Chapter 8: The Return Journey

On the outskirts of Chang'an, the sun shone on the Ba River, and the banks were lined with willow trees.

After walking along the river for a long time, Xue Bai was exhausted.

He stopped, bent over, and looked down to see that Qinglan was still wearing the ill-fitting boots. He asked, "Are you tired?"

Qinglan had been harboring some worries all night. His concern made her eyes well up with tears.

"What's there for a mere servant to be tired of? It's just that I feel wronged. Last night, when I suggested we change our names and hide, it made me seem heartless and ungrateful to our master, as if I only cared about your good looks. But when you said we should return to Chang'an and turn the tide, isn't that easier said than done? Who are we, really? Those people carried us in a cart for half a day, and now we can't even find our way back to Chang'an, let alone know where we are..."

As she spoke, she turned away and wiped her tears.

Xue Bai pointed to the river and said, "We'll take it one step at a time. If we follow the river, we'll surely find someone. Shall we?"

"Okay."

Xue Bai was very patient and asked again, "Once we find someone, we'll ask for directions back to Chang'an, then pawn this fox fur to settle down and gather our thoughts before deciding what to do next. Shall we?"

"Alright."

Since the incident, Qinglan had only complained once. Hearing this, she nodded and stepped forward to support Xue Bai, whispering, "I'm glad you're here."

Xue Bai nodded.

The two of them supported each other as they walked upstream for a long time, finally seeing a bridge ahead.

"Look!" Qinglan exclaimed, pointing ahead. "There's a small market!"

"Do we have any money?"

"Yes, I have twenty-six coins left in my purse."

Though it was only a small amount, the thought of having something to eat made Qinglan happy.

Xue Bai smiled and continued walking.

By the side of the main road was a small market. Laborers waiting for work huddled around a stand selling Hu cakes to keep warm. Next to them was a tea stand, and across from it was a carriage shop, emitting a smell of horse manure.

An old man with a dark complexion had already harnessed his donkey cart and was trying hard to turn his stubborn donkey around.

Several children were laughing and running around the cart, shouting, "Old Zhuang's stupid donkey won't turn around!"

The old man, Old Zhuang, noticed someone approaching and immediately called out, "Handsome young master and beautiful maid, you must be on your way to Chang'an. Why not hire a cart? A horse cart is too expensive, but a donkey cart is just right!"

The children shouted, "A donkey cart that won't turn around isn't good!"

"Go, go, don't cause trouble here."

Old Zhuang shooed away the children and hurried to Xue Bai, saying, "Young master, you're heading to Chang'an, right? It's a long way from here, thirty miles. If you walk, it will take a whole day, and it gets cold at night... Oh, and those shoes don't fit you well."

"How much to get to the East Market in Chang'an?"

"Young master is too polite." Old Zhuang held up his hand and smiled, "Three hundred coins."

"Isn't that expensive?" Qinglan took out her purse but quickly covered it again.

"How can it be expensive? It takes me a whole day to make the round trip, and even a full cart of luggage costs the same."

Xue Bai asked, "Is that the price for a private cart? Are there any cheaper options?"

Old Zhuang smiled, "There are. You can wait for other merchants to share the cost and ride in a large horse cart for sixty coins each."

"Thank you, sir. We'll walk, then. Do you know where we can buy shoes?"

"Young master is too polite, just call me Old Zhuang." Old Zhuang was still cheerful and pointed, "To buy shoes, you need to go to the larger market ahead, about three to five miles away..."

"Old Zhuang!"

An old woman ran over from the south side of the main road, shouting, "A big customer is traveling from Lantian County to Chang'an. One of their carts broke a wheel, and they need to transport half of their books. Can your stubborn donkey pull it?"

"Of course it can! I feed it well every day! Have we agreed on the price?"

"Go quickly, and there's a tip."

Old Zhuang was delighted and didn't bother to turn the donkey around anymore. He hurried off.

Xue Bai and Qinglan bought Hu cakes.

In Chang'an, a Hu cake costs two coins, but here it costs three coins.

They hoped to buy six cakes for sixteen coins to save some money for shoes. The old woman selling the cakes was very kind and gave them an extra one.

From being buried alive to finally holding this warm Hu cake, Xue Bai took a deep breath before taking a big bite.

He walked on the snow-covered main road, looking back several times until he could no longer see the old woman...

~~

"Little master, we meet again!"

Old Zhuang saw Xue Bai and Qinglan standing by the side of the road, quickly stopped the donkey cart, and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, sir."

"Little master, please wait a moment." Old Zhuang hurriedly got off the cart and bowed to a man on horseback, saying, "Sir, can I give them a ride?"

