Chapter 326: Envoys from the Empire

The New Year of Tianbao 12 arrived, and amidst the sound of firecrackers, Shuiye City was filled with festive joy. Over the past year, Anxi had achieved glorious victories in the battles against Tubo and received large amounts of grain from the Abbasid Empire. These successes made the New Year in Shuiye particularly prosperous, with all the local restaurants packed to capacity.

To the east of the city was another restaurant called Helei Restaurant, which had only been renamed in September of that year. Although Li Bai was well-known throughout the Central Plains, few in his hometown of Shuiye knew of him. It was not until many people from Hedong migrated to Shuiye and scholars began inquiring about Li Bai’s former residence that the locals realized their hometown had also produced a famous figure of the Tang Dynasty. Thus, Helei Restaurant was immediately renamed Taibai Restaurant, and a plaque inscribed by Li Qing’an himself was hung on its door: “Taibai’s spirit surrounds us—this is the most authentic place.”

Like other restaurants, Taibai Restaurant was crowded from early in the morning, with every floor filled with guests and constant noise. A few tables by the window on the second floor were reserved for as many as thirty to forty people—all were foreigners with fair skin and blue eyes, among whom were two Turkic translators. In Shuiye, there were also many Sogdian foreigners, many of whom had high noses and blue eyes, but they differed from these people in that they had higher noses, deeper-set eyes, and wore different languages and clothing from the Sogdians.

The restaurant’s staff, having seen many people, immediately guessed that these foreigners came from Byzantium in the far west. In the Tang Dynasty, Byzantium was actually called Folan Country. Since Li Qing’an referred to it as Byzantium, the officials in Anxi followed his usage. Over time, Anxi stopped being called Folan Country and became known as Byzantium, though the people of Byzantium called themselves the Roman Empire.

These foreigners from Byzantium were envoys sent by Byzantine Emperor Constantine V. Two years prior, Li Qing’an had sent Pei Yu as an envoy to Byzantium. Since he was merely an envoy sent by a local military governor—similar to a current provincial delegation to China—his status was low, so he was not given much attention. Although Constantine V met with him out of curiosity, he did not take it seriously. It was not until June of this year that Constantine V heard about the Battle of Talas from the Abbasid people and learned that the Abbasid Dynasty had been defeated by a local Tang army, led by none other than Li Qing’an, the Anxi military governor who had previously contacted him.

Constantine V finally took it seriously. He gradually learned more about Li Qing’an from the Turks and was astonished to find that Li controlled far more land than he did, which filled him with respect. He immediately sent his brother Joseph as a special envoy to Anxi.

Sitting at the head table was the envoy Joseph, in his thirties, tall and slender with an elegant demeanor. A long beard curled to the sides on his lips, meticulously trimmed. As the chief minister in charge of trade in the Byzantine Empire, it was clear why Constantine V had sent him to Anxi—to strengthen ties between the two sides through trade.

Sitting with Joseph was a stunningly beautiful young woman. Her blue eyes were as alluring as deep pools, and she had golden hair that flowed like a waterfall. Her skin was as fair as sheep’s fat, and she was tall, with full breasts. Though she was a peerless beauty, she wore a sharp long sword at her waist and a long bow on her back. One hand was always habitually gripping the bowstring, her fingers long and strong, adding a hint of lethal intent to her beautiful appearance.

Her name was Eirwen, Constantine V’s beloved daughter. She was also one of the three most famous archers in the Byzantine Empire. With her beautiful appearance, she was also ruthless and deadly. She had met Li Qing’an once in Talas.

A year earlier, she had been married through political arrangement to the prince of Mark. But before the wedding, her infatuated fiancé became obsessed with a young Avar dancer. At the engagement party, he publicly invited his lover to dance, ignoring his fiancée.

Humiliated, Eirwen, in a fit of rage, shot both her fiancé and the dancer dead from a tree outside their room while they were together.

This incident triggered a diplomatic crisis between Mark and the Byzantines. Under her father’s arrangement, Eirwen left the Byzantine Empire for a journey to the East. Since her uncle was coming to Anxi as an envoy, she followed him.

