Chapter 154: Qingyue Poetry Society (III)

After leaving the plum grove, dusk was approaching. Li Qingan wandered around elsewhere before finally finding out where the poets were gathering, and he went there with great interest.
The Wei family’s estate was vast. Aside from the inner residences, which were off-limits to outsiders, all other buildings and pavilions could be entered freely by today’s guests. Following a small path, Li Qingan arrived at a large white house—this was the Wei family’s guest house, used to receive distinguished guests.
Just as Li Qingan was about to enter, someone called out from behind him, “General Li.”
The voice was deep and very familiar. When Li Qingan turned around, a few steps behind him stood Li Bai.
Compared to their first meeting in Yangzhou, Li Bai appeared very thin, with much grayer hair and seemingly poor health, giving the impression of having just recovered from a serious illness. He wore a faded blue robe, and cracks could be seen in the deerskin boots on his feet.
It was clear he wasn’t doing well. Li Qingan quickly bowed and said with a smile, “Brother Taibai, since we last parted in Yangzhou, where have you been?”
Li Bai stepped forward and smiled, “I went to Kuaiji to pay my respects to He Zhizhang. Then I followed the Grand Canal northward, visited an old friend in Chenliu, and married a woman surnamed Zong there. This time, I came to the capital at Gao Shi’s invitation to see some friends.”
“So Brother Taibai has gotten married again. Congratulations! I must send gifts to celebrate your good fortune.”
“Hehe! General Li, you’re too kind. I’m the one who should congratulate you on your promotion.”
Li Qingan smiled and said, “I went to the Northern Regions. How about it? Would you like to join me there to pursue our ambitions?”
But Li Bai shook his head. Having lost his position in Yangzhou, how could he go back? If word got out, it would only make people look down on him.
“I appreciate General Li’s kindness, but now that I’m married, I can no longer wander around as before. After fifteen days, I’ll return to Chenliu to spend some time in peace. I’ve really been tired these past years.”
With that, Li Bai smiled again and said, “If I get the chance in the future, I’ll definitely visit the Northern Regions, write some frontier poems, and join the frontier poetry school to overshadow your fame.”
“Who wants to overshadow my fame?”
At that moment, seven or eight people came out of the room. The one who spoke was Wang Changling. Having received hints from Cen Shen, he was in much better mood and was especially polite to Li Qingan. He bowed to Li Qingan but then gave Li Bai a light punch on the chest and laughed, “You drunkard, spouting nonsense about me again.”
At that point, the host, Wei Cang, stepped forward and bowed to Li Qingan, saying, “I’m sorry for the inadequate hospitality here. Please forgive me!”

“Where? Where! I already met your brother just now.”
Wei Cang smiled and introduced Li Qing’an to his poetry friends. “This is Qi Wuqian from Qianzhou, a landscape poet; this is Li Qi from Bashu, who is also good at writing poems about the frontier; this is Chu Guangxi from Yanzhou, a pastoral poet. As for Cen Shen, I needn’t introduce him.”
Everyone quickly bowed to Li Qing’an. Though young, he was already a local lord, and these poets were also officials of the court. Qi Wuqian and Li Qi were currently in Chang’an seeking employment, so they were especially polite.
There was another man in his thirties whom Li Qing’an had seen in Ge Shu Han’s tent—he was one of Ge Shu Han’s aides, but Li Qing’an didn’t know his name.
The man stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, “General Li, this is Gao Shi. We met in Shanzhou. Do you still remember?”
“I do! I do! Back then, when General Ge Shu Han was issuing military orders, Mr. Gao was taking notes beside him.”
Li Qing’an replied with a smile. So that was Gao Shi.
“Alright!” Wei Cang waved his hand and said with a laugh, “It’s time to eat now. Everyone, follow me!”
“Great! Let’s drink all the wine in Wei’s mansion today—no stopping until we’re drunk!”
Everyone laughed and headed toward the main hall.
…
Although it was the birthday of Wei family’s third daughter, it was merely to help the old lady recover from her illness. The Wei family didn’t take her birthday seriously and didn’t hold a separate banquet for her. Today, with guests from three groups gathered together—over 300 people in total—there was a lively atmosphere.
Most of the guests, whether from Wei family’s third daughter’s party or the Qingyue Poetry Society, were young men and women. They were unrestrained in their behavior, sitting wherever they wanted without adhering to etiquette. Many men and women sat at the same table. Especially when those famous poets arrived, it caused a sensation. Many young women rushed over, competing to sit with them.
Li Qing’an walked at the back. When he reached the main hall, he glanced aside and saw Du Gu Mingyue and a few female companions coming this way, but he didn’t see Mingzhu.
He stopped in his tracks and waited with a slight smile for Mingyue to approach. Du Gu Mingyue also saw him and hesitated. She had recovered from her sadness in the afternoon, wearing a faint smile on her face, her gaze calm as water.
“General Li, why aren’t you going in?” Mingyue asked politely.
Li Qing’an said softly, “Can we sit together later?”
“No!” Du Gu Mingyue replied with a faint smile. “I’ll be sitting with Cui Yiyun later. General Li, please find someone else.”

