Chapter 145: The Barbarian Tavern

After leaving the Eastern Palace, Li Qing’an took Dugu Mingzhu to Rehaiju in Xiling Alley, a tavern located in a deep alley beside the Western Market. Last time, Li Heng had secretly met him here.
Dugu Mingzhu chattered nonstop to Li Qing’an like a little bird all the way there.
“Brother Li, how did you know there was a tavern here?” Mingzhu was astonished to find a tavern hidden in such a secluded alley, her eyes wide with surprise.
“It’s a barbarian tavern; I’ve been here before.”
Li Qing’an smiled as he dismounted from his horse. He then said to his twenty-some bodyguards, “Let’s all go drink together!”
The bodyguards smiled shyly and replied, “Thank you, General!” They all dismounted, and soon two servants rushed out from the tavern to take care of their horses. As they entered, several barbarian women greeted them warmly.
“Should the military men drink together or in separate rooms?”
“Find us a large room!”
“Yes! Yes! Please follow me, military men.” One of the barbarian women led them to the second floor, where the floor was divided into five or six large rooms, each named after a small town in the Suiye region. Most of the rooms were filled with guests, and laughter could be heard from inside.
“Please enter this room, military men!”
The barbarian woman pushed open a spacious empty room. A sign at the door read “General Peiluo’s City.” The room was covered with mats, brightly lit, with charcoal fires burning fiercely in several large basins, making it exceptionally warm and cozy—a perfect place to drink.
“Everyone, sit wherever you like. You can eat and drink to your heart’s content tonight!”
Li Qing’an waved his hand. His dozen or so bodyguards and attendants laughed as they found seats, took off their outer garments, and rolled up their sleeves. The room immediately became lively. Five or six more barbarian women came in to serve drinks. Most of the bodyguards could speak Turkic, so they greeted them in that language. The barbarian women were both surprised and delighted, as if meeting old friends in a foreign land, and became even more enthusiastic.
“Brother Li, now you know why we came to a barbarian tavern,” Mingzhu said, watching the Anxi soldiers and barbarian women chatting amiably. “I didn’t expect so many people to speak the barbarian language.”
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she smiled at Li Qing’an, “Brother Li, can you speak barbarian?”
Li Qing’an laughed. “Don’t I speak barbarian all day long?”
Mingzhu was both angry and frustrated. She punched his arm and said, “You know what I mean, yet you do it on purpose!”
“Miss Mingzhu, our general speaks Turkic very well,” Jiang Xiaonian said with a smile.

“Really? Brother Li, when can you teach me?”
Li Qing’an poured her a glass of wine and filled his own as well, then said with a smile, “Why do you want to learn the Turkic language? You’re not going to Anxi anyway.”
“Who said I’m not going to Anxi? My sister always says she hopes to go there someday.”
Li Qing’an took a sip of wine and asked, “Is your sister married?”
Mingzhu sighed softly, “She is. Last month, she married Pei Feng, the eldest son of Doctor Jin Ziguang, Pei You. He was the third-place winner in this year’s imperial examinations. I even served as my sister’s bridesmaid! The wedding was very grand. It’s a pity Brother Li wasn’t there.”
Li Qing’an uttered an “Oh!” feeling a hint of disappointment. The elegant image of Du Gu Mingyue came to mind again—she had finally married, to a talented man from a distinguished family. Perhaps this was the fate she had long dreamed of!
“What, does Brother Li think my sister made a bad marriage?” Mingzhu asked cautiously.
Li Qing’an picked up his glass, smiled bitterly, and sighed, “I once had my heart set on Mingyue, but alas, her light shone on someone else.”
Seeing the unmistakable disappointment in Li Qing’an’s smile, Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh and said sweetly, “Brother, I lied to you! My sister isn’t married yet!”
He thought that after a year, Li Qing’an no longer cared about his sister, but it turned out he still thought of her. Mingzhu was greatly relieved and quickly said, “Actually, Pei Feng really likes my sister. The Pei family asked for her hand several times, and my grandfather also wanted to form an alliance with them. But my father sent a letter stating that it was up to my sister to decide whether to marry or not. She simply said she would rather die than marry someone she didn’t like. My grandfather was helpless, so the marriage talks with the Pei family still haven’t progressed.”
Only then did Li Qing’an understand that Du Gu Mingyue wanted to marry someone she loved—probably Prince Guangping, Li Chu, not him. She never really cared about him; perhaps she even forgot who Li Qing’an was. Since there was no chance between them, after all it was just a brief encounter, what reason did he have to worry?
Thinking this, Li Qing’an felt relieved. He raised his glass and drank it in one gulp, then said to the soldiers, “You can order whatever dishes you want.”
“Thank you, General. I’d like another plate of Jingzhou sugar carp.”
“Roast a few more pounds of hot sea mutton, and bring over a few more jars of wine.”

