The Glory and Power of the Tang Dynasty

In the third year of the Tianbao era of the Great Tang, a gentle breeze swept through Jinshui Town of Yangzhou Prefecture, setting the small wine banner fluttering beneath the eaves of the tavern. A withered yellow leaf drifted lazily, swaying back and forth until it came to rest upon the tavern counter.

The tavern’s proprietress, Widow Zhao, reached out and plucked the leaf, toying with it thoughtfully. Her gaze, tinged with melancholy, drifted to the seat by the window.

That seat, on most days, was occupied by Lu Xiuyuan, the refined and immaculate owner of the town’s medical hall. He would sit there, scholar’s cap on his head and clad in a dark blue, round-collared robe with narrow sleeves, his demeanor gentle and scholarly. He would order a few small dishes, sip two taels of wine, and steal a few furtive glances at Widow Zhao with her graceful bearing, only to compose himself immediately, straightening his posture and fixing his eyes ahead in feigned indifference. This performance both infuriated and flustered Widow Zhao, her heart pounding in her chest, unable to regain her composure for some time.

Even a beauty fears the passing of youth, her loveliness fading with the years. Widow Zhao, only twenty and widowed for four, felt her heart begin to stir in ways she could no longer ignore.

Her gaze fell on a refined, exquisitely beautiful young girl at another table, absorbed in eating a humble bowl of noodle soup. Touching her own cheek in a moment of absentmindedness, Widow Zhao remembered today was market day in Jinshui Town. She hurriedly ins