The Second Volume Wu Zhong Guest Chapter 40: Asking for Miss's Name

  After Yin Tong's death, Zhou Kang's army was quickly defeated and the pacification of Kuaiji was swift. The area had hardly suffered from war, so the people's lives were not affected in any way, everything remained as before.

  These days, Xiang Liang was busy preparing for grain and grass, and there were no military actions. Yin Xu had nothing to do, carrying "Duan Shui" out of the governor's mansion, strolling in the streets of Kuaiji.

  Having come to this world for a year, he had never had the opportunity to stroll through the streets. Today, he must make up for this regret. He squeezed into the market and browsed through various stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and handicrafts. The transaction objects in this era were very simple, except for food and vegetables, they were some ironware, copperware, pottery, wooden lacquerware, leather, as well as textile, carving and other handmade products. The quality of the products was not bad, but the technical craftsmanship was inevitably a bit rough.

  However, it's reassuring to buy absolutely natural products, which have a unique charm that is lacking in modern times. Yin Xue was curious and bought several exquisite ornaments to admire, thinking: If I take these back to the 21st century, they should be worth a fortune as antiques.

  Apart from this, there are shops that sell food and entertainment. At this time, the food had fewer vegetables and seasonings, so the taste was much worse; the wine was low in alcohol content, with a light flavor of rice wine and fruit wine, which made it feel like drinking nothing at all. Yin Xue thought to herself: When I have the chance, I must improve this myself, make some delicious dishes!

  When it comes to entertainment, one cannot help but mention that ancient profession, the origin of Chinese prostitution. It probably originated in the era of King Xiang of Zhou, when Guan Zhong of Qi established the female market and female quarters. The "Intrigues of the Warring States" Volume II "Eastern Zhou" quotes Zhou Wenjun as saying: "There were 700 female markets and female quarters in the palace of Duke Huan of Qi." According to the Rites of Zhou, five families made up a neighborhood, and five neighborhoods made up a quarter. Therefore, one quarter was equivalent to twenty-five families. Guan Zhong established 700 female quarters, which is equivalent to 17,500 families. From then on, prostitutes took to the stage, and for thousands of years they continued to thrive without decline, becoming an important part of ancient social life.

  Yin Xu hadn't been with a woman for a long time, but he also didn't want to waste his precious "chastity" on those mediocre women.

  Women! Oh women!

  Just then, someone suddenly called out from behind: "Young Master Yin, it's been a long time!"

  Yin Xu turned around, and it was Fan Qing, whom he hadn't seen for many days!

  "Brother Fan, how have you been?"

  Fan Qing nodded and said: "As long as the young master is safe, it's unexpected to meet you here today! My family's young lady has invited the young master to go to the shore of Zhenze Lake to appreciate the beautiful scenery together."

  Following the direction of Fan Qing's gaze, a luxurious carriage had just passed by, and Yin Xu understood. The person inside must be that purple-clothed girl; running into each other in the bustling streets was truly fate!

  Yin Xu suddenly thought of a sentence: When you say woman, woman comes, and it's still a great beauty!

  Zhenze, also known as Taihu Lake, is located on the west side of Wujiang County.

  At this time, the autumn color is deep, standing on a small hill, looking out at a glance, the smoke waves are vast and the scenery is very beautiful. On the top of the small hill, in a pavilion, a purple-clothed girl stands by the railing, her purple clothes fluttering, moving with the wind, gentle and elegant, like an immortal.

  Yin Xu stepped forward and bowed with a fist in hand outside the pavilion: "I've seen Miss!"

  "Lord Yin needn't be so polite!" The young girl turned around and curtsied.

  The girl didn't wear a veil today, and Yin Xu was able to see her true face. The moment she lifted her head, he was stunned! A breathtakingly beautiful face appeared before his eyes. The girl's skin was as smooth as jade, radiant and bright, like a heavenly beauty descending from the sky. Her autumn waves rippled with every glance, making one's soul fly away.

