Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Ji coldly replied, "No need." He had originally thought this child was clever and sensible, but who would have thought he would dare to play tricks on him—indeed, the royal family spoils scoundrels and纨绔 (spoiled brats)!

The woman reached out and put her hand on Li Shi's shoulder, nodded to Li Ji, and said, "Although Shi'er was unruly, I am also partly to blame." Turning to "Old Jing," she said, "Why don't you come over and apologize to Mr. Li?"

The burly man stepped forward, faced Li Ji, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to the ground: "It was I, Jing, who made the move. I hope you will not blame the Prince of Fengjie. If you are still not satisfied, then punch me a couple more times. I will not block, dodge, or fight back."

Li Ji straightened up immediately and noticed a large bruise on the man's right cheekbone. Realizing he hadn't suffered any loss, his anger subsided somewhat. He then bowed to the woman with his hands clasped, saying, "May I ask who Your Highness is...?" Hearing Li Shi call her "Aunt," she must be a princess; addressing her as "Your Highness" wouldn't be wrong.

Li Shi hurriedly replied, "She is my aunt, the Princess Ningguo, bestowed by imperial decree—she is my own aunt."

Li Ji understood that this Princess Ningguo should not only share the same father as Prince Guangping, but also the same mother, which is why Li Shi specifically mentioned "direct relatives".

Princess Ningguo nodded to Li Ji again and said, "My servant was originally a general of the Shence Army in Longyou, and later transferred to the Left Valiant Guard of the Imperial Guard. He can ride a fierce horse, draw a strong bow, and his fighting skills are said to be unparalleled in the army. I did not expect that he could not defeat you. With you protecting Mr. Changyuan, His Majesty can rest assured."

Li Ji smiled wryly and said, "My elder brother is now accompanying the Emperor, so why does he need my protection? He can only come out of the palace to stroll around..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but glare at Li Shi again.

Li Shi hurriedly said, "Auntie is free to wander around the city, I should go back to the palace too." He bowed, ran over, pulled Li Ji, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Li Ji hadn't originally planned to leave. He still had many unresolved questions and wanted to ask Li Shi about them in front of Princess Ningguo. However, Li Shi, with his back to the princess, gave him a wink; at the same time, he clasped his hands together, and Li Ji noticed that Li Shi was holding a cold, hard object in his palm...

He had no choice but to follow Li Shi, walking quickly until they turned into a relatively empty alley. Li Shi stopped only after checking that no one was around. Li Ji drawled coldly, "My dear brother..."

Li Shi released his hand and then showed him the object in his hand: "Brother, please don't blame me. Let's talk about this."

Li Ji looked closely and, sure enough, it was the short sword that had almost hit him in the alley a quarter of an hour earlier.

Li Shi then said, “You suddenly abandoned me and ran away, and then I found this in the alley. You know that I am of noble status, different from others. I occasionally go out of the palace incognito, and I unexpectedly encountered such a thing. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. That’s why I hinted to Aunt and Old Jing to test you. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, and I don’t know what they will find out, but it was definitely not just for fun or to tease you. Let’s clarify this matter first, and then I may apologize again.”

“You are a prince, why should you apologize to a straw man?” Li Ji curled his lip, but decided to tell the truth anyway, “Just now I saw a person come out of that shop, who seemed to be Zhen Sui, the Imperial Guard who used to accompany my brother…”

Li Shi frowned: "Didn't they say he encountered rebel soldiers... or assassins in Tanshan and perished?"

"I did not see him die that day, so when I suddenly saw him, I chased after him to find out what was going on. I entered the alley but saw no one, only two boys. I asked them which brothel he had entered. Unexpectedly, someone suddenly threw this hidden weapon at me. I turned around and chased after him, but I could not find him. So I returned to the rouge shop to ask the shopkeeper."

Li Shi held the short sword between three fingers of his right hand, examining it repeatedly before slowly saying, "It's a flying sword."

"A flying sword?" Li Ji was taken aback, thinking, "Is it the kind of flying sword that can take a person's head from a thousand miles away? Holy crap, is this a world of swordsmen?!"