Li Qing’an was stunned for a moment. Du Gu Mingyue’s tone was so cold—completely different from before. He immediately put away his smile, bowed, and said, “Then I’ll disturb Miss Mingyue no longer.”
“Mingyue!”
Suddenly, someone called out to her urgently. Glancing over, Li Qing’an saw it was Prince Guangping, Li Chu. He inwardly chuckled at himself, realizing he must have been overthinking things.
“General Li, then I’ll go in first.”
Mingyue didn’t say much more. She lowered her head and hurried into the hall. Li Qing’an’s mood suddenly turned gloomy. Shaking his head, he also entered the hall. It was extremely lively inside, filled with laughter. Each poet had a large group of admirers surrounding them.
Li Qing’an found an empty seat in the front row. It was a table for two, with an empty seat next to it—no one there yet. On the table were fruits brought from the south and a wine jug filled with wine. He poured himself a glass of wine—deep red, rich in color and clear in texture, top-quality wine. He took a sip, searching for Du Gu Mingyue with his eyes.
Soon he found her. Du Gu Mingyue was sitting with Cui Yiyun, also in the front row. To her left was Prince Guangping, Li Chu, and his sister Li Siqi. Next to her sat an unfamiliar young man who seemed extremely enthusiastic about Du Gu Mingyue. He had fair skin and a refined appearance, and his gaze was very intense as he spoke to her.
Li Qing’an’s eyes narrowed slowly. He knew who this man was. Mingzhu had told him that Zhao Mingxu, the third-place winner from last year, was pursuing her sister and had even joined the poetry society—probably this guy.
Looking at Du Gu Mingyue again, she had a gentle and bright smile, chatting and laughing with these people—very different from her cold attitude toward him earlier. Li Qing’an let out a heavy sigh.
“General Li, may I sit next to you?” A charming voice came from beside him.
Li Qing’an turned and saw a young woman standing next to him. She wasn’t tall, rather thin, with a pointed chin, small nose and eyes, and thin lips. Her appearance was plain, but her skin was snow-white, making her look fairly pleasant. Seeing her gaze full of expectation, Li Qing’an nodded generously, waved his hand, and said with a smile, “Please, miss, have a seat!”
“Thank you, General Li!”
The young woman sat down, picked up the wine jug, and said with a smile, “General Li, let me fill your glass!”
“Thank you!” Li Qing’an quickly handed over his glass. “Thank you, miss. I haven’t even asked your name yet!”
The young woman poured him a glass of wine, gave him a affectionate look, and said shyly, “My surname is Cui. My name is Cui Ningbi.”

Li Qingan froze with the glass to his lips. Just then, Mingzhu and Cui Liuli ran in smiling. Mingzhu spotted Cui Ningbi beside Li Qingan at once; her smile vanished instantly, and she turned away angrily.

