In the spring of the third year of Yuanshun, in the city of Chang’an.
A main street called Zhuque Avenue divided the entire outer city of 108 neighborhoods into two parts. To the east was Wannian County, and to the west was Chang’an County, symbolizing eternal prosperity and enduring peace. Each county had its own market, divided into two sections: East Market and West Market. Teahouses and taverns, filled with merchants from both the Hu region and foreign lands, offered a wide range of goods and commodities. Countless businesses thrived, dealing in the wealth of 220 trades, and magnificent mansions stood side by side, where you could find rare treasures from all over the world.
In the bustling afternoon, a teahouse in the East Market was particularly lively. From national affairs to the daily lives of the people, conversations flowed from one person’s lips to another.
A young man, appearing as a scholarly student, ordered a pot of Longjing tea. He leisurely let the fragrance of tea permeate the air, lightly tapping his fingers on the tabletop. With his long, distinct eyelashes fanning down, it seemed as though he had closed his eyes in deep concentration, yet he absorbed every sound around him.
At the first table by the window, they discussed how Zhang’s rooster pecked at Li’s vegetables, leading Li to kill Zhang’s rooster. Zhang felt that a few leaves of vegetables were not worth his rooster’s life, so the next day, he found an excuse to beat Li’s child. Refusing to back down, Li retaliated that night by scattering moldy rice in Zhang’s courtyard…
Su Cen shook his head, changing his focus and turning to listen to the conversation at another table.
In Hongxian Alley, a girl had secretly eloped with a scholar who came to the capital to take the imperial examination. However, within two days, the scholar personally sent her back, claiming that he still had to continue his studies and didn’t want to burden each other. The girl’s savings were completely deceived, and she was beaten half to death. In the end, she kept repeating that she was the wife of the top scholar, probably driven to madness.
Some criticized the girl for her poor judgment, while others scolded the heartless scholar. However, most people treated it as a joke, their words tinged with disdain. No one truly sympathized with the girl, and no one rose up to condemn the scholar.
When it didn’t concern them, people tended to prioritize their own lives.
Su Cen slightly opened his eyes and quickly scanned his surroundings with his sharp gaze, finally settling on two middle-aged men dressed in green robes. He became somewhat interested in what these two were discussing.
The more mature of the two said in a low voice, “There are three people in the court today whom one cannot afford to offend. Firstly, there is the Grand Preceptor Ning Yi, who has served through four reigns and is the esteemed minister left by the late emperor. Although he is already in his eighties and rarely appears in court, his words still carry tremendous weight, making him a pivotal figure in the current regime. Secondly, we have the current emperor’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Chu, who exercises power behind the curtain. As the emperor is young, all matters are decided by Empress Dowager Chu. Whoever gains her favor will gain the favor of the monarch.”
Lowering his voice further, he continued, “The third person, and the most important one, is the late emperor’s younger brother, Prince Ning, who is now the current regent. When the late emperor passed away, the current emperor was still young, so he was entrusted to Prince Ning. In reality, it was also a way to utilize Prince Ning’s military power to stabilize his own son’s position.
Over the years, Prince Ning has become a regent prince who intimidates both the court and the people. He wields the Nine Dragon Whip, a gift bestowed upon him by the late emperor, which allows him to punish officials and even make Empress Dowager Chu wary of him. Moreover, it is said that there is a secret imperial edict left by the late emperor. If the current emperor lacks virtue, one could take it and replace him! This disputed imperial edict, whose authenticity remains unknown, has divided the court into two factions. One faction consists of the Empress Dowager’s party, who supports the young emperor, while the other is the Prince Ning’s party, who look up to him as their leader. The first thing one must do when entering the court as an official is to determine which faction they belong to. Otherwise, they will have to endure being caught in the crossfire.”
Su Cen tapped the table, feeling a sense of melancholy. To become an official, one had to learn how to pick a side.
“Huh?” The other person asked anxiously, “Then which side should we choose?”
