Tang Dynasty: Saving Lives and Helping Others, Li Lizhi Falls for Him

Li Lizhi's carriage left Jishiju and drove straight into the palace without stopping.

The carriage curtain swayed behind her, but her expression was unusually solemn.

Cuizhu sat to the side, watching her as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Li Lizhi noticed her gaze.

"The princess is... a little different today."

Li Lizhi did not answer. She sat up straight and tapped her fingers lightly on her knees, a gesture she only made when she was restless.

The image of Shen Chang'an from just now kept replaying in his mind: his brows were furrowed, his gaze was cold, and his tone was unusually firm.

She had never seen him look like that before.

The carriage stopped at the palace gate. Li Lizhi got out of the carriage, quickly walked through several corridors, and headed straight for the Ganlu Hall.

"Your Highness."

A palace attendant approached from outside the hall. "His Majesty is reviewing memorials. Would you like to—"

"Go and inform them immediately," Li Lizhi interrupted him. "I have important business to discuss with my father."

Seeing her solemn expression, the eunuch dared not delay and quickly entered the hall.

He came out a moment later and said respectfully, "Your Majesty invites the princess in."

Li Lizhi straightened her clothes and stepped inside.

Li Shimin was sitting behind his desk, still holding a vermilion brush in his hand. When he saw her enter, he put down the brush, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

He knew that Li Lizhi spent the day with Shen Chang'an and only returned to the palace at night, so the fact that she came to see him as soon as she returned to the palace today clearly meant that something had happened.

"Lizhi, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be with Mr. Shen at this hour?"

Li Lizhi curtsied and looked up at her father, the Emperor, her expression solemn: "Father, someone came to Jishi Residence today to visit Mr. Shen Chang'an."

"Who is it?"

Li Shimin's tone was somewhat casual, after all, Shen Chang'an was a highly skilled doctor who liked to provide free medical consultations, so it was perfectly normal for someone to seek him out.

"The Japanese country sent an envoy to the Tang Dynasty."

Li Lizhi spoke slowly and deliberately, "The leader called himself Inugami Mitasuki."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin paused slightly, for he knew the man's name.

In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, a group of people from the island nation to the east came to the Tang Dynasty. The leader of the group was Inugami Mitasuki. These envoys were registered and often stayed at the Sifangguan.

Li Shimin, "being proud of their distant journey," did not treat them as ordinary foreign tributary envoys, but merely as a group of students who had come from afar.

For more than a year, these Japanese soldiers studied the laws, regulations, and etiquette in Chang'an, behaving themselves properly and without causing any trouble.

However, Li Shimin's gaze froze. What was there about Shen Chang'an that would make the Japanese pay attention? He was just a country doctor. How could news of him have traveled so far?

"Did Mr. Shen meet with them?"

Li Shimin looked at his daughter, his tone calm, but his gaze had become sharp.

Li Lizhi took a deep breath and told the whole story.

From Inugami Mitasuki's request for an audience outside the courtyard, to Shen Chang'an's cold reception, and finally to his direct dismissal—

"Mr. Shen did not get up to greet them or invite them to sit down from beginning to end."

Li Lizhi said, word by word, "He said those Japanese people weren't sick and didn't need to see a doctor, and then he let them go."

Li Shimin tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, somewhat surprised by Shen Chang'an's actions. Could it be that those Japanese envoys had some unknown side to them?

“Mr. Shen is usually gentle and never so rude,” Li Lizhi continued, “but today, I feel something is amiss, so I have come to report to Father Emperor.”

"Your feeling is correct." Li Shimin stood up and paced around the hall.

He turned to his daughter, "What else did those Japanese say?"

Inugami Mita said they would be returning to Japan in about a month.

Li Shimin noted down this information, told Li Lizhi to go back and rest first, and after sending her away, he paced around the palace alone for a while.

"Someone come here."

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"Prepare the carriage first thing tomorrow morning; I wish to go to Jishiju with the princess."

……

Meanwhile, in the Shihō-kan, Inu no Mitasuki and several deputy envoys sat around a candle, their faces grim.

No one expected Shen Chang'an's attitude. During their time in the Tang Dynasty, they visited many officials, scholars, and doctors. The people of the Tang Dynasty were always warm and hospitable to foreign visitors, but this "Divine Physician Shen" never gave them a kind look from beginning to end.

"Ambassador, this man is utterly ungrateful!" a deputy envoy said indignantly.

Inugami Mitasuki waved his hand, signaling him to lower his voice. Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial would occasionally come to inspect, and they couldn't be careless about the fact that walls have ears.

However, this was a foreign embassy, ​​and since the discussions were behind closed doors, it was inconvenient for officials of this dynasty to interfere. As a result, the Japanese spoke with less restraint.

"That courtyard of Shen Chang'an is no ordinary place."

Inugami Mita lowered his voice, "Did you notice the atmosphere in the courtyard? As soon as you entered, you felt refreshed, as if your whole body had been cleansed. And there was that woman who informed us—"

"It is Princess Chang Le, the eldest legitimate princess of the Tang Dynasty."

The deputy envoys looked at each other, their faces showing disbelief.

One of the deputy envoys blurted out instinctively, "The residence of a mere country doctor, and a princess personally attends to his every need?"

"Therefore, there must be a secret in this little courtyard. The source of those medicines that can cure all diseases and those miraculous medical skills may very well be in that little courtyard. The source of this cure for all diseases is in that courtyard."

Inugami Mita looked at the group with burning eyes, "If we can find this secret and bring it back to Japan, it will be a great achievement."

