LFHYB -Chapter 206 Wind Brings Snow, Trees Bring Plum Blossoms

At this time, the average temperature in Chang’an was relatively high, but when it was time to snow, it still did.

After several days of snowfall, the garden was piled with snow. As Li Xuanba considered postponing the literary gathering, the sky cleared.

Zhao Cijing smiled. “The scenery is perfect.”

Li Xuanba tightened his fur cloak, reminiscing about modern heat packs.

When he was poor, he couldn’t afford a good down jacket. During the coldest times, he would stick a heat pack onto his clothes—warm and economical.

Now, even with a hand warmer, he couldn’t stick it to his body, and it was still cold.

“Well, it’s rare to have a few days of sunshine, so we won’t postpone. Better than risking bad weather later,” Li Xuanba said, shivering as he hugged his hand warmer.

Zhao Cijing was concerned. “If it gets too cold, we can hold the gathering indoors.”

Li Xuanba replied, “Let’s stroll outside first, then return inside.”

He had already prepared; he wouldn’t be freezing outdoors the whole time.

The hall where the literary gathering would take place had a smoke vent. When the kitchen fire was lit, smoke would rise through the vent, slightly warming the room—essentially a rudimentary “heating system.”

The firewood they used now was basic; even Li Xuanba couldn’t afford to burn vast amounts of wood just to heat the vents.

The abandoned Qin-Han hot spring palace, known in Tang Xuanzong’s time as the famous Huaqing Palace, sat about forty to fifty kilometers outside Chang’an at the foot of Mount Li. Though there wasn’t money to rebuild the palace, he could convince noble families to invest in developing the hot spring area, then choose the best spot for a villa—his second brother’s private retreat.

Selling land was also a significant source of income. Giving it away was wasteful; selling it was better.

Li Xuanba used the idea of the future hot spring villa to motivate himself and instructed the servants to make the final preparations.

By mid-morning, guests arrived in groups, as if by prearrangement. No one came early or late.

Li Xuanba had invited peers of his generation; with his status, he didn’t need to personally greet them at the door.

He disliked the cold and didn’t want to stand in the icy snow to welcome them.

Zhao Cijing, as the imperial son-in-law commander, greeted the guests on Li Xuanba’s behalf, preserving face for them.

Li Xuanba’s current residence had once belonged to Yang Yan when he was the Prince of Qi.

After Yang Yan became crown prince, he moved to the Eastern Palace, and Crown Princess Wei moved into the palace with her children.

Since Yang Guang had few children, Yang Yan’s Qi Prince mansion remained as a secondary estate.

After Yang Yan’s failed rebellion, the estate went unattended for years and fell into disrepair.

Li Shimin hadn’t initially intended for Li Xuanba to live there, but Li Xuanba wanted a dilapidated mansion so he could renovate it to his liking. No other residence in Chang’an was larger or closer to the palace than the former Qi Prince mansion, so it ultimately became the Jin Prince mansion.

Yang Yan, when Prince of Qi, loved lively gatherings, often hosting friends in the capital. Many guests attending the literary gathering had been to the Qi Prince mansion before.

They dared attend the gathering, showing their strong memory, so they remembered the mansion’s original appearance.

Yet when they followed Zhao Cijing inside, they felt as if they had entered an entirely unfamiliar place, seeing none of the mansion’s original features.

Though the young scholars knew they should flatter Li Xuanba, they couldn’t help but look down on his excessive extravagance.

How long had the Jin Prince been in Chang’an? Had he already completely rebuilt the Qi Prince mansion?

Some in the capital were puzzled: when did the Jin Prince rebuild the mansion? They hadn’t heard a word of major construction. Had they known, they’d have sent their own carpenters and masons to curry favor.

Although it was unnecessary to attend the gathering to make a name, Xue Yuanjing still took leave to attend in the capacity of the Hedong Xue family to support Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba felt no gratitude, instead accusing Xue Yuanjing of laziness.

Xue Yuanjing, generous-minded, didn’t argue with Li Xuanba’s irritating tongue and still shamelessly attended the gathering.

He wasn’t familiar with Zhao Cijing yet, but since Zhao was Li Xuanba’s brother-in-law, he assumed they’d become acquainted, so he casually asked the guests’ lingering question: “When did the Third Young Master rebuild the Qi Prince mansion? I haven’t heard a word.”

Other guests stiffened at Xue Yuanjing’s use of “Third Young Master” for the Jin Prince.

Who is this person? So rude! Calling His Highness by his personal name? Are you showing off that you’re close to him?

Xue Yuanjing ignored the subtle glares.

Yes, I am showing off.

Zhao Cijing chuckled. “What rebuilding? He just replanted flowers, dug a few ponds, built rockeries, and set up some bamboo and wooden corridors. He calls it a ‘scholarly garden.’”

Xue Yuanjing had heard Li Xuanba boast before but feigned ignorance. “What is a ‘scholarly garden’?”

Zhao Cijing explained, “‘Scholarly gardens’ aren’t about luxury, but about poetic and picturesque aesthetics. Look out this window—a huge rock, a twisted pine—doesn’t it look like a painting?”

He pointed toward the window, and the guests followed his gaze.

After Zhao Cijing spoke, they noticed that the view framed by the window indeed looked a little like a painting.