The soldiers chatted animatedly, full of enthusiasm. Mingzhu was unaware of Li Qing’an’s changing feelings. She dreamed of having him as her brother-in-law; among all the men her sister had met, she only had eyes for Li Qing’an, admiring his honest and heroic demeanor. When she heard that Li Qing’an had led three thousand soldiers to fight against eighty thousand troops of Tubo, she felt both proud and sad—proud that she had judged him correctly, and sad that he had nearly lost his life on the battlefield. She secretly wept for several nights. Now, hope flared again in her heart; she was determined to arrange a marriage between Li Qing’an and her sister.

Her cheeks turned red as she raised her wine cup and said with a smile, “Brother Li, let me toast you again.”

Li Qing’an clinked his cup against hers and said, “After this drink, I’ll send you back.”

“Brother Li, let me stay a little longer! It’s okay.”

“No!” Li Qing’an’s expression darkened. “After this drink, you must go back.”

Mingzhu quickly changed tactics and said plaintively, “Then you must keep your word. I’ll leave after finishing this drink.”

“I certainly keep my word. Drink quickly!”

Mingzhu took a tiny sip from her cup. Winking playfully, she said, “In that case, I’ll take my time drinking this.”

……

The drinks flowed freely, and the room was filled with laughter. Unnoticed, several Uyghur women slipped in. Many soldiers had been to Suiye and talked about the local customs of Anxi, the vast waters of Rehai, and the forests and deserts along the Suiye River, stirring the Uyghur women’s longing for home. With tears in their eyes, they leaned against the Tang soldiers, expressing their yearning for their homeland.

Mingzhu had been drinking for half an hour yet had consumed less than half of the wine. She refused to go home no matter what. Li Qing’an had no choice but to let her be. At that moment, a middle-aged man entered. Glancing around the room, he said with a laugh, “Hehe! It’s quite lively here.”

He was tall and robust, with a broad forehead and sharp, piercing eyes. He was Han Chinese, but his eyes held a blue tint from Uyghur ancestry. He had a loud voice and an unrestrained manner.

The Uyghur women in the room were startled by his arrival and stood up, whispering, “Master!”

“Continue drinking and take good care of the soldiers.”

The middle-aged man waved his hand smilingly, then walked up to Li Qing’an and bowed, saying, “I’ve long heard of General Li of Anxi’s fame. I’m the owner of Rehai Inn. Welcome, General Li, to my shop.”

He then said to the Tang soldiers, “Please enjoy yourselves and drink to your heart’s content. I’ll treat everyone to this drink.”

Li Qing’an quickly stood up and replied, “I appreciate Master Chang’s kindness. Since I’m treating my men to drinks today, there’s no need to trouble you further.”
“Oh! It’s an honor for my shop to have the soldiers from the Anxi Army who fought in the Battle of Longyou come and drink here. You fight for your country, and though I’m just an ordinary person, I admire you greatly. Please, General Li, give me this chance to express my respect for heroes.”
The shop owner bowed deeply and said, “General Li, I beg of you!”
Seeing his sincere intentions, Li Qing’an nodded and said, “Very well! Let Master Chang treat us tonight.”
The shop owner was overjoyed and turned to his staff, shouting, “Hurry and bring out those ten bottles of Suiye wine from the cellar!”
The staff member replied and rushed off. Impressed by his generosity, Li Qing’an felt a bit more fond of him. Waving his hand, he said with a smile, “Master Chang, why not sit down and have a drink?”
A few of his bodyguards quickly made room for him. The shop owner smiled and said, “It’s an honor to drink with General Li.”
Without delay, he sat down. Soon, the staff member brought ten bottles of aged wine. The shop owner opened one bottle, poured a glass for Li Qing’an and himself, and also filled a glass for Mingzhu. Standing up, he raised his glass and said to everyone, “General Li, though I’m a merchant from Suiye, my ancestors were Han generals of the Tang Dynasty. I’ve always admired those brave soldiers who were willing to die for their country. Your deeds inspire me greatly; I wish I could rush to Chiling right away and join the battle. Here! I raise this glass to the heroes. Let’s all drink!”
The soldiers responded in unison, raising their glasses and drinking. They immediately praised, “It truly is excellent wine!”
Li Qing’an also drank it all at once. He found the wine sweet and lingering, with a rich flavor—even sweeter than the Jiahe wine he had tried before. He couldn’t help but praise it as well, “Good wine!”
The shop owner smiled and said, “This wine has been stored in the cellar for twenty years. It was left by my father. It’s a pity there are only ten bottles left, so we can’t satisfy everyone.”
Seeing his honest demeanor, Li Qing’an filled his glass and said with a smile, “I heard earlier that your ancestors were also Tang generals. I wonder which famous Tang general they were?”
The shop owner shook his head and said, “My ancestors went to Suiye as early as the early years of the Zhenguan era—almost a hundred years ago. It’s better not to mention it.”
He seemed somewhat sad and drank the rest of his wine, sighing, “The greatest wish of us Han people in Suiye is for Suiye to return to the Tang Dynasty, and for the Tang to reestablish its military garrison there. It’s been thirty years since the Tang abolished the Suiye military garrison at the beginning of the Kaiyuan era. We Han people in Suiye have been longing for that day ever since.”

