Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Fuguo approached with obvious delight, as if it were a great honor to grill meat for Li Ji. However, while Li Ji found the old eunuch endearing and friendly, as someone from a later era, he naturally harbored prejudice against eunuchs—especially those in power—and suspected Li Fuguo might be the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Li Mi. Therefore, the more the old eunuch smiled, the more suspicious he became…

But never mind that for now. Since the emperor has spoken, I'd better stuff myself first.

The aroma of the grilled meat filled my mouth, so fresh and delicious! I haven't eaten such good food since I transmigrated! I kept waving my hands and chewing, and ate more than twenty skewers. Li Fuguo didn't even have time to grill them all, and Li Heng and the three kings could only watch with their mouths open. Fortunately, they were already half full, so they didn't have to reach out to grab them.

Li Heng continued his casual conversation with Li Bi. Li Bi occasionally asked, "When I arrived, north of Xinping, I saw several thousand soldiers from Wuyuan and Ningshuo, who said they were ordered to garrison Fengtian. I wonder how many troops the court has gathered now, and when it plans to engage the rebels?"

Li Heng said, "Tonight we shall speak only of friendship, and state affairs..." Before he could finish, Li Huang, a hothead, interrupted, "Sixty to seventy thousand troops have already marched south and are stationed at Congfeng..."

"From the Tianluogu Pass line, a fierce attack will soon be launched against the rebels who occupy Xijing."

Li Bi then asked, "May I ask who will be the general? Will it be Guo Jiedu (Guo Ziyi) or Li Chaojian (Li Guangbi)?"

Since the matter had already been brought up, Li Heng did not object any further—besides, wasn't the matter of ordering Prince Yong to return to Chengdu also a matter of state? He casually replied, "The rebel general Ashina Congli led the Tongluo and Pugu troops to lure the tribes of the nine prefectures of Hequ and the six Hu prefectures, with tens of thousands of troops approaching Lingwu. Therefore, Generals Guo and Li were ordered to lead the expedition."

"That is why the elite troops of Shuofang and Hedong have not yet followed me south. Only the troops of the prefects of various counties, numbering sixty to seventy thousand, have entered the capital region ahead of time. The commander-in-chief is Fang Cilu."

Li Bi was taken aback for a moment, then crossed his hands and asked in return, "Although Lord Fang is loyal and upright, he has never led troops before. How can he be a general?"

Li Jiao interjected, "It was Lord Fang who volunteered, saying that the main force of the rebels was in Luoyang, leaving Xijing vulnerable. Xue Jingxian, with his newly recruited troops, had repeatedly repelled the enemy, so if he were to become a general, he would surely crush the rebels and return Xijing to His Majesty. His Majesty then appointed him as the Military Governor holding the Imperial Seal, Commander-in-Chief of Xijing and concurrently the Military Governor of Putong Pass..."

Li Bi advised, “Lord Fang is underestimating the enemy. When I arrived, I heard that the rebel An had sent his generals An Shouzhong and Li Guiren to guard Xijing. They are both veteran generals among the Hu people, and I am afraid that Lord Fang is no match for them. I hope Your Majesty will issue an edict immediately, ordering Lord Fang not to move for the time being, and to wait for the return of Generals Guo and Li.”

Li Heng thought for a moment and slowly said, "Changyuan's words make sense. However, if you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. I have already promised Fang Cilu, how can I go back on my word? Moreover, I also know that Fang Cilu may not be knowledgeable in military affairs, so I sent Wang Sili, the Minister of War, as his deputy. Wang Sili once followed Wang Zhongsi and Geshu Han to conquer Tubo and capture Shibao City. He has experienced many battles and I believe he can certainly resist An Shouzhong and his ilk."

Li Bi wanted to say something more, but Li Ji, while still eating, wasn't idle either. He immediately pretended his legs had gone numb from squatting, stretched slightly, and secretly kicked Li Bi from below. Li Bi stopped talking, turned his head to glance at Li Ji, and said unhappily, "Haven't you eaten enough yet?"

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Li Ji's hunger was subsiding, but his palate was becoming picky again. He felt the roasted meat was just so-so; while tender, it wasn't quite perfect. Upon closer inspection, it seemed something was missing… That's right, no cumin, only black pepper. Could it be that cumin hadn't yet spread to the Central Plains? Or was it that certain ingredients were hard to find in this temporary capital?

With his mouth full of food, he mumbled a reply to Li Bi, "Seven or eight parts, still a little short."

