William Harris let out an “oh,” and said, “It’s Olivia. Buddy, bring a jar of wine for Olivia.”

　　As he spoke, Ryan Carter had already stepped over the tavern’s threshold. Hearing this, his body trembled and he spun around abruptly, gazing deeply at the young girl, his face full of shock: Olivia Harris? The one and only celestial beauty of the imperial palace, the beloved Consort Yang of Li Longji, cherished until death?

Chapter 005 A Daughter of the The Harris Family

　　A single backward glance, a hundred charms arise; all the palace beauties pale in comparison.

　　In the chilly spring, she bathes at Huaqing Pool, the warm spring water smooth against her flawless skin.

　　……

　　Looking back at Chang’an, embroidered towers pile high, on the mountaintop a thousand gates open in succession.

　　A single rider stirs up red dust as the consort smiles—no one knows it’s lychees arriving.

　　……

　　Countless verses describing this beauty of the ages flashed through Ryan Carter’s mind, and for a moment, he felt almost suffocated.

　　Yes, yes.

　　Olivia Harris was born into an official’s family. Her great-grandfather Yang Wang was a pillar of the Sui dynasty and Minister of Personnel, killed by Li Shimin at the dawn of the Tang. Her father, Yang Xuanyan, was an official in Shuzhou. When she was ten, her father died, and she was fostered at her third uncle Yang Xuanjing’s home in Luoyang.

　　A daughter of the The Harris Family grows up, raised in the deep boudoir, unknown to the world. Ryan Carter steadied himself and sighed inwardly. At this very moment, even Olivia Harris herself could never imagine that one day she would soar into the imperial palace, become the phoenix, and cause the emperor to neglect his morning court.

　　……

　　Olivia Harris walked over gracefully, holding a jar of wine in both hands. Seeing Ryan Carter still standing by the roadside, gazing at her in a daze, she couldn’t help but frown. She recognized this seemingly handsome young man, knew of his bad reputation, and didn’t want to pay him any attention, so she quickened her pace.

　　After walking a bit, she suddenly turned around angrily and said, “Ryan Carter, are you, you scoundrel, plotting something against me? Be careful or my uncle will go to the Prime Minister’s residence and file a complaint against you.”

　　The girl didn’t know that the notorious scoundrel before her wasn’t thinking about her beauty, but about her future glory and power. As a “prescient” time traveler, Ryan Carter instinctively wondered—should he approach this future number one consort of the Tang dynasty in advance, laying the groundwork for his own rise to fortune? Or not?

　　Hesitating, and still not used to the Tang-style long robe he wore, his walking posture was rather awkward.

　　Olivia Harris couldn’t help but smile sweetly and teased, “Honestly, you’d better hurry back to your father-in-law’s house. I heard that when it gets late, Madam Foster locks the gates and won’t let you in, hehe.”

　　Her radiant smile was so enchanting, it could melt a thousand layers of ice and snow in an instant. Ryan Carter was stunned, and couldn’t help but mutter, “Truly, a single backward glance, a hundred charms arise. Old White wasn’t lying.”

　　The words reached the girl’s ears. She was literate and fond of poetry, and since the age of twelve had heard such compliments countless times, but Ryan Carter’s elegant and fitting praise immediately touched her.

　　She walked a few steps ahead, saw Ryan Carter still following, and for some reason was no longer annoyed. She simply turned around, stopped, and glanced at him with a smile, “You really know how to talk, hehe. Who is Old White?”

　　“Uh, Old White is—a friend of mine.” Ryan Carter was startled at first, then casually covered it up. He certainly couldn’t tell her that this was a classic line from Bai Juyi’s “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” written for her in a later era.

　　“Does Old White know me? Oh, what was that you just said—what was it called again?” The more Olivia Harris thought about it, the more she liked the phrase, feeling a subtle sense of destiny with it.

　　Ryan Carter gazed deeply at the pure and beautiful Olivia Harris, and finally made up his mind. Having traveled to the flourishing Tang dynasty, since he had the chance to meet this yet-to-rise peerless phoenix—

　　If Ryan Carter’s life was to start over, then let it begin with Olivia Harris.

　　With this thought, he began to make up stories on the spot (it seemed that, with his past experience of picking up girls in bars, coaxing this innocent young lady wouldn’t be too hard). “I’ve long heard that Miss Harris is a beauty beyond compare. Seeing you today, your reputation is truly well-deserved.”

　　Olivia Harris put down the wine jar, pointed at Ryan Carter with her delicate finger, and giggled, “Ryan Carter, is this how you sweet-talk girls? Hehe, I’m not falling for it.”

　　Ryan Carter blushed slightly. “Miss Harris, I have no intention of deceiving you. Haha, since you think so, I’ll take my leave for now.”

　　Ryan Carter turned to go. He understood that Olivia Harris wouldn’t be entering the palace anytime soon; he still had plenty of time to get close to her.

　　Olivia Harris was taken aback and pouted, “How can you just leave like that? So boring. Hey, it sounded like there was more to that line—tell me the rest.”

　　She’s taken the bait, she’s taken the bait.

　　Ryan Carter was secretly delighted, silently chanting in his heart, “Old White, I don’t mean to plagiarize your masterpiece, I’m just borrowing it for a bit—please forgive me.”

　　Turning around, he took a deep breath. He felt his own manner was a bit pretentious, but he couldn’t care about that now—this was a rare opportunity!

　　“The Han emperor was captivated by beauty, longing for a woman to topple a kingdom; for years he ruled the realm, yet could not find her. A daughter of the The Harris Family grows up, raised in the deep boudoir, unknown to the world. Born with natural beauty, she could not be hidden; one day she was chosen to stand by the emperor’s side. A single backward glance, a hundred charms arise; all the palace beauties pale in comparison.” The first eight lines of Bai Juyi’s “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” were recited by Ryan Carter, stopping just short of the end.