Chapter 68: The grand prank begins; remember to order rose syrup and barbecue...
The young couple temporarily set aside the recent loss of his mother and the emperor's visit, and began to plan how to calculate the land area and population in their own territory in Beiman, and how to persuade Li Yuan to agree to reduce the private rent for the tenant farmers.
Changsun Qingjing rationally did not advocate giving more concessions to those who had nowhere else to go and had fled and hidden in the Li family manor, but the slight glint in Li Shimin's eyes clearly told her that this single-minded young man yearned for the policies of the three sage kings and the Zhou and Confucius.
Changsun Qingjing's moral compass is precisely to not easily question the will, character, and compassion of someone who is devoted to the Way.
The outcome is unknown, but it's worth a try.
They also made room for another person in this insane dream.
Li Shimin was about to ask whether Changsun Qingjing had corresponded with relatives and friends in Daxing after arriving in Luoyang when Guoniang ran up to the small pavilion in the back garden and called the two of them to Li Yuan.
Their ambitious plans have come to a temporary halt.
Li Yuan sat at his desk, seemingly having finished dealing with all the delayed and unanswered letters that belonged to him.
With the steward and Lady Liu standing by his side, Li Shimin guessed that they had already recounted to his father all the strange behavior he and Changsun Qingjing had exhibited these past few days. He figured that once his father recovered from the emperor's sudden visit, he would surely punish his son for not returning home that night and his daughter-in-law for insisting on riding her horse along the Mangban Road against the steward's advice.
Perhaps he will be punished? Surely Father wouldn't imprison Changsun Qingjing? Li Shimin was filled with doubt.
The most urgent matter is to take full responsibility for the chaos and helplessness that has left Changsun Qingjing at his wits' end after his disappearance. Otherwise, if he cowers in the face of trouble and forces his wife to share the blame, he'll seem utterly unmanly, and how will he explain himself to Wuji in the future?
Seeing the solemn faces of Lady Liu and the steward, Li Shimin stepped forward, ready to offer some excuses, but Li Yuan frowned and gestured for his son to be quiet.
Li Yuan found the letters sent by Dou's half-acquaintances, noblewomen, to be a bit of a headache.
Changsun Qingjing carefully put away all the letters that belonged to his deceased mother as instructed.
Li Shimin felt he had been overthinking things; the household steward and Lady Liu were probably keeping the search for the missing person a secret. Li Yuan was very satisfied with Changsun Qingjing's handling of the emperor's incognito visit that night, so he openly entrusted her with the handling of the trivial matters following Lady Dou's death.
"Who gave you this rose oil and this plaque with gold flowers, gold crosses, and silver background depicting lotus flowers?" Li Yuan asked Guo Niang, picking up the two seemingly valuable yet completely unfamiliar items from the table.
“Reporting to my lord, it was the Tiaozhi troupe from Tongyuan City who sent the invitation along with it,” Guoniang replied. “The person’s surname is Qin. No, all the people from Tiaozhi are surnamed Qin. There’s nothing special about it. When they sent it, the musicians surnamed Qin only said that my lord had promised to inform her if they had any new performances, and that my lord would bring my son to enjoy them.”
"She's probably eyeing the money for the lady's drinks and tips," Li Yuan said to his son. "Wait a minute, I vaguely remember your mother quite enjoying a certain kind of Hu opera in Luoyang. Are Hu people's performances really that entertaining?"
"Oh," Li Yuan and his son replied in unison, offering only a perfunctory response.
Upon hearing this, Changsun Qingjing found the invitation from Tongyuan City among a pile of letters and read aloud: "We humbly request Lady Dou of the Tang State, whose family is filled with virtuous women and whose virtue is as pure as pepper and orchid. Our humble troupe, residing in the secluded market of Tongyuan, has long enjoyed the summer breeze. Now, with the blessing of the Arhat, we have newly staged a performance of 'The Tale of Yu Han Nan Ci Guang Yin Mi Ji'. It will depict the mysteries of the Great Qin's Karmic Fire, Bo Mo's Proving of Sainthood, and the Great Compassionate Summoning, all performed using the methods of Han Dynasty acrobatics, supplemented by Tiaozhi songs and dances, Persian magic, and Kucha music. This month, on the Lantern Festival, the Imperial Guards will not prohibit it. If Lady Dou and her beloved son were to grace us with their presence, our humble home would shine like stars in the Milky Way. And so on."
"What does the invitation say? What's the name of this play? What country's story is it about?" Li Yuan asked his son, completely bewildered.
“Father, I cannot watch the play. Please find someone else to give Yingluo a reward on behalf of Mother.” Li Shimin flatly rejected his father’s suggestion.
