Courtesans and Opium Read online

  The brush traces her brows; she has finished her springtime slumber;

  The mirror reflects her face; she is late with her toilette.

  She gave a sour smile. “It doesn’t matter so much that you’ve changed my name,1 but the whole world knows of us prostitutes as fallen flowers. You make that ever so clear in your couplet—you’re holding me up to ridicule!”

  “To tell you the truth, I’m not much of a writer. I couldn’t write a couplet myself, so I got someone to do it for me. If I ever had the slightest intention of ridiculing you, let me die some horrible death! But tell me this, just how did that couplet liken you to a fallen flower?”

  “Don’t pretend to be so concerned! Let me ask you this: once those caltrop flowers2 are exposed to frost, don’t they wither and fall?”

  At these words, Yuan flung the scrolls aside. “You can blame me for being crude,” he said, “but that thought never even crossed my mind. Now, don’t be angry.” He unrolled the second pair of scrolls and showed them to her.

  The snow fills the twin peaks where the hermit lies;

  The moon shines on the forest floor when Beauty comes.

  Paria looked at the couplet and said nothing, just flung herself down on the bed and began sobbing hysterically. Yuan You, who had no idea why she was so upset, sat on the edge of the bed and asked her what the trouble was. When she wouldn’t say, he became agitated himself. “Whatever it is, how will I know if you won’t tell me? Oh, it’s enough to drive a man to his grave!”

  “Master Yuan, you don’t need to put on a false show of concern for my benefit! You made a big mistake; you thought I asked you for a pair of scrolls because I was worried about my image. It’s no wonder you made fun of me.”

  “You told me that the words ‘frost’ and ‘caltrop’ in the first couplet meant that you were being likened to a fallen flower. However, in this second couplet—well, I may be crude and shallow and have little understanding of these things, but those lines come straight from the Thousand Poems.3 I told the man who composed them that your name had to be included, so he simply replaced ‘in the mountains’ with ‘twin peaks.’ I can’t imagine how that could offend you so much as to make you as angry as this.”

  “It’s precisely the words ‘snow fills the twin peaks’ that make me angry. Now, just think about what I’m going to say. If you hadn’t been telling wild stories to other people, how would that man who wrote the couplet ever know such a private thing about me? How would he know to mock me with the lines ‘A winding path leads to the secret place / Twin peaks line each side of the tiny stream’?”4 She began crying again.

  Yuan You still did not understand. He kept repeating the words “snow fills the twin peaks” over and over again, tugging at his ear lobe and scratching his head, as perplexed as ever. Paria seized his ear and twisted it, then whispered something into it. At last he understood. He got to his feet and took both pairs of scrolls and tore them to shreds, then bowed deeply before Paria and tried to comfort her, swearing numerous oaths and taking numerous vows. Eventually she stopped crying.

  Taking her hand, Yuan You led her back to Cassia’s room. The others were all there, and they said it was time for dinner. Sanzi was again sent off to fetch Fragrance, and after supper she was again escorted back by Lu Shu.

  They met daily over the course of many days. Fragrance requested goodness knows how much clothing and jewelry from Lu Shu, who invariably obliged, spending an untold amount of money on her. The owner of the Jinyulou, Mother Xiao, together with Cloud, Lute, and the senior staff also made numerous requests.

  Fragrance was impressed by Lu Shu’s youth, good looks, gentle manner of speech, and free-spending ways. She was now fifteen, she reflected, had spent several years in the brothels, and had some knowledge of life—how could she help adoring him! When they met, she would lavish endearments upon him, and pet and cuddle, although they could not consummate the affair for fear that they might be seen. Lu Shu, who had been in love with her all along, could not endure her flirtatious ways and ached unbearably for her.

  One day he was in Fragrance’s room chatting with the others when Mother Xiao came in and greeted them all. Fragrance quickly got to her feet. “Godmother, please take a seat.”

  “No need to be so formal,” said Mother Xiao as she sat down. “What luck to find all of you gentlemen here! There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What’s that?” they asked.

