Chapter 60: Listening to the Zither in the Separate Courtyard (Part 2)

“The Midnight Hour” had ended, and there was a fifteen-minute break. The cold night wind outside made the zither players flock into the hall, discussing things in small groups in hushed voices.
Today was the Last Day of the Lunar Year, an important festival in the Tang Dynasty. The men and women attending the concert were all dressed especially beautifully. In the VIP hall of Ziyun Xuan, many noblewomen had applied rouge and powder, looking stunningly gorgeous. They wore silk fabrics such as gauze and lace, which were light and translucent, highlighting their figures. Even a single flower crown or headscarf was worth thousands of coins. The most eye-catching among them was the wife of Yang Shenjin, the Deputy Minister of Revenue. Her skirt trailed like six stretches of the Xiang River, and she wore a dragon-silk gauze robe three zhang long that weighed no more than two or three taels—light enough to fit in one hand.
Even in ordinary halls like Songhe Hall and Mingyue Hall, the young women were adorned in splendid clothes, their jewelry shining brightly. The men mostly wore round-collared robes with leather belts, some wearing soft caps or tall gauze hats, all behaving with grace.
Eating porridge on the Last Day of the Lunar Year has always been a tradition, and the music hall was no exception. Two servants entered carrying large wooden barrels steaming with heat—this was the special five-treasure seven-delicacy porridge prepared for everyone’s supper, followed by servants carrying bowls and chopsticks.
Everyone was excited and rushed forward to get bowls of porridge. Li Qing’an took a bowl and sat aside, sipping it slowly.
Li Feiyuanli, on the other hand, was in a corner competing with several scholars in pot-throwing—a game where arrows were thrown at bottles several zhang away, also known as literary archery. This game was very popular in Anxi. As the best archer there, Li Qing’an was skilled at it, but the Anxi army placed more emphasis on practical horseback archery, so no one took pot-throwing seriously.
Li Qing’an had no interest in pot-throwing. He listened to a few young scholars talking about the zither immortal about to perform.
“It’s time for the zither immortal to play. I’ve waited half a year just to see her!” one scholar said emotionally.
Another young scholar sighed, “I thought she wouldn’t play anymore after the Zhongyuan Festival. I never expected the Separate Courtyard of the Pear Garden to invite her back. We’ll get to enjoy her music again! I wonder if we’ll have such a chance next year during the Shangyuan Festival?”
At that moment, the manager came over and said with a smile, “I heard this is the zither immortal’s last night playing. After this, she won’t play anymore.”
“Then we must go and see her later!”
……
“Damn, it’s so boring!”
Li Feiyuanli returned listlessly. Li Qing’an glanced at him and laughed, “What, did you lose to them?”
“Me lose to them?”

Li Fei Yuanli sneered and said, “A bunch of mediocrities who can only shoot from twenty feet away, yet they think they’re so great. I hit five arrows in a row from thirty feet away, and they were utterly awed by me.” At that, Li Fei Yuanli stepped forward and whispered with a smile, “Qilang, why don’t you give it a try too? I want to see them get scared to death.” “Hmph! What’s the point of competing with these scholars? If I want to compete, I’ll go against the masters from the Fanyang and Shuofang armies.” Just then, a sound of a cloud board was heard on the zither platform—it was time for the Zither Immortal to appear. Everyone stopped eating porridge, dropped their bowls, and rushed to claim advantageous positions. Li Qing’an and Li Fei Yuanli also stopped talking and stared at the zither platform. The platform had been prepared—all the fancy brocades had been removed, leaving only a white jade zither platform about thirty feet tall, surrounded by gentle mist, as if in a celestial realm. With a sound like tearing silk, the Zither Immortal finally appeared. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, except Li Fei Yuanli, who kept clapping loudly and shouting, “Great! The beautiful zither lady, come on stage quickly!” His shrill shouts made many people frown, but as the accompanying pipa music grew faster, everyone’s gaze focused on the white jade path—the only route connecting the platform to the pond. Amid the pleasant pipa music, the Zither Immortal appeared. The darkness of night made it hard to see her face, but her white dress was like snow, her skin like jade—like snow swirling in the wind or clouds covering the sun. Her peerless beauty left everyone breathless. In the mist, she resembled a fairy emerging from the water. Cheers erupted like thunder, and even Li Qing’an couldn’t help but applaud. Such a delicate and exquisite beauty, with skin like snow, was rare in later generations. If the Du Gu Mingyue he saw the day before was a gorgeous and luxurious peony, then the Zither Immortal before him was like a serene and refined orchid. Good heavens! How many peerless beauties did the Tang Dynasty have? The Zither Immortal slowly walked onto the platform and sat gracefully. A maid placed the zither in front of her and lit a burner of chrysanthemum incense. Amid the curling smoke, the sound of the zither flowed like water. It was a piece titled “Song of Weicheng,” composed based on Wang Wei’s poem. In the heavenly sounds of the zither, people seemed to see a picturesque scroll unfolding slowly. “Morning rain moistens the dust in Weicheng,
Green inn surrounded by fresh willows.
I urge you to drink one more cup—
West of Yangguan, no old friends remain.” …
The morning rain had not lasted long; it stopped just as it moistened the dust. On the road leading west from Chang’an, which was usually bustling with vehicles and dust, the weather was now clear and clean after the rain stopped.

