After the newly conferred scholars rode their horses down Zhuque Street, they went to inscribe their names on the Wild Goose Pagoda at Ci’en Temple. The group of scholars climbed to the top of the tower and wrote their names on its walls. From the top, they gazed down at the vast landscape, their hearts filled with pride and ambition. Someone teased Cui Xun: “Among all who inscribe their names atop the Wild Goose Pagoda, the Pei family’s young master is the youngest.”
Hearing this, Cui Xun merely smiled. He looked down at the familiar Chang’an city. Once upon a time, he had been despised by everyone in this city. But now, he could ride his horse along the imperial street and inscribe his name on the pagoda. For a moment, he felt a thousand sentiments and myriad emotions.
After inscribing their names, they attended the Curved River Banquet. Normally, the emperor would personally attend each year’s banquet, but because the Empress was in poor health, this year’s event was presided over by Prince Li Zheng of Jingcheng. At the banquet, the sixteen-year-old prince was elegant and refined, composing poetry and verse with ease, and conversing in a manner that made others feel as if bathed in spring breeze.
The third-placed scholar whispered to Cui Xun: “Prince Jingcheng is so outstanding, why doesn’t Her Majesty like him?”
Cui Xun simply made no comment. During the banquet, the Left Vice Minister Lu Huai kept glancing toward Cui Xun. By the end of the feast, as the sky grew dark and people dispersed, Lu Huai called out to Cui Xun as he was slowly walking back to his inn.
After serving as the Deputy Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review sixteen years ago, Lu Huai had worked as Deputy Minister of the Secretariat and Minister of the Secretariat, among other positions. After years of tempering, he had become Prime Minister. He had fulfilled his principles for officialdom from his youth: to reward loyal and effective service even from enemies, and to punish lawbreakers and the negligent even if they were relatives. This outstanding talent from the Lu clan of Fanyang had finally shone brilliantly, becoming the most highly regarded Prime Minister in the history of the Zhou Dynasty. Later historical records would not lack praise for his immortal name and eternal glory.
Cui Xun turned and respectfully made a cupped-hand salute to Lu Huai: “Prime Minister Lu.”
Lu Huai nodded. After Cui Xun straightened up, he said: “You are the new top scholar, Pei Heng?”
Cui Xun answered: “Yes.”
“You resemble an old acquaintance of mine,” said Lu Huai.
Cui Xun pretended not to know: “Who might that be?”
A trace of melancholy crossed Lu Huai’s eyes. He smiled bitterly: “Someone who is… difficult to evaluate.”
Cui Xun listened quietly as Lu Huai paused, then continued: “In the third year of Yong’an, I was responsible for compiling historical records. The historians argued endlessly about whether to place him in the ‘Sycophants’ biography or the ‘Upright Officials’ biography. Some said that he drove back the Turks and established incomparable merit, so he shouldn’t be in the ‘Sycophants’ biography. But others said that since he rose to power through flattery, how could he deserve to be in the ‘Upright Officials’ biography?”
Lu Huai continued: “Later I said, since it was difficult to reach a consensus, we would create a separate biography for him. I would write it myself. Whether he was a sycophant or an upright official would be left for posterity to judge.”
Cui Xun said: “Prime Minister Lu is referring to the former Deputy Commissioner of Investigations, Cui Wangshu, right? I’ve read the biography you wrote. It was very fair.”
That biography was much longer than those of others. Lu Huai said: “For some matters, I consulted Yu Fuwei; for others, I asked Sheng Ah’man. I wrote down everything, big and small. This way, later generations wouldn’t be like me, with their eyes blinded by momentary prejudice.”
Just as he had written at the end of the biography: “The sage says, one trusts one’s eyes, yet even eyes cannot be trusted; one relies on one’s heart, yet even the heart is not sufficient to rely upon. Knowing people is not easy; people are not easy to know.”
It was precisely because of Lu Huai’s detailed biography that the people of the Great Zhou could glimpse the past of this Lotus Gentleman who had died of illness more than a decade ago. This led to the emergence of numerous fantastical printed editions. Li Ying had read so many that she lost count.
Although Cui Xun felt somewhat amused, he felt even more gratitude and respect for Lu Huai. He said: “If Cui Wangshu were aware in the afterlife, he would surely be grateful for all that Prime Minister Lu has done for him.”
Lu Huai hesitated: “Whether he’s grateful or not, I don’t know. But in front of the Court of Judicial Review prison, he called me ‘brother.’ I think he must have considered me a friend.”
Cui Xun said: “Perhaps, even earlier than that, he already regarded Prime Minister Lu as a friend.”
Lu Huai nodded. He looked at the young top scholar and rubbed his forehead with a bitter smile: “I don’t know why I’ve said so much to you tonight. Perhaps I’ve had too much to drink.”
He seemed to be treating this young top scholar as that person. But that person had been dead for exactly sixteen years.
Lu Huai sighed: “I have a connection with the top scholar. Next month at this time will be the wedding of my daughter and the son of my old friend Wang Xuan. If the top scholar has time, please come and drink a toast.”
Cui Xun readily agreed: “It would be my honor.”
Lu Huai nodded. At this moment, Prince Li Zheng of Jingcheng also came looking for them. Li Zheng first called out: “Teacher.”
Li Zheng respectfully bowed to Lu Huai: “So this is where Teacher has been.”
Lu Huai said: “Yes, I encountered the top scholar that Your Highness personally selected and spoke with him for a while.”
Li Zheng smiled warmly at Cui Xun: “The top scholar is extremely talented, and Teacher has always valued talent, so naturally there’s a connection.”
