I served as Li Bai's page.

Around noon, Li Bai returned from the pine forest behind the house, his face expressionless.

I stood up from the cushion and greeted him, "Young Master, you're back."

Li Bai ignored me, went straight back to his room and fell asleep without even getting up for lunch.

In the afternoon, Lord Ma came to the Taoist temple. Except for Li Bai, all of us came out of the temple to greet him.

Master Ziyang took Lord Ma's hand and led him to sit down in the backyard of the Taoist temple, asking, "Brother Ma, did you go to Master Xu's house?"

"I went there this morning. I had lunch at Master Xu's house and then came here," said Lord Ma.

"What does Master Xu think?" Master Ziyang asked.

"After I handed the letter to the master's wife, I mentioned Li Bai to Master Xu. Master Xu also valued Li Bai's talent, but he didn't say whether it was suitable or not. After reading the letter, the master's wife showed it to his daughter, and they said they wanted to meet the messenger," said Master Ma.

"When do they want to meet?" asked Master Ziyang.

"Strike while the iron is hot. Why don't we take the young man who delivered the message over there now?" said Lord Ma.

"That's Li Bai's pageboy. Do you want to take him or Li Bai with you? Do they want to see Li Bai or the person who gave you the letter?" Master Ziyang asked.

"They didn't say they wanted to see Li Bai, they only said they wanted to see the messenger." Lord Ma regretted not asking more clearly.

Master Ziyang instructed me, "Yuehua, go and wake your young master. He needs to go to the Xu residence with Lord Ma."

"Didn't Miss Xu come to the Taoist temple to burn incense? We won't see her even if we go," I said.

"She was just about to go out today when her father called her back, saying that a high-ranking official and his son were coming to visit them," Lord Ma said.

Upon hearing this, I rushed to Li Bai's room and cried, "Young Master, get up quickly! Go with Lord Ma to the Xu residence. Someone else also wants to marry Miss Xu; they're already there."

Li Bai turned over and went back to sleep.

"Young master, get up and go. If you don't hurry, we won't have any money left to get back to Longxi Courtyard."

"What good would it do to go? I still don't have the money to marry her," Li Bai said.

"I've heard the Xu family is incredibly wealthy, and Miss Xu has plenty of money. If she takes a liking to you, we'll have a chance. Also, I've heard many members of her family hold official positions; they can definitely help you."

"These two points alone are not enough reasons for me to go."

"Also, after you get married, go back to Longxi Courtyard to repair Yueyuan's embroidery tower."

"Is there any more?"

"Furthermore, Miss Xu possesses an elegant demeanor and is as beautiful as a fairy."

"Keep bragging." Li Bai sat up.

I dressed Li Bai up carefully, making him look dashing, elegant, and the very image of a noble young master.

Li Bai left the room, met with Lord Ma, and received many instructions from Master Ziyang, who said, "Yuehua, go with your young master and act according to the circumstances."

"But I'm even more nervous than my young master. I'm afraid I'll ruin his plans, so I think I'd better not go."

Meng Haoran stepped forward and said, "I often visit the Xu residence; I'll go with you."

"Then the three of you go, and come back and tell me when you're done." Master Ziyang escorted us to the entrance of the Taoist temple and watched us walk down the mountain along the stone path.

We boarded Lord Ma's carriage and headed towards the Xu residence in Da'an Mountain. Before long, we arrived at the gate of the Xu residence.

This is a magnificent and imposing mansion. The gate is open, and servants are coming and going in twos and threes.

As soon as Lord Ma led us through the gate, a young man approached us and greeted us, "Lord Ma, Uncle Meng, you've arrived! Please come to the guest room and have a seat. I'll go fetch my master." With that, he led us through the spacious courtyard to a side room and instructed, "Xiao Rong, go and make a pot of tea for the guests."

Just then, a man walked into the room and asked, "Chao'er, are there any guests?"

Upon hearing the voice, Meng Haoran stood up and called out, "Brother Wu, we've arrived."

The newcomer was none other than the head steward of the Xu household, an old friend of Meng Haoran. Having seen him before, Li Bai and I stood up and greeted him: "Head Steward Wu."

"Perfect timing, Lord Ma, Brother Meng, come, I'll take you to see my master."

We followed Steward Wu into the inner courtyard, a large courtyard with three courtyards within courtyards, decorated in a luxurious and elegant style that dazzled me. There were more servants than masters, bustling about.

We arrived at the inner courtyard hall, where Steward Wu invited Lord Ma, Meng Haoran, and Li Bai to sit down. Xiao Rong placed the brewed tea in front of them. I tactfully stood behind Li Bai.

After waiting for a while, a stern-looking old man emerged from inside. He wore a wealthy man's hat and stroked his white beard. As soon as he entered the hall, he said, "Lord Ma, Master Meng has been slow in his treatment."

Lord Ma, Meng Haoran, and Li Bai all stood up. Lord Ma said, "Master Xu, I apologize for disturbing you. Please forgive me."

Meng Haoran said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Master Xu. He seems to be getting younger with age."

Everyone laughed and exchanged pleasantries. Meng Haoran took Li Bai's hand and introduced him to Master Xu: "This is Li Bai, a talented scholar from Western Shu, courtesy name Taibai, pen name Youlian Jushi. He lives in Anlu and has come to pay his respects."

Master Xu stared at Li Bai, looking him up and down, front and back.

"Young man, please sit down, all of you please sit down." Master Xu also walked over and sat down in the main chair.

"Qinglian Jushi, you've traveled a long way from your hometown to Anlu, you must have suffered a lot," said Master Xu.

"I didn't suffer any hardship, but I enjoyed the beautiful scenery of our motherland and made some like-minded friends, which is very gratifying," Li Bai replied.

Just then, two girls poked their heads out from by the hall door; one of them was Xiao Rong, who had just poured the tea. The two were whispering to each other, "Who is Young Master Li?"

"It's the younger one who just sat down."

Master Xu called out to the two women, "Xiaoqian, go tell Madam that Young Master Li, the messenger, has arrived."

The girl named Xiaoqian responded and ran towards the inner courtyard.

A moment later, Xiaoqian ran back and said, "Madam requests that Young Master Li come to her; she has some questions for him."

"Young Master Li, thank you for your trouble. Please go with Xiaoqian. Master Ma, Master Meng, let's have some tea," said Master Xu.

Li Bai stood up and, with a dashing gait, followed Xiaoqian into the inner room. I pretended to be calm, holding my head high and following behind Li Bai.

We entered the inner room, where Madam Xu sat on a chair covered with a quilt, with a middle-aged woman standing beside her. This scene was strikingly similar to the one we witnessed when Li Bai met his mother upon our return to Longxi Courtyard.

Li Bai entered the room, his expression momentarily dazed. He knelt on both knees and bowed deeply, saying, "Li Bai greets Madam Xu, wishing her good health and longevity."

Madam Xu stood up and reached out to help Li Bai to his feet: "Child, get up. We're all family, no need for formalities. Wu Ma, please find a seat for Young Master Li. Go and bring the freshly arrived premium tea and brew him a cup. I want to have a good chat with Young Master Li."