----------

As dusk fell, Li Ji finally returned to the palace with Li Shi. Since there had been no prior notice, Li Tan still ordered lunch to be brought over. With Li Ji absent, none of the three eunuchs dared to touch or speak, so they carefully stored the food away. Later that evening, they asked the kitchen staff to prepare it.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Extraordinary Figures of the Martial World

A lot happened throughout the day, and since it was still early, Li Ji began by recounting the events from the beginning—first, Prince Jianning, Li Tan, came to visit, intending to thank Li Bi.

Upon hearing this, Li Bi frowned slightly and said, "I also happened to run into Prince Jianning during the day, but I never heard him mention this matter..."

There are two possibilities why Li Tan did not thank Li Bi in person: First, he felt that the environment and situation were not right and he had not found a suitable time to speak; second, he was just expressing his opinion and since he had already mentioned it to Li Ji, there was no need to thank Li Bi in person.

Li Ji would definitely inform Li Bi about this. Even if Li Bi was a rough man and couldn't relay the message clearly, Li Ji wasn't stupid; he would understand that Li Ji's purpose in coming was to express gratitude for the appointment of the marshal. And with Li Bi's intelligence, surely he would grasp Li Ji's intentions?

The question then diverges—why did Li Tan refuse to speak frankly to Li Bi, but instead only accept Li Ji's vague retelling? Li Ji thought that he might not want to make the matter public, thus allowing him to back down; or perhaps he thought, "As long as I have no evil thoughts, I have a pure heart, why should I reveal it to the public?"

Li Mi's analysis of this matter was somewhat different. He said, "Since I have received his thanks, how could I not inform the Emperor and the Prince of Guangping? Even if I don't, if suspicion arises between the two princes in the future, I will surely speak up for him. However, if the Prince of Jianning were to thank me in front of a large crowd, or even in front of the Emperor and the Prince of Guangping, it would inevitably seem like a pretense..."

Oh, you not only thanked Li Bi, but also made a big fuss about it, so that everyone knows about it. What do you mean by that? A gentleman's good deeds don't need to be proclaimed. Are you deliberately proclaiming that you have no ambition to flatter the emperor and lull the Prince of Guangping into a false sense of security, or to enhance your reputation and win people's hearts?

Li Ji was speechless after hearing Li Bi's analysis. He thought to himself that this old fox was more insightful than he was. But he refused to admit defeat and said, "Brother, you are judging him with the mind of a petty person and think too badly of Prince Jianning."

Li Bi glanced at him and said, "Prince Jianning's actions were out of self-preservation and not necessarily malicious. It is you who thinks too much of Prince Jianning as foolish."

Li Ji's last roar before his defeat was nothing more than a final cry. He then let the matter rest, offering no further explanation, and began to recount his experiences after leaving the palace.

Li Bi hadn't even heard three sentences before his eyebrows shot up, and he snapped, "How dare you take the Prince of Fengjie out of the palace! What if something happens to him?!"

Li Ji hurriedly said, "I know this matter is not very appropriate, but I fear that what Prince Fengjie is asking for is actually the will of Prince Guangping, so I dare not refuse firmly... Fortunately, as the prince said, this is only once, and he will not leave the palace casually again in the future. However, brother, I actually saw someone in the market..."

Having ignoring the unfavorable events, he jumped straight to the discovery of Zhen Sui's whereabouts, recounting the entire incident in one breath, including his subsequent discussions and analyses with Li Shi. Li Bi sat upright on the couch, listening quietly without interrupting, only occasionally tapping the table lightly with his palm, making a "tap tap" sound.

Finally, Li Bi analyzed, "Since you couldn't ask him in person, you can't be sure that it's indeed true..."

"If it wasn't true, why did you disappear without a trace? Why would someone still want to assassinate me?"

"Even if it's not Zhen Sui, he's probably not a good citizen either—just as you and the Prince of Fengjie said, that flying sword must have been used to cover the strong man who was suspected to be Zhen Sui, there's probably no doubt about that. Now that the Emperor is staying in Ding'an, troops from all directions are gathering to support the Emperor, former officials of the court are coming to join him, and even many refugees from Guanzhong have come specifically to seek refuge with the Emperor. The people are a mixed bag, making it difficult to control them strictly. So it's only natural that the rebels would send spies."

"It is very likely that the burly man was a spy from the rebel army, who entered the city to investigate military affairs, or had other ulterior motives. The scoundrel who released the flying sword must have been his accomplice. When he saw you chasing the burly man and asking the boy about his whereabouts, he was worried that the officials had discovered some clues, so he interfered to help the burly man escape."

