LFHYB -Chapter 207 What It Means to Leave No Strategy Unused

Despite the cold wind, the guests hurried to the literary gathering. Even though they came by carriage, their hands and feet were slightly chilled.

Li Xuanba first served a warm drink to help everyone regain warmth before proceeding with the next activities.

The warm drink he prepared was hot milk tea with preserved fruits.

At this time, the tea was still “tea soup,” and it was common to add milk or other ingredients to brew it, so drinking milk tea was acceptable.

However, because the tea leaves had not yet been made into loose tea, the taste was somewhat bitter. Milk tea, originally from the grasslands, was mainly consumed as a staple, usually salty or with meat.

The milk tea prepared by Li Xuanba was the kind that, centuries later, would make people gain ten pounds and still be unable to quit.

Cream was added to the milk, mixed with the finest black tea, then flavored with preserved fruit and sugar—sweet and slightly tangy, rich in milky fragrance, and with the aroma of the tea itself enhanced. Any lingering gamey taste in the milk was completely masked.

Both cane sugar and honey were rare luxuries, enjoyed only by the nobility. So not only traditional Chinese palace desserts, but also Western and Eastern aristocratic treats were overwhelmingly sweet. Naturally, the nobles of the Sui and Tang eras were also fond of sweetness.

When they tasted the sweet milk tea, they showed expressions of contentment, and their entire bodies seemed to warm up.

After another sip, they realized this milk tea was not overly sweet. Its lingering sweetness was minimal; instead, the tea’s aroma and the fragrance of the preserved fruit were strong, giving a surprisingly refreshing sensation.

Those who prided themselves on inheriting the ancient Han formulas, consuming and enjoying food with sophistication surpassing that of nouveau riche aristocrats, could not help but glance up at Li Xuanba.

They had long heard that the Prince of Jin had restored many ancient formulas since childhood and lived with tastes even more refined than theirs. Now, drinking this milk tea, they recalled the soaps, perfumes, and ointments Li Xuanba had made years ago, and could not help but heighten their “alertness” once again.

This time, at the literary gathering, they had hoped to see the Prince of Jin’s eyes light up with admiration—but that would be extremely difficult.

Li Xuanba also drank about half a cup of the milk tea, not daring to drink more.

The tea used to make the milk tea was very strong; if he drank too much, he would have to stay up all night to review documents by lamplight.

He did not warn the guests, assuming that, being young, they would have no trouble sleeping.

Zhao Cijing had never experienced Li Xuanba’s special milk tea, while Xue Yuanjing, looking at this essential work-night drink, almost frowned.

Yet he quietly finished it anyway, because the milk tea was genuinely delicious.

Whenever Li Xuanba devised a formula, he would transcribe a copy for them. Xue Yuanjing also knew the milk tea recipe. But for some reason, food made at home following Li Xuanba’s recipe never tasted as good as Li Xuanba’s own creations. Though Li Xuanba did not personally make them, he merely directed in the kitchen.

Xue Yuanjing squinted slightly. The sweetness was just right—Li Sanlang was as considerate and meticulous as ever.

After warming themselves with the milk tea, Li Xuanba handed each guest a small hand warmer that could also hold a cup.

While holding the hand warmer, they could also keep the drink in their cup warm.

For drinks brought outside, Li Xuanba only prepared two broad categories: milk tea and plain tea. Yet within these categories, there were many subtypes depending on the milk and tea used.

He introduced, for the first time, the concept of classifying tea by its fermentation level—green tea, black tea, white tea, dark tea, yellow tea—and had Zhao Cijing demonstrate the proper way to drink each, explaining the effects of each tea.

Dou Huiming had initially wanted to use Li Xuanba’s beautiful maidservants to decorate the gathering, but Li Xuanba thought it more fitting to have the “handsome brother-in-law” enhance the scene.

Scholars might praise elegance as usual, but for high-class matters, if the scholar did not demonstrate themselves, it would not seem proper.

At this literary gathering, not a single maid came; all attendants were young men dressed as literati.

