The Heavenly Mountain Guest Lodge...
"All right," Jiang Yiner said.
She gazed at the bright daylight and thought, I wonder what Zhaoye and the others are doing now. Don't give our family friend a fright tomorrow.
Holding Changsun Jue's hand, Cui Zhaoye stood in a little pavilion on Leyouyuan.
Since spring began, visitors had thronged this place like threads on a loom. Nearby lay broad plains, shaded pools and waterfalls; in the distance rose the towers of the Divine Capital and the verdant Five Mausoleums. The scenery was truly enchanting.
Yet even with Leyouyuan's boundless beauty, people's gazes kept straying in this direction.
A whole crowd of young girls had gathered together, their laughter like the chatter of orioles and swallows, their skirts fluttering, heaped into a dazzling profusion of spring.
It really was a startlingly large gathering, clustered beside a pavilion and pool, all looking toward that little pavilion. There were some young gentlemen and scholars among them too, but they all sat well on the outskirts, whispering together as though huddling for warmth, quite incapable of stirring up much of a wave.
Visitors were astonished at first glance, and at the second, instinctively sought an explanation for their astonishment. A sweep of their eyes would then reveal the rather brightly colored silk banner erected beside the pavilion, embroidered with five characters.
Pei Ye Fan Club.
People arriving in the capital from elsewhere were bound to be astonished, but local residents were already accustomed to all manner of novelties. The name "Pei Ye" was not unfamiliar either. Even commoners who cared least about affairs of state had probably heard something about that Sword Wager last winter, watched by the Sage and all the officials. Once the victorious swordsman was introduced, most would have some recognition of the name.