  “The other day Master Lu asked me to find out about Miss Fragrance’s celebration,5 and it so happened that yesterday her uncle came by. I’ve had several discussions with him, and he’s now put a price of fifty taels on the deflowering. In addition, he wants a gold hairpin, a pair of gold rings, a gown made of imported crepe silk, a pleated skirt of imported crepe silk, a gown of Hangzhou gauze, and a pleated skirt of the same material, all to provide Fragrance with a change of clothes. He also wants to have bed curtains made of imported print, valences of crimson imported crepe, and new bedding. If Master Lu is willing to do as her uncle wants, he can set a date for the celebration. I can’t tell you how much persuasion it took to work out this agreement. I wonder what you think of it, Master Lu?”

  Lu Shu was overjoyed to hear that an agreement had been reached, and he readily accepted without calculating the cost.

  “Master Lu,” continued Mother Xiao, “it was only with great difficulty and after countless arguments that I managed to get Miss Fragrance’s uncle to agree, and now you have your heart’s desire. Well, that’s that! Miss Fragrance’s celebration will be held here. I hope that you will consider how best to reward me.”

  “Whatever you want, I’ll see that you get it.”

  “I’m nearly seventy. The year before last my daughter had a client who was a guard on a grain transport. He brought me a set of sandalwood boards, which have been made into a passable coffin and given three coats of lacquer. Now, if you would help out by giving me thirty taels, I would take advantage of the fact that this is an intercalary year to have the burial garments made. Well! That would provide me with a good ending to a hard life. May you and our Miss Fragrance be blessed with a lifetime of happiness!”

  At these words the guests began laughing. “That’s a small matter,” said Lu Shu. “Just leave it to me.”

  Mother Xiao laughed aloud. “Master Lu, you’re a big player and no mistake. Let me thank you in advance.”

  Lu Shu turned to Fragrance. “You should speak to the tailor yourself about the clothes and bedding. Order whatever kinds you like and work out with him how much it will come to. Tomorrow I’ll bring you the money to give him. As for the jewelry, I’ll order it myself and bring it over.” Calling for a calendar, he chose the first of the fifth month, a lucky day, for the celebration. To Mother Xiao he said, “I’ve decided on the first of the fifth. Please ask the cook to prepare a banquet on that day. All of the staff, men and women, will be needed. The food must be of the finest quality and also sumptuous, regardless of cost. I’ll be responsible for all the expenses.”

  He turned to his sworn brothers. “I hope very much that on the first you will all attend with your favorites for a full day’s celebration.”

  “Of course we will. We’ll want to congratulate you.”

  It was time to light the candles. Lu Shu arranged a banquet and invited them all. Afterward they left the Jinyulou and entered the city through the Tianning Gate. At the crossroads he took leave of the others and, with Felix in attendance, went back by way of North Willow Lane.

  The other four went on to Qiang Da’s on Ninth Lane. As they entered, Wu Zhen asked which rooms were free. “They’re all free,” said Sanzi. “You can go to any one you like.” Wu Zhen heard talk and laughter coming from Cassia’s room and invited the others there.

  They found Cassia, Paria, Phoenix, and Lucky playing cards. At sight of the men, they threw down their cards, scooped up the cash they had been playing for, and rose and greeted their guests.

  “Go on with your game!”
said Jia Ming. “We’ll stand beside you and watch.”

  “We were just playing about,” said Phoenix. “It’s nothing. Now that you’re here, we can’t possibly go on.”

  By this time the maid had gathered up the cards and moved the table back to its original position. She now invited the guests to sit down and offered them tea and tobacco. “Have you had any supper, gentlemen?”

  “We’ve just come from supper at Miss Fragrance’s,” said Wu Zhen. “But do hurry up and light the opium lamp. I want to smoke.” She did so, and Wu Zhen lay down as Cassia prepared the opium. Jia Ming and Phoenix were whispering together about something, while Yuan You joked with Paria and Wei Bi with Lucky.