The young men might not be handsome, but they exuded a scholarly air, and their expressions had to be neither humble nor arrogant.

Zhao Cijing had initially found Li Xuanba’s arrangement a little odd, but seeing it today, it seemed Li Xuanba had done it right again. Even in such matters, Li Sanlang was “infallibly meticulous”?

Zhao Cijing now wanted to vent to Xue Yuanjing. He planned to pull Xue Yuanjing into a small grove later, somewhere private, and complain about Li Xuanba’s absurdities of the day.

Coincidentally, Xue Yuanjing was thinking the same thing.

When Li Xuanba arranged these matters, he had inquired about the habits of many noble sons, subtly “poisoning” Xue Yuanjing.

Xue Yuanjing cast his gaze over the crowd and settled on Lu Chengqing of Fanyang, pretending to be an ordinary, politically unimportant Shandong noble—the “one among the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.”

Lu Chengqing’s eyes briefly met Xue Yuanjing’s superior, then naturally shifted away.

He knew his superior wanted to vent about the Prince of Jin, but sorry—now he was just an ordinary Fanyang noble and had to blend in with the other Shandong gentry.

The Shandong families outwardly claimed to be aloof and neutral, not taking sides immediately, but this was only at the family level. Individual sons had to work for their own futures.

For example, Li Yuan’s sister had married into the Taiyuan Wang family, so Li Yuan’s brother-in-law naturally supported him. Lu Chengqing’s father, Lu Chisong, had once served as a county magistrate in Hedong Commandery and was acquainted with Li Yuan, thus early on pledging loyalty to him.

By chance, Li Xuanba was the one cultivating the Hedong scholars. Although Lu Chisong maintained his status and did not associate directly with Li Xuanba, Lu Chengqing, only four years older than Li Xuanba, naturally attended every banquet to make a familiar impression.

Though at that time Lu Chengqing could hardly be called a friend of Li Xuanba, and even “acquaintance” was generous, after Lu Chisong brought Lu Chengqing to support Li Yuan, Lu Chengqing officially and secretly pledged himself to Li Xuanba through his friend Xue Yuanjing.

However, Lu Chisong outwardly still appeared as Li Yuan’s supporter, so he could not act too openly. Few knew he was aligned with “Yuancong.”

Many of the “disgruntled” noble sons attending this banquet were actually “inside men.” For example, some sent by the Longxi Li clan had blood ties to Li Jing; those sent by the Taiyuan Wang family were simply Li Yuan’s nephews, Wang Renbiao.

Among the “Five Surnames and Seven Clans,” only the Boling Cui family took a neutral approach, indifferent to who became emperor—let their sons pass the imperial exams and hold office, while other families’ sons had to take sides.

For instance, the Zheng family sided with Li Jiancheng, and the Qinghe Cui family with Yang Xuangan and Li Mi.

Yet even the Zheng family had sons who were Li Shimin and Li Xuanba’s confidants (Li Zhiyun: I said they are my confidants!), and the Qinghe Cui actively sought to have their sons earn merit. So in terms of family survival, there was no real panic.

But the key question remained: if the big families survived, what about the small ones?

Li Xuanba finally announced the start of the literary gathering and led everyone to the wax plum grove. The guests nervously sipped their tea—the main event was finally about to begin.

“Poetry and literary compositions have always emphasized balance and symmetry. I had a sudden idea: inspired by the ‘peach charms’ from the Qin and Han dynasties, what if a pair of matching lines were posted on either side of a door? That could be quite elegant. I call this a ‘couplet’ or a ‘paired couplet,’” Li Xuanba said with a smile. “The New Year is coming, so it’s a good time to send something to the court officials. The couplets you write today will be classified into first, second, and third tiers and gifted to officials of different ranks; for the top tier, I’ve set a grand prize—which I will give to the Prince of Chu.”

The concept of “paired lines” has existed since ancient times, and the prototype of couplets took shape during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The earliest records of couplets appear in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, so this kind of activity doesn’t yet officially exist.

