Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Wang Jiahe was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head: "Changwei, you know very little about the affairs of the palace... That confession should have been given to me first, and then I would have observed the Emperor's expression of joy or anger before presenting it to him at an opportune moment..."

His point was that reporting the whole story to the emperor now might not be the best time, and the effect might not be very good.

Sure enough, an imperial edict was issued the following day, dismissing Dan Tingyao from his post as the military inspector of the Shence Army and replacing him with Chen Xianfu—who was still the Empress's man. Furthermore, not a single word was mentioned about Dan Tingyao's misdeeds, as if they had never happened; it was simply that the Emperor was dissatisfied with his performance, hence the replacement.

As for Liu Xixian, they didn't ask at all—at most, they would give him a verbal warning in private.

Li Ji was prepared for this. Although, as Wang Jiahe said, the timing of his submission was not ideal, he thought, "I can tolerate making a big deal out of a small one, but I absolutely cannot allow a small deal to disappear. Isn't this a great opportunity to strike at the Shence Army? How could I not have a countermeasure?"

In fact, he had already secretly conspired with Ma Sui to spread the whole story in the hopes of arousing the righteous indignation of the literati—or, in other words, to evoke a sense of shared sorrow among the common people.

Because the Shence Army colluded with some minor officials in the Jingzhao Prefecture, they not only took advantage of the city patrols to torture and plunder wealthy households, but also brutally attacked scholars—if it weren't for the latter, this matter would probably have been completely suppressed—the victims were not just Wei Hao alone.

By this time, the Tang Dynasty had largely changed the situation since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, where powerful clans held sway and monopolized high-ranking positions, and commoners also had opportunities to rise in rank. However, powerful and influential families still wielded considerable prestige and influence in the court. Furthermore, the imperial examination system, especially the Jinshi examination, did not solely rely on written answers but also considered reputation and connections. This led to candidates currying favor with officials, and officials protecting candidates, making it easy to form a community of shared interests.

Even though Wei Hao was not famous and could only stay in an inn when he came to Chang'an, he was not without connections. It is said that Wei Zhigu, the prime minister in the early Kaiyuan era, was related to him through various connections.

The scholar class fears only imperial power, and is not afraid of, and even despises, military men. Now, these military men dare to trample on scholars. This is one thing if it happens in other places, but to do such a heinous act right under the emperor's nose is intolerable! Scholars are the pillars of the nation and the backbone of the court. How can they be bullied by military men? If I remain silent today when you arrest scholars, you might directly target officials tomorrow!

Especially considering that the Imperial Guards are backed by eunuchs, we could tolerate Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen—because we couldn't fight them—but now that Yu Chaoen is away, what are people like Dan Tingyao?!

Two days later, Lü Yin, Vice Minister of War, Li Qijun, Imperial Censor, and Cui Youfu, Attendant-in-Waiting, submitted memorials requesting the reorganization of the Northern Garrison and the Jingzhao Prefecture.

The court ordered Guo Ziyi, the Grand Tutor and Military Governor of Binning and Fufang, to handle this matter together with Lü Yin.

—Binning originally belonged to Shuofang. Based on his distrust of the generals in charge of the provinces and his concerns about the excessive military power of the regional military governors, Li Heng last year separated nine prefectures, including Binning, and established separate regional military governors. He then further separated the four prefectures north of the Wei River from Binning and established the Fufang regional military governorship. Previously, Guo Ziyi had relinquished his position as marshal and returned to Chang'an. Li Heng immediately appointed him as the regional military governor of both Binning and Fufang, but did not allow him to take office, keeping him in the capital.

After receiving the imperial edict, Guo Ziyi first consulted with Lü Yin, saying, "We should seek the opinion of those in power." Lü Yin replied, "I believe the Emperor's intention is not to escalate the matter, but merely to punish them slightly to silence public opinion. Now, the Prime Minister certainly dares not disobey the Emperor, so why bother asking?"

Guo Ziyi frowned and asked, "How could Lord Lü and I possibly discern the Emperor's intentions? We should inquire with those close to the Emperor..."