The man was in his forties, with a neatly trimmed beard, a thin face, and a calm expression. His eyes were as still as an ancient well, and he wore a plain robe and a headscarf. He held the reins in one hand and a string of prayer beads in the other. Though his attire was not luxurious, his demeanor was excellent, indicating he was from a noble family.

Xue Bai met his gaze, but before he could speak, a child rode up, saying, "The donkey cart is full of my master's precious books..."

"Unclean." The middle-aged man stopped the child and nodded at Xue Bai, "Young master, if you don't mind, would you like to travel together?"

"Thank you, sir." Xue Bai made a bow and said, "I am Xue Bai. May I ask your esteemed name and title, so I can repay you later?"

He had thought carefully. Although the Eastern Palace wanted to bury him alive, he was not a fugitive and was not afraid of people knowing his name. In fact, he even wanted more people to know his name.

"There's no need for repayment." The middle-aged man refused to give his name, saying, "Traveling is inconvenient, and it's only right to help each other."

"Indeed, sir."

Xue Bai felt the many inconveniences of living in this era today, and he understood the significance of "helping each other" even more, as well as why people in those times banded together with their families and neighbors.

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, urging his horse forward.

His eyes remained calm, and this smile did not show joy but rather a hint of compassion.

Seeing that this big customer was not talkative, even Old Zhuang did not speak much on the way to Chang'an.

Fortunately, the road was flat and easy to travel, and they arrived in Chang'an in half a day.

~~

Chang'an's eastern side has three city gates: Tonghua Gate, Chunming Gate, and Yanxing Gate, collectively known as "Qing Gate."

The area around Qing Gate is densely packed with taverns, making it a great place for drinking and feasting, hence the saying, "Before drinking the wine of Qing Gate, one feels like being drunk in a dream."

The caravan entered Chunming Gate.

Xue Bai looked around and saw taverns lining the streets, with flags and banners fluttering, red curtains hanging, and performers entertaining guests. Musicians played flutes, and acrobats performed, while guests played games like arrow throwing and drinking games.

Even more eye-catching were the foreign women (Huji) who lured customers at the entrances. They had deep blue eyes, curly hair, red lips, and wore thin silk, exposing their white skin, swaying their hips and waving their hands to invite people in.

Half the city's wealthy guests were drunk and singing.

"Moji!"

Suddenly, a voice called out, and several people ran out of Kang's tavern to greet the middle-aged man in a plain robe who had given Xue Bai a ride.

"Moji! Haha, I said Moji would be transferred to the Office of the Keeper of the Wardrobe and would return to Chang'an in these two days."

"Brother Yuan? We haven't seen each other in years."

"Is your Wangchuan villa ready?"

"I started tidying it up at the beginning of the year and even wrote a few poems about it."

"Moji has new poems? Haha, recite them quickly."

"It's been almost a year since I left the Eastern Mountains, and now I return just in time to plant the spring fields. The grass is green as if dyed by the rain, and the peach blossoms are red as if they are about to burst into flame."

"Good! Good, the peach blossoms are red as if they are about to burst into flame."

"..."

Xue Bai looked at the middle-aged man in the plain robe, first in surprise, then with a smile of realization.

This man, called Moji, was likely Wang Wei, also known as Wang Moji.

From their conversation, it seemed that Wang Wei had a villa in Lantian County and was now being transferred to Chang'an.

Xue Bai first thought it was a coincidence, but then he realized it might not be. In the brilliant poetry scene of the Tang Dynasty, who knew how many famous poets were in the taverns of Qing Gate today?

He smiled to himself.

The Eastern Palace sent people to bury him alive, but the Poet Buddha, Wang Wei, brought him back to Chang'an.

This journey finally allowed him to begin to understand this era.

It had its arrogance, luxury, and power struggles, but also its abundant granaries and brilliant literature. These elements intertwined to form the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

This prosperous Tang Dynasty would not dampen Xue Bai's fighting spirit but rather invigorate it even more.

~~

On the street, Wang Wei's conversation with his friends continued.

"By the way, where is Brother Chu?"

"Isn't it because of He Jian's poem? Moji, do you know something happened in Chang'an?"

"What happened?"

"The case of Wei Jian has resurfaced, and the Crown Prince has divorced again... He Jian passed away two years ago, but Ge Nu has been spreading his poems and deliberately misinterpreting them. A poem expressing joy at seeing the scenery of his hometown has been twisted to mean the Crown Prince is dissatisfied. But everyone knows the case of Wei Jian happened at the beginning of the year, and He Jian's poem was written two years ago, the timing doesn't match..."

"Shh, don't talk about state affairs on the street."

The man called Yuan, who was a bit drunk, shouted, "What's there to be afraid of? Haha, others fear Ge Nu, but I don't!"

"Shh, shh... Unclean, take the luggage home, I'll have a small gathering with the gentlemen."

"Understood."

Xue Bai stood up and made another bow, saying, "Thank you, sir."