Seeing his endearing simple-mindedness, Li Zi smiled and asked, "Mr. Changyuan's younger cousin certainly has a big appetite, but I wonder if he can drink too?"

Li Bi replied, "I usually only give him some country wine during festivals, which is enough to keep him from getting drunk. As for fine wine... I don't know either."

So Li Zi ordered someone to scoop out wine from a pottery jar placed on a charcoal fire and hand it to Li Ji, saying, "This is Fuping Shidongchun." Li Ji took the wine cup with both hands, blew on it slightly, and then drank it down in one gulp—it was rice wine, quite sweet, at most ten degrees.

He knew that the emperor and the three princes were watching him eat and drink in silence, essentially enjoying a monkey show. However, now that he was in this world, his status was vastly different from theirs. Unless they had obvious malice, he could only pretend not to know. Moreover, he had to eat and drink even more lavishly; if he made them happy today, he could find a way to climb the ranks in the future!

So the meat was gone as soon as it arrived, and the wine was gone in a flash. They ate about ten more skewers of roasted meat and drank about ten more cups of fine wine—the earthenware jar was almost empty. Li Bi couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to stop them, saying, "You are still young and should not drink so much—let's stop here." He was afraid that Li Ji might say something inappropriate and offend the emperor if he got drunk.

Li Ji knew what was going on, and, slightly intoxicated, stopped drinking. But, emboldened by the alcohol, he gestured to Li Heng with his hands clasped, saying, "This humble servant has no manners and must ask Your Majesty for two more things."

Upon hearing this, Li Bi's expression changed slightly—was this old devil really drunk? He quickly reached out and grabbed Li Ji's arm, making a gesture to stop him. Li Ji ignored him, only staring at Li Heng. Li Heng asked with a smile, "Tell me, what is it?"

"First of all, since we've eaten too much human flesh, I humbly request Your Majesty to grant us some fruit to cleanse our palates—it doesn't have to be pears, any kind of fruit will do."

Li Heng smiled and then ordered Li Fuguo, "Give him two peaches." Then he asked, "Is there one more thing?"

“The straw man has come from afar, covered in dust and mud—I suppose my brother is the same. During the day, I called…” After thinking for a moment, I decided not to mention the palace servants. What if the emperor punished them? Even if the emperor didn’t punish them, people like Li Fuguo would probably not let them off the hook—“Please, Your Majesty, grant some hot water so that the straw man and my brother can bathe.”

Li Heng said, "Alright, let's wait until we finish eating, then I'll order someone to prepare soup." He then looked at Li Bi: "I heard from Li Fuguo that Changyuan has driven away the palace maids I bestowed upon him?" Li Bi replied, "I have lived in the countryside for a long time, and I take care of my own food and clothing. I don't need palace maids to serve me." Li Heng laughed and said, "Changyuan is unwilling to be near women, perhaps because he fears it will affect his Daoist heart?"

He paused slightly, then said, "If those palace maids were still here, your brother would surely be able to order them to prepare bathwater..." Li Ji thought to himself, "No, what I said doesn't matter; nobody listens to me." "It's clear that Changyuan cannot be without servants. Since he doesn't wish to be near women, let Li Fuguo send a few eunuchs." Before Li Bi could refuse, he waved his hand and said, "Changyuan has come from afar to help..."

Chapter Sixteen, The Countryside Slingshot

When Li Ji transmigrated to ancient times, he naturally felt uncomfortable with various aspects of life. Fortunately, he had the support of his remnant soul from this life, so he didn't make any ridiculous mistakes.

One thing I'm not used to is the pillow.

These days, people are used to sleeping on hard pillows, which are mostly made of wood, planed smooth, or square, or with a slightly concave shape at the top to hold the back of the head. In addition, wealthy families may wrap the wood core with fabric, cloth or silk, but it is always a thin layer with not much filling—in short, it is still hard.

Li Ji was not used to sleeping on a hard pillow, but this discomfort was purely mental. As for his physical body... he had been sleeping on one for almost twenty years!

Because it was a hard pillow, it was like a brick, making it quite easy to throw at someone. Li Ji was talking with Li Bi inside the room. His body was in the prime of his youth, and having practiced martial arts for many years, his senses were very sharp. He couldn't say his eyesight was perfect (because he was a little nearsighted), but his hearing was absolutely keen. He vaguely heard a faint breathing sound coming from the wall outside the window—someone must be eavesdropping!

