Chapter 79: Cui Ping Invites Him to Dinner (Part 1)

Leaving the Daming Palace, Li Qingan still felt a bit dizzy. He had been in the Tang Dynasty for nearly two years and had met many famous people besides Li Bai and Du Fu, but never before had anything given him such a sense of anticipation. Yang Guifei, the legendary beauty through the ages, wanted to make him her teacher—what an exciting prospect!

However, he had been assigned a new position: Inspector of the Nine Gates. It wasn’t a formal official role with no rank or salary; it was merely temporary. The so-called Inspection Army of the Nine Gates was also temporarily assembled, with troops drawn from the Imperial Guard’s Ten Thousand Cavalry Camp.

Although the Inspector of the Nine Gates was directly under the Prime Minister’s authority, the deployment of troops was handled by the Ministry of War. Li Qingan went to the Ministry of War, where Vice Minister Li Lin told him that they had just received the imperial order and could not dispatch troops immediately—only a thousand men could be given to him by tomorrow.

Without troops, it was difficult to exercise authority, so Li Qingan had to postpone taking up his post.

Coincidentally, he had another engagement that day—Cui Ping, an assistant official from the Ministry of Rites, invited him to dinner. He took out a note and checked the address: it was in Kaihua Fang, right next to Zhuque Street.

Li Qingan mounted his horse and rushed toward Kaihua Fang. Fifteen minutes later, he entered the neighborhood. He bought some gifts of various colors and headed to Cui Ping’s residence.

Cui Ping’s father had passed away early, and he had lived with his uncle Cui Qiao since childhood. In the first year of the Tianbao era, he passed the imperial examinations and officially entered officialdom. Over the years, he had risen to the position of assistant official in the Ministry of Rites. The year before last, he married the daughter of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Pei Ming, and last year he had a son. Though he was now married and established in his career, he still lived with his uncle Cui Qiao, as his father’s house had been taken by his elder brother Cui Han.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to start his own household—it was simply because housing prices in Chang’an were too high. During the Kaiyuan era, a medium-sized house covering nearly three mu could be bought for just over a hundred strings of coins. But in these past two years, housing prices in Chang’an had quintupled, and the same three-mu house now required more than five hundred strings of coins.

Cui Ping had only been an official for six years. Although he received a salary, land for permanent use, and other benefits, the total amount was still quite modest. After saving up over the years, he spent nearly half of it on getting married last year, and this year he took in a concubine, leaving his family in a somewhat strained financial situation.

When in need, one thinks of change. Cui Ping racked his brains—if he wanted to buy a house in Chang’an or even get promoted, he needed to serve as an official in a local government. Although the salary there was slightly lower than in Chang’an, there were more opportunities, and after a few years, he could save enough money to buy a house. Moreover, there was a rule in the court: without experience serving in local governments, one couldn’t be promoted to higher positions.

So Cui Ping asked his uncle to help him get assigned to a local post. However, such assignments came with their own considerations. Cui Ping was currently a vice minister in the Ministry of Rites, ranking at the lower end of the sixth rank. If assigned elsewhere, he would likely serve as a regional military officer or a deputy governor, but both roles were auxiliary positions, not the main ones he desired. If he could be promoted another half rank, he might become a county magistrate in key areas like Jingzhao, Henan, or Taiyuan. Serving as a county magistrate there not only offered better benefits but also made it easier to achieve political success.

To reach his goal, Cui Ping had spent months seeking connections. Last night, in front of Yang Huahua’s residence, he suddenly realized that Gao Lishi seemed to have a special preference for Li Qing’an. If Li Qing’an could speak in his favor before Gao Lishi, his wish could be easily fulfilled.

Early in the morning, to welcome Li Qing’an, Cui Ping began preparing. He took a day off work under the pretense of being ill. He also had thirty guan in savings; he took out five guan to buy wine, meat, fish, and chicken. He mobilized his wife and concubines to clean the yard and paint the walls. When asked by outsiders, he claimed they were preparing for the New Year. Taking advantage of the concubine’s trip to the western market to buy groceries, he gave her extra money to purchase some high-quality cosmetics, fulfilling the promise he made the previous night in her bed.

“Vice minister, someone is outside!” the butler of the Cui household shouted from outside the yard.

