Chapter 80: Ten Thousand Li (8)

Li Huaizhong’s banquet was not held in the palace but in a secluded alley in the northern part of the city.
The guests invited were quite different from those a day earlier—mostly trusted aides of Gao Xianzhi and Li Kuo. Li Huaizhong himself brought only a few close followers and a dozen armed guards.
Located in a corner on the west side of the palace, this alley was rarely visited. When everyone arrived on horseback at its entrance, only a few palace officials arranged by Li Huaizhong in advance came to greet them.
“Your Majesty, everything is ready,” said the old official, bowing slightly to Li Huaizhong with evident admiration in his voice.
“Mm,” replied Li Huaizhong briefly, waving his hand at the old official. “You may go. I won’t return to the palace tonight. You know what to do regarding Mei Niang.”
“Your humble servant obeys!” The old official bowed again and retreated out of the alley.
“Governor Gao, please! Commander Li, please!” Li Huaizhong immediately changed his expression and extended his arm to invite them. Yet his overly flattering tone and servile demeanor disgusted Li Kuo, who showed a displeased look. Gao Xianzhi, being an experienced politician, simply smiled and stepped forward along the path prepared by Li Huaizhong.
In reality, the desolation of the alley was just an illusion; only after entering did people truly appreciate its charm. This was exactly what was meant by “a winding path leading to a secluded place.” Under Li Huaizhong’s guidance, it took about half a cup of tea’s time to turn several corners before they reached their destination for the night—the Moonlight Pavilion.
The Moonlight Pavilion was a two-story building built by the lake. By chance, a small river flowed through Julan City, widening as it reached the northern part of the city, forming a shallow lake. Although this river served as a source of drinking water for the entire city, Li Huaizhong, no matter how selfish, could not enclose it within the palace for his own amusement. Yet the lake’s scenery was so magnificent that the ruler of Julan, wishing to enjoy it in its entirety, came up with this compromise: building this alley and constructing the Moonlight Pavilion.
Normally, the alley was guarded by special personnel, making it impossible for ordinary people to enter. Even high-ranking officials needed the king’s permission to accompany him on a visit. Over time, the Moonlight Pavilion by the secluded lake in this winding alley became a mysterious and forbidden place, accessible only to the king’s most trusted allies.

Li Huaizhong inviting Gao Xianzhi to this banquet clearly showed his “respect” for the Grand Protector—at least Gao Xianzhi felt greatly honored after learning about the origins of Mingyue Pavilion. Having just suffered a crushing defeat, he urgently needed someone to soothe his fragile self-esteem, and Li Huaizhong’s actions were just right, exactly what he desired.

Yet Li Kuo remained frowning. Ever since meeting Li Huaizhong for the first time, he had felt a strange sense. Perhaps it was because this man was too smooth-talking and fond of flattery, giving him an impression of emptiness that he couldn’t fathom. As time passed, this sense of emptiness grew stronger, and Li Kuo even began to feel fear.

When something happens suddenly, there must be a trick behind it. With Li Huaizhong being so eager, could it be that he had some connection with the Arabs…

But this was merely his intuition; he had no evidence, so the young man could only suppress his suspicions and go to the banquet calmly. At least tonight, Li Huaizhong wouldn’t dare do anything outrageous. Gao Shuai and his close followers numbered nearly a hundred. If Li Huaizhong truly had evil intentions, his men could surely subdue all the palace guards in just a few moments.

Slightly reassured, Li Kuo also smiled and gave Li Huaizhong a slight nod in greeting.

Mingyue Pavilion had two floors. Most of Li Huaizhong’s guards, Gao Shuai, and Li Kuo’s own men stayed on the first floor. The four of them each found a table and indulged in the food and drinks. For them, being able to enter Mingyue Pavilion was a privilege granted by their lord, so they should make the most of it.

As for the second floor, only Li Huaizhong’s close followers and a few key generals appointed by Gao Shuai, including Li Kuo himself, were allowed to enter. After turning several corners, they finally reached the second floor. Looking up, the Anxi generals, including the young man, were all stunned by the magnificent view!

