Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Calamity of Later Generations

Li Ji looked at the minor official who had come with Li Tan. He was about thirty years old, tall and handsome, with a long beard that was as black as ink and as smooth as brocade, hanging down to his chest. He looked like Guan Yu incarnate, which made Li Ji quite envious. When will my beard grow long again?

Li Ji also found Li Tan's words rather inappropriate—since I've basically resolved the issue, all you need to do is politely praise those who contributed the money, and that's it, right? Why insist on interfering and offering your own estate and villa as compensation? That way, these people will surely be grateful to you, and once the news spreads, the people of Luoyang will regard you as a benefactor and a wise king…

This was originally a good thing, but the problem is, Li Tan, you're different from other princes. You still carry the suspicion of vying for the throne, and you haven't completely cleared your name yet! So, what will Li Heng and Li Chu think when this matter falls into their ears? Prince Jianning is trying to win people's hearts; he has great ambitions, and I'm afraid he has ulterior motives!

Even if Li Chu is close to you, and Li Heng, in his habitual foolishness, doesn't take it seriously, do you think Consort Zhang and Li Fuguo would let this golden opportunity pass? They will surely slander you again in front of Li Heng. I finally managed to save your life, and you don't appreciate it at all, instead walking right into the line of fire?

Should I praise you for being righteous, unlike your father and brother, or should I scold you for being stupid?

Li Ji, however, habitually maintained a boorish persona in front of Li Tan, making it inconvenient for him to offer advice—did he think everyone could see that? Only Li Ji, having read extensively in history and thoroughly familiar with past examples of succession struggles, could discern this. If even a fool could see it, that would be one thing, but this was something only a wise person could discern. Was it appropriate for him to tear off his mask and speak frankly to Li Tan in this setting? Even if he were to speak frankly, how could he say it in front of everyone?

Therefore, Li Ji was unable to dissuade him in time. However, the minor official seemed to be no ordinary person; he clearly understood the situation in an instant and was about to speak up to advise him, but was stopped by Li Tan. Judging from Li Tan's expression, he was not unaware that his actions were unnecessary and might bring him new trouble. However, his bastard father had given a chaotic order, and his foolish brother couldn't stop him. If he couldn't do his part to save the women of Luoyang, he would feel guilty and unable to have peace of mind.

Therefore, Li Ji and the minor official exchanged a glance simultaneously. Li Ji's gaze was purely curious—who was this person? He seemed quite shrewd. The other official, however, gave him a look tinged with resentment—it was all your meddling that caused Prince Jianning to bring this upon himself!

Li Tan then instructed, "Gongnan, I'll leave the matter of gathering the funds to redeem all the women in the city from the Uyghurs to you." He waved his hand at the officials and wealthy merchants he had just pulled up, implying that they should discuss the matter amongst themselves. The minor official hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, it's all on Yang Yan."

Turning to Li Ji, Li Tan spoke gently: "Guard, have you managed to lead me to pay my respects to Consort Shen? Are you satisfied now?"

Li Ji had nothing to say, so he bowed and said, "Your Highness, please follow me."

So they went together to the monks' quarters. Li Tan stood respectfully outside the door and bowed, saying, "Is Sister-in-law Wang inside? Jianning has come to greet you and will escort you to meet your brother Wang."

Consort Shen's voice rang out from inside the room: "How could I dare to trouble Your Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tan couldn't help but beam with joy.

He had grown up with Li Chu since childhood, and since his father rarely paid attention to him, his elder brother was like a father to him, and his elder sister-in-law was like a mother to him. Naturally, he was very familiar with Consort Shen's voice. At first, he had some doubts. Li Ji had never seen his sister-in-law before. Could he have mistaken her for someone else? But upon hearing Consort Shen's words, he immediately realized—it was indeed her. He was greatly relieved and overjoyed.

