Chapter Thirty-Six: The Four Talented Men of Chang'an!

On the seventh day of the seventh month, the day of the birthday banquet had arrived.

This day also happened to be the Double Seventh Festival, the night when, in legend, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl met by the Magpie Bridge—the lovers’ festival of the mortal world.

By imperial decree, the night curfew in Chang’an had been lifted, and the people were free to roam at will and revel in the joy of the holiday.

As dusk fell, Li Zhao changed into proper dress, took White Bun with him, and the two of them rode straight for Curved River Pool.

Along the way, they repeatedly saw noble young lords on horseback and ladies of fortune in carriages, each with attendants in tow and gifts in hand, all heading for the Curved River night banquet.

Someone might ask: why hold a birthday banquet at night, and why make it at Curved River Pool?

That was a long story.

A birthday should have been a happy occasion, but for the young, when it was celebrated at home, elders were usually present, and the constraints were immense; they could scarcely dare to enjoy themselves.

So, within Chang’an, a custom gradually emerged: when the sons and daughters of the powerful celebrated their birthdays, they would first host a daytime banquet at home with their relatives and elders, and then hold a second banquet at night, inviting only those of their own age so that everyone could let loose and have a truly unrestrained time.

With its beautiful scenery and spacious grounds, Curved River Pool was naturally the first choice for such an evening feast.

The main venue was on an island in the middle of the lake, a place over a hundred acres in size, where numerous pavilions and towers had been built and decorated with exquisite splendor. A bridge of white jade stone connected it to the shore.

“We are here for Fairy Mei’s birthday banquet. Hurry and let us in.”

“My thanks to you all for honoring us with your presence. Please present your invitations and enter in order. Do not crowd.”

...

Miss Mei was not only fabulously wealthy, but also as lovely as a flower; she was long known by the elegant nickname of Fairy Mei. The number of people who wished to attend her birthday banquet was beyond counting. Everywhere one looked, inside and outside Curved River Pool, carriages and horses crowded the roads and heads packed the pathways, until the whole place seemed barely able to move.

However, the white jade bridge had already been sealed off by the Mei household’s servants, and only those with invitations were permitted to enter.

There were three kinds of invitations.

The first was the gold invitation. There were very few of these, fewer than a hundred. Those fortunate enough to receive one were either sons of the highest nobility or daughters of prestigious families, and they had to be gifted in both talent and beauty.

The second was the silver invitation. There were a little over three hundred of these, given to the children of lesser nobles or to young people of notable fame and ability.

The third was the blue invitation. There were more than five hundred of these, given to children of minor aristocratic families or to some wealthy young masters.

As for those without invitations, they could only wander and play in other parts of Curved River Pool, hoping by chance to stumble upon a romantic encounter of their own.

By nightfall, Li Zhao and White Bun had arrived at Curved River Pool, but instead of hurrying into the island in the middle of the lake, they first tied up their mounts and quietly slipped into the crowd, moving about and listening for information.

That was one of the habits he had brought from the army: wherever he went and whatever he did, he always scouted the situation first before making his move. Never fight a battle without confidence.

“Do you all know? Fairy Mei has already arrived. Just now, as she got out of her carriage and entered the island, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her. Such a figure, so delicate and shapely; such a face, lovely as a flower; such a presence, like a celestial maiden descended to earth... If I could marry her, I would gladly lose twenty years of my life!”

“Ha! Stop dreaming of swallowing a swan whole. Be careful you don’t fail to win your fairy bride and end up reporting to the King of Hell first. In this world, the only ones who can truly match Fairy Mei are probably the Four Handsome Men of Chang’an. Have they arrived yet?”

“Look, one’s here. Seems to be Young Master Tiger!”

...

Clop, clop, clop!

Amid the ringing of clear hoofbeats, seven or eight riders came galloping up. At their head was a youth in fitted riding clothes, with sword-like brows and eyes of a tiger, bearing a magnificent countenance. His broad frame seemed cast from steel, a fine blue-bladed sword hung at his waist, and from his saddle dangled a powerful composite bow of bronze and iron, along with a large bundle.

