The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 617 I'm Eating a Top-Tier Luxury Banquet in the Tang Dynasty?!

Changan.

Chang'an!

Shen Le stared wide-eyed at the soaring pavilion before him, unwilling to blink. He was back!
He's back again!
They were actually willing to let him see Chang'an City one more time with this suit of armor!

"Hey, what are you standing there for?" Shen Le was suddenly pushed and stumbled. He turned his head and saw a very familiar, unshaven face staring at him.

The old soldier who had once walked the Uyghur route with him, sat shoulder to shoulder by the fire, slept in the same tent, and shared a single flatbread grinned at him:
"Let's go! Let's go to the feast!"

"A feast?" Shen Le was stunned, still reeling from the shock of the sudden change in scenery, her mouth already watering. A feast to eat?
What kind of banquet?

A grand banquet? Or a small feast? Who is hosting this dinner? A prince, a duke, or some other noble family?
As for the "burning-tail banquet," it seems it's not the season for the imperial examinations. As for which high-ranking officials or prime ministers have been promoted, that's beyond his purview...

In short, having something to eat is always good. Shen Le swayed slightly, mounted his horse, and followed the procession out, listening intently as he went. After listening for a while, he finally figured out which restaurant they were going to eat at today:
The person who hosted the dinner was also a famous general, yes, a famous general of that era, surnamed Li, named Sheng, who served as the military commander of the Shence Army.

He is said to be a member of the Longxi Li clan, one of the five prominent clans and seven noble families, and of the same origin as the imperial family. There are rumors that he may be promoted to military governor of the Shence Army; currently, he is a general directly under the Imperial Guard, responsible for part of the defense of the imperial city…

These envoys from Anxi are considered meritorious officials, praised by the emperor, and respected by the court. They are currently very popular.

Since his audience with the Emperor, he's been invited to various homes and families, constantly moving between the residences of powerful clans and high-ranking officials...

All of the above was what Shen Le had just heard. Of all the content, only two points matched Shen Le's existing knowledge:

First, the family was one of the top aristocratic families in the Tang Dynasty, comprised of five prominent clans and seven prominent families. As for Li Sheng, whether he was a direct descendant or a collateral descendant of the Longxi Li family, or whether he was their most illustrious figure, he had no idea.
Secondly, this person works in the Shence Army. The Shence Army was one of the imperial guards of the Tang Dynasty, and I don't recall it having a very good reputation (as my senior sister complained while playing JX3)...

He didn't even know where he was now, so he had to memorize the map of Chang'an's wards and markets in his mind, counting them one by one to guess which ward he was in.

It's pitiful that after he was first kicked out of Chang'an, he did memorize the city's market map, but it was the general version—the market map from the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era.

It's now the second year of Jianzhong, a full 40 years have passed. Not to mention what these markets and wards have been renamed, he doesn't even know if they've been merged or split up, or what new mansions and temples have been added...

Following the procession, winding and turning, covering roughly a third of Chang'an, they finally arrived at a grand mansion. The vermilion gate, towering over ten feet high, stood wide open, and guests streamed in and out. Shen Le silently nodded to himself:

Just as recorded in the book, most of the neighborhoods in Chang'an had uniform gates with dedicated personnel responsible for opening and closing them.

Chang'an's more than one hundred neighborhoods were like more than one hundred small fortresses. Even if the city walls fell, the people could rely on the neighborhood walls to resist step by step until the very last moment...

However, when the capital was abandoned by the monarch, and when its ruler led his civil and military officials to flee first, what reason did the remaining common people have to resist?
This city, in the end, was left completely undefended, plundered, and slaughtered; its inner treasury was burned to ashes, and the streets were trampled with the bones of nobles and officials…

Shen Le managed to pull his thoughts back and continued observing the building in front of him. Hmm, only top-tier officials and nobles, such as princes, princesses, or prime ministers, were entitled to the privilege of having their doors directly opened on the city walls.

This treatment can be understood as the owner being free from the restrictions of the neighborhood's scheduled opening and closing, or as the owner having a strong enough defense force to assume the responsibility of defending their own side.

Like here, the master is one of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, and one of the generals of the Shence Army. Surely he can't even protect his own residence...

He followed the procession, bowing and greeting the host, before being led down a long corridor and seated in a side hall. At this banquet, they didn't seem to be the main guests, but Shen Le didn't seem to care, peeking around and only looking towards the head seat.
It's a living version of "The Night Banquet of Han Xizai"!

Some hosts were kneeling upright on the couch, some guests were reclining on the armchair, and some distinguished guests were sitting cross-legged on the chair.
Female entertainers played the zither and flute, Hu women danced, and beautiful and lovely maids served wine and dishes, and fanned the distinguished guests...