…

Dugu Mingyue politely answered Zhao Xuming’s questions about the poetry society. Zhao Xuming was the third-place winner last year, from a prominent family, with outstanding literary talent. Her grandfather had taken a liking to him and intended to make him her son-in-law, but Dugu Mingyue didn’t like him at all—not because he was weak, but because he was hypocritical. He claimed never to rely on the powerful or look down on those in authority, yet the day before he arrived, he had submitted himself to Zhang Yun, the Minister of Revenue, calling himself a “grass under the Zhang family’s tree”—so spineless it was contemptible. Because of this, her grandfather stopped pressuring her. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xuming refused to give up, constantly finding excuses to approach her. When she ignored him, he joined the Qingyue Poetry Society. Now he was bothering her again, which really annoyed her. But at this moment, she had no interest in listening to what Zhao Xuming had to say.

She saw Cui Ningbi pouring wine for Li Qingan with affectionate care. In fact, her peripheral vision had been constantly on Li Qingan. When she saw Cui Ningbi about to sit beside him, her heart tightened. Unexpectedly, Li Qingan waved his hand, allowing her to sit, which left Dugu Mingyue deeply disappointed. Cui Ningbi then poured wine for him affectionately, and he accepted it gladly, filling Dugu Mingyue’s heart with sorrow.

Not only her, but Li Chu, sitting next to Mingyue, was also extremely dissatisfied. If it weren’t for his status, he would have slammed the table and cursed Zhao Xuming loudly.

At that moment, Zhao Xuming suddenly smiled at Cui Yiyun and said, “Miss Cui, how about we change seats?” He pointed behind him. “I’ll sit behind you.”

Since someone was willing to block Li Chu’s enthusiasm for Dugu Mingyue, Cui Yiyun naturally agreed readily. She stood up and smiled lightly, “Sure! Please, Young Master Zhao, have a seat.”

Dugu Mingyue panicked. She hurried to pull Cui Yiyun away, but Cui Yiyun was prepared and quickly moved to the back. Zhao Xuming was overjoyed. He sat down carelessly with his legs crossed and whispered, “Mingyue, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.” He was confident that if he recited a few more excellent poems tonight, he would surely win the heart of the beauty.

Zhao Xuming ended up sitting at the same table as Dugu Mingzhu, which enraged Li Qingan, who slammed his glass down fiercely.

Cui Ningbi was startled. Just then, Mingzhu quietly walked in, wearing a mischievous smile on her face with one hand behind her back. She passed behind Cui Ningbi and, with a flick of her hand, threw two things onto Cui Ningbi’s head. Suddenly, she cried out, “Ningbi, what’s on your head? A bug?”
Startled, Cui Ningbi looked up and saw a small black creature fluttering in front of her eyes—seemingly a bug covered in sharp spines. It landed on her arm with a “thud,” soft and cold. It was the thing she feared the most in her life.
Frightened, Cui Ningbi screamed loudly. All eyes in the hall turned toward her. Her legs gave out, and she fainted from fear. Chaos ensued in the hall. Several maids from the Wei family rushed forward to help her up. Mingzhu ordered, “Miss Cui must be sick. Hurry and take her to rest!”
The maids quickly carried her away. Only after she left did Mingzhu sit down angrily, muttering, “I was just a step late, and she dared to steal my seat!”
Li Qing’an asked with a smile, “What exactly was it?”
“A caterpillar! I don’t know where it stuck to her.”
Mingzhu playfully winked at Li Qing’an and gently pinched the black caterpillar with her finger—it turned out to be a small lump of dough.
“You little rascal, full of tricks,” Li Qing’an said with a laugh.
“I’m not tricking anyone. It’s her who’s shameless.” Mingzhu quietly pointed toward her sister and whispered, “Brother Li, please take this to heart. My sister hates this person the most. She’s definitely in a bad mood now, and she can’t just change seats easily.”
“No, I won’t take it to heart.”
Though he said that, Li Qing’an was extremely upset. The key issue was that Mingyue didn’t care about him at all, treating him so coldly and indifferently. Seeing that Li Bai and the others had already gotten large cups of wine, he waved his hand and said to the maid, “Bring me a wine jar!”
A maid brought him a wine jar. He filled it, using up an entire pot of wine. He slammed the pot down and said, “There’s too little wine. Get me a bigger pot!”
After that, he drank the entire jar of wine in one gulp, narrowed his eyes, and turned to Li Bai with a laugh, “Brother Taibai, would you like to get drunk together with me?”
“General Li, with your bold spirit, I’ll accompany you!”
……
“Everyone, let me say something!” Wei Cang raised his wine cup and smiled, and the hall immediately fell silent.
“How can we enjoy ourselves without poetry when there’s wine? Since most of you here are members of the poetry society, why not invite a few great poets to compose a poem on the spot? What do you think?”

