Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Chapter Seventeen: The Great Revenge Achieved

Li Ji turned his head and his expression changed drastically—what exactly did he see?

Actually, it was just that a pigeon happened to land on the steps in front of the house...

However, Li Ji's death in his previous life and his misfortune in this life were all caused by pigeons. Therefore, when he saw pigeons again, his expression changed as if by conditioned reflex, and his whole body involuntarily trembled.

He heard Li Shi lower his voice and command, "Shoot those pigeons!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji almost instinctively drew back his bowstring, aimed at the pigeon, and shot it. The shot missed, but the pigeon was startled and immediately cooed and took flight.

Although Li Ji was taken aback when he first saw pigeons, he was not so afraid of them that he would tremble like a leaf and run away in fear whenever he saw them... When he missed his first shot, his memories from his previous life and his reaction in this life worked together. He immediately moved his right hand like a rabbit and took out a mud ball from the brocade pouch hanging at his waist. He put it in his pocket, tapped the bowstring, and fired the second shot swiftly.

The movement was so fast that Li Shi seemed to see a blur of his arm...

With a "whoosh," the pigeon, which had only taken flight a little over two feet, was shot and fell to the ground. Li Ji felt a surge of heat flow from his heart straight through his internal organs and even his limbs, an indescribable feeling of complete comfort—he had finally avenged his lifelong grudge.

—I told you not to stop or fly around haphazardly, and you scared me so much that I fell off a building and off a cliff. You deserve it!

Li Shi was overjoyed and cried out in delight. He immediately ran over and picked up the pigeon's carcass, but then exclaimed, "Ouch!" Li Ji asked what was wrong. Li Shi, holding the pigeon by the neck, turned around with a troubled expression—"It wasn't a wild one, it was a homing pigeon..."

Li Ji took two steps forward and looked closely. Sure enough, there was a small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's left leg, about the thickness of his index finger and less than two inches long. His heart immediately skipped a beat—even staying in the yard and not running outside had caused trouble... Sure enough, seeing a pigeon was never a good thing!

His tongue trembled slightly as he spoke: "This...this is a carrier pigeon from the palace?"

Li Shi shook his head: "There is no such item in the palace."

"Could it be used for relaying messages within the military?"

Li Shi shook his head again: "As far as I know, the military doesn't use it either."

Li Ji was slightly relieved: "So, it was privately kept. How did it end up here? Could it have been raised by someone in the palace, or... did this mansion originally belong to its owner?"

Li Shi frowned slightly: "That's unknown, and I don't know who it should be returned to..."

Li Ji glanced at the bamboo tube on the dead pigeon's leg, then looked at Li Shi, swallowed hard, and tried to persuade him, "Why don't we open the bamboo tube and take a look? Maybe there will be some clues."

Li Shi raised his eyebrows, his eyes widened, and he said, "Private letters should not be opened without permission!" But judging from his expression, he seemed quite interested in secretly opening other people's mail, only—"What if it belongs to my uncles or great-uncles..."

Li Shi knew that his grandfather, the emperor, certainly didn't keep carrier pigeons, nor did his own father; otherwise, he wouldn't have refused to let him play with them. But now, besides the brothers Li Bi and Li Ji, there was a large group of royal uncles and great-uncles crammed into the mansion. If one of them owned a carrier pigeon and it ended up being killed by him... no, by Li Ji with a single bullet, and he even opened the pigeon's mail without permission, he would most likely be implicated and punished as well.

Li Ji carefully considered his words and slowly said, "If we don't open it, we'll never find its owner... But if we open it and discover that its owner is us... I can't afford to offend him..." He then focused his attention on Li Shi's expression and asked, "Your Highness, do you know that carrier pigeons are faster than galloping horses? Why don't they use them in the palace or the army?"

Li Shi casually replied, "Because they are not reliable. Even the most well-trained pigeons will inevitably have one out of ten get lost in the wind and rain, or be snatched away by a falcon..."

Having said that, without Li Ji needing to explain, he already understood the other party's intention. He hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the pigeons, then looking around. The eunuchs were nowhere to be seen—Li Shi had instructed them to stay away and not disturb him when he entered—and finally made up his mind.

"Li Ji".

"The straw man is here."

"It was your idea, so you take apart the bamboo tube."

