Chapter 1: South of the City (1)

Spring in Chang’an is the most splendid and beautiful season of the year. Along Zhuque Street, from Anyi Fang to Xingdao Fang, rows of weeping willows are neatly planted. Looking out from Zhuque Gate, the black-and-white rooftops, dotted with greenery, combined with the blooming peach blossoms, turn the entire city into a paradise, like a dream.

In March, the air is misty, birds fly, and grass grows lush. There is a constant stream of people on Zhuque Street—Chang’an is at its busiest during this time of year. Once the imperial examinations end, scholars from various provinces and counties come to the capital to take the exams. They relax their tense nerves, either gathering in groups to enjoy the scenery by Qujiang or having feasts in Xingyuan, or leading their beloved horses to Pingkangli to spend a night with the local beauties, creating tales of romantic love between talented men and graceful women. Some bold ones even invite their beloved girls to ride together along the entire length of Zhuque Street, hoping to attract more envious glances from passersby.

The enthusiastic calls from street vendors make one slow down their hurried pace. The delicious aroma of steaming sheep jelly from small shops, combined with the strong roasted scent from the flatbread stalls and the faint fragrance of willow fluff in the air, makes one want to take deep breaths of this air. Suddenly, one realizes that even the air in Chang’an has a pleasant scent.

Inside the Kelong Tea House in Tongji Fang, adjacent to Qujiang Lake, a handsome young man around twenty-eight, wearing a black headscarf and a dark green cotton-linen robe, sat slumped at a table by the door, lost in thought. On a white curtain standing as tall as a person outside the shop, two bold characters were scribbled: Closed.

“Li Kuo, Li Xiaoqi, where have you been? Didn’t we agree to go to Qujiang to enjoy the spring scenery today? Why are you slacking off here?”

This sharp voice broke the morning silence and pulled the handsome young man out of his thoughts.

At first, he frowned slightly, then burst into laughter, pointing toward the back room, too amused to speak.

At that moment, a delicate young woman around twenty-seven, dressed in a green floral dress with a beautiful face, rushed out from the back room. She stamped her foot at her teasing companion and snapped, “What’s there to laugh about? Did flowers grow on my face?”

As soon as she said this, the handsome young man could no longer hold back his laughter. He fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably, “Look at yourself! Haven’t flowers indeed grown on your face?”

The young woman glared fiercely at the boy and casually picked up the bronze mirror on the table. Upon taking a look, she was greatly shocked. She forced herself to keep the mirror from falling to the ground, but a sharp scream couldn’t be avoided, echoing throughout the teahouse lobby.
“Ah! How could this happen? I applied it just like my mother did, and it’s fresh powder from Chen’s Cosmetics Shop. How could this happen?”
As she spoke, her voice took on a sobbing tone. She threw the mirror aside, buried her face in her arms, and began to cry softly.
Seeing the young woman truly upset, the boy was at a loss for words for a moment before hurriedly explaining, “Actually, you look pretty fine this way. ‘Two rosy blossoms on your cheeks—only my little A-Tian is like this!’ Haha, I guess I’m actually a poet!”
“Go away!” The young woman, amused by his antics, stopped crying and laughed. She punched him lightly and teased, “You call yourself a poet? You’re just a little rascal, you little Qix!”
Relieved that she wasn’t angry anymore, the boy smiled and said, “Why did you apply so much thick powder? If someone didn’t know, they might think you were in a hurry to go on a blind date!”
The young woman felt her cheeks suddenly burn hot. She quickly retorted, “Who wants a blind date? I, Du Jingtian, will only marry a great hero in this life!”
Her anxiety subsided slightly, and she felt pleased to herself. If it weren’t for the thick powder, that damned Qix would have seen her embarrassed expression.
The boy didn’t expose her mistake. He stared at her face for a moment before looking away and saying with a smile, “I got up really early today. I laid out the mats, prepared food for our outing, and set up the tent for shelter—just waiting for my little A-Tian to set off. But I kept waiting in vain, so I ended up dozing off.”
He even gently tickled her nose, causing her to huff lightly.
“I don’t care. Anyway, I had to look for you and wasted half the day in vain. You have to listen to me today.”
She tilted her head up, as if that would give her words more authority.
Seeing that the joking had gone far enough, the boy cleared his throat, glared at her, and pretended to be helpless. “Alright, I’ll do as you say. But we need to return to the city before nightfall. Otherwise, even if the guards don’t punish me, Old Master Du will skin me alive!”
With the boy’s promise, Du Jingtian paid no attention to anything else. She immediately promised not to be playful and pulled the boy outside.

Leaving the teahouse, the two felt the bustling atmosphere on the street. Scholars came and went in endless streams—some in small groups, chatting and laughing, others accompanied by servants, dressed in fine clothes and riding fine horses—making one marvel at how Tang Dynasty produced so many talented people and enjoyed unparalleled prosperity.