"To be able to wield a flying sword, they must be a person of extraordinary abilities in the martial world—could it be that what Li Fuguo said about Zhou Zhi secretly raising extraordinary people is indeed true? And that they have already infiltrated Ding'an City?!"

During the day, Li Ji questioned Li Shi and learned that the so-called flying sword, formed from essence and energy, originating from behind the head and capable of taking a person's head from a thousand miles away, was indeed true. However, Li Shi had never actually seen one. The short sword Li Shi pulled from the wall, made of fine steel, though small and sharp, was a tangible object, not something formed from essence and energy…

Therefore, Li Shi estimated that either this was not the legendary flying sword, or it was just the introductory skill of flying swordsmanship, so it was not much different from ordinary flying locusts or darts. If it was truly formed from essence, it would inevitably be annihilated afterward. How could I still obtain this short sword? Could it be that sword immortals can really transform essence into physical objects? If I find a sword immortal to release it every day, every hour, every moment, could I accumulate tens of thousands of catties of refined iron? That's absurd!

Besides, if it were truly possible to take someone's head from a thousand miles away, there would be no way to avoid it. Li Ji, you would have been dead long ago. By the time I got there, you might already be cold...

However, this kind of concealed weapon technique would never be used in the military. There are indeed slingers in the army, but their numbers are small and they don't have many opportunities to use it. There is no need to train them specifically, let alone have them throw metal objects. That would be such a waste. Even among civilians, those who know how to use this technique are extremely rare.

Therefore, he must be a martial arts expert, someone with special abilities who specializes in carrying out clandestine tasks such as tracking, ambushing, and assassination!

Li Ji largely agreed with Li Bi's analysis, except for one point.

—Brother, you didn't see it with your own eyes, but that person really looked just like the real Sui!

“Brother, Zhou Zhi can keep extraordinary people in the martial arts world; it’s not impossible that there are people in the court who share his desires!”

Officials and even wealthy families have always kept servants and guards, primarily to protect their property, but they might also be tasked with doing secret things for their masters. The former are skilled in hand-to-hand combat, at most with a stick—they can't possibly stand guard carrying standard military weapons—while the latter must be those so-called martial arts masters.

-Book-

-arts-

-head-

-hair-

-over-

-Book-

-god-

-stand-

Li Bi, your analysis and judgment are based on the premise that the person is not actually Sui, but only has a similar profile. But what if we assume that the person is indeed Sui?

During the day, Li Ji and Li Shi's analysis concluded as follows—

On the surface, Zhen Sui was a former member of the Eastern Palace and a favorite general of the emperor, but in reality, he was also secretly under the command of someone close to the emperor—this is quite possible! Therefore, on the way to Pingliang, while escorting Li Bi and his brother, he secretly leaked information to his accomplices and revealed the route.

Because along the way, Zhen Sui, acting as both guide and bodyguard, frequently said things like, "Mr. Changyuan and Changwei, please rest here for now. I'll go ahead and check the situation. If there's no alarm, we'll continue." He had plenty of opportunities to meet up with his comrades!

As for the siege on Tanshan Mountain, it's highly likely that Zhen Sui was unaware beforehand that his master intended to assassinate or merely kidnap Li Bi, nor did he recognize the person carrying out the mission. Ultimately, he was acting on the orders of the Crown Prince, and due to poor communication, he mistakenly identified the attackers as ordinary rebel soldiers, which is why he took up arms to resist. Only in this way could the assassins have refrained from using lethal force, allowing Zhen Sui to survive smoothly after the misunderstanding was cleared up.

These conclusions were mostly drawn by Li Shi; the child was indeed intelligent and had a very meticulous mind. In order to maintain his image as a rough and unrefined person, Li Ji basically only asked questions but rarely took the initiative to help with the analysis. He would often slap his forehead and pretend to suddenly understand after Li Shi had made his judgment.

So though he didn't say it aloud, he thought to himself: If I were the mastermind, I would definitely kill Zhen Sui to silence him—how could I let such a weakness, which is most likely to expose my treacherous schemes, continue to exist?

Of course, Shinsui is indeed very capable in combat, and it's possible that the mastermind behind the scenes isn't wealthy either, which is why they couldn't bear to kill him.