As he stood beside Lu Huai, master and disciple, Cui Xun was momentarily reminded of Lu Yumin and the Emperor Longxing from years ago, who were also master and disciple. But Lu Huai would never become Lu Yumin, and Li Zheng was not the Emperor Longxing.
Cui Xun smiled and cupped his hands: “Thank you for Your Highness’s praise.”
Li Zheng nodded, his eyes full of admiration for Cui Xun. This was the first time he had presided over the imperial examination and the first top scholar he had selected. The more outstanding Cui Xun was, the more pride Li Zheng felt. Although he wished to befriend Cui Xun, considering his awkward status, he didn’t want people to think of Cui Xun as his partisan. So after some hesitation, he said: “If the top scholar has no other matters, I will escort Teacher back to his residence.”
Cui Xun bowed respectfully: “I bid farewell to Your Highness and Prime Minister Lu.”
By the time he returned to the inn after the Curved River Banquet, the sky was filled with stars. Cui Xun stopped in his tracks and saw the young lady sitting on the stone steps, resting her chin on her hand, smiling at him. Just like in his previous life, when she would sit on the stone steps of the Cui residence, waiting for him to return from court.
Cui Xun’s lips curved into a gentle smile. He hurried forward, and the young lady also stood up and went to meet him, throwing herself into his arms. She looked up, her eyes bright as if filled with countless stars, her smile as beautiful as flowers: “You’re the top scholar now.”
Cui Xun embraced her and smiled: “Yes, I can marry you now.”
Li Ying smiled gently: “Today, many people have congratulated you, but I still want to give you a gift.”
“What gift?”
“Come with me.”
Li Ying took Cui Xun’s hand and led him to the guest room on the second floor of the inn. Opening the window, they had an unobstructed view of the night sky. Li Ying said to Cui Xun: “Look outside.”
Cui Xun looked out and saw only the bright moon, stars, and the dark city of Chang’an. He turned back, puzzled: “What’s outside?”
“Watch.”
Cui Xun looked out again. In an instant, thousands of fireworks bloomed in the night sky, illuminating the darkness as bright as day. Cui Xun couldn’t help but say: “Fireworks.”
Li Ying smiled, pressing her lips together: “Yes, I bought fireworks to celebrate for you.”
By the window, her face was like peach blossoms, with thousands of fireworks behind her. The colorful fireworks illuminated her lustrous face exceptionally clearly. Cui Xun smiled: “I love this gift.”
“Do you like it more than riding down the imperial street, inscribing your name on the pagoda, and attending the Curved River Banquet?”
Cui Xun nodded without hesitation: “Mingyuezhu, any gift from you is more precious than everything else in the world.”
He took out the lotus pouch that Li Ying had given him, opened it, and removed the lock of hair Li Ying had cut. The lock was tied together with a strand of his own hair using a red cord. Li Ying asked: “Is this hair-binding?”
Binding hair together symbolizes a marital union, with love and trust between the two.
Li Ying had never imagined that someone with Cui Xun’s cold and taciturn nature would secretly cut a lock of his own hair and bind it with hers as a symbol of marriage. She pictured Cui Xun carefully winding the red cord around the two locks of hair, and felt moved: “Seventeenth Brother, I didn’t think you would do something like this.”
Cui Xun was slightly startled: “Why not?”
As if to prove his sincerity, he took out the rose that Li Ying had thrown to him earlier in the day from the lotus pouch: “I’ve treasured this flower too.”
Li Ying took the rose, which was still as red and vibrant as fire. This was just a flower she had casually thrown to him. She murmured: “Why keep this as well?”
“Of course I must keep it,” Cui Xun said. “I will preserve anything you give me.”
In his previous life, the gilded silver fragrance ball that Li Ying had given him was crushed in the Court of Judicial Review prison. That was his greatest regret. In this life, everything Li Ying gave him was carefully treasured in the wooden chest in his bedroom, without the slightest damage.
Li Ying held the rose and suddenly smiled brightly: “Seventeenth Brother, will you put it in my hair?”
Cui Xun nodded. He took the rose and carefully placed it in Li Ying’s hair by her temple. Li Ying’s complexion was already snow-white, and with the brilliant red rose in her cloud-like black hair, she appeared even more ethereally beautiful, a sight beyond compare.
Cui Xun stared at her, his heart pounding wildly. One moment he was thinking, “I mustn’t take liberties with her,” and the next, “We’re already engaged, about to be husband and wife. There’s nothing wrong with a kiss.”
Perhaps because he had been staring for too long, Li Ying suddenly lifted her face and lightly kissed his lips. Cui Xun was stunned, while Li Ying looked at him and giggled, her smile carrying both shyness and a hint of pride.
Cui Xun came to his senses and also smiled. He lowered his head and kissed her lips. Outside the window, fireworks were brilliant; inside, the young top scholar and his beloved kissed. At first, the kiss was just a careful touching of lips, both shy and pure. Gradually, it turned into an intertwining of lips and tongues, passionate and lingering. At this moment, it seemed as if they were the only two people in the world. He saw only her in his eyes, and she saw only him in hers.
The next day, when Cui Xun woke up in the guest room, he still felt it was all unreal. He touched his lips, which still retained her warmth from the previous night. His face reddened slightly, and then he suddenly wanted to slap himself. Last night, just like in his previous life, she had been the one to kiss him first. But they were about to be married—on their wedding night, he couldn’t let her take the initiative again.
So Cui Xun got out of bed, hurriedly washed up, and was eager to see Li Ying. But when he opened the door, he found several palace eunuchs standing outside. He was startled. The eunuchs, with their shrill voices, announced that Her Majesty had an imperial edict.
He knelt to receive the edict, but its content was actually an order for him to become the consort of Princess Qi’an.