Chapter 154: The Scions Reunite!

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At dusk, a crowd of young aristocrats gathered once more in the largest private room on the second floor of the Golden Cauldron Restaurant.

This was probably the most complete turnout yet. There was the Confucian Merchant Group, led by Li Ke; the Charity Group, led by Changle; and Li Yi as well. The Charity Group had several new members this time, all women: a few of Changle’s younger sisters and the young ladies of various noble households. They were all members of the charity organization. Ever since Changle had successfully held on to her position as chairwoman of the Charity Foundation, every woman in Chang’an had taken pride in joining it. The foundation had become entirely women’s territory—not a trace of masculine energy remained!

They ordered a tableful of dishes and spent the evening eating, joking, and fooling around. Tonight was their chance to unwind.

They had truly been worn out lately. For the first time in their lives, they had worked hard toward a common goal—and won everyone’s approval for it. The pride that came with that was beyond words.

As the Merchant Alliance grew, ordinary people were becoming familiar with the idea of Confucian merchants. The Alliance’s many initiatives, along with its impeccable service and goods, had made an excellent impression on the people of Chang’an. These days, eight out of every ten residents had heard of the Alliance, and at least ninety-five out of every hundred gave it a thumbs-up.

Li Yi had certainly played a part in the Alliance’s success, which had come in only a few short days, but Li Ke and the other ten had contributed no less. They were out early and home late every day, spending all their waking hours at work except when they stopped to eat. Even Cheng Chumo, normally a complete blockhead, seemed like a different person once he got down to work. Cheng Yaojin had even treated Li Jing to a special dinner because of it! The others had all earned their families’ approval, too, and their standing at home had risen sharply. In short, all of them had become celebrated young heroes in Chang’an. Li Yi in particular was almost being hailed as the greatest young man in the Tang Empire!

It was worth mentioning that Li Yeyu and Li Yexun had also joined the Merchant Alliance at Li Yi’s invitation. This time, it had been the old man’s idea, supposedly to “rebuild their character.”

As for Changle and the other women in the Charity Foundation, the two institutions were still in the planning stages, so the foundation was not yet widely known among the common folk. But it was already famous in the circles of the upper nobility. The new arrivals that day had all managed to get in through connections. By now, every noble in Chang’an understood that the foundation was an excellent place to build a reputation, and Changle had become quite the coveted person to know.

It was the first time the young lady had enjoyed being valued by others. She had always been a princess, but she knew people bowed to her because of her father, Li Er. Everything she had achieved now, however, was the result of her own hard work. How could she not feel proud?

Li Xueyan had also received lavish praise from her mother over the matter, and her opinion of Li Yi had climbed sharply as well. It had kept him happy all day. Now that was what a future mother-in-law should be like! Just compare her with Li Er—did that man have any idea how a father-in-law ought to act?

Everyone took turns raising their cups, and soon they were all pleasantly drunk. Whether they were newcomers or not, anyone seated at this table could be called a friend. Other circles might be riddled with scheming, but there was none of that here. For one thing, everyone shared the same ideals, goals, and interests. For another, Li Yi was among them, and they all knew how much he hated infighting. They were eager not to lose their “God of Wealth,” so they did their best to make allowances for one another. In time, they had become as close as brothers.

Li Xueyan sat beside Li Yi, her little face flushed from the wine, though she was still full of energy. Drinking alone was boring, she declared. She wanted to hear a story!

Li Yi had always been happy to indulge her, and this time was no different. What was the big deal about telling a story?

He had had a little too much to drink, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. He picked up a bowl and rapped it against the table. Everyone’s attention turned to him at once. Then he snapped open his folding fan, and in an instant he had the air of a master storyteller.

