Chapter 92: New Year’s Eve (Part 2)

Jiang Wuyi was only a distant relative of Li Linfu. Due to her family’s poverty, she lived in her uncle Li Linfu’s mansion. She originally didn’t want to attend the New Year’s Eve banquet at his house, but in the afternoon, the housekeeper came to find her, saying that Master had ordered everyone in the mansion to gather in the main hall for the feast on New Year’s Eve.
According to last year’s seating arrangement, her seat should have been at the very end on the left side, but after searching around, she couldn’t find it.
At that moment, the housekeeper stepped forward and whispered to her, “Miss Jiang, your seat isn’t here. Please follow me.”
The housekeeper led her to the middle of the left side, where Li Linfu’s daughters sat. Pointing to a separate seat in the middle, the housekeeper said, “Miss Jiang, that’s your seat.”
Jiang Wuyi was taken aback. Why was she sitting here?
“Hmph!” A few women beside her snorted lightly. Someone whispered, “Be careful—here comes the bad omen.”
The dozen or so women glanced at her disdainfully. As Jiang Wuyi took her seat, everyone fell silent; no one paid her any attention. After a while, the women started chatting and laughing again, while Jiang Wuyi sat alone, head bowed and silent.
The six unmarried daughters gathered together, whispering and giggling at Li Qing’an across from them.
“See? That’s Li Qing’an. Wow, he’s really good-looking!”
“Second Sister, are you interested in him? Should we ask Father to arrange a match for you?”
“Hmph! I doubt you’d have the courage. I wonder who sneaked off to Chongren Fang to watch him play ball.”
“It wasn’t me. It was Third Sister. You know she never dresses up, but why is she looking like this today? Her face is painted so white!”
“Nonsense! I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
The women chattered and played around. Suddenly, Second Sister exclaimed excitedly, “Look! He’s looking at us!”
Curious, Jiang Wuyi glanced across. There was a young man with a scar on his forehead, staring over. His skin was slightly dark, and he seemed to radiate an untapped strength, giving him a heroic appearance. He was tall, with a broad and high forehead. His well-defined face carried a manly seriousness, calmness, and gloominess. But what impressed Jiang Wuyi the most were his eyes—filled with an extraordinary spark of youth and intense vitality.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Wuyi’s heart suddenly pounded. The young man was staring at her! She bit her lip lightly and lowered her head.

Today, Jiang Wuyi didn’t dress up deliberately. She wore a simple white silk dress, her hair casually tied up, revealing her snow-white, swan-like neck. Last time at the Li family’s villa, Li Qingan hadn’t been able to see her face clearly, and now her stunning beauty deeply captivated him.

At that moment, low laughter from a few Li family members came from behind him. “Sixteenth Brother, whose face are you staring at with such lustful eyes?”
“Us too! Us too! Aren’t you staring at her as well?”
“Hehe! You two good-for-nothings, if you’re capable, go and get her.”
“Eighth Brother, are you any better? Don’t you just talk tough too? Last time you hung around her courtyard for ages, but I saw you didn’t dare go in.”
“Hmph! If it weren’t for my eldest aunt protecting her, she would already be my woman.”

Li Qingan was secretly furious. He glanced back and saw several of Li Linfu’s sons sitting behind him.
“These bastards!”

……

Li Linfu picked a horse-milk grape and slowly chewed it. Not a single move of Li Qingan escaped his notice, and he couldn’t help but smile with narrowed eyes.

At that moment, Li Fudao leaned closer and whispered, “Elder Brother, it seems a few of the nieces are quite interested in Li Qingan. What do you think—”

Li Linfu snorted disdainfully. “Third Brother, marriage is forbidden within the same surname. Have you forgotten?”
“I certainly know that, but…”

Li Fudao sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed. He thought Li Qingan was actually quite good.

“Third Brother, you needn’t think too much about it.”

Li Linfu smiled faintly. Suddenly, he raised his cup and stood up. “Everyone, quiet down!”

The hall fell silent instantly. Li Linfu laughed loudly, “Liu Tingzhi once wrote a poem: ‘Year after year, the flowers remain the same, but the people change.’ The New Year’s Eve banquet last year is still fresh in my memory. In the blink of an eye, it’s New Year again. The New Year’s Eve is the same, but new faces have appeared. Fourteenth Brother and Seventeenth Brother have married and started families. Sixth Brother and Eighth Brother have brought new members to the Li family. Hehe! I’ve also gained a dozen more wives and concubines. Not only are they from our family, but we’ve also invited a few distinguished guests this year. Censor Wang Zhongcheng is an old friend of ours.”

Wang Gong quickly stood up and bowed to everyone. Li Linfu smiled and said, “As for Minister Ji and Censor Luo, aside from my two newly born grandchildren, I think everyone else knows them.”

Laughter filled the hall in understanding. Ji Wen and Luo Shishi also bowed to the guests. Li Linfu’s gaze fell on Li Qingan again, and he smiled slightly, saying, “There’s another new guest this year, but I believe many of you have already heard of him. Qi Lang, please introduce yourself!”

Li Qingan stood up, bowed to everyone, and said with a smile, “I am Li Qingan from the Anxi Army. It is a great honor to be here at your residence on New Year’s Eve. Especially the warmth of family gatherings here makes one feel even more at home…”

As Li Qingan was introducing himself, murmurs of discussion began among the guests.

“So this is Li Qingan, the top pot-throwing expert who defeated Shi Siming—turns out he’s so young!”

……

“Eighth Lady, why are your eyes fixed on him?”

“Nonsense! I just… I just…”

“Twenty-Second Lady, the same here! Why are you smiling foolishly?”

“Hehe! Why is your face red?”

