Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

In that case, it's not surprising that people from different family lines happen to have the same name.

The scholar Li Ji, whose courtesy name was Guayan, was of impeccable lineage, hailing from the Western Ancestral Branch, whose ancestral home was Zanhuang County, which bordered Pingji. As for the transmigrated Li Ji, Li Changwei, he belonged to the Liaodong Branch, claiming that his ancestor was Li Qi, the younger brother of Li Mu, who settled in Zhongshan. Later, his descendants moved to Xiangping. In fact, the one whose lineage can be verified is Li Gen, the Grand Secretary of the Later Yan.

The two exchanged names and were both surprised—what a coincidence! They shared the same surname, the same given name, and were not much different in age. When they talked about their ages, Li Guayan was four years older than Li Changwei, so he was called "Sixth Brother," while Li Guayan called Li Changwei "Thirteenth Brother."

Of course, without a proper search and comparison of the family genealogy, it is impossible to determine whether they are of the same generation. Perhaps, if we trace their lineage back to Li Mu and Li Qi, they are actually grandfather and grandson.

Li Guayan then invited Li Ji upstairs, adding, "There is an elder upstairs."

This "elder" was actually Li Qiyun, the Palace Attendant Censor mentioned by the two civil officials next door. His courtesy name was Zhenyi, and he was Li Guayan's cousin. Li Ji had heard of him before. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and had served as a judge in the staff of Feng Changqing, the military governor of Anxi. After Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu, he selected 7,000 soldiers and returned to the capital to serve the emperor, thus gaining important positions.

In fact, Li Qijun was not very old, only a few years older than Li Bi, not yet forty. He had a round face and a sparse beard. In terms of appearance, he looked like a nouveau riche from the countryside. However, his expression was extremely solemn, and his eyes were bright and piercing, which made people feel intimidated. This was probably the official authority that he had gradually developed from leading troops for many years and now serving as a "Deputy Commander".

However, he was quite polite to Li Ji, and asked as soon as they met, "Are you perhaps Li Changyuan's cousin?"

When Li Qijun led his troops to reinforce the capital, Li Bi had just entered the commander's office and devoted himself to military affairs, no longer interfering in politics. Li Qijun, on the other hand, relinquished his military power in the blink of an eye and was transferred to the position of Palace Attendant Censor. Therefore, the two never really interacted. However, Li Bi was already famous and shared the same surname, so he had heard of Li Ji's name.

Li Guayan then asked, "Since you know there is someone with the same surname and name as your nephew, why haven't you mentioned him, Uncle?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qijun was taken aback: "He shares the same name as you? I thought it was a different character..." If I had known earlier that it was the same character as yours, I would have definitely told you about it, even if it was just a funny story.

Li Qiyun knew very little about Li Ji, only that he had once followed Li Tan in a night chase of a rebel general, capturing Tian Qianzhen alive on the battlefield. As for protecting Li Tan and rescuing Consort Shen, because these matters involved the imperial family, their stories circulated quietly among eunuchs and the imperial guards; officials outside the capital were unlikely to know unless they specifically inquired. The escape of the women from Chang'an and Luoyang was attributed to the brothers Li Chu and Li Tan, and few knew that Li Ji was also involved…

So after the formalities were completed and everyone was seated, Li Qiyun only asked Li Ji about Li Bi's situation, and sighed, "Why does Changyuan only care about such illusory things and refuse to stay in the court? Now Li Fuguo and Cui Yuan are colluding inside and outside the court, forming a faction to mislead the country and deceive the emperor. If Changyuan were here, things would not have come to this!"

Li Ji was starving, and seeing the table full of fine wine and delicacies, though they were leftovers, they weren't cold either, and his mouth was watering. So he asked Li Qiyun, "I escorted my elder brother to live in seclusion in the south for several months, and I know nothing about the affairs of the court. I humbly request your guidance, Uncle." He continued, "Go on, I'm eating and listening, I don't have a mouth to respond to you right now."

