With that, An Zuo and Xu exchanged a smile and drank the cloudy wine in their cups.
Cups and drinking tallies passed back and forth, and host and guest alike rejoiced.
They drank until midnight, when An Zuo suddenly felt inspired. He rose, pushed open the wooden door leading outside, and tilted his head up to gaze at the stars glittering in the night sky.
Through the haze of wine, An Zuo sensed that something was amiss, though he could not say what. Facing the cold wind, he patted his forehead.
He focused and listened.
A faint, distant chanting drifted through the wind.
"O divine spirit, your path emerges from the earth's gate, your traces extend to the ends of the world."
"Warm from the east, you melt the layered ice; fierce from the west, you ravage every flower. Roused to wrath, you send stones rolling and sand flying, overturn rivers and upend seas; at rest, you gather clouds and still waves, unfurl willows and open blossoms."
"You quicken all things into renewed life and bring peace to the eight directions. You fulfill the needs of the common people and magnify the might of the great king."
Su Qing stood in the open ground outside the courtyard, his expression solemn and grave. Before him, lines of golden characters appeared with his chanting.
"Our realm possesses supreme virtue and profound benevolence, winning the trust even of pigs and fish. It eradicates treachery and wickedness, unifies axle widths and writing, brings calm seas and clear rivers, and makes distant lands peaceful and those nearby reverent."
"Yet those wicked rebels still indulge in aggression, relying on a rabble gathered like crows, leading hordes massed like bees. They trust in defenses no stronger than anthills, their lives as fleeting as mayflies and morning mushrooms.