Chapter 118: If You Do Not Get Drunk Tonight, Where Shall You Return?

Even the dullest observer now understood the intention of the West Market.

Compared to the denizens of the East Market’s Pingkang Ward, the foreign beauties recruited by the West Market were exceptionally stunning, standing in a class of their own. While they possessed a unique exotic charm, their musical performances were, generally speaking, slightly inferior to those of the East Market.

Recognizing this, the West Market had opted for a themed performance—"Foreign Beauties Singing of Foreign Beauties"—a novel approach that allowed them to score significant points by focusing on a specific niche.

While these five foreign beauties were performing in succession, more than half of the tourists and socialites who had gathered at the East Market had already crossed over. Even in Chang'an, where foreign dancers were a common sight, such a thematic performance was rare, even within the imperial palace. The crowds were here for novelty and excitement; having been drawn by the performers of Pingkang Ward earlier, they were now equally captivated by the foreign beauties.

Wang Jin stared intently at the sixth foreign beauty, waiting for her to sing. As the string music played, she rose. Her features were distinct, her expression lively, and she exuded an infinite charm. Her attire was also different, leaning slightly toward masculine styles, and as she raised her hand, she revealed a calligraphy brush.

"The brush trims a thousand rabbit hairs; the poem carves a waist of twin oxen. The brush commands tigers and dragons; the dance music brushes the clouds. Two songs from two foreign beauties, playing for the distant, clear morning. Raising wine to challenge the northern snow, I shall not be lenient with you!"

As the song concluded, Wang Jin’s heart skipped a beat. This poem must have been written by that drunken madman, Li Taibai. Among the earlier poems, there were several he had never heard before, which had already led him to suspect Li Taibai’s involvement. Now, with this one, there was no longer any doubt.

That Ye Shiyi had actually colluded with Li Taibai was... truly, incredibly troublesome.

Among the poets of Chang'an at the time, if there was anyone whom even Wang Wei dared not belittle, it was Li Bai. Yet, Li Bai and Ye Chang had never been known to have any friendship. Though both were close to He Zhizhang, the latter had long since left Chang'an.

Logically, these two should not have been able to get along. Given Li Taibai’s foul temper and difficult personality, would he look favorably upon Ye Shiyi? And with Ye Shiyi’s temperament, could he tolerate Li Taibai? While he was still pondering who could have written these verses, Wang Yuanbao tilted his head to look at him, his gaze filled with a touch of reproach.

These six poems were no less impressive than the three new ones by Wang Wei, and some were even superior. Moreover, they were all related to foreign beauties and were being performed by them. In this light, the outcome of this competition was becoming difficult to call.

At this moment, Wang Yuanbao was profoundly disappointed in Wang Jin’s abilities. He didn't need to think twice to know that the "Foreign Beauties Singing of Foreign Beauties" theme was undoubtedly another of Ye Chang’s masterpieces.

As long as Ye Chang was present, he remained a massive source of trouble. Wang Jin had promised to drive Ye Chang away, yet so far, he had achieved nothing. Too lazy to remain in his opponent’s territory and unwilling to see the smug look on Hu Yuanxiang’s face, he turned and walked away.

Wang Jin shared the same sentiment and turned to leave as well. However, just as they turned, they felt something was off. The music had not stopped. All six beauties had finished singing, so why was the accompaniment continuing? Could it be... was there another song? Just as they were about to turn back, they heard all six foreign beauties begin to sing in unison:

"The zither plays the green paulownia of Longmen; the jade pot’s fine wine is clear as the void. Urging the strings, brushing the bridges, I drink with you; watching the red turn to green, the face begins to flush. The foreign beauty’s face is like a flower, smiling at the spring breeze by the wine vat. Smiling at the spring breeze, dancing in silk robes; if you do not get drunk today, where will you return?"

The melody of this song was familiar, so after the first verse, the surrounding crowds were already humming along. By the second verse, many were joining in. The sound of "Smiling at the spring breeze, dancing in silk robes; if you do not get drunk today, where will you return..." grew from the voices of six women into a chorus of hundreds, then thousands.

This was the flourishing Tang.

The Tang of poetry, the Tang of song, the Tang where drunken madness and poetic spirit intertwined.

In the heart of every Chang'an resident beat a romantic pulse; in the veins of every Chang'an resident flowed the blood of heroism and self-confidence.

Of course, it didn't hurt that the West Market had planted shills within the crowd to lead the singing.