Li Ji thought to himself, "No matter what, we're accomplices. Is there any point in you burying your head in the sand like this?" He immediately stood at attention, crossed his hands, and said, "I obey your command!" He then went up and quickly untied the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, pinched open the wax seal at the mouth of the tube, tilted it slightly, and then used his little fingernail to pick at it, pulling out a roll of plain silk as thin as a cicada's wing.

Gently shake it open, and you'll see it's no bigger than the palm of your hand, densely covered with tiny characters—

"A report has been sent that on the day of Yiyou, Guo Li and the Uyghur Geluozhi will jointly march eastward..."

Because the characters were written so small, and Li Ji wasn't used to reading classical Chinese without commas, his reading speed was very slow. So, he had only just finished silently reading one line when Li Shi, who had leaned over to look at it, had already read ten lines at a glance, understood the meaning of the whole passage, and immediately explained:

"It's a military report. Generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi have defeated the rebel forces of Tongluo and others, not only securing Shuofang but also completely pacifying Hequ. The rebel general Ashina Congli has escaped alone on horseback."

Li Ji was taken aback: "This is a military carrier pigeon!"

Li Shi shook his head and said, "Impossible. There's no heading or signature; a formal military report wouldn't have this format." The military is extremely particular about hierarchy.

Even non-classified information requires access control; it's not something every soldier can see. Therefore, it always has a heading indicating the recipient. Furthermore, the specific agency and even the issuing person must be clearly stated at the end of the document, and it may even require a signature or monogram. This text only contains content, lacks formatting, and doesn't even include the recipient or writer's name, so it's definitely not an official document.

Then the young prince, carrying the dead pigeon, put his hands behind his back and paced a few steps with an air of old age. He slowly analyzed, "If this pigeon wasn't just stopping over temporarily, and its destination was indeed the palace, then it means that someone in the palace is secretly raising pigeons to transmit military intelligence from the front lines... What is their intention?"

Li Ji interjected, "Perhaps some sorcerer wants to use this opportunity to report his victory to the Sage ahead of time, falsely claiming that he can predict the future?"

Li Shi sneered, "What sorcerer is there in the palace? Although our Tang Dynasty reveres Taoism, since the fall of Xijing, all the Taoist priests who originally served the Emperor have scattered. Now, there are only..."

At this point, he couldn't help but raise his head and glance at Li Ji. At the same time, Li Ji also realized that there might only be one Taoist priest in the palace at present, and that was—Li Bi.

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"Impossible. My brother only arrived in Ding'an yesterday. How could pigeons come knocking on his door?"

He understood the basic principles of carrier pigeons. They weren't drones; you couldn't remotely control them or set a destination for them to fly there on their own. Carrier pigeons were always first raised in a certain place to familiarize themselves with the local environment and... perhaps the Earth's magnetic field, before being taken elsewhere and then flown back.

However, if we calculate it this way, the emperor has been visiting Pengyuan and staying at this residence for almost half a month now. If someone were to send a few carrier pigeons by fast horse to the vicinity of Lingwu, receive the news, and then release them back, it would probably be in time...

Then Li Shi said, "The will of Heaven is unpredictable, but if one can foresee fortune and misfortune and anticipate the Emperor's will, then that person will surely gain the Emperor's favor!"

This guess is much more plausible than the "demon" theory.

Li Ji said, "There are people in the palace who raise carrier pigeons, but Your Highness is unaware of it. Who could it be?"

Li Shi's body trembled slightly: "If it's not my uncles or great-uncles, it must be a powerful eunuch!" I can't afford to offend the former, and I don't want to offend the latter either. What should I do?

Then he looked at Li Ji again: "You shot down this pigeon. I can keep it a secret for you, but you must keep your mouth shut and not reveal this matter—not even to Mr. Changyuan!"

Li Ji stood at attention again: "Yes, Your Highness. This straw effigy will guard this secret for Your Highness, and will not reveal it even if it means my death!"

The two were actually shifting blame onto each other, but pretending not to understand the implied meaning in each other's words. Li Shi then held up the dead pigeon and said, "You dig a hole and quickly bury this thing to destroy the evidence!"

Li Ji glanced at the dead pigeon in Li Shi's hand, rubbed his chin, stroked his beard, and slowly said, "Although this thing is not very fat..." His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a fierce glint—"It would be a pity to bury it, so why not—eat it? Its bones will be gone, and that would be the cleanest thing ever!"