The crowd erupted in applause, and several poets quickly declined, saying they were unprepared. Li Chu stood up, holding a flower pin in his hand, and said with a smile, “Since everyone is being polite, how about we play ‘pass the flower while beating the drum’? The poet whose hand holds the flower pin will compose a poem. What do you all think?”
“Great idea!” the crowd shouted. Seeing that it was the emperor’s grandson who suggested it, the poets had no choice but to agree.
Li Chu fetched a small drum from the door and knocked on it twice before saying with a smile, “Let me beat the drum!”
The drumbeat rang out, ‘thud! thud!’, growing faster, as the flower pin was quickly passed among the poets’ tables. Suddenly, the drumming stopped, and the flower pin was on Wang Changling’s table.
“Good! Then I’ll compose a poem.”
Wang Changling stood up without hesitation and declared loudly, “The Battle of Shibu City at the end of last year filled me with passion and inspired countless thoughts. Today, with General Li here, I’ll compose a poem about that battle to dedicate to all the Tang soldiers who fought there.”
After a brief pause, he slowly recited, “Dark clouds over Qinghai obscure the snow-capped mountains; from afar, the lonely city gazes toward Yumen Pass. Through countless battles in the yellow sands, their armor remains unbroken; they won’t return until Loulan is conquered.”
The crowd cheered loudly, and applause filled the hall. Li Chu gave a thumbs up and said, “Qinghai, the lonely city—this poem can truly be considered a classic of the Battle of Shibu City. It will surely be recited throughout Chang’an tomorrow.”
At that moment, Li Bai stood up and said with a smile, “I also wrote a poem a few days ago about Shibu City. Why not share it with everyone as well?”
When the great poet Li Bai offered to recite his poem, the hall fell silent instantly, with countless pairs of eyes looking at him expectantly.
Li Bai drained the wine in his cup and slowly recited, “Vast clouds roll over the green mountains; a solitary moon shines in the blue sky. The moon over the clear rivers and stars shines bright; the Big Dipper and Vega stand out clearly. With frost on my hair as I drink wine at night, the jade bed and golden well are covered in ice. Life is fleeting within a hundred years; let’s indulge in eternal passion.”
“You can’t imitate Ge Shu, wielding a sword through the night in Qinghai to seize a purple robe by killing people in Shibu City. Composing poems by the north window is worthless compared to even a cup of water.”
…
Everyone in the hall was stunned. Li Bai was actually mocking Ge Shu Han. Gao Shi, who was sitting nearby, looked displeased and said sternly, “Brother Taibai, this poem isn’t quite appropriate, is it?”
Li Bai merely smiled disdainfully and said, “Everyone talks about the heroic deeds of Shibu City, but I saw the piles of bones beneath it. Whether to listen or not is up to you all. But whether to speak or not is up to me, Li Bai.”

After saying that, he sat down proudly, and the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat awkward. At that moment, Li Chu forced a laugh and said, “Let’s continue beating the drums.” The sound of the drums rang out again. As he beat the drums, Li Chu glanced sideways at Li Qingan. He had also noticed earlier that Mingyue’s gaze was fixed on Li Qingan. Only then did he realize that Mingyue actually liked Li Qingan. No wonder she had been so cold to him—it was because of him! This filled Li Chu’s heart with jealousy.

Li Qingan had already drunk three cups of wine. He saw Zhao Xuming whispering something to Mingyue from time to time, while Mingyue, with a faint smile, would occasionally turn to say something back to him, which filled Li Qingan with anger. At that moment, Mingzhu said anxiously in a low voice, “Elder Li, the flower pin is on your table. Why aren’t you wearing it?”