But with thousands of voices joined together, a momentum was built, and a festive atmosphere immediately began to spread. Among the stalls set up by the West Market were many selling fine wine and snacks; soon, the fragrance of wine filled the air, laughter echoed, and the sound of drinking games became incessant.

This sound surged like a tide, sweeping through the surroundings, growing louder and spreading further, until even on the Vermilion Bird Gate, Li Longji could hear it.

"Oh... it has become even livelier. I wonder what is happening," Li Longji said with a hint of envy.

"The people I sent should return soon, and then we shall know what has caused such a stir," Gao Lishi smiled. "Whatever it may be, it is the Emperor sharing the joy with his people that creates such liveliness."

Before long, a eunuch returned to report to Li Longji. After the eunuch finished explaining the singing competition between the East and West Markets, Li Longji’s face beamed with delight, and he clapped his hands repeatedly: "It should be so! It should be so!" He gazed longingly toward the bustling area, truly wishing he could leave the palace to join the festivities. Gao Lishi, standing beside him, hesitated slightly: "Your Majesty, perhaps..."

"Forget it, forget it. If I were to go, it wouldn't be as lively. Being here and hearing the joy from over there is quite good, quite good," Li Longji said. "From the moving pavilions of the West Market to these foreign beauties singing of foreign beauties, they have truly put a lot of thought into this. I have met this Wang Yuanbao; he is a shrewd merchant, unlike any other. I wonder who this Hu Yuanxiang of the West Market is, to be able to repeatedly gain the upper hand over him."

"I do know this Hu Yuanxiang. His family has operated a glass shop in the West Market for three generations. However, he has always been suppressed by Wang Yuanbao and has never before gained the upper hand."

"If that is the case, there must be an expert advising him. I wonder who it could be," Yang Yuhuan said with curiosity.

"Since you are curious, Taizhen, let us send someone to ask," Li Longji replied.

Back at the market, with the six foreign beauties singing in unison and the crowd joining in, Wang Yuanbao’s face turned ashen.

"Lost... we have lost..."

Driving so many people to sing along was something the East Market could never achieve, no matter how strong they were. If they lost this round, it meant the East Market had already been defeated in the city competition!

Wang Jin’s brow furrowed into a deep frown, his usual ease and composure gone. Although a loss for the East Market would not directly impact his interests, the result was still humiliating.

"Is the outcome already decided? Is it possible that even with my brother and me combined, we cannot best Ye Shiyi?" The thought surfaced in his mind for the first time.

"Master Wang, Master Wang... our performers are refusing to go on stage," a panic-stricken merchant from the East Market rushed over, tugging at Wang Yuanbao’s sleeve. "You said we were guaranteed to win this round!"

The entertainers of the East Market were the best in Chang'an, but they could see that no matter how well they performed, they could not match the momentum of the six foreign beauties. To continue performing would only make them background players, and it was only natural for them to want to retreat.

"Increase their pay," Wang Yuanbao gritted his teeth. "A tiger may die, but its prestige remains!"

Increasing the pay was the only way to retain them. Otherwise, with the West Market’s lively atmosphere and the East Market’s empty stage, the East Market would lose even more face.

Hearing of the increased pay—and no longer being forced to fight for the win—some of the entertainers stayed, but Li Yaxian had lost all interest in performing.

She was proud and arrogant; her skill was clearly superior to any of the foreign beauties, yet they had lost due to factors beyond the performers' control. She felt ashamed and had no desire to sing further.

"Master Wang promised ten strings of cash!" the old woman accompanying her urged. "My daughter, this is your first appearance, and you can earn such a sum. Let us continue, shall we?"

"Mother, your vision is too narrow. A mere ten strings of cash... I am going to see how the West Market managed this."

The old woman sighed. She knew the prideful nature of her adopted daughter well and said nothing more, following her to the colorful pavilion in the West Market.

Back at the East Market, Li Yaxian had seen the pavilion from afar, but only upon arriving did she realize that the structure, built with large carts, was a stroke of genius. Seeing the colorful floats—each larger than an ordinary carriage—she let out a soft exclamation, her eyes downcast in thought.

She was naturally intelligent, and despite her humble origins and life in the world of song and dance, her perspective was different from that of ordinary courtesans. From the surface, she could see how profound the designer’s intent truly was.

"What is there to look at? Just some foreign women playing dress-up to fool people into watching," the old woman said with a sneer. Li Yaxian shook her head.

"Do you think there is a trick to this?"

"Not just a trick, but true learning," Li Yaxian said slowly. "Mother, if nothing else, look at these Kongming lanterns. We have released them before, or at least seen others do so, but who would have thought to use them to attract crowds during a city competition?"