Write it down!
Write it down! You absolutely must write it down!
Halfway through the book, he felt another push on the shoulder. Shen Le snapped out of his daze, followed the flow of people to his seat, and looked left and right, noticing that his fellow reader beside him seemed somewhat annoyed. Completely baffled, he whispered:

"what's wrong?"

"Does the host treat us like barbarians?!" On the right, an officer from the Beiting Protectorate crossed his legs and then put them down, then crossed them again, unable to sit comfortably in the chair no matter what.

Stop, lower your voice, and continue complaining:
“We are from a respectable family in Longxi! We are Han Chinese! We have been educated and learned etiquette since childhood! Why should they sit on the couch while we sit on the folding chair!”

Ah... Shen Le had already sat down in the chair, her legs hanging down comfortably, only regretting that the curve of the backrest wasn't comfortable enough, not the shape of the Ming Dynasty round-back chair.

Looking around, he saw that his fellow countrymen from the Western Regions were all sitting comfortably, while those from the Central Plains looked somewhat resentful. Only then did he belatedly realize:

I understand. In that era, scholars and officials mainly sat on their knees. Only common soldiers and foreigners were not used to sitting upright on their knees and instead sat on folding stools or small stools.

The etiquette at formal banquets was largely used to distinguish a person's social status, and even as a marker of whether they were "of the upper class"...

Even so, Shen Le would not change her sitting posture from sitting with legs hanging down to kneeling just to show that she was well-educated and had perfect manners.

He remained silent, sitting calmly at the head of the group. General Guo lowered his voice and coughed softly. As if a cold wind had blown by, his angry comrades sat quietly one by one, concealing their expressions.

Soon, the soft sounds of string and wind instruments filled the hall, dancers twirled gracefully, and servants began serving dishes in a continuous stream.
"A bond of unity brings forth the finest plum!"

"Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wonton, First-Class Dish!"

"Gold and silver embroidered patterns, perfectly aligned, a first-class quality!"

"Crystal Dragon and Phoenix Cake, Grade One..."

Shen Le almost whistled. The banquet was dazzling with food, and the aroma was intoxicating. Every dish was a multi-sensory experience for the eyes, nose, and taste buds.
Concentric knotted dried meat is a bright red dried meat jerky, which is not unusual. What is unusual is that the jerky is tied into a concentric knot shape - this really tests the chef's knife skills.
Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wonton: A bowl contains twenty-four wontons. Looking up, each wonton is a different shape. Biting into them reveals different fillings.

At first glance, this appears to be just an ordinary steamed noodle roll, but upon closer inspection, one can see that it contains two distinct colors: gold, which is crab roe, and silver, which is crab meat. The aroma is enticing, and the colors are clearly defined...

I made this at home and ate it myself. After removing all the crab roe and meat, that was the limit. I would never use it to make desserts!
Shen Le clicked his tongue in amazement. Beside him, fellow soldiers were quietly explaining things to their comrades, who grew up in Anxi Beiting and were visiting Chang'an for the first time:
"These are all famous dishes from the Burning Tail Feast! I never thought I'd get to eat them in my lifetime... Look, look! The ones being carried over there are steamed vegetarian drumsticks! There are seventy-two dough figurines in total, and each one is different!" Not only were the barbarians whispering among themselves, but even several impoverished warriors from Longxi had expressions that said, "Today has truly broadened my horizons."

Shen Le was restless, wishing he could pull out a camera on the spot, carefully film all the dishes, and bring them back to the modern world to replay them.

A quick glance revealed that General Guo, who had previously stopped them, now had a somber expression and a furrowed brow. The dishes were served in a continuous stream, then cleared away just as quickly, yet he couldn't eat a single bite.
what happened?
He had previously told everyone not to get angry, so what's wrong with him now?
"General. General?"

Shen Le lowered his voice and called out twice. General Guo snapped out of his daze, quickly shaking his head at him, as if signaling him not to lash out.

After a short pause, various roasted whole cows, roasted whole lambs, sashimi, and dried bear meat were served in a continuous stream, accompanied by a sudden burst of music and the incessant twirling of the Hu women.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and constant laughter, people frequently rose to offer toasts or recite impromptu poems to liven up the atmosphere, creating a lively and festive scene—a typical Tang Dynasty grand banquet.

Shen Le listened intently to several songs, but couldn't recognize any of them, so he simply buried his head in his food. Suddenly, the table fell silent, followed by a burst of applause.

"Young Scholar Dong has arrived!"

"Young Scholar Dong is sure to produce excellent works!"

