In the early winter of the fifth year of Jingding of the Southern Song Dynasty (1264 AD), the sun had just turned over the West Dongting Mountain, and it was not yet time to light the lanterns. The front of the Misty Rain Fragrance House under the Moli Peak of the East Dongting Mountain on the coast of Taihu Lake was bustling with traffic.
It turned out that today was the first day of Li Yan's performance of "Selling Skills, Not Selling Bodies", the great-great-granddaughter of Li Shishi, the fourth generation of Li Shishi. All the princes and young masters in Suzhou came to the Misty Rain Fragrance House because of its fame, so that they could see the beauty's beauty and appreciate her unique skills earlier. Even the Southern Song Emperor's residence in Lin 'an (Hangzhou) attracted many people.
The green cloth curtain that was more than ten feet wide was opened by the guests who kept entering the Misty Rain Fragrance House. The mottled bamboo curtain hanging at the front of the door could only be rolled up high to make it convenient for guests to enter and exit. Turning around the middle door, a pair of mandarin duck lanterns hung down from the high roof beam. Under the lanterns were tables decorated with rhinoceros skin incense and exquisite chairs carved with fragrant nanmu wood. On the table was a Bo Shan ancient bronze incense burner, from which a faint fragrance was emitted. Around the incense burner were Persian tin wine utensils and plates of summer fruits.
In the middle of the courtyard was a three-story pavilion covered with purple blankets. On each platform was a three-seater bed carved with fragrant nanmu. On the platform in the middle, there were three exquisite beds carved with fragrant nanmu wood. They were covered with a purple brocade mattress. A jade lamp hung above the bed, and strange antiques were placed on the table. In front of the bed was a low embroidered stool. In front of the stool was a red sandalwood table with a zither on it.
Three stunning women walked up to three different platforms, swaying their waists and sitting down on the platforms. The thirty fingers of the three pairs of hands that looked like freshly peeled onions touched the zither in front of them at the same time, and the sound of ding dong immediately sounded.
Although the zither music was not as good as the " pearls falling on a jade plate ", it still had the artistic conception of " high mountains and flowing water ". The song "Guangling San" was played and rubbed by three beauties, making many guests intoxicated.
As the last note of the zither stopped, the three women stood up and bade the guests around them a blessing before turning invisible and leaving.
Not long after the three stunning women left, another ten beautiful and graceful women walked up to the pavilion. All of them revealed half of their fragrant shoulders and a piece of white flesh. At this moment, the stringed instruments and the chimes began to ring. Ten women, who made the guests in the corridors and pavilions drool, began to dance gracefully to the music. The customers around him were so excited that their eyes lit up and they forgot to drink and drink.
After the song ended, the ten charming women retreated. It was only when they could no longer see anyone that the guests remembered the delicacies and wine on the table in front of them. However, just as the guests were about to drink, the number one in the world, Ji Li, appeared.
Little Li Shishi came out. When she looked under the light, she had a good appearance. There was a poem as proof:
In his youth, his fame and reputation were the highest in the brothel, and his beautiful appearance was rare. We envy the emperor once attached to the body, why ashamed of the warrior will bow his head.
He saw her walking lightly with lotus steps, her colorful clothes swaying, her face shy and affectionate, and her body graceful.
Young Li Shishi came to the front of the pavilion in the middle and lightly said her blessings. Then, she slowly turned around and walked to the pier behind the zither. She bent her legs slightly and bowed before sitting on the pier.
Her jade-like fingers gently touched the strings of the zither, and Little Li Shishi sang a song along with the soft sound of the zither. She was singing the Song Dynasty prodigy Yan Shu's " Butterfly in Love with Flowers."
The chrysanthemum in the fence is sad because of the smoke and orchid crying dew. The curtain is cold and the swallows fly away in pairs. The bright moon is not familiar with the pain of parting, and the slanting light shines through the red door at dawn.
Last night the west wind withered the green trees, alone on the tall building, looking at the end of the world road. I want to send you a piece of colorful paper and a piece of plain silk. Where do you know where the mountains are long and the rivers are wide?
Her voice was like a gulp, and the song was euphemistic. After singing, there was a wave of cheers. Little Li Shishi stood up and bowed slightly after singing. Comparing the pain of separation to the hatred of a national disaster, it could be said that it was a different story. Then, Little Li Shishi sat on the stool again. Her jade-like hands flicked her fingers on the zither. In an instant, the music style changed greatly. A tragic song," The River Is Red," was played.
