Chapter Twelve: The Eminent Figures of the Flourishing Tang Dynasty

Seeing Gao Buyi looking at himself in the mirror, a faint blush crept onto Shangguan Peihui’s charming face.

Gao Buyi laughed heartily. “Let’s go, let me see for myself the grandeur of flourishing Tang!”

He led Shangguan Peihui through the rear gates of the palace. At the entrance, a carriage awaited them. Without a word, Gao Buyi and Shangguan Peihui boarded, and the carriage turned into a quiet alley before coming to a halt. As they disembarked, Chen Xuan and Wang Sizhong were already waiting with nearly a hundred plainclothes guards.

Gao Buyi gave them a nod. “Let’s move.”

With a wave of his hand, Chen Xuan sent all the imperial guards melting into the marketplace. Only then did Gao Buyi, accompanied by Shangguan Peihui, Chen Xuan, and Wang Sizhong, blend into the throng on Vermilion Bird Avenue.

Never in his wildest dreams had Gao Buyi imagined that Chang’an in the height of the Tang would be so prosperous. The streets bustled with endless streams of carriages and horses, and every kind of lantern illuminated the avenues as brightly as day, hardly inferior to modern streetlights.

Following two imperial guards who cleared the way, the group strolled slowly through the crowd, Shangguan Peihui never more than a step away, ever vigilant.

“Look at this—so many people pressed shoulder to shoulder, the very breath of life! Sizhong, it’s been a long time since you celebrated the Lantern Festival in Chang’an, hasn’t it?”

“Yes! It’s been five years. It’s even more lively than I remember.”

“It’s truly remarkable. There are so many foreigners—not only camels, but also lions and elephants. Surely those can’t be dangerous?”

“No, they’re all well-trained. Not a single incident has occurred over the years. If anyone dared to parade a dangerous animal, they’d be held strictly accountable, even hunted to the ends of the earth if harm befell someone.”

Such words were full of vigor, as expected of a general who had long guarded the borders.

“Hui’er, there’s no need to be so tense. You haven’t strolled Vermilion Bird Avenue in ages, have you? Take it in. Look—riddles are hung outside each shop. Why not show off your wit and win us a free supper, even if it’s just a bowl of sweet dumplings?”

Shangguan Peihui smiled and shook her head, but still stayed close by his side.

Seeing his persuasion was futile, Gao Buyi let it be. He couldn’t help but notice the delicate fragrance from Hui’er—whatever perfume she wore was subtle and pleasing.

They came to a three-story red building, festooned with lanterns and banners. Gao Buyi asked curiously, “Why is there such a crowd here? What’s everyone looking at?”

“Hu Xuan! This is a brothel, and inside there’s a Hu Xuan dance performance.”

“Oh! Let’s have a look. I’ve heard the Hu Xuan dance is famous.”

Gao Buyi watched the Hu Xuan with great satisfaction. “Why haven’t I seen the likes of Li Bai or Du Fu?”

“If you seek them, go to Qujiang Pool. There, a restaurant run by a wealthy foreign merchant hosts performances by exotic women, and it’s the haunt of those so-called romantic scholars,” Shangguan Peihui replied, her elegant brows knitting slightly.

“Qujiang Pool? Is it related to the Qujiang Banquet?”

“It’s the gathering place for all the literati and scholars of Chang’an, as well as nobles and wealthy young ladies. The royal gardens stand there too. Whenever there’s an imperial examination, the court hosts the Qionglin Banquet there, which the world calls the Qujiang Banquet.”

“I see. Then let’s head to Qujiang Pool!”

Along the way, Gao Buyi saw elephant performances, foreign girls dancing, and sampled all manner of street foods until it was only Shangguan Peihui’s concern for his digestion that finally reined him in.

Qujiang Pool, located in what is now Yanta District of Xi’an, was first built as a pleasure palace by Qin Shi Huang, called the Palace of Everlasting Spring. Expanded across the Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties, by Emperor Xuanzong’s time its area reached 700,000 square meters.

This was Qujiang at its zenith: magnificent pavilions, palaces, and towers lined the banks, lush with flowering trees. It was the favorite haunt of royalty, nobility, officials, and refined scholars. Friends gathered with wine and song, drifting on pleasure boats, making merry on the lake.

Whenever scholars passed the imperial exam, they would gather here to celebrate, composing poetry and drinking in what was called “flowing wine at Qujiang.” People from all directions came to watch, and previous Emperors, too, would visit with their consorts. Its fame was unrivaled!

“So this is Qujiang Pool—beautiful scenery and such a crowd. We must get a boat and drift on the lake ourselves. Where is the Qujiang Restaurant?”

“Over there—the tall building by the water.”

“Let’s go take a look.” Gao Buyi was a little excited. The Poet Immortal, the Poet Sage—he was about to meet these great figures of flourishing Tang.

Though Qujiang teemed with visitors, it was lively without being noisy, for those who came were all scholars and nobles.

Even though Gao Buyi had issued an edict allowing anyone, regardless of status, to visit the royal gardens, millennia of class consciousness could not be changed in a day.

The Qujiang Restaurant blazed with light, loud cheers echoing from within, betraying the revelry inside.

“Please, honored guests, come in!” a waiter greeted them as soon as they entered.

“To the second floor!”

The restaurant was unlike anything he’d imagined. The center was entirely open, with a lotus pond on the first floor. Even in the heart of winter, lotuses bloomed in profusion—a marvel. Gao Buyi wondered how they managed to keep it warm.

In the middle of the pond stood a waterside stage where a foreign dancer performed, her movements enchanting and delightful.

Corridors ran along both sides, linking a series of semi-private rooms, much like modern booths, where guests could feast and enjoy an unobstructed view of the performances below.

“Dancer! Dancer! Come, spin faster!” came a boisterous shout from above.

The stunning dancer was unruffled, turning toward a red beam that ran overhead on the second floor, where an old drunkard, shirt open and chest bared, sang at the top of his lungs.

“Look! That’s Lord He, a regular here!”

Splash!

“Lord He has fallen into the pond!”

“Haha! Looks like Lord He wants to be close to the water’s edge!”

“That’s right! The dancer now belongs to Lord He! Ha!”

Amid the raucous laughter of his wild companions, Lord He’s household had already pulled him from the pond.

Gao Buyi leaned on the railing, watching the man atop the beam with great interest. To drink and recite poetry above the crowd, to indulge in song and dance—how uninhibited! He had to admit, the ancients truly knew how to enjoy themselves.

Suddenly, a loud cry rose: “Look! Someone else has been pushed up!”

“Who is it?”

“You don’t know? The renowned scholar Li—Li Bai!”

At the mention of Li Bai, Gao Buyi’s spirits soared. He grabbed a jug of wine from a passing waiter’s tray and made his way over.

Just then, Li Bai’s unrestrained voice rang out:

“Petals drift in profusion, it seems too much,
The beauty drinks deep, her cheeks flushed,
How long can peach and plum trees bloom by the blue pavilion?
Time slips away, deceiving us all.
You rise to dance as the sun sets,
In my youth I would never yield my pride—
What use to sigh now, hair white as silk!”

Gao Buyi was engrossed in the verse when a gray-templed figure caught his eye, pulling him abruptly from his reverie.

“Are you Gao Thirty-Five?”

“And you are…?”

This man was none other than Gao Shi, who had come to Chang’an to keep a ten-year promise with Li Bai. Unexpectedly, upon arrival, he found Li Bai as unrestrained as ever, having been drunk here for six days and seven nights without leaving. Impatient, he had left a note and was about to depart.