This made his point very clear. Lü Yin said angrily, "If you want to ask, then go and ask yourself. I will never associate with eunuchs!"

Guo Ziyi smiled and said, "Lord Lü's upright character is admirable—then I will go and ask him."

So he took the initiative to find Li Fuguo and ask for his opinion on the matter. Li Fuguo advised, "The evil deeds were truly the work of Shen Ce. Why should the Northern Army be reformed? Besides, Lord Guo has also commanded troops and knows that soldiers don't have many thoughts; they only know how to obey orders. Now that Dan Tingyao has been dismissed, Liu Xixian was promoted by Yu Junrong and is just being driven by others. He shouldn't be blamed too much. As for the Jingzhao Prefecture, it does indeed need a thorough overhaul."

Guo Ziyi then asked, "Li Ji of the Yingwu Army was the one who caused this incident. I wonder how the Emperor views him?"

Li Fuguo smiled and said, "The Sage summoned Li Ji that day, but did not mention this matter. Instead, he only inquired about the recent situation of Mr. Changyuan..."

Guo Ziyi understood, so he and Lü Yin first went to the Yingwu Army headquarters to inquire in detail about the events of that day from Li Ji. Then they went to the Shence Army headquarters, allowing Liu Xixian to pin all the blame on Dan Tingyao and several low-ranking officers, including Xu Yu. Guo and Lü then jointly submitted a memorial proposing the appropriate handling of the Imperial Guards.

First, most of the armies in the Northern Army are merely shells; only the Yingwu and Shence armies, along with the Weiyuan Battalion, have a relatively substantial number of troops. It is recommended to merge the Left and Right Yulin, Left and Right Longwu, Left and Right Shenwu, and Left and Right Yingwu armies, and expand the Weiyuan Battalion into a full army, which, along with the Shence and others, would still constitute the six armies.

This was mainly Guo Ziyi's opinion, based on his intuition as a military commander.

Second, since the Shence Army has already been ordered to enter the garrison, it is not appropriate to establish it again in Lintao West Pass, Mohuanchuan, and Shanzhou. This title should belong solely to the Northern Army.

Thirdly, it has been found that some of the Shence Army soldiers, taking advantage of their city patrols, extorted money from wealthy households and scholars. This was all due to the inducement of minor officials in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Dan Tingyao bears the responsibility for lax supervision, but since he has already been dismissed, Liu Xixian and others were unaware of this and should not be punished. Xu Yu and six other generals, although they acted illegally, were in fact deceived. They should be expelled from the Imperial Guard and released to the outside world, awaiting punishment and meritorious service.

—This is actually where Guo Ziyi's benevolence lies. Originally, Liu Xixian had pushed Xu Yu and others to take the blame. According to Lü Yin's idea, they should all be exiled. However, Guo Ziyi knew that these lower-ranking military officers often had no choice in the matter. Out of his love for talent, he made an exception for them.

Fourth, Li Ji and others of the Yingwu Army have committed wicked acts and should be commended.

As for the Jingzhao Prefecture, and the two counties of Chang'an and Wannian, the punishment was much harsher. The Jingzhao Prefect Zheng Shuqing and the magistrates of the two counties were all dismissed from their posts, and fourteen arresting officials, including Jia Mingguan, were all sentenced to exile.

After the memorial was submitted, Li Fuguo gave his approval, and the Council of State Affairs passed it. The Left and Right Heroic Armies were thus merged into one, with Dou Wenchang appointed as the Chief Military Commander and Huo Xianming as the Chief Military Advisor—both were commissioner positions, and their ranks remained unchanged. Secondly, Li Ji was promoted to Chief Secretary of the Heroic Armies, his rank and position were combined, and he was promoted to the sixth rank, upper grade. Ma Sui remained as the Registrar and Military Advisor, and his rank was promoted by one grade.

Ma Sui then sighed to Li Ji, "I'm afraid the Yingwu and Shence armies will become bitter enemies." Li Ji smiled and comforted him, "It won't come to that." That evening, he hosted another banquet at Lü Miaozhen's house to entertain more than a dozen Shence army generals, including Xu Yu and the other six who had been expelled.

