Li Er looked at the busy Yun Ye and said with a smile, “And our trust as well!”
The scene was noisy, and no one heard what the Emperor and Empress actually said. The Yun family had no concept of display dishes—anything brought to the table was edible. Those responsible for serving dishes today were all children of the Yun family, including Li Yanrong and Cheng Huahua.
Li Yanrong, carrying a roasted duck that had already been sliced, obediently came to the Emperor and Empress’s side. She carefully used thin pancakes to wrap scallion strips, sauce, and duck skin, neatly arranging them on the plate for the imperial couple to enjoy.
Her task today was to take good care of the imperial couple. As for Huahua, who was carrying a plate of roasted suckling pig and always liked to drool, she could only go attend to Niu Jinda, Li Jing, and Li Xiaogong. They wouldn’t care about Huahua’s appearance and would only find it warm and endearing.
Yun Lu could not be married into the imperial family, so she was also most beloved by those old men, who all wanted to bring this child back to their own homes and betroth her to their own nephews.
This was Yun Xiang’s first time appearing at such an occasion. Wearing a pink dress, she appeared timid, only continuously placing the dishes in her hands on the table of the four teachers she was most familiar with—Li Gang, Yushan, Yuanzhang, and Lishi. In no time, the table was set with two servings of jellied meat, two servings of peanuts, and two servings of braised fish, causing the four teachers to laugh heartily. The ten-year-old child became even more at a loss.
Teacher Yushan was acting as grandfather. Smiling, he helped Yun Xiang place the extra dishes back on the tray and personally led Yun Xiang to arrange the dishes one by one. With her grandfather’s guidance, Yun Xiang’s courage grew considerably. She actually placed a plate of peanuts on the Emperor’s table. This dish had not yet undergone poison testing and by rights should not be served this way.
Liu Hongji, who had been holding a horizontal blade and playing Fan Kuai the whole time, scooped up a large spoonful with a spoon and stuffed it into his mouth. Finding the taste simply marvelous, he scooped up another spoonful.
His serving as御者 and blade-bearer for the Emperor was voluntary—the Emperor had made no such request. The reason he had fought and snatched to secure this position had its causes.
When his title had been stripped away, the old fellow would rather visit other nobles’ homes to freeload and play the bandit than bow his head to the Emperor. Every day he delighted in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. Nearly every brothel, tavern, and gambling den in Chang’an’s markets had seen his shadow—and of course, also seen his IOUs.
Before the Li family had raised their banner, the old fellow was already a famous scoundrel in Daxing City. Later, following Li Er through campaigns in the south and battles in the north, he established great merit and was thus enfeoffed as Duke Kui. Having become a duke, he naturally needed some face, and aside from his fondness for songstresses, he had no other bad habits.
Now he owed a huge pile of debts and refused to repay them, yet no one dared come to his door to collect. So in no time, his reputation stank throughout the streets. Zhangsun couldn’t stand it and helped him repay that pile of rotten debts. She thought this fellow would be grateful, but as a result, Liu Hongji behaved even more outrageously. From then on, the signatures on his debts became “Inner Palace.”
Whether it was the old fellow’s scoundrel tactics succeeding or Li Er’s compassion being aroused, his title of Duke Kui was actually restored. Even with his title restored, he didn’t save much face for the Emperor, boasting everywhere about his brilliant methods with no sign of remorse.
However, it was also strange—after his son followed Yun Ye back to Chang’an and became a Thousand Bull Captain of the Thousand Bull Guards, no one knew what had happened to Liu Hongji. He immediately began fawning over the Emperor everywhere, using methods that brought shame to scholar-officials and made nobles blush. Developing to the present, someone who should be sitting at the table drinking wine and eating meat was instead holding a horizontal blade, having become the Emperor’s blade-bearer.
When Li Gang heard of this matter, he sighed deeply and said, “They say children and grandchildren have their own blessings—don’t become an ox or horse for children and grandchildren. Everyone understands the principle, but who can truly achieve it?”
