Chapter 132 — Meeting
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 4 of 4
Song Yan wore a straight-cut robe of jade-belt white, a sachet and a mutton-fat jade pendant hanging at his waist. His finely wrought brows and eyes were like ranges of mountains winding away, his calm pupils like the deep, still waters of a pool; his bearing was lofty and refined, his manner elegant. A beautiful youth such as this, who ought to inspire goodwill at a single glance, stood there with a smile at the corners of his lips, yet was like high mountains and flowing rivers—amid the stillness there was an irresistible force like Mount Tai pressing down, rousing in others a faint, unspoken wariness. Beside him stood Gu Yu, white of teeth and red of lip, like the vast night sky beside a bright star, his luster wholly eclipsed by Song Yan.
The two could not help exchanging glances.
Song Yan, too, was taking the measure of Wei Fan and Wang Qinghai.
Wei Fan looked to be seventeen or eighteen, wearing a straight-cut robe of fine moon-white cloth; because he was in mourning, a palm-sized patch of coarse hemp was sewn to the hem. He had sword-shaped brows and starry eyes, and was tall and upright. Wang Qinghai appeared a year or two older than Wei Fan, wearing a straight-cut robe of sapphire blue figured with purple medallions; his nose was straight and his mouth square, and his complexion was faintly dark. What was rare was that both had clear eyes—at a glance, they were the sort who had been well educated and had grown up with the wind ever at their backs.
Song Yan exchanged pleasantries with Wei Fan: "I never expected to run into the Marquis of Jining and Fourth Master Wang here. The gongs have not yet sounded—why not stay a while longer before leaving? I hear Zeng Chusheng of the Guanglian Troupe has been engaged to perform today—since the onset of his asthma he has rarely taken the stage in person, and it is no small feat for the Duke Jing's estate to have secured him. Why not stay and hear the opera before you go?"
His voice was gentle and his tone cordial, which quite overwhelmed Zhang Yuanming with favor; he hastened to say, "Yes, indeed—such chances are rare. Why not stay and hear the opera before you go?"
How could Wei Fan not know what a rare chance it was to make the acquaintance of the heir of the Duke of England? But he was in mourning.
After hesitating a long while, he still declined with a look of regret, wording it tactfully: "Many thanks for the heir of the Duke of England's kind intent, but I am in mourning and truly cannot linger. Should the occasion arise, I shall play host and invite the heir of the Duke of England to gather with us." Though his expression was somewhat constrained, his few words were spoken with generosity and propriety.
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Making up for the March 24 update!
(*^__^*) Hee hee...
Today's bonus update may be a little late—I am just now looking up materials, so the time is a bit uncertain...
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