Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 386 A Glorious and Intoxicating Era

The emperor's sudden trip divided the Zhang family into several groups. Zhang Shuo and his wife, as well as Zhang Ji and his wife, sat down in the Ziyun Tower, while the other clansmen and noblewomen who held official positions were arranged to sit on the east bank of the Qujiang River.

As for the place that Zhang Yang occupied before, it was located on the west side of Qujiang Pool, near Xingyuan Garden. Because it was some distance from Qujiang, it was fortunate that it was not cleared away, so other family members could also come here to participate in the grand event.

After Zhang Dai led A Ying down from Ziyun Tower, they headed towards the Qujiang Riverbank. By this time, the Qujiang Riverbank was already overcrowded and difficult to walk on. Fortunately, the Dou family had moored a pleasure boat on the east bank. After boarding the boat, they used the sampan to paddle across the Qujiang River and finally reached the other side.

The flow of people on the west bank of Qujiang was much less than that on the east bank. Zhang Dai and Aying searched for a while and found the location of their yurt. Their family members who were waiting there quickly came to greet them.

"Luo Nu, now that you've come out, when will His Majesty return to the palace? If it's any later, how will there be time for singing and dancing!"

Zhang Yang strode forward and asked Zhang Dai with an eager expression.

He was dressed in magnificent robes and formal attire, ready to show off at the Qujiang Assembly. However, with the Emperor's carriage currently residing in Furong Garden, the attention of the people was drawn to him, leaving him no room to boast. Naturally, he felt restless and anxious.

"How would I know!"

Even if Zhang Dai knew when the Emperor would return to the palace, he dared not reveal it to idle people. He gave a casual reply and then walked into the tent.

Seeing that Nan Jiyun and other people from Guandong had also been arranged to stay here, he stepped forward and asked with a smile, "What do you think of this scene?"

"A magnificent and glorious era, it's breathtaking!"

Nan Jiyun answered immediately, and the others nodded in agreement.

Although they couldn't see the performance in front of Ziyun Tower from the west bank of Qujiang, they were still deeply moved by the festive atmosphere. Whenever they heard the cheers from the east bank, they couldn't help but enthusiastically wave their hands and cheer in unison.

Chang'an's prosperity was indeed unmatched by other places, including Luoyang of the same era. A major characteristic of this prosperity was its large population, especially in the medieval era when the vast majority of people were engaged in agriculture and scattered in the countryside. The number of tourists gathered around Qujiang Pool today alone is probably more than many people from other states would ever see in their entire lives.

Therefore, many people who come to Chang'an are reluctant to leave. Even after years have passed, they still miss the prosperity of Chang'an. As time goes by and their memories become blurred, they add all sorts of wonderful imaginings, making Chang'an even more magnificent and prosperous in their minds.

Zhang Dai sat in the tent chatting with a few people about the sights and sounds of Chang'an, taking a break as well. Just then, a series of thunderous shouts and cries of congratulations erupted from the opposite bank. It turned out that the Emperor, surrounded by his ministers, had left the Ziyun Tower and was preparing to return to the palace.

The people below were reluctant to part, hoping that the emperor could stay and observe the ceremony. Some of the more emotional people even rushed to the foot of the Ziyun Tower, causing the imperial guards below to sway precariously.

Although the people were expressing their reverence for the sage, the situation was so chaotic that it could easily spiral out of control. If any trouble were to break out, it would be a tragedy. Therefore, the Northern Imperial Guards followed the emperor's lead and hastened their departure, while the Imperial Guards remained in the Hibiscus Garden to maintain order.

Seeing the chaotic scene on the other side, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh that it was no wonder the emperor would later have specially built a covered walkway with a wall between Xingqing Palace and Furong Garden. With people coming and going in and out with their movements completely exposed to the public, problems were bound to arise sooner or later.

The sage's hasty departure greatly disappointed the people present, but it brought relief to some others.

While the presence of a sage at Furong Garden to share the joy with the people is certainly delightful and uplifting, the sage's radiance overshadows that of others, making them feel insignificant. Furthermore, the sage's presence makes it inconvenient to carry out some less solemn festive activities.

After the imperial procession departed, the atmosphere around Qujiang immediately became even more lively. Zhang Yang, who had been holding back for a long time, hurriedly led out the fine horse he had borrowed from Zhang Dai, mounted it, and then, with a few servants, galloped off, calling out to his friends and causing a ruckus through the streets of Qujiang.

Meanwhile, powerful and wealthy families built stages and set up performances with gongs and drums. Flower boats shuttled back and forth on Qujiang Pool, and carriages and horses lined the embankment for outings.

The纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) of the capital, such as Zhang Yang, dressed themselves like little roosters with brightly colored and shiny feathers, chasing after those luxurious carriages and shouting and yelling.

The beautiful courtesans riding in the luxurious carriages were also very adept at seducing people. With faces full of lust and eyes full of flirtatious charm, they threw sachets and bouquets of flowers at the playboys beside the carriages and under the curtains of the wealthy families, attracting the attention of the tourists and then luring them to either casinos or brothels.

