Chapter 456: The Pei Family’s Birthday Celebration (Part 2)

After several days of intense preparation by the Pei family, the day of Pei Kuan’s 75th birthday finally arrived. At dawn, Li Qing’an arrived at the Pei mansion. By then, hundreds of Pei family members from various parts of the Tang Dynasty had gathered there to celebrate, including over 200 who came from their ancestral home in Hedong. The mansion was bustling with activity.

However, although they were the hosts, the high-ranking officials and prominent families from different districts of Chang’an who came to offer their congratulations were the guests. Thus, the Pei family members were organized to welcome guests, arrange carriages, clean up, and lift heavy objects—each having their own tasks.

Before daybreak, everyone got up to engage in the final flurry of preparations.

Pei Kuan’s birthday banquet was to be held in the main hall of the Pei mansion—a grand hall capable of accommodating thousands of people. It was still dark outside, and half of the lanterns in the hall had been extinguished, casting a dim light. A hundred Pei family members were busy setting up the venue. Thousands of low tables had been arranged, each seating two people. The tables were adorned with fresh flowers, fruits, and vegetables still glistening with morning dew. The dishes for the celebration would be provided by the ten most famous restaurants in Chang’an and would arrive gradually at noon, while the venue needed to be fully prepared first.

Li Qing’an walked through the busy hall. On the wall at the front desk, a huge character “birthday” made of gold foil was displayed. Below it were various birthday treats such as peach fruits and noodles, along with a white jade screen carved with images of children wishing for longevity. In front of the screen stood a large armchair, which would be Pei Kuan’s seat. Although it was customary for people in the Tang Dynasty to sit on the floor, chairs had been introduced from the Western Regions during the Middle Tang period, and were used in the palace and by many wealthy families. Pei Kuan, being in poor health, found it difficult to kneel, so the large armchair was perfect for him. Seven more armchairs were placed on either side of Pei Kuan’s seat for the seven organizers of the celebration—actually the seven key figures in the Pei family. At that moment, a young woman was arranging Pei Kuan’s seat. It was Pei Zunqing’s granddaughter, Pei Wan’er. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice Li Qing’an approaching. The seat cushion consisted of three layers of high-quality lamb skin, with a soft white fox fur layer added on top to ensure maximum comfort for Pei Kuan. This precious fox fur had been a gift from the Khitans when Pei Kuan served as the military governor of Fanyang. Despite decades having passed, it still looked as fresh as new. On the back of the chair was a black panther fur, and it was this fur that caught Li Qing’an’s attention.

Pei Wan’er was bending over to carefully arrange the black panther skin when she suddenly sensed something. Turning around, she saw a man standing behind her. Startled, she let out a soft “Ah!” and hurriedly stepped back. Only then did she realize it was Li Qing’an. She was momentarily stunned in surprise, her face turning red as her large eyes blinked a few times. After taking a deep breath, she seemed to calm down and smiled shyly at Li Qing’an.
“General Li, is there something you need?”
Li Qing’an pointed at the black panther skin and apologized with a smile, “I just wanted to take a look at this black panther skin. I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“It’s okay!”
Pei Wan’er stepped aside to make room for Li Qing’an. He slowly stepped forward and gently stroked the shiny black fur. The soft texture reminded him of many years ago, at Li Lou Fortress, on the frozen Ling Mountains, as a new recruit there. Time seemed to reverse in that moment, immersing Li Qing’an in memories of the past.
Pei Wan’er, standing nearby, did not disturb his thoughts. She still held a golden-yellow satin cloth. After arranging the chairs, she needed to cover them with the satin. Standing aside, she curiously observed the lost-in-thought Li Qing’an. Her great-grandfather had told her that this man was the most powerful person in the Tang Dynasty, even feared by the emperor.
But where was his strength? Pei Wan’er couldn’t sense any strength in Li Qing’an at all. His manners were polite, his smile gentle, and his voice deep and soft. He seemed like a well-learned scholar.
Since the age of ten, Pei Wan’er had heard adults talk about this man. Over the past six years, stories of his heroic deeds and extraordinary adventures had circulated among her cousins. He had led his troops to defeat the Arabs, driven the Uyghurs back to the steppes, and later got married in a grand ceremony. All these rumors made Li Qing’an seem like an unattainable figure in her eyes—like a god in the clouds, filled with mystery and reverence for her.
But now, Li Qing’an was right in front of her. This legendary figure of the Tang Dynasty stood before her, and she could even see the long scar on his forehead. Her two cousins had once bet whether the scar on his forehead was crescent-shaped orBig Dipper-shaped. Now that she saw it, it was neither crescent norBig Dipper-shaped, but just a long, thin scar.