"Back when we were in the Eastern Palace, my sister-in-law took good care of me. Now that we've been separated for so long, and the Marshal is busy with military affairs and it's not appropriate for him to move easily, she sent me to welcome him. It's only right and proper..."

Where is the Prince of Guangping?

"We will temporarily stay outside Xuanhui Gate. My younger brother has already driven here. I will now send someone to drive the carriage into the temple. Please wait a moment, Sister-in-law Wang."

Consort Shen said, "I am merely a concubine of the Prince of Guangping. Your Highness should not address me as your sister-in-law."

Li Tan raised his eyebrows: "In my heart, there is only one person who is the wife of the Prince of Guangping, namely, the biological mother of my son. That Cui woman relies on the power of the Yang family and is arrogant and domineering. How can she be worthy of being the rightful wife? Your brother keeps her in Lingwu because he is impatient to see her face—sooner or later he will depose her and let the wife of the Prince take the rightful place!"

Li Ji, who was listening nearby, thought to himself, what kind of woman is Consort Cui, the principal wife of Prince Guangping? Why do they all dislike her so much, from the old eunuch to Prince Jianning? If it were anyone else, Li Ji would suspect that they were just trying to curry favor and flatter him. But Li Tan has always been straightforward. When he said that he only recognized Lady Shen as his sister-in-law and not Lady Cui, he was probably telling the truth.

It's unclear whether the Cui family was truly despicable, or whether the brothers Li Chu and Li Tan, and even the old eunuch, all hated the Yang family and thus despised their servants.

Consort Shen, not wanting to respond to Li Tan's words, changed the subject, saying, "We were able to escape this time entirely thanks to Li Ji and the others."

Li Tan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister-in-law, the Marshal will definitely reward you according to your merits." As he spoke, he glanced at Li Ji beside him and said, "Changwei, you have made great contributions this time. It is no wonder that my brother and Shi'er value you so much. If you want any reward, you can tell me first, and I will go and ask my brother."

Li Ji let out a long sigh and said with a wry smile, "I have no other hope but to be able to unload this heavy burden and get a good night's sleep..."

Before long, the carriage entered the temple and stopped in front of the monks' quarters to welcome Consort Shen. Li Ji glanced sideways and saw that it was Yang Sichu pretending to help Consort Shen—

It's hard to say who helped whom—they got into the carriage. Then Li Tan told him to summon Chen Fu, Yu Ling, and other meritorious people as well, so they could go together to report to Li Chu.

Li Ji said, "Yu Lingfang and that other person... are raising the ransom. You can go see the Marshal later." He then summoned Chen Fu and the other two who had come from Fengxiang. As for the matter of Yu Xiuhe's death, Li Tan already knew about it and there was no need to explain.

He had also planned to look for Cui Qi, but the little girl was truly elusive, disappearing again without a trace. Li Ji was unsure whether she was willing to go with him to see Li Chu, and it was inconvenient to inquire with Consort Shen, who had already boarded the carriage, so he had to give up for the time being.

Back at the carriage, he was still somewhat uneasy, so he asked Li Tan, "Is the person Your Highness ordered capable of doing the job?"

Li Tan smiled and comforted him, saying, "Yang Gongnan is a rare talent in this era. You can rest assured when he does things—you won't let all your hard work go to waste."

He then introduced his resume. It turned out that the minor official in the green robe was named Yang Yan, courtesy name Gongnan, a native of Tianxing County, Fengxiang Prefecture. His father had passed the imperial examination, but due to illness, he was unwilling to serve as an official. The Emperor Emeritus once summoned him to serve as a remonstrating official, but he resigned and returned home to care for his parents after less than a year. Yang Yan originally intended to follow in his father's footsteps, but he failed the imperial examinations in both the fourteenth and fifteenth years of the Tianbao era.

The following year was the second year of the Zhide era. Despite the chaos and turmoil, Emperor Li Heng, while on the move, ordered the selection of scholars in Jianghuai, Jiangdong, and Fengxiang respectively, and the retired emperor also held examinations in Sichuan. Yang Yan naturally participated in the examination in Fengxiang Prefecture, but unfortunately, he failed and was ultimately unsuccessful.