“The two factions are evenly matched,” the man continued, “Empress Dowager Chu has the right ministers, while Prince Ning has the left ministers. The Empress Dowager’s faction includes the officials responsible for rituals, administration, and households, while Prince Ning’s faction consists of military and judicial officials. Most civil officials align themselves with the Empress Dowager, supporting the rightful ruler, while the military generals believe in Prince Ning, who fought alongside them in the past. On the surface, it seems like the Empress Dowager’s party is suppressing Prince Ning’s faction, but in reality, Prince Ning holds the power to control the Forbidden Army in the northern barracks, giving him control over the lives of those inside the palace. The two factions are evenly matched, and their struggle in the court is intense.”
“These two factions are evenly matched,” the person continued, “The Empress Dowager has the Right Chancellor, while Prince Ning has the Left Chancellor. The Empress Dowager has the Rites, Officials, and Households, while Prince Ning has the Military, Punishments, and Public Works. Most civil officials stand with the Empress Dowager, supporting the rightful ruler, while the military commanders believe in Prince Ning, who once fought alongside them. On the surface, it may seem like the Empress Dowager’s faction is suppressing Prince Ning’s party, but in reality, Prince Ning holds the power to control the Forbidden Army in the Imperial City. He has the lives of the palace residents in his hands. The two factions are evenly matched, engaging in fierce battles within the court.”
“What about the emperor? Although he is young, he must have some inclination, right? In the future, when he takes over the throne, won’t the balance of power between these two factions become clear?”
The middle-aged man looked around, leaned closer to the other person, and whispered something in their ear. The person’s face immediately changed, and they spilled their tea.
“The emperor’s loyalty…” Su Cen softly tapped the tabletop. Although he couldn’t hear what the two men said, he could decipher some of the meaning through lip reading and a bit of speculation.
Whenever he arrived in a new place, he liked to find a lively place to listen to the conversations of the locals. While not all of them were true stories, and some were biased, he could still get a general idea.
Like the conversation between the two men just now, it was uncertain whether Prince Ning harbored disloyalty, but the struggle between the two factions was a definite reality.
“Young Master, should we go back?” A young servant boy beside him raised his head with a disappointed expression. “If we hurry, you can read the Four Books and Five Classics again.”
Tomorrow was the big day of the imperial examination. Other aspiring scholars were burying themselves in books, studying day and night. However, their young master had chosen to come to a teahouse and close his eyes to rest. If the patriarch found out, he would probably be so angry that he couldn’t leave his bed.
“If you find it boring, you can go back first,” Su Cen raised an eyebrow and glanced at the servant boy. The corners of his eyes and lips were filled with a gentle smile like the breeze of early spring.
Ah Fu’s heart suddenly turned cold. He vigorously shook his head like a drum, obediently rested his head on the table, and remained silent.
The last time the Young Master had smiled like this was three years ago when he left home with a bright face, heading to take the imperial examination. However, before they even left Suzhou’s territory, their journey took a different turn. They traveled to famous mountains and rivers all over the country, but never set foot in Chang’an. A year later, he returned home, wearing a pitiful and teary-eyed expression, claiming that he had been abducted by a group of bandits and forced to be a scribe for a year. It was a vivid and captivating tale. The Master and Madam were full of sympathy and pampered him with good food and drink for a year until a young wastrel came to their door, asking when they would travel together again. That was when the truth came out, and the Master hung him on a tree and gave him a severe beating.
He still had the whip marks on his body. This time, when they came to take the examination, he was assigned to accompany him. It was made clear that if he played any tricks again, their father and son relationship would be severed. That was why they had smoothly arrived in Chang’an. The Master had even bought a house for him in the precious land of Chang’an, inside Changle Alley, adjacent to the East Market, just a street away from Xingqing Palace. Although it was only two courtyards, it was worth a fortune. Although Mr. Su came from a merchant family, his heart was set on having his son enter politics and bring honor to the family name. It was clear that he had spent a lot of money with the clear intention that if he failed this time, he would live in Chang’an for three years and then try again until he passed.
As the story goes, this second young master indeed possessed the talent for learning. While other children of the same age were still in the stage of “at birth, humans are inherently good,” he had already become a county-level scholar. At the age of sixteen, he even achieved the top rank in the provincial examination. And then… he ran away.