At that moment, Pei Wan’er felt Li Qing’an’s piercing gaze on her. She lowered her head guiltily, her heart pounding as if she had been caught doing something wrong. After a while, she peeked at Li Qing’an again and realized he wasn’t looking at her but at the white jade screen beside her. Her tense heart eased slightly, yet a sense of disappointment arose in her heart.

“Miss, do you know where this black panther skin came from?”

Hearing Li Qing’an ask her, Pei Wan’er became nervous again. She shook her head frantically and said, “It was my great-grandfather’s cherished possession. If General likes it, you can ask my great-grandfather. He holds General in high regard; perhaps he will give it to you.”

“What are you thinking? How could I want the cherished possession of Elder Pei?”

Li Qing’an smiled and said, “I’m not after this black panther skin. It was actually hunted by me back in the day. It reminds me of some things from those years.”

Pei Wan’er was stunned. She quickly covered her mouth and laughed, “So it was General Li who hunted it.”

Seeing her strange smile, Li Qing’an asked puzzledly, “Why? Don’t you believe it was me who hunted it?”

“No! No!” Pei Wan’er waved her hands hastily. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that this morning…”

She hesitated to continue.

“What happened this morning?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.

“If I tell you, General Li, please don’t get angry.”

Li Qing’an waved his hand. “Just speak. How could I get angry at you?”

Pei Wan’er tried to suppress the smile on her face and said, “This morning, my great-grandfather gave me this panther skin. He said the person who hunted this panther was the worst hunter in the world. Such a precious black panther skin was shot with a huge hole—truly a waste of a treasure. If he found that hunter, he would definitely give him a good lesson.”

Li Qing’an couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s something I regret too. I actually strangled this panther to death first and then stabbed it in the heart…”

“Ah!” Pei Wan’er gasped, covering her chest with her hand, her eyes filled with fear. “General Li, that’s too cruel.”

“But if I hadn’t killed it, it would have bitten me to death. At that time, I got a complete black panther skin, but sadly, it was pierced by an arrow in an inn.”

Li Qing’an touched the small arrow hole. Although it had been repaired, there was still a noticeable flaw. He couldn’t help but think of that stubborn little girl from Bahuang City. He wondered what she was doing now.

Li Qingan sighed secretly and then smiled at Pei Wan’er, saying, “I’ll go surrender to the old man. You go on with your work! I won’t disturb you anymore.” After saying that, Li Qingan headed toward the inner courtyard. After taking a few steps, he stopped, turned back, and asked, “Your name is Pei Wan’er, right?”
“Mm!” Pei Wan’er nodded with a red face.
“It’s a nice name.”
Li Qingan smiled and muttered to himself, “When did Li Linfu reconcile with his old rival?” Then he turned and walked away. Pei Wan’er stared at his back, not understanding what he meant.
While Li Qingan and Pei Wan’er were talking, Pei Zunqing stood behind another screen not far away, watching the two of them. His gaze was filled with pride—he could see that Li Qingan had some interest in his granddaughter Wan’er, which was exactly what he wanted.
Pei Zunqing was a very practical man. Unlike Pei Kuan, who was enthusiastic about Buddhism, or Pei Min, who focused on government affairs, he valued the family’s development more. By now, the Pei family’s status in the court had risen to a quite high level—he was a vice minister, while Pei Min was the right chancellor of the Secretariat. It was extremely rare for one family to hold high positions in both the Ministry of State Affairs and the Secretariat. It could be said that the Pei family had reached its peak, but Pei Zunqing was still not satisfied, because the current court was at its weakest since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, with control limited to only four regions: Guanzhong, Guannei, Hedong, and Henan.
With regents and powerful regional lords in the court, the Pei family’s power was greatly diminished. Pei Zunqing thought about the future—when the Tang Dynasty was reunified and its strength restored to its peak, what would be the Pei family’s status? Could they surpass the Cui family completely?
Surpassing the Cui family had always been Pei Zunqing’s top concern. For this reason, he needed to find a powerful ally for the Pei family, someone who could provide support and shelter. On the first day Li Qingan entered the city, when he killed Meng Yun like a chicken in front of all the officials, Pei Zunqing recognized Li Qingan’s style of using force to intimidate others. Undoubtedly, Li Qingan was the perfect ally.
He also saw Li Qingan’s eagerness to ally with established families. He understood Li Qingan’s ambitions. Pei Zunqing couldn’t help but recall the words from “Strategies of the Warring States”:
A man from Puyang named Lu Buwei was doing business in Handan. He met the Qin prince Yiren and returned to tell his father, “How many times more profitable is farming?”
“The ten times.”
“And how many times more profitable is trading in pearls and jade?”
“The hundred times.”
“And how many times more profitable is establishing a ruler for a country?”
“Countless.”