The newcomer was none other than Xue Song, ranked third among the Four Handsome Men of Chang’an, and the biological grandson of the great Tang general Xue Rengui.

Upon reaching the entrance, Xue Song dismounted and strode toward the island in the middle of the lake, bundle in hand. Wherever his figure passed, the surrounding revelers hastily made way.

What a formidable and imposing man. Young Master Tiger truly lived up to his reputation.

Hidden in the crowd, Li Zhao studied Xue Song and etched his figure firmly into memory. Some instinct deep within told him that this man and he were bound by no shallow fate.

At the same time, Xue Song seemed to sense something as well. His cold gaze swept through the crowd, and soon he spotted Li Zhao among the people.

In an instant, their eyes met in midair. One was like ten-thousand-year ice; the other like a flame from the underworld. Their gazes locked and wrestled, neither yielding to the other.

An opponent?

A friend?

Interesting.

After holding one another’s gaze for a moment, Xue Song turned and entered the island. Li Zhao continued to move through the crowd, waiting for the next great figure to appear.

“Young Master Yan has arrived too!”

“Young Master Yan, over here!”

Soon afterward, a handsome young noble on a green-maned horse arrived. He was Yang Yan, last among the Four Handsome Men of Chang’an, a young man famed for his brilliance and wisdom.

The beauties in the crowd instantly grew lively. Some waved handkerchiefs, others sent desperate flirtatious glances, and many more twisted their graceful waists in hopes of drawing his notice.

Unfortunately, the fallen flowers were affectionate while the flowing water was indifferent. Faced with the lovely girls around him, Yang Yan did not even lift his eyelids. He was cold as an icebound rock.

In the eyes of this wise young master, perhaps all living beings were nothing more than dead wood.

...

“Young Master Dugu has arrived!”

“Greetings, Young Master Dugu!”

“Heh heh, greetings to all of you as well. Please, do not crowd. It would be unfortunate if someone were accidentally trampled.”

A moment later, the peerless young master, Dugu Junchen, also arrived. True to his nickname, he was like jade on the road and without equal in the world—a handsome and debonair man indeed.

He was also exceptionally courteous. He dismounted from afar and kept greeting the people around him, giving off a feeling as warm and gentle as a spring breeze. This won him bursts of cheers and countless excited discussions:

“Three of the Four Handsome Men of Chang’an are already here. I wonder when the Prince of Ruyang will make his entrance?”

“I heard that Prince Ning has been unwell lately. The Prince of Ruyang is a devoted son and has been attending at his bedside every day, never removing his clothes, even personally tasting his medicines. I doubt he has time to come to the banquet.”

“What a pity. If the Prince of Ruyang does not come, then tonight’s banquet at Curved River may well belong to no one but Young Master Dugu. Tell me, do you think Fairy Mei will fall for him?”

“She probably will. Young Master Dugu and Fairy Mei are the very picture of talent and beauty, perfectly matched. But I’m afraid Young Master Xue won’t like that one bit. I’ve heard he’s been secretly in love with Fairy Mei all along... A contest between two handsome men for a beauty—tonight should be quite a show. Heh heh.”

...

After gathering a great deal of information in the crowd and getting the lay of the land, Li Zhao finally led White Bun toward the island in the middle of the lake.

“Please wait, young master. Without an invitation, no one may enter tonight.”

“I have one.”

“Ah—please forgive this one’s poor eyes. Young master, right this way. I will lead you in.”

As soon as they reached the white jade bridge, Mei family servants barred the way. But the moment the gold-embossed invitation was produced, the servants instantly did an about-face, becoming warmly and fawningly respectful.

They then led Li Zhao straight toward the upper reaches of the island. It turned out that for tonight’s banquet, seating was arranged according to invitation color.

Guests with blue invitations were placed on the lower level of the island.

Those with silver invitations were assigned to the middle level.