Hmph, as the saying goes, revenge should be taken to the very end, and one should see a Buddha off to the Western Paradise!

Without thinking for a moment, Li Shi said, "Alright, I'll take it to the kitchen..." Just as he was about to take a step, Li Ji quickly stopped him, saying, "No, although this pigeon is not big, I believe Your Highness can't carry it in your bosom, but if you leave this courtyard, what if someone sees you? It's better to cook it in the courtyard."

Li Shi glanced at him: "You can cook?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Of course! I've been single for over twenty years and have always lived in the staff dormitory. How could I not know how to cook?" He immediately reached out and took the dead pigeon, saying, "But I have nothing of use on hand. I'll need Your Highness's help."

Li Shi said, "Okay, just let me know what you need."

Li Ji first instructed Li Shi to tell the three young eunuchs to hide inside the room and not to approach or spy on them. He also told them to prepare a bucket of hot water—Ran Mao'er and the others had that. Then he mentioned a few other things and asked Li Shi to leave the hospital to find someone to ask for them.

When Li Shi returned, Li Ji had already scalded the pigeon, plucked its feathers, gutted it with a knife, and even buried the feathers and entrails in a pit under the tree. He was sitting on a wooden bench, lost in thought and enjoying the shade.

Li Shi was about to present all sorts of items, so Li Ji first rubbed wine and salt inside and outside the pigeon, then wrapped it in lotus leaves, and then covered it with a ball of kneaded dough. He hadn't expected the young prince to be so resourceful, able to find anything. He had originally thought that if there was no dough, he would have to dig up some yellow mud to wrap it, which wouldn't be very clean...

Li Shi also brought some charcoal. Li Ji grabbed a handful of dry leaves from under the tree, mixed them with the charcoal, lit it with a flint, glanced at Li Shi first, threw the bamboo tube and pigeon coo into the fire, and then placed the prepared pigeon on the fire, turning it over with a branch from time to time to roast it repeatedly.

Preparing the ingredients was based on his experience from his previous life, while lighting the fire and burning charcoal came from his memories of this life—if he had an oven, it would be much simpler.

Li Shi squatted down beside him, watching him turn the roasted pigeons over, and couldn't help but ask, "Why not just put them directly on the fire to roast? Why wrap them in dough? Is this how you eat in your countryside?"

Li Ji replied, "This is originally a beggar's... way of eating. However, beggars don't pluck their hair, and they wrap it in yellow mud, not..."

Chapter 18, The Head of the Six Yang

Suddenly, voices rose from the courtyard gate, loud and clear, clearly not those of a eunuch. Li Ji was startled.

Looking at Li Shi, his movements were as swift as a rabbit—he grabbed a slingshot with his left hand and tucked it behind his back, while his right hand scooped up a pigeon's wing, hurriedly stuffed it into his mouth, and took a big bite, as if afraid that someone would snatch it from him.

Hearing footsteps, a man strode around the main hall and came to the backyard. Li Ji looked closely and recognized him as Prince Jianning, Li Tan, who had personally gone to the city gate to welcome Li Bi the day before.

Li Tan frowned slightly at the sight of the charcoal ash and broken pieces of dough scattered on the ground. Li Ji quickly stood up and bowed, but Li Shi, with his mouth full of pigeon meat, mumbled, "Uncle Wang is late; he only has one leg left." He then gave Li Ji several meaningful glances.

Left with no other choice, Li Ji respectfully offered the pigeon leg with both hands. Li Tan didn't accept it at first, but instead asked, "What is it?"

Li Shi said, “Li Ji shot down a bird and cooked it using their country cooking method. When I saw it, I asked for a wing and a leg to eat. It was a delicacy that even the palace did not have… Uncle, you may come and enjoy it with me, but please do not tell Father.”

Li Ji couldn't help but glance at the child sideways, thinking to himself, "Just saw him?" You're quite quick to distance yourself!

Li Tan then reached out and took the pigeon leg from Li Ji. He smelled it first, then took a small bite and chewed it carefully—"Mmm, indeed delicious." He then looked down at the half-eaten pigeon: "This bird... could it be a pigeon?"

