I served as Li Bai's page.

Li Bai turned to Yuan Yan and asked, "Is it really dangerous? You often travel this road, have you ever encountered anything like it?"

"Bandits and mountain bandits often roam the Taihang Mountains, so we need to be vigilant. Yuehua did a good job," Yuan Yan said.

I turned around and went back into the house, carrying Li Bai's manuscripts on my back. Nothing else mattered; these manuscripts were the only thing I couldn't afford to lose.

The three of us went downstairs, and the shop owner had already served the noodles. Yuan Yan ate while asking:

"Boss Zhao, have you been bothered by bandits and mountain bandits lately?"

"How could there not be? Recently, bandits and mountain thieves have been extremely fierce, frequently appearing in various towns in the Taihang Mountains. I heard that the imperial court is going to send an imperial envoy to supervise the suppression of the bandits."

"Has the imperial envoy arrived?" Li Bai asked.

"I don't know. The imperial envoy will go directly to Bingzhou; he won't come to the mountains," said Boss Zhao.

After we finished dinner, Li Bai said, "Let's go for a walk in town."

Boss Zhao quickly stopped them, saying, "Gentlemen, please go back to your rooms and rest. No one in town dares to go out at night; some families don't even dare to turn on their lights."

"With banditry reaching such a severe level, is this still the prosperous Tang Dynasty? It's truly incomprehensible," Li Bai sighed.

The three of us returned to our room, and Li Bai and Yuan Yan took out a pot of wine and started drinking. I went back to my room, closed the door, lay down on the bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Nothing happened overnight. When they got up in the morning, Li Bai and Yuan Yan had already prepared the horses.

Li Bai said, "Yuehua, pack your things, we're leaving immediately."

"You haven't eaten yet, why are you in such a hurry?" I asked.

"Get to Bingzhou as soon as possible. I want to see the Imperial Envoy and contribute to the suppression of the bandits," Li Bai said.

At this moment, Boss Zhao called out, "You three, come and have breakfast before you leave."

"Okay, thank you, Boss Zhao." The three of us sat down, quickly ate breakfast, and then mounted our horses and galloped into the depths of the Taihang Mountains.

After several days of rapid travel, we finally entered Bingzhou territory. I breathed a long sigh of relief. Our pace slowed, and Yuan Yan, leading Li Bai and me, strolled towards Bingzhou city, enjoying the scenery along the way. When we arrived at the Bingzhou government office, Yuan Yan said:

"We're home, dismount."

The three of us dismounted. Yuan Yan arrived at the government office, greeted the guards on duty, and then turned to me, saying, "You wait here for us; Brother Taibai and I are going to see my father."

Li Bai followed Yuan Yan into the yamen (government office). I led my horse to the yamen runner on duty and chatted with him:

"Brother, standing like this must be tiring. Can't you sit down when no one's around?"

"That won't do. If the officials see this, we'll lose our jobs," the constable said.

"I heard things are getting tense in the Taihang Mountains region. Is everything alright here?"

"Bandits aren't stupid. With government troops swarming the city, coming here would be like walking into a trap."

"I heard the imperial court is sending an imperial envoy to command the suppression of bandits. Has he arrived yet?"

"I only heard from the Prefect this morning that the Imperial Envoy wasn't coming; he accompanied the Emperor to Luoyang," the yamen runner said.

I was chatting with the yamen runner when Yuan Yan's father, the Prefect of Bingzhou, led Yuan Yan and Li Bai out.

I stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This humble subject, Yuehua, greets Your Excellency, the Prefect."

"Is this the pageboy Yuehua? Come on, let's go home together," said Lord Yuan.

The prefect's residence was right next to the government office, a typical northern building with a simple gate, a few side rooms inside, and two servants.

Upon seeing us, they greeted us: "Master and young master are back!"

Li Bai and I followed Yuan Yan and his son into the house and sat down in the living room.

