Chapter Seventy-Two: The Union of Qin and Jin

Chu Youcai was led to a quiet spot near a crescent-shaped doorway. The maid, having bowed respectfully to him, said, “Miss Wen is waiting for you on the second floor, sir,” and then withdrew.

Stepping through the moon gate, Chu Youcai found the first floor empty yet adorned with exquisite jade ornaments. Ascending the stairs, he glimpsed the shimmering lake and distant mountains through the windows—an enchanting sight.

At that moment, the mellow notes of a guzheng suddenly drifted through the air. Each plucked string carried a strength that brooked no retreat, yet beneath it lay a trace of confusion, as though the music’s journey pressed ever forward but could not find its destined door.

Startled, Chu Youcai pushed open the door on the second floor. Wisps of violet gauze fluttered before his eyes, veiling the figure of a young woman seated beyond, wholly absorbed in playing the guzheng.

The music flowed like water, pure and captivating, yet tinged with perplexity. Upon the nearby wall, two lines were inscribed: “Unmoved by favor or disgrace,” and “Indifferent to coming or going”—words that seemed to capture the woman’s state of mind.

The guzheng’s notes grew clearer, the musician ever more engrossed, as if she had forgotten the world around her. Listening, Chu Youcai found himself entranced, his own melancholy swept away.

In this moment, inspiration stirred within him. He wandered over to the desk and gazed at the characters for “unmoved by favor or disgrace.” A sudden desire to free this woman from her confusion welled up in his heart.

With swift strokes, he wrote two lines upon a blank scroll:

“Leisurely I watch the flowers bloom and fall before the courtyard,
Calmly I follow the clouds as they roll and unfurl beyond the sky.”

Having written, Chu Youcai felt a clarity and lightness settle over his mind.

Just then, a delicate fragrance wafted by. Turning, he saw the young woman had come to stand behind him, her eyes fixed upon his words, a look of astonishment upon her face.

Suddenly, recalling something, she glanced at the inscription on the wall and exclaimed, “Unmoved by favor or disgrace, watching the flowers bloom and fall; indifferent to coming or going, following the clouds as they rise and drift?” She repeated the lines twice, as if entranced.

Waiting until she recovered herself, Chu Youcai smiled gently and bowed. “I am Chu Youcai. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Wen.”

Wen Ji’s face shone with delight and admiration. “I am Wen Ji. It is my pleasure to meet you, Master Chu. Your talent is renowned; I glimpsed it from the city wall that day, but today my eyes have truly been opened.”

Chu Youcai smiled lightly. “Lady Wen, your beauty is unmatched, and your mastery of poetry and song is equally admirable. I am honored to make your acquaintance, though I wonder…”

Just as he was about to ask her purpose in inviting him, Wen Ji gazed at him intently, her eyes luminous, her expression brimming with emotion. “I invited you here, sir, only to ask you one thing.”

Chu Youcai was taken aback. “Please, speak, Lady Wen.”

With utmost seriousness, Wen Ji fixed her gaze on him. “Would you be willing to form a lifelong bond with me?”

Chu Youcai was stunned, unable to believe his own ears.

Wen Ji took a step closer, her tone earnest. “You are handsome and talented beyond compare. I have long sought such a man, and you are the one. I wish to pledge myself to you, hoping you will not disdain my humble form.”

Before Chu Youcai could respond, Wen Ji continued softly, “I have here three hundred thousand taels of silver notes, all my savings from these years. Though not a vast fortune, it is my entire heart, and I entrust it all to you.”

She drew a golden jade box from her sleeve, opened it to reveal dozens of high-denomination silver notes and a few precious jade bracelets and golden hairpins, and offered it to Chu Youcai.

At this, Chu Youcai could scarce believe his eyes. This was their first meeting—why such trust?

Noticing his hesitation, Wen Ji spoke gently, “I am not under any external pressure. Since childhood, I have yearned for tales of lovers fleeing together, for the union of gifted scholars and beautiful ladies. Such beauties are easily found; true talent is rare. During the locust calamity, I too climbed the city wall to do what I could for Yan Prefecture. There, witnessing your grace and poetic genius, I felt a deep reverence. You became my hope. Now, meeting you in person, I am even more captivated. I beg you to accept me.”

At her words, understanding dawned on Chu Youcai. Seeing Wen Ji so sincere, so deeply moved, he could not help but be touched.

It was as if he saw his younger sister again. He remembered how, as a child, she had said her greatest wish was to live out such stories—to be the heroine who runs away by night, to find her own gifted scholar. From that moment, he had sworn to cure her illness, to let her pursue her own happiness.

This scene before him was uncannily similar.

A tremor ran through Chu Youcai’s heart.

Just as he was about to speak, hurried voices sounded from below. “Miss Wen! Miss Wen!”

Wen Ji frowned. “What is it, Madam?”

It was the brothel’s madam from Jiaping Court, who soon hurried up the stairs. She bowed respectfully to Chu Youcai before addressing Wen Ji. “Scholar Lan of Southern Chu offers thirty thousand taels, if only you would play him a song tonight. What do you say?”

Wen Ji’s expression turned cold. “My heart belongs to Master Chu. I will play for no other.”

The madam’s face flashed with anger and surprise, but she forced a smile. “If you are unwell tonight, I shall decline the offer.”

With that, she descended the stairs, her footsteps so heavy it seemed she meant to splinter the floor.

Wen Ji turned her gaze to Chu Youcai, her eyes resolute, awaiting his answer.

Chu Youcai sighed softly. “Lady Wen, I think you do not truly wish to form such a bond with me. What you seek is an answer to the confusion in your heart.”

Wen Ji was stunned. “The confusion in my heart?”

Chu Youcai nodded. “Perhaps you yourself have not noticed—your heart is deeply attached to human feelings.” At that moment, the sunrise and snow-capped peaks of his own Dao heart resonated within him. As he neared Wen Ji, he sensed an aura neither human nor earthly, but as pure as gold and jade.

Wen Ji opened her mouth, but no words came. After a long silence, she finally said softly, “You have seen through me, sir. I am not human.”

Yet her face remained steadfast. “Do you reject me for what I am? Though I was born of a jade pendant, I have harmed no one. If I could remain by your side, there is nothing I would not do to help you.”

Her words were resolute, her gaze fixed on Chu Youcai’s face, as if she would never give up.