I served as Li Bai's page.

"Yuehua, a young master is looking for you." Wu Chao called out to me from the front door as I stepped onto the balcony outside the hall.

"Bring him in." I walked around the artificial hill and headed towards the entrance.

"Moonlight," the newcomer called out.

"Young Master Yuan, what brings you here?" I greeted him as soon as I saw Yuan Yan.

"I'm going to Suizhou to visit my master, and I'll take this opportunity to pay my respects to Brother Taibai."

"Welcome, welcome, please come in and have a seat." I led Yuan Yan into the hall and instructed Xiaoqian to serve tea.

When Xu Ziyan heard that guests had arrived, she came out of the inner courtyard with her two children.

"Young Master Yuan, let me introduce you. This is my young master's wife, Xu Ziyan, and their two children, Pingyang and Boqin."

I then said to Xu Ziyan, "This is Yuan Yan, a friend the young master met in Dongdu."

After exchanging greetings, Yuan Yan asked, "Brother Taibai, aren't you home?"

"Yes, he's studying at Peach Blossom Rock. I'll send someone to call him back," I said.

"No need, let's go find him together," Yuan Yan said.

"Come back for dinner soon," Xu Ziyan said.

Yuan Yan and I walked towards Peach Blossom Rock. In winter, Bai Zhao Mountain was shrouded in mist, and the pines and cypresses were as green as ever. We walked around the stream, through the bare peach grove, and arrived at Peach Blossom Cave.

"Young Master Yuan, the young master is reading and writing in this cave. Let's go up," I said.

"Your young master has a good eye for places. The air is fresh and the environment is quiet. It's a perfect place to study." Yuan Yan said, looking around as he walked up the stairs.

We climbed the steps to the cave, where Li Bai was writing at his desk.

Yuan Yan walked up to him and said, "Brother Taibai, has another new work been published?"

Li Bai looked up and saw Yuan Yan. He happily grabbed Yuan Yan's hand and said, "Brother Yuan, when did you arrive? You could have just sent someone to call me back. Why did you come all the way here yourself?"

"How would I have known about this paradise if I hadn't come? You really know how to find a place."

"Don't you think the whole Baizhao Mountain is beautiful? Of course, this place is the most beautiful. Especially in spring, when you stand at the entrance of the cave and look out, the peach blossoms covering the mountains are a feast for the eyes, and the fragrance of the peaches will make your mouth water and refresh your soul," Li Bai said exaggeratedly.

"Then I won't leave. I'll wait until spring, when I've eaten the peaches, before I go," Yuan Yan said.

"Great! That's exactly what I've been looking for. Let's drink under the peach blossoms for three days and three nights, and we won't have to worry about not having good luck with romance next year," Li Bai said.

"Young Master, this chance to woo a woman may not be easy to come by; it depends on whether the Young Madam agrees," I said.

Li Bai and Yuan Yan burst into laughter after hearing this. Li Bai said, "We've gone too far with our jokes. Even the page doesn't approve. Let's go drink now, come on, let's go home and drink."

"Brother Taibai, weren't you writing something just now? Let's finish writing before we leave," Yuan Yan said.

"It's finished. I wrote it for Prefect Pei of Anzhou. People in Anlu have a saying that I, Li Bai, am arrogant and disdainful of others, and that I don't respect these local officials. I'm writing this to defend myself, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding between me and Prefect Pei."

Yuan Yan picked up Li Bai's "Letter to Prefect Pei of Anzhou" and read it carefully: "I have heard that Heaven does not speak, yet the four seasons proceed; Earth does not speak, yet all things are born. I, Yuan Yan, am not one of Heaven and Earth, so how can I know without speaking? I dare to lay bare my heart and liver, and discuss matters concerning my life, and thus I will use my pen to clarify my thoughts. I will roughly outline my main points to vent my indignation, and I hope Your Excellency will consider them."

……

In the past, when he traveled east to Yangzhou, he spent less than a year scattering over 300,000 taels of silver, helping all the impoverished young men he encountered. This demonstrates Bai's generosity and philanthropy.

……

"Brother Taibai, your memorial is sincere and well-supported by numerous sources. It would be an injustice if Lord An did not give you an important position," Yuan Yan said.