Li Shi quickly added, "Exactly, it's a wild pigeon, but unfortunately it's not fat enough."

Li Tan said "Oh," took two more bites, and his expression suddenly became strange. There was seven parts joy at tasting the unusual flavor, but also three parts doubt—"It doesn't seem like a wild pigeon, but more like a carrier pigeon."

Li Ji's heart skipped a beat, but Li Shi asked with a smile, "Uncle Wang is joking. How can you tell the difference between wild and domesticated pigeons? Could it be that Uncle Wang has eaten homing pigeons before?"

Li Tan slightly curled his lip: "I won't boast, but there are few birds, beasts, fish, clams, and mussels that I haven't eaten. However..." He paused, then continued, "This method of preparation and this unusual flavor are indeed the first time I've tasted anything like it." He looked at Li Ji: "Is this how you do things in your village? How do you make it? Would you be willing to tell me?"

Li Shi seemed eager to drag the other man into the mess, so he quickly pushed the wooden table forward and said, "Uncle Wang, please sit down." He pulled Li Tan to sit down and then proceeded to describe in detail, from beginning to end, Li Ji's process of making "beggar's pigeon"—his memory was quite good, as he didn't miss a single detail.

Li Ji stood respectfully to the side, a simple and honest smile that might seem a bit silly to outsiders, but in his heart he thought: Two people sharing a bird can still eat it, but three people sharing a bird... what's left? If I had known, I would have been like this kid and quickly stuffed a leg into my mouth.

He wasn't worried that Li Tan would find out about shooting the carrier pigeons, so there was no need to ask him to share the food.

After all, the pigeons were already cooked, and half of them were already in the stomach. Who could definitively say they were carrier pigeons and not wild ones? This case wouldn't be lost even if it went to the Emperor—besides, the Emperor had high hopes for Li Tan and wouldn't punish his cousin for such a trivial matter. Furthermore, since there were theoretically no carrier pigeons in the palace or the army, why would Li Tan bother to file a false complaint?

However, Li Tan was able to identify a homing pigeon by its skeleton and a few bites of meat... Could it be that this pigeon was one of his own?!

Therefore, he glanced at Li Tan's expression, hoping to find some clues—but in the end, he found nothing.

Li Tan's eating manners were noticeably more elegant than Li Shi's, but he still managed to devour a pigeon leg clean in no time. Then, he glanced at his nephew, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and handed it to him: "Your mouth is full of oil and meat scraps, what kind of behavior is this? Hurry up and wipe it clean!" He then lowered his head, looked at the remaining pigeon meat, and reached out to pull off the head.

While wiping his mouth, Li Shi asked, "There's a lot of meat on the breast, so why does Uncle Wang want to eat the head? What does the head taste like?"

Li Tan smiled slightly and explained, "The human head is the head of the six yang and the origin of the five elements, where essence is gathered. The heads of birds and beasts are the same. Therefore, the most delicious food is found in the head."

Li Ji thought to himself: Hmm, this one knows how to eat.

Li Shi was still young and spoke without thinking: "Then, has Uncle Wang ever eaten a human head?"

Li Tan glared at him fiercely: "What kind of talk is this? If I report this to my brother the king or the emperor, I'll give you a good spanking!"

Li Shi quickly bowed and kowtowed, like a chicken pecking at rice: "I have spoken recklessly, please forgive me, Uncle Wang—please do not go to Father Wang to complain!" Judging from his words, he did not seem to be afraid of his emperor grandfather.

Li Tan ignored him, gnawing open the pigeon's skull with his teeth and sucking out the brains, while turning his head to look at Li Ji. He then slowly said, "I didn't expect you to have such skill. Master Changyuan is very frugal. Yesterday, the Emperor wanted to give him an official position, but he refused; he was given money and silk, but he didn't accept them; he was given several palace maids as rewards, but he didn't accept them; I heard that he only ate two pears at the banquet last night... I thought you were just as frugal, even refusing to eat meat."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "My elder brother admires the Dao and cultivates immortality, so he eats vegetarian food and even abstains from grains. I am just an ordinary person, how could I not like to eat meat? So when we were in Yingyang, I often secretly went to catch birds and beasts to eat on my own. I hope Your Highness can help cover it up and not tell my elder brother."

That's true. If the original Li Ji were with...