Miss Li Zhenli guided Hou and Yang to a majestic living room whereupon she ordered the ser vants to serve wine and dishes. Since Li Zhenli and Yang were old acquaintances, they quickly started chatting about many things. Hou was so attracted to Li Xiangjun that he found himself falling for the girl. She also found him unconventional and eminently talented. Since this was their first meeting, they did not talk much but they did exchange tender and affectionate words. In the middle of the meal, Yang suggested that “It is a rare chance for a gifted scholar and a beautiful lady to get together. I’d like to propose that you two drink a nuptial cup of wine.”
A loud cheer broke out from the crowd and Miss Li hid herself shyly.
From this day on, Hou Fangyu became a regular at the Meixiang House. Hou and Li were so deeply in love that they regretted having not met earlier and vowed eternal love. Yang seized the opportunity to propose that their wedding be held on an auspicious day. Hou knew it would cost him a fortune to redeem Li from the brothel and become his life-long companion. However, as a lone traveler in a foreign territory, he was embarrassingly short of money. Even if he desired to marry Li, he was not financially capable of doing so. He told Yang the truth.
“Don’t you worry about the money,” Yang Wencong comforted his friend. “Let me take care of the wedding banquet and dowry. I have even picked the wedding date for you. The 15th day of the third month in the lunar calendar will be an auspicious day for your marriage. Leave everything to me. You don’t need to do any thing. Just wait until the day comes for your marrige.”
On the day of the wedding, the Meixiang House was decorated with silk and brocade. A banquet was arranged in the hall with a band to play music. All were joyful and boisterous. Miss Li Zhenli was a bold and generous woman with many friends. On the day that her adopted daughter, Miss Li Xiangjun and the celebrated Scholar were married, many famous actors, actresses and courtesans joined in the merry-making and contributed by putting on shows. As matchmaker, Yang Wencong was the busiest of all. He had his men send a large case with expensive clothes and jewelry to the Meixiang House as Hou’s betrothal gift. Yang told Miss Li Zhenli, “I have prepared boxes of clothes and jewelry for Miss Li Xiangjun to accentuate her beauty”.
With these words, he ordered servants to send the gifts to the bridal chamber so that Miss Li Xiangjun could change her clothes and dress up. In due course, Hou arrived at the Meixiang House. There were distinct customs prevalent at Jiuyuan, many of which were utterly different from those observed by the common populace. Here, no formal wedding ceremony was necessary as long as a wedding banquet was in place.
The actresses and courtesans who attended the banquet drank wine and enjoyed shows and suddenly the day was nearly over and it was getting dark. Thus, the guests began to urge the newlyweds to enter their bridal chamber. At this moment, Yang Wencong said, “Please wait for a moment! Though the newlyweds, a gifted scholar and a peerless beauty, have drunk their wedlock wine, they should compose a love poem for the big moment.” At these words, the other guests echoed Yang’s proposal. When Yang brought out a piece of paper, Hou Fangyu said, “I don’t need any paper. I could inscribe a poem on my white silk fan and give it to Li as a token of my love to her”. All of the guests applauded the ingenious idea and Miss Li Xiangjun held an ink slab for Hou to inscribe his poem.
The poem reads:
Fascinated by your stunning beauty and extraordinary artistic skills,
Princes and noblemen came and gathered at the Meixiang House to admire your charm and demeanor.
Though there are many courtesans here,
Only you stand out by virtue of your unrivalled beauty and artistic skills.
Everybody praised the poem and agreed that Hou and Li were a perfect match. Miss Li kept the silk fan on which their love poem was inscribed. After the joyous banquet, the newlyweds were escorted to the bridal chamber by the crowd, accompanied by the sound of gongs and trumpets.
The next morning, Yang came to the Meixiang House to extend his congratulations to the newlyweds. The couple welcomed Yang to their living room. Sitting down, Yang flattered Miss Li, “You are bestowed with stunning beauty which has become even more extraordinary in the company of this gifted scholar Hou. Turning to Hou he said, “Brother, you are so lucky to have married such a beautiful wife.”
Hou expressed his immense gratitude to Yang Wencong. Li Zhenli also said, “We owe all of this to Lord Yang for what he has done. You were so kind to have been the matchmaker and paid for the dowry. Thank you for your coming here early in the morning to extend congratulations. Xiangjun and I were just about to express our gratitude.”
Li Xiangjun was surprised to discover that it was Lord Yang who gave her all the clothes and jewelry at the wedding.
Hou Fangyu replied, “It is true. I am just a traveler in poverty here and don’t have much money to my name. It was Brother Yang who was generously arranged our wedding.”