In just a few short months, the political situation has changed quite a bit. The most important event was that Li Heng summoned Li Chu and Li Tan back to Xijing and appointed his second son, Prince Zhao Li Xi, as the Grand Marshal of the Army, but only as a figurehead, with Deputy Grand Marshal Guo Ziyi acting in his place. However, Li Heng then appointed Palace Attendant Li Fuguo as concurrently Minister of the Imperial Stud and Military Advisor to the Grand Marshal's Office...

This was tantamount to placing a eunuch as military supervisor next to Guo Ziyi. Fortunately, Li Fuguo himself remained in Xijing, but he simply sent another eunuch to the army to act as his eyes and ears.

Furthermore, after obtaining Li Heng's permission, Li Fuguo established a secret service agency called "Chashitingzi" to investigate the activities of officials and gather information on public affairs. However, Prime Minister Cui Yuan, who had risen to power by clinging to Li Fuguo's coattails, dared not oppose him in any way. This resulted in Li Fuguo wielding immense power, handling state affairs daily at the Yintai Gate, carrying the palace seal, and frequently issuing edicts in the emperor's name. Conversely, if Li Heng himself issued an edict, Li Fuguo had to sign it first before the prime ministers dared to obey…

Hearing Li Qiyun say this, Li Ji, though still waving his hands and chewing his teeth, couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment: If only I had known that day in the main hall, I would have strangled that spineless bastard! Now that guy wields so much power, he can easily isolate himself from the outside world. If he decides to kill me, I won't even be able to storm the hall again to threaten Li Heng! I can't let him know I'm back... I need to at least make contact with Li Chu first before I can let the news slip.

Li Qiyun spoke of Li Fuguo with gritted teeth, his hatred seething to the bone, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. That's why he said, "If Li Bi were still alive, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this..." But Li Ji, listening, felt that even if Li Bi were still in court, given his kind nature and his reluctance to directly offend the emperor, he probably wouldn't be able to stop Li Fuguo from usurping power. Because Li Fuguo wasn't fighting alone; now, a terrifying "iron triangle" had formed around him.

The iron triangle consists of the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo, the prime minister Cui Yuan, and the empress... Last month, Li Heng officially issued an edict to confer the title of empress upon Consort Zhang. Back in the imperial court, Consort Zhang had colluded with Li Fuguo in the plot to frame Li Tan; they were already in cahoots.

So tell me, with an empress, a powerful eunuch, and a prime minister joining forces, could Li Bi, all alone, possibly stand against them? Li Ji couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Brother, you really ran away just in time... But while you saved your own life, you put the country, the nation, and the common people in danger."

Li Qiyun did not hide anything from Li Ji about how to deal with the situation—Li Ji guessed that the main purpose was to take this opportunity to remind his true nephew, Li Guayan, that the officials were secretly colluding and planned to submit a memorial to the Daming Palace and Xingqing Palace, requesting that Li Chu be appointed as the crown prince as soon as possible.

Clearly, they wanted to inflate the Crown Prince's prestige in order to counter Li Fuguo and others.

Li Ji thought to himself that this crown prince was probably a hopeless case and couldn't be helped... Besides, you should just report to the Daming Palace and be done with it, why bother the Xingqing Palace?

The main palace complex within Chang'an was divided into three parts: the Taiji Palace in the west, the Daming Palace in the east, and the Xingqing Palace in the south. Originally, when the city was first built, only the Taiji Palace, located in the very center of the north and adjacent to the imperial city where the officials' offices were situated, was the rightful residence of the emperor. However, the Taiji Palace was situated in a low-lying area, making it extremely humid during the summer. Therefore, to show his filial piety towards his father-in-law—perhaps to make up for what he had done to his father—Emperor Taizong of Tang built the Daming Palace on Longshou Plain outside the northeastern city walls.

However, before the Daming Palace was completed, Emperor Li Yuan passed away, and the project was halted. When Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, he suffered from "wind rheumatism" and found living in the Taiji Palace extremely painful. Therefore, the construction of the Daming Palace resumed, and upon completion, the emperor moved there directly. From Emperor Gaozong onwards, most Tang emperors used the Daming Palace as their official residence, while the Taiji Palace was simply left vacant and unused.