Beneath his harmless facade lay a restless heart.
It was no easy feat to bring him to the capital. Ah Fu didn’t dare to dream of sending him back to study the Four Books and Five Classics.
Originally bored, Ah Fu was lying on the table, observing his young master who had closed his eyes to rest. Suddenly, a waft of tea fragrance drifted over, causing Ah Fu to raise his head.
A person who appeared to be a waiter was going from table to table, refilling water with a long-spout copper teapot. However, this person, although dressed like a waiter, didn’t possess the appearance or demeanor of a typical waiter. Their figure and face exuded a charm even more captivating than that of a woman, and their peach blossom eyes subtly arched. Taking advantage of the opportunity to refill water, a few people lightly teased and bantered with this person, who didn’t seem to mind. But when someone grabbed their slender white wrist and playfully tugged, they fell into that person’s embrace as if boneless, revealing a snowy white shoulder in the process.
Perhaps they were not here to refill water but to create a romantic atmosphere.
Ah Fu was dumbfounded. He knew that Chang’an City had an open-minded culture, but he had never seen such brazen behavior in broad daylight. In his heart, he chided himself not to stare at improprieties, yet he couldn’t avert his gaze.
Suddenly, he met his young master’s knowing gaze. Raising an eyebrow, the young master looked at him and said, “It seems there’s a small inn if you take a left turn and go two streets down.”
Ah Fu’s face turned red, and he dared not raise his head again.
Just then, a waft of tea fragrance filled the air, and a delicate jade hand lifted the teapot’s lid. With a soft exclamation laced with a smile, he said, “Could it be that this young sir thinks our tea is not good, or is there another reason? Why did you order tea but refuse to drink it? The water has turned cold. What a waste of such precious goods.”
Su Cen raised his gaze and looked at him. “Waste indeed, but not quite precious goods. I ordered Mingqian Longjing tea. Each leaf and bud of Mingqian tea carries a delicate flavor, and though the color may be light, the tea fragrance is ethereal. What you have here is obviously Yuqian tea, which comes much later in spring. The appearance of the tea leaves changes every day during early spring. Your tea is a full half-month behind Mingqian tea. So, there’s no need to speak of precious goods.”
“Seems like the young sir is quite knowledgeable,” the young attendant said with a calm expression. With a smile, he playfully flicked Su Cen’s chin with the long spout of the copper teapot and spoke in a playful tone, “But if the young sir doesn’t drink, then next time I won’t bother coming to refill your water.”
Su Cen raised an eyebrow in understanding and poured a cup, handing it to Ah Fu. “Go ahead and drink it, don’t waste his kind gesture.”
The young attendant smiled and filled the cup with an appropriate amount of tea, then carried the copper teapot and went upstairs.
“Second Young Master…” Ah Fu furrowed his brow as he looked at the cup of tea.
Su Cen took it into his own hands and finished it in one gulp, savoring the delicate fragrance of the Mingqian Longjing tea.
Author’s note:
Starting a new story, thank you all for reading.
This story is set in an alternate history, but it is based on the regulations of the Tang Dynasty since the backdrop is Chang’an City. The alternate dynasty is called “Da Zhou.” Below are some details about this dynasty, which may be referred to in the future as a reference:
Temple Name -> Reign Title -> Reigning Emperor -> Reign Length -> Introduction
Taizu (Great Ancestor) -> Wude (Martial Virtue) -> Li Cheng -> 26 years -> Expanding territory and establishing the dynasty
Taizong (Great Ancestor) -> Yonglong (Eternal Prosperity) -> Li Yu -> 23 years -> Ruthless methods, remarkable talent
Shenzong (Divine Ancestor) -> Tianshou (Heavenly Hunting) -> Li Xun -> 8 years -> Physically weak and sickly, died young
Zhongzong (Middle Ancestor) -> Yuanshun (Original Obedience) -> Li Zhuo -> Ascended the throne at the age of 6, current reigning emperor
*************