Fang Jie had heard the phrase "Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden" countless times in his previous life, but only when he entered Chang'an did he truly understand its meaning. Because upon entering Chang'an, he shared the same mindset as Grandma Liu when she first entered the Grand View Garden.
It wasn't just that his eyes couldn't take it all in, nor was it just the overwhelming sense of awe; there was also an uncontrollable feeling of insignificance welling up within him. Anyone standing in this great city of Chang'an would feel like a speck of dust. A city so vast that no matter which direction one looked, there were no boundaries; no matter which corner one looked at, there was only prosperity—that city had already become an immortal legend.
The magnificent cities recorded in his previous life, both Chinese and foreign, such as ancient Rome, Baghdad, and Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium—compared to Chang'an before Fang Jie, these renowned cities were like weeds compared to a giant tree, or a firefly compared to the bright moon.
What surprised Fang Jie most wasn't the vastness and prosperity of the capital, nor its solemn and majestic buildings, nor even the daringly dressed, beautiful women on the streets, but rather that Hongxiuzhao actually owned property in the capital!
Moreover, it was located on Minghua Street, the most bustling street in the capital, a magnificent three-story wooden building. With two large courtyards, it occupied no less than ten acres of land in the incredibly expensive city of Chang'an!
Upon closer inspection, the wooden building was covered in dust, its paint faded and its colors dulled. The chain lock hanging above the entrance was completely rusted. How many years had it dutifully sealed the building, how many storms had it endured? Or perhaps, like a person, it carried some kind of mission?
Just as Hongxiuzhao's procession stopped in front of the wooden building, and Xi Huamei stood before the locked gate with a somber and sorrowful expression, Fang Jie vaguely sensed a shift in the atmosphere. He instinctively looked around and suddenly noticed that the bustling street had fallen silent; everyone's attention was focused on Xi Huamei.
Businessmen from nearby shops also poured out, their expressions towards Hongxiuzhao strange.
Fang Jie didn't know the meaning behind these expressions, but he was now certain that Hongxiuzhao must have had a glorious past in the capital.
Just then, someone shouted loudly.
"Hongxiuzhao is back in Chang'an!"
"Hongxiuzhao is back!"
With this shout, the entire street erupted in cheers. Crowds began to surge forward, especially the men, whose eyes gleamed with excitement. What puzzled Fang Jie most was that although the women watching didn't join in the shouts, there wasn't a trace of disgust in their eyes.
What kind of mysterious and glorious past could a song and dance troupe have to evoke such a fervent reaction from the proudest citizens of the Sui Dynasty's capital?
"There's something you definitely don't know," Xiao Dingdian said, sniffing smugly and nudging Fang Jie with her shoulder. "Back then, Hongxiuzhao was incredibly famous in Chang'an, far more famous than you could ever imagine. Eleven years ago, when Hongxiuzhao opened its doors in Chang'an, do you know what kind of important figures came to congratulate us?"
She proudly raised her rounded chin, counting on her fingers, "The Grand Secretary of Shuhua Pavilion, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministers and Vice Ministers of various ministries, the incorruptible Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, even the aloof and arrogant Censor—all the most prestigious figures in the capital were there, personally presenting their congratulatory gifts. Even the Empress herself sent a screen with the four handwritten inscriptions 'Fanghua Renjian' on it."
The pride on Xiao Dingdian's face was genuine and undeniable. "Eleven years ago?"
Fang Jie frowned slightly and asked, "You weren't in Hongxiuzhao back then, were you?"
Xiao Ding rolled her eyes at him and said seriously, "Whether I was there or not, I'm a member of Hongxiuzhao now. None of the girls in the brothel now are from eleven years ago. But look at them, is that pride on their faces genuine? No matter when we joined Hongxiuzhao, we should be proud of its past glory. You should know that back then, even princes and nobles who wanted to come to Hongxiuzhao to watch the song and dance had to pay respects..." "Entrance fee. If the girls don't want to dance, even high-ranking officials of the first or second rank aren't qualified to make them dance."
"Such a glorious and proud past, how come I've never heard you mention it?"
"Aunt Xi said that as long as she doesn't return to Chang'an, she shouldn't mention the past. No matter how glorious the past, it's still just the past. She also said that as long as Hongxiuzhao returns to Chang'an, she will definitely reclaim the glory of eleven years ago."
"Aunt Xi has such great courage. As long as she returns, those high-ranking officials and nobles will still flock to her as they did eleven years ago."
Fang Jie couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Little Ding's expression dimmed slightly, and she murmured, "The reason Hongxiuzhao has such influence in the capital isn't because Aunt Xi has connections everywhere. It's because... Hongxiuzhao's former owner was a figure second only to the emperor in the capital. Only someone like him could make those arrogant officials willingly send congratulatory gifts. Only someone like him could make a performing arts troupe so prestigious in the capital."
"Second only to the emperor..."
Fang Jie couldn't help but repeat it, and then a name suddenly flashed into his mind.
So he asked in astonishment, "How could someone of his stature open a singing and dancing troupe? And... he vanished without a trace ten years ago, so why did Hongxiuzhao reappear in Fangu several years after his disappearance?"
"Because he was the most outstanding figure in the entire Sui Dynasty at the time. Even the newly enthroned emperor treated him with great respect. So you should know that someone of his status ultimately has to consider their relationship with the emperor. The emperor of the Sui Dynasty couldn't stop him from opening a singing and dancing troupe, he didn't enter the court, and the emperor couldn't keep him standing at the forefront of the court. The freedom he displayed is something not everyone can understand."
These words weren't spoken by Little Dingdian, but by Old Cripple.
