Chapter 72: The Grand Banquet at Huafa’s Residence (5)

The grand banquet in the main hall had already begun. Thousands of people gathered there, and the music had shifted to Kucha-style tunes. Han Chinese instruments such as bells, chimes, sheng, zither, and horizontal konghou were combined with Western Regions instruments like vertical konghou and curved-necked pipa. Additionally, instruments unique to the Zhao Wu Hu people—such as bili, five-stringed pipa, shells, copper cymbals, clappers, and large drums—were played together by several music ensembles. There were as many as 180 dancers, creating a magnificent and powerful atmosphere with their vigorous movements.

Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly, replaced by drumming and dancing. The rhythmic beats were intense and passionate. Eighteen dancers emerged from the crowd, performing the Tuozhi dance, also known as the Hu Xuan dance, originating from the nine states of Zhao Wu. Their flowing skirts danced wildly, and the golden rings on their wrists and ankles clanged together, producing a clear and pleasant sound.

The guests at the banquet were in high spirits, filled with laughter. Teams of maids and eunuchs moved around with food trays, placing delicious pieces of fattened sheep cooked in golden cauldrons onto the tables. Carp caught from the Wei River were prepared into sumptuous dishes, steaming with flavorful sauces and emitting a rich aroma.

In fact, Yang Huahua’s birthday celebration was organized entirely by Li Longji. Most of the utensils used were from the palace, exquisitely luxurious and astonishing. The drinking vessels were inlaid with gold and jade—there were gold and jade-inlaid cups, crystal bowls made of purple fragrant wood, white jade lotus-shaped plates and cups, and crystal kettles. Flower pots and vases were also placed around the table, including Samarkand gold vases, Khorasan silver vases, and local Yuezhou celadon vases.

The names of the flowers in the pots and vases were marked on ivory tags. White jade plates held grapes brought from Bashu, mangoes and pineapples from Nanzhao, and lychees from Lingnan—all particularly precious in the cold winter months.

What pleased Li Qingan the most was the wine. It was served in crystal kettles, and there were two types. One was high-quality Jiahe wine from Gaochang, made from the finest grapes and reserved solely for the palace. Only the emperor could bestow it upon officials; it was completely unavailable in the market. For Yang Huahua’s birthday, Li Longji brought half of the wine stored in the Daming Palace’s wine cellar.

The other type was Sanle wine from Persia. As the name suggested, it was made by blending three kinds of wine: Anmole, Pilile, and Helile. It was a low-alcohol liquor that, though rare, could be found in Kucha’s taverns—though at a high price of 300 coins per cup.

Still, Li Qingan preferred Jiahe wine. When poured into chilled crystal bowls, the wine appeared crystal red, like a precious work of art.

Seizing this rare opportunity, Li Qingan drank three bowls in one go. Its sweet and rich taste delighted him greatly.

“General Li, what a strong drink tolerance! Here, let me toast you again.”

Sitting next to him was Wang Gong, the Chief Censor. Wang Gong also came from a prestigious family and held high status in the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, the eldest daughter of the Wang family even became the empress of Tang. The Wang family reached its peak at that time. To eliminate the influence of such prominent families on Tang’s politics, Emperor Gaozong resolutely deposed the Empress Wang. With Wu Zetian ascending to the throne, the Wang family began to decline.

However, members of noble families enjoyed the best education, giving them a significant advantage in the imperial examinations system of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Gong was one of the outstanding descendants of the Wang family. He was around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, good-looking, and especially gentle and refined, which made him appear even more graceful.

Today, Wang Gong had come to the banquet with his wife and daughter. They sat at another table, while he sat with Li Qing’an. After taking a sip of wine, Wang Gong narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying, “General Li, the Prime Minister values you greatly! Don’t disappoint him.”

Wang Gong was Li Linfu’s confidant and was aware of Li Qing’an’s situation. Yet he was somewhat puzzled as to why Li Linfu placed such high regard on him. The only explanation he could think of was that Li Qing’an had a simple background and was highly regarded by Gao Lishi.

Li Qing’an had already spotted Li Linfu, who was sitting at the first seat on the right, together with Gao Lishi. At that moment, Li Linfu had also drunk quite a bit and was animatedly talking with Gao Lishi.

Li Qing’an put down his crystal bowl and asked in a low voice, “Chief Censor Wang, I wonder what Prime Minister Li plans to assign me to do?”

Wang Gong pondered for a moment before saying, “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. The Prime Minister always plans things with great foresight—something we subordinates cannot guess. But one thing is certain: General Li will carry out an important strategic plan of the Prime Minister’s.”

At that moment, the laughter of Yang Huahua came from not far away. “I’m deeply grateful to all of you who have come to my birthday celebration. Let’s drink to express my thanks.”

