Chapter 45: Friends (Part 2)

Early in the morning, Wu Yue-Ling rose from her bed, stretched languidly, and gazed through the window at the garden where chrysanthemums bloomed in profusion. She thought it was time to harvest them. She had suggested it before, but Xiao Chun had advised that, with the chrysanthemums filling the courtyard, the princess could enjoy their beauty for a while longer; they were, after all, a splendid sight in the backyard.

After washing and breakfasting, she decided at last to gather the chrysanthemums.

She instructed Wan-Er and a few others to take woven bamboo trays into the chrysanthemum patch and collect the blossoms, which would then be preserved.

Wu Yue-Ling, together with Li Xian-Xian and Du Gu Die-Er, sat on the balcony of the pavilion, looking down at the chrysanthemum fields and the busy figures among them, sipping salted chrysanthemum tea freshly brewed from the petals they had just picked.

“Yue-Ling, elder sister,” Li Xian-Xian leaned against the railing, holding a bamboo teacup, “I’ve heard from the storytellers at the tavern a tale of Xiang County, a lovely rumor—I wonder if it’s true?”

“What rumor?” Wu Yue-Ling was puzzled; she had passed through Xiang County but never heard of it.

“The talented lady Wu Yue-Ling, drinking wine and composing poetry; the painting sage Wu Daozi, copying three hundred scrolls!”

“Pfft,” Wu Yue-Ling choked on her tea, spraying the railing.

Catching her breath, she looked at Li Xian-Xian, finally recalling the incident, and hurriedly asked, “How did you know about this? The storytellers?”

“Yes, from a tavern called Buy-and-Sell Pavilion. Their wine is watered and cheap, but I go there for their lotus soup—so delicious, the cooks in the palace can never replicate it,” Li Xian-Xian explained.

“I see,” Wu Yue-Ling replied, embarrassed, for she had indeed recited several poems in Xiang County.

“‘My robes grow loose, I regret nothing; for you, I’ve become gaunt and wan,’” said Du Gu Die-Er, who rarely spoke, evidently fond of that line.

“I wonder if you, elder sister Yue-Ling, could compose another poem? After all, Die-Er and I only know how to eat, drink, and play—we can’t write poetry or play music,” Li Xian-Xian’s almond eyes sparkled as she laughed.

“Mm!” Du Gu Die-Er looked at Wu Yue-Ling with eager anticipation.

Wu Yue-Ling chuckled and shook her head, pondering, then glanced at the chrysanthemums in the courtyard, sipped her tea, and said, “I do recall one—let me try and recite it for you.”

“My ears await your words,” Li Xian-Xian moved to sit beside the quiet Princess Jing-Le, waiting expectantly for Wu Yue-Ling’s new poem.

“Let’s stick with ‘Butterfly Loves the Flower,’” Wu Yue-Ling smiled, “Chrysanthemums behind the rail, troubled by mist; orchids weep in the dew. Thin curtains, light chill, swallows fly away in pairs…”

Li Wan-Er, holding a tray of chrysanthemums, walked below the pavilion, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a fragrant cloth, poured herself a bowl of tea to quench her thirst, and heard the poetic recitation from above. She stood quietly to listen, softly singing along in time with the young lady’s voice: “Last night the west wind withered the emerald tree, alone I climb the high tower, gazing as far as the ends of the earth…”

Wu Yue-Ling recited the poem haltingly and soon heard the melodious sound of the zither rising from below—it was Wan-Er playing, accompanied by a lovely singing voice. Wasn’t this the very lyrics of “Butterfly Loves the Flower”?

As the song drifted upward, Li Xian-Xian rushed to the railing and peered down, seeing a maid playing the zither with curiosity. “What beautiful music! Who is that girl below? Is she a maid of the princess’s residence?”

“She is a maid, and also a friend,” Wu Yue-Ling replied.

After a few days, sending off those gluttonous companions, Wu Yue-Ling felt much more at ease; cooking every day had been tiring, and she’d never realized how much effort her mother must have put forth—now, doing it herself, she truly understood.

While rummaging through the cupboards, Wu Yue-Ling found a parcel wrapped in burlap; opening it, she discovered a bundle of dried bamboo shoots, long forgotten. She checked them over—no signs of pests—so she decided to sun them and fry them with meat for a meal.

Thinking further, Wu Yue-Ling took a design sketch for a mandarin duck hotpot to the blacksmith’s workshop and asked the smiths to forge it; winter was coming, and hotpot was the best remedy.

A few days prior, Xiao Chun had gone to the eastern market and bought some donkey meat, preparing a dish called “Warm Blossom Brewed Donkey Steamed”—a mouthful of a name, Wu Yue-Ling thought, so she simply called it “braised donkey meat.”

Xiao Chun made this dish because, as she said, living through spring and summer inevitably brought dampness; braising donkey meat in yellow wine would dispel the damp and nourish the body.

Wu Yue-Ling agreed, praised her for her care, and gave her a few strings of copper coins to buy more donkey meat to reward everyone, cooking it in the pressure cooker.

As for the pressure cooker’s leather gasket, Wu Yue-Ling had no solution—she left it to the blacksmiths to puzzle over, having to change it every month, which was troublesome.

A few more days passed, and the weather grew colder. At night, the autumn wind was chill, prompting everyone to add layers.

One morning, Wu Yue-Ling brewed a bowl of chrysanthemum tea. When the sun rose, the carpenters delivered toothbrushes. They had struggled with removing the odor from pig bristles and fixing them into the brush holes—especially Mo Qian-Jin and Mo Ding-Kun, the father and son. Eventually, they managed to tie them in neat rows, barely passing muster.

