Chapter 16 A Strange Encounter with Cold Food Powder and a Fantastic Journey

The Zoroastrian ceremony has begun. Of course, the court performance is a simplified version; no one bothers to investigate what this religion actually believes in.

Young people just want to see a bloodthirsty performance; the thrill of watching someone being disemboweled is as exhilarating as watching animals being dismembered after the three annual exorcism rituals.

Li Shimin remained seated by the river, mentally drafting a letter to Changsun Qingjing. He wanted to tell her the whole story, the grievances, anger, and guilt he felt.

He felt out of place in Luoyang; only when he was with his relatives and friends in Chang'an did he feel truly at home.

"Young Master Li, are you safe and sound?" A veiled woman suddenly appeared before him, her waist swaying gracefully and her long dress trailing on the ground.

"Is this also part of the Saenchai ritual? If I splash water on you, you'll vanish into nothingness?" Li Shimin irritably wanted to drive away the woman with thick, broad eyebrows painted with green snail-shell ink.

The woman giggled, deliberately sitting down beside him, her flowing robes brushing against his cheek. "Then guess if I'm a fox spirit or Chang'e?"

"I'm not in the mood to guess," he said bluntly.

"You're really boring. But that bastard Yuwen Xiao has been making me unhappy lately. Someone beat his face up for me, and I feel so relieved tonight. Young master, do you think I'm beautiful?"

"You're wearing a veil, so I can't tell."

"I've heard that your mother was a great beauty in her youth, pursued by countless nobles and nobles of Daxing City. At first, I didn't believe it, but now, looking closely at your face, I can't help but believe it. Although you are not your father's heir, you are still worthy of me..."

“My lady, my mother is a very virtuous Duchess,” Li Shimin said solemnly. “Even the most frivolous playboys in the two capitals only dare to praise her intelligence in front of me. You have overstepped your bounds!” An inexplicable rage raged within him. If the other party were a man, and she had spoken such disrespectful words to his mother, he would have already given her a good beating.

"Then I apologize. Don't you want to see what I look like under my veil? Since you hit Yuwen Xiao, you can get a small reward, such as us going to another island in Jiuzhou Pond to compose poems and play the pipa. I allow you to show off to him how much I favor you." The woman's soft, boneless fingers slid across Li Shimin's broad shoulders.

She had already begun to imagine the two boys fighting fiercely for her sake, and her heart was filled with even greater joy.

"Whether you're a fox spirit or Chang'e, I just want to be alone right now. Take your hands off me! I already have someone I love," Li Shimin snapped. He only wanted to scare away this persistent woman and didn't want to cause any more trouble.

The mysterious woman, feeling thwarted, gave an awkward laugh: "Oh dear, I didn't realize you were so devoted to that lady! Is she enjoying herself on some nearby island? Which family's young lady is she?"

As the two were struggling, a deep male voice suddenly came from afar: "Young Master Li, your uncle, the Duke of Chen, asked me to pass on a message to you..."

"Mr. Yu, what are you doing here?" The visitor was none other than Secretary Yu Shinan. The thought that perhaps another incongruous person would accompany him made Li Shimin feel more at ease.

"Hmph!" The woman, rejected so decisively, fled.

Yu Shinan looked exhausted; he was worn out by the bloody illusions and the various poetic exchanges.

The first words they uttered upon facing each other were remarkably identical: "Why are you here?"

"It's a long story." Li Shimin then recounted how Xiao Ju had sent a message to Huli Xun to meet the emperor, and how he himself had stumbled upon the Liuli Pavilion by mistake.

He firmly believed that Yu Shinan was known in Ziwei City for his integrity and literary talent, and would never tell a third party about his grievances.

After hearing this incredibly embarrassing description, Yu Shinan felt that every word was a desecration of his upright character.

After a long silence, he spoke, "I too am full of bitterness. The princes and princesses hosted a banquet today, inviting the Persians to sing with them. They even specifically asked His Majesty to have me accompany them. It's truly a chaotic and disorderly affair. My eyes and mind are tainted." He shook his head and sighed.

Li Shimin helped him across a stretch of gravel and asked, "Mr. Yu, what does my uncle want to tell me?"

Yu Shinan smiled mysteriously: "I haven't met Duke Chen recently. I just wanted to use this as an excuse to scare away your wife who's been bothering you."

The thought that Yu Shinan might have seen their ambiguous relationship made Li Shimin feel embarrassed. Fearing that Yu Shinan might also think of him as Yuwen Xiao's accomplice, he hurriedly defended himself: "Thank you for your help, sir. I was just about to drive her away myself."

"I didn't want to write any more pointless poems, so I slipped away while these young people were watching the illusion. I happened to run into you, and fearing you might get into trouble, I called you in your uncle's name."