It turned out that the second floor wasn’t enclosed. The wall facing the northern lake had been opened up, separated only by a few inches of tall bamboo. Below Mingyue Pavilion lay a serene lake formed by silt accumulation, its shores lined with many small flowers unique to the Western Regions. A gentle breeze brought a faint fragrance, prompting the Anxi generals to take deep breaths. As for Li Huaizhong’s followers, most of them had been here before and were no longer surprised by the beauty.

Seeing the Tang generals’ astonished expressions, Li Huaizhong felt proud. “Grand Protector Gao, does this Mingyue Pavilion make a good place for a gathering?”

Gao Xianzhi nodded slightly, stroked his short beard, and praised, “Such a wonderful place should exist only in heaven. No wonder Lord Li has such an ethereal aura—he must live in such a fairyland, perfect for spiritual cultivation.”

Li Huaizhong waved his hand and said, “I merely thought the scenery here was quite nice, so I had it built for fun—nothing like what you said.” After a brief pause, he added, “Gao Duhu, please take a seat!”
“Mm!”
Gao Xianzhi nodded slightly, shook out his sleeves, and stepped forward. Everyone took their seats according to rank, with Li Huaizhong smiling faintly as he clapped his hands.
At his signal, more than twenty young women in palace attire entered one after another. They wore plain, thin shirts, and under the light of candles and moonlight, their graceful, fair bodies could be faintly seen. Their long gauze skirts dragged across the Persian carpet, releasing a delicate fragrance.
The Tang generals from Anxi had not been near women since setting out from Kucha in April to fight at Talas—half a year had passed. Now, seeing so many beautiful women standing before them, they blushed furiously, trying hard to suppress their lustful thoughts. Even famous generals like Gao Xianzhi and Li Siyeh could not help but feel a stir, but to maintain their authority in front of their subordinates, they forced themselves to sit upright and remain expressionless.
“Gao Duhu, General Li, are these women to your satisfaction?”
Seeing the excitement in the generals’ hearts, Li Huaizhong was delighted. “Why not serve the generals some wine?” he said in a louder tone, addressing the women.
These women clearly had received specialized training; every gesture of theirs was perfectly in line with etiquette. They went up to each general, picked up a jade cup, and filled it to about half with wine…
“General, please!”
The one who served Li Kuo was a Khitan woman with thick brows and large eyes, quite pretty in her own way. But compared to Tang women, she was far inferior. She stood very close to Li Kuo, and as she bowed, her full breasts pressed against his shoulder. A strong scent of exotic spices filled his nostrils, causing him to frown.
Although the Tang Dynasty had an open society where women were free to travel, it wasn’t this extreme. No, this couldn’t even be called openness—it was simply licentiousness! Not wanting further trouble, Li Kuo took the cup and drank it in one gulp.
“General, you have a strong drink!”
The woman laughed softly and refilled Li Kuo’s empty cup, saying, “Then I must serve you well tonight!”
She exhaled sharply, sending a shiver through Li Kuo. How could he resist such obvious temptation? He snatched back the cup and regained his composure, saying, “Please behave appropriately, young lady.”

Hearing this, the Hu girl burst into laughter. “Oh my, General, she says I lack self-restraint. Sisters, please judge for yourselves—among all the generals here, who other than this young man has any self-restraint?” Her words were delivered in a very sultry tone, making Li Kuo feel nauseous. Yet, looking in the direction she indicated, it was indeed true. All the Tang generals, including Gao Shuai and Li Siye, were surrounded by beautiful women, indulging in pleasure and wine. How could this be! The Tang army had always forbidden any involvement with women; ordinary generals, constantly at war, had no chance to harbor such thoughts. But since they weren’t in the camp now, it could be somewhat excused. Yet in the young man’s eyes, one should always have a sense of right and wrong. If they had won the Battle of Talas, such indulgence for celebration would be understandable. But since Gao Shuai had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Arabs, it should have been a time to restore discipline and muster courage—instead, they were seeking pleasure among women and satisfying their desires. How could they justify this in the face of the two bold characters on their army flags?…