His hair was so angry that it rushed to his crown. He leaned against the railing, and the rain stopped. He raised his eyes and let out a long howl towards the sky. Thirty years of fame and fortune, dust and soil, eight thousand miles of road clouds and months. Don't be idle, white youth's head, empty sorrow.
……
The passionate singing and the intense emotions won the applause of the audience once again. When Li Shishi sang,"From the beginning, clean up the old mountains and rivers, and look up to the sky". Upstairs and downstairs, in front of the porch and behind the pavilion, the crowd was even more furious and shouted non-stop.
The lyrics were " The River is Red " by Yue Wu Mu Yue Fei, who died unjustly. After singing two songs, Little Li Shishi left Xiudun and came to the center of the pavilion. After another ten thousand blessings, her red lips opened slightly and she said,"Thank you for your kindness, little Li Shishi.”
After she said 'Blessing', Li Shishi Jr. glanced at the guests around the pavilion and said in a higher tone,""Thank you, guests, for coming to support the Misty Rain Fragrance House. Today is the first time that Li Shishi and the thirteen younger sisters have come on stage to perform.”At this point, Li Shishi changed the topic and said,"Dear guests, the peace and comfort we are enjoying now are given to us by the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the south bank of the Yellow River who fought bravely against the northern Tartars. However, the soldiers far away by the Yellow River did not have any clothes to protect them from the cold or food to fill their stomachs. They were suffering from hunger and cold. Everyone should know that once the Yellow River is broken, Lin 'an and Jiangnan will never have a peaceful day, and the days of the subjugated slaves will not be far from us. In order to collect winter clothing and food for the soldiers in the front line, the thirteen sisters who had just performed voluntarily sacrificed themselves. The guests who are willing to spend the night with the thirteen sisters will be selected through bidding. The starting price of each sister is set at a thousand silver taels, and the thirteen guests who bid the highest will be the winners. Due to the ancestral teachings, I, Li Shishi, can only play songs for you. Each song costs 100 taels of silver, and I dare not rest tonight. Tonight, the taels of silver obtained by the Misty Rain Fragrance House will be donated to the soldiers in front.”
As soon as Teacher Chief Li Jr. finished speaking, the entire building was filled with discussions. For a time, there were many different opinions, but everyone was full of praise for Misty Rain Fragrance House and Teacher Chief Li Jr.'s righteous act.
Every time Li Shishi sang a song, the highest bidder would win a girl, and then the guest would bring the beauty into the prepared bedroom to spend the night together. The thirteen ladies had raised nearly three hundred thousand taels of silver in total. In addition to Little Li Shishi's non-stop singing and playing throughout the night, the Misty Rain Fragrance House had raised five hundred thousand taels of silver for the generals guarding the banks of the Yellow River.
The next night, the Thirteen Misty Rain Belles and Little Li Shishi performed on stage again. That night, the Thirteen Ladies of Misty Rain had raised nearly 200,000 taels of silver. Every song that Li Shishi sang was calculated at 2,000 taels of silver. By the time dawn arrived, they had gathered another five hundred thousand taels of silver.
Li Shishi Jr. did not rest for the entire night. She kept singing or playing. If it wasn't for Little Shishi and a few other maids who came in the early morning when the sun was about to rise, Little Shishi Li might have continued singing.
Who was Little Shishi? Li Shishi's great-great-grandson and Li Shishi's niece.
"Auntie, Auntie, Great-Grandma is in trouble. She wants you to go quickly.”Little Shishi cried.
When Li Shishi heard this, she quickly turned around and said,"Dear guests, I'm extremely sorry. Because my grandmother is critically ill, she asked me to go. No matter what happens at home tonight, I'll still be waiting for you at 3:45 pm (6:00:00) on time to sing for all the guests. At that time, the Thirteen Ladies of Misty Rain will meet with you again. I hope you will take notice of me.”After saying that, he followed Little Shishi and hurried through the back building to the east pavilion.
The great-great-grandmother that little Shishi called was Li Shishi. Oh, that's not right. Didn't Master Li die in the sixth year of Song Ningzong's Qingyuan (AD 1200)? It was now the fifth year of Lizong's Jingding reign (1264 AD). If Li Shishi was still alive, she would be 164 years old.
It was unknown if this Li Shishi was the same person as Huizong's beloved concubine, Li Shishi. Let's watch the next exciting content.
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