Chapter 45: Taibai Wine House

Early the next morning, Li Qing’an returned to the Memorial Office. In just one night, he had earned 1,500 guan—enough to buy 150 mu of farmland in Guanzhong or a large residence in Chang’an. Either way, it was a huge sum.

One guan weighed six jin, so 1,500 guan equaled 9,000 jin. Of course, he couldn’t carry that much with him. The residences of Gao Lishi and Li Linfu each gave him a jade plaque, allowing him to withdraw money from their estates at any time.

At noon the next day, Li Qing’an took his companions from Anxi to Taibai Wine House, the most famous wine house in Chang’an, to drink and unwind.

“Qilang, since you’re now rich, why not take us to the best brothel in Chang’an? We can drink and listen to beautiful songs—wouldn’t that be better than going to some Taibai Wine House?”

Along the way, Li Fei Yuanli kept shouting loudly, insisting on going to a brothel.

Li Qing’an was still thinking about the girl in white from the night before. But Li Fei Yuanli’s loud noise drove him crazy, making the image of the girl increasingly blurred in his mind. He stopped the horse and said with a smile, “Old Li, if you really want to find a woman, I’ll give you 20 guan. Go by yourself; we’ll go drink.”

“Damn it, am I the kind of person who values women over friends? If we’re going, we all go! Hey! Those who want to go to the brothel to drink, raise your hands!”

After a while, only he raised his hand. With no choice, he grumbled, “Damn it, a bunch of hypocrites! Fine, I’ll go drink too and spend your 1,500 guan.”

“That’s what you said. If you don’t drink thirty jars of wine today, I won’t spare you. Right, everyone?”

Everyone burst into laughter. “Exactly! If Old Li doesn’t drink thirty jars, we’ll strip him naked and throw him on the street!”

Laughing and chatting, they arrived at the East Market of Chang’an. The East and West Markets were the two major commercial centers of Chang’an—the East Market being luxurious and the West Market more affordable. Both markets were vast, surrounded by high walls, with crisscrossing roads and hundreds of shops. But today they weren’t there to shop; they were heading to Taibai Wine House outside the East Market’s entrance.

Taibai Wine House became famous when Li Bai wrote “Let’s Drink” there at the beginning of the Tianbao era. His handwriting could still be seen on the wall on the second floor of the wine house. Going there to drink had become a way for people in Chang’an to show off their taste in culture. Today, after several days of snow, the weather cleared up, and people flocked outside to enjoy the ice and snow. Taibai Wine House was packed—both the first and second floors were full, and there were no seats left in the elegant rooms on the third and fourth floors either.

These Anxi soldiers were all tall and burly. As they stood at the entrance of the restaurant, the light in the hall immediately dimmed. A waiter rushed over, sweating profusely, and kept bowing, saying, “Gentlemen, I’m truly sorry, but there are no seats left. All the private rooms on the second and third floors are occupied.”

“I told you! Since there are no seats, it’s better to go to a brothel and drink wine with prostitutes.”

Li Feiyuanli finally found an excuse and started shouting again.

Li Qing’an frowned and was about to suggest going to another restaurant when Duan Xiushi beside him suddenly said, “Aren’t there five large rooms on the fourth floor? Could they all be occupied too?”

“Gentlemen, there are two rooms available on the fourth floor, but they’re reserved by others. It’s not appropriate to assign them to outsiders. Please understand.”

“I’ll pay you twice as much. Is that okay?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.

“Well…” The waiter hesitated for a moment. “Please wait a moment. I’ll go ask the owner.”

The waiter ran inside and came back after a while, saying, “Gentlemen, the owner says that if you’re willing to pay twice as much, he can try to find a room for you.”

“Great! Let’s go upstairs!”

More than twenty Anxi soldiers marched up to the fourth floor. There were five large rooms there, all luxuriously furnished. They were usually reserved by the powerful people of Chang’an and not open to the public. It was still noon, and since two rooms were empty, the restaurant owner, motivated by the double payment, decided to prepare one room for them.

When the group reached the door, they heard singing and laughter coming from the next room. Six tall soldiers stood at the door, watching them warily.

They rushed into the room. It was exquisitely decorated, divided into two sections by a white jade screen. There were gilded floor tiles, embroidered silk curtains, and large blue porcelain vases from Yuezhou in each corner. Everything was adorned with gold and silver, dazzling to the eye.

“Gentlemen, please take care of the items in the room,” the waiter said anxiously, fearing that these soldiers might damage the furniture, which would put him in big trouble.

“You stingy wretch! I’ve even slept in the king’s bed of Xiaobolue. What do I care about your worthless trinkets? Go and bring us good wine and food right away!”

Li Feiyuanli had the loudest voice. While scolding the waiter, he fiddled with a pair of silver-inlaid chopsticks, thinking secretly about how to take them away.

“Waiter, if anything is missing or damaged, I’ll compensate. Hurry and bring us wine and food. Send us two servings of each of your restaurant’s famous dishes, along with ten jars of the best wine.”

Li Qing’an was also annoyed by the waiter’s thief-like gaze. He waved his hand, telling the waiter to leave quickly. With no choice, the waiter stepped outside. After taking a few steps, he turned back and asked, “Do the military lords want some musicians to play the pipa and sing songs?”
Li Feiyuanli was overjoyed. He grabbed the waiter and asked, “Can we hear erotic songs here too?”
The poor waiter’s bones were almost crushed under his grip. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Military lord, we can play erotic songs and allow touching, but it won’t be me. You have to let me go first.”
“Hehe! Hurry up! The woman must be beautiful. Remember that?”
“Yes! Yes! I’ll go right away.”
The waiter broke free from his grasp and ran away in a panic. Soon, the wine was delivered. The Tang soldiers didn’t wait for the food and started drinking heavily, playing games, and having a great time.
“Qilang, I wonder what rewards the emperor will give us after this battle against Xiao Bulü?”
Duan Xiushi whispered to Li Qing’an while holding a cup of wine.
Li Qing’an pondered for a moment and said, “Conquering Xiao Bulü is of great significance to Tang’s Anxi region. If the emperor decides to attack Shibao City, I think he’ll use this opportunity to boost morale.”
“You’ve seized a great opportunity this time, Qilang. You’ve only been in Anxi for less than two years, yet you’ve achieved remarkable feats. Everyone admires and respects you. Come! Let me toast to you.”
“The same goes for you, Cheng Gong. You’ll also rise in rank. Come, let’s drink!”
The two clinked their cups and drank them in one gulp, then resumed their quiet conversation.
At that moment, the continuous singing and chatting from the next room made Li Feiyuanli restless. After waiting for the musicians for a long time without them showing up, he sneaked out. Not long after leaving, a woman’s shrill scream came from the entrance.
“You bastard! How dare you touch me!”
“Military lord, you’ve got it wrong. This isn’t one of your musicians.”