I served as Li Bai's page.

Chapter 168, First Encounter with Yi

Li Bai did not lie to Pingyang. After sending his sixth uncle out of Rencheng, he went home. He originally planned to stay at home for two days before returning to General Mountain, but Xu Ziyan fell ill. Li Bai had no choice but to stay at home, accompanying Xu Ziyan to recover while teaching Pingyang and Boqin to read and write.

That day, Sister Lin brought two people back with her when she went out to buy groceries.

"Sir, two gentlemen are looking for you," Sister Lin called out.

Li Bai emerged from his study, strode over to the two men, and embraced them. I stepped out of my bedroom and saw that it was Zhang Shuming and Han Zhun.

I went over and greeted them, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Han, you must be tired from your journey. Please have a seat in the living room."

Upon hearing my words, Li Bai quickly invited Zhang Shuming and Han Zhun to the living room. After pouring them tea, I went to the kitchen.

"Sister Lin, these two are the master's friends. They're having lunch here today. Did you buy enough groceries?"

"It's enough, but it's mostly vegetarian food. My wife is sick and can't eat anything too oily."

"Then I'll go buy some more."

After I finished speaking, I took my two tails (Pingyang and Boqin) and went out. We went to the market and bought fish and meat, and then went to the winery to buy two jars of wine. As we walked back into the alley, there were three middle-aged men ahead of us, looking around suspiciously. Boqin held my hand tightly and said:

"Uncle, there's a bad guy."

"Don't be afraid, uncle's here." As I walked past them with my two children, one of them stopped me and asked:

"Young man, may I ask which courtyard Li Bai's house was in?"

Pingyang quickly replied, "Li Bai is my father."

I pulled Pingyang aside and asked the four men, "What do you want with him?"

"Young man, you've misunderstood. We simply admire his poetry and prose and wish to meet him. He knows Han Zhun, and Han Zhun said he would come to meet him today, so we also came from Mount Culai. My name is Pei Zheng, this is Kong Chaofu, and this is Tao Mian."

"Mr. Han is at our house today, please come with me," I said.

I led Boqin and the three of them towards home. Just as we entered the courtyard, Pei Zheng saw Li Bai, Han Zhun, and Zhang Shuming chatting in the pavilion and loudly proclaimed, "Master Han, you're being disrespectful! You know Li Bai, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I was just talking about the three of you with Li Bai and Shuming, and here you are! Talk about the devil! Come, let me introduce you."

I led Pei Zheng and the other two to the pavilion. Li Bai and the others stood up, and Han Zhun introduced them to each other. Pei Zheng said happily, "I've finally met my idol, Master Taibai! Shall we hug?"

Li Bai opened his arms and embraced each of the three men, saying, "I was merely a little bolder than you, expressing my own feelings. It is my honor to receive your affirmation."

"Brother Taibai, I heard from Master Han that you studied swordsmanship under General Pei at General Mountain. General Pei is the foremost swordsman in the Tang Dynasty; he doesn't just take on disciples casually. He must admire your literary talent."

I interjected, "Of course! Otherwise, how could they be worthy of the title 'Three Wonders of the Tang Dynasty'?"

Kong Chaofu asked, "What are the three perfections of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Replying to Mr. Kong, the Three Perfections of the Tang Dynasty refer to Li Bai's poetry, Pei Min's sword dance, and Zhang Xu's cursive script."

"Yuehua, stop talking nonsense and go cook," Li Bai said.

"Yes, young master." I turned and walked out of the pavilion.

Tao Mian said, "That makes sense. Zhang Changshi's cursive script is truly exceptional; no one can match it."

"I met Ji Ming once, at a dinner party. Let's get together sometime," Li Bai said.

"That's wonderful. Mount Culai has a beautiful environment and tranquil scenery, making it the perfect place for a gathering. Brother Taibai, please visit Mount Culai when you have time," said Kong Chaofu.