Analyzing this further, it's highly likely that Zhen Sui followed the emperor to Ding'an—because the mastermind is someone close to the emperor, currently residing in Ding'an—but he absolutely cannot go to see the emperor again. He must abandon his past and change his identity. The mastermind, fearing he would betray them, arranged for martial arts practitioners to secretly monitor and protect him. This led to Zhen Sui being unexpectedly discovered and forced to use his flying sword to cover Zhen Sui's escape.

Afterwards, once Li Shi and Li Ji confirmed that Princess Ningguo had left the cosmetics shop, they went back in to investigate. The shop assistant didn't seem to be a contact for any secret organization, because he quickly confessed that a burly man had indeed entered the shop. From his description, it seemed to be Zhen Sui, only without a beard—but beards can be shaved, so that was easy to handle.

It is said that the big man picked out a box of rouge worth thirty coins and then left in a hurry.

According to Li Shi's analysis: "As Chang Wei said, even if Zhen Sui had no wives, concubines, or sisters, he could still buy rouge to please prostitutes, which is not surprising. As far as I know, there are two brothels in Ding'an City, and there are many more private prostitutes."

At that moment, Li Ji glanced at Li Shi and thought to himself, "How old are you? You know so much... This must be a problem with your education!"

After Li Ji explained Li Shi's analysis and judgment to Li Bi in detail, before Li Bi could refute him, he asked, "Brother, if there are people in the palace who privately raise carrier pigeons, it is not surprising that they also privately raise a few extraordinary people or assassins, right? But in your opinion, who has this ability?"

Li Bi shook his head and said, "Even if it's true as you say, it might not have come from the palace; it could be some court officials..."

Li Ji said that the scope was too broad and it would be difficult to judge—"What if we only talk about the palace?"

Li Bi thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Below the sage, if we're talking about those with this ability, only the two kings and the two eunuchs are qualified."

The two princes naturally refer to Prince Guangping, Li Chu, and Prince Jianning, Li Tan. Only they have always followed the emperor, from Chang'an to Pingliang, from Pingliang to Lingwu, and now they have brought him to Ding'an. As for Prince Ying, Li Jiao, and the other two who had barbecue together that day, they had first followed the retired emperor to Shu, so they might not be able to remotely control their cronies who were far away in the capital region.

However, Li Bi immediately distanced himself from the two kings, saying, "My going to Pingliang to rely on the sage is beneficial to the country and the royal family. What harm does it do to the Prince of Guangping? Why would he need to plot such a cunning scheme?"

Li Ji understood his meaning. Since Li Chu was the eldest son of the emperor and favored by Emperor Li Heng, his ascension to the position of crown prince was only a matter of time. At least for the current stage, his stance was completely aligned with his father's. Therefore, Li Bi's allegiance to Li Heng was tantamount to allegiance to Li Chu. He really had no need to interfere and create so much trouble. On the contrary, if this matter were exposed even slightly, his previously favorable position would be completely ruined—what was the point?

However, this makes Li Tan a more suspicious candidate, because after Li Chu, he is the most qualified to contend for the throne. Naturally, what is beneficial to his elder brother is not so beneficial to him.

However, Li Mi said, "Prince Jianning has always been filial and fraternal. Although he and Prince Guangping are not from the same mother, they are as close as blood relatives..." Of course, this purely emotional analysis could not convince Li Ji, so he immediately said, "Even if he has any delusions, it is not the right time—the best opportunity is to obtain the marshal's position."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Generals of the Shence Army

The next morning, Li Bi dressed neatly and was about to leave the hospital when Cheng Yuanzhen suddenly came over with a roll of yellow paper in his hand, stood at the gate of the courtyard, and said loudly, "There is an imperial edict. Li Ji, kneel down to receive it."

Li Ji thought he had misheard; this imperial edict was meant for Li Bi… but Li Bi dragged him out of the room and forced him down in front of Cheng Yuanzhen. Cheng Yuanzhen then unfolded the edict and loudly read it aloud. Li Ji, looking completely bewildered, turned to Li Bi for help: “What is this all about? I don’t understand…”

The imperial edict, written in parallel prose, was indeed difficult to understand, but Li Ji was not truly rude or uncultured. He could still understand the general meaning—the emperor issued an edict, in recognition of Li Ji's previous merit in protecting his elder brother Li Bi on his journey to the capital, awarding him the rank of Senior Colonel Xuanjie, a rank of eighth grade, and appointing him as the chief secretary of the marshal (that is, Li Bi) as his bodyguard.