“Lord Chang, there’s no need to be sad. In my opinion, as long as the Tang Dynasty stabilizes the situation in Longyou and eliminates the threat from Tubo, it will surely reconsider the issue of Lingxi. I believe that one day, I, Li Qing’an, will lead my troops to Suiye City.”
“Others might say such things, and I might not believe them, but since General Li says so, I’ll just wait—wait for General Li’s army to enter Suiye.”
……
After drinking, Li Qing’an escorted Mingzhu back to her residence. The Du Gu family’s house was in Wuben Fang, and it wasn’t far. Mingzhu had drunk a bit too much. She staggered up the steps to the back door when suddenly the door opened. Her sister, Du Gu Mingyue, rushed out and supported her, then reproached her, “Why did you come back so late? I’ve been waiting for you! Ah! You actually drank alcohol.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. Her sister was young and naive, going out to drink with others—how could she end up associating with bad people? What would happen then? She looked up at Li Qing’an angrily and demanded, “Who are you? How dare you take my sister out to drink without permission?”
It was dark at night, and they were a bit apart, so she didn’t recognize him at first. Li Qing’an also felt somewhat apologetic and quickly stepped forward, bowing and saying, “Miss Mingyue, I’m truly sorry. I won’t take your sister out to drink again.”
Only then did Du Gu Mingyue recognize Li Qing’an. She was stunned for a moment, and her anger faded by seven or eight parts. “It’s General Li. I was a bit harsh just now. I’m sorry!”
Li Qing’an smiled gently and said, “I understand your concern for your sister. I wanted Mingzhu to come back early tonight, but I misjudged the time and caused you worry.”
“Thank you, General Li, for understanding.”
Du Gu Mingyue glanced back at her sister and sighed. “My sister has always been willful. Though she’s not young anymore, she still acts like a child. The more I stop her from going out, the more she insists on going. Our grandfather has scolded her countless times, but she never changes. We can only let her do as she wants. But I’m worried—afraid she might associate with bad people and ruin her life. Sigh! When will she grow up?”
Li Qing’an nodded silently, bowed again, and said with a smile, “Miss Mingyue, I treat Mingzhu as my own sister too. I’ll do my best to advise her and ensure she doesn’t harm herself. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Thank you, General Li, for bringing her back.”
Du Gu Mingyue helped Mingzhu go inside, but from afar, she heard Li Qing’an say with a smile, “I also wish Miss Mingyue can find a good match soon and get a husband she’s satisfied with.”
Du Gu Mingyue’s face turned red instantly. She turned to glare at Li Qing’an, but he was already far away. She watched his retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

As the night deepened and the drums signaling the closing of the city gates sounded, a carriage entered Guangde Fang beside the Western Market and stopped in front of a large mansion. The carriage left, and Chang Jin, the owner of Rehai Ju, hurried up the steps. He knocked on the door, which was opened slightly, and he slipped inside in an instant.

After a while, Chang Jin arrived at a room with tightly closed doors and windows and pushed them open to enter. The room was brightly lit, and an old man with gray hair was reading by the light. Upon seeing Chang Jin, he put down his book and smiled, saying, “Why did you think of coming here today, my dear brother?”

“Brother, that Li Qingan was at my tavern again today.”

“What? Did the crown prince meet with him secretly again?”

“No, it wasn’t the crown prince. He just brought his subordinates to drink.”

Chang Jin sat down, looking somewhat uneasy, as if deep in thought. The old man with white hair smiled slightly and asked, “Is there something on your mind, my dear brother?”

“Brother, I’m wondering if we can bring this Li Qingan into our Hidden Dragon Society.”