Xu Yu and the others were naturally frowning, but Li Ji raised his cup to congratulate them. Xu Yu said with a bitter face, "Second Brother, please don't make fun of us. We have been punished, what is there to congratulate us on?" He paused, but quickly clarified, "Of course, we will not resent Second Brother. It's all because... Liu Xixian is despicable! He was the one who offered the plan to Dan Junrong, but he pushed us to take the blame."

Li Ji laughed and said, "As the saying goes, 'misfortune may be a blessing in disguise,' so drink this cup of wine, and I have a generous gift to offer you."

Xu Yu and the others were forced to drink their cups. Then Li Ji took out a letter from his pocket and slowly said, "A man should fight on the battlefield and earn his place with swords and spears. How can you be a mere halberd bearer for long? Besides, you are all from Longyou. The barbarian bandits have been invading for years. Even if you live in Chang'an, you must not feel at ease. This letter recommends that you go to the Qi King's staff in Longyou. I believe you will be useful. Isn't that better than suffering the wrath of Liu Xixian here?"

Then, however, his face hardened, and he said, "If you still cherish the peace and tranquility of the capital and do not wish to take any more risks, I will burn this book and find you another safe place to go."

He pretended to bring the letter closer to the candlelight, startling Xu Yu, who quickly snatched it away with both hands, saying, "We should accept your kind offer, Erlang. But living in Chang'an is not easy. It's not just about enduring Liu Xixian's wrath. The locals often see us as peasants, and our soldiers are always ridiculed when they go out. Extorting wealthy households and scholars before was probably to vent our anger. Why not return to Longyou, serve under the King of Qi, and earn a title and a place for our wives and children with our swords and spears?"

Li Ji smiled, then handed the letter to Xu Yu, and took out two strings of cash to give them as travel expenses.

However, Li Ji also warned the other Shence Army generals, saying, "This matter is both an opportunity and a lesson. Do not have any illusions. As long as you commit evil and are punished, you can return to Longyou. If such a thing happens again, it may not just be expulsion, and I will no longer plan for you."

All the generals bowed in unison: "We will remember your kindness, Second Master; we will never dare to disobey your teachings."

Li Ji did not stay overnight in Pingkangfang that day. Before the street drum sounded, he rode back home. Qingluan greeted him and told him, "A guest will be visiting at dusk."

Li Ji casually asked, "Who is it?"

Qingluan handed over two name cards. Li Ji glanced at them and saw that one was left by Wei Hao and the other was signed by Li Qijun.

Wei Hao came mostly to express his gratitude, but as for his cousin Li Qijun... I'm always the one visiting him, why would he come to see me? I guess I'll have to make another trip next time I have a day off.

Chapter 41, The Upright Warrior

The next day, after returning home from his official duties, Wei Hao visited Li Ji again to express his gratitude for Li Ji's kindness. By this time, the list of successful candidates had been released, and Li Ji inquired about his future prospects. Wei Hao replied, "I have humbly ranked third on the second-best list."

Li Ji thought to himself, "The emperor is so stingy. He only gave me one ranking."

The Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations for the Jinshi degree were divided into four lists: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. However, there wasn't always a Jia list every year; the Yi list was often the most prestigious. The first-place candidate was called "Zhuangshou" or "Zhuangtou," and the second and third-place candidates were also highly respected. Theoretically, the most prestigious positions, such as Zhengzi and Jiaoshu, were only selected from the top three. Therefore, although Li Heng only promoted Wei Hao by one rank, it had a profound impact on his future.

Wei Hao was naturally unaware of the ins and outs, only knowing that Li Ji had rescued him from the Shence Army's private prison, so he came to express his gratitude. However, during their conversation, Li Ji discovered that what Wei Hao appreciated most was actually the stack of Li Bai's poems that Wei Hao had inadvertently taken away.

Li Ji asked Wei Hao, "I have already presented the poem manuscript to the sage. Would you be willing to return it to me?"

Wei Hao nodded: "It was because of this that I was granted an audience with His Majesty. His Majesty inquired in detail about my friendship with Mr. Taibai, and encouraged me to compile all of Mr. Taibai's poems and essays into a book. The manuscript is still in the Forbidden City, and His Majesty wants to make a copy first..."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Ji made a request: "Once the imperial edict returns the item, I also request to have it copied." Wei Hao readily agreed.