Suddenly, the drums stopped, and everyone turned to look at him. Only then did Li Qingan realize that the flower pin was indeed on his table. Li Chu then laughed loudly and said, “I didn’t expect General Li to be willing to compose a poem as well. We’ve long heard that General Li is talented in both literature and martial arts. We’ll wait and see today. Everyone, give him a round of applause!”

Applause filled the hall. Li Qingan slowly picked up the golden flower pin, glanced at Li Chu, and saw that although his face was full of smiles, his eyes were filled with mockery. He then looked at Zhao Xuming, who had a look of disdain on his lips. Zhao Xuming said something to Mingyue, who looked at him with concern.

At that moment, Wang Changling stood up and said, “Let me compose a poem for General Li.” Laughter spread through the hall—turns out this General Li was a simple man. Li Qingan waved his hand and said with a smile, “Thank you for your kindness, younger brother. I’ll also recite a poem to liven things up!”

He stood up and said, “Since everyone is talking about Shibao City, I’ll recite a poem about it. Please forgive any imperfections!”

“Elder Li, you’ve drunk too much!” Mingzhu said anxiously in a low voice.

“I haven’t drunk too much. Everyone, listen!”

Li Qingan focused deeply. It seemed as though he saw once again the scene of three thousand soldiers dying tragically. Filled with indignation, he composed a famous poem and slowly recited it: “I vow to sweep away the Xiongnu at any cost; three thousand warriors lie buried in the dust. Pitiful are those bones by Shibao City—still the subjects of dreams in women’s boudoirs.”

The hall fell utterly silent. Everyone was stunned by Li Qingan’s poem. They pondered the scenes described in it—the three thousand Tang soldiers fighting bravely at Chiling, only to turn into bones after their deaths, while their wives and children continued to wait for them in their dreams.

No one knew who started clapping first, but thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall, with continuous cheers. Even Mingyue looked at Li Qing’an in surprise and couldn’t help but applaud, murmuring, “He’s still the man from my dreams—how did he come up with this?”
Zhao Xuming watched with envy. He had just recited three poems, capturing the beauty of love and nature of the day, thinking he was charming and elegant. But with Li Qing’an’s poem, he appeared so shallow, moving Mingyue to such emotion.
Li Qing’an laughed heartily, filled with pride. “Damn it, I never said it was me who wrote it.”
He had already drunk four cups of wine, and the intoxication filled him with boldness. He shouted, “How can a soldier be only literary and not martial? Let me do it again!”
He poured himself another full cup, drew his long sword from his waist, and stepped into the hall in three strides. Swinging his sword, he created a flurry of sparks, like falling pear blossoms. Holding the golden cup in his left hand and the sword in his right, he danced with the sword like a soaring dragon, radiating fierce combat energy. He raised the cup and drank deeply, then recited loudly, “In drunkenness, I light the lamp to gaze at my sword; in dreams, I hear the bugles echoing through the camps. We share roasted meat among eight hundred soldiers; the fifty-stringed zither plays tunes from beyond the borders. In autumn, we muster troops on the battlefield.”
With each line he recited, the crowd cheered. His sword moved like flowing clouds and water, its cold light blinding everyone.
At that moment, Zhao Xuming sneered and said disdainfully, “So it’s quatrains. That’s all he’s got—still daring to show off?”
Mingyue could no longer hold back and rebuked him, “Young Master Zhao, if he can recite quatrains, then do you dare to fight to the death in Shibao City?”
Zhao Xuming’s face turned red with anger. Unable to maintain his composure, he slammed the table and shouted, “Miss Mingyue, speak more politely!”
Li Qing’an glared at him with a sharp look. He drank the wine in one gulp, threw the golden cup aside, and recited wildly, “The horse gallops like Lu the swift; the bowstring snaps like thunder.”
Suddenly, he twisted around, swung his sword, and it flashed like a rainbow piercing the sun. The sword struck Zhao Xuming’s table, splitting it in two along with Mingyue’s table. With a crack, the tables separated, leaving the two of them at different tables. Zhao Xuming turned pale with fear and trembled all over. The hall was filled with gasps of shock.
Li Qing’an laughed heartily, slowly sheathed his sword, and recited the final line: “To fulfill the king’s ambitions for the world, to gain fame both in life and after death—what a pity about the white hair that comes later!”