Fang Jie pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Knowing when to advance and when to retreat is the greatest blessing."
...
...
Hongxiuzhao's servants were cleaning the wooden building, and many neighbors came to help. Aunt Xi sent someone to buy fresh seasonal fruit and brewed fragrant tea, placing it aside. This woman, who appeared so noble and dignified, had changed into simple clothes and joined her neighbors in cleaning.
Not only her, but all the girls from the Red Sleeve Inn were helping with the cleaning.
Only two people didn't join in: one was the mysterious and alluring Xi Zhuxin, who never even got out of the carriage; the other was the old cripple sitting on the stone steps drinking.
Of course, Fang Jie and Shen Qingshan didn't help either.
After entering the city, Cui Lueshang went to visit the elders of the aristocratic families; given his background, there were many courtesies he couldn't ignore. The unreliable Xiang Qingniu was supposedly going to see Master Xiao of Qingle Mountain, but as he left, his eyes kept drifting towards the Shuxiang Pavilion on the main street near the city gate. Daquan went to find a place to stay, while Shen Qingshan stood under an oleander bush admiring the blooming flowers.
Fang Jie went to a nearby tavern, bought some cooked meat, wrapped it in oiled paper, and sat down next to the old cripple.
"Would you like to have a drink with me?"
He asked somewhat obsequiously. The old cripple glared at him, then magically produced a wine cup from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Jie. Fang Jie took it, poured himself a cup, and looked at the bustling crowd, asking, "Could you tell me about the past of the Red Sleeve Pavilion?"
"You want to know about that person, don't you?"
The old cripple asked.
Fang Jie nodded, somewhat lost in thought, and said, "How could such a stunningly beautiful person suddenly disappear? Although I don't want to admit that the current emperor did anything, I can't find a reasonable explanation."
The old cripple said, "If the officials heard you say that, they'd immediately lock you up and imprison you. Before autumn, they might even chop off your head without any questioning."
"You're not that kind of person, sir,"
Fang Jie said with an awkward smile. The old cripple took a swig of wine, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Aunt Xi is a woman of great kindness and loyalty. Although that man was merely her employer, and they had no other intimate relationship, upon hearing that he had left Chang'an, Aunt Xi left alone to search for him. Because he had been kind to her, and kindness should be repaid… Although at that time Aunt Xi had no idea how to repay his kindness, it was precisely on her journey to find him that she encountered the man in the blue robe you saw in Fan Gu that day."
"Love at first sight?"
Fang Jie asked. The old cripple smiled, a hint of sadness in his smile: "You could say that. He stayed with her for a month, then left. Ten years have passed since then. She went from looking for one person to looking for two."
"Hongxiuzhao was incredibly prestigious in Chang'an, but it only lasted a little over a year. After the owner disappeared, Aunt Xi left Chang'an. Not long after, those officials who had fawned over Hongxiuzhao while the owner was still there came and announced its dissolution. So many good girls were driven out of Chang'an. So many years have passed, I wonder how those people are doing… I heard some have fallen into prostitution… It's all a sin."
"Were you there back then?"
Fang Jie asked.
"I was there."
The old cripple nodded.
"You couldn't stop it either?"
Fang Jie asked again. "Me?"
The old cripple sneered, "What use is personal cultivation, no matter how strong? Can one person withstand an empire? Although the government didn't shut down Hongxiuzhao back then, they carried an edict from a powerful figure. None of the officials who had sent gifts to Hongxiuzhao dared to offend that powerful figure, and could only watch helplessly as Hongxiuzhao fell into ruin. What I resent most isn't the ruthlessness of that powerful figure, but the indifference of the person sitting in an even higher position. From beginning to end, he didn't stand up to say a word for Hongxiuzhao."
"If he had said a word back then, Hongxiuzhao wouldn't have disappeared from Chang'an."
Fang Jie organized the old cripple's words and then carefully considered them. A conspiracy that made one feel suffocated and even disgusted gradually became clear. The more carefully he thought about it, the more he felt the world was dark and cold, leaving him feeling lost.
If his guess was true, then the shamefulness of this conspiracy was enough to forever nail the person currently sitting on the throne of supreme power in the Sui Dynasty to the pillory of disgrace.
After taking a few sips of wine, the old cripple, whether slightly drunk or heartbroken, had a somewhat unfocused gaze. Looking down at the gourd in his hand, he murmured, "If I had had enough courage back then, if I hadn't been afraid of death, if I had killed a few people and exposed this, that person's position, even if not lost, would have been shaken for a while."
"Just speculation, isn't it?"
Fang Jie patted the old cripple's shoulder and said, "Perhaps, it's not what we think at all."
"Perhaps? We?"
The old cripple smiled, some light returning to his eyes: "Then tell me, how did we speculate? You've only heard this much. If you can guess it, I'll admit you're very clever."
"What's the use of admitting I'm clever?" "There's no benefit at all."
"If you can deduce everything from what I just said, regardless of whether it matches our deductions or not, regardless of whether it's correct or not, as long as it sounds reasonable... I'll teach you the Twenty-Four Hands of Dislocating Tendons and Bones. If your guess is the same as ours back then, I'll teach you one sword technique."
"Stingy!"
Fang Jie scoffed, "One sword technique... why don't you say half a technique?"
"Don't be ungrateful..."
The old cripple stroked his beard and smiled, "This one sword technique of mine isn't something anyone can learn just because they want to. If I'm not willing, even if a highly talented eighth-rank master kneels and begs me, I won't teach it."
As he said this, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at Shen Qingshan, who stood under the oleander blossoms, more beautiful than the flowers themselves.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingshan's lips curled into a cold, arrogant look.