The next day, during his day off, Li Ji visited Li Qiyun's residence. Li Qiyun's eldest son, Li Laopeng, greeted him. Upon arriving at the main hall entrance, he saw Li Qiyun and Li Guayan standing side by side, waiting. Before Li Ji could bow, Li Qiyun smiled and said, "You quelled the rebellion in its infancy and rescued Wei Hao from imprisonment—Changwei, your prestige in the capital has now risen even higher!"

Li Ji said with a wry smile, "It's not what I wanted, but I'm afraid that 'the tallest tree in the forest will surely be felled by the wind'..."

Li Qijun immediately nodded and said seriously, "I was also afraid that you would become arrogant and complacent, and no longer guard against the schemes of villains. Since you have already been alerted, then I don't need to say anything more." He waved his hand to invite Li Ji to enter the hall.

Li Qijun had three sons in total. His eldest son, Li Laopeng, was born when he was young. His second son died young. Not long ago, he had a third son, who was only three years old. He had just been brought from his hometown and was brought out to meet Li Ji. Li Ji asked, "Have you given him a formal name yet?" Li Qijun replied, "Li Jifu."

Li Ji thought to himself, "You're really straightforward. The eldest son is named 'Lao Peng,' hoping for his longevity, and the youngest son is named 'Ji Fu,' hoping for his good fortune. I thought someone as learned as you would be more particular about naming your sons, perhaps picking words from some obscure corner of an old book. But they're all just common, vulgar words."

After the servants carried Li Jifu away, Li Ji thanked Li Qijun, saying, "It is all thanks to my uncles' memorial requesting a thorough investigation into the illegal activities of the Shence Army that His Majesty ordered Minister Guo and Vice Minister Lü to reorganize the Imperial Guards, and I was thus promoted."

Li Qiyun waved his hand: "This is not for you, but for the people of Chang'an." Although he had already said "no need to say more," he still couldn't help but remind Li Ji of a few things: "Although you have won the praise of the people, I'm afraid you will now discredit the Shence Army..."

Li Ji said you need not worry—"I have a long-standing friendship with the generals of the Shence Army, and we often visit each other after we were both guarding the palace. It's not like we'll fall out over this. Besides, those who were convicted and banished, I also wrote letters of recommendation for them a couple of days ago and sent them to serve in the staff of the Prince of Qi in Longyou."

Li Qiyun nodded and said, "That would be best." He paused, then added, "However, because of your accusation, Dan Tingyao was dismissed from his post. I fear the eunuchs in the palace might hold a grudge against you..."

Li Ji remained silent. To be honest, he wasn't afraid of offending those eunuchs for the time being, because the most powerful eunuch, Li Fuguo, was currently a friend, not an enemy, while the second most powerful eunuch, Yu Chaoen... he wanted to kill him, so why would he have time to worry about other junior eunuchs?

Then Li Qiyun sighed deeply: "Nowadays, eunuchs not only wield power and dictate the government, but they are also gradually interfering in the military, which is truly worrying. It's one thing for Yu Chaoen and others to have been supervising the various armies in the field for so long, but even the Imperial Guards are entrusted to eunuchs by the Emperor. Moreover, Li Fuguo..." He turned his head and asked Li Ji: "Do you know that before Guo Situ reorganized the Imperial Guards, he went to see Li Fuguo first?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was taken aback: "I didn't know that."

Li Qijun smiled bitterly, "Half of the regional military governors are from Li Fuguo's faction, and the others all fawn over him with lavish gifts and flattery. Perhaps... only the Prince of Qi is not part of Li Fuguo's faction. How can the country prosper if things continue like this?"

Li Ji smiled and comforted Li Qijun, saying, "Uncle, do not worry. In the past, Emperor Ling of Han established the Western Garden Army and appointed eight colonels, with Jian Shuo as the most respected. However, after Emperor Ling passed away, Jian Shuo was beheaded in an instant, and Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others only obeyed the orders of General He Jin, which led to the Qing Suo Gate Incident. Li Fuguo has never fought in battle, so how can he truly win the hearts of the various commanders?"

