Moonlit Reunion

The day after attending Cui Jiu and Sun Niangzi's wedding, Mei Zhuyu rose early as usual. As for Wu Zhen, she was hauled out of bed by Mei Zhuyu when the morning drums sounded three times, ate breakfast in a daze, then collapsed back into bed like a wandering spirit.

By her usual habits, she would sleep until the sun was high in the sky. But today, someone delivered an invitation.

Wu Zhen knew many people—not just ordinary folk but also all sorts of yao spirits. There were always those seeking her out, so those who followed etiquette would first send someone to deliver an invitation, either to announce a visit or extend an invitation. To make communication easier, Wu Zhen would give close friends special seals. Any invitation stamped with these seals would be prioritized.

Today’s invitation was one such case. A single letter bore five or six seals. The gatekeeper, having been instructed beforehand, worried it might be urgent and handed it directly to Mei Zhuyu. Mei Zhuyu took the letter but made no move to open it, instead turning to fetch Wu Zhen from her room.

Wu Zhen was fished out of bed by her husband. First, she stretched lazily, sprawling on the bed for a good while before finally plucking the letter from Mei Zhuyu’s hand with two fingers. She shook it open casually and began reading with an impassive expression, one hand rubbing her slightly sore waist.

Mei Zhuyu watched her movements from the side, wanting to massage her waist for her, but after glancing at his own hands, he withdrew them uncertainly.

Once Wu Zhen finished reading, she tossed the letter aside with a mix of frustration and resignation—the kind of expression one wears when forced to do something they’d rather avoid.

Mei Zhuyu had never seen her make such a face before and asked, “Is something the matter? Do you need my help?”

Wu Zhen flopped onto the bed, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. She thumped the mattress and grumbled, “A group of friends invited me to a gathering!”

Mei Zhuyu didn’t understand why a simple gathering would elicit such a reaction. Didn’t she often go out with friends for leisure?

Reading his thoughts, Wu Zhen gritted her teeth and huffed, “This kind of gathering happens twice a year, and it’s downright annoying. If you’re free this afternoon, why not come with me?”

Mei Zhuyu nodded, finding nothing unusual about it. On the contrary, seeing Wu Zhen so reluctant yet resigned to going only piqued his curiosity about what this gathering entailed.

The invitation was for that very afternoon at Plum Garden. As the name suggested, it was a garden filled with plum trees—a favored spot for nobles to admire snow and host banquets in winter. But now, in summer, the garden had neither blossoms nor snow, only lush greenery. Few visited Plum Garden at this time, leaving it quiet and deserted.

When the two arrived, the garden was still empty. Wu Zhen pointed at the trees along the path. “We can come here to see the flowers this winter. The plum blossoms in this area are especially abundant, though they’re not as fragrant as the Green Plums in the smaller garden.”

“This way.” Wu Zhen ducked into a grove beside the path, weaving through dense foliage to take a shortcut to a small lake. She gestured at the dozen or so plum trees by the shore. “These are Fragrant Snow Plums. Their blossoms are pale green, and when they bloom, you can smell their fragrance all the way from the pavilion over there.”Mei Zhuyu followed her pointing finger and caught a glimpse of a small pavilion nestled among the greenery on the opposite shore of the lake.

Wu Zhen was in a much better mood now, a smile on her face as she walked with Mei Zhuyu toward the pavilion. She said, "It’s no use explaining now—you’ll have to experience it yourself to truly understand. When it snows this year, let’s pick a day to reserve this garden and come here to admire the plum blossoms."

Though the plum blossoms weren’t in bloom, the verdant trees and clear waters, along with the gentle breeze by the lake, made for a peaceful stroll. As they chatted quietly, Mei Zhuyu found himself naturally looking forward to the first snowfall of the year.

Upon reaching the pavilion, Wu Zhen settled Mei Zhuyu in a room on the second floor, where opening the window offered a view of the flower hall below. Leaning against the windowsill, Wu Zhen said, "It’ll be too crowded and noisy downstairs later, so you can just wait here for me. I’ll finish as quickly as I can."