Li Er irritably glared at Liu Hongji, who was preparing to extend his spoon into the dish again, and said without good humor, “If you like eating these beans so much, find a seat and sit down to eat. I don’t need you holding a blade behind me. After years of dissipation, do you still think you’re a young gallant knight?”
Liu Hongji didn’t talk back. He struggled to swallow the peanuts in his mouth and stood again behind the Emperor, holding the horizontal blade with eyes looking straight ahead in a威武 pose.
The Yun family’s dances were rarely performed for outsiders. Most of the time they were for self-entertainment, and the household servants had seen them more times than the nobles. So rumors circulated that the Yun family’s songs and dances were kept secret from others because their seductive power was too great—ordinary people simply couldn’t resist. The famous Heavenly Demon Dance was said to have its most primitive roots in the Yun family.
Yun Ye didn’t even know that Heavenly Demon Ji had created a Paradise Dance based on his description of the Western Paradise, then incorporated the Heavenly Demon Dance into it, transforming it into the “Paradise Heavenly Demon Dance.”
Zhangsun specifically requested to see this dance today, so after everyone had finished tasting the truffles, they changed to another room. The atmosphere here was very pleasant—soft carpets, magnificent furnishings, and the entire room filled with an intoxicating sweet fragrance.
A foreign dancing girl performed the Sogdian whirl dance on a small table. The Sogdian whirl dancer wore a wide-hemmed long skirt, ornaments on her head, and long sleeves. When she whirled, her body was like drifting snow and flying feathers. That posture of crossed tiptoes, left hand on waist, right hand raised high, with colorful ribbons flowing from her entire body and her skirt spinning into an arc—this was precisely the instantaneous posture of rotation, creating the effect of “chaotic dance like wind-blown sleet in the air.”
The Yun family’s Sogdian whirl dance was very authentic because these foreign dancing girls had been brought by Na Rimu from Kang, Shi, and Mi among the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu. They were all pitiful people who, under the army’s devastation, would follow along for a bowl of rice. Na Rimu very much enjoyed picking up such things.
When one dance ended, Li Er nodded and said, “The original Sogdian whirl dance of the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu is indeed a cut above the Kucha dances. Summon them into the palace—I very much like it.”
The Emperor had spoken. As the female head of household, Xinyue immediately went down to make arrangements. This had been decided long ago by the Court of State Ceremonial—the conquering general would not only receive rewards but also needed to present tribute to the Emperor. When Yun Ye went to the Western Regions, all he could contribute were fine horses and dancing girls.
With the lively Sogdian whirl dance as an opening, the atmosphere between ruler and subjects became enthusiastic. The Don River horse that Yun Ye had sent was thoroughly ridiculed by Li Er—aside from its tremendous strength, it had no other advantages. He also said this horse was only suitable for pulling manure carts in the fields and could bear a load of ten thousand jin.
With great interest, he extended his fingers to count one by one the fine horses he had ridden: White-hoofed Raven, Tele Piebald, Saluzi, Azure Stallion, Shifachi, and Quanmao Colt.
“White-hoofed Raven was black all over with four pure white hooves—a rare steed. It was what I rode when I fought the great battle at Qianshuiyuan against Xue Rengao and his son, who occupied Longxi. After the great victory at Qianshuiyuan, when I was pursuing the enemy army, I rode it for more than two hundred li in a day and night. Finally, White-hoofed Raven died of exhaustion. It could truly be called loyal and brave.”
“Tele Piebald was a war horse with yellow mixed with white and unmatched vigor. I rode it to decisively defeat Liu Wuzhou, went through hardships to recover the Hedong region, controlled Hedong and looked down on the Central Plains like a tiger, making Wang Shichong unable to sleep night after night.”
“Saluzi was a pure purple steed. I rode it in Luoyang and defeated Wang Shichong badly. It’s just a pity that in the Battle of the Eastern Capital, Saluzi was struck by arrows in fierce fighting and died.”