"Whether I'll be given an important position or not is a matter for later. I hope to clear up Lord An's misunderstanding of me and make me feel more at ease living here on Baizhao Mountain."

"You want to hide in Baizhao Mountain? That won't do. Come with me to Suizhou to see my master."

"We still need to see Daoist Ziyang. Let's have some wine first and then talk."

Li Bai and Yuan Yan walked out of Peach Blossom Cave hand in hand. After tidying up the reading platform, I took "Letter to Prefect Pei of Anzhou" and followed them out.

When we got home, Aunt Zhang had already prepared dinner. Li Bai and Yuan Yan sat down at the table and drank three cups together. Xu Ziyan stayed with them for a while with the child before leaving the table. I stayed with the two of them, pouring them wine and serving them food. After a few pots of wine, the two of them drank more and more enthusiastically, and talked more and more.

Yuan Yan asked, "Brother Taibai, what are your plans for the future?"

"I want to stay home with my wife and children for a while. When the opportunity comes, I want to go to General Pei Yan's Mountain in Wenyang, Donglu, to learn swordsmanship," Li Bai replied.

Yuan Yan said, "That's a good idea. We can learn swordsmanship while seeking patronage. If we're going to do it, let's become well-rounded individuals, skilled in both literature and martial arts."

"Easier said than done. But I won't let difficulties deter me. Cheers!"

After we finished drinking, I helped Yuan Yan to his guest room to rest, and Wu Chao helped Li Bai back to his room.

When the two men sobered up, it was already the next morning. Yuan Yan asked Li Bai to go to Suizhou with him, and Li Bai readily agreed.

"Yuehua, let's go to Kuzhu Temple to pay our respects to Master Ziyang. Come with me," Li Bai said to me after breakfast.

"What do I need to prepare?" I asked.

"Take my letter, 'To Prefect Pei of Anzhou,' with you. We'll go to the Anzhou government office when we get back."

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and went to the stable to bring out the three of our horses.

Xu Ziyan, leading her two children, came out, her eyes filled with tears. Li Bai put his arm around her and said, "I won't go far. I'll come back when I get to Suizhou. Don't be sad, take good care of the children."

"You must hurry back. The children and I are waiting for you at home," Xu Ziyan said, tears streaming down her face.

Li Bai bent down and hugged the two children, then leaped onto his horse and galloped away. Yuan Yan and I mounted our horses, bid farewell to Xu Ziyan and the others, and chased after Li Bai.

When the three of us arrived in Suizhou, it was nearly noon. Yuan Yan stopped his horse and said to Li Bai and me, "Let's have lunch before going to Kuzhuyuan. If we hurry there now, they'll probably have already finished eating."

"Okay, but you and the young master are not allowed to drink. If you get drunk here, I won't be able to get you out of here," I said.

Li Bai quickly replied, "What's the point of not drinking? Just a little, as long as I don't get drunk, is that alright?"

I couldn't persuade them otherwise, so the three of us jumped off our horses and went into a restaurant in Suizhou City.

After the meal, Li Bai and Yuan Yan, seemingly drunk but not quite, rode their horses, holding the reins, letting the horses follow me towards the Kuzhu Courtyard of Xiangguo Temple outside Suizhou City.

As we arrived at the Bitter Bamboo Courtyard, Li Bai and Yuan Yan had already sobered up. The three of us immediately dismounted and bowed to Master Ziyang.

Yuan Yan said, "Disciple Yuan Yan pays respects to Master. I have been instructed by Master to return to Suizhou to listen to Master's teachings and resolve the difficulties on my path of cultivation."

"You spend all your time drinking, yet you still have problems? I find that strange," Master Ziyang teased Yuan Yan.

Seeing that Yuan Yan hadn't managed to fool Master Ziyang, Li Bai quickly shut his mouth, not daring to mention the matter of cultivation. He could only change the subject, saying, "Xuanzhen has been diligently studying at Baizhao Mountain and has made considerable progress."

"Perhaps he gained something from competing with Yuehua in playing the flute," said Master Ziyang.

Li Bai quickly flattered him, saying, "Daoist Master, do you have eyes that can see a thousand miles and ears that can hear the wind? How do you know everything?"