His conversation with Li Bi involved state affairs and mentioned senior officials in the court. These were things that absolutely could not be discussed openly and recklessly in public. How could he allow anyone to overhear him? Therefore, he immediately grabbed a wooden pillow and threw it hard out the window in the direction of the breathing sounds.

A cry of "Oh dear!" was heard, followed by hurried footsteps fading into the distance.

Li Ji thought to himself: This is a warning!

He then opened the door and went outside, retrieved the wooden pillow from under the window, and returned inside. By the candlelight, he noticed a faint trace of blood on one of the sharp corners... Recalling the direction he had thrown it, he realized it must have hit his head.

But nothing was said that night. When he got up the next day, he carefully observed the three young eunuchs who had been sent to serve him. None of them had any injuries on their faces. Of course, they might have been hit on the back of the head, but with their headscarves, at least their hair would have protected them. Even if they were hit, they probably wouldn't have left bloodstains on the wooden pillow.

Could it be that the person eavesdropping outside the window last night was not the eunuch sent to serve?

Or did Li Fuguo replace them immediately after realizing the plot had been exposed? They only arrived last night, and Li Ji hadn't had time to carefully examine their faces. Who knows if they'd been switched...

What a lapse! But it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost.

So he summoned the three eunuchs to him, examined them one by one, and asked them their names and positions.

Most of the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty belonged to the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau. The chief official was the Director, the deputy official was the Junior Director, and the subordinate officials included Inner Attendants, Inner Regular Attendants, Inner Attendants, Inner Attendants, Inner Attendants, Inner Attendants, etc. It is said that there were more than a thousand officials, while there were nearly three thousand unranked commoners. Of course, most of them stayed in Chang'an City and were captured by rebels. Only a very few stayed with the retired emperor and the emperor.

As for these three eunuchs, since they were only responsible for serving the Li brothers' daily lives, their status was naturally low. Two of them were ninth-rank officials, and one was of no rank. The two officials, who looked slightly older, were probably in their twenties or under thirty. They introduced themselves as Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming.

As for the one in white—though he also wore a green robe—he was actually only half a child. Although his height was basically complete, his face was extremely youthful. Sure enough, upon inquiry, he was only fifteen years old. When asked his name, he replied, "This humble servant is called Ran Mao'er."

This common name was completely different from his two companions. Li Ji looked him over carefully and saw that he had a round face, narrow eyes, a slightly flat nose, a deep philtrum, and slightly upturned corners of his mouth... He really did look like a big cat, and the name was indeed well-deserved.

The eunuchs were very diligent. After giving their names, they asked, "Would you two gentlemen like to wash up before eating? We have already prepared everything." As soon as Li Ji agreed, they immediately turned around and ran off with small, shuffling steps to bring hot water, towels, and salt to help the two Lis wash their faces and brush their teeth.

Then breakfast was served, which was quite simple: a thin porridge sprinkled with sesame seeds, mutton flatbread, and a few dishes of pickled vegetables. Li Bi seemed to have had enough of the two pears from last night to last the whole day, and didn't touch them. Li Ji, on the other hand, devoured both of their meals in a flash.

In his previous life, Li Ji worked a typical 9-to-5 job, but because he lived in a dormitory right next to his workplace, and because the humanities research department was relatively lenient, he often stayed up until midnight scrolling through his phone. He would then hurriedly get up at 8:45 the next morning, wash his face, brush his teeth, and grab breakfast to eat at work. Now, with no nightlife, he was forced to follow his body's biological clock, going to bed shortly after dark—last night he ate barbecue with the Emperor and the others, which was considered a relatively late night, but it was only around 9 or 10 pm—and then he naturally woke up just as dawn was breaking.

Around 9 a.m. – in the past, Li Ji would not have even gotten out of bed yet – Li Fuguo personally came to invite Li Bi, saying, “The Sage invites Mr. Changyuan to go together to inspect the newly arrived army.”

Li Heng temporarily stationed himself in Ding'an County, the capital of Pengyuan Prefecture, and summoned troops from all directions to come to his aid. At that time, the main border troubles of the Tang Dynasty were in the northeast, namely the Xi and Khitan, and in the west, namely the Tubo. Therefore, the main military forces were concentrated in these directions. Now that the three northeastern towns were in rebellion, it was natural to summon troops from the west to come to the rescue.

Therefore, the Shuofang Army of Guannei Road was the main force, and the prefectures and counties of Taiyuan, Xihe, and Hezhong in Hedong Road, and Tianshui, Ningsai, and Wuwei in Longyou Road all sent troops to join them one after another. Due to the varying distances and the difficulty of the roads, it was impossible for them to arrive at the same time.