Unluckily, when they arrived in Suiye, they learned that Li Qing’an had gone even further east to suppress bandits. However, the officials in Suiye had already informed Li Qing’an, and it was said he was on his way back. Still, they would have to wait at least another month.

“Uncle, do you know? Today is the most important festival for the Tang people—it’s their New Year,” Eirwen said with a bright smile, trying to comfort her worried uncle. Joseph sighed and said, “But for me, today is just another difficult day. I wonder when their military governor will return?”

“Uncle, how about this? Didn’t they say it will take at least another month before they return? Then let’s go out and explore the local customs, or see what they produce. Don’t you always say that the silk fabrics of the Tang Dynasty are much better than ours? Let’s go and see how they’re made.”
“Hmm! Let me think!”
Joseph was a serious and meticulous man. His mission was to go to Anxi, so he would definitely wait for Li Qing’an in Suiye and not stray an inch. But when it came to silk fabrics, he became somewhat interested. More than two hundred years earlier, the Byzantine Empire had learned silk rearing from the Persians, but the silk fabrics they produced were quite rough and far inferior to those of the Tang Dynasty. The Byzantine empress once received a piece of silk lighter than clouds, which became her most treasured possession—also produced by the Tang Dynasty.
Although Joseph was already very interested, changing his habits and personality required courage. Eirwen knew her uncle’s character well. Just as she was about to encourage him further, a woman came up from downstairs. She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a delicate appearance and a determined look in her eyes. She approached Eirwen, bowed to her, and handed over an invitation, saying in fluent Turkic, “Princess Eirwen, this is an invitation from my lady for you. She asks you to attend a banquet tonight.”
“Your lady?”
Eirwen asked in surprise, “Who is your lady? And why does she want me to attend the banquet?”
“My lady is the wife of the military governor and the princess of Anxi. It’s the New Year, and she is hosting a banquet for the families of officials in Anxi. Hearing that Princess Eirwen is also in Suiye, she has invited you to join the banquet.”
“I see. But I can’t communicate with your lady. What should I do?”
The young woman smiled and said, “That’s no problem. I’ve been sent by my lady to accompany Princess Eirwen and serve as your translator.”
Eirwen, impressed by her delicacy and competence, felt a favorable impression of her and asked with a smile, “May I ask your name?”
“My name is Li Lian. I’m a court official in the Anxi Princess’s residence. I’m in charge of all external communications for my lady.”

Li Lian was none other than the young Lian from back then—the adopted sister whom Li Qing’an had once recognized. She had lived in Kucha to study. As time passed, she grew up and reached marriage age. When Mingyue arrived in Anxi, she brought her along to Suiye. Lian was smart and quick-witted, capable of reading and writing, with beautiful handwriting, and she also spoke Turkic fluently, which won Mingyue’s favor. Coincidentally, at that time the princely mansion was established. Since Li Qing’an did not use eunuchs and slavery had been abolished in Anxi, he came up with the idea of creating a position for female officials in the mansion—a concept entirely different from those in the imperial palace. The imperial palace’s female officials were the emperor’s concubines, whereas the female officials in the Anxi princely mansion were essentially household administrators responsible for organizing banquets, handling external communications, etc. Like officials in government offices, they had ranks and received salaries, though paid out of Li Qing’an’s own funds.

Currently, there were eighteen female officials in the princely mansion, all under the charge of Princess Dugu Mingyue. Li Lian was their supervisor. Because Ailenni held a high status, Mingyue specially sent her to invite Ailenni to the banquet.

Ailenni was trying to persuade her uncle to go out for an outing when she suddenly received this invitation, which distracted her attention. For someone who had attended royal balls and various banquets since childhood, such an event was quite ordinary. But it was her first time attending a Tang Dynasty banquet, so she readily agreed, “Sure! I will definitely come.”

Seeing her agree, Lian smiled and bowed, “If Princess is available, please follow me to the mansion. My wife also wants to meet you. I can also teach you some basic etiquette for Tang Dynasty banquets.”

When Ailenni arrived in Suiye, she had heard that Li Qing’an’s wife was the most beautiful woman in Anxi. She had long wanted to meet her. Since Lian had invited her, she immediately became interested and glanced at her uncle.