Some seemingly astute people advised him, saying that his essays were excellent, his classical studies were second best, and his poetry was the worst; he should try to take the Mingjing exam, or wait for the Xiucai exam to be held someday. Yang Yan replied, "The Mingjing exam is nothing but rote memorization, and it only leads to the county level, making it difficult to advance to the imperial court. As for the Xiucai exam, it was abolished during the reign of Emperor Tianhuang (Li Zhi), and now that he is almost a hundred years old, how can it be reinstated?"

So, I either continue taking the imperial examination, or—I'll give up and just accept a hereditary title.

His father had once served as a senior official of the fifth rank, and according to the law, he could grant his son the privilege of serving as a senior official of the eighth rank. However, without passing the imperial examinations, he generally had no chance of being granted a position as a proofreader, corrector, or county magistrate in a prestigious county such as Wang, Jin, or Shang. Yang Yan himself was not willing to serve as a county magistrate in a middle or lower county.

Fortunately, the Marshal's Office was established at that time, and Li Tan was appointed as the military commander. He searched far and wide for talented people and, through an introduction, took the initiative to find Yang Yan. After a heartfelt conversation, Li Tan was deeply impressed by Yang Yan's talent and immediately appointed him as a military advisor.

Below the commander-in-chief or marshal, the main staff consisted of the chief clerk, the military advisor, the recorder, and the four military advisors of the granary, the military, the armor, and the cavalry. In addition, there were judges, clerks, and other officials, as well as unofficial military advisors without a fixed number of positions—similar to the staff officers of later times.

Yang Yan was initially reluctant, but Li Tan persuaded him, saying, "Are you making a light decision about the matter? Wei Huiwei was just a military advisor in the Prince's mansion..."

Wei Huiwei was Wei Jiansu, who had served as prime minister. After Li Heng arrived in Fengxiang, he was reassigned as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. He had entered officialdom by serving as a military advisor in the Prince of Xiang's residence. Upon hearing this, Yang Yan was overjoyed and knelt down to pay his respects. He then entered the commander's residence and was regarded as a confidant by Li Tan.

As Li Tan escorted Consort Shen's carriage out of the city, he tirelessly recounted Yang Yan's background to Li Ji, his words tinged with a hint of boasting—"Look, such a talented person, I summoned him with just a few words, and arranged everything perfectly." Li Ji feigned ignorance and asked, "Is a military advisor in the commander's office comparable to a military advisor in the prince's office?"

Li Tan opened his mouth as if to explain, but after thinking for a moment, he smiled and swallowed his words.

Li Ji chuckled inwardly. "You really think I don't understand?" Li Mi had once given me a general overview of the Tang Dynasty's official selection and promotion system. The most direct path was to pass the imperial examinations (Jinshi or Mingjing, though the Mingjing examination had declined since the Kaiyuan era, making the Jinshi examination the dominant one) and then be selected as a proofreader, corrector, or county magistrate in a prestigious, close, or superior county. Those who started through unofficial channels like hereditary privilege were already at a disadvantage, let alone those who started as advisors—military officers, camp staff, or military advisors in various prefectures and states. To rise to the highest ranks of officialdom was an impossible task.

Besides, Wei Jiansu first passed the imperial examination and then entered the Prince Xiang's mansion as a military advisor. How can you, Yang Yan, compare to him?

The key point is that Wei Jiansu entered not some other prince's mansion, but the "Prince Xiang's mansion"!

Emperor Ruizong, Li Dan, was twice granted the title of Prince Xiang—a title that originally meant a prince with the power of a prime minister, something that was not something an ordinary prince or grandson of the emperor could do. Since Wei Jiansu had accompanied Li Dan in his pre-imperial residence, he naturally had a head start over others.