He said, “Now, when one toils in the fields, they can’t even get warm clothes or extra food. But when establishing a state and a ruler, benefits can be passed down through generations. I wish to follow that path.”
At a time when Li Qing’an was eager for support from powerful families, why didn’t he double the investment like Lü Buwei did?
Pei Zunqing walked over to his granddaughter Pei Wan’er with his hands behind his back. Seeing her grandfather arrive, Pei Wan’er bowed gracefully and said, “Wan’er greets her grandfather!”
Pei Zunqing waved his hand and smiled slightly. “Does Wan’er not understand the meaning of Li Qing’an’s last words?”
Pei Wan’er nodded. “Granddaughter truly doesn’t understand.”
“Not only you don’t understand; I’m afraid most officials in the court would also be confused upon hearing those words. Do you know why?”
Pei Wan’er looked at her grandfather in confusion, utterly unable to comprehend. Pei Zunqing gently stroked the black panther skin and sighed. “Because this black panther skin was once Li Linfu’s cherished possession. On his deathbed, he ordered his son to give it to me, asking me to pass it on to your great-grandfather. A dying man speaks with sincerity. Li Linfu had several great rivals in his life, and your great-grandfather was one of them. By asking me to deliver this skin to your great-grandfather before his death, Li Linfu wanted to reconcile with the Pei family. It’s just that I never told your great-grandfather that the skin was a gift from Li Linfu. That’s what Li Qing’an’s last words meant.”
Only then did Pei Wan’er understand. She sighed softly, “So even a casual remark carries such deep meaning.”
Pei Zunqing smiled with narrowed eyes. It seemed his granddaughter also had some interest in Li Qing’an. But now wasn’t the right time, so he didn’t reveal it. Instead, he ordered, “Neither the black panther skin nor the white fox skin should be laid out for now. Keep them safe until the first group of guests arrives.”
“Yes, granddaughter understands.”
Pei Zunqing glanced outside the main hall. It was already daylight; some impatient guests must have arrived first.
……
The sun had emerged from the magnificent east city wall of Chang’an, casting beams of golden light that seemed to laugh loudly, mocking the thin mist as insignificant. The azure sky was cloudless, emphasizing its vastness and depth.
Jingshan Fang had become lively. Dozens of Pei family members drove ox carts, delivering gift bags wrapped in red cloth to every household in the neighborhood. Each red bag contained two longevity peaches, a bottle of birthday wine, and 300 coins. This was both a gesture of goodwill and an apology. The road in front of the Pei family’s residence would be temporarily closed for a day to accommodate the guests’ carriages. The Pei family’s generosity and courtesy earned them praise from the people in the neighborhood.

Firecrackers also started to explode, with deafening booms. A crowd of children covered their ears as they jumped around the fire. The first guest’s carriage slowly entered Jingshan Fang—this was the Pei family’s first guest.

A Pei family member in charge of setting off the firecrackers immediately rushed inside to report. Moments later, Pei Zunqing and Pei Yi came out to greet them. The carriage stopped in front of the Pei family’s residence. To everyone’s surprise, the first guest to arrive was Wei Tao.

The Wei family used to rank second only to the Pei family among the major families in Chang’an, coming in third place. However, several severe setbacks gradually led to their decline. One was the Wei Jian incident during the Tianbao era, when most Wei family members holding official positions were dismissed. The second was the dismissal of Wei Tao and Wei Huan due to the Eastern Palace purge by Li Hen. Although Wei Jiansu later became prime minister, he too was removed from office when Li Yu overthrew Yang Guozhong. He was later appointed as the Left Vice Minister of War, but after Li Hen came to power, he showed no regard for past favors or the sacrifices made by the Wei family. He didn’t even visit Wei Jiansu’s wife, who had been forced to become a nun, leaving everyone in the Wei family deeply disheartened.

