Pang Yuhai, who had extensive experience organizing evening parties, led over a dozen academy students in piling up a huge woodpile on the ball field. Taking advantage of everyone being tired from playing, he poured fire oil on the woodpile and tossed in a torch. The woodpile blazed up fiercely. When the nobles all gathered around, eight students dressed in short attire began madly dancing the Whirling Barbarian Dance on eight tables. Especially when they knelt on the tables and rose into the air entirely by waist power, it immediately ignited the nobles’ enthusiasm for dancing.

Only at this moment did Yun Ye discover that he was truly a country bumpkin. Even Xu Jingzong could shout and madly spin several circles, but only he himself knew nothing at all about dancing. Xue Wanche danced with rising excitement, threw off his hat and clothes, tied a red band around his head, exposed his pitch-black chest hair, and like a great gorilla, thumped his chest twice before leaping onto the table to dance opposite that academy student.

The two danced with steaming heat, their glossy, slick skin covered entirely in sweat. Even so, they still refused to stop, continuing with endless variations. Li Gang occasionally sipped fruit juice, watching this group of people perform with a smiling face.

Very boring—there was only a large group of bear-like men dancing, but not a single woman went up to dance. Of course, Yun Ye had never categorized people like Hypatia into the ranks of women.

He himself climbed onto a table and, swaying his floral skirt, began dancing a peculiar dance. The undergarments beneath the skirt appeared and disappeared, making others stare dumbfounded. Li Tai’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Li Gang’s incomparably weathered and languid voice rang out beside Yun Ye’s ear: “This is the Great Tang—passionate like fire, surging like giant waves, light as the spring breeze. When we should be happy, we don’t put on airs. When we should be serious, we’re not frivolous. When we should be fierce, we’re like wild beasts. When we should be gentle, we’re like receding waves.”

“What a wonderful era! Young man, you have the good fortune to be born in this most beautiful of times and can add bricks and tiles to it—this is a blessing. You haven’t experienced the chaos of war with its wandering and displacement, haven’t experienced the tragedy of exchanging children to eat, haven’t felt the sorrow of life and death separations, haven’t experienced too much scheming and deception. How fortunate you are!”

“This old man is already approaching his coffin, with countable years remaining. Yet this old man still cherishes this era and would rather cling to life than depart. How beautiful it is, young man! This old man was born in a time of suffering, grew up amid wandering and displacement, positioned himself among lies and deception. Now, only as death approaches do I taste the sweetness of being human.”

“This old man envies you! Your experiences contain only magnificence and grandeur, without the humiliation and sorrow that bring tears. These two emotions shouldn’t appear in your life either. Young man, work harder! Let this most beautiful era continue for a few more years. After this old man is reborn, he too wants to feel such pride from infancy.”

Li’er and Empress Zhangsun also stood to the side watching. Rather than speaking to Yun Ye, Li Gang’s words were more like offering counsel to Li’er—don’t easily break the current good times. He had sensitively detected Li’er’s changes.

“Minister Li, they say that rigidity cannot last long, and gentleness cannot hold forever. Where prosperity ends, endless sorrow must inevitably follow. I am the master of all under heaven. My greatest hope is to keep the golden age forever remaining on this land. However, my lifespan is limited. Ten million wishes of ‘ten thousand years’ cannot make my life last one moment longer. I can say with certainty that before my life’s journey is complete, the golden age will certainly continue. But I cannot guarantee that a hundred years hence it will still maintain such a vigorous posture.”

“Therefore, I must prepare for rainy days. Our hearts are the same. When I wake in the middle of the night, I too am covered in cold sweat. Deep in Taiji Palace there seems to be my nightmare. Only after Wanmin Palace appeared could I rest peacefully there and feel endless pleasure, because every brick and tile, every beam and pillar there represents the people’s goodwill, not their blood and sweat.”

“Every time I review memorials, I ask myself whether I’ve placed the people’s interests first. Once selfish thoughts emerge, I’m so ashamed I cannot speak. Water can carry a boat but can also overturn it. I have long said that ignoring the people’s power is actually seeking self-destruction.”

“You need not worry. With the people’s hearts beside me, I am invincible. Anyone who wants to destroy this best of golden ages will become my sworn enemy and will inevitably be ground into dust by me.”

Having heard both their words, Yun Ye wanted to flee. One was telling the emperor that the current era was already beautiful enough—don’t make trouble. Everyone is content with you as emperor. You enjoy the golden age high above, and we’ll peacefully live our own lives below. Please, don’t make trouble. I haven’t enjoyed this golden age enough—I want to enjoy it in my next life too.

The other was telling him that without long-term considerations, near-term troubles will arise. If old fellows want to live peaceful days, they must help me gather the people’s hearts. I am the true master of all under heaven. Some people must be eliminated. Only thus can the golden age continue.

Li Gang sat in his chair and cupped his hands in salute to Li’er. Li’er also cupped his hands in return. The two somehow reached some agreement. In any case, both were very happy and drained a cup of wine together.

Xue Wanche had already begun doing somersaults on the ground. Hypatia also began lifting her skirt even higher. The drumbeats that Pang Yuhai struck became increasingly dense. The person playing the reed pipes had his cheeks puffed perfectly round, face flushed and ears red, eyes bulging. The reed pipes were already producing broken sounds. There were also those kneeling on the ground desperately beating hand drums. Yun Ye thought that if he now burrowed into the crowd of noble ladies and young ladies, he could freely take advantage without anyone noticing, because they had all gone mad. Handkerchiefs, sweat cloths, shoes, even jewelry from their heads were all flying toward the tables. They had already taken this place for Chang’an’s singing and dancing establishments.