Therefore, since Li Heng had already ascended the throne and returned to the capital, he should naturally reside in the Daming Palace. Li Qiyun said that submitting a memorial to the Daming Palace was to offer advice to Emperor Li Heng.

Inside Chunming Gate, north of the street, lies Longqing Ward, once the residence of Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) when he was a prince. After Li Longji ascended the throne, he first changed Longqing Ward to Xingqing Ward to avoid using his name, and then forcibly relocated the other families in the ward, converting the entire ward into Xingqing Palace. In the later years of his reign, he lived with Yang Guifei in Xingqing Palace, which replaced Daming Palace as the actual center of power for the Tang Dynasty.

After the war, the emperor moved to Sichuan. When Li Longji returned, it was inconvenient for him to live with his son in the Daming Palace, so he simply moved back to the Xingqing Palace. After all, he was the former emperor who had ruled the country for more than forty years. Although he had retired, his influence remained—and he had brought back many officials from Sichuan and forced them into the court. Therefore, the ministers wanted to go to the Xingqing Palace to petition the emperor on the matter of establishing a crown prince.

Li Ji thought to himself, "This is really just making trouble out of nothing..." Li Heng had ascended the throne without an imperial edict, and the retired emperor must be furious—otherwise, he wouldn't have instigated Li Lin to cause trouble. As for Li Heng himself, although he constantly told Li Bi about his filial piety, how guilty he felt, and how much he missed the retired emperor while he was in exile, if he were truly a filial son, he wouldn't need to say so much nonsense. The suspicion between this father and son was no less than that between Li Heng and Li Tan. If they wanted political stability, they should have gradually removed the retired emperor from the sight of the officials, instead of trying to bring him back into the limelight.

Aren't you deliberately stirring up trouble? Heaven knows what terrible consequences this will cause.

But these words were best left unsaid to Li Qijun; even if he uttered them aloud, Li Qijun might not listen. The main reason was that the officials were quite disappointed with Li Heng's heavy reliance on Li Fuguo, feeling that he was not as good as his father. At least his father, although he trusted Gao Lishi, did not have Gao Lishi draft imperial edicts on his behalf, right? And there was no point in him ruining Lady Lu's reputation for no reason.

A persona will eventually crumble, but there's no need to let it fall apart in front of people like Li Qijun.

Li Qiyun recounted matters of the court, and Li Guayan would occasionally interject—though his courtesy name was "Guayan" (meaning "silent"), he was actually quite talkative—thus, Li Ji learned quite a bit of gossip. For example, Xijing was no longer Chang'an; Li Heng, missing the days when he was in Fengxiang, elevated Fengxiang to a prefecture and designated it Xijing, while Chang'an was renamed Zhongjing. Furthermore, he changed Shujun to Chengdu Prefecture and designated it Nanjing.

Secondly, Li Chu was no longer the King of Chu; in February, he was reassigned as the King of Cheng. Li Heng's other sons also all changed their titles from two characters to one character. For example, Li Xi, the King of Nanyang, became the King of Zhao; Li Tan, the King of Jianning, became the King of Qi; Li Jin, the King of Xincheng, became the King of Peng; and Li Xian, the King of Yingchuan, became the King of Yan, and so on.

After the recapture of the two capitals, Li Heng bestowed titles and honors upon his subjects, including a number of dukes. For example, Pei Mian was made Duke of Ji, Guo Ziyi Duke of Dai, Pugu Huai'en Duke of Feng, Li Guangbi Duke of Ji, Wang Sili Duke of Huo, Lu Jiong Duke of Qi, Cui Yuan Duke of Zhao, Cui Guangyuan Duke of Ye, Li Guangjin Duke of Fanyang, Zhang Hao Duke of Nanyang, Zhang Xun Duke of Yuancheng, and so on. Even more outrageous, Li Fuguo was granted the title of Duke of Cheng…

Among the ministers, Li Qiyun and others originally placed the most hope in Zhang Hao, but because he repeatedly advised Li Heng not to pardon Shi Siming and to be wary of Xu Shuji, he was ostracized by the eunuchs, who slandered him before the emperor. At the beginning of this month, Zhang Hao was dismissed from his post as minister and sent to Jingzhou to serve as the chief secretary of the Grand General's Office.

