BXBX NOVEL Chapter 45
After speaking, he got up and left. Xiao Ran could see that Li Lizhi was truly anxious. Xiao Ran smiled, realizing he now owned two mines at home.
Li Lizhi left the bedroom, and Yushu ran over, asking, “Your Highness, what are your orders?”
“Immediately send someone to Yujiagou. Bring back ten pounds of coal and ten pounds of salt ore,” Li Lizhi instructed with her usual noble demeanor.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness! I’ll arrange it right away!” Yushu said, finding Li Lizhi’s actions increasingly puzzling.
“The sooner, the better!” Li Lizhi emphasized.
Yushu hurriedly complied. In the evening, Changan City was gloomy, with a howling north wind and thick, goose-feather-sized snowfall.
Li Lizhi murmured, looking at the snowflakes, “It’s snowing again!”
Turning back to the bedroom, Xiao Ran observed, “Tang Dynasty is experiencing snow again?”
“Yes, the weather has turned cold. It was a bit warmer this morning. Father will worry again!” Li Lizhi expressed concern.
“It will get better soon, don’t worry!” Xiao Ran reassured. “I’ve been in winter here for a while, and still no snow. Let’s go enjoy it!”
Li Lizhi’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”
They went to the bedroom. It was the first time Li Lizhi brought Xiao Ran into the private chambers, considering that a man’s presence in the Imperial Palace would raise suspicions.
Li Lizhi explained, “We can’t go outside. It might be discovered. Let’s just open the window and see.”
“Going outside might attract attention,” she added.
Xiao Ran agreed, “Let’s just open the window.”
Li Lizhi went to open the window, but Xiao Ran stopped her, noting the cold wind from the north.
“You fool!” Xiao Ran teased. “It’s too cold facing north.”
Li Lizhi retorted, “You must have misheard! How dare you call me a fool!”
“You definitely misheard!” Xiao Ran insisted.
“I heard it correctly!” Li Lizhi challenged.
“You misheard. There’s no way…” Xiao Ran stubbornly persisted.
Seeing Xiao Ran being difficult, Li Lizhi joined the argument. They both looked at the heavy snowfall outside.
“In this situation, I suddenly thought of the scene in the world’s new language,” Xiao Ran remarked.
“I know that one. Xie Daoyun’s ‘Not as tender as willow catkins when the wind blows,’ right?” Li Lizhi recalled.
“Yeah,” Xiao Ran affirmed.
“It doesn’t feel quite right, almost off-putting,” Li Lizhi admitted after pondering.
The scene didn’t quite suit Li Lizhi’s taste.
“I know one more. It feels great. Do you want to hear it?”
“Yes, tell me quickly!”
“It should be the celestial beings who got drunk and smashed the white clouds.”
Li Lizhi’s eyes lit up. She could discern the good from the bad and was proficient in various arts.
“Imaginative, splendid, unconventional, romantic, with a touch of boldness. It’s wonderful! Who is the author?” She inquired.
“If not for you knowing I’m from the future, I would say it’s a spontaneous expression,” Xiao Ran chuckled.
“Poetic Immortal Li Bai!” He revealed.
“This style seems to be from a poet of my Tang Dynasty, right?” Li Lizhi wasn’t entirely sure but found it familiar.
“Yes, he lived during the peak of the Tang Dynasty. Later generations praised the Poetic Immortal, saying, ‘Drinking into the intestines, seven points turned into moonlight, the remaining three points howled into sword energy, and half of the embroidery breathed into the Tang Dynasty.’ There are also various interpretations of the Hundred Poems of Fighting Wine,” Xiao Ran explained.
Li Lizhi appreciated the verse, slowly savoring it. “What a phrase – half a prosperous Tang Dynasty!”
“In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, where many stars gathered, he was one of the brightest,” Xiao Ran added.
“With such talent, is there anyone who can rival him?” Li Lizhi inquired.
“Yes,” Xiao Ran acknowledged. “Many great poets, but only one who rivals the Poetic Immortal.”
“Tell me a line. I want to hear a masterpiece from someone who rivals the Poetic Immortal,” Li Lizhi eagerly requested.
Xiao Ran considered for a moment. “When I reach the top, I shall look down upon all the mountains.”
Li Lizhi got goosebumps. “This poem is incredible, transcending the ordinary. Who is this poet?”
“He is considered a Poet-Saint, as renowned as the Poetic Immortal,” Xiao Ran shared.
“Holy!” Li Lizhi was astonished. Anything associated with that word meant not just greatness but true greatness!
“Does the Poetic Sage know him?” Li Lizhi asked curiously.
“They knew each other; they lived in the same era,” Xiao Ran replied.
“How was their relationship?” Li Lizhi couldn’t help her curiosity.
“The Poetic Sage admired the Poetic Immortal,” Xiao Ran disclosed.
“Interesting! If only I could have lived in that era!” Li Lizhi couldn’t help but yearn for it.