Although Wei Tao had no official position, he still held the title of a third-rank official, Jinzi Guanglu Daifu, and had previously served as the tutor to the crown prince, giving him a noble status. As the head of the Wei family, he was treated with respect by the Pei family.

“I never expected the first guest to be Brother Wei!”

Pei Zunqing laughed heartily as he stepped forward and hugged Wei Tao warmly. Wei Tao smiled in return, saying, “Given the close relationship between the Pei and Wei families, how could I dare not be the first to attend Grandmaster Pei’s birthday celebration?”

The Wei and Pei families had a very good relationship, with deep familial ties. Pei Zunqing’s deceased wife was a daughter of the Wei family. Of course, Wei Tao’s early arrival wasn’t solely due to these family ties; he had other motives. Glancing aside, he saw Li Qingan’s carriage parked nearby and felt secretly pleased.

He had come early to talk to Li Qingan. A few days ago, Li Qingan had personally delivered an invitation to him, but Wei Tao happened to be away at home, and his brother Wei Jiang accepted it on his behalf. This incident had left Wei Tao feeling regretful—he would never have left home if he had known Li Qingan was coming.

Wei Tao had once had dealings with Li Qingan in Yangzhou, and they even developed a feud. Back then, Li Qingan was assassinated upon arriving in Yangzhou, and Wei Tao was behind it, acting on orders from his son-in-law, Prince Di Li Yan. Although he had long harbored resentment over this, their relationship later improved, and Li Qingan even smashed a table at Wei Tao’s residence while drunk. It seemed the matter in Yangzhou had faded from memory.

At this moment, Li Qing’an also stepped out quickly. From a distance, he bowed with a smile and said, “It’s Master Wei. A few days ago, I went to your residence to deliver an invitation, but you happened to be away.”
“Making His Highness make a trip for nothing made Wei Tao feel uneasy. I came early today to apologize to the General and also to catch up old times.”
Li Qing’an naturally understood the implied meaning behind Wei Tao’s desire to catch up, so he smiled and said, “I happen to be free too. Let’s talk and discuss matters related to Yangzhou.”
He then said to Pei Zunqing, “Minister Pei, let me take care of this first guest.”
“Hehe! The General, please go ahead at your ease!”
…
Li Qing’an was one of the planning team members and could be considered half the master of the Pei family. He invited Wei Tao into a small guest room, and the two sat down as host and guest. Li Qing’an’s personal guards served them tea. Suddenly, Wei Tao stood up, bowed deeply to Li Qing’an, and said, “I must first apologize to the General!”
Li Qing’an quickly waved his hand and smiled, “There’s no need to apologize. Master Wei had to leave suddenly due to some matters, and I didn’t arrange a meeting in advance. It should be me who apologizes.”
“No!” Wei Tao shook his head. “I’m not referring to the invitation delivery a few days ago. I’m apologizing for the attempt on the General’s life in Yangzhou back then.”
Li Qing’an’s eyes gradually narrowed. “So it was you who carried out the assassination at the Yangzhou posthouse!”
That incident had always been a mystery to Li Qing’an. He had been assassinated as soon as he arrived in Yangzhou, and the culprit had never been identified, leaving the matter unresolved. It wasn’t until now that Li Qing’an realized it was Wei Tao who had done it—he had been the chief secretary of the Yangzhou Governor’s Office at the time.
Wei Tao sighed and said sincerely, “I have no grudges against the General. I was forced to carry out that crime by Prince Di, Li Yan. Even the subsequent attempt to steal gold was ordered by Prince Di. Many years have passed, but it still weighs heavily on my mind. If I don’t confess, I fear I’ll never find peace in this life.”
After saying that, he knelt down, kowtowed to Li Qing’an, and said painfully, “I know my sins are grave. Although the General escaped, he was almost killed by me. I dare not ask for forgiveness, but I truly regret it deeply.”
Li Qing’an helped him up, nodded silently, and said, “As Master Wei said, I’ve never had any grudges. Master Wei was also forced by Prince Di. Now that Prince Di is dead, it’s better to resolve these grievances rather than keep them lingering. That incident is in the past. I forgive Master Wei.”
With that, he smiled and added, “I remember I still owe Master Wei a table. In that case, our debts cancel each other out, and neither of us owes anything to the other.”

Wei Tao was deeply moved. He let out a long sigh and said with deep emotion, “The general’s magnanimity fills me with great admiration. If the general wills it, our Wei family is willing to serve him!”