After reciting a few poems, Sima Li, son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, shed his usual arrogance, his expression becoming increasingly respectful and delighted. He had never been qualified to attend a literary gathering of this caliber before. Although his father held a high position, he followed the School of Names, a path frowned upon by the Confucianists. Furthermore, his father was a man of many dalliances, having fathered six sons; as he was not among the most outstanding, he had spent his time mingling with the likes of Shentu Yuan. He knew he had to put on a good performance today.
After the poetry, the conversation naturally drifted toward court affairs. Dong Xiude took the lead, sipping his wine as he leaned against the balustrade, looking toward White Tiger City. "The winds of change have been fierce these past few days..."
Wang Qixing, the eldest son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Elephant, was over thirty and a student of the Confucianist school of prognostication. Catching the subtext, he walked over to Dong Xiude with his cup in hand and looked out at the city. "Wind follows the tiger, clouds follow the dragon; these changes stem from the struggle between the dragon and the tiger. However, in the study of geomancy, the Azure Dragon has always held the upper hand over the White Tiger—that is the true auspicious omen for the realm."
Chapter 88