Li Ji thought to himself, "This country is truly beyond saving!"

Finally, having eaten and drunk his fill, he finally interjected, asking about Li Guayan's situation. It turned out that Li Guayan, determined to pass the imperial examinations, had disregarded the fact that his hometown was still under rebel control and fled east to Chang'an to seek refuge with Li Qiyun. Unfortunately, the journey was long and arduous, causing him to miss this year's spring examinations.

However, according to Li Qiyun, Li Guayan's abilities were not yet sufficient to pass the imperial examination, so it would be better for him to stay in Chang'an with him for a few more years and then take the exam. Li Ji guessed that Li Qiyun felt that his power was still too weak to provide much assistance to his nephew, so he told him to be patient.

Li Guayan turned around and asked about Li Ji's situation. Li Ji explained that he currently held a seventh-rank military post without any real power, and that Li Bi hoped he could transfer to a civil service position. He then asked Li Qiyun for his opinion. Li Qiyun asked, "Does Changwei not aspire to take the imperial examinations?"

Li Ji smiled wryly and said, "My knowledge is too shallow to dare to hope for more."

Li Qijun glanced at him in surprise, thinking to himself, "Li Bi is such a learned man, and you are his cousin. It is said that you have been by his side for several years. Hasn't he learned anything from him?" Upon further reflection, he realized that Li Bi, despite his outstanding talent, had not taken the imperial examinations and was considered a self-taught scholar. Therefore, it was understandable that he could not teach his cousin well.

If Li Ji were also a member of the Pingji clan, Li Qiyun might have immediately declared, "Why don't you stay with me? I'll teach you." After all, I'm going to teach the taciturn; whether I have one sheep or two, it's all the same. However, the Liaodong branch is ultimately quite distant, and they might not even be related by blood. I don't need to be so eager to teach, so I said, "Changyuan is right, you must switch to a civil service position!"

Chapter 42, Clear Streams and Muddy Streams

The civil service officials in the Tang Dynasty can be divided into three categories: one category of "important and important positions", another category of "important but not important positions", and the third category of "important but not important positions".

The term "清" (qing) refers to a "clear stream," meaning a position that requires mental and physical effort but not necessarily physical labor—because "those who labor with their minds govern others, while those who labor with their bodies are governed by others." The term "要" (yao) refers to whether the daily tasks are tedious or important, and whether the position is crucial.

For example, in the early years of the Wude era, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, wanted to appoint Li Suli to a "respectable and important official position." The relevant departments initially proposed appointing him as the Registrar of Yongzhou, but Li Yuan said, "This position is important but not respectable." That is to say, although the position was important, it didn't qualify him as a member of the "pure and honest" faction. They then proposed appointing him as a Secretary, but Li Yuan said, "This position is respectable but unnecessary." Although it was a respectable position, it was a sinecure and wouldn't allow Li Suli to utilize his talents. Finally, they proposed appointing him as a Censor, and Li Yuan was satisfied, saying, "This position is both respectable and important."

Li Qijun used himself as an example. The position of Palace Attendant Censor was a prestigious and important official post. Being a prestigious official meant a promising future, and being important meant being able to actually do things, not just sitting in the office all day drinking strong tea and reading newspapers. Otherwise, would someone who had led thousands of troops be willing to take on such a lowly seventh-rank position?

However, not just anyone can become a high-ranking official. Currently, only those who have passed the imperial examination can hope to obtain a high-ranking official position, or at least be considered "high-ranking but not high-ranking." Even those who have passed the imperial examinations or the policy examinations (officials who offer advice to the emperor to obtain an official position; Li Mi can be considered a sliver of this category) can mostly only obtain the position but not the official one.

As for military positions, scholars disdain them. Of course, some civil officials do lead troops, or some switch to military positions midway through their careers, but these are mostly mid- to high-ranking officials.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji suddenly understood. He thought to himself, "No wonder Li Bi didn't seem very happy when Li Heng bestowed upon me a military honorary title. No wonder, although it's an honorary title, I have no real position or salary, yet I've been forced to lead fifty soldiers for many months. I guess, as Li Bi's cousin, Li Chu and the others also consider me a scholar, and how can a scholar take on a low-ranking military post?"