“Listen now: when chaos first divided, Pangu stood alone;
The Two Principles and Four Forms hung in the void.
The Rat-hour brought forth Heaven, the Ox-hour Earth, the Tiger-hour Man;
To escape the beasts, the wise built nests.
Suiren made fire, and no longer did men eat raw;
Fuxi drew the trigrams, laying out yin and yang.
Shennong ruled the age and tasted every herb;
The Yellow Emperor ordered rites and music, and joined men and women in marriage.
Under the Five Emperors, all flourished;
Yu tamed the floods and banished the raging waters.
The realm enjoyed peace for four hundred years,
Until the wanton King Jie turned Heaven and Earth upside down.
He indulged in pleasure, wine, and women;
Tang raised Bo and washed away the stench.
Jie was driven south to Nanchao, and the oppressed were saved;
Like clouds after drought, the people rejoiced and lived again…”

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The story Li Yi was telling was Investiture of the Gods—not the original novel, nor a translation of it, but the television adaptation. He had read the original, and since his memory had improved after transmigrating, he could still recall parts of it. But this was storytelling, after all. He was going to tell it in whatever way felt right.

“Now, when King Zhou beheld the Lady Nüwa, whose beauty was like that of a celestial goddess, his soul was swept away, and wicked desire arose in his heart. He thought to himself, ‘I am Son of Heaven, ruler of all beneath the four seas. Though I have three palaces and six courts, I have never seen such beauty.’

“So he ordered someone to fetch brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. His attendants hurried to bring them, and the Son of Heaven dipped his brush in rich purple ink. There, upon the white wall of the palace, he wrote this poem:

“‘Beneath the phoenix canopy, the scene is wondrous to behold,
Every detail adorned with clever touches of gold.
Distant mountain curves flash with verdant hue;
Dancing sleeves flutter, robes glowing like sunset anew.
Pear blossoms weep, each rivaling the other in grace;
Peonies, veiled in mist, display their charms apace.
If only such beauty could move and breathe,
I’d bring her to the Palace of Eternal Joy, and make her serve her king…’”

Perhaps Li Yi had a natural gift for storytelling. Perhaps he had simply drunk too much. Whatever the reason, he was telling the tale exceptionally well that evening. The guests were completely captivated by his pacing, now brisk, now unhurried, and by the rise and fall of his voice and the vivid emotion with which he brought the story to life.

They had never heard this kind of myth before. To people of ancient times, myths were stories about the gods. How could ordinary folk hear such tales at their leisure? But they were young, and curiosity overcame everything else. Besides, Li Yi really was a fine storyteller. Before they knew it, they had been drawn in.

They were especially enthralled when he spoke of Nüwa using the Demon-Summoning Banner to call forth the three demons of Xuanyuan Tomb. When he reached Nezha’s birth, Cheng Yaojin could no longer sit still. He listened with such excitement that he was waving his arms about. And when Nezha became a disciple of the Perfected One Taiyi and received the Red Armillary Sash and the Universe Ring, Cheng Yaojin snatched his sister’s shawl and began swinging it around like the sash. Everyone laughed until they nearly fell over.

Before long, Li Yi had been telling the story for nearly half an hour. His throat was parched, and he had just reached the part where Jiang Ziya came down from the mountain, so he stopped.

The others were in the middle of enjoying themselves, and they protested the moment he fell silent. Cheng Yaojin even threatened to tie him up with the Red Armillary Sash if he refused to continue.

Li Yi gave a mischievous grin. “That’s enough for today. Stories never run out, but time does. There’s no need to rush; we have plenty of days ahead. A story you can finish in one sitting may make you laugh or cry for a little while, but a long-running serial gives you much more to think about. All right, that’s it for tonight. I’m tired. If you want to hear more, ask me another time. Let’s settle the bill and go.”

When Li Yi got up to leave, the others realized he truly wasn’t going to continue. They could only stare at him with resentful eyes, following him all the way downstairs. Their gazes made him feel distinctly uneasy. At last, he understood what it was like to be hounded for the next installment. It was a pain—and a pleasure—at the same time!

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