Just then, a servant brought in a table of food and wine—modest in portion but exquisitely fragrant and visually appealing. Wu Zhen sat down at the table but didn’t eat. Instead, she said, "The main reason I invited you here today is because the food is quite good, and I wanted you to try it. Also, this Plum Wine is brewed exclusively by the Plum Garden—it’s not sold elsewhere. You can only taste it here. It has a rich, lingering flavor that I think you’ll enjoy."

Lately, the two of them had taken to sharing a few cups of wine under the moonlight in the evenings. Mei Zhuyu’s tolerance had improved considerably, and Wu Zhen, noticing he was finally beginning to appreciate the taste, delighted in seizing every opportunity to introduce him to her favorite wines.

Before long, the flower hall below grew lively as people streamed in one after another. Someone even shouted, "Has Fifth Brother arrived yet? And Wu Zhen! Where are they?"

Wu Zhen glanced out the window, flicked her sleeve, and said to Mei Zhuyu, "Take your time eating. I’ll head down now."

After Wu Zhen left, Mei Zhuyu didn’t touch the food. Instead, he listened to the sound of her descending the stairs and moved to the window to watch as she entered the flower hall.

Five or six men were already seated inside, and as Wu Zhen stepped in, three more arrived together. They all seemed well-acquainted, exchanging casual greetings before settling around the table, which was laden with sumptuous dishes and wine. Three seats remained empty.

No one seemed inclined to wait for the others before starting the feast. One man poured himself a cup of wine and downed it in one gulp.

These men ranged in age from their mid-twenties to their thirties. Most were handsome and refined—some scholarly and delicate, others wealthy and noble, and a few tall and robust, exuding martial prowess. All appeared to be of respectable backgrounds.

Yet, despite being a gathering of such distinguished gentlemen, there was no trace of joy or merriment on their faces. Even if there had been initial delight at reuniting with friends, it had gradually given way to sighs and gloom.

The man who had drunk first now lamented, "Brothers, I am truly suffering!"

He let out a long sigh and took another sip of wine, propping his head on his hand. "That wife of mine humiliated me the other day, and now my colleagues won’t stop laughing at me. Ah! Had I known this would happen, I would never have married her!"Beside him sat a frail-looking gentleman who patted his shoulder. "Elder brother understands your hardship—we're both men adrift in this world!" he sighed, even wiping his reddened eyes with his sleeve, putting on a brave face of suppressed sorrow.

"A Tao and Wenzhong, don’t be like this. Quarrels with the women at home are just trivial matters—why carry on so?" a tall, lean man said loudly. "Not long ago, I was sent to Guang'an by my superior and suffered greatly, yet I didn’t act like this."

Another broad-faced, older gentleman leaned in, pouring him a cup of wine and murmuring, "Dou Qi, don’t be so harsh. They’ve had their share of grievances lately."

"Ah, yesterday my father scolded me for no reason. If he dislikes me at home, fine, but must he also deny me face at court?"

"Look on the bright side—being reprimanded by your father while serving together is still better than being scolded by another superior."

"You don’t understand—his tone was truly unbearable! He treats me this way only because he favors my half-brother!"

"Your elder brother isn’t so bad, aside from being a bit useless. But my younger brother—now that’s real trouble! He stirs up mischief every day, and my mother and grandmother always shield him. Last time he caused trouble, they forced me to clean up his mess, leaving me with nothing but trouble."

Somehow, the group of men had fallen into a shared lament. One spoke of constant quarrels with his wife, another of parental favoritism or troublesome siblings, while others complained of work frustrations, recent misfortunes, a sister’s troubled marriage, or the death of a beloved horse.

These gentlemen, all of respectable status and appearance, barely touched the dishes on the table, drinking heavily instead as they sighed and commiserated, eventually raising their cups in a shared toast.