Wu Yue-Ling brushed her teeth and felt much refreshed, so she asked Yu Chao-En to buy some medicinal herbs, including mint. Upon return, she ground the herbs into powder, mixed them with salt and honey, and applied the mixture to the toothbrush, beginning to brush.

Spitting out the foam, Wu Yue-Ling felt a secret delight—no more worries about bad breath.

She thought, when spring came she would sun-dry some tea leaves and make green tea toothpaste, which would be quite good.

She distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste to her attendants, instructing Hua Chu-Er to lead the way and squat on the steps; everyone was confused, holding their bamboo cups and toothbrushes.

Wu Yue-Ling stood before them, raised her bamboo tube, picked up her toothbrush, and showed them the brushing technique.

The group hesitated at first, but soon followed her lead.

Yu Chao-En started brushing up and down, swallowing the foam, then left and right.

Wu Yue-Ling hadn’t noticed at first, but when everyone was spitting out foam, she saw Yu Chao-En drinking water from the bamboo tube and swallowing—she couldn’t help but facepalm and correct his brushing method, warning him never to drink the brushing water again…

After teaching them, she reminded them, regardless of preference, to brush their teeth twice daily—morning and night.

That day, the blacksmiths also delivered the special Wu-family hotpot. Wu Yue-Ling boiled several batches of water in it, added seasonings, and boiled again.

She summoned Hua Chu-Er and others to Tian Ci Pavilion’s courtyard, announcing a hotpot meal. She had Yu Chao-En pick several green chili peppers, sliced and added to the pot, waiting for the kitchen to send assorted ingredients, vegetables, and meats before starting the feast.

Most important were the live prawns, caught in the large pond at the rear of the residence.

At night, bonfires blazed, and everyone gathered around the hotpot, joining the princess in savoring this inventive cuisine.

A few days later, the chili peppers began to turn red. Yu Chao-En, noticing this phenomenon, rushed to report to the princess early in the morning, saying the fruit had ripened.

Wu Yue-Ling went to the chili patch and found several robust red peppers. She plucked them, examined them, and thought, “Chili peppers—there were none in the Tang Dynasty. Only here, nowhere else. ‘Yu Chao-En, pick these red chili peppers and sun-dry them. Save the seeds for next year!’”

“Yes, Princess. Can this fruit be eaten raw?” Yu Chao-En asked, head lowered—he’d never tried it.

“Certainly,” Wu Yue-Ling replied, blinking and stroking her chin. If one didn’t mind the fiery flavor, eating them raw was fine.

After Wu Yue-Ling left, Yu Chao-En picked the red peppers, laid them out to dry in the autumn sun, and secretly took two to his own quarters.

In the palace, Li Lin-Fu and Gao Li-Shi sat facing each other.

“Gao Li-Shi, this is a Jade Light Pearl from the Western Regions. I wonder if you like it?” Li Lin-Fu opened a palm-sized brocade box, revealing a white jade bead.

Gao Li-Shi picked it up, found it pleasing, and his fleshy face blossomed with a genial smile. “Right Chancellor Li, what else do you have for His Majesty?”

“Haha, not for the Emperor, but for the Grand Daoist.”

“Oh? What gift?”

“A jade pipa and a white jade zither,” Li Lin-Fu whispered confidentially.

Gao Li-Shi nodded with satisfaction, his face brimming with pride, his thumb and forefinger pinching together as he waved them before Li Lin-Fu, rubbing them a few times.

“Heh heh, rest assured, I have a jar of twenty-year-old vintage wine. When the chef from the Princess Protector’s residence returns, I invite you to my mansion for a banquet. I hope you will honor me,” Li Lin-Fu said, smiling and bowing respectfully.

Gao Li-Shi laughed heartily, agreeing that the gifts would be delivered and promising to speak well of him before Grand Daoist Yang Yu-Huan.

That night, Gao Li-Shi delivered the Chancellor’s gifts to Yang Yu-Huan. The Emperor, Li Long-Ji, seeing her delight, praised Li Lin-Fu’s thoughtfulness and invited him to a palace banquet the next day.

After delivering the gifts, Gao Li-Shi returned home, wrote a letter, and had Wu Hou send it to the Duke of Jin’s residence, conveying the imperial command: in a few days, Li Lin-Fu would be summoned to dine at the palace, with the Princess Protector tasked as head chef!

After bathing, it was deep into the night. Gao Li-Shi gazed at the sparse stars above, feeling content and relaxed. His trusted servant, Li Jing-Zhong, brought a letter and a package from Yu Chao-En.

He pondered, tapping his teacup. Last time, the recruitment of servants for the princess’s residence hadn’t been relayed to him, but fortunately, it wasn’t his only opportunity to place a pawn. He was aware, though he’d missed the chance to insert one.

He opened the letter—was it about this package? Unwrapping it, he found the fruit described by Yu Chao-En: bright red, glossy, and enticing. Without hesitation, he took a bite, chewed a few times, and realized something was wrong—hurriedly spat it out. Hot! Burning hot!

Coughing violently, Gao Li-Shi grabbed his teacup and gulped down tea, but the tea was freshly brewed and quite warm—making things worse. He spat the water onto the floor. What fruit was this? How could it taste like this? He clutched his mouth—too spicy (hot)!

Meanwhile, Li Lin-Fu sat in Moon Hall. By the candlelight, the flowing water reflected the blurred figure of a man eating chili peppers…