Hard Peaches

With the arrival of the peach blossom came the arrival of the inevitable parties held in the imperial gardens for the concubines. When he'd been a young scholar making waves amongst the literati back in his hometown, Hua Zhixuan had received many an invite to attend such outdoor gatherings beneath the raining trees. He'd delighted in attending every one of them, accompanying this xiongtai's (1) guqin with his dizi or critiquing that xiongtai's painting with the knowledge gained from his tutors. 

After all, revelling in music alone cannot be compared to sharing in the enjoyment as a whole (2). 

Or so Hua Zhixuan had thought. Upon entering the inner palace, he had swiftly changed his mind. Mengzi's teachings were hardly applicable in an environment where one was surrounded by others who wanted nothing more than to chew each other up and spit out just the barest of bones.