voice was not loud, it startled everyone in the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion. All eyes turned toward the maid, and many people stepped out of their private rooms to see what was happening. Soon, murmurs of discussion reached Zhu Hao's ears:

"The Heaven-Number-One room door has opened? Just who is so lucky to have caught the eye of Fairy Ziyan?"

"Who on earth made Fairy Ziyan open her door?"

"Fairy Ziyan hasn't opened her door for over a year! What's going on today?"

"Which blind fool had the nerve to snatch my Ziyan!"

...

Unconfident in the face of this reaction, Zhu Hao rubbed his nose and thought to himself, "It seems I may have stirred up trouble."

Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind and asked, "Little brother, I just arrived and missed what happened. Do you happen to know which lucky fellow managed to get Fairy Ziyan to open her door?"

Hearing the man, Zhu Hao turned around. He saw a fairly handsome man dressed in a scholar's robe, which lent him a certain charm. Zhu Hao was quite eager to figure out what was going on in this situation, so he engaged the man in conversation, asking, "Who is Fairy Ziyan? Is her reputation really that grand?"