Chapter 39

The howling north wind swept through the courtyard, making the withered trees rustle. The soldiers standing guard in the cold wind, clad in iron armor and with sabers at their waists, stood tall and straight like the white poplars, undaunted by the cold.

Inside the hall, however, it was a different scene: the blazing braziers warmed the hall, and the civil and military officials gathered in groups, toasting each other and chatting. Li Er sat in the main seat, holding Changsun's hand, looking at the scene before him with great satisfaction: "Guanyinabi, look at the hall. These are all my brothers who have risked their lives for me. If I cannot secure their future, how can I be worthy of their blood and sacrifice?" Li Er's words were not only for Changsun but also for himself. He had to convince himself to crush the lingering emotions in his heart, for these people, for his wife, and for the people of the land.

Changsun listened quietly, even as Li Er's grip on her hand tightened to the point of pain. She still smiled warmly, giving him her tenderness, not wanting him to feel any burden, making him believe that whatever he wanted was what she wanted.

Changsun's tenderness was something only Li Er could enjoy, and even her brother, Changsun Wuji, felt a twinge of jealousy. However, when he saw what the little ones in the corner were doing, his interest was piqued, and he no longer paid attention to Changsun.

In the corner, Li Kuan and Li Tai were stuffing their faces with food, their faces covered in oil. Li Chenggan and Li Ke, on the other hand, ate with great restraint and grace, and if they were a few years older, they would have been fine young gentlemen. But they were too young, and their actions only elicited laughter, not grace.

Little Li Lizhi had somehow found a large bowl and was happily piling it with food, picking out the meat and the dishes she didn't like. The little girl, holding a bowl larger than her head, tried to sneak out quietly. But she was stopped by Changsun Wuji, who had been watching her, and by Li Kuan, who had been secretly observing.

"Lizhi! Where are you going? Come here, let Uncle hold you!" Changsun Wuji walked up to the little girl with a smile, looking at the full bowl and teasing her.

"No, Lizhi wants to go out and eat. Second Brother and Qingque eat so messily, Lizhi will not be a lady if she eats with them!" The little girl's response almost made Li Kuan, who was eavesdropping, spit out his food.

"Is that so? Then let Uncle see what good things Lizhi is taking out to eat!" Changsun Wuji, seeing through the little girl's lie, became even more interested and squatted down to speak softly to Li Lizhi.

"No way! Uncle wants to take Lizhi's food! No way I'll let Uncle see!" The little girl hid the bowl behind her back, blocking it with her small body and shaking her head to prevent Changsun Wuji from seeing.

"Uncle won't take it! But your Second Brother might!" Changsun Wuji always had a smile, which made Li Kuan feel like he was a fox in disguise, making him want to stay away. But since he had been called out, he had to come forward.

"Lizhi, why are you sneaking around? You've got such a big bowl, can you even finish it? Let Second Brother help you!" Li Kuan, not familiar with Changsun Wuji, just smiled and bowed, then spoke to the little girl.

"No! Lizhi can eat it herself!" The little girl still wouldn't let go.

"You don't eat fatty meat! Let Second Brother help you!" Li Kuan came to the little girl's side, peeking behind her, and said.

"No way!" The little girl, like a protective hen, wouldn't budge an inch.

"You don't have a choice!" Li Kuan stood in front of the little girl, but his hand reached behind her, picked up a piece of venison with chopsticks, and laughed as he put it in his mouth.

"Uh-uh..." Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes: "This is Lizhi's, all Lizhi's, Second Brother is bad! Give it back to Lizhi!" The little girl no longer hid the bowl, holding it in front of her, demanding that Li Kuan return the meat.

"Okay, Second Brother will give it back!" Li Kuan, unable to bear the little girl's tears, quickly ran back to the table and put a large piece of meat back into Li Lizhi's bowl.

"Lizhi, tell Second Brother, what are you going to do with these dishes?" Li Kuan coaxed the little girl, asking.

"Lizhi will secretly tell Second Brother, but don't tell anyone else! Otherwise, they will be scolded by Father!" The little girl whispered mysteriously to Li Kuan, trusting him the most and not telling anyone else.

"Okay, I know Lizhi will tell Second Brother! Lizhi is the cutest little fairy!" Li Kuan didn't forget to flatter the little girl.

"Uh-huh! Lizhi is the cutest!" The little girl was becoming more and more like a modern child, a result of Li Kuan's subtle influence over time. This gradual change was so subtle that even Changsun didn't notice that her familiar daughter had completely changed.