Li Qijun paused for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "What Changwei said makes sense, but the military governors of the various regions are not all scholars." Of the "Eight Colonels of the Western Garden" in the Later Han Dynasty, apart from Jian Shuo, who was a eunuch, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Bao Hong, Zhao Rong, and others were all scholar-officials. Scholar-officials naturally understand righteousness and reason; but now, half of the military governors of the four regions are pure military men... such as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.

Li Ji thought to himself, "This is clearly a case of valuing literature over military affairs." Indeed, although Li Qiyun had also served in the inner court, his former master, Feng Changqing, was only a half-baked scholar. Ultimately, Li Qiyun was a scholar himself, from a prominent family, and his allegiance was obvious… Not intending to argue with Li Qiyun on this matter, he smiled and said, "Eunuchs have existed throughout history, but the ruler should not bestow such power and favor upon them, allowing them to fall to this state. Having punished them, the ringleader should be executed; a mere prison official is sufficient…"

—This is a quote from Wang Shen's "Book of Wei," in which Cao Cao opposed summoning outside troops to deal with the Ten Attendants.

Li Qiyun shook her head: "Changwei, you must not be too careless. I know you have a grudge against Yu Chaoen. If you do not take precautions, you may not escape his clutches..." Thinking that this topic was too heavy, she changed the subject: "It seems that Changwei has been reading a lot recently."

Li Ji thought to himself, "The Book of Wei? I read it thoroughly in my past life, unlike in your timeline where the Book of Wei is scattered and can only be found in fragments in Pei Songzhi's commentary on the Records of the Three Kingdoms..."

Then Li Qijun asked, "If I remember correctly, Changwei was born in the twenty-seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, so he should be twenty-two years old this year..."

Li Ji replied, "I haven't celebrated my birthday yet; I'm only twenty-one."

"You're not young anymore," Li Qiyun asked with a smile. "Regarding the marriage I mentioned to you the other day, I wonder if you've found a suitable match?"

Li Ji's facial muscles twitched slightly, and he hurriedly replied, "It's still early, it's still early..."

Li Qijun said, "It's getting late. Your elder brother Yuan got married at exactly twenty years old. And you've already taken a concubine, so how can your inner chambers remain empty for long?"

Li Ji casually asked, "I wonder at what age your uncle got married?"

Li Qiyun coughed, ignoring Li Ji's words, and said seriously, "There is a good marriage opportunity right now, if Changwei is interested..."

Although Li Ji had no intention of going on a blind date at all, he couldn't help but ask, "Whose family is it?" The one who could persuade you to propose to me, or the one you took the initiative to introduce to me, must be from a high-ranking official or noble family, right? Why don't you tell me whose daughter is it?

"Grand Secretary Yang has a daughter, who is nearly sixteen years old..."

Li Ji frowned slightly, and Li Guayan, who was standing next to him, understood and interjected to explain: "What Uncle is talking about is Yang Wan, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, who is a year older than Uncle—he comes from a prestigious family in Hongnong!"

"Oh, Yang Wan—" Li Ji nodded, indicating that he understood.

As he guarded the palace, he often saw officials coming and going, and in his spare time, he also had a lot of knowledge about the general backgrounds of the court officials, as well as their anecdotes and elegant stories.

Yang Wan was born into the Hongnong Yang clan, Yuanwu branch. He passed the imperial examination during the Tianbao era and was appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor. Later, he passed the special imperial examination and was promoted to Right Remonstrator. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, he "cleared the brambles to find food" and followed Li Heng to Lingwu, where he was given important responsibilities and rose from Imperial Diarist to Imperial Secretary.

Although the position of Zhongshu Sheren was only a fifth-rank official, he held the power to draft imperial edicts within the province, which was equivalent to the secretary-general of a department. He was often regarded as the deputy prime minister. After Yang Gao took this position, he was respectfully called "Ge Lao" – "Ge" because the Zhongshu Province was once renamed "Fengge", and "Lao" because he was old and had a long service record.