“I’m not asking you to go and enjoy yourself. I just think that since your mother has been so concerned about this song and dance performance and promised to take you there, there must be a reason. She wants to see Luoyang through her own eyes. Change into plain clothes and go to Tongyuan City. It’s not about enjoying the Lantern Festival, but your father wants you to see Luoyang’s Lantern Festival for your mother’s sake.”
“Okay,” the young man asked innocently, “Will Father come with us?”
“I won’t go. I’ll stay home with your mother.” After arranging everything, Li Yuan changed into his mourning clothes and said, “I have been on duty in the palace for many days and I feel guilty towards your mother. She must be here, behind the leaves, in the candlelight, on the scrolls, watching us… Today I was so eloquent, as if divinely inspired, it must be thanks to your mother’s whispers in my mind. Perhaps when I am half asleep later, she will come back to find me.”
Upon hearing this, the two children almost burst into tears.
“Go!” Li Yuan said softly. “Release a river lantern for her. Remember to go to your mother’s grave when you return to Daxing and tell her about the new customs of Luoyang and the wonders of this new scenic spot.”
Li Shimin readily agreed. Changsun Qingjing felt that the Li family's unconventional and unrestrained style was slightly different from that of ordinary families that strictly adhered to rules, but it was also reasonable and endearing.
This is probably why the Duke of Shenwu and his daughter chose Li Yuan from among a group of young noblemen, and why the Duke of Tang and his wife favored Li Shimin the most among their children.
"Qingjing, do you have something on your mind?" Seeing that Changsun Qingjing was hesitant to speak, Li Yuan suspected that she had many concerns, so he took the opportunity to ask her what was going on.
“Father, I heard from the household steward that because of Mother’s funeral, Father was urgently summoned by the Emperor, and the servants and laborers in the house have not had a rest. Moreover, because of welcoming the Emperor, I was not granted leave on the Lantern Festival. Today, the reception was successful, and they have also contributed. In my opinion, tonight is not too late, and the servants should be allowed to go home to reunite with their families, and the domestic servants should be given two hours of leave. If either of them does not want to take leave and insists on staying, they should be given rice, millet, and cloth, or they can choose a day to be exempted from labor…”
Li Yuan seemed to be listening but not really, while Changsun Qingjing stood awkwardly in front of him awaiting his verdict.
Although she hadn't held out much hope, she still felt it was her duty to stand up for the servants, either by securing a day off for lighting lamps or compensating them for their wages. Even those who had been fined or forced to clean up silt for laziness earlier were making amends today, sweeping and arranging with considerable effort. If she could use a combination of kindness and strictness to lessen their punishment, it would be only right.
"I wonder if Father will grant my request?" Changsun Qingjing was unsure whether his words were inappropriate for the family. As he hesitated, he met Li Shimin's approving gaze.
Li Yuan remained noncommittal, but turned to look at the steward and Lady Liu, asking, "Did you two hear clearly what Lady Changsun asked for?"
The two nodded.
"Then we'll do as you say."
Everything went incredibly smoothly.
“Go,” Li Yuan said. “No parent wants their children to torture themselves to express filial piety after they have passed away. Your mother was upright and easygoing in life and did not like these pretentious formalities. If she is still alive, she would be even more so.”
He rose from behind his desk, slowly walked to his son, and reached out to brush a few thin, dry twigs from Li Shimin's shoulder.
“You’re as tall as me now,” Li Yuan remarked, gazing into his son’s bright, sparkling eyes, which were just like his wife’s.
"Take good care of yourself and Qingjing. Don't catch a cold. Go and come back soon." Li Yuan's voice lowered, and he waved his sleeve to dismiss them, saying no more.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the emperor ordered the lifting of the curfew in Luoyang, allowing people to revel and celebrate all night long.
The market was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, and the hundred-foot-long lantern wheel illuminated the area as if it were daytime.
Changsun Qingjing and Li Shimin passed through clusters of glass lanterns and impromptu Sogdian dance troupes, and at the end of the laughter and chatter of children and the elegant attire of young women, they found the colorful canopy hanging high in front of the Persian temple.
The masked Tiaozhi people, the fire-breathing and knife-swallowing Persians, the Gaochang musicians holding pipa and bili, and the local storytellers of Dongdu with clear and melodious voices are all poised to perform.
The young woman from Tiaozhi, who was greeting guests, invited Changsun Qingjing to sit in the front seat. Changsun Qingjing smiled and said, "I'm afraid of fire, so please sit a little further back." Li Shimin, of course, knew that she was just making an excuse to sit in a less conspicuous place.
So the group of five—Changsun Qingjing, Li Shimin, Acai, and two retainers—chose to sit in the middle.
The young girl from Tiaozhi served Biluo (a type of fried dough), roasted sesame seeds, Persian dates, and wine.
"We don't drink alcohol." Li Shimin waved his sleeve, ordering the girl from Tiaozhi to remove the wine.
