As soon as he entered the courtyard of the house, Hou Fangyu felt an unprecedented quietness. In stark contrast to the bustling and prosperous scenes of the past, the house was so still and quiet that barely a sound could be heard except the tweeting of the golden oriole. Finding that the door was not latched, Hou pushed it open but heard no sound. He assumed that Li Xiangjun was sleeping. To surprise her, he went upstairs cautiously and found that Xiangjun’s room had changed completely from the way he remembered it. Mirrors had been replaced by calligraphy and paintings on the wall. Writing brushes, China ink, paper, ink slabs and unfinished paintings instead of musical instruments were placed on the table. It was clear that Xiangjun’s room had been converted into a painting studio. Hou stood there, astonished by what he saw, when a middle-aged man suddenly came in. The man was equally surprised to see Hou Fangyu there and asked, “Who are you? Why did you come upstairs without permission?”
Hou Fangyu asked in return, “This is Miss Li Xiangjun’s dressing room. Who are you? Why are you living here?”
“My name is Lan Ying. I am a painter”, said the man. “Yang Wencong is an old friend of mine. It was him who brought me here for a temporary stay.”
Lan Ying was a celebrated painter who excelled at painting landscapes, birds, plum flowers, bamboo and much more. Hou had heard his name before and thus bowed before him hurriedly. “So you are the painter Lan Yang. I have heard much about you. It is an honor to meet you!”
“And you are…?”
“I am Hou Fangyu from Henan Province. I am also an old friend of Yang Wencong.”
Lan Ying was shocked. “Oh, you hold a high reputation in literary circles. I have heard your name a great deal. I am truly fortunate to meet you here. Please sit down!”
Before he was seated, Hou Fangyu could not wait to say, “May I ask if you know where Xiangjun has gone?
“It is said that all the courtesans were selected to rehearse the new legendary play in the Imperial Palace.”
“What? She was selected into the Imperial Palace? When? “Sorry, that is all I know”, said the painter.
Hou Fang yu stood up distracted ly and wal ked to the window with his eyes full of tears. Outside, the peach blossoms were bursting into full bloom. Hou recalled that last time the peach blossoms bloomed was when he and Xiangjun had pledged their love. But now, Xiangjun was gone, the house was empty and a bloodstained fan was the only thing left. As the sight struck a chord in his heart, Hou took out the fan with the peach blossoms and thought back to the memories of their short but happy life together.
By coincidence, Yang Wencong came to visit Lan Ying and was astonished to see Hou Fangyu here. Hou recounted his experiences since he had left the Meixiang House and inquired about how Li Xiangjun had entered the Imperial Palace. Yang Wencong answered, “Li Xiangjun entered the Imperial Palace on the seventh day of January, for over two months by now”.
Hou asked, “When will she leave the Palace?”
Yang Wencong sighed, “Alas, not for the foreseeable future.”
“It seems that I have no choice but wait for her here”, said Hou.
“There is nothing memorable left here,” Yang told him, “Xiangjun was taken away and entrapped in the Imperial Palace. Her fate is impossible to predict. Brother Hou, I implore you not to keep any hope that she may come back again. You might as well court another beauty.”
Hou Fangyu replied, “How could I betray Xiangjun? I will never break my promise. Even if I leave Nanjing, I must find out something about my dear Xiangjun, otherwise I will continue to fret.
At these words, Yang sighed resignedly, “Brother Hou, let me be frank with you. At present, Ma Shiying and Yuan Dacheng are in power and they are keen to settle personal scores. Although I am on good terms with them, I dare not take sides against these men. On the seventh day of the first month they held a banquet to enjoy the snow-covered scenery and ordered courtesans to serve wine and sing songs. Xiangjun was amongst these courtesans. You know her character, she raved at Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng at that banquet. As a result, Ma and Ruan grew angry and gave orders to punish her severely. Fortunately, I was there and saved her life by persuading Ma Shiying against this. Li Xiangjun was selected by and taken to the Imperial Palace under the false name of Li Zhenli because I was afraid that she would be tortured to death if Ruan Dacheng knew her true identity. Since Xiangjun entered the Imperial Palace, her fate is as yet uncertain. However, she was able to avoid being framed by Ruan so she is still alive.