The officialdom is truly a mess...

Li Qiyun gave Li Ji a detailed explanation of the old customs and unspoken rules of officialdom, and then said that Changwei's rank of military officer was really too low-class... The best way is to abandon all of this and start over.

Of course, as you said, Changwei, you lack literary talent and are instead accustomed to wielding swords and spears, hoping to fight on the battlefield and achieve merit. But remember this: you must never expect to start as a low-ranking military officer and climb the ranks step by step. Don't be fooled by Pugu Huai'en being granted the title of Duke; that's an exceptional case among exceptional cases, and he will be confined to the military for his entire life. He will have no influence over the court, nor will he be able to squeeze into the circle of scholars.

"If one wishes to join the army as a scholar, there is only one way..."

----------

After bidding farewell to Li Qiyun and his nephew Li Guayan, Li Ji left the East Market and, following Li Qiyun's directions, headed north all the way to the residence of the Sixteen Princes.

He found out that Li Chu and Li Tan, the brothers, were indeed still living in the Sixteen Princes' Residence.

At the northeasternmost corner of Chang'an City was Yongfu Ward, and to its south was Xingning Ward. Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) originally built residences for the princes in these two wards. Later, to facilitate his travels between Daming Palace and Xingqing Palace, he constructed a passageway along the eastern city wall and built a secondary city wall east of Yongfu Ward as a resting place along the way, and also for convenient "prison visits." Therefore, today, the residences of the princes (including the residences of the sixteen princes and the residences of the hundred grandsons) almost entirely occupy the Xingning Ward, with one or two courtyards extending northward into Yongfu Ward.

In other words, both wards were royal properties, and the gates were guarded by the Northern Imperial Guards, so ordinary people dared not approach. If Li Ji had recklessly tried to sneak in, he would most likely have been driven away by the Imperial Guards, or even captured on the spot—of course, whether he could actually be captured was another matter—fortunately, he received guidance from Li Qiyun, who wrote a letter to clear a path for him.

Although the Palace Attendant Censor was only a seventh-rank civil official, while Li Ji himself was a seventh-rank military official, civil officials were valued more than military officials, and the official rank of a civil official was higher than that of a non-official official. In addition, the Palace Attendant Censor was commonly known as "Deputy Duan," which was an important and prestigious position. Therefore, as soon as the few lines of text were handed over, the guards immediately changed their expressions.

Of course, Li Ji's identity had to be verified—even a Palace Attendant Censor couldn't just introduce an ordinary commoner to see a prince—after checking his official credentials and confirming that he was indeed seeking an audience with Prince Cheng, Li Chu, they hurriedly reported it.

Li Ji tied his horse to a post at the gate, slung his luggage over his shoulder, and waited with his hands behind his back. After about a quarter of an hour, a general from the Imperial Guard called out from inside the gate: "Li Zhiguo? His Highness summons you."

Li Ji straightened his turban, dusted off his clothes, and then entered the gate with his hands tucked in. The general led the way, turning east and west, and after a short distance, they arrived in front of a large red-lacquered gate. Li Ji looked up and saw three large characters on the plaque: "Residence of the Prince of Qi".

Li Ji was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "I request an audience with King Cheng, how can I be led to the Qi King's residence?"

Before the words were even finished, a voice rang out from inside the door, "Changwei, you only think of your brother, have you forgotten me?" Then Li Tan, dressed casually at home, strode out and grabbed Li Ji's wrist, "Changwei, why are you so late?"

Li Ji took a half step back, broke free from Li Tan's hand, and bowed, saying, "How dare I disrespect Your Majesty? But there is an order of seniority, so I should first go and pay my respects to His Highness Prince Cheng."

Li Tan laughed and said, "What I said just now was just a joke." He grabbed Li Ji's arm and said, "I should go see my brother first, but he has just been summoned to Xingqing Palace. I was afraid that the guards would be waiting for too long, so I ordered someone to invite him. Why don't you come to my residence for a while and wait for my brother to return?"