Joseph nodded and smiled, “Go ahead! Bring a few luxurious gifts as well. Remember your status and don’t let the Tang people look down on our Roman Empire.”

……

A few months earlier, Li Qing’an had gone to Kucha due to an imperial order from Li Longji and had been away from Suiye ever since. As the New Year approached, it was customary for Li Qing’an to host a New Year’s banquet for the military commanders in Anxi. But since he was far away in Hexi and couldn’t return in time, he sent a pigeon message asking his wife to host the banquet for the commanders’ wives and daughters.

As early as five days ago, Mingyue had begun to get busy, preparing for the banquet and guest list, arranging food and drinks, and organizing seating. There were countless tasks she had to oversee, but fortunately, she had female officials to assist her, so despite the abundance of work, everything was carried out in an orderly manner. Today was the first day of the new year, and Mingyue got up early. There were still a few invitations left to deliver. Shi Sanniang, the wife of Litchi Yuanli, had just arrived from the river region that morning, and Mingyue sent someone to deliver the invitation to her right away.

Another invitation was for the princess of the Byzantine Empire. Mingyue learned of this only last night. Although the Byzantine princess was not part of the banquet guests, Mingyue decided to invite her anyway, so she sent Xiao Lian to deliver the invitation.

The banquet was held in the Suiye Government Hall, the most magnificent building in Suiye. Its hall alone could accommodate three thousand people dining at once, but fewer than that number attended today—only about eight hundred people. In addition to the wives and daughters of officers above the rank of colonel, there were also more than five hundred wives and daughters of soldiers as representatives. However, this did not mean that all the families of the Anxi Army were there; the rest were scattered in places like Kucha, Shule, Bohuan City, as well as Gaochang and Jinman in the northern regions. Those who came today were merely those whose families lived in Suiye.

The food and drinks for the banquet were not prepared by Li Qingan’s household but were provided by five restaurants. Several famous singing, dancing, and music troupes from Ningyuan Country and Shi Country were invited to entertain the guests. Everything was prepared, including makeup rooms for the women and special rooms for cleaning. Every detail had been thought through very carefully.

Starting in the afternoon, the women gradually arrived at the square in front of the Government Hall from various parts of Suiye. The open-minded and strong-minded culture of Anxi influenced these officers’ wives and daughters to some extent. Unlike women in Chang’an who traveled by carriage, they came by horse or donkey. Dozens of horse pegs in the square were filled with horses. The women also did not wear long dresses that dragged on the ground or reveal their chests like the noblewomen of Chang’an; most of them wore form-fitting Hu-style clothing in mainly red and white colors, simple yet bright. Most of the women were young, spirited, and cheerful. There were not only Han women but also many Hu women among them.

It was still early for the banquet to start, but the women had already taken their seats and were chatting about various topics of interest. The entire Government Hall was filled with chatter.

However, Dugu Mingyue had not appeared yet. She was in the back hall with her dance dress, chatting with Eirwen, the Byzantine princess who had been specially invited. Xiao Lian sat in between, acting as an interpreter. On the table lay a golden wine pot and a pair of wine cups, both inlaid with various precious gems, shining brightly. This was a gift from Eirwen to Mingyue.

By now, she had changed into a different outfit—a long white dress, with a fiery red fox fur collar around her slender neck and long boots on her feet. She was very tall, about 1.75 meters by modern standards. Her golden hair flowed like a waterfall over her shoulders, making her appear even more graceful and slender.

Their conversation flowed well as they discussed the customs of their respective countries, and the topic gradually shifted to marriage, which interested women both in the East and the West.

Eleni had a cheerful and straightforward personality. She said without hesitation, “The year before last, I met General Li Qing’an in Talas City. He was young, handsome, sensible, and not lustful like other men—very likable. It’s a pity I didn’t have time to spend more time with him. I’ve thought of him constantly these past two years. I came here specifically to see him.”