“Azure Stallion was a white mixed-hair horse, the most ordinary of these six horses. However, it gave me divine assistance. I rode this war horse and won victory after victory, captured Dou Jiande alive, and forced Wang Shichong to surrender. It’s just a pity it didn’t have longevity—Azure Stallion was struck by five arrows in fierce fighting and died.”
“After Azure Stallion died, Shifachi became my mount. Dou Jiande died before my Shifachi’s hooves, and it was also its front hooves that first stepped into the Eastern Capital Luoyang, giving my Li Tang the imperial foundation to establish order over the realm.”
“Quanmao Colt was a black-mouthed yellow horse with naturally curled hair. When I rode it in fierce battle with Liu Heita at Mingshui, the peril of that battle still makes me shudder to think of it today.”
“Your Majesty, you only have six steeds here. If we add Wang Cai and that large horse, we could make eight steeds. Might this humble subject request Teacher Lishi to create this Eight Steeds painting for Your Majesty?”
Li Er laughed heartily for quite a while before stopping and saying, “Do you think the war horses I favor are all thousand-li horses? They’re not. Azure Stallion and Saluzi were not. At that time, war horses were desperately scarce in the army. Although chosen from the best available, those two war horses couldn’t be called divine steeds. I only commemorate their achievements. Just like you loving Wang Cai—isn’t that also without reason? Even if it’s a nag, in your heart it absolutely cannot be compared to several fine horses.”
“Horse nature is human nature, and human nature is horse nature. I judge people by the method of judging horses—never inaccurate!”
Yun Ye looked at Liu Hongji sitting behind Li Er gnawing on suckling pig and smiled at Li Er.
Li Er slapped Yun Ye on the head without good humor and cursed with a smile, “He’s at least your elder—don’t speak nonsense. If I were to say anything, I would only say you’re a mangy horse.”
Yun Mu came out last. As the eldest daughter of the Yun family, she still needed to display the proper airs. In Guanzhong households, the most precious was the young lady of the family, especially in bell-ringing, tripod-eating families like the Yun clan.
Paying respects to the elders was actually announcing to everyone that the Yun family’s daughter had come of age—other families could propose marriage to the Yun family. The Yun family had held such gatherings a total of three times. This time, there was only Yun Mu—this was the Yun household’s special preparation for Yun Mu alone.
The seventeen-year-old girl was graceful and slender. On her twin-ring immortal-gazing hair bun was inserted only a single pearl hairpin. Her floor-length goose-yellow dress and skirt, set against her black hair and dark eyes, made her appear lively. Her features were like a painting yet without powder or rouge. The moment she appeared, Zhangsun was so astonished she couldn’t close her mouth.
“This is that mischievous little Mu’er?”
“Indeed. Originally Xiao Ye didn’t want his daughter to come out, but this old one lectured him thoroughly. The girl is already seventeen years old—it’s time for her to meet people. Look at her—how beautiful, what a good child. Who knows which young gentleman has such good fortune.”
Zhangsun carefully examined Yun Mu, then suddenly beckoned her over. Under the astonished gazes of Madam Cheng and Madam Niu, Zhangsun pulled a hairpin from her own head and inserted it in Yun Mu’s hair.
“We must find you a satisfactory husband!” Zhangsun smiled and patted Yun Mu’s small hand.
Madam Cheng looked around everywhere and finally caught sight of her granddaughter Huahua. She saw her holding half a pig leg, leaning against a pillar and eating heartily. She couldn’t help but feel secretly wounded—the Old Cheng family just couldn’t produce an elegant beauty. Huahua was beautiful, but her temperament was exactly that of the Cheng family.
Xinyue’s heart finally settled. With Zhangsun’s protective talisman, Yun Mu was completely free. The hairpin Zhangsun had inserted in her hair was a flying phoenix pin, not a connected hearts pin, signifying that this child would live carefree and without worries.
Na Rimu hid behind the curtains, tears flowing down her face without her realizing it. Yun Ye appeared behind her at some unknown time, accompanying her in secretly blessing their daughter.