According to unwritten rules, four-fifths of the public funds for miscellaneous expenses went to the "Grand Secretary," but Yang Wan believed that since they were all officials of equal rank, it was unreasonable for him to receive more money just because he was a few years older. Therefore, he distributed the funds fairly and won a good reputation for a time. Such elegant talk always spread the fastest.

Li Ji pondered to himself, was this Yang Wan's true intention, or Li Qijun's idea? After all, Yang Wan had served in the Qingliu faction and was destined to become prime minister, while Li Ji, from the prestigious Zhao County Li clan, had never passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom through a non-traditional path. Under normal circumstances, he would be looked down upon by Yang Wan and even the likes of Li Qijun. So what was Yang Wan's motive for actively courting him?

He had indeed met Yang Wan, but they had no prior contact. The only thing they had in common was that they were familiar with Li Qiyun... He immediately asked, "How could Grand Secretary Yang possibly think highly of my nephew?"

Li Qiyun smiled and said, "Your Excellency is a man of refined taste and lofty ideals, and has always been upright in his conduct. He often laments that many of those who have passed the imperial examinations in recent years are mediocre and sycophantic, unable to correct the emperor and safeguard the state. The other day, upon hearing that you exposed the illegal activities of the Shence Army, you exclaimed, 'I never imagined that among military men there could be such an upright man.' I reminded him, 'Li Ji is my nephew, and he is actually a civil official.' Your Excellency then said, 'Such a man would make an excellent son-in-law.'"

Hearing these words, Li Ji was deeply impressed by Yang Wan. However, while he had a good impression of her and hoped to get to know her better in the future, perhaps even becoming friends despite their age difference, he certainly didn't need her to become his father-in-law… especially since he still had other women on his mind. How could he possibly agree to Li Qijun's matchmaking proposal?

After racking his brains and exhausting his words, Li Ji finally managed to politely decline the offer. Once outside the Li residence, Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, thinking to himself: Old Cui, it's time you returned to Chang'an...

He had only just heard that Cui Guangyuan had quelled the rebellion in Jingxiang and was about to return to the capital.

Chapter 42, The Cowardly Father-in-Law

In fact, the suppression of the Jingxiang Rebellion was actually done at the end of last year, which was the third year of the Qianyuan era.

However, this cannot be attributed to Cui Guangyuan. Previously, upon arriving in Dengzhou, Cui Guangyuan heard that tens of thousands of rebel troops were besieging Xiangyang. He became cowardly and dared not advance, urgently summoning Wei Lun, the prefect of Shangzhou and commissioner of the Jingxiang Circuit, to come south to provide reinforcements. Wei Lun then stationed his troops at the border of Xiangyang and Dengzhou, waiting for the enemy to become slightly lax, before launching a surprise attack, killing Zhang Jiayan in one fell swoop and capturing Kang Chuyuan alive. He then escorted the "Overlord of Southern Chu" to Chang'an, where he was beheaded and his body displayed in the marketplace.

When the rebellion broke out, the rebel army looted everywhere, seizing two million strings of cash in taxes from Jingzhou and Xiangyang, all of which fell into Wei Lun's hands. Wei Lun suggested distributing it to the suffering people, but Cui Guangyuan resolutely refused and ordered it to be sent directly to Chang'an. Li Heng was overjoyed and transferred Cui Guangyuan to the position of Prefect of Fengxiang and Military Governor of Fengxiang that same year.

Cui Guangyuan returned to Chang'an in March of that year to express his gratitude. Upon hearing the news, Li Ji went to Cui's residence to deliver a visiting card.

He had always kept the little girl Cui Qi in his heart, but he had no reason to go and find her.

Li Ji himself couldn't figure out when he had become interested in that little girl. To be honest, based on Li Ji's usual aesthetic standards, Cui Qi was definitely not a suitable girlfriend in terms of appearance alone. She should at least be ranked after Qing Luan. Li Ji himself was tall and strong, and if he stood next to Cui Qi, it would be like an eagle and a sparrow... Oh, that sounds disrespectful. Let's change it to a turkey and a chick. In short, he himself felt that they were not a good match.