The deputy envoys all fell silent; they all understood the weight of the matter, but—

Someone hesitated before speaking up: "Ambassador, if someone dies, I'm afraid we won't be able to go back."

These words sent a chill down everyone's spines.

Shen Chang'an clashed with them. If Shen Chang'an were to be killed, the Tang Dynasty court would investigate and they would be the first to be punished, and they would probably never be able to return to their homeland.

Japan sent them here to learn about the civilization and laws of the Tang Dynasty. If they were to cause a diplomatic dispute by killing Tang citizens without authorization, and this reached the Emperor's ears, he might not even be spared.

Inugami Mita nodded, temporarily suppressing the murderous intent in his heart.

Taking a hard line would come at too high a price.

But when they tried to be gentle, Shen Chang'an was completely unyielding and there was no way to negotiate.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up: "We can't hurt him, but we can go through his things."

He continued his analysis in a low voice: "The princess is in the courtyard during the day, so it's inconvenient to make a move. But after he goes out to provide free medical care tomorrow, those soldiers won't enter the courtyard, and it will be empty. At that time, we can send someone to climb over the wall and search his room to see what treasures are hidden inside."

The deputy envoys whispered among themselves for a few moments. Although they felt it was somewhat rash, they seemed to have no better solution.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Tang Ci and his group hid in the shadows, waiting for Shen Chang'an to leave the courtyard.

As usual, Shen Chang'an washed up, ate, and went out with his medicine kit on his back.

The free clinic booth is set up outside, opening at dawn and closing at noon every day, without fail.

When he left, the courtyard gate was locked from the outside, and his figure disappeared at the end of the official road.

Inugami Mita gave a signal, and one of his nimble followers scaled the wall and landed lightly in the courtyard.

He looked around and found the courtyard empty.

The people at Sifangguan had studied the laws of the Tang Dynasty for many years. Although the Tang law did contain articles against trespassing, he was a foreign envoy and a fifth-rank official of the Tang Dynasty. At most, he would be sent back, but he would not lose his head.

As long as no one is hurt, it means not to break off relations.

The man looked around the courtyard and headed straight for the main house.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary house, but once you push the door open, you realize something is amiss.

The soil beneath my feet was faintly warm, and the air was filled with a very faint medicinal fragrance, but I couldn't tell what kind of medicinal herbs they were.

The sound of a dog barking came from behind, but no footsteps followed; the courtyard remained empty.

The man grew bolder, reached out and pushed open the door, stepping into Shen Chang'an's bedroom.

The main room was simply furnished with a wooden bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and several medical books and an oil lamp on the desk.

The bedding was neatly arranged, and there was nothing of value inside.

He looked around, thinking he had gone to the wrong place, when suddenly an invisible force enveloped him, as if he were being pressed into a thick mud wall, unable to even bend his fingers.

He opened his mouth to shout, but found that no sound came out of his throat.

Only consciousness remains clear.

His eyes widened as he struggled, every muscle trembling, yet he remained unable to move.

Sweat dripped down his forehead and soaked his collar.

At that very moment, Shen Chang'an was on his way to provide free medical consultations.

The array plate in his arms was slightly warm, emitting a tremor that only he could perceive.

The formation will sound an alarm when it encounters an intruder, indicating that someone has broken in.

Shen Chang'an calmly probed the array plate with his divine sense, and the scenery around the courtyard unfolded in his mind like a scroll painting.

He saw the face of the trapped person clearly—

He was short in stature and had a dark complexion, just like the Japanese men from yesterday.

They're Japanese again.

Shen Chang'an's gaze turned colder.

He looked around and saw that the official road was empty and deserted in the morning light, with only distant fields and scattered farmhouses around him. He then quietly concealed his presence and hurried back towards the courtyard.

With the Lightness Technique activated at full power, his movements were as swift as the wind. It took him almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to come here, but only a moment to return.

He leaped over the courtyard wall and landed silently in the courtyard.

The Japanese man was trapped at the bedroom door, his posture stiff, his expression distorted, his eyes wide open, filled with fear and disbelief.

He watched as Shen Chang'an silently fell from the wall, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He tried his best to say something, but only a very low breath escaped his throat.

Shen Chang'an didn't say a word. He slowly walked closer, took out a green wooden needle box from the medicine box, and pulled out a silver needle.

A flash of cold light appeared.

The silver needle flew out of his hand, drawing a short arc in the air before precisely piercing the Japanese man's brow and exiting from the back of his head.

The man's eyes froze, his pupils dilated, and his body went limp.

Shen Chang'an retrieved the silver needles, carefully wiped them clean with a cloth, and put them back in the needle box.

He glanced down at the corpse and frowned in disgust.

Such a thing does not deserve to remain in his courtyard.

He found a burlap sack, threw the man's body into it, and carried it to a secluded ravine behind the courtyard.

The place is remote and sparsely populated, which is perfect for dealing with.

A bucket of tung oil was poured onto a burlap sack, a tinderbox was lit, and it was thrown over.

The flames suddenly shot up and burned very quickly.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Shen Chang'an watched expressionlessly until the firelight gradually dimmed and the bag turned into a pile of charred ashes.

He turned around, quickened his pace, and headed back towards the free clinic booth.

The morning breeze rustled the hem of his clothes without disturbing anyone.

Half an hour later, the people who had woken up in Chang'an City were still lining up in long queues, waiting for their "Divine Physician Shen" to treat their illnesses.

Everything was as usual, as if nothing had happened.