Logically, the southern part of the city shouldn’t be so lively, but thanks to the imperial examinations, Tongji Fang, located near Qujiang Pond, had become a must-visit place for scholars to gather and feast in Xingyuan. As they moved slowly through the crowd, watching the carriages and horses passing by, Li Kuo lazily stretched and said to the girl beside him, “Today we snuck out without Master Du knowing. Don’t cause any more trouble later, or your little seventh brother will really get dizzy from your antics.”

Du Jingtian, of course, refused to comply. With a soft huff, she tightened the pouch at her waist and headed toward the entrance of the district first. With a sigh, Li Kuo quickly followed. At this moment, he really couldn’t let this girl run around alone—what if she bumped into some nobleman? It was beyond their means as commoners to handle such situations, after all, there were countless powerful figures in Chang’an!

The Tang Dynasty had an open society that didn’t forbid women from going out, so a group of wealthy young ladies had already gathered in front of the district entrance, waiting anxiously for it to open, surrounded by their servants. When the three bell rings were heard, these ladies, unable to wait any longer, strode out with the crowd.

After leaving Tongji Fang and crossing a side street, they saw the archway in front of Qujiang Pond. The inscription written by Emperor Li Sanlang himself had been transformed into gilded characters, hanging above the archway to show the people the emperor’s generous spirit of sharing joy with them.

Though the emperor was willing to enjoy himself with the people, there were still places that commoners dared not enter casually. The Furong Garden to the southeast of Qujiang Pond was reserved for the imperial family and a few select nobles, while Xingyuan, adjacent to it, belonged to the scholars who passed the imperial examinations each spring. After inscribing their names in front of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, these future pillars of the Tang court would be entertained by the emperor in Xingyuan, indulging in feasts and expressing the boldness of their lives.

As commoners, they naturally wouldn’t compete with the nobles for these pleasures. The grassy shores along Qujiang Pond were their best choice.

Once inside Qujiang Pond, one could feel the vibrant energy of spring. The gentle spring breeze blew across their faces, turning the willows by the shore green, awakening the thousands of peach trees, and lifting the spirits of the people of Chang’an after a long winter.

“Do you know? Today, Princess Yuzhen is hosting a banquet in the Apricot Garden, inviting talented scholars from all over the land. Even Lord Wang, the Right Censor, will be in person to evaluate their poems!”
A middle-aged man of short stature, dressed in a coarse dark brown robe, kept exclaiming to his friend, as if the news he shared were some secret gossip about a courtesan in Pingkangli, arousing great longing.
With a snort, the man beside him showed disdain on his face and said sarcastically, “Hey, Old Wang, what does it matter to you if Princess Yuzhen invites talented scholars to a banquet? Do you really think Lord Wang will favor you, the owner of this silk shop, and recommend you for a position in the Ministry of Personnel?” Hearing this, the short-statured man’s face turned red as liver, his thick lips parting slightly before closing again as he let out an indignant sigh.
Indeed, it’s none of our business—merchants who only care about profit—when the princess hosts a banquet for talented scholars. It’s better to sell more silk and earn more coins!
Once he realized this, the silk shop owner felt disinterested and trudged along with his friend, no longer in high spirits as before.
Du Jingtian and Li Kuo walked side by side, weaving through the crowd along the path by the lake. Sensing the fragrance of willow fluff, Li Kuo stopped in his tracks and lay down on a large rock by the lake, closing his eyes as the spring sunlight generously bathed his cheeks in golden light. Du Jingtian, on the other hand, held the hem of her dress and ran like a little rabbit to a peach tree, picking a peach blossom to insert in her hairpin.
It was truly a beautiful scene—full waters of Qujiang River, thousands of blooming trees, and warm clouds above the city, with colorful banners fluttering in the breeze.
Yet, at this perfect moment, a shout came from behind them, accompanied by chaotic horsebeats and a man’s angry shouts, causing everyone to frown.
Li Kuo stood up and looked back. He saw a young nobleman riding a white horse, dressed in fine blue Suzhou silk, wielding a whip and loudly scolding a young woman who had just been startled.
“What kind of creature dares to block my horse? You really can’t stand to live, can you? Let me tell you plainly—if my grandfather, the Governor of Jingzhao, Wang Xuan, isn’t smart enough to kowtow to me three times quickly, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Note 1: Pingkangli: Also known as Pingkangfang, it became a famous brothel district during the Tang Dynasty due to its proximity to Chongrenfang, a gathering place for the elite.
Note 2: Yanggeng: Lamb stewed in bread, a famous dish from Guanzhong. Well, it’s also my favorite.
Note 3: Wang Xuan: Reached the position of Governor of Jingzhao and formed a powerful alliance with Li Linfu.