"Then, Lizhi, tell me!" Li Kuan looked around; apart from Changsun Wuji, who occasionally glanced over, everyone else was busy with their own affairs, and no one was paying attention.

"Those people standing outside, they haven't had any of this delicious food. Lizhi is going to give it to them!" The little girl said earnestly: "It's so cold outside, they are standing still, how pitiful, are they frozen and can't move?"

Li Kuan felt a wave of shame. He, who had grown up with the idea of equality, had less compassion than a little girl! He had never thought about the soldiers on duty!

The more Li Kuan looked at the little girl, the more he felt small. He realized that Li Lizhi was truly a little fairy, a pure and flawless fairy who had fallen from the heavens, with a heart as clear as crystal.

Li Kuan squatted down and kissed the little girl's face: "Lizhi is doing the right thing, the cutest little fairy, this is Second Brother's reward for you!"

"Second Brother, your mouth is full of oil, you kissed Lizhi's face, it's so annoying!" The little girl, unable to dodge with the bowl in her hands, glared at Li Kuan.

"Let's go together!" Li Kuan took the little girl's bowl and led her to comfort the soldiers in the cold wind.

As the story unfolds, Li Kuan took his sister to show her kindness, while the hall continued as usual, and time passed.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of dishes, everyone was full and the atmosphere of the banquet became even more lively.

"Today, it's rare for everyone to gather, so let's not be formal. We don't know when we'll meet again!" Li Er stood up and said to those around him. This time back in the capital, he had accomplished nothing, and he would be busy again. The others also had their own affairs to attend to, so it was uncertain when they would gather again.

"Since we are all in a good mood today, why don't we each compose a poem to commemorate the occasion?" Changsun Wuji suggested.

"Excellent!" The other civil officials nodded in approval, including Xu Jingzong, Yao Silian, and Kong Yingda, who were all well-versed in literature and eager to compose poems at the banquet.

"Since it was proposed by Lord Changsun, why don't you go first, Lord Changsun?" Kong Yingda said.

"Indeed, that makes sense!" The others agreed.

"Then I will take the liberty!" Changsun Wuji, seeing everyone's agreement, did not refuse. He also had this idea, and the first to go should be from the civil officials. If it were the military, it would be...

Changsun Wuji paced around the hall, occasionally looking around, clearly in deep thought: "I have it!"

He clapped his hands and slowly recited: "White hands hold the pot, reflecting the clear moonlight, cups clink and we get drunk many times. The horn cup overflows, too beautiful to drink, the moon's shadow reflected in the golden goblet."

Changsun Wuji, nodding and swaying, finished his poem, and the people around him began to comment: "This poem is really good, the clear wine shines, reflecting the moon in the sky, the moon in the sky, the shadow in the cup, let's drink to this!"

The civil officials praised the poem, but the military officials sneered: "What white hands, moon shadows, it's all nonsense. It's snowing outside, where is the moon? And you say you can't drink, you drank the most just now!"

"What kind of poem is that? It's just pretentious nonsense. It's pitch black outside, not even a shadow of the moon, and you're talking nonsense! I, Old Cheng, will do better!" Cheng Yaojin, a burly man with a beard and round eyes, loudly proclaimed.

"Then you do it!" Changsun Wuji, who couldn't stand being criticized by Cheng Yaojin, who had barely attended school for two years, responded.

"Composing a poem? I, Old Cheng, can do it right away! Listen up!" Cheng Yaojin stepped out from the group of military officials, his large frame and round eyes making him look like a fierce warrior.

"Old Cheng drinks from a large bowl, enemies on the hillside fall to my sword! Changsun Wuji, don't be so arrogant, let's drink two more large jars!" Cheng Yaojin's poem made everyone burst out laughing, and they looked at him and Changsun Wuji, unsure what to say about these two drinking more large jars.

"Ha ha..." Li Er also laughed. Cheng Yaojin was truly a simpleton, this couldn't even be called a poem, it was more like a nursery rhyme.

Li Kuan, returning from his act of kindness with the little girl, stepped into the hall and heard Cheng Yaojin's poem, almost stumbling and falling. Although he didn't understand poetry, he knew that poems should have a balanced rhythm and refined language. Cheng Yaojin's attempt was not even a passable doggerel, and he laughed along.

Cheng Yaojin, seeing everyone laughing at him, knew he had made a fool of himself. He looked around and saw that not only the civil officials were laughing, but many of the military officials, like Li Shiji and Qin Qiong, were also secretly amused.

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The story continues, with Li Kuan and the little girl returning from their act of kindness, and the hall continuing as usual, the time passing.