As for Yang Yan, although he was invited by Li Tan, he was actually joining Li Chu's staff. Although Li Chu had not yet been formally appointed as the Crown Prince, everyone knew that the Emperor favored him and the position was unlikely to change. Therefore, if he could immediately serve under the next Emperor, why would he worry about his career not being smooth enough, or that he would be unable to attain the rank of a third-grade official in the future?

Haha, in these turbulent times for the nation, instead of thinking about joining the army to save the country, he's only thinking about how to get started and climb higher in the officialdom... This Yang Gongnan, his talent is still unknown, and his virtue... is probably just so-so.

But why would Li Tan say all this to me? Was it merely to introduce Yang Yan? It doesn't seem like it...

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Inside the main camp outside Xuanhui Gate in Luoyang, Li Chu was reunited with Consort Shen. Their reunion was bittersweet, needless to say—and of course, they couldn't be affectionate in front of Li Ji and the others. He simply led Consort Shen into the inner tent, and upon exiting, said to Li Tan, "A letter has arrived from Chang'an; the Emperor has already returned..."

Li Tan was overjoyed, but then heard Li Chu say, "However, the Cui family came from Lingwu and followed the Emperor to the Western Capital, so it is not convenient to expel them..."

李倓

Chapter Thirty, A Moment in Astronomy

As Li Ji's thoughts wandered, Li Chu suddenly turned to speak to him. He quickly composed himself, clasped his hands, and replied, "It is all thanks to the Emperor's virtuous influence and the Marshal's boundless good fortune. I only did a small part..." He understood that Li Chu had brought up the topic because he wanted to hear a detailed account of what had happened. So he recounted in detail everything he had experienced since leaving Chang'an... no, since killing Yu Xiuhe.

While he certainly wouldn't dare to conceal anything on the surface, he glossed over every detail involving his own thinking, even implying that it was actually Li Bi's secret instruction. As for the scenes involving fists, he went into great detail, even standing up and demonstrating punches and kicks for others to see.

Although I know that my image has already been ruined by Cui Qi, and then Shen Fei has managed to get the truth out of me through her words—the key is that the two of them didn't have any preconceived notions—Shen Fei is likely to report to Li Chu, and Li Chu may also tell Li Tan... However, Shen Fei has only just entered the camp and hasn't even had a chance to say a few words to Li Chu yet, so it would be embarrassing and difficult to explain if I were to reveal my true identity here.

Furthermore, most men of this era look down on women's insight. Consort Shen may trust Cui Qi, but Li Chu may not necessarily trust Consort Shen. I have known Li Ji longer than you and have seen it with my own eyes. Is it not as good as you sitting and talking for a while? When it comes to recognizing and employing people, do you, a woman confined to your chambers, really think you are better than me? Even if you have doubts, you probably won't completely believe me.

So I'll just stick to my persona. When it's time to break down, it will break down naturally. There's no need to actively push it.

He spoke for over half an hour straight, leaving the Li brothers speechless. Li Ji seized the opportunity to add his own opinion, saying, "In my opinion, that Xu Shuji is utterly despicable, utterly lacking in loyalty and courage, and showing signs of being two-faced. The Marshal should strip him of his military power, investigate his past misdeeds, and punish him severely—most of the soldiers and civilians of Suiyang can be considered dead at his hands! As for General Helan, he is also quite incompetent and cowardly, unfit for such a great responsibility..."

Li Tan nodded first, "What you say is exactly what I thought." He then turned to look at Li Chu. Li Chu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Henan is not yet pacified. Prime Minister Zhang (Zhang Hao) is currently leading the armies to quell the rebellion, and will then cross the river north to take Hedong—it is not advisable to dismiss Xu Shuji for the time being. Let's wait until after the war..."

"As for Helan Jinming, since the Emperor has appointed Zhang Xiang to govern Henan, he will soon be summoned back to the capital. It is unlikely that he will be given any more important positions."