And then there was Wu Zhen—a woman, yet she blended seamlessly among these men, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Unlike them, however, she wore no look of complaint or sorrow. Instead, she listened with a raised brow, offering either advice or mockery when one of them poured out his woes. If someone annoyed her, she simply poured a large cup of wine and shoved it at him, saying bluntly, "Drink!"

The aggrieved gentleman would then down the cup in one gulp, his face flushed with misery, before continuing his lament.

As they comforted each other, sighed in unison, and occasionally cursed together, two more arrived—both handsome, imposing gentlemen. They quickly merged into the sea of grievances, with one even grabbing Wu Zhen and bursting into tears. A towering man of nine feet, wiping his tears, spoke of the strife between his wife and concubine, leaving him caught in the middle and miserable these past few days.

Wu Zhen, somewhat amused, remarked offhandedly, "Why not take another wife? That way, at most two would be fighting at any time, and you could take refuge with the third. At least you wouldn’t be left with nowhere to rest."

She was clearly joking, but after a moment of thought, the man clapped his hands in delight. "Truly, no one but you could think of such a brilliant solution! It’s worth a try!"The last gentleman arrived quite late, by the time he showed up, another round of drinks had already been served. He took the empty seat next to Wu Zhen, who slung an arm over his shoulder and suddenly gave his plump, protruding belly a hard slap, making the man clutch his stomach with a pained laugh. "Ah, no hitting, no hitting," he protested.

Wu Zhen paid no heed, her eyes filled with disdain as she bluntly remarked, "Second Brother, you used to be such a dashing gentleman. How did two years stationed in Qing'an turn you into this?"

The man she called Second Brother shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "Age catches up with us. Can't compare to the youngsters anymore."

"Indeed, Zhen. At our age, we're no match for our younger selves," another man in his thirties chimed in, patting his own slightly bulging belly with a similar sigh.

Wu Zhen curled her lip and jabbed a finger at their stomachs in mock anger. "Disgraceful! Make time to go horseback riding with me—a full lap around South Mountain—and I guarantee you won’t grow bellies like these."

"Ah, no, no, no. We can't handle that. Work is exhausting enough as it is—no energy left," the first man quickly waved his hands in refusal.

From there, the conversation devolved into complaints about waning stamina leading to marital discord, with everyone sighing in commiseration. Wu Zhen joined in, lamenting alongside them, and no one found it the least bit odd.

After three rounds of drinks, some of the gentlemen were already slumped over the table, weeping drunkenly and bellowing poetry—lines like "Fine timber left unused, while mud dogs pile the walls," or "Talent forsaken by the wise lord, what can one do?"

Mei Zhuyu looked down at the scene from above. These once-elegant, well-dressed gentlemen had now shed all dignity, howling like ghosts and wolves.

A few of them looked strikingly familiar. If he wasn’t mistaken, the one sobbing about divorcing his wife was the son of the Minister of Justice. The one cursing his superior was the Vice Minister of War, who had recently brawled with the Minister of War in the streets, sparking quite the scandal. Mei Zhuyu had just heard colleagues gossiping about this audacious official a couple of days prior.

As for the older gentleman whose belly Wu Zhen had slapped, he seemed to be the newly transferred Military Commander of Xuanzhou, recently returned to Chang'an and also granted the title of General Lingwei.

The one who had drunk himself under the table was a scholar from the Imperial Academy. Mei Zhuyu had met him at his uncle’s residence before—a refined, graceful, and popular gentleman. Yet now, he lay like a limp pickle, muttering incoherently about the meaninglessness of life.

The others Mei Zhuyu didn’t recognize, but they were clearly no ordinary folk either. Watching Wu Zhen, who was now slamming the table and impatiently pouring drinks for everyone, Mei Zhuyu suddenly understood.

This group of gentlemen must have been Wu Zhen’s old companions from her wilder days. Thinking of the younger crowd like Cui Jiu and Mei Si, then looking at these older brothers, Mei Zhuyu felt the cruel passage of time weigh heavily upon him.