“He’s here! He’s here!”

Cui Ping rushed out like the wind, asking anxiously, “Old butler, is it someone surnamed Li?”

“That’s right—the famous Li Qing’an.”

Overjoyed, Cui Ping didn’t even bother to tidy his clothes. He rushed toward the main gate like a goose, while the butler called after him, “Vice minister, he’s not at the gate—he’s in the guest room!”

Cui Ping suddenly stopped, flailing his arms, and turned back toward the guest room.

The yard in front of the guest room was crowded with maids and servants. Li Qing’an was teaching several of Cui’s young men how to throw pots. Li Qing’an held up an arrow and said, “To practice throwing pots, you first need to find the right feel. So keep this arrow with you and touch it whenever you have time.”

A few youths nodded in realization, and the servants also looked at their own hands. One maid whispered to herself with a sly smile, “Keep the arrow with you and touch it whenever you have time.” Yet her hand secretly reached toward another young servant’s crotch.

“That’s right. Once you get the feel for it, practicing throwing the pot will be much more effective—just like this!”

Li Qing’an performed a trick: standing with his back to the copper pot, he threw it backward from about twenty feet away. With a “thud!” the arrow pierced the pot with remarkable accuracy, drawing applause from everyone in the courtyard.

“General Li!”

Cui Ping parted the crowd and bowed to Li Qing’an, saying, “I’m ready. Please follow me, General Li!”

Li Qing’an smiled and bowed to everyone. “Well, everyone, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll stop teaching here for now.”

A few of Cui’s sons reluctantly followed him for a while. Li Qing’an waved at them with a smile, “Practice hard! The world will belong to you in the future.”

The youths’ eyes immediately lit up, filled with ambition for the world, and they instinctively puffed out their chests.

……

“Brother Cui, why isn’t Vice Minister Cui at the mansion?”

Although Li Qing’an held a military rank, he was still of the fourth rank, two levels higher than Cui Ping. Cui Ping quickly replied with utmost respect, “General Li, please don’t be formal. Just call me ‘Yuanwailang.’ My uncle is on duty today and won’t return until evening.”

“I see. Then I might not be able to see him today.”

“Did General Li come looking for my uncle for some reason?”

“Nothing special. After all, when visiting Cui’s mansion, one should meet the host!”

As they spoke, the two arrived at Cui Ping’s small courtyard. As soon as they entered, Cui Ping called out loudly, “Husband, my dear, come quickly to greet our honored guest!”

Li Qing’an took in the courtyard. It wasn’t large but was neatly kept, except for a pile of chicken feathers and fish scales in the corner. An old locust tree covered almost half of the courtyard, with a row of simple houses beneath it—about five or six rooms in total. Cui Ping and his wife lived in one room, his concubines in separate rooms. Cui Ping had a study, rooms for guests and servants, and a small kitchen as well.

Besides his wife and concubines, Cui Ping’s family also included a maid and a wet nurse. Hearing their master’s call, they all came out to greet them.

“General Li, this is my wife, Lady Pei, the daughter of Vice Minister Pei of the Ministry of Punishments.”

A young woman bowed gracefully to Li Qing’an. She clearly came from a noble family, with a gentle and docile personality. Li Qing’an quickly handed over some high-quality sweets he had bought, saying with a smile, “I came in a hurry, so here’s a small token of my regards. Please accept it, madam!”

“General Li, you’re too kind. Please come inside.”

Lady Pei handed the snacks to the concubine and quickly invited Li Qing’an inside. A sumptuous table of dishes and drinks had already been prepared. When minor officials hosted guests, they usually served chicken, duck, fish, and meat, along with a few bottles of good wine. Today, Cui Ping had invested some money and bought a pound of expensive lychees from the fruit and vegetable shop in the western market, which became a highlight of the banquet.

“General Li, please don’t be polite. Sit as if you’re at home.”

Cui Ping invited Li Qing’an to sit at the head of the table; he sat on the right, his wife Lady Pei on the left. The concubine, however, didn’t have the right to sit at the table and was responsible for serving food and wine. Li Qing’an didn’t understand this custom. Smiling, he said, “Sir, why isn’t the young lady allowed to sit?”