The calligraphy was beautiful.
The writing of this couplet was very pleasing to the eye.
At least it was visually appealing.
Although having such a couplet hanging in a suite costing a thousand taels per night was somewhat ironic.
Inspector He curiously asked the young steward leading the way: "Who wrote this?"
"It was written by our Lord Commander's eldest son."
Inspector He's footsteps paused as he entered.
He looked at the couplet again:
"Frugality nurtures integrity, pure as the unblemished autumn moon.
Strictness rectifies oneself, clean as the naturally fragrant plum blossom."
He thought of a young man who once wrote the poetic line "Knocking on thin bones, still carrying a copper sound."
Later he heard the young man had rebelled alongside his father.
Then his father surrendered and became Commander Jiang.
How strange life was, that he had come to Jingzhou because of Commander Jiang.
And now he saw a couplet written by that same young man.
The content was good.
The calligraphy was also good.
But somehow it left him feeling melancholic.
Stepping past the screen in the entrance hall,
He saw a flower bed, with bamboo and trees, lush and green.
Next to it was a thick long table.
On the table surface was a stone slab.
On the stone slab were blue and white tea cups, two large and six small.
The designs varied slightly.
Inspector He was surprised, this was the tea brewing method popular in the imperial palace, a gongfu tea tray.
He had the honor of drinking this tea before, a tiny cup, personally bestowed by the emperor, just one sip, unable to discern the flavor, very light.
But here was a complete tea set, looking even more comprehensive.
Behind the desk, there was actually a wall of bookshelves.
It was filled with precious books.
In this era, books of any kind were very rare.
The Book Boy, who had been muttering about waste along the way, suddenly fell silent upon seeing this entire wall full of books.
So, so, so many books just displayed here.
Inspector He's figure also stood before the bookcase, reaching out to take a book.
He randomly picked one, the Tao Te Ching.
It wasn't a particularly special book, he had read it before.
But this wall of bookcases was all-encompassing, each shelf labeled with book categories: history, novels, medicine? Tea? Antiques? Geography? Agriculture? Strategy?
Each classification broken down further, looking at the books inside, it became very interesting.
Inspector He was definitely considered well-read for his time, after all he had spent his whole life reading, and had access to quite a lot of books.
Yet in this bookcase in a lodging house in Jingzhou, there were actually quite a few books he had never seen before.
He pulled out a book called "Mr. Yin's Tea Discourse" which detailed various types of tea, gongfu tea brewing methods, timing, water temperature, what water, what tea. The text was serious and rigorous, but he had never read it before.
These books were all handwritten copies.
But they were all written very carefully and neatly.
The books showed signs of having been read.
Steward Lin Yi explained: "These books are changed regularly. Lord Commander has established a library in the city where people can register with their identity documents to read books. If they want to borrow, they need to leave a deposit. If they have no money, they can copy books - they need to copy two to take one away. The library provides paper and writing utensils for free."
Inspector He lingered for a long time before the wall of books.
Just glancing over, there were already several he hadn't read.
It felt like he couldn't finish them all in a day.
This was a tea room. Next to the table, against the wall, the floor was covered with woven grass mats, with low tables on top, and cushions on both sides that seemed like you could lie down if you pushed them.
A go board and pieces were set out on the low table.
The view from the window was also beautiful.
Rain and sunset oddly combined.
Outside the window was actually a wheat field, not some precious flowers, but it was even more pleasing to the eye.
This tea room could satisfy receiving guests, resting, drinking tea, reading, and working.
Next to the tea room was the washroom.
Other washrooms were small and dark, but this washroom was surprisingly large.
There was even a dressing table inside.
There were tables and chairs, a large bathtub, with a pipe directly connected to the tub.
There was also a toilet.
The toilet also had a pipe.
The toilet seat was actually covered in silk, and had a backrest, like a large chair.
On the wall were wooden shelves, hanging clean, plain-colored towels.
There was even a robe hanging.
Each towel and robe had a small tag indicating its use.
The towels for washing face, hair, feet, and body were actually separate.
That robe was for wearing after bathing.
Next to the bathtub were several jars, labeled with various flowers, and salt, and even a jar of milk.
Steward Lin Yi explained: "These are for guests to use when bathing. They can be poured into the tub, they have beautifying effects. This is the water valve, if you want to bathe, you can notify me, and hot water will come out of the valve. Everything is replaced daily. Apart from the fixed items, you can take anything you like with you."
The Book Boy noticed there was a special surface for washing hands, not just a lonely basin, but a large countertop with a porcelain basin inset in the middle, with a hole at the bottom and a stopper, and a pipe above.