Friends parted with reluctance, and the host raised his cup one last time: “Let’s drink this cup together. Once we pass Yangguan Pass, we’ll never see our old friends again.”
Sending envoys to the vast and sandy Western Regions was always regarded as an admirable feat in the hearts of the people of the Tang Dynasty. After years away, how much sorrow of separation and how much hardship and loneliness lay in that cup of wine? Amidst the flowing melody of the zither, people seemed to experience the poetic atmosphere. That cup contained deep affection and sincere emotions—not only the feeling of reluctant parting but also deep concern for the traveler’s situation and mood, along with earnest wishes for a safe journey ahead.
Silence surrounded the pond as everyone was immersed in the beautiful zither music. Such music seemed to exist only in the heavens; how often could one hear it in the mortal world…
Li Qing’an, who had come from the Western Regions, understood this piece even better. The lonely moonlight over Tianshan Mountain, the endless Gobi Desert, and the gaunt lone wolves—him, his horse, and his bow—had accompanied him through two years of guarding the border. “Beyond Yangguan Pass, there are no old friends left.” Li Qing’an felt as though the zither fairy was playing this piece just for him. Not only him but everyone else was captivated, feeling as though the fairy was playing for them.
…
After the zither music, like a string of pearls, gradually faded, it came to a soft hum: “I urge you to drink one more cup. Beyond Yangguan Pass, there are no old friends left.”
The music disappeared, and silence reigned. People hadn’t yet awakened from the heavenly sounds. When the zither fairy stood up and bowed gracefully to everyone, they finally came back to reality. Roaring applause and cheers erupted around the pond, lasting for a long time.
…
The concert ended, and countless zither lovers rushed toward the zither fairy’s room, hoping to see her face and cherish it as the best memory of the night. Unfortunately, the zither fairy had already left quietly. No one knew her name or where she lived.
Li Qing’an left the music hall with Li Fei Yuanli. Along the way, Li Fei Yuanli was unexpectedly quiet. After a long while, he finally sighed deeply and said, “A true man should marry such a wonderful woman!”
Li Qing’an also remained silent. The impact the zither fairy had on him was beyond comparison. If he had only heard the heavenly zither music that night, today he was deeply shocked by her stunning beauty. Watching Li Fei Yuanli’s emotional reaction, he couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.
…
Opposite Pingkang Fang was Chongren Fang, separated by Chunming Street, with gates leading east and west. The street was quiet, with only the sound of their horse hooves. Suddenly, distant drumbeats could be heard, and in the distance, the gates of Chongren Fang were slowly closing.

“Not good!” The two shouted at the same time, spurring their horses forward at full speed. According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, once the gate was closed, it would not be opened again no matter who called. They hadn’t been in Chang’an long enough to fully understand this rule yet. But it was still too late—thirty steps away from the gate, it slammed shut with a loud noise. “Damn it, open the gate!” Li Fei Yuanli roared in fury, but no one paid him any attention. Just then, intense horseback sounds came from behind, and someone shouted loudly, “Please wait a moment before closing the gate—let us in.”