Chapter 452
Heroine
...
Yangzhou, due to its strategic location as a salt transport hub in the Huai River region, became a gathering place for salt merchants.
During the reign of Emperor Zhao Yu, this place, taking advantage of the reforms and the Industrial Revolution, became a transportation hub for all kinds of goods in the Song Dynasty.
As a result, Yangzhou became a gathering place for many wealthy people from the Song Dynasty.
This is why Yangzhou alone donated over ten million to Zhao Yu, amounting to nearly twenty million strings of cash.
Not only did they donate money to Zhao Yu, but in order to please him, the gentry and powerful families of Yangzhou also presented him with many beautiful women from the common people, known as "Yangzhou Slender Horses".
Zhao Yu originally did not want it.
This was mainly because Zhao Yu's purpose in coming here was to ease tensions with the gentry group in Jiangnan, so as to prevent them from causing trouble at this crucial moment. There was no point in taking these beauties from the common people here.
As a result, when these beauties from the common people displayed their talents, even the well-traveled Zhao Yu was somewhat surprised, thinking to himself, 'The "slender horses" of Yangzhou truly live up to their reputation!'
Then, some of them sat upright at their desks, their fingertips touching the strings of their instruments. Some plucked "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank," the clear, melodious sound drifting over the bamboo shadows under the eaves. Others played "Ambush from Ten Sides," the fierce and ruthless spirit hidden in their fingertips. When the piece ended, the lingering melody resonated, leaving listeners mesmerized for a long time.
Some people spread out plain paper, pick up their brushes, and write in delicate, elegant small regular script, each character graceful and beautiful, like a crabapple blossom just beginning to bloom on a branch; others wield their brushes and splash ink, sketching the outline of the misty Jiangnan region with a few strokes, distant mountains and nearby waters, pavilions and towers, all exuding a refined and graceful air.
The woman playing chess was also remarkable, displaying composure and calmness in every move, taking each step with careful planning. Her seemingly casual moves were actually full of hidden strategies.
Even more remarkable are those who can sing and dance. Their dance to "Rainbow Feather Robe" is graceful and slender, their waists as delicate as willows swaying in the breeze, and their skirts fluttering like butterfly wings. The verses they spontaneously recite either describe the deep affection between lovers or express the longing for home. Their verses are perfectly matched and their artistic conception is profound, no less than that of literary figures.
Even ordinary tea ceremonies and flower arrangements are done exquisitely by them. When brewing tea, they control the heat precisely, resulting in a clear and sweet tea soup. When arranging flowers, they do not adhere to any rules, but each branch and leaf is arranged in a pleasing and elegant manner, creating a refined and graceful picture.
Such a talent, proficient in everything, was far beyond what ordinary young ladies could match, which made Zhao Yu secretly marvel.
There was one young girl who left the deepest impression on Zhao Yu. Her rendition of Su Shi's "Nian Nu Jiao: Reminiscences of Chibi" perfectly captured Su Shi's lament for the ancient battlefield and his remembrance of the talents, demeanor, and achievements of the legendary figures in the poem. Moreover, her singing was powerful, desolate, grand, and expansive.
"The great river flows eastward, its waves sweeping away countless heroes of the past..."
It's really hard to believe that this is a young girl's voice.
After the girl finished singing, Zhao Yu asked her, "What's your name?"
The girl replied, "My name is Hua Xiangrong, which is the same Hua Xiangrong that Li Bai used in his poem describing Yang Guifei, 'The clouds remind me of her clothes, the flowers remind me of her face.'"
"Hua Xiangrong?!?"
Zhao Yu was taken aback, recalling that during the Jingkang Incident, not only were the Northern Song imperial family and clansmen captured by the Jurchens, but all the courtesans in the border city of Bianliang were also abducted. Among them was a courtesan named Hua Xiangrong, who, while being taken north by the Jurchen army, expressed her grief over the fall of her country through poetry. Later, she conspired with several other abducted women to rebel, assassinating a Jurchen general after a victory banquet, and ultimately committing suicide with a knife.
When this story reached the Southern Song Dynasty, it became one of the sources of inspiration for the Southern Song army and people's resistance against the Jin Dynasty. It was passed down to later generations and she became one of the famous heroines in history.
Zhang Chun, who had been reading a book to the side, looked up at the girl who was only fifteen or sixteen years old.
She was slender and willow-like, befitting the figure of a "Yangzhou slender horse" (a term referring to a woman of slender build in Yangzhou). Her face, lightly powdered, was as white as jade, with a touch of pale rouge on her cheeks, adding to her gentle charm. Her eyebrows were delicately arched, reaching towards her temples, and her almond-shaped eyes held a watery quality, her gaze carrying a practiced shyness. Her lips were small and red, and a silver hairpin was tucked at her temple, its tassels swaying gently as she sang, making her even more captivating.