"And look at these floats. They are just ordinary large carts, slightly modified with platforms built over the carriages. Why did the people of the West Market think of it, while none of us did?"

"Adorning the carts with dozens of pots of flowers to make them look as though a garden is moving—that is not difficult, yet why did we never think of it?"

Having performed at the East Market earlier, she had tried to keep a low profile, and her position happened to be near Ye Chang and Chong Niang. Ye Chang recognized her but couldn't be bothered to greet her. When Chong Niang heard her indirectly praising Ye Chang, she couldn't help but interject: "That is only natural. The person who thought of this is the smartest person in the entire world!"

Ye Chang, not expecting to have such a glorious image in the eyes of little Chong Niang, couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

Chong Niang’s voice startled the woman. Li Yaxian turned around, saw Ye Chang, and gasped, covering her mouth: "Master Ye!"

"You know him?" Hearing Li Yaxian address Ye Chang this way, Chong Niang became alert: "Oh, right, I remember now. You said earlier, Shiyi-lang, that you paid for the glass plate she broke."

Li Yaxian couldn't have been more clear about the situation!

She stared at Ye Chang, then bowed: "Thank you for that day, Master Ye. Seeing your genius in today’s competition, I am truly impressed!"

Ye Chang wanted to say that whether she was impressed or not had nothing to do with him, but seeing the girl’s expression, he decided against saying anything so jarring. With a slight nod, he didn't say much else, instead pulling Chong Niang along: "Let’s go, shall we walk around?"

Li Yaxian hadn't expected Ye Chang to treat her with such cold indifference, which made her proud heart bristle.

"Alright, I want to eat that." Hearing him leave the alluring courtesan behind, Chong Niang felt happy. She skipped along, pointing to a stall in the distance.

"Hmm, let me check if it’s clean first. Don't eat just anything dirty. Remember, don't drink unboiled water, and make sure to wash fruits before eating them. Wash your hands before meals and after using the latrine..."

Ye Chang droned on with a list of instructions, but Li Yaxian could no longer hear the rest. Behind them, she gritted her teeth, watching Ye Chang’s retreating back, before turning and walking away.

Though she was of humble status, she was not so desperate as to fawn over someone who clearly didn't care for her.

The six foreign beauties had left the carts to rest, replaced by acrobats—some performing the Hu Xuan dance, others breathing fire or performing illusions, and still others juggling or performing rope tricks. The East Market had similar performers, but on their stage, only one group performed at a time, unlike the West Market, where six different performances occurred simultaneously. Thus, even though the foreign women were no longer singing, the West Market’s popularity remained high.

This was what Ye Chang had told Hu Yuanxiang: if you cannot beat them in quality, beat them in quantity.

Any one of those six foreign beauties might not have been a match for Li Yaxian, but together, singing poems about foreign beauties and fine wine, they perfectly captured the drunken, wild atmosphere of Chang'an, which was much more appealing to the city’s socialites than Li Yaxian’s performance of Wang Wei’s new poems, with their themes of seclusion and mountain springs.

As the saying goes: "The songs of high-brow art find few singers, while common tunes have no bounds."

But this was only on the surface. Someone like Wang Yuanbao could see the deeper meaning: catering to the mainstream market’s tastes.

The courtesans of the Pingkang Ward were not lacking in skill, but their performances were primarily aimed at scholars and officials, emphasizing refinement. The foreign beauties, while also appealing to refinement, focused on a key word: excitement.

Where there is excitement, there is popularity; where there is popularity, there is praise; where there is praise, there are recommendations; where there are recommendations, there are rewards...

Thus, even though the song and dance competitions had only just begun, Wang Yuanbao knew he was destined to lose this category as well.

There were three key categories in total. Having lost the first two—which were meant to attract the crowd—he knew that even if he won the final category, the most important "Treasure Duel," the final result would still be a loss.

Sighing lightly, Wang Yuanbao glanced sideways at Wang Jin. He began to wonder if his collaboration with this man would truly succeed.

Wang Jin couldn't help but glance toward the West Market once more. He knew full well that the person behind these schemes was Ye Chang. Where was that scoundrel now? Was he in the crowd, watching the spectacle, secretly laughing at him?

At the thought, Wang Jin felt a surge of agitation; even reciting Buddhist scriptures could not calm him. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said to Wang Yuanbao: "Master Wang, you must not lose the Treasure Duel!"

"Naturally... I will not lose," Wang Yuanbao replied.

But in his heart, he had little confidence. He had believed he wouldn't lose the first two categories, and yet, he had lost them both.