I served as Li Bai's page.

After Lord Zhang presented the "Ode to the Great Hunt" to the Emperor, it seemed to have vanished without a trace. The Emperor was hunting in the Shanglin Garden, while we anxiously awaited his summons in the inn. A month passed without a word, and Lord Zhang seemed to have disappeared into thin air. I waited at the entrance of the Shanglin Garden every day, but I never saw Lord Zhang come out even once.

Li Bai felt an unprecedented disappointment once again. For someone who loved to drink, it was already cruel enough to go a month without touching a drink, especially with his good friend Yuan Yan by his side.

That day, Li Bai couldn't take it anymore and took me and Yuan Yan to a tavern on the street to drink. They drank from noon until night, and both Li Bai and Yuan Yan were drunk. I called a carriage to take them back to the inn; it was already dark. After helping them to bed, I returned to my room. The innkeeper came in and said:

"In the afternoon, an official came looking for you and left you a note."

"Thank you, boss." I took the note and quickly opened it.

The note read: "Li Bai, go home and await news. The Emperor is busy with official duties and has no time to read your writings. Respectfully submitted by Zhang Qing."

The next morning, after Li Bai and Yuan Yan woke up, I showed them the note, and Li Bai remained silent for a long time.

"Young master, how about this: when the Emperor returns to Chang'an from Shanglin Garden, we will directly request an audience with him," I said.

"It's no use. Even the Emperor wouldn't look at what Lord Zhang presented, let alone us commoners. Let's pack our things and go home," Li Bai said.

Yuan Yan said, "Why don't we go back to the entrance of Shanglin Garden and take another look?"

The three of us walked out of the inn and came to the gate of Shanglin Garden. There were very few guards on duty today, only one.

I walked toward the guards, and no one stopped me.

"Excuse me, sir, why are you on duty alone today? Has the Emperor left?" I asked.

"His Majesty returned to Chang'an yesterday afternoon," the guard said.

I returned to Li Bai and Yuan Yan and said, "The Emperor left yesterday afternoon, and now there's no hope at all. It's all your fault for drinking."

"This just means I'm a bit unlucky. It's okay, let's go home." Li Bai was immediately relieved and readily decided to go home.

We returned to the inn, packed our luggage, and led our horses into the street. Yuan Yan was going back to Qiao County, while we were going back to Anlu.

"Brother Yuan, I've had a wonderful time traveling with you these past few months. If there's a chance in the future, let's make an appointment to meet again. Farewell for now," Li Bai said.

"Brother Taibai, I love nothing more than traveling the world with you while drinking wine. There's plenty of time in the future, and we can always meet again."

After bidding farewell to Yuan Yan, we rode our horses toward the official road. After several days of travel, we finally arrived in Anlu.

"Young Master, let's rest for a bit, have lunch, and then go home," I said.

"No, let's go home to eat. We'll be there soon." After saying that, Li Bai whipped his horse and galloped off towards Bai Zhaoshan.

It was past noon when we got home. Zhang Ma was tending to the flowers and plants in the front yard. Seeing us return, she said, "Madam is watching Miss and Young Master play in the back garden. I'll go call them."

A short while later, Pingyang and Boqin ran out and hugged Li Bai happily, acting coquettishly.

Xu Ziyan and Xiaoqian came out, and I bowed to Xu Ziyan, saying, "Madam, we're back."

"It's good to see you back. You were gone for several months, and we all missed you all," Xu Ziyan said.

Li Bai, carrying the two children, walked to Xu Ziyan's side and said, "Madam, we missed you too." After saying that, he put the children down and hugged Xu Ziyan.

Pingyang and Boqin ran up to me, and I took out their gifts from my luggage. The two of them happily played in the yard.

"The son-in-law and Yuehua haven't eaten yet, have they? I'll go make some," said Zhang Ma.

"Thank you, Aunt Zhang. I told you we ate in Anlu before coming back, but the young master wouldn't have it and wanted to go home earlier," I said.

"Where are Wu Chao and the others?" Li Bai asked, looking around.

Xiaoqian replied, "They went down to the fields."

"Didn't I say I'd lease the land to the nearby farmers? Why am I still farming it myself?" Li Bai said.

Xu Ziyan replied, "I contracted some out, and kept some to grow vegetables for myself."

"Son-in-law, Yuehua, come and eat!" Zhang Ma called out.

Li Bai, holding Xu Ziyan's hand, said, "Come on, my lady, have a couple of drinks with me."

We went to the dining room, and Zhang Ma brought out a pot of wine and poured it for the three of us. After we clinked glasses, I said, "I'll only drink this one. You two drink slowly." Then I drank it all in one gulp.

After dinner, Li Bai and Xu Ziyan were slightly drunk. Xiaoqian helped Xu Ziyan, and I helped Li Bai, and we took them back to their room.

After we came out, I saw that Xiaoqian was pregnant, and I asked her, "When did you and Wu Chao get married? It's been a few months, hasn't it?"

"We got married during the Dragon Boat Festival. We originally planned to hold the ceremony after you came back, but Miss said no, we won't wait for you, because she's afraid you won't come back for three or five years."

"No need to wait, it's very possible. Anything can happen when you're traveling," I said.

"Did your trip with your son-in-law go smoothly?" Xiaoqian asked.

"Things went fairly smoothly, but the son-in-law's luck is always just a little bit off. It seems he's not destined to be an official," I said with a sigh.

"Miss said she doesn't require her husband to become an official; she's willing to endure hardship as long as he stays by her side."

"But the son-in-law doesn't think that way. He's only thinking about achieving great success and returning home in glory one day." When he said this, I was reminded of Qinglian Town. Perhaps what Li Bai truly wanted to return home in glory was this place he dreamed of going back to.

"Yuehua is back." Wu Chao walked in from outside the gate carrying a hoe, and greeted me when he saw Xiaoqian and me standing in the yard.

"Your Majesty, congratulations on becoming a father! We must celebrate properly tonight," I said.

"Then I'll ask Xiao Peng to go to Anlu Street to buy some groceries. Has the son-in-law returned yet?" Wu Chao asked.

"I'm back. I had a few drinks and went to rest."

Wu Chao instructed Xiao Peng to go to Anlu to buy groceries. I casually took out some money and handed it to Xiao Peng, saying, "Buy some good quality groceries, and also two jugs of wine."

Wu Chao and I were chatting in the courtyard when Xiao Peng returned with the groceries. Li Bai had also gotten up and, along with Xu Ziyan, went to the veranda outside the hall. Seeing Wu Chao, Li Bai said, "Congratulations on your marriage, and congratulations on becoming a father!" As he spoke, Li Bai took out two silver notes and a children's bracelet from his pocket and handed them to Wu Chao: "I didn't prepare any gifts for you two. Here's the money; buy whatever you want yourself. I bought the bracelet a while ago; it's for your future child."

"Young master, you don't need to give it anymore, Miss has already given it." Wu Chao pushed it back with his hand.

"Take this. It's a small token of our appreciation from Yuehua and me. We were already very sorry we weren't home for your wedding."

"Take it, Your Majesty," Xu Ziyan said.

Wu Chao took the money and bracelet and handed them to Xiaoqian, who put them away and said, "Thank you, young master and Yuehua."