Yang Huahua appeared, accompanied by over a dozen maids, going from person to person to offer a toast. She was wearing a long red-and-yellow dress, a green short jacket, a red sash over her shoulders, and her skirt was so long—over fifty feet—that two maids held it from behind. Her fair wrists were adorned with a bracelet made of eighteen night pearls. She wore a feather hairpin, a jade hair clip, and an exquisitely crafted phoenix hair ornament with a pearl, tilted at an angle in her updo. As she walked, her wide sleeves fluttered, her silk scarf swayed, her long skirt trailed behind, her jewelry jingled, and a delicate fragrance filled the air.

Slightly tipsy, with flushed cheeks, Yang Huahua held a small crystal cup the size of a thumb. She walked up to Li Qing’an and Wang Gong, raised her cup with a smile, and said, “A general and a scholar-official, seated together—truly a match made in heaven. Come! Let me toast to you both. Thank you for coming.”

She lifted the wine cup to her rosy lips and took a gentle sip, her beautiful eyes fixed on Li Qing’an, shimmering with affectionate charm.
Li Qing’an raised his bowl and said with a smile, “Drinking from a cup isn’t satisfying enough. I offer this bowl to Third Madam, wishing her eternal youth and endless beauty.”
After saying that, he downed the wine in his bowl in large gulps and laughed, “Third Madam’s wine is sweeter than anything Qing’an has ever tasted. Thank you!”
“General Li is such a generous man. Then I must also drink this bowl to the end,” Yang Huahua said with a light laugh, finishing the wine in her bowl, which drew cheers from the crowd.
Yang Huahua gave Li Qing’an a slight smile before moving on to another table.
At that moment, Dugu Mingzhu quietly approached Li Qing’an and whispered with a smile, “General Li, let’s go play too!”
“Where shall we play?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“Look over there—there’s a quoit-throwing game! My sister has gone there too.”
Dugu Mingzhu pointed to a side hall, where over a hundred young men and women were playing the quoit-throwing game. This was a refined version of archery, involving throwing arrows at a tall golden vase placed several meters away; those who hit the vase won. Originally a court game, it gradually spread among the common people. Since it was suitable for both men and women, it became very popular at banquets. Prizes were offered based on the number of arrows thrown and their distance from the vase, with rules ranging from first prize to thirteenth prize, each carrying different rewards.
Li Qing’an had often played this game in Kucha and was quite skilled at it. He hadn’t shown much interest in it last time at the Liyuan villa, but now, with nothing much to do and with the eager invitation of the beautiful girl, he stood up and said with a smile, “Let’s go! Play together.”
Dugu Mingzhu was overjoyed. Holding her long skirt in one hand and gripping Li Qing’an’s hand with the other, she ran toward the side hall. In Tang society, it was quite normal for men and women to hold hands, as seen in activities like dancing while holding hands. So, as Dugu Mingzhu ran with Li Qing’an’s hand between the seating areas, aside from a few noblewomen complaining that they were running too fast, no one paid them any attention.
There were three golden vases in the side hall, with three eunuchs serving as referees—two counting points and one distributing prizes, which could be pearls, jade jewelry, or gold coins, such as Kaiyuan Tongbao coins, as well as silver coins worth about one or two guan, not very valuable but mainly used to liven up the atmosphere.
Over a hundred young men and women were arranged in three teams, taking turns throwing arrows at the vases. Dugu Mingyue was also in one of the teams, though her gaze kept drifting toward Prince Guangping, Li Chu.
“Sister, may I join your team?”

Dugu Mingzhu ran over to her sister with a smile. Seeing Li Qingan following behind her sister, Dugu Mingyue realized it was her sister who had dragged him along. She nodded at him with a smile and then said to her sister, “It’s not okay to cut in line. Otherwise, I’ll give my seat to you and queue up again.”
“Never mind! I’ll queue up by myself; it won’t take long anyway.” Mingzhu pulled Li Qingan along and went to the back of the line.
There were three distances in the pot-throwing game: one zhang, three zhang, and five zhang. Five arrows were thrown each time, and points were scored by multiplying the number of hits by the distance. For example, three hits at one zhang earned three points, three hits at three zhang earned nine points, and three hits at five zhang earned fifteen points—the farther the distance, the higher the score.
At that moment, cheers came from ahead. Prince Guangping, Li Chu, had scored twelve points by hitting three targets at three zhang, the highest score of the day. Everyone applauded loudly, and many girls stared at him with admiration in their eyes.
Li Chu was also very excited. Being young as he was, he couldn’t help but feel proud. He went forward to take a jade hairpin and casually gave it to Cui Yiyun, the daughter of Cui Huan. Dugu Mingyue’s eyes darkened, and she turned away from the line to queue up with her sister.
“Mingzhu, let’s throw together!”
Seeing this, Dugu Mingzhu took the opportunity when her sister wasn’t looking and whispered to Li Qingan, “You need to show your skills and give this little prince a good lesson.”
Li Qingan nodded with a smile. “Okay! I’ll give it a try.”
……
Note: The pot-throwing game was a famous game in the Tang Dynasty, but the rules in this book were created by Lao Gao.