Judging solely from their physiques and appearances, it's truly hard to imagine that, in the dead of night, after the music had ended and the party was over, one drunken Jin general after another pounced on frail Han women, taking them back to their tents like chickens. They thought they were going to ravage and play with them, but the next day, the naked generals and naked Han women lay dead in their tents, their bodies exposed, and Hua Xiangrong's knife gleamed coldly in the pool of blood...
Regardless of whether this Hua Xiangrong is the same extraordinary woman in history, just based on the name "Hua Xiangrong," she deserves to be taken in by Zhao Yu and treated well.
To avoid arousing suspicion from Zhang Chun and Li Lin, and also because it would be a pity not to take these young women, each possessing unique skills, Zhao Yu decided to change his mind. He would take any woman, regardless of whether she came from a noble family or was from a commoner family, as long as she was beautiful enough and could arouse his sexual interest. Soon, it was the last girl's turn.
Having grown somewhat tired and weary of the sights, Zhao Yu noticed that while the young woman was somewhat pretty, she wasn't stunningly beautiful. She was tall and slender, but from the perspective of a woman's appearance, she didn't stand out. So he casually asked, "What talents do you have?"
To Zhao Yu's surprise, the young woman said in a somewhat heroic tone, "This servant only knows how to dance with a sword. Would Your Majesty like to see it?"
"Sword dance?"
Zhao Ya was stunned!
This could be considered a talent, but Zhao Yu had a feeling that the girl's so-called sword dance was not a proper sword dance.
Because Zhao Yu had seen sword dances, those women were more inclined to dance than swords, which was easy to see from their figures and temperament.
The girl in front of me had a heroic air about her; her walk and demeanor were like those of a martial artist.
To put it simply, before she even started dancing, Zhao Yu guessed that her so-called sword dance was more about the sword itself.
This piqued Zhao Yu's interest.
Zhao Yu mimicked Zhang Chun's catchphrase, saying, "Please begin your performance."
Without wasting words, the girl turned to Zhao Yu's female guards, Liang Hongyu, Fang Baihua, Liang Damei, and Liang Xiaomei, and asked, "May I borrow two swords?"
Liang Hongyu looked at Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu said, "Give it to her."
Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu found two swords and threw them to the girl.
The girl easily took the two swords and then performed a very beautiful and graceful sword dance.
Then, without saying a word, the girl started dancing.
With a light touch of her toes, the girl spun about ten feet away like a startled swan skimming the water. The moment her two swords were drawn from their sheaths, a cold light suddenly pierced through the warm, fragrant, and soft jade-like space under the corridor, accompanied by a sharp whistle.
She held her sword horizontally in front of her with her left hand, while thrusting out diagonally with her right. Her moves lacked any of the graceful and coquettish mannerisms of a dancer; they were all straightforward and ruthless techniques.
As the two swords clashed, it wasn't just a fancy sword dance; instead, a move called "Jade Belt Around the Waist" swept towards the pillar beside them with a strong wind. The moment the blade grazed the wooden pillar, several wood chips fell down, and the cut was as smooth as if it had been shaved.
As she spun around, she parried with her left hand and slashed with her right, her sword strikes heavy and powerful, even producing a faint sound of wind being cut.
Suddenly, he leaped up, his two swords moving up and down in a "Soaring Eagle" strike, thrusting diagonally upwards. The cold stars emanating from the sword tips were impenetrable, making it seem less like a sword dance and more like a life-or-death struggle between two armies on the battlefield.
When she landed, her steps were as steady as nails. With a twist of her wrists, she pointed her swords directly at the ground. With a slight turn of her wrists, the two swords spun rapidly half a circle in her palms before returning to their sheaths. Her movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
As she finished her move, the bamboo shadows under the corridor were still swaying. Her face remained calm and her heart was not racing. There was not a trace of fear in her heroic eyes. She simply held her sword, cupped her hands, and said loudly, "This humble servant has made a fool of herself."
Zhao Yu had been practicing martial arts for nearly twenty years, and all his teachers were the top masters of the time. How could he not see that this girl was a first-rate swordsman?
Zhao Yu looked at the girl and asked her, "What is your name? Where are you from? Who recommended you to come here?"
The young woman replied, "My surname is Yan, and my given name is Zhengu. I am from Wengang in Linchuan County. My ancestor was Yan Shu, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Renzong. I was recommended by Vice Minister Zhang..."
...(End of chapter)