Li Ji thought to himself, "You just want to play it safe and don't want to take responsibility. I think Xu Shuji will make you suffer sooner or later!"

Since he had already inserted the needle, he couldn't keep rambling on, lest he annoy others. So he changed the subject and asked, "During my trip to Suiyang, I was deeply impressed by Zhang Zhongcheng's unparalleled loyalty and Nan Jiyun's unmatched bravery—in a one-on-one fight, Li Ji considered himself no weaker than anyone else, yet he couldn't defeat Nan Ba. I wonder if the two of them are still well?"

Li Tan helped Li Chu reply, “Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan have both fallen ill from prolonged hunger and have been transported back to Chang'an for treatment. Their lives are not in danger, and the Emperor will surely bestow generous rewards upon them. As for Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and others, they have already transferred to Zhang Xiang's command and are pacifying Pu and Cao in the north—I have heard what you just said and deeply admire the bravery of the generals of Suiyang, hoping to meet them someday. However, I have seen the name of Lian Tan, the envoy of Ningling City, in the list of meritorious officials who died in battle reported by Zhang Xun…”

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was overcome with sadness and lowered his head. Li Tan then urged, "After returning to Luoyang, how did you sneak into the inner palace? Tell me in detail."

Li Ji said, "It was Yu Ling who arranged for an old eunuch in the palace to lead the way..."

After a few words, before Li Chu could express his opinion, Li Tan spoke first: "In that case, this old eunuch has also done me... and my brother Wang a great favor. We should have Yu Ling find him and bring him into the manor to support him for the rest of his life." Turning his head, he looked at Li Chu questioningly, and Li Chu nodded: "What my brother says makes sense."

When it came to Cui Qi's appearance, it was finally Li Chu's turn to interject: "And who is this woman?"

Li Ji thought for a moment and replied vaguely, "I don't know either... It's probably sent by some high-ranking official in the court who is an old acquaintance of Consort Shen. Marshal, you can ask Her Highness Consort Shen after you return to your tent."

When it came to the Uyghur soldiers entering the city and plundering women from Luoyang, Li Chu couldn't help but sigh: "Yagu acted on his own whims, how could he treat me like a brother..." He was quite regretful in his words, but what he regretted was not that the Uyghur soldiers still wanted to take people, but that they didn't even come over to greet him first!

Seeing that Li Ji's expression was a bit off, Li Tan quickly covered for him: "If Yehu reports to the Marshal, how can the Marshal allow him to act recklessly? That's why he sent an order overnight to send the Uyghur troops into Luoyang first. Fortunately, Li Ji has a compassionate heart and has already solved this problem for the Marshal..." He then recounted the story of redeeming the Tang girl with brocade, and concluded by saying, "I have already ordered Yang Gongnan to handle this matter, and I will certainly not fail my brother's trust."

Li Chu nodded: "That's very good." He didn't say anything else.

Li Ji thought to himself, "The difference between you and your brother is now clear!" But this is also good, since Li Tan spoke for me, I don't need to think about how to reconstruct my words and arguments with Di De and the others.

The Marshal and Sima, busy with military affairs, made a special effort to listen to Li Ji's report because it concerned the situation in Luoyang. They needed to hear it first to feel confident before Li Chu dared to enter the city. Therefore, after Li Ji finished recounting the events, Li Chu ordered him out of the tent—"You've been exhausted for a month; go and rest well. Having achieved such a great feat, when I enter the Eastern Capital, I will order you to accompany me." He wouldn't leave him outside the city like he did when entering Chang'an.

Li Tan offered to see Li Ji out of the tent, and Li Ji seized the opportunity to ask—in fact, he had wanted to ask for a long time but had never had the chance—"Where is my elder brother?"

Li Tan told

Not long after capturing Chang'an, Li Bi, despite Li Heng's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, resigned and returned home.

This was expected, but what Li Tan said next was something Li Ji hadn't anticipated—

"It is said that the Sage once consulted Mr. Changyuan about how to reward the meritorious officials after the rebellion was quelled, and Mr. Changyuan proposed a feudal strategy..."

