Chapter Four: The Night in the Eastern Capital Is Beyond Your Imagination

“If I’m not mistaken, that should be the intention of the Divine Strategy Bureau.” Li Fu wasn’t particularly surprised by the news. The Divine Strategy Bureau had been stationed at the northern border for two years without any real progress. They had only managed to reclaim a few insignificant towns, while the key strongholds remained firmly in the hands of the Divine Strategy. The barbarians had not advanced further.

Yet, the strange part was this: why did all the crucial cities in the north fall within mere days just before the Divine Strategy Bureau withdrew? Even more bizarre, on the very morning of the handover, all the elite troops who had been guarding those cities had already departed, leaving behind only a handful of soldiers. Shouldn’t they have waited for the Heavenly Strategy Bureau to arrive before pulling out? This left the Heavenly Strategy soldiers in dire straits as soon as they entered the northern lines, suffering losses of over forty thousand within a few weeks.

“But this time, the Heavenly Strategy Army’s great victory did drive back the barbarians. Still, I fear the casualties in their ranks must be grim,” Yang Zixu said, rising to his feet with a furrowed brow.

“I doubt the losses were too severe. This time, it’s Lord Marquis Wu of the Empire himself commanding the northern line. Whether in military skill or cultivation, he is among the elite of the Tang court. Besides, the Heavenly Strategy Bureau has sent three grand generals with the army—each a master listed among the Sacred Spirits,” Li Fu mused after a moment’s thought.

“That’s true. With the three great generals stationed in the north, the army shouldn’t suffer too much,” Yang Zixu smiled.

Before they knew it, dusk was already upon them. Spring had not yet arrived, and the winter sun slanted early toward the west. The two sat opposite each other in the room, engaged in lively conversation, and both began to feel hungry.

Draining the last of his warm tea, Yang Zixu reached out and patted Li Fu on the shoulder. “I quite admire you. Would you honor me by joining me for a meal?”

Li Fu looked at Yang Zixu’s gesture and smiled, shaking his head slightly—not because he minded the touch, but rather the man’s manner.

Though they were of similar age, Yang Zixu insisted on acting the elder, with gestures and expressions tinged with condescension. Anyone unfamiliar with him would likely find this way of speaking intolerable, even infuriating. But Li Fu had grown to understand him over the course of a pleasant afternoon’s conversation. He knew this was simply Yang Zixu’s way of showing goodwill, though he still carried the airs of a noble from the Eastern Capital.

“Of course I will. But isn’t there food at the Academy in this inn?” Li Fu asked, puzzled by Yang Zixu’s intentions.

“This place? Pah!” Yang Zixu snorted disdainfully, clearly having no intention of dining here.

“Come, I’ll show you what the Eastern Capital’s night truly looks like,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper, grinning mischievously.

“Is that... all right?” Li Fu found himself dragged from the room, a bit ill at ease...

...

As lanterns were first being lit and the bright moon hung high, laughter drifted from the pleasure boats moored along the White Dragon River, the haunting melodies swirling over the water. In two days, it would be the Lantern Festival, and the streets and alleys of the Eastern Capital were already adorned with colored lanterns and red banners. The White Dragon River wound its way through the city, dividing it into inner and outer quarters. The brilliance of the outer city clashed with the solemnity of the inner city.

To the south of the inner city, outside a certain inn, two shadows flitted by, carefully avoiding the patrolling guards as they headed toward the outer city.

All of this was noticed by a young man in blue, drunk and loitering in a deep alley. His bleary eyes blinked, and he shook his head, muttering as he staggered off in the same direction, punctuating his steps with drunken hiccups.

...

Aboard one of the seventy-foot-high pleasure barges on the White Dragon River, a songstress danced to the music drifting through the cabin, attended only by Yang Zixu and Li Fu.

“Well? I told you the Eastern Capital’s nights are beyond imagination,” Yang Zixu laughed, one arm holding a wine cup, the other around the waist of a songstress.

“So this is what you meant by inviting me to dinner?” Li Fu asked helplessly, glancing at the songstress offering him a cup. He didn’t know whether to drink or not.

“What else did you expect? This is the finest pleasure barge on the White Dragon River. The only better one is the Ten Thousand Dragon Boat, and that’s not a place for scholars like us,” Yang Zixu said, casting a satisfied look at the woman in his arms.

“But weren’t we just going to eat? How did we end up on a pleasure barge?” Li Fu suddenly revised his opinion of Yang Zixu—this was the very image of a spoiled young lord!

“This is eating! Must it be at a restaurant to count? Don’t worry, you won’t starve—this barge serves Silver Bell Koi, a delicacy found nowhere else in the Eastern Capital during winter,” Yang Zixu replied with a laugh.

Crimson lips and jeweled sleeves flutter in the spring breeze, as a thousand butterflies bring forth their fragrance at night.

The beauty of Linying dances on the White Dragon, and this melody is sung on the immortal barge of Qin.

This was a poem written two centuries ago by the Grand Tutor, describing a night aboard this very barge. On the eve of the Lantern Festival examination, the young Grand Tutor had composed it while enjoying the festivities on the Qin Immortal Barge.

The following night, the Grand Tutor’s sword lit up the Eastern Capital, as he captured the top ranks in both literary and martial exams, and his poem forever established the barge’s preeminence on the White Dragon River.

...

“Don’t be so stiff—here, drink with me,” Yang Zixu said, noticing Li Fu’s discomfort. He slung an arm over Li Fu’s shoulder and raised his cup.

“Tomorrow is the first round of the Lantern Festival trials. Aren’t you worried?” Li Fu downed his cup, only to realize how strong the wine was. He quickly took a bite of food to chase away the burning sensation.

“Ha! So you can’t hold your drink!” Yang Zixu grinned, as if discovering something amusing, and studied Li Fu closely.

“Nonsense! It’s just that this wine is too strong,” Li Fu protested, not sure if the flush on his cheeks was from the alcohol or the songstress pressing ever closer to him. The rosy tint on his face made him look especially handsome.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been close to a girl before?” Yang Zixu’s smile deepened as he caught the growing blush on Li Fu’s face. He signaled to the songstress at Li Fu’s side with a meaningful glance.

“So what if I haven’t? There’s nothing shameful about that,” Li Fu said, feeling the songstress lean against him with the intensity of a hungry tigress eyeing a lone lamb. He instinctively edged closer to Yang Zixu.

He shifted, lost his balance, and toppled sideways toward Yang Zixu, pulling him down as well.

“Li Fu, what are you doing? If you don’t like girls, don’t lean on me—don’t get any ideas, I’m not that way!” Yang Zixu protested as the two of them crashed to the floor.

The songstress hurried to help them up, her lips curled in a playful smile.

From across the riverbank, peering through the window of the barge, the scene was clear: one youth sat upright and solemn, another basked in the company of beautiful women. The songstresses danced gracefully, and it seemed as though the harsh chill of winter was banished from within the boat.