Li Ji was still somewhat hesitant, but Li Tan feigned reluctance and said, "Does my residence not belong to a dragon's den or a tiger's lair? Even if it does, do you, Li Changwei, lack the courage to seek out pearls and retrieve tigers?"

Helpless, Li Ji had no choice but to slow his pace and was pulled into the Qi Prince's residence by Li Tan. Once inside the main hall, the host and guest took their seats. Li Tan asked Li Ji, "Would you like some tea?" Li Ji thought of his experience at the Lingxu Palace in Hengshan and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile: "I'm a rough man, I'm not used to this taste."

"May I have some wine?"

"I dare not drink alcohol, for I fear I would be disrespectful in front of Your Highness."

Actually, he had already drunk quite a bit of wine at the banquet hosted by Li Qijun and his nephew at the East Market Restaurant, and he dared not drink any more for fear of making things worse.

Li Ji then ordered the eunuch, "Bring me the drink." He then leaned forward slightly, rested his right elbow on the table, and asked Li Ji, "Why does Master Changyuan refuse to stay in Yingyang and instead head south? Did Changwei escort him to settle down? Where exactly did he go?"

Before his departure, Li Bi left a letter for Li Heng, explaining that he would no longer stay at Jishan but would instead travel south to Hengshan, and requesting that His Majesty need not send anyone to visit him or bring any gifts. However, Li Heng did not tell anyone this news—at least not his sons—only saying that Changyuan had crossed the river.

Li Ji was unsure whether he should reveal Li Bi's whereabouts to Li Tan—he wasn't worried that Li Tan would harm Li Bi, but he feared that if too many people knew, the secret might slip up at some point. Look, Zhou Zhi had already gotten the information—he could only smile awkwardly and change the subject: "I didn't expect Chang'an to be so prosperous. I should have come to pay my respects to Your Highnesses much earlier, but I was too engrossed in admiring the beautiful scenery of the streets and alleys, which delayed me until now. I hope Your Highnesses will forgive me."

Li Tan understood that he was unwilling to reveal Li Bi's whereabouts, but he did not press the matter further. Instead, he directly steered the conversation toward Li Ji: "Now that Changwei has returned to Zhongjing, does he have a place to stay? What are his plans for the future?"

Li Ji thought for a moment and replied, "I have no place to live for the time being. As for the future... my elder brother instructed me to find a way to transfer to a clerical position..."

Li Tan clapped his hands and laughed: "This is the right path! How can a member of the Li family of Zhao County be relegated to the military?" He then asked: "With the merits and abilities of the chief guard, the emperor also appreciates him. I can try to speak on his behalf and offer him a civil post while he enters the Southern Army as a general in the Imperial Guard. What do you think?"

Li Ji pondered for a moment, then felt there was no need to hide certain things from Li Tan, and said, "I have discussed this with my elder brother repeatedly. Now that we have returned to Chang'an, I have heard that the Emperor is residing in the Forbidden City, and Li Fuguo... it would be best if he could avoid being transferred to a civil post by the Emperor, not enter the Southern Court, and not reside in the Central Capital..."

Upon hearing this, Li Tan's expression darkened: "Indeed, Changwei, you and that Li Fuguo... are not on good terms. Moreover, although Yu Chaoen has gone to Shaanxi to supervise the Shence Army, he still has many followers in the Southern Army... So if you don't stay in Zhongjing, where do you intend to go? Will you still return to the military headquarters?"

Li Ji had already prepared a plan for this, so he crossed his hands and asked, "My elder brother once said that he had suggested a way to persuade Shi Siming to surrender. I wonder how that went?"

Li Tan lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, the surrender document has already arrived in the palace and will be announced to the world soon."

Li Ji said that since that was the case, "Hebei is not worth pacifying. However, my elder brother and I have discussed it and we both believe that the enemy's strength is waning and will be annihilated soon. The real disaster for the country lies in the western border."

Upon hearing this, Li Tan's spirits lifted slightly: "You mean, Tibet?"