"It's a small matter, not worth mentioning."

"Not only for the ride, but also for the inspiration from your poetry."

"Oh? Which line?"

"Even in death, the fragrance of chivalry remains."

Wang Wei was taken aback, and his calm eyes suddenly showed a hint of melancholy.

Even in death, the fragrance of chivalry remains. He had forgotten that he once wrote such poems.

When he turned around, he saw that the young man had already left with the donkey cart.

...

The caravan passed through Daogezhi Fang.

Ahead, children were singing a poem.

"Jade green is the willow tree, with ten thousand green silk threads hanging down. Who knows who cut the fine leaves, the spring breeze in February is like a pair of scissors."

Xue Bai had heard this poem once in Xingning Fang and, combining it with the conversation he just heard, his understanding of the current situation became clearer.

Once a poem carries subjective feelings, the first two lines could be interpreted as the image of the Crown Prince in the hearts of the court officials. The last two lines, on the other hand, seemed to be complaining that the sage, whose achievements rival those of Yao and Shun, had cut his branches?

~~

"Whoa!"

At the East Gate of the East Market, Old Zhuang stopped the donkey cart and smiled, "I still have to run the cart, little master. Remember to take care of my business next time you come to the east side of the city!"

"Sure." Xue Bai smiled and said, "Goodbye, sir."

"Little master is too polite, goodbye... hee, hee."

Xue Bai and Qinglan watched the donkey cart leave and walked into the East Gate.

Before them was a bustling and lively scene.

The wide, straight street seemed endless, with neat shops on both sides, eaves, pavilions, wine banners, and lanterns. The street was crowded with people, and the goods were abundant.

"Let's buy shoes first."

Qinglan glanced at Xue Bai and said, "This way."

They walked for a while, and the sound of drums and music grew louder. As they got closer, they saw a stage with over ten beautiful girls dancing gracefully, which was quite a sight.

Xue Bai looked around and saw no one collecting money, so he asked, "What's this for?"

Qinglan pulled him and said, "They're selling Silla maids."

Xue Bai looked back and thought that all the beautiful women in the world seemed to be sent to Chang'an, no wonder he had encountered so many recently.

Continuing south, they did not see a pawn shop but instead turned into a street selling food.

A fragrant aroma greeted them.

Various steamed food stalls were steaming, the steam rising like clouds, spreading the scent far and wide. In the fried food stalls, the oil sizzled, turning the mixed meat balls golden. There were also a variety of pastries, spiced roasted lamb, and roasted camel hump.

"Are you hungry?" Qinglan, who now knew Xue Bai's large appetite, said, "We still have ten coins, no need to rush to buy shoes. Let's eat something first, and then we can buy shoes after pawning the fox fur... By the way, did you know that the phrase 'buying things' comes from the East and West Markets of Chang'an?"

"I know."

"What do you want to eat?"

"How much is a bowl of mutton soup?"

"Mutton noodle soup? It's exactly ten coins, I'll go buy it."

Xue Bai held her back and said, "What do you want to eat? Let's have a snack first."

"Okay, let me see." Qinglan looked around and finally pointed to a stall, "Horse hoof pastries."

"Let's have these first, and then we'll have mutton noodle soup after pawning the money."

"Okay!"

Qinglan nodded vigorously and added, "When Lady made winter clothes for Fifth Brother, a single piece of high-quality fox fur cost twenty thousand coins. She also found the best tailor in Chang'an, and with other materials, it was worth at least thirty thousand coins!"

Despite this, after eating the horse hoof pastries and visiting several pawn shops, they only managed to get less than five thousand coins.

This amount, if all in copper coins, would weigh nearly twenty pounds. Fortunately, the pawn shop was very considerate and had Xue Bai list the items they needed, then hired someone to collect them from various shops.

When they left the pawn shop, they were both wearing new padded robes and headscarves, with soft-soled shoes on their feet and small bags on their backs, containing items like daggers and medicine.

The remaining money was exchanged for a small piece of silver and some convenient copper coins.

Qinglan finally perked up and whispered to Xue Bai, "Wearing this men's clothing is much more convenient, and I'm not as afraid of being recognized."

"Don't worry. If the Eastern Palace had such power in Chang'an, they wouldn't have tried to bury us alive..."

The mutton noodle soup at Chong's shop in the East Market was said to be famous in Chang'an, brought by a skilled cook from Weinan. That afternoon, the two of them each ordered a bowl and drank it all.

Qinglan put down her bowl, looked at Xue Bai, and smiled brightly, "Isn't it delicious?"

"Yep."

"Where are we going now?"

Xue Bai didn't hesitate and said, "To the Ten Princes' Residences."

It seems I won't be able to update today. New books can be affected by such situations, which can impact readers. I apologize and hope for your continued support!