Zhao Cijing stepped forward a few paces and pointed to another scene through the next window. “Sanlang built a flower bed here, and you can see a cluster of orchids perfectly from this window. When the orchids bloom, the view here will be truly beautiful.”

Xue Yuanjing and the other guests quickened their pace behind Zhao Cijing, turning a corner to see the different scenes framed by each window.

Some patches of flowers and grass that hadn’t withered even in winter, a few oddly shaped trees, some large stones that weren’t particularly valuable but looked interesting… in every corridor they walked, each window framed a different “painting” with its own theme.

Zhao Cijing smiled: “Actually, from outside the corridors, the layout of the Jin Prince’s Mansion isn’t much different from that of the Qi Prince’s Mansion. It’s just that a winding corridor has been built, dividing the previously open courtyard. When you look out from the windows of the corridor, it feels like a complete landscape. Sanlang likes tranquility, and most of his friends do as well. When he invites friends to live here, they can choose the small courtyard they prefer without worrying about being disturbed.”

Xue Yuanjing nodded: “Indeed, Li Sanlang especially loves peace and quiet.”

Zhao Cijing continued: “Sanlang said that in the future, the walls between the windows will be hung with the calligraphy and paintings of friends. He said he would select the worst-written poems by his friends and display them on the walls for everyone to see. After he said that, I didn’t dare to bring out the poems I had prepared.”

Although Xue Yuanjing had known about this for some time, he couldn’t help cursing again: “Even after becoming the Jin Prince, he’s still so petty! Others all display their guests’ best works, and he wants only the worst?!”

Zhao Cijing sighed: “That’s just how he is; he’s been like that since he was little.”

Xue Yuanjing gritted his teeth: “Only the lord can tolerate him!”

Zhao Cijing joked: “I often see Erlang fighting with him; I don’t think that counts as tolerating him either.”

The two of them bantered back and forth, explaining the secrets of the Jin Prince’s gardens to the guests.

When they walked out of the corridor and onto the small paths in the courtyard, the charm of a “literati garden” became even more apparent.

Although the Jin Prince’s Mansion was considered grand within the city, land in Chang’an was precious; even a large mansion could only go so far.

Yet Li Xuanba had used oddly shaped rocks and mounds of earth to create artificial hills and caves, simulating a mountain scene. It gave the impression of living in leisure amid the bustling city, like a hermit in the mountains.

Guests who had secretly criticized the Jin Prince for extravagance felt ashamed; they had misjudged him. The Jin Prince truly lived up to his reputation as a “mad scholar” and model of refined taste. Such elegance—wasn’t this pure Wei-Jin aesthetic?

Zhao Cijing led them around for a while. When the time was right, he brought them to the place where the literary gathering would be held.

Li Xuanba had set up a pavilion on the open ground with thatched roofs. Hanging from the edges of the pavilion were sparkling “gems,” which made the guests, who had just admired the Jin Prince’s refined taste, all gasp in surprise.

Wait, now he’s showing off his wealth?!

Li Xuanba held a hand warmer and stared at the irregular glass shard curtain, mesmerized by the light it reflected. Only after hearing the noisy footsteps did he turn.

As he turned, a gust of wind caused the glass curtain to chime, revealing the wax plum branches bent under the snow behind it.

Snow fell softly behind him, and a few icy crystals were blown onto his shoulder.

The wax plum branches bounced back, and one bloom happened to brush against his cheek.

Li Xuanba’s face had been expressionless, his eyes as still as frozen snow.

When the wax plum branch, full of buds and blossoms, brushed his face, he showed a startled expression, tilted his head, and then smiled gently.

He pulled his hand out of the snow-white fur cloak and lightly touched the fragrant flower, as if it were carved from yellow jade: “’One flower scents ten miles, more so when the whole branch blooms. Favor isn’t in appearance, who dares to compete with the fragrance?’ Ladies and gentlemen, the young prince has kept you waiting long enough.”

The guests, coming out of the winter scene of “snow sent by the wind, wax plum offering blossoms,” bowed to Li Xuanba in unison.

They greeted him in an uneven chorus, and the boldness they had built up in their hearts was somewhat diminished by this extraordinary scene.

In their minds, the previous corridor walk, where the prince said each window framed a scene, had been novel but rather mundane in the winter. But seeing Li Xuanba turn like that—this truly sparked their inspiration. That was not just a person in a painting; no, this was clearly a fairy from within the painting.

The guests, stunned by this magical scene, obediently followed Li Xuanba to their seats. Scholars who had hoped to show off their individuality and impress the prince had completely forgotten their original plans.

Many scholars, after taking their seats, began to regret it. That earlier moment had been such a perfect opportunity to display one’s talent! If I had composed a poem then, I could have won first place! How did I just stand there daydreaming?!

Xue Yuanjing looked at Zhao Cijing in puzzlement.

How could it have coincided so perfectly? The wind sends snow, and the tree offers a flower?

Zhao Cijing gave him a knowing look: “You guessed right.”

Xue Yuanjing felt utterly embarrassed. Li Sanlang, really?!

Outside the curtain, Chen Tieniu, clad in a white cloth cloak, and a few attendants fanning the area quietly retreated.

They had rehearsed dozens of times, and it was perfect!