  Some time later, they heard the sound of rain falling more and more heavily outside the window. Sanzi came in and said, “It’s nearly midnight, and it’s pouring outside. You can’t possibly go back tonight.”

  “Miss Phoenix and Brother Jia are still in the process of forming a relationship,” said Wu Zhen. “By a lucky chance heaven is playing the part of a matchmaker. We’ll stay here and keep our brother company.”

  With the rain pelting down, Jia Ming could hardly reject the suggestion. Wu Zhen told Sanzi to order the pages to go back. Then the brothers escorted Jia Ming to Phoenix’s room, where they engaged in a little horseplay before returning to their own favorites.

  Phoenix had a maid light the opium lamp and invited Jia Ming to smoke. “Xue, the tailor, was to make you two short gowns and two pairs of trousers,” he said. “Has he delivered them yet?”

  From her wickerwork chest Phoenix took out a short gown of white pongee with an embroidered silk collar piece, another short gown of white silk with a blue-green embroidered collar piece, a pair of blue nankeen trousers, and a pair of black silk trousers and handed the clothes to Jia Ming. “He brought these over this afternoon and told me that you had ordered them. I’ve received so many kindnesses from you I feel quite embarrassed.”

  “Mere trifles,” said Jia Ming. “Look, from now on let’s dispense with the clichés.” He asked her to put the clothes away again.

  She led him to the bed, where she prepared two or three pellets and offered them to him, then satisfied her own habit. From a drawer in her dressing table she produced a plate of cakes made with egg and a plate of fruitcakes, of which Jia Ming ate a little.

  She washed herself, removed the opium lamp, smoothed out the bed, folded up the bedclothes, and urged Jia Ming to undress and lie down. Then she shut the door and joined him in bed.

  If you are wondering what they did inside the bedclothes, you must turn to the next chapter.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Yan Xiang extorts part of a dragon boat’s rent;

  Fragrance has her first taste of sexual passion.

  Because Jia Ming had several times given Phoenix money and bought her opium, and also had a quantity of clothing made for her, she felt particularly grateful. This was also the first time he had spent a night in the brothel, so she showed off all her secret bedroom techniques and tried to gratify him in every conceivable way. It was not until dawn that they fell into a sound sleep, still locked in each other’s arms.

  Wei Bi was the first up in the morning. He rushed over to Phoenix’s room, pushed open the door, tiptoed over to the bed, and pulled aside the bed curtain. He noticed that Phoenix’s right arm was outside the bedclothes cradling Jia Ming’s head, and that the two lay face-to-face, sound asleep.

  “What a loving scene!” he murmured.

  Phoenix awoke, rubbed her eyes, and said, “Master Wei, why aren’t you asleep? What are you doing up so early?” At the sound of her voice, Jia Ming also woke up.

  “With Miss Lucky and me it’s a case of ‘the Prince of Spring lasts a single month, the Son of Heaven ten thousand years.’1 Old couples like us get honest-to-goodness sleep, unlike newlyweds such as you and Brother Jia, who are hard at work all night and then go on sleeping until now.”

  “Leave off the fun and games, Brother. Close the curtain so we can get up.”

  Wei Bi did so, and Jia Ming and Phoenix put on their underwear and got out of bed. Then Wu Zhen and Yuan You burst into the room, bandying jokes with each other and urging Jia Ming to wash and get dressed. Phoenix brought in a bowl of baked lotus seeds and said to the other guests as she put it into Jia Ming’s hands, “I assumed you three would have had your breakfast, so I didn’t ask you if you wanted any.”

  “These lotus seeds were prepared for our brother,” said Yuan You. “We don’t have the same sort of luck. But do go ahead and eat.”

  “Forgive me for starting first,” said Jia Ming. He ate half of the lotus seeds and passed the bowl back to Phoenix, then left the room with the other guests. When they reached the courtyard, he turned back and went up to Phoenix’s room, where he took two silver dollars from the purse at his belt and gave them to her for minor expenses. As he was leaving the second time, she called him back. “What do you want to say?” he asked.