Only honored guests with gold invitations were allowed to ascend to the top level, where a massive viewing platform stood, high above the rest, commanding a sweeping view in every direction. Lavishly built and richly appointed, it was the main stage for tonight’s banquet.

Each level had numerous maidservants and attendants carrying abundant wine and delicacies to serve the guests. Singers, dancers, and acrobats had also been invited to perform splendid acts, drawing waves of applause.

“Young Master Zhao has arrived!”

As the host’s greeting rang out, Li Zhao stepped onto the viewing platform. The interior was vast, resplendent with carved beams and painted rafters, as exquisite as a miniature palace.

In the seat of honor sat Miss Mei herself, dressed in magnificent finery. By the bright lamplight, through the thin white gauze, one could faintly make out a face of overwhelming beauty, perhaps touched with a little rouge and powder.

Women dress to please the man in their hearts; when a woman takes pains with her appearance, it means there is already someone in her mind. A man.

On both sides sat more than a hundred guests, all young people. The women were each lovely and bright, every one of them well above average in appearance. The men were handsome and elegant, each carrying himself with extraordinary grace. Among them were Dugu Junchen, Xue Song, and Yang Yan, seated respectively in the second, third, and fourth places on the left. The first seat, however, remained empty.

Wang Changgong was also in the crowd, chatting enthusiastically with a few young ladies. It seemed the fellow had also just tasted the first stirrings of love... and he even knew to wave, not bad at all; that showed he had not yet been blinded by lust.

“I humbly wish Fairy Mei long life and eternal youth.”

“Your honored presence, Young Master Zhao, does this humble woman great honor. Please, take your seat at once.”

“Thank you, Fairy.”

When Li Zhao appeared, Miss Mei’s eyes lit up with delight. She quickly rose to greet him and personally guided him to his seat.

The seat had already been arranged for him: the very first on the left, extremely close to the seat of honor.

“Who is he, to sit beside Fairy Mei and rank above the three great young masters?”

“He looks unfamiliar. I don’t recognize him. Perhaps he is Fairy Mei’s relative, otherwise why would he be treated with such favor?”

“Doesn’t seem like a relative. The way Fairy Mei looks at him is so sweet it’s practically dripping honey. There must be some hidden story behind this!”

The first seat on the left had been thought to be reserved for the Prince of Ruyang, but unexpectedly it had been taken by Li Zhao, causing an immediate stir. The young lords and ladies present began whispering among themselves.

Everyone knew that Fairy Mei had a temperament soft on the outside but hard within. She seemed easygoing, yet beneath that lay a spine of iron.

When Dugu Junchen, Xue Song, and Yang Yan had entered earlier, she had merely stood and exchanged a few polite words. But now she had gone forward personally to greet Li Zhao and even arranged for him to sit in the foremost seat... What had this fellow done to deserve such favor from a beauty?

Seeing the crowd’s confusion, Miss Mei offered an explanation.

“Everyone, this is Young Master Li Zhao of the imperial clan, recently appointed chief of the Night Watch. He is also my close confidant and dear friend.”

“Li Zhao? Could he be the prodigy who composed a poem in seven steps during the Ministry of Personnel’s selection examination?”

“Li Zhao, the chief of the Night Watch? The one who recovered Wang the God of Wealth’s glazed vessels in just two days?”

The guests erupted into discussion. In the eyes they turned toward Li Zhao, there was now clearly a trace of respect.

But only a trace.

After all, everyone qualified to enter the viewing platform was an outstanding scion of the powerful and noble. Each one had deep backing and high pride. If one truly wished to earn their recognition, rumor alone would not suffice; one had to display real strength before their eyes.

On the other side, servants brought out fine dishes and aged wine.

Li Zhao did not stand on ceremony. He ate and drank heartily, and did not forget to quietly slip some food to White Bun behind him. Good brothers should share blessings together.

Just as he was eating and drinking with great enjoyment, another unwelcome guest arrived.

“Lord Wei of Prince Ning’s Residence has arrived!”