"Qin Liuniang, you're not performing today, you're just serving drinks, isn't that a waste of your talents?" The girl from Tiaozhi, called "Qin Liuniang," glanced back at the frivolous young master from Dongdu. "Today's performance is a mystery, but my skills aren't enough to go on stage. I can only serve drinks to those of similarly low character..."
"Sixth Sister, don't speak like a Henan woman, so sarcastic and unpleasant..." The playboy from Dongdu was rendered speechless by this Hu woman's sarcastic remarks.
Qin Liuniang ignored the group of troublemakers and turned to Changsun Qingjing, saying, "I'm not trying to slander Lady Zi or this young master; I just dislike the sons of noble families..."
“I understand.” Changsun Qingjing blinked. “I also despise these people.”
"I'll change it to rose water for you. It tastes sweet, and young ladies all like it..." Qin Liuniang guessed that the young master and the lady in front of her were a couple, so she didn't bother arguing with the young master anymore and asked the lady directly.
Seeing that Changsun Qingjing tacitly agreed, Li Shimin simply paid the money: "Five zhu or silk?"
"Do you have any silk?" Qin Liuniang asked eagerly.
Li Shimin gave his men a wink, and they handed two bolts of silk to Qin Wuniang.
A short while later, Qin Wuniang returned to Changsun Qingjing's place carrying a silver pot and five silver cups. A self-singing golden bird was also placed on the plate for Changsun Qingjing to play with.
"These mixed-breed birds are quite clever," Li Shimin exclaimed, admiring the exquisite singing bird.
"Young master, we are not barbarians," Qin Liuniang said solemnly as she poured rose dew for everyone.
Changsun Qingjing said, “Tiaozhi, according to Chinese terms, is one of the nine provinces of the Great Qin Kingdom. The Han people said that Great Qin was similar to China, with sage rulers and wise kings, and dynasties changing. It was rich in resources and its people were prosperous. It was no different from the other Xia kingdoms. Qin Liuniang, am I right?”
“That’s what my father said too,” the girl said happily. “However, I grew up in the Central Plains. My wife, you are so kind. This is the first time I’ve heard a Han Chinese talk about my homeland. They speak of it even better than my father did.”
"Wherever the sun and moon shine, that is Han territory; wherever the bright star shines, that is your Great Qin Kingdom. My lady, you are as radiant and ambitious as the bright star." After saying this, Changsun Qingjing glanced with disgust at the scoundrel who had spoken frivolously earlier and was now looking around trying to attract the young lady's attention.
The young girl smiled and said frankly, "My lady, if you were a man, even if my eyes turned into wax tears and my body was crushed like wheat, I would still marry you."
Ah Cai and her two subordinates desperately tried to suppress their laughter.
Li Shimin didn't hear Qin Liuniang's amusing and funny comparison; he was only comparing the merits of the sun and moon with those of auspicious stars.
“Jingxing, isn’t that something that’s fleeting? It may be bright, even if it makes the night sky look like daytime, but so what? It can’t compare to the longevity of the sun and moon.”
Qin Liuniang's cheerful expression suddenly tightened. However, considering that this young nobleman was generous and his words were merely sarcastic rather than frivolous, she decided not to argue with this shrewd young man for the sake of the two bolts of silk and his lovely lover.
The sound of the bili (a type of reed instrument) filled the air as actors took to the stage.
After pouring the last cup of rose dew, Qin Liuniang opened the self-singing bird mechanism and greeted Changsun Qingjing and his entourage, saying, "May the new year bring you good fortune and happiness."
The rapper began to recount the suffering of King Yuhanan when he was young, caught in a fish trap. He was disobedient to his elders, had a violent temper, and escaped from the Buddha's teachings three times before finally taking refuge in Buddhism.
“It sounds like their Zilu!” Li Shimin leaned closer to Changsun Qingjing and said, “Do you think it might just be a made-up story based on Zilu?”
"Now I know why you and your cousins never get along," Changsun Qingjing said with a sudden realization, taking a sip of rosewater and watching Qin Liuniang's busy figure at the counter.
"What did you say?" Li Shimin asked hoarsely, facing Changsun Qingjing who was standing close at hand.
Their conversation was drowned out by the sounds of the konghou and bili, and by the cheers of the people from the Central Plains, Gaochang, Turks, Persians, Tiaozhi, and Sogdians at the gathering…
The author notes: "Teasing" here is a noun, referring to opera, dance, and drama.
The play that Madam Dou was concerned about can be found in Chapter 21, "The Matchmaker," where she made a half-true, half-false agreement with Qin Duzhi, but unfortunately, she will not be able to see it.
Feel free to guess what the author's fabricated story, "The Tale of Yu Han Nan Ci Guang Yin Mi," is about. [Sunglasses]
Erfeng was already feeling too frustrated by Guangshen's antics, so in the next chapter she'll be both sharply criticizing the drama and mocking Guangshen [Oh oh oh].
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