  She found herself unable to say whatever she had had on her mind. After racking her brains, she said, “Come back as soon as you can. We’ll talk about it then.” Jia Ming promised to do so and left with the others to have tea and pastries at the Futura teahouse.

  Some two hours after the guests had left, Yan Xiang, You Deshou, and four or five of their followers, the men who had made trouble before, came swaggering into Qiang Da’s house. Sanzi didn’t dare express the anger that he felt but welcomed them cheerfully and invited them into Paria’s room, where he offered them tea. He also called for the maid to fill their pipes and summoned several courtesans to keep them company. The courtesans addressed the men as godfathers and politely asked their names, and they in turn asked the courtesans their names. Once the introductions were over, Sanzi handed Phoenix a lute. “Miss Phoenix, choose a nice song for these godfathers.”

  Adjusting the strings, she said, “I’m afraid I don’t sing well. I hope you’ll bear with me,” to which they replied that they were looking forward to hearing her. Accompanying herself on the lute, she sang a “Nanjing Air”:

  Disturbed by spring, I cannot sleep;

  My heart is filled with care.

  The lamp is all I have for company.

  I hear a sound, but it’s only the cat

  Driving me to despair.

  No word from my cruel lover!

  Sound sleep escapes me;

  Pleasant dreams elude me.

  How I hate that heaven above!

  My fortunes never come to be.

  As she finished, she said, “Very poor, I’m afraid,” but her audience cried out “Bravo!” Someone relieved her of the lute.

  “Call the owner,” said Yan Xiang. “There’s something we want to talk to him about.”

  “He’s gone out to a teahouse,” said Sanzi. “If you have a message for him, just tell me, and I’ll pass it on to him when he gets back.”

  “It’s nothing, just that we’ve taken a fancy to a multicolored gold dragon boat at the Tianshou Temple dock and have put your house down for an eight-dollar share of the rent. We’re counting on this particular boat. It’s in a different class from the others, for which eighteen hundred cash would have been enough. We need to hear from your owner to know if we can go ahead with it.”

  “I’ll tell him as soon as he gets back. I’m sure he’ll agree.”

  “If he wants to see us, we’ll be at the Bamboo Heater tomorrow. If he doesn’t, well, so be it.” He stood up and left, followed by his men.

  Sanzi at once began railing at them to the courtesans. “That affair the other day cost us a lot of money, and now, with the ink scarcely dry on the agreement, they have the nerve to come back here first thing in the morning and start throwing their weight about! I wonder when someone will just happen to investigate their affairs and have a little fun with them. That’s when we’ll see just what those horns they’re always tooting are really made of.”

  Because they had been sitting in her room, once they had gone, Paria l
it a couple of sheets of toilet paper.

  When Qiang Da returned, Sanzi told him what Yan Xiang had said, and naturally he again called in Yu Jiafu to deal with the matter.

  Meanwhile the sworn brothers had arrived at the Futura teahouse and found Lu Shu already there. He got up to welcome them, and they joined him and chatted idly over breakfast. Lu Shu asked them to accompany him to the exchange on Progeny Street to buy gold, which he took to the silversmith’s on New Victory Street to be made into hairpins and rings. Again he told Felix to wait there for them. After that, he invited the others to the Jinyulou, where they went up to Fragrance’s room. Cloud and Lute came in to keep them company.

  “The tailor has given me the total cost,” Fragrance told Lu Shu, “but he needs to be paid in advance. He can deliver the clothes and bedding by the end of the month.”

  “Felix has two packets of money with him,” said Lu Shu. “I told him just now to see to work on the jewelry. He’ll be here shortly, and I’ll get him to give you the money. The lighter packet weighs thirty ounces. You should give that to the tailor right away. I’ll make up any shortfall tomorrow. The other is fifty ounces. Take it and give it to your uncle, so that he can go back as soon as possible. The silver is all top grade, in tribute ingots.2 I’ve checked it myself, and it’s exactly right.”