Seeing her speak so highly of her husband, though somewhat biased—such as Eleni claiming Li Qing’an wasn’t lustful—Meiying knew, as his wife, that Li Qing’an was actually just as lustful and had a strong sexual desire. He could only control himself and not show it. Still, she felt a bit proud. Meiying smiled and said, “The general will be back soon. Then you’ll be able to see him.”

After a pause, she asked, “I may be presumptuous, but Princess, have you gotten married?”

Eleni laughed nonchalantly and said, “I was supposed to get married, but two days before the wedding, my fiancé died tragically.”

As Xiao Lian finished translating, Wu Yi, sitting next to Meiying, let out a soft sigh, filled with sympathy for her. She had faced the same fate in the past. Meiying gently patted Wu Yi’s hand and said sympathetically, “To lose one’s husband on the eve of marriage is one of the greatest sorrows for a woman. Princess, please accept my condolences.”

Unexpectedly, Eleni shook her head and said, “What’s there to be sad about? When I shot him dead with an arrow, I felt no sorrow at all. All I felt was disgust and hatred.”

Now even the translator, Xiao Lian, was stunned. She stammered as she translated the words. Meiying and Wu Yi exchanged a look, both filled with shock. She had actually shot her own husband to death—what kind of thing was that?

Eleni understood their surprise and calmly explained, “It’s nothing. Although our marriage is political and lacks true love, I am a princess of the Roman Empire. As my fiancé, he showed excessive favoritism to a prostitute at the engagement party and ignored me. That was an insult to the Roman Empire. Killing him was his deserved punishment. Besides, I absolutely cannot tolerate my husband having affairs with other women; he should be devoted solely to me.”

Moonlight could understand Eleni’s desire to defend her country’s honor and retaliate against such an insult. However, killing her soon-to-be husband was a bit excessive. Moreover, her refusal to tolerate any other woman in her husband’s life seemed even more incomprehensible to Moonlight. If she had the same mindset, Li Qing’an would have died countless times by now.

Wuyi, on the other hand, felt disappointed. In fact, she shared the same thought—that it would be best if Li Qing’an married only her, so they could be together. But she couldn’t do that. If that were the case, Moonlight wouldn’t have allowed Li Qing’an to marry her as a secondary wife. Yet this Byzantine princess defended monogamy by killing her husband, which seemed a bit too extreme.

Moonlight felt slightly dissatisfied with Eleni. She never had Wuyi’s desire to monopolize Li Qing’an. From her early upbringing, she had been taught that men would never be satisfied with just one woman. Her grandfather had thirteen concubines, and her father had seven. Growing up in such an environment, she never expected her future husband to marry only her. What mattered to her was status—this was the biggest difference between her and Wuyi. Wuyi could endure being Li Qing’an’s secondary wife for love, but Moonlight wouldn’t stoop to that. She loved Li Qing’an just as much, but she would rather remain unmarried for life than become his concubine.

However, she didn’t expect others to share her views on love. Her dissatisfaction with Eleni wasn’t due to differing views on love, but because she believed Eleni hadn’t killed her husband to defend love. If that were the case, it should have been the other woman she killed. Killing her husband only reflected the tyranny and dominance of the Byzantine Empire.

Although Moonlight already felt a hint of dissatisfaction toward Eleni, she didn’t show it at all. She smiled and said nothing. Unexpectedly, Eleni asked curiously, “I heard that the Tang Dynasty practiced polygamy. I wonder how many wives General Li has?”

The Tang Dynasty also practiced monogamy, so Li Qing’an naturally had only one wife. But with Wuyi nearby, Moonlight couldn’t answer directly. So she smiled and said, “General Li is the Prince of Anxi, and I am his legitimate wife.”

She pointed at the dance dress and smiled, saying, “This is the general’s concubine. Besides us, he has two more concubines. By your standards, that makes four wives, and there might be more in the future.”
“My God!”
Eleni let out a low exclamation. She shook her head and said, “If it were me, I would never tolerate it. If my future husband married another woman besides me, I would shoot him dead with a single arrow.”
Moonlight smiled gently and said, “Then I wish Her Highness will find a husband she’s satisfied with soon.”
With that, she stood up and said, “The banquet is about to begin. Let’s go!”