Lord Yuan said to Li Bai, "My son often speaks of Li Bai, and meeting you today, I am indeed impressed. Since you are here, please enjoy your stay in Bingzhou for a few days. It was said that the Imperial Envoy was coming to Bingzhou, but now he cannot come; he has gone to Luoyang with the Emperor."

"Father, what about the bandit suppression?" Yuan Yan asked.

"The imperial court instructed the villagers to be more vigilant and dispatched troops from local areas to suppress the bandits, while the soldiers stationed at the border were no longer involved."

"Will it work? Local soldiers are always poorly trained, and it's the mountain people who will suffer," Li Bai said.

"These are things beyond our control," Lord Yuan sighed.

"Brother Taibai, since the Imperial Envoy isn't coming, we won't wait any longer. Tomorrow we'll head north to Mount Wutai and visit Yanmen Pass."

"Having just arrived in Bingzhou, even if you can't keep me company, you should at least let Young Master Li rest before he leaves. Tonight, I'll host a welcome dinner for Li Taibai at a grand restaurant in the eastern part of the city," said Lord Yuan.

"That's good, Father. I will follow your arrangements."

"As soon as you heard there was wine, you didn't want to leave. I just can't do anything with you."

Listening to the conversation between the father and son, Li Bai felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and kinship. He said:

"Brother Yuan, since we're already here, let's make the best of it and stay in Bingzhou for a few more days to keep Lord Yuan company."

"Young Master Li understands me best. I can only see my son a few times a year," said Lord Yuan.

When Li Bai spoke of his father, he became somewhat saddened. He shifted his gaze from Lord Yuan to me, and although he smiled, I could clearly see tears welling up in his eyes.

I quickly interjected, "Lord Yuan, are the drinkers of Bingzhou drunk? My young master is quite the drinker. He's on par with Young Master Yuan."

"The wine from Bingzhou is excellent; I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Please sit down for a moment, I'll go change my clothes and be right back," Lord Yuan said, walking towards the bedroom in the right wing.

Lord Yuan changed into casual clothes and came to the living room, saying to Yuan Yan, "Take them to the guest room to put their luggage away. We're going to have a drink."

After we put our luggage away, we followed Lord Yuan to the East City Grand Restaurant. The restaurant manager greeted Lord Yuan warmly and said:

"Lord Yuan, you have time to come over for a couple of drinks today. Please come to the private room upstairs."

"Bring me the finest wine today; I'm entertaining my son's friends. And please, Miss Ruhua, sing us a couple of songs," said Lord Yuan.

The innkeeper led us to a private room, and after we sat down, the waiter brought out the food and drinks.

Before everyone started drinking, I looked around the private room. It wasn't as luxurious as a restaurant in Jiangnan, but rather like the people of the North—simple, honest, and straightforward.

The innkeeper led the beautiful young woman to the private room. As soon as she entered, she clasped her hands in a fist and bowed to everyone, took a wine cup from a maid, and said to them:

"Ru Hua would like to offer a toast to all of you gentlemen. I'll drink this in one gulp, you may drink as you please." With that, she downed her drink, handed the cup to a maid, and went to the zither strings to begin playing. The zither music evoked the desolation of the desert, as well as the imagery of horses galloping freely on the northern grasslands.

The series of actions Ru Hua took upon entering left me speechless. This was no ordinary courtesan; she was practically a tough woman from the north. She lacked the allure of a courtesan from the south, but possessed the forthrightness of a northerner.

As Ru Hua finished playing one piece, she began another. Li Bai and Yuan Yan, initially somewhat reserved in front of Lord Yuan, gradually became carried away by the music. The three of them toasted each other, and after several jugs of wine, their eyes began to glaze over with intoxication. When Ru Hua played "Guan Shan Yue" on her bamboo flute, Li Bai stood up, drew his sword, and began to dance, loudly reciting:

"The bright moon rises over the Tianshan Mountains, amidst the vast sea of ​​clouds. A long wind blows for tens of thousands of miles, passing through the Jade Gate Pass..."

Upon seeing the elegant and unrestrained Li Bai and hearing his magnificent and heroic poems, Ru Hua forgot to play her tune and stood frozen in place.