"Come, come, we're all ears—"

The "Young Scholar Dong" was clearly a man of great renown. He raised his glass and stood up, but before he could even speak, the room fell silent.

He paced slowly, gazing into the distance, his expression both solemn and ethereal. A moment later, a pipa player at the table raised her hand and pressed the strings; the four strings sounded as if tearing silk, and young Scholar Dong stopped to softly sing:

"At the grand banquet in the mansion, golden goblets are overflowing, and jade chopsticks frequently pass around camel hoof soup."

As soon as the first line left his lips, Shen Le silently shook his head in his heart: the level was not good enough, it was far inferior to Bai Juyi's "Qin Zhong Yin", it was just the rhythm of an ordinary poem written for official use.

However, looking around, the surrounding guests seemed to be listening intently, holding their breath. Ah, perhaps my expectations were too high?
Scholar Dong didn't think there was anything wrong with his poetry. He raised his cup, took a sip, and continued loudly:
"The wind and rain of the pavilions and towers shield us from the cold air, while the candlelight and silk curtains conceal the chilly sounds."

This is getting interesting! Shen Le sat up straight with interest. Looking around, some of the guests had stiff expressions, some cheered loudly, and others—like his fellow Anxi natives beside him—didn't understand at all;
And this young scholar Dong, disregarding the atmosphere at the table, read on in one breath:

"The lonely city is deserted, arrows have run out and cooking smoke has died down; frozen bones, broken flags, and the neighing of warhorses remain."

Who pities the soldiers buried in the wilderness, yet still reporting peace—a comfort to the imperial court!

With a start, all the guests in the hall rose in surprise and turned to look at their table. Not far from Shen Le, General Guo dropped his wine cup, hurried to the front of the table, and bowed deeply to the host.

"General Li! General Li! We beg you to have pity on the border troops and intervene on our behalf, please send reinforcements! Anxi, Anxi and Beiting, are really about to collapse..."

He burst into tears. His comrades, alarmed, rushed out after General Guo and knelt in obeisance. Shen Le, helpless, could only follow and pay his respects, his heart filled with sighs.

There will be no reinforcements.

There simply won't be any.

Historically, this exhausted and isolated army never received reinforcements until its complete annihilation.
The Tang Dynasty's strength had waned, and it was never able to conquer the Hexi Corridor again. The route through the Uyghurs was too far and too difficult; small groups could barely manage, but for an army of tens of thousands, it was simply impossible...

This commotion made it impossible for the host's banquet to continue. General Li Sheng—I think—quickly moved over a table, helped up General Guo, and repeatedly comforted him.

After much appeasement and promises, and quite a while of fuss, General Guo finally led them to retreat. Shen Le, throughout the journey, barely suppressed the urge to turn back, feeling a pang of reluctance.

Since I'm already here, at least let me finish my meal!

Even if you don't finish the meal, watching the whole thing is fine! It's a Tang Dynasty banquet with a burning tail! It's such a rare sight! I could brag about it for ten years, but they dragged me away after I only watched half of it!

"General, this time..."

After leaving the mansion, they hadn't gone far when General Guo's personal guard, following closely behind, impatiently inquired. General Guo's brows furrowed deeply, and he said helplessly:
"Don't expect too much. I think he's barely managing. At most, he'll mention it briefly when he gets the chance; he's unlikely to put in any real effort..."

"Damn it, if only the commander were here!" The personal guard slammed his fist into his breastplate in frustration. Shen Le shook his head helplessly from behind.

The Grand Marshal refers to Guo Ziyi. Guo Xin, the Grand Protector-General of Anxi, is Guo Ziyi's nephew, the Junior General Guo, and his personal guards are all members of the Guo family.

However, Guo Ziyi had just passed away. Just before they returned from Anxi and stepped into Chang'an, they heard the news but did not live to see him. To this day, white mourning clothes are still hanging in the Guo residence.

Guo Xin relied on this as a great bulwark, believing it would surely serve them. But it has been completely broken and no longer exists.

No, even if Guo Ziyi were still alive, given his cautious nature—having seven sons and eight sons-in-law, and the fact that he died peacefully—he probably wouldn't easily speak out about such major policies...

"Alas, I truly have no other choice," General Guo sighed.
"Today was supposed to be the best opportunity, and I even asked Scholar Dong to compose a poem..."

Starting tomorrow, you don't need to stay at the post station anymore. Go find your relatives and friends if you want, and if you don't want to go back and want to stay in the Central Plains, then hurry up and find your own way..."

Stay in the Central Plains?

Not going back to Anxi?
Shen Le jolted awake. It wasn't that he had found another route from his memories, but rather—

If we don't go back, what will happen to Anxi without reinforcements?!

(End of this chapter)