Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 520 My Father-in-Law Has Taken a Flirt with Dong Xiaowan

That evening, Lin Tianming hosted a banquet for Liu Ye and his entourage at an elegant restaurant in Dengzhou, accompanied by high-ranking officials such as the Prefect of Dengzhou, the Assistant Prefect, the Sub-Prefect, and the Military Supervisor of Liaohai.

To make it a grand occasion, Lin Tianming wanted to find some outstanding girls from the local brothels to sing and entertain, but Liu Ye politely declined, saying with a smile, "Your Excellency, why go to such lengths? There are two exceptionally talented and beautiful girls right here. Why not have them play a piece together?"

The moment Dong Xiaowan and Li Xiangjun appeared, they immediately attracted everyone's attention. The officials whispered among themselves, uttering sounds of admiration. Lin Tianming asked Liu Ye in a low voice, "Who are these two?"

"The two of them, the graceful one named Dong Xiaowan and the petite one named Li Xiangjun, were both top courtesans on the Qinhuai River. They were proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and their talents were no less than those of well-read scholars."

Lin Tianming looked enlightened: "No wonder she has such an aura and appearance."

At this moment, Li Xiangjun plucked the strings, and the clear, melodious sound of the pipa, like jade beads rolling on a plate, rang out. Dong Xiaowan sang softly in response, and the entire audience fell silent, everyone listening intently to the two playing and singing.

The two collaborated on Li Xiangjun's signature piece, presenting a duet version of "The Story of the Lute." From Lin Tianming to the military supervisor and other officials at all levels, everyone listened with rapt attention, and when the piece ended, the entire audience erupted in applause.

Dong and Li gracefully greeted everyone before returning to their seats. Liang Xiaoming was overjoyed, his face flushed, and he thought to himself: Such an outstanding girl is mine! He completely forgot that, until now, he hadn't even held Li Xiangjun's hand.

Lin Tianming was full of praise and tentatively asked, "What are they to you now?"

Liu Ye laughed and said, "Li Xiangjun was bought by my brother Liang Xiaoming to be his concubine. As for Dong Xiaowan..." He was thinking about how to define Dong Xiaowan's status, whether she was a maid or a future concubine, when he suddenly became alert. The person in front of him was his future father-in-law. Discussing the matter of taking a concubine in front of him would be asking for trouble.

Upon hearing that Li Xiangjun was already someone's concubine, Lin Tianming felt a pang of regret: "A gentleman does not take what belongs to another. Since Miss Xiangjun is already taken, then let it be. Alas, I am here alone as an official, while Shiyue's mother stays at home to serve her parents and cannot be by my side. Every day after finishing my official duties, I return to the mansion and find myself alone in my empty room, feeling unbearably lonely..."

Liu Ye understood; this was a veiled request for Dong Xiaowan. The subtext was: "Your father-in-law needs a woman to warm his bed, and since you have such a gem, why don't you offer her up?"

Dong Xiaowan sat beside Liu Ye and vaguely heard Lin Tianming's words from the other side. Feeling nervous, she involuntarily grabbed Liu Ye's arm. Liu Ye turned his head and saw a pleading look in Dong Xiaowan's eyes. She gently shook her head. Moreover, Liu Ye could feel her hands trembling slightly, revealing the extent of her tension and fear.

As the saying goes, "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman." Throughout history, men of all kinds have fallen for this allure, especially since Dong Xiaowan was Liu Ye's type. A single glance from Dong Xiaowan successfully ignited Liu Ye's testosterone levels. His initial hesitation vanished without a trace, replaced by possessiveness and a protective instinct. He sighed deeply and, forcing a smile, said to Xie Sanbin, "Your Excellency, Dong Xiaowan... is my newly acquired concubine..."

Lin Tianming was taken aback, a hint of disappointment appearing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Liu Ye quickly tried to salvage the situation: "If the governor likes this type of woman, I will send someone to Nanjing to buy Liu Rushi and present her to the governor. This woman is said to be the most talented woman in Qinhuai, and her achievements in poetry, calligraphy and painting are even inferior to those of the students of the Fushe Society..."

Lin Tianming's worry turned to joy, and he smiled again, saying, "I've heard of He Dongjun's reputation in the capital. It would be wonderful to have such a woman by my side, composing poems and exchanging verses. However, she's quite expensive; she probably won't release you without several thousand taels of silver. How can I let you spend such a large sum?"

Liu Ye breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, saying, "A mere few thousand taels is nothing. As long as the governor is happy, I'll take care of it. Besides, it's only right to show respect to His Majesty, no matter how much it costs."

Lin Tianming's smile deepened as he raised his glass, gesturing for a toast: "Since you treat me like your father-in-law, shouldn't you change that way of addressing me? Calling me 'Governor' all the time sounds too formal..."

Liu Ye raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, then said, "Yes, Uncle."

The change in address brought them much closer. Lin Tianming asked, "Xiao Ye, do you have a courtesy name?"

Liu Ye recalled for a moment and replied, "Lord Mu gave me a courtesy name, Zhiwen, which is taken from Guan Yu's saying, 'He is both divinely mighty and valiant in martial arts, and refined in literature.'"

Lin Tianming asked with a smile, "Zhiwen, now that you've achieved so much, shouldn't you consider getting married? You're an earl now, and if you rise even higher in the future, I'm afraid my daughter won't be good enough for you..."

This is practically a marriage proposal! Liu Ye, sitting next to his future father-in-law with a "concubine," already felt guilty and couldn't possibly refuse. However, marrying Lin Shiyue was already part of the plan, so it wasn't unexpected. He immediately stated, "Uncle, don't worry. When I return to Guangdong this time, I'll immediately start preparing for the wedding and bring Shiyue into the family in a grand and glorious manner."

"Excellent!" Lin Tianming was very satisfied with the answer, raised his glass, and said, "Let's drink to this together, and not leave until we're drunk tonight."

Liu Ye quickly raised his glass to join him. Actually, there was something he didn't understand: Lin Shiyue cared about her daughter's marriage, so why was she so indifferent to his taking a concubine?

This is actually a modern way of thinking. In ancient times, it was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, especially for successful officials. Even Hai Rui, known for his integrity, took concubines, let alone the wealthy and powerful Earl of Pingnan. From a man's perspective, Lin Tianming could naturally understand his future son-in-law. Besides, as long as his daughter had the title of principal wife, what difference did it make whether she had a few more or fewer concubines? In feudal society, the status of wives and concubines was vastly different. In front of a wife, a concubine was no different from a servant, so she posed no great threat.

The banquet reached its climax, with officials of all ranks in Dengzhou offering toasts to Liu Ye. They were all very well-informed; this man was not only the newly appointed Earl of Pingnan, but also the future son-in-law of the governor. If they didn't curry favor now, when would they?

After half a month of sea travel, coupled with the constant toasts at the banquet, even Liu Ye, with his high alcohol tolerance, couldn't hold on. After two rounds, he gave up and was sent to the inner courtyard of the governor's office to rest. Dong Xiaowan, as a "concubine" recognized by her future wife's family, naturally accompanied him to serve her. However, Liu Ye was too drunk to get up, and nothing happened that night.