"This woman knows my mother's family background, and she doesn't look like she's from the brothel. I wonder which duke's shameless daughter she is." Li Shimin felt nauseous again at the thought of the blatant temptation he had just experienced.

“I’m afraid it’s not some young lady!” Yu Shinan said meaningfully. “I’m afraid there are some more sordid and filthy things going on in this deep palace.”

"The Acha family?" Li Shimin shuddered, recalling the rumors about the princesses in the palace, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Fortunately, she did not remove her veil, otherwise he did not know what disgusting crime Pei Yun would accuse him of and bring shame to his whole family when he woke up tomorrow in a fit of rage.

Li Shimin vowed to keep his mouth shut from now on. If the princesses harbored resentment and sought revenge on Changsun Qingjing, things would be dire. But he had clearly only seen the three princesses from afar; how could he allow anyone to misunderstand and think he had designs on them?

"It might be another bad idea from Xiao Ju, deliberately stirring up trouble in front of Acha's family." Li Shimin had had enough of being teased by these lecherous men today. "Please wait a moment, sir. Let me break that scoundrel Xiao Ju's legs before we talk in detail."

A surge of resentment rushed to the top of his head. He clenched his fists, preparing to re-enter the Glazed Pavilion, wishing he could snap Xiao Ju's neck.

Seeing that the boy in front of him was pale, sweating profusely, swaying, and beginning to act erratically, Yu Shinan pulled him back to sit on the riverbank.

"For the sake of your parents and siblings, don't cause trouble. I'm asking you, did you eat anything strange just now?"

"No," Li Shimin thought carefully for a moment, "but I did drink a few cups of wine."

"Does the wine taste the same as usual?"

Li Shimin tried hard to recall the details: "I don't remember clearly, but it seems there was a powder at the bottom of the cup, the wine had a slightly sour taste, and was mixed with a lingering sweetness. I thought it was the taste of turbid wine that hadn't been filtered properly."

Yu Shinan sighed: "That's probably that damn thing. Sulfur and amethyst are in Chao Yuanfang's new prescription."

"What's that?" Li Shimin asked alertly. He suddenly shook his head violently and pointed behind Yu Shinan, saying, "Mr. Yu, why do you have four cicada wings growing on your back? They're so bright in the moonlight, and the patterns on them are really beautiful!"

Yu Shinan stared wide-eyed, recalling all the absurd things he had experienced in his youth, but he still couldn't imagine the strange scene the boy before him was witnessing. He felt both amused and worried.

"Young master, you've mistakenly ingested Cold Food Powder. Recently, the princes and princesses have complained that Ge Hong's old formula wasn't potent enough, so they had Chao Yuanfang concoct a new one. Although these powders and pills have killed quite a few people, these days everyone in Ziwei City indulges in something that makes them feel euphoric, otherwise they'll be ostracized..."

"Will I be poisoned to death?" Li Shimin's head began to throb.

"Mr. Yu, my head hurts so much. Did you see the pool of blood and smell the stench? Yaoguang Palace is on fire, it's even turned the moon red. Can you smell the burning wood and bricks?" Li Shimin stumbled and almost knocked Yu Shinan down with him.

"They must have asked you to calculate their wins and losses, right?" Li Shimin felt his tongue was a little stiff, but when he heard Yu Shinan mention Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi, he couldn't help but interject.

"Oh, they really like me. It's just that the two of them are a bit of a hassle to get along. Grand Commandant Zhong adjusted the iron hoe leaning against the chessboard and beckoned to me: 'Young friend Yu, after I finish this game, you'll come with me to rob Wei Dan's tomb and steal Cai Yong's *Treatise on Calligraphy*, okay?' I consider myself an upright gentleman, disdaining such dirty and sordid things as tomb raiding, but at that moment I was incredibly excited and eager to try. Wang Youjun sneered and took out a scroll from behind him: 'Is this it? Young friend, you don't need to go tomb raiding; come with me to admire the geese later.' Grand Commandant Zhong angrily retorted: 'You brat Wang, you actually schemed against me!' So the two of them threw the chess pieces, the chessboard, and the table at each other..."

"So which one are you helping?" Li Shimin suddenly felt that even if a virtuous gentleman had taken Cold Food Powder, the illusions he experienced would still be refreshing and elegant, so he couldn't help but ask, "Is it difficult to choose?"

"Alright!" Li Shimin felt as if his tongue no longer belonged to him; every word he uttered seemed to have been possessed. But he couldn't help feeling secretly pleased. If he were to become Yu Shinan's close friend despite their age difference, getting a note would be a piece of cake.

"And then what?" Li Dashe pressed on, "Who was the stronger fighter, Grand Commandant Zhong or General Wang?"