He simply couldn't understand why the emperor had suddenly decided to offer him an official position. Was it because he felt Li Bi wouldn't refuse since Li Bi already held one? But why would the emperor allow him to continue protecting Li Bi while he was still in the palace? Was it to prevent him from getting bored and abducting his precious grandson out of the palace again...?

Before Li Bi could answer the questioning look Li Ji was giving him, Cheng Yuanzhen, all smiles, quickly explained, "Congratulations! The Emperor has appointed you Xuanjie Xiaowei and ordered you to continue protecting Changyuan... the safety of Chief Secretary Li."

He then ordered the young eunuch who had come with him to present him with a robe, and instructed Li Ji to put it on.

Seeing that Li Bi did not seem to want him to refuse, Li Ji kowtowed and accepted the imperial edict, then went back to his room to change his clothes.

The Xuanjie Xiaowei was a nominal official position, meaning it had no actual duties and only represented rank and salary.

In the Tang Dynasty, official ranks ranged from Zheng Yi (正一) to Cong Jiu Xia (从九下), totaling twenty-nine levels (ranks below Zheng Si Pin were further divided into upper and lower ranks). This applied to both civil and military officials, and their everyday attire was largely the same, except that civil officials typically wore their turbans with the ends extended, while military officials wore them with the ends crossed. So Li Ji put on the crossed-end turban, draped a blue robe over his shoulders, wrapped a silver-plated leather belt around his waist, and donned leather boots—looking in the mirror, he seemed much more dashing than before, though the blue robe certainly didn't have the same imposing presence as the scarlet or purple robes…

He thought for a moment, then hung the sword on his waist before striding back into the courtyard.

Cheng Yuanzhen looked Li Ji up and down, a fawning smile on his face: "The size is just right... Li Xuanjie looks even more dashing after changing his clothes." Of course, Li Ji knew that Cheng Yuanzhen was not trying to flatter him, but rather Li Bi standing next to him.

Immediately, Cheng Yuanzhen bowed to Li Bi with his hands clasped, saying, "This servant will now lead you two to the Marshal's residence."

The Prince of Guangping, who had only assumed the position of Military Marshal yesterday, had already determined his office location—the headquarters—today—quite swiftly. Guided by Cheng Yuanzhen, the two Lis exited through a side gate of the palace, walked a few steps, turned onto a side path, and arrived at the Marshal's residence. Li Ji looked around and realized that the so-called Marshal's residence was actually originally part of the Forbidden City, with a separate courtyard temporarily partitioned off. However, Li Bi, as the Chief Military Secretary of the Marshal's residence, had specific responsibilities and couldn't simply pass through the back gate from the Forbidden City directly to the headquarters; he had to go out first and then back in, taking a roundabout route, which was in accordance with the system.

If Li Bi lived and worked entirely within the Forbidden City, and even when he left the palace, he was always accompanied by the Emperor and surrounded by Imperial Guards, then there would indeed be no need to assign him another personal bodyguard. However, starting today, he would have to come to the Marshal's Mansion to work. Although the area around the palace and mansion was heavily guarded, with sentries every three or five steps, making the entire area as secure as an iron barrel, the distance between the palace and the mansion was less than thirty steps. Ultimately, it was not as safe as staying by the Emperor's side. That's why Li Ji was appointed as the personal bodyguard.

Li Ji thought it was good, at least he would have something to do to relieve his boredom—he couldn't possibly go out of the palace to wander around every day, and besides, how many days could he possibly wander around this tiny Ding'an County?

As soon as the group arrived at the gate of the general's mansion, a military officer in a green robe came forward to greet them—judging by his rank, he was slightly higher than Li Ji, probably a seventh-rank official, but strangely, he had an extra large red handkerchief wrapped around his head—and bowed to Li Bi with his hands clasped. Li Ji looked at him and exclaimed, "Hey, it's an acquaintance! Isn't this 'Old Jing' who I just fought with yesterday?"

"Jing Jiang, the Right Valiant Guard General, pays his respects to Chief Secretary Li. The Marshal has ordered me to wait here for Chief Secretary Li and to serve as his bodyguard."

Li Ji thought to himself, "So I'm not the only bodyguard... Is this guy called Jingjiang? Can I stir-fry shredded pork with him?"