Poems and essays are long and require attention to the overall mood, making judging cumbersome. Couplets, by contrast, consist of just two lines, and the “paired” format naturally showcases literary talent. Since “matching couplets” would later become a staple in literary banquets, it should suit the tastes of Tang dynasty literati as well.

In fact, the practice of “matching couplets” originally emerged during the Tang dynasty.

Typical banquets usually featured drinking games or archery games that combined physical activity with poetry. Li Xuanba had initially intended the same, but the weather was too cold to move around, and he was easily drunk after three cups, so he decided to make it about couplets and word riddles instead.

He would present either a line of poetry or a scene/imagery, and the guests would create a matching line in response.

The guests had never seen this kind of activity before, and their interest was immediately piqued. Being young and playful, their nervousness eased somewhat.

As soon as Li Xuanba announced the start, they rushed into the wax plum grove like caged beasts, hunting for “prompts.”

The scholars attending were very confident in their talents and tried every challenge. Seeing the growing pile of couplet “answers,” Li Xuanba felt a headache coming on and hurried to seek outside assistance.

Yu Shinan and Xue Daoheng happened to be free, so they came over with smiles to help.

They pretended that their arrival was part of the gathering itself, and that their slight delay due to official duties merely gave the guests a surprise.

Yu Shinan and Xue Daoheng were both literary giants of the Sui dynasty, especially Xue Daoheng, who was universally recognized as the greatest poet of the Sui.

As soon as they arrived, the scholars started breaking into cold sweat and needing frequent trips to the restroom, one after another.

Yu Shinan and Xue Daoheng couldn’t help but look on with mild disgust.

Of course, they didn’t mind that young scholars occasionally needed a restroom break. But why, as soon as they appeared, did everyone suddenly need to go?! Were they that intimidating?! The scholars’ composure was clearly failing!

The scholars, wearing bitter expressions, thought they were just poor under pressure.

When the gathering ended and the scholars returned home to face their elders’ questions, they still wore grim faces.

They couldn’t match elegance, couldn’t match wealth, and talent aside, the Prince of Jin had meant to give them a pleasant surprise by inviting Lord Yu and Lord Xue to judge, yet they were too nervous and kept running to the restroom.

To show the Prince of Jin the talent and demeanor of the sons of noble families, to let him know that without them the court would be incomplete? That their personal qualities far surpassed others?

They were completely unprepared for this.

“Do you know that the Prince of Jin is so beautiful he seems like a celestial being, and even Heaven sends him ‘snow and plum blossoms’?!”

“Do you know how many ways there are to drink tea, how many ways to brew milk tea?!”

“Do you know that the couplet with the line ‘The Three Lights—sun, moon, stars’ matches with ‘The Four Classics—Shi, Ci, Feng, Song’?!”

“I don’t know! I know nothing! Who says the Tang Guo Gong household lacks depth? The prestigious Boling Cui family has maintained purity and nobility for hundreds of years—how is it that the Prince of Jin makes us seem like mere country scholars?!”

It was said that a sixteen-year-old boy from the Boling Cui family cried uncontrollably at home afterward, appearing on the verge of collapse.

Such unbelievable stories were naturally not fully trusted by the people of the capital.

A few days later, however, a sixteen-year-old named Cui Renshi appeared at Li Xuanba’s gate, standing in the snow to pay respects, insisting on taking the Prince of Jin as his teacher… Well, that must be a coincidence.

…

“Ah? ‘Snow and plum blossoms,’ ‘standing in the snow at the Li residence’? What on earth is A-Xuan doing?!” When Li Shimin received the first batch of logistics from Li Xuanba, he also got a letter from his younger brother—the first time Li Xuanba had successfully shown off since the founding of the Tang.

He scratched his unwashed head of a month. Even though they were twins, he had no idea what his brother was up to this time.

In short, A-Xuan was definitely causing mischief.

Once Li Shimin realized this, he felt relieved and stopped worrying.

Changsun Kangning laughed so hard she bent over, nearly falling until Yuwen Zhu held her up. “My lord, what do you mean by ‘A-Xuan is causing mischief, so it’s fine’? Are your expectations for the Third Prince really that low?”

