Chapter 6: The Golden Age (6)

In the center of the room stood a square ebony table, surrounded by round, flat-backed stools. The young men took their seats, and once they were all settled, the banquet officially began.
With less noise and more tranquility, the Jianan Pavilion was like a jar of richly fragrant wine—serene, refined, without any pretense, exuding an air of elegance from within.
Li Kuo picked up the wine cup on the table and raised it to his mouth, saying, “Since returning from Longyou, I’ve never had the chance to gather with all of you brothers. Now is the perfect opportunity to drink heartily!”
With that, he tilted his head back and downed the cup of fine wine.
“Great!”
Su Jinghong clapped his thigh and praised loudly.
“Seventh Brother truly is a straightforward man. If so, I, Su, will accompany you to the end—today, we must not leave until we’re drunk!”
“If Seventh Brother is so generous, how can we back down? Come on, let’s drink together.”
Hao Yihao also didn’t want to be outdone; he grabbed his wine cup and started drinking.
Zhang Yanji shook his head and scolded his friends, “You two drunkards! If you really want to drink, just say so. Why use Brother Kuo as an excuse? Do I really care about that little money for wine?”
“Look at what you say,” Hao Yihao replied, wiping the wine from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and smiling. “It’s just that Seventh Brother has returned from Longyou, so everyone’s happy.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yanji rolled his eyes. “Oh, so Brother Kuo is human, but I’m not? I see you all toasting Brother Kuo, but no one thinks to reward or comfort me.”
Zhou Wucui gave him a disdainful look and took a sip of the wine. “Ordinary people, nothing but ordinary people. If you keep being so petty, you’ll never become someone like our family’s commander.”
“You fat idiot, you…”
Zhang Yanji clenched his fists, furious. After thinking for a moment, not wanting to ruin the pleasant atmosphere, he calmed down and sighed.
“Look at you guys—acting like children. Aren’t you afraid it’ll bring shame if others find out?”
Du Jingtian scooped up a bowl of goji berry and lotus seed porridge and placed it in front of Li Kuo to defuse the situation. Seventh Brother had been injured in Longyou and lost a lot of blood; he needed to recover properly. According to the neighbor’s daughter, goji berries are excellent for replenishing blood, making them perfect for patients with injuries. Her grandfather ran a pharmacy and knew a lot about such things, so following her advice was sure to be right.
“Anyway, in your eyes, Brother Kuo is always the best!”
Zhang Yanji pouted childishly in response, ending the argument.

“Liu Zi, is everything going smoothly for you working in Jingzhao Prefecture these days?”
Li Kuo smiled faintly and changed the subject.
“Smooth, very smooth.”
Chen Xiaoliu was picking up a piece of stir-fried meat when his seventh brother asked him a question. Nervous, he lost his grip, and the meat piece fell into his wine glass.
“Haha, Liu Zi really has your flair.”
Zhang Yanji patted Chen Xiaoliu’s shoulder three times hard, laughing uncontrollably.
“I, I…”
Chen Xiaoliu’s face turned red with anxiety. He tried to explain but stammered, unable to speak properly.
“Yanji!”
Li Kuo shook his head, feeling helpless at his friend’s behavior.
“I was just joking, just joking. Vine-gar stir-fried meat, haha, vine-gar stir-fried meat…”
Zhang Langjun held his stomach, trying hard not to laugh as he spoke slowly.
“Liu Zi, keep up the good work. Among your Chen family’s generations, you’re the most promising!”
Li Kuo nodded kindly at Chen Xiaoliu and said softly.
Hearing this, the redness on Chen Xiaoliu’s face gradually faded.
“Brother Kuo, I will. It wasn’t easy for you to find me this job. I won’t embarrass you…”
Li Kuo shook his head. “This job isn’t for me. What does it matter to me whether you do well or not? Remember, in this world, one must be able to hold their own and never bring shame upon themselves!”
“Mm.”
Chen Xiaoliu swallowed hard and nodded in response.
“The constables in Chang’an may seem glamorous, but it’s actually a tough job. There are countless nobles and wealthy young men in this expensive city, and a single mistake can get you into trouble.”
Li Kuo paused and began to share his experience with his friend. Although he had never been a constable or official, he had learned something about the difficulties of such roles from his uncle.
“To work as an official, one needs integrity, but one also can’t be too strict about following the laws in every situation. For example, some time ago, a courtesan in Beili hosted a banquet to invite talented men from all over. Several young men from wealthy families, moved by pity for her, rushed to be those romantic heroes. But since there was only one courtesan, they started fighting, causing chaos in Beili. In such situations, when should you intervene, and how?”
“In such cases, stay far away. Wait until they finish fighting before stepping in to restore order. After all, none of those wealthy young men are someone you can afford to provoke or confront. Why should we, mere ordinary people, get involved in their fights?”

