Golden Touch of the Flourishing Tang Dynasty
Who says an emperor never lacks for money? Emperor Ming of Tang shamelessly tried to recruit Zhen Qian as an official: “Master Zhen, the Ministry of Revenue oversees the wealth and grain of the entire realm—no post could suit you better.” Beauty is admired by all, and none more so than Lady Yang, one of the Four Great Beauties, who insisted on marrying her niece to Zhen Qian: “How about using an eight-foot jade mirror as the betrothal gift?” “A jade mirror worth a million taels? Even the richest landlords don’t have such reserves.” An Lushan schemed to bring disaster upon the Tang Dynasty: “Join me in seizing the empire, and we shall split the land between us.” “Not interested.” Yang Guozhong pressed harder: “Master Zhen, your affairs have become public knowledge—without at least ten million taels, you won’t get by.” “If you want to snatch food from a tiger’s jaws, you’d best first ask the emperor, the consort, and every official in court if they’ll allow it!” Many thanks to the Yuewen Book Review Group for their support!
Golden Touch of the Flourishing Tang Dynasty
Only those who strive will win; after ten years of relentless effort, Zhen Qian found himself back at his starting point. The ache in his heart was indescribable, as if he had awakened from a dream as fleeting as Nan Ke’s tale. Where there is prosperity, there is decay; where there is grandeur, there is confusion. Scenes slid through his memory like reels of film, mingling joys and sorrows he could never quite untangle.
A torrential rain during the day left the city transformed, its air cleansed to intoxicating freshness. The gloom above was swept away, replaced by a brilliant night sky: a silvery moon hung high, the Milky Way’s jewels scattered across black velvet, and the twinkling lights of thousands of homes vied with starlight for splendor.
Neon lights flickered sharply, almost painfully bright, and the patch of green in the city’s heart appeared all the more remote and lonely.
As the sun slipped beneath the horizon, Zhen Qian’s spirit sank to its lowest ebb. The red orb was swallowed whole by the curtain of night, another day scratched off the calendar. He drained the last dregs of his wine.
Night and day exchanged places; hidden stars leapt forth, shining more brilliantly as the sun fell. Like mischievous sprites of the darkness, they seemed distant yet within reach, each as powerful as the sun itself.
Night held dominion, covering the earth with its unstoppable cloak. The stars appeared, densely crowding the sky, winking playfully at all who watched, and as the earth slowly turned, the brightest star finally dropped below the horizon