Zhang Dai, who had been sitting outside the tent enjoying the scene of debauchery and revelry, soon found himself surrounded by people throwing flowers and sachets at him. Within a short quarter of an hour, more than a dozen sachets of various colors were scattered on the felt mat in front of him. Zhang Yang, who had returned from the other side to rest, was initially planning to show off his spoils, but upon seeing this, he couldn't help but shout with envy. However, he quickly dismounted, picked up the sachets, strung them together with silk thread, and hung them on his person, preparing to go out and flaunt them.

"Uncle, give me two! I saw several classmates coming from the other side, and it's so embarrassing that I came up empty-handed!"

Seeing this, Zhang Yu was also greatly tempted, but Zhang Yang ignored him and only cared about showing off. Just then, another procession of carriages passed by, and sachets rained down on them like hailstones. Zhang Yu picked them up with a beaming smile.

In fact, men from wealthy families like them are the kind of men that women in the pleasure quarters love, so it doesn't matter what kind of demeanor they have. Besides, Zhang Yi himself is not an ugly person, so he is not afraid of being favored. It's just that he used to run around with Zhang Yan and looked like a troublemaker and a freeloader, so people would avoid him.

During the grand celebration of the Shangsi Festival, besides the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families) and the group of people indulging in pleasure, there was another rather special group that was the most active and attracted the most attention: the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

The results of the provincial examinations were usually announced around the Shangsi Festival, and the banquet held at Qujiang after the successful candidates in the imperial examinations often coincided with the Shangsi Festival. On this day, the newly appointed candidates would gather at the Da Ci'en Temple, and after being named at the Wild Goose Pagoda, they would go for a stroll along the streets, board a boat at the head of Qujiang, and then enjoy themselves around the pond.

This year followed a similar process. The newly appointed scholars gathered at the foot of the Wild Goose Pagoda early in the morning, only to be trapped inside the Great Ci'en Temple, unable to leave. Since the Emperor was to personally visit the Hibiscus Garden, and these scholars, currently without official titles, were naturally not allowed to pass without special imperial decree.

These newly appointed scholars were trapped at Da Ci'en Temple for nearly an hour before being released. By then, the performances in Furong Garden had already begun, and the docks on the north bank of Qujiang River were already full of various tourist boats, so the tourist boats that were supposed to take them on a cruise on Qujiang River could not dock at all.

Fortunately, the delegation of newly appointed scholars who arranged the banquet and tour of Qujiang were quite capable. After some effort, they managed to get a few small boats to pick up the new scholars one by one and take them to the tour boat. By then, it was already afternoon.

Despite the many setbacks they had encountered, the newly appointed scholars' spirits lifted as the pleasure boats began to sail on Qujiang Pool. Especially after the imperial procession left Furong Garden, the attention of the local people gradually drew to them, who responded with enthusiastic cheers and applause.

There were many ways to enter officialdom in the Tang Dynasty, but the most difficult one was generally recognized by the public at the time. Therefore, those who passed the imperial examination were often praised by the public.

Although these newly appointed scholars have not yet obtained official positions, they are already promising candidates among scholars, and their career paths and achievements are smoother and more remarkable than those from other miscellaneous backgrounds!

Therefore, the Jinshi's pleasure boat attracted a lot of attention on Qujiang Pool. Many powerful and wealthy officials who were leisurely strolling on the boat ordered their servants to bring them some wine and food, expressing their appreciation and respect for these new Jinshi.

Meanwhile, some brothels and pleasure boats actively approached, with the courtesans vying to perform, hoping to win the favor and patronage of these scholars. Being invited to board a boat was a great honor for them, and they could charge higher prices when entertaining guests at their establishments in the future.

When they saw the numerous flower boats surrounding the scholar's boat, many on the boat and on the shore shouted, "These scholars are so successful! Why not send the top scholar sooner!"

The game of "Jinshi Tanhua" has become increasingly popular in recent years. The term "Tanhualang" did not originally have the meaning of the imperial examination ranking in later generations. It simply meant that one or two young and outstanding candidates among the newly appointed Jinshi were selected to travel along the Qujiang River to visit famous gardens and pick flowers. If they were refused by the garden owner or if someone else picked their flowers first, they had to return and accept the punishment. This game was used to add to the fun.

The owners of the famous gardens near Qujiang were mostly celebrities of the time, so they would not deliberately make things difficult for these top scholars. However, they would often set up one or two difficult questions to test them and add to the fun. These questions were usually about poetry and prose, which were the areas that the scholars were best at.

As the crowd cheered, two young newly appointed scholars were quickly selected from the boat and boarded a small boat to approach the shore, where they immediately received even more applause.

However, the attention these newly appointed scholars received naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of the playboys and scoundrels around them who also hoped to gain attention. These people may not have extraordinary talents, but they know how to make a fuss and cause a ruckus.

"Who is the supervisor of the apricot orchard? We must guard the gates and not allow these young scholars to easily pluck the apricot blossoms!"

They shouted loudly, preparing to select a supervisor to compete in poetry and stop the two third-place scholars, thus dampening the arrogance of the new scholars.

However, these playboys often lacked poetic talent. After all, if they really had that ability, they would have taken the imperial examinations instead of wandering the streets aimlessly.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Zhang Dai and Zhang Zongzhi live closest to Xingyuan Garden. They are also the top students in previous years and seniors among the students. It is most appropriate for them to supervise the garden and examine the younger generation!"

(End of this chapter)