The steward opened the water valve, and water indeed flowed steadily from the pipe.
Inspector He reached out to catch some water, it was cool.
Thinking of the rain outside, it wasn't surprising that the pipe had water.
On the countertop were several porcelain bottles, labeled cleansing cream, toothpaste, shampoo.
These usually cost one or two taels of silver per bottle outside, but here they were set out, ready to use, and apparently could be taken away.
The Book Boy thought this was quite generous.
Inspector He shook his head slightly, one or two taels of silver was a lot, but compared to the thousand tael lodging fee, it was very little.
Just touring the washroom took quite some time, ending with Inspector He relieving himself alone inside.
Watching his urine instantly disappear, flushed away, while the washroom still retained its fragrance, Inspector He felt a kind of emptiness in his heart.
Before coming, he had imagined that a room costing a thousand taels a night might have beautiful maids and fine wine, pools of meat and forests of alcohol, extremely luxurious.
In reality there was none of that, forget beautiful maids, the only steward was just a clean-cut scholarly type.
In fact, all along the way, the officials who had entertained him had certainly spent more than a thousand taels.
Courtesans on pleasure boats, the finest wines, rare birds and beasts, Inspector He was a man of the world, he had experienced all these entertainments.
But none had been as profound as this time, this was a change.
A strange transformation.
Next to the toilet was soft white paper for wiping one's bottom, and a wooden bucket for trash.
There was even a small bookshelf beside it, also filled with books, so one could read while defecating.
A frightening feeling, he had actually just wanted to reach out and take a book to look at.
Thinking about the person who put books here, they must be quite a genius, definitely someone who especially loved books, needing to read even during those moments of evacuation.
Leaving the washroom, the steward handed Inspector He a semi-dry cotton cloth, and he wiped his hands.
Next they went to the adjoining bedroom.
After all, it was a lodging place, there had to be a bed.
The view from the bedroom window was beautiful.
The bed wasn't one of those ornate embroidered beds, looking layer upon layer, it was just a simple wooden bed.
The bedding looked very white and clean.
Not a single hair to be seen.
There was a wardrobe for hanging clothes, inside hung sleeping robes, and shoes without heels. Steward Lin Yi bent down, indicating that the master could change his shoes.
The Book Boy hurried over to attend to him.
Feet that had been enclosed in shoes, having walked a long way, were not comfortable. Placed in these open, heelless shoes, it seemed the soles could spread out. Without even getting into bed, they were already resting.
"Sir, we offer foot and massage services. If you need them, just ring the bell anytime, and I'll arrange it for you."
Inspector He thought, here it comes, this must be the beautiful maid service.
But then the steward Lin Yi handed him a card, which read: Foot massage 10 taels of silver per session, full body massage 50 taels of silver.
Inspector He stumbled in shock. Spending so much money on lodging, and massages still cost extra?
Could it be massages from courtesans?
Inspector He couldn't stand it, but since he was already here, he might as well go for it.
He was here to experience and understand the chaos and corruption of Jingzhou.
To see what a mess the rebel Commander Jiang had made of Jingzhou.
He sat down heavily on the soft bed, waiting for someone to come and give him a massage.
Sure enough, there was immediately a knock at the door.
Steward Lin Yi answered: "Come in."
The sound of the door opening was heard, followed by slow footsteps. There was no heavy fragrance, but rather a faint medicinal scent.
Then a middle-aged man in a black robe entered, walking very slowly, leaning on a cane, tapping it lightly as he moved forward.
Inspector He was dumbfounded.
It wasn't until he was asked to lie down, and a pair of dry hands began to roam, press, and tap on his shoulders, that Inspector He came to his senses.
There were no beautiful maids, no courtesans; the one giving the massage was, surprisingly, a blind middle-aged man.
Inspector He curiously asked, "Can a blind person actually work like this?"
The man laughed and replied, "Lord Commander says we're only blind, not useless. Of course, we can earn money with our skills. Our blindness makes us unable to see, but it also makes us more focused. With one touch, I can tell that your right shoulder isn't good, sir. It's severely strained from long periods of desk work in a fixed position. Be careful, sir, it might hurt when I press here."
"Pop."
"Pop."
"Hiss."
"Ouch."
"Oh, that feels good."
"You must earn quite a bit. How many taels of silver for one session? It should be enough to support a family."
"It's decent. My wife is pregnant, and when the child grows up and goes to school, there will be many expenses. I need to work hard and save money."
...