“Also, never completely ‘sell’ yourself to others. While it’s nice to shade under a big tree, there are also dangers involved. When the tree falls, that’s the time for reckoning. As a mere patrolman, joining someone else’s ranks gives you no real benefits but only brings trouble—why go through that? In the end, you still have to rely on yourself; even relatives and elders can at most act as guides for you.”
For some reason, Li Kuo spoke a lot today, pouring out his thoughts during the banquet and sharing his experiences with Liu Zi one by one.
The young men listened silently, none showing any impatience. They understood the hardships in Seventh Brother Qingxiao’s heart—hardships that ordinary people could hardly bear.
Since returning from Longyou, the young man’s perspective on problems had changed greatly. Things he used to judge without hesitation now required careful consideration to minimize risks.
He couldn’t say whether this change was good or bad; he just felt that some matters required thorough thought to ensure preparedness. After all, the most unpredictable thing in this world is human nature—you can never know whether a seemingly kind friend might secretly stab you in the back.
Even a military commander or a guerrilla general of the Tang Dynasty, who seemed kind, ended up wielding a sword and giving death orders to his thousands of soldiers.
That night left an indelible impression on the young man; the betrayal by tens of thousands of comrades was too cruel, and he still couldn’t bear to recall it.
Now, he only trusted himself, his own eyes, and his own judgment.
He would scrutinize every word of concern, seeking its deeper meaning; he would analyze every kind smile carefully, probing its true intent.
He was scared—truly scared.
He had already been betrayed by Gao Xiuyan and his comrades once. He didn’t want to be used like a fool and then discarded cruelly.
“Brother Kuo, I understand!”
Chen Xiaoliu straightened his chest and replied. Indeed, one can’t live under the protection of elders and brothers forever. The sooner one takes on one’s own responsibilities, the sooner one grows up!
Just then, loud arguments broke out outside the house.
“Damn it! Grandpa wants to claim this elegant room today. Get those people inside out now!”
“Sir, sir, look—those young men arrived earlier. Could we, could we… ah!”
“Stop talking nonsense! If you keep blabbering, we’ll burn down your shop!”
“Ah, ah.”
Old Zhang pushed open the wooden door and apologetically nodded at everyone.

“I’m truly sorry, truly sorry. As you all heard, those brash soldiers are really, really not to be trifled with. Please, could you all move to the main hall? Let this meal be treated as my invitation to you all—no payment needed!”
Old Zhang had a bruise the size of an egg at the corner of his right eye, clearly from being beaten by those men outside.
Zhang Yanji frowned in displeasure upon hearing this: “What do you mean, Old Zhang? Do you think I can’t afford the drink money, so you can bully me? Just because they’re hard to deal with doesn’t mean I am! Business relies on integrity. Aren’t you afraid this treatment of an old friend will damage your reputation?”
“Young Master Zhang, it’s as you say… as you say…”
Old Zhang wore a pained expression, repeatedly saying he dared not.
“Damn it, get out here! You have no shame!”
The men outside must have been getting impatient, as they rushed into Jian Nan Ge.
Once they saw who had arrived, the atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy.
Surrounded by over a dozen bodyguards, Gao Xiuyan stood at the center.
Gao Xiuyan clearly hadn’t expected Li Kuo and his group to be guests at Jian Nan Ge either; his lips twitched slightly.
But now he was stuck in a difficult situation. He bowed slightly toward Li Kuo and said, “What a coincidence! I never thought Captain Li would also be here resting and drinking. I’m humble, but may I join you for a chat?”
Li Kuo smiled coldly and replied, “I’m sorry, but the seats are already full today. I regret that I can’t fulfill your request, General Gao.”
“You have no shame!”
One of the bodyguards with a thick face stepped forward, about to draw his sword, but was stopped by Gao Xiuyan.
“Ah, I think there might be some misunderstanding between me and Captain Li.”
Gao Xiuyan stepped closer to Li Kuo and lowered his voice, “Everything before was ordered by Lord Li. I had no choice. Now I’ve thought it through—I’m willing to put aside our past differences. As the saying goes, enemies become friends through conflict. Didn’t your father also have a feud with Lord Li before? Why not let bygones be bygones?”
Li Kuo stood up straight, smiled faintly, and signaled Gao Xiuyan to lean in.
Gao Xiuyan was overjoyed—seemed like this kid was ready to give in!
He leaned in slightly, his face filled with triumph.
“That was a family feud, but this is a national grievance!”
The young man’s deep voice echoed through Chang’an, across the Wei River, and to Chi Ling. At that moment, the brothers of the Tong Wu Camp who had died unjustly were with him.