"Haha, they were fighting so fiercely that I didn't dare linger for even a moment. I flew away while my wings were still intact. When I woke up, I was lying in a grove of sycamore trees, with cicadas chirping incessantly high up... Although I don't want to see them again, I had a lot of fun counting my chips that time. Just sit quietly, and maybe in a little while, a pair of golden wings will grow from your own armpits!" Yu Shinan liked this eccentric little friend and couldn't help but tease him.

“That’s interesting.” The boy glanced back at the noisy glass pavilion, frowned, and said, “Ah, I don’t want those newly grown chicken and duck wings of the dogs and pigs in the pavilion, by the gambling table, and by the campfire. They’re so ugly. I want to grow phoenix wings!” He roared to the sky in a fit of pique.

Upon hearing Li Shimin say that the group of dissolute young people had all turned into pigs and dogs, and grown chicken and duck wings, Yu Shinan was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, alright, your wings are different from theirs. I've already seen them; they're shaped like phoenix wings, so majestic and beautiful!" He secretly prayed that these illusions would disappear quickly.

The boy leaning on his shoulder suddenly started to cry, muttering to himself towards the empty Kyushu Pond, his voice growing louder and louder.

"Father, Mother, I miss you so much!"

"Mr. Gao, I miss you too!"

"Wuji, do you know how many madmen and fools there are in Ziwei City?"

"Dazhi, Dahui, I will never make fun of you again."

“Master Zhang, Minxing, I don’t need anyone else to guide me in writing poetry except you two.”

"Xuanba, why didn't you wait for me to come home? Why did you leave me in such a hurry? You deliberately made me suffer in your place, that's so unfair!"

"Guanyinbi, Guanyinbi." His voice became low and gentle. "How are you? I miss you so much. I was going to give you a jade pendant with Guanyin's image engraved on it, I'm sure you would like it. But then I changed my mind and gave it to a poor girl. The Jade Emperor couldn't control his own son who was causing trouble in the world, so he asked Guanyin Bodhisattva to protect the little girl whose fate was unknown. Guanyinbi, please don't blame me."

Yu Shinan impatiently covered the mouth that was gradually getting out of control, and dragged the mouth's owner away from Jiuzhou Pond, fearing that staying any longer would bring endless trouble.

When Li Shimin awoke, he was already at Yingri Terrace in the right side of the city.

He recalled a strange dream he had last night: a huge cicada carried him across a sea of ​​fire above Jiuzhou Pond, heading straight for Youjia City.

After setting him down, the cicada, which could only speak human language, earnestly admonished him: "Young Master Li, remember this well: you are a phoenix. Don't become like those chickens, ducks, and insects in Ziwei City. You must find a way to reunite with your family as soon as possible and live well. The people here are not worthy of you." Its words were sincere, as if everything had truly happened. The dark patterns on the cicada's wings were still vivid in his mind.

Li Shimin rubbed his sore eyes, confirming that the sparse stars outside the window were real, and the hallucinations caused by the Cold Food Powder disappeared.

A piece of paper fell from the cloak he was using as a pillow, revealing a calligraphy piece titled "A Young Man's Journey" written in Yu Shinan's own handwriting. He didn't remember asking Yu Shinan for the calligraphy last night, and Yu Shinan probably wouldn't have been so quick to agree. He guessed he had gotten it from someone else while he was drunk.

Since it's already been sent, who cares? Now this poem and calligraphy belong to Changsun Qingjing!

Li Shimin looked around and, finding no one nearby, took out Changsun Qingjing's letter from his chest, neatly folded it together with the rattan paper, and carefully put it away close to his body.

He moved to the stage where the whole nightmare had begun. Most of the guests were sprawled out on the tables, some were wriggling with wine cups in hand and pipa in their arms, and some were snoring loudly while leaning on their chairs.

Several pairs of dancers emerged from giant lotus flowers made of silk. As the golden bells on their hat brims swayed, they threw bouquets of flowers onto the drunken, sycophantic officials and nobles, onto the tipsy musicians and the beautiful ladies of the court, and onto this dynasty that seemed to rule over all nations but had long since lost control of its central government and was heading towards its twilight years.

The sound of the morning bell was too faint to be heard, but dawn had already broken.

A note from the author:

Haha, let's review junior high school texts together:

Cicada (Tang Dynasty) Yu Shinan

Hanging ribbons drink the clear dew, and flowing sounds emerge from the sparse paulownia trees.

A high place naturally carries a far-reaching voice; it is not due to the autumn wind.

Acha Zi, with her heavy makeup, is nowhere near as fun as the sparkly cicada!

Do you like Erfeng, who is both crying and laughing, melancholic and arrogant?

If you like it, please save and comment!