Li Ji replied, “Indeed. I’ve heard Chen Fu, Yi Tiechui, and others talk about the war against the barbarians, and it always gets my blood pumping. I don’t know any grand principles, but I feel that although there are barbarians among the rebels, most of them are still Chinese soldiers. It’s hard to bear seeing fellow countrymen kill each other. We should focus on winning hearts and minds. This is not a good battlefield for us to fight bloody battles. Only by going west to kill the barbarians and slaughter foreign tribes can we, as men of the Tang family, do our duty. In Your Highness’s opinion, is there an opportunity?”

Li Tan nodded: "What you and Mr. Changyuan are worried about is very true. Our Tang Dynasty had already broken into the Western Sea and was about to eliminate the border troubles, but due to the uprising of the An rebels, we were forced to summon troops from Longyou and even Anxi to defend the border. As a result, the power of the barbarians has been rekindled. They not only recaptured the Western Sea, but also crossed Menggu and Chiling and invaded Shanzhou, Kuozhou, Hezhou, Taozhou and other prefectures... Many military towns have fallen, half of the people have been relocated, and half have been captured by the barbarian rebels. It is heartbreaking to think about."

"If we do not strengthen our defenses immediately, the barbarian bandits will penetrate deeper into Lanzhou and Weizhou, and from their high ground, they can threaten the Western Capital... Fortunately, both capitals have been recovered; otherwise, with the An rebels in front and the barbarians behind, our Tang Dynasty would truly be doomed."

He then looked at Li Ji and praised him, saying, "A true man should be able to serve in the border regions, defend against invaders and protect the people. Your determination to uphold this ideal is truly commendable!"

Li Ji repeatedly said "I dare not," and was about to make his request when Li Tan said, "It would not have been difficult to place you in the Western Army, but I would like to transfer you to a civil post first, and it would be best if you were not controlled or hindered by people like Li Fuguo..." His eyes flickered slightly, and he asked, "How about becoming a judge or military advisor in my Qi Prefecture?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Here you come! I knew you'd say that!"

Regardless of whether Li Tan harbored ambitions to become the heir apparent, he was undoubtedly a man of great ambition and unwilling to spend his life idle in the Sixteenth Prince's residence. Therefore, he would inevitably try to recruit him. Li Ji had originally considered that serving as a judge or military advisor in the Prince's residence was a shortcut to a civil service position. Although it still required review by the Ministry of Personnel, the prince himself ultimately had considerable influence over the matter. As long as Li Tan insisted on recruiting him, it would be a sinecure under the prince anyway, so why would the Ministry of Personnel object for no reason?

Moreover, theoretically, Li Fuguo might not even notice these sinecure appointments of the seventh or eighth rank.

He could then use his position as a rebellious official in the Prince of Qi's mansion or as a military advisor to receive a salary, and then be sent to a western prefecture to lead troops to resist the Tibetans. This would allow him to leave the murky waters of the capital, making it impossible for Li Fuguo and others to reach him, while also accumulating merits and protecting the Tang people. It was truly a wonderful arrangement.

However, before his departure, Li Bi repeatedly warned him that he must never attach himself to Li Tan, even if it was only superficial. Once he became an official in the Prince's court, he would inevitably be drawn into the political vortex. After much deliberation, Li Ji had to admit that Li Bi was right—his older brother was much better at protecting himself than he was.

While it is true that "if I am found to be weak, I will go even if there are thousands of people against me," and there is no need to be too hesitant, it would be a great waste if I could not die on the battlefield but instead accidentally stumble into a political vortex and drown.

Therefore, he politely declined Li Tan's offer: "My elder brother once said that the positions of judge and military advisor in the Prince's Palace are considered to be of high moral character. With my qualifications, I am afraid I am not qualified to take the position. Even if I were to take the position, it would surely cause my colleagues to look down on me, which would be a disaster rather than a blessing."

Actually, these words were not spoken by Li Bi, but rather by Li Qiyun when he was helping Li Ji to transfer to a civil service position not long ago. Li Qiyun explained the distinction between "pure" and "turbid," which Li Ji remembered and used to cover up his mistake.