NOVPUBChen Xi chatted idly with Fan Jian, hugging her informally. Although the New Year had already passed, everyone in Fenggao didn’t have much to do. Mostly, they gathered daily to drink, watch plays, and listen to music. In short, Fragrance Pavilion’s theater had been packed every show recently.
"Zichuan, come on, let’s go drink!" Zhang Fei bellowed from outside the inner courtyard, his robust voice sending a tremor by Chen Xi’s ear, naturally stirring a buzz among the maids in the courtyard after his shout.
It has to be said that Chen Xi treated his household’s maids remarkably well. He had given them a full young lady’s allowance before the New Year and hadn’t asked them to do anything troublesome. After the holiday season, all these girls became much bolder.
"It’s drinking every day with you. Can’t you change your line? Who are you drinking with today?" Chen Xi sighed as he opened the door, "Just don’t drink with that drunkard Gan Xingba. It’s torture."
"There’s a new opera at Fragrance Pavilion today. Aren’t you going to watch it? The leading actor, Chen Yun, she’s truly brilliant." Zhang Fei clapped Chen Xi on the shoulder with such force that he involuntarily stooped.
Speaking of which, Zhang Fei’s behavior was absolutely that of a die-hard fan. Well, in an era with such scarce entertainment, a play was a supreme delight for these idle folks who lacked amusements. Hence, Fragrance Pavilion had recently turned a huge profit, producing several so-called leading actors.
"Oh, she’s one of my maids. All the Chens at Fragrance Pavilion are just my maids having fun," proclaimed Chen Xi with no real interest, having felt a certain appeal at the first one or two shows, but lost interest after watching them several times.
During the grand New Year festivities, Chen Xi had sent all his maids out to enjoy themselves, and those maids given to him by Liuu Luo of Fragrance Pavilion—who had informed him that they would no longer engage in the more sordid aspects of the business—returned to visit Liuu Luo.
It was then that Chen Xi discovered that the maids Liuu Luo had sent were all personally raised by her, and it was apparent she hoped to push one or two of them Chen Xi’s way, hoping to establish a connection through familial affection.
For these matters, Chen Xi had little to say. If Liuu Luo hadn’t taken those young girls in, they probably would have starved, so it could be said there were no ill intentions involved.
With Fragrance Pavilion short-handed, Liuu Luo put her "daughters" on stage. Some were good, some not as much, but all received quite a sum of tips. After all, the patrons were wealthy merchants experiencing this form of entertainment for the first time and happily gave generous rewards.
As a result, all the maids in Chen Xi’s household were led by the successful money-makers to join in the fun. At that time, Fragrance Pavilion was understaffed, so Liuu Luo, as the proprietor, had no reservations. With all new performers, the excitement alone was enough. The Great Han Dynasty had a high tolerance for these emerging forms of entertainment, and it didn’t take long for several talented ladies to rise.
So far, five leading actors had emerged, not counting Chen Yun. Within Chen Xi’s inner court, there were still two who were studying poetry and literature. In essence, these maids had made a tidy sum over the New Year season. Even those three leading actors had earned enough to sustain them for life. However, up till now, none of them wished to leave, and Chen Xi understood some of their reasons.
One could only say that it was too difficult to get by in this world. As maids of Chen Xi, in an era where maids and concubines were hardly distinguishable, even if a concubine was seen as a plaything, no one would dare reach for Chen Xi’s playthings.
"Ah, why can’t my maids be as capable as yours," Zhang Fei sighed and said, although he was still a bachelor with no intention of marrying.
"You could try training them," Chen Xi suggested as he headed out the door. "It’s about time to go inform Fengxiao and Zhicai about this matter. Third brother, you should go to the theater with Xingba and the others. I’ve really lost interest. With three famous actors in my home, all of whom can perform to some extent, I can enjoy a show in my garden whenever I like. There’s no need for me to go."
"What a waste, hoarding three famous actors all to yourself," grumbled Zhang Fei. Yet, he didn’t go as far as to suggest that Chen Xi should give a maid to him. Almost everyone in Mount Tai with a name knew that Chen Xi seemed to belong to a special class of hobbyists, maintaining dozens of maids for his amusement.
As for this, no one could really say that Chen Xi was wrong. After all, maids were maids; the government turned a blind eye to whatever they were bought for, especially when it came to someone like Chen Xi buying them for his enjoyment—there was certainly no issue there. As for that perspective, Chen Xi couldn’t be bothered to explain. His behavior indeed resembled someone who kept a bunch of maids for fun.
Nevertheless, Chen Xi had managed to provide Mount Tai with a legitimate place of recreation for literati and scholars. As for the vexing cultural atmosphere, that might still take some time, but these were no significant concerns.
Having somewhat managed to send Zhang Fei away, Chen Xi called out at the entrance of another courtyard, "Kongming, how about I take you out?"
After a long wait, Zhuge Liang emerged, clutching a book, and shook his head at Chen Xi, "I’m engrossed in studying formations. Minister Li has given me a summary of formations and said if I master it, he’ll teach me one. I’m immersed in researching formations; let’s go out tomorrow."
With that, Zhuge Liang, without paying further attention to Chen Xi, locked the door to his courtyard. To him, Chen Xi was too troublesome. Since living with Chen Xi, this had become Zhuge Liang’s biggest sentiment. Periodically, Chen Xi would toss him some mind-boggling knowledge, and the most excruciating part was that all this knowledge came with verifiable examples, and they were often contradictory. The most annoying part was that Chen Xi’s books were riddled with flaws.
Combining all these elements practically drove Zhuge Liang insane. Hence, he tried to avoid asking Chen Xi questions and turned to inquire from the civil officials instead.
Over time, Zhuge Liang realized that Guo Jia’s character was too carefree, Jia Xu elusive, Lub Su busy as a bee, Liu Ye appeared somewhat neurotic, Mann Chong acted as if everyone owed him money, while Fa Zheng always seemed malicious. Only Li Youu, the venerable elder, seemed kind and compassionate, rich in experience, knowledgeable and talented, always ready to answer questions, and he never bothered him. Almost instantly, Zhuge Liang felt as though he had found refuge in an organization.
To be honest, Zhuge Liang no longer considered his own intelligence unparalleled in the world—after all, Chen Xi’s presence loomed before him regularly, sporadically uttering profoundly philosophical statements that took Zhuge Liang from utter shock to a breath of fresh air and then to complete desensitization, finally settling into a sense of routine.
"Strange, why doesn’t Kongming stick with me?" Chen Xi muttered to himself, puzzled, as he watched Zhuge Liang lock the door. After all, he had taught Zhuge Liang so much knowledge not yet known in this era. Why did it seem that the more he taught, the less Zhuge Liang wanted to stay by his side? This was baffling.
If Zhuge Liang knew what Chen Xi was thinking, he would be in tears. Chen Xi’s approach was anything but educational—it was pure force-feeding, never considering if it was harmful or appropriate, just stuffing it into Zhuge Liang’s head without a second thought. Fortunately, Zhuge Liang’s intelligence was exceptional, and he hadn’t lost his spirituality due to Chen Xi’s way of ’education.’
Even so, Zhuge Liang was still terrified by Chen Xi’s abnormal amount of knowledge. It wasn’t that he didn’t like knowledge, it was just that he couldn’t cope with Chen Xi’s method of teaching. Out of desperation, he had no choice but to take drastic measures: first, digest the information Chen Xi had already shared, and then proceed to new learning. Otherwise, Zhuge Liang seriously doubted whether he could withstand the intensity of such indoctrination! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