I went to the kitchen and helped Sister Lin prepare the meal. After setting the table, I went to the pavilion and called out, "Gentlemen, let's eat first before we talk."

Li Bai led Zhang Shuming and the others to the dining hall. As soon as they sat down, he requested larger wine cups. All six were heavy drinkers, and the two jars of wine were gone in an instant. Li Bai, not yet satisfied, stood up and said, "My five brothers, let's go somewhere else to drink. Please follow me."

Xu Ziyan, frail and ill, could not say much, so she whispered, "Everyone, just drink in moderation. There's no need to get drunk."

Zhang Shuming said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, we know what we're doing."

Li Bai, along with Zhang Shuming and three others, headed towards the Helan Family Restaurant behind the house. Just as they stepped out of the courtyard, Li Bai turned back to me and said, "Yuehua, go and invite Registrar Lu to the restaurant. Tell him I'll introduce him to some new friends."

"Okay, I'll go right away," I replied.

"Yuehua, what brings you here?" I met Clerk Lu at the entrance of the Lu residence.

"Registrar Lu, are you going out? My young master asked me to invite you to a gathering at the Helan Family Restaurant. He wants to introduce you to some new friends."

"I was just about to go to the county government office. Since Li Taibai invited me, I'll go and have a couple of drinks with him. Wait a minute, I'll go back and change my clothes."

After changing his clothes, Clerk Lu followed me towards the Helan Family Restaurant. Along the way, Clerk Lu asked, "What kind of friends has your young master made recently?"

"Have you heard of the Six Recluses of Zhuxi?" I asked Registrar Lu.

"I've never heard of it, but I know that Zhuxi is located at the foot of Mount Culai."

"There really is such a place as Zhuxi. Have you been there?" I asked.

"I've been to Mount Culai, a famous Taoist mountain, but I haven't been to Zhuxi. I've heard that there's a bamboo rock in front of the mountain, and the patterns on the rock resemble bamboo leaves," said Registrar Lu.

As I spoke with Registrar Lu, we arrived at Helan's Restaurant. I led Registrar Lu to a private room, where Li Bai stood up to greet us, took Registrar Lu's hand, and introduced him to everyone: "This is my good friend, Lu Qian, Registrar of Rencheng."

Zhang Shuming stood up and introduced himself: "Zhang Shuming from Wutongyu, Shimenshan."

Han Zhun, Pei Zheng, Kong Chaofu, and Tao Mian also stood up one after another and introduced themselves.

Registrar Lu said, "So you are all famous figures from Donglu. I have long admired your names, and it is truly an honor to meet you today."

"Brother Lu, you flatter me. We don't need to act like celebrities; we're all good friends of Li Bai now. Please have a seat, Brother Lu." Zhang Shuming walked up to Lu Qian and pulled him to sit in the seat next to him.

The seven of them then drank heartily and chatted about everything under the sun. When they got excited, they would stand up and gesticulate wildly. They drank from afternoon until dinner time before finally stopping.

The drinking was enjoyable, and although everyone was tipsy, they all managed to stay clear-headed.

After leaving Helan's Restaurant, Zhang Shuming said, "Brother Taibai, Brother Lu, the five of us will stay at an inn near the east gate of the city. You two should go home so your families won't worry."

"Alright then, I'll come to the inn to find you tomorrow, and I'll show you around Rencheng properly," Li Bai said.

Tao Mian said, "I've heard that the scenery of Beihu Lake in Rencheng is quite nice. Let's go boating on Beihu Lake tomorrow."

Lu Qian said, "Brothers, I have business at the yamen tomorrow, so please excuse me. It will probably take you two days to get to Beihu. The day after tomorrow, I will host a banquet at the Grand Restaurant at the East Gate of the city to apologize."

"Brother Lu, you're too modest. We'll meet at the Grand Restaurant at the East Gate of the city," Zhang Shuming and the others said.