Li Shimin put on a solemn expression. “Low expectations? No, these are high expectations. He causes trouble, he cleans up the mess himself—don’t think of troubling me, or I’ll hit him. Sister-in-law, don’t even try to stop me!”

Yuwen Zhu laughed and cried at the same time. “I won’t stop you. My lord, should I go back and persuade him to wait until you return before acting, so you don’t worry?”

Although she knew Li Shimin had a good relationship with her husband, their statuses were now different. She worried that Li Xuanba handling power alone in the capital might lead to trouble.

Li Shimin pretended not to notice her concern, smiling: “If sister-in-law misses A-Xuan, I can send you back. But stopping him is pointless. I’m busy organizing the steppe, so I can’t bother with court matters. If A-Xuan doesn’t let the ministers and noble families stay busy, there will be plenty of trouble waiting when I return.”

Yuwen Zhu thought for a moment: “Then I’ll follow my lord and the lady. There’s an epidemic on the steppe, and I can’t rest if I don’t go with you.”

This time, Yuwen Zhu accompanied Li Shimin and Changsun Kangning on the expedition not only to assist in “chief mother diplomacy” as the Princess of Jin, but also because recent outbreaks had occurred from Longyou to the steppe.

Yuwen Zhu suspected it might be dysentery, a disease with a high mortality rate. After corresponding with her teacher, she had confirmed preventive measures and dared not leave epidemic control to others.

She hadn’t dared to tell Li Xuanba about the epidemic on the grasslands, but this time, Li Xuanba had sent over a lot of herbs and advised her to eat cooked food, drink hot water, and be careful of mosquito bites. She guessed that Li Xuanba probably already knew.

Li Shimin sighed. “Why don’t you and Guanyin just go back? There’s an epidemic on the grasslands, and I worry you might get sick.”

Changsun Kangning smiled and lightly tapped Li Shimin’s arm. “If you were to fall ill and pass away, what would become of Zhuniang and me in the future? Don’t go telling me that Third Brother would succeed as emperor. He’s weak, and if he hears that you died on the grasslands, it might only leave Fifth Brother to ascend the throne—and then both of you would be mourned together.”

Li Zhiyun, who was quietly gnawing on a hard biscuit nearby and trying to make himself invisible, looked up in shock, eyes full of accusation.

What does this have to do with me?! Why are you suddenly talking about me?!

Li Shimin scratched his thick hair awkwardly. “Right, our A-Xuan is fragile. His heart isn’t strong; he can’t handle this kind of shock.”

Changsun Kangning gave a mischievous grin. “So if anyone were really to die, the three of us would go together, giving Third Brother a real shock, so he wouldn’t suffer too much.”

Yuwen Zhu could no longer tolerate it and forcefully covered Changsun Kangning’s mouth.

“Can you shut up? Why do you have to say such unlucky things? Take it back right now!” she scolded, laughing.

Changsun Kangning: “Waaah!” Suffocating!

Li Shimin crossed his arms and nodded repeatedly. “Although this isn’t very auspicious to say, what Guanyin said is the plain truth.”

Li Zhiyun muttered in exasperation, “Then take me along too. Let our whole family go together. Make Third Brother, Mother, and Mother-in-law cry to death. Forget the Tang Dynasty… ouch!”

Li Zhiyun’s head was met with a heavy smack from Li Shimin.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Li Shimin scolded.

Yuwen Zhu covered Changsun Kangning’s mouth and dragged her away.

Li Shimin chased after Li Zhiyun, who clutched his biscuit and ran helter-skelter.

Passing by, Qin Qiong grabbed Zong Luohu with his left hand and Xue Ju with his right, quickly turning and hurrying away. Luo Shixin had already disappeared somewhere.

See nothing, hear nothing—I’m blind and deaf.

Pei Xingyan squatted on the ground, speaking to Changsun Wuji. “Why haven’t the Turks attacked yet? If they don’t show up soon, Li Er will go mad.”

Changsun Wuji held his head in anguish. “It’s my sister’s nonsense that’s going to drive me crazy.”