  She had a bun on her head, with a few golden and jade hairpins adorning it just right. The dark silk fell down on both sides, complementing her slender and elegant figure, her delicate waist, her beautiful neck, and her fair skin, all reflecting each other's beauty.

  Her eyes were deep and black, like autumn water. Yin Xu had seen them before. At this time, when she looked again, the movement of her eyes was extremely charming. A purple long dress was blown by the autumn wind, following her light and beautiful, ethereal steps, the wide sleeves opening and closing to cover, even more highlighting her elegant and beautiful appearance.

  Especially in his speech and laughter, the elegance and nobility that came with birth were radiant. The external beauty of his bright teeth combined to form a beautiful picture, truly like a startled swan. The young girl stood leaning against the railing, with distant mountains as her backdrop, the lake water was light and lively, the waves rippled, the purple clothes fluttered, just like a fairy who had stepped on the waves. For a moment, Yin Xu felt as if he were in a fairyland, where was the world of humans?

  "Yin Gongzi!" The purple-robed girl saw Yin Xu's distraction and softly scolded him.

  Yin Xu just came to, saw the beauty frowning, and hastily apologized: "Miss's appearance can be said to be stunningly beautiful, closed... like a startled swan. I suspected you were a heavenly being at first sight. So I was rude and abrupt to you, Miss, please forgive me!"

  The young girl couldn't help but reveal a hint of shyness upon hearing Yin Xu's praise of her appearance. She had known since she was little that she was beautiful, but due to her living environment, she rarely received compliments. Let alone from a man. Today, being suddenly praised by this stranger Yin Xu, a strange sense of joy and satisfaction arose in her heart. She smiled and said: "Thank you for the compliment, sir, but what do you mean by '沉鱼落雁'?"

  "Uh..."

  Drowned fish, fallen wild goose, closed moon and ashamed flower, the four great beauties now only have one Xishi, the others will be counted after hundreds of years. Yin Xu had just spoken when he realized the problem, so he changed his words in time, but ultimately it was too late, the four words "drowned fish and fallen wild goose" had already been spoken, and unfortunately they were noticed by the girl. Alas! This "drowned fish" is easy to explain, but what about "fallen wild goose"? It seems that I can only make up another story again, poor and miserable crossers, it's really unbearable!

  Seeing Yin Xue's expression, the girl really became interested. Just now her mind was wandering, and she only asked casually to shift her attention, but unexpectedly, she hit the nail on the head.

  In an instant, Yin Xu's mind was racing, and he said: "The phrase '沉鱼落雁' is used to describe a woman's beauty as being so stunning that it can enthrall men. It refers to the legendary beauty Xi Shi of ancient Yue!"

  "Madam Xi Shi?"

  "Not bad!" Yin Xu didn't notice the surprise in the girl's eyes, nor did he mind adding the word "wife" after Xi Shi. He continued: "Legend has it that when Xi Shi was spinning silk by the stream, the fish in the water were attracted by her beauty and stared blankly, forgetting to swim, until they sank to the bottom of the water."

  "Oh?" The young girl smiled and asked: "Where's Lu Yan?"

  "This...," said Yin Xu: "It is said that in the state of Chu, there was a beautiful woman who once sang in the wilderness. The wild geese flying overhead were so enchanted by her voice and beauty that they forgot to fly and fell from the sky!"

  Actually, the phrase "沉鱼落雁" comes from Zhuangzi's "Qiwulun": "Maoqiang and Liji are what people consider beautiful; fish see them and dive deep, birds see them and fly high, deer see them and run wildly, which of the four knows the true color of the world?"

  The maiden smiled and said: "So that's how it is, young master is erudite and talented, while I am ignorant and unsophisticated. But I don't know what the name of this fallen swallow maiden is?"

  "It's said to be a famous female swordsman, but the name is not very clear!" Yin Xu looked at the purple-clothed girl and smiled lightly, asking: "By the way, speaking of titles, I haven't asked for your name yet, miss?"