Hearing this, Li Ji glanced slightly to observe Li Tan's expression, but couldn't discern any possible attitude—neither praise nor opposition. Li Tan continued:

The sage then asked, "If it were Changyuan, how should he be granted a title and fiefdom?" Master Changyuan replied, "I have abstained from grains to cultivate the Dao, and I have no family burdens. I have no need for official rank or fiefdom. I only wish that after I have accomplished my mission, I may be able to sleep with my head on the emperor's lap, and that the officials may report that a guest star has invaded the imperial throne, causing an astronomical disturbance. That would be enough for me."

Li Ji chuckled inwardly. "Don't even mention resting your head on the emperor's lap; even if you were to defecate on the emperor's head, the celestial phenomena wouldn't change," he thought. "Has Li Bi truly gone mad from cultivating immortality, or is he using this as an excuse to demonstrate his lack of desire and thus dispel any suspicion the emperor or his ministers might have towards him?" Most likely, it was the latter.

"Shortly after you left the other day, Mr. Changyuan was still in Yong County. The Sage secretly entered his bedroom, climbed onto the bed, and placed his head on his lap. Mr. Changyuan was startled and took the opportunity to leave."

Li Ji thought to himself: Li Heng, you've gone a bit too far!

On the surface, Li Heng knew he couldn't keep Li Bi, so he did as he wished. But if you were determined to keep him, you could have used this as an excuse to refuse to let him go. I don't believe the emperor can't keep someone's heart or form if he wants to. You're clearly urging him: the great task is almost accomplished, your long-cherished wish has been fulfilled, Changyuan, you can leave now.

I knew that guy was a scoundrel a long time ago!

Then there's Li Chu, who, though residing deep within the palace, displayed loyalty and filial piety, was respectful and courteous to scholars, and possessed the demeanor of a true gentleman. Aside from being slightly strict with his son and rarely advising his father against his reckless behavior, he seemed to have no major flaws. I even secretly compared him to Cao Pi back then. Who would have thought that after assuming the post of marshal and leading the army into battle, all his weaknesses and incompetence would be exposed? After the Battle of Xiangji, he ignored Pugu Huai'en's advice, only daring to kneel and beg the Crown Prince of Yehu under the walls of Chang'an. Upon arriving in Luoyang, when the Uyghur troops entered the city to plunder, he turned a blind eye—or at least was slow to realize it and didn't seem to care much.

Consider Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi. Although he wasn't a first-rate emperor, he was competent in governing counties and serving as a garrison commander—and crucially, he was also an excellent writer—Li Chu couldn't even come close! Li Chu's position as military commander was completely nominal; the recapture of the two capitals was entirely due to the work of Heaven!

In short, Li Chu was just as useless as his father, only not as inherently evil as his father—but it's hard to say how degenerate he would become once he became emperor.

On the contrary, Li Tan, although born into an imperial family, was naturally extravagant and looked down on commoners, was more responsible than his father and brother, and his talent was also above average...

Indeed, feudal emperors, with all under heaven serving one person and ruling the world with that one person, cannot produce good fruit from rotten branches; the only difference is whether the rotten part is just the skin or the whole thing is rotten. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the environment, if one wanted to make a difference in this era and benefit the country and its people, one had to rely on these isolated figures... Now I understand why Li Mi was determined to live in seclusion and did not want to get too involved in court politics.

So what should I do?

Forget it, thinking about it too much will only give me a headache. I'd rather go to bed early.

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The following morning, upon receiving news that the rebel army in Luoyang had been completely captured and that the Uyghur soldiers, after receiving the promised brocade, had also released the captured women—whether they had released them all or not, no one knew—Li Chu then retreated outside the city with a grand procession and entered the Eastern Capital, ordering Li Ji to follow closely on horseback, which was considered a great honor for Li Ji.

Although Li Ji didn't care.