Once crowds go mad, they waste a great deal of alcohol. That enormous fire seemed to have already driven away winter’s cold. Jars of good wine were carried up one after another. Yun Ye spotted old Qian’s figure. This year the family had brewed more wine. The cellars couldn’t store it all. If it were all exchanged for silver coins, it could be placed in the treasury. Having such a steward who worried about the family’s affairs all day long, Yun Ye thought that buying him back then was truly worth it.

Xinyue worried that Yun Ye would be frozen and specially had old Qian send over a bear fur cloak. Yun Ye threw the light fur coat on his body to Liu Jinbao, found himself a place sheltered from the wind, and prepared to sleep.

Polar bear fur wrapped around the body was indeed warm. Mainly because it was large enough. Lying on the reclining chair, only his nose exposed, he glanced at the pitch-black sky and fell soundly asleep. He had been busy tonight for a long time and had even climbed Eagle’s Beak Cliff—he was really too tired.

In his sleep, he seemed to hear loud cheering sounds and melodious flute music. Who cared how they made merry? With the emperor present, there were no taboos.

When he opened his eyes, the music had ended and the crowd had dispersed. The bonfire that had been blazing last night now had only a few wisps of blue smoke. The ground was covered everywhere with garbage left over from the carnival. Of course, there were also several garbage-like people—for example, Xue Wanche. He had played happily last night and drunk to his heart’s content. Now wrapped in fur, his snoring was equally uninhibited.

Liu Jinbao hung his head like a hyena, searching through the garbage piles for things. Seeing his marquis had awakened, he felt somewhat embarrassed. Under Yun Ye’s contemptuous gaze, he finally opened his palm. In this fellow’s hand were conspicuously two hairpins of considerable value.

“Send them back. Our family can’t afford to lose that face. If you want money, tell me. No need to dig through garbage.”

“Marquis, you were sleeping, and your subordinate couldn’t go far away. I accidentally discovered a hairpin, so I casually looked around. Besides, Marquis Xue also needs looking after. His family servants actually left. This is precisely his household—if this were in our household, Madam would kill someone.”

Yun Ye sighed. Those who served Xue Wanche last night must have been the princess’s servants, not the Xue family’s old retainers. It appeared that the couple had torn away even their last shred of dignity. Such servants indeed deserved to be killed.

Xue Wanche also awoke. He found a wine jar from the ground and shook it. Discovering there was still some wine remaining, he tilted his neck back and drained it dry. Smacking his lips twice, he said to Yun Ye: “Lend me one of your family’s horses. I’m going back to Chang’an.”

Yun Ye climbed onto the carriage together with Xue Wanche, swaying as they returned to the Yun Family estate. Xue Wanche wanted to leave, but Yun Ye told him to eat breakfast before returning. After the two washed up, each held a bowl of millet porridge and slowly drank it.

Xue Wanche suddenly smiled cunningly and said to Yun Ye: “I’m quite pitiful, aren’t I?”

“A dignified marquis reduced to your state—you might as well die.” When talking with him, Yun Ye didn’t need to think much at all. He said whatever he thought. If too obscure, this fellow would misunderstand.

“Then tell me, this pitiful state of mine—worse than pigs and dogs—did His Majesty see it? Even if His Majesty didn’t see it, the empress certainly saw it, right? Last night I deliberately provoked those servants. I, Xue Wanche, am also a great general who leads armies. Although I’m somewhat crude, I’m not lacking in strategy. Tell me, if I now petition His Majesty to garrison Yuezhou, do you think His Majesty will agree?”

“Whether you can go to Yuezhou or not, I don’t know. In any case, many people will die in the princess’s residence today. You bastard—why is it that whenever you devise a stratagem, it’s a poisonous one? You won’t rest until you’ve gotten the servants in the princess’s residence killed off to the last one, will you?”

Xue Wanche held a steamed bun in his mouth and smugly chuckled twice. The fist-sized bun was actually swallowed in one gulp. With both hands supporting the table, he said to Yun Ye: “You and I, brothers, both crawled out from heaps of corpses. When a real man doesn’t counterattack, so be it. But once he counterattacks, he must strike at her vital point. Who does she think she is? If she didn’t have a princess’s title propping her up, I’d still dislike her ugly looks even if she became my maidservant.”

“Our wealth and honor were all fought for with our own swords and spears, not obtained by groveling on a woman’s belly. Does she think that this old man needs to be a useless waste for his entire life? She forgot—this old man is a fierce tiger. Even trapped in a cage, I’m still a fierce tiger.”

Chang’an truly was a place of trouble! Even Xue Wanche knew to use stratagems now. When he fought battles before, didn’t he just know to charge forward? After being captured alive by Liu Heita and having his head shaved bald before being driven back, could it be that from then on he learned his lesson?

The Lantern Festival had passed. Today was fine weather. Xue Wanche was busy hurrying home to watch those servants be beaten to death with clubs. He also wanted to see Princess Danyang’s furious face. He also wanted to see whether there was an opportunity to volunteer to go abroad. Riding the Yun family’s horses, he galloped toward Chang’an like the wind.