……

Jiang Wuyi, who was nearby, heard that he was a general from Anxi. A glimmer appeared in her clear eyes as she thought to herself, ‘So he’s from Anxi. I wonder if he participated in the Battle of Xiao Bulu?’ At that moment, Li Linfu cleared his throat and laughed loudly, “General Li is too modest. Let me add a few words. Qi Lang has achieved many remarkable feats in Anxi and is known as the best archer there. In the recent Battle of Xiao Bulu, he played a key role—crossing Tanju Ridge, capturing Anuyue City, and crushing the Tibetan army’s last hopes. For his outstanding contributions, the Emperor rewarded him by appointing him as a Lieutenant General of the Qianniu Guard and granting him the title of County Lord. Qi Lang, am I wrong?”

Li Qingan quickly bowed and said, “The Prime Minister is too kind. Defending the borders and serving the country by fighting enemies is merely my duty.”

The hall fell silent; no one applauded. Although Li Linfu spoke eloquently, his women and grandchildren were not interested in any of this. They were more curious about Li Qingan’s behavior after arriving in the capital.

Li Linfu laughed again and said, “But today is a special New Year’s Eve. I think everyone is more interested in Qi Lang’s other skills. Qi Lang, everyone is looking at you expectantly. Could you show them something to broaden their horizons?”

Li Qingan smiled slightly and said, “I’ve been in Anxi for a long time and am skilled at playing Hu people’s musical instruments. Since it’s New Year’s Eve, I’d like to play a Hu tune to liven things up. May I ask the Prime Minister for permission?”

“Oh! Qi Lang can also play the zither?”

Surprise flashed in Li Linfu’s eyes. He stroked his beard, nodded, and said with a smile, “Indeed! Indeed! I’m eager to listen.”

Li Qingan waved at the second butler beside him and whispered, “Go and bring one of my long rectangular boxes.”

The second butler hurried off and soon returned with Li Qing’an’s music box. Li Qing’an stepped forward and smiled at the crowd, saying, “This is an instrument popular in the Western Byzantine and Islamic worlds. I wonder if anyone here knows it. If so, please raise your hand; I’ll give you a special reward.”

A stir arose in the hall as everyone leaned in to look at Li Qing’an’s music box. He opened it on the left side and held up his modified Persian lute high.

“Well? Does anyone recognize it?”

All eyes turned to the lute in Li Qing’an’s hands. Suddenly, Jiang Wuyi let out a soft “Ah!”, quickly covering her mouth as she stared in disbelief at the lute. Could he really play such an instrument?

Li Qing’an gave Jiang Wuyi a deep look before turning around and asking again, “Well? Does anyone recognize it?”

“Isn’t this an Islamic lute?” someone joked.

“No! It’s not.”

After waiting a while with no one recognizing it, Li Qing’an slowly walked over to Jiang Wuyi, bowed, and asked, “Miss, do you recognize this instrument?”

“Could she possibly know? How ridiculous,” someone sneered.

Li Linfu’s daughters glanced at Jiang Wuyi disdainfully, snorting lightly. Although Wuyi was known as the ‘Fairy of the Lute’ outside, she was careful to hide her true identity, and since Li Linfu’s children were generally not interested in music, no one knew she was the Fairy of the Lute.

Wuyi stood up slowly and said, “If I’m not mistaken, this seems to be a Persian lute. Few people can play it these days. But Persian lutes have five double strings, while yours has six single strings, so I’m not entirely sure.”

A few women beside her chuckled. One whispered, “So she doesn’t know either. I thought she really did.”

“This young lady is right!”

Li Qing’an held up the lute high and declared, “This is indeed a Persian lute, just slightly modified by me.”

He took out a palm-sized guitar model from the music box and handed it to Jiang Wuyi, saying, “Miss, this is your reward for recognizing this instrument.”

Jiang Wuyi took the intricately crafted Persian lute and examined its six single strings carefully. A glint appeared in her eyes as strong interest arose in her heart—what kind of melodies could these six strings produce?

Li Linfu’s daughters stared at the model in Jiang Wuyi’s hands with envy. How could she know?

At that moment, Li Fudao leaned closer to Li Linfu and asked in a low voice, “Who is this woman?”
“She is the granddaughter of the Duke of Chu. She lives in my mansion and plays the zither extremely well.”
“I see. No wonder she knows this zither!”
Li Linfu smiled faintly and said, “No matter what she says, the answer will definitely be correct.”
Li Fudao was stunned.
……
In the main hall, Li Qingan had already started plucking the strings of his zither. Although the modified ancient zither was still different from modern guitars, after several days of practice, he gradually regained that familiar feeling.
The piece “Sad Spain” resounded in the Tang Dynasty 1,300 years ago. The sound of the zither echoed, as if a melancholic soul had landed on the western coast. A passionate Spanish woman stood out gracefully under the moonlight, dancing by the sea to the music, trying to comfort that lonely soul.
Li Qingan gazed affectionately at the beautiful girl who resembled a swan not far away. The image of that fairy-like woman in white, emerging like a lotus from the water, kept appearing in his mind—her exquisite beauty and her heavenly voice. He played his zither only for her.
The beautiful melody deeply captivated her. It was a piece she had never heard before—so melodious and soothing, as deep as water. It was like the bright moon in the night sky by her window, gently touching her sensitive and sorrowful heart.
She couldn’t help but close the small zither in her palm and place it against her chest. Who was he? His voice seemed familiar to her.
……
The New Year’s Eve banquet continued, but the guests had already left. Wu Yi returned to her own courtyard. Sitting by the window, the silver moonlight illuminated her fair face. The moonlight reflected the loneliness and sorrow in her eyes. She silently stared at the small zither on the table. The sound of its six strings, flowing like water, once again touched her heart, stirring her emotions…