Whenever a new army arrived, Emperor Li Heng would personally inspect it and reward the generals leading it, thus winning over the hearts and minds of the people.

This also serves to demonstrate the authority of the new emperor. Those who came today are said to be soldiers from Dunhuang County, numbering approximately two thousand.

Li Ji, who was listening nearby, thought to himself, "I'm familiar with the name 'Dunhuang'..."

Li Bi straightened his clothes and asked Li Fuguo to lead the way so he could follow the emperor. Li Ji also wanted to go, but Li Fuguo stopped him with a gesture of his hand—"The emperor has not summoned you."

Li Bi turned to Li Ji and said, "I know you want to protect your brother, but how could there be any danger on this journey with the Emperor? Just wait for my return—within the palace, do not speak or act recklessly, and absolutely do not leave this courtyard!" As he spoke, he kept giving Li Ji meaningful glances, as if to say: You don't trust me, but I don't trust you either. You mustn't cause any trouble.

After Li Bi left, Li Ji wandered around the courtyard twice, feeling quite bored. However, he dared not disobey Li Bi's orders and went outside.

Theoretically speaking, this is the innermost palace. Besides the emperor, his brothers, and the princes and grandsons, I and Li Bi are probably the only two men—eunuchs certainly don't count as men. What if I were to venture out and bump into a princess or concubine? I might violate the rules of etiquette—the ancients may not have been logical, but they were certainly bound by propriety!

Back in Fengtian County, when I first broke my leg, I had no choice but to stay indoors. Then, once my legs recovered, I'd run out to observe the streets, even spying on the young soldiers training – at least I could find something to do. Now, however, I'm confined to this tiny space… Oh, to be honest, the courtyard is actually quite large, but even in such a large place, without a cell phone, a computer, or even books, how am I supposed to pass the time?!

After pacing around for a while, I decided I should just start exercising. The world is already in chaos; without a healthy body, forget about conquering, even survival is difficult. Besides, since Li Ji in this life has left me with a great body and immense strength, it would be such a waste to waste it.

So he followed his memory and practiced the boxing techniques taught by the immortal master surnamed Xu in the courtyard.

To Li Ji, who now considers him a reclusive old Taoist priest living deep in the mountains, who looks to be around fifty or sixty years old, Li Bi claims he lived during the reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang, making him nearly one hundred and fifty... How could that be?! He's probably a fraud.

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However, the set of boxing techniques he taught seemed quite interesting. It was different from the one Li Ji often practiced in his youth. It emphasized using intention to control qi and using qi to perform boxing, which had a bit of the flavor of later internal martial arts.

After finishing a round of boxing as a warm-up, Li Ji felt a slight sheen of sweat on his nose. Then it was time to "lift weights," but unfortunately, he had no equipment… so he asked the eunuch Ran Mao'er for a small wooden table. He started with 100 incline push-ups, then 100 decline push-ups, followed by 80 bench dips…

The courtyard also had some flowers and plants, as well as two large trees that were so thick they required two people to hug them. Li Ji walked to a tree, picked a branch that looked almost as thin as his arm, and leaped up, grabbing it firmly with both hands. The next exercise was pull-ups, twenty per set, three sets, then hanging leg raises…

But after only four pull-ups, he heard a "crack" sound beside his ear. Knowing something was wrong, Li Ji quickly let go and landed, but the branch still broke in half, hitting him squarely on the shoulder…

Why is this happening? This body shouldn't be that heavy... I'm not Xue Jingyou.

Li Ji bent down to pick up the branch that had fallen from his shoulder, examined it for a few moments, and suddenly had a completely new idea. So he went back inside, got a broadsword, went back to the courtyard, sat on a wooden table, and began to chop.

The broadsword was too long and somewhat difficult to wield. He concentrated, holding his breath, and focused on hacking and slashing, thus becoming unaware of the footsteps behind him—

What are you doing?

Li Ji was startled, nearly grabbing his hand with his sword. He quickly turned around to look—"I thought it was that cat, but it's you... Your Highness. Does Your Highness always walk so quietly without making a sound?"

The visitor was none other than Li Shi, the eldest grandson of the emperor and Prince of Fengjie, whom he had met yesterday. Li Shi had been watching Li Ji's hand movements, but upon hearing his words, his eyes lit up: "There's a cat in this courtyard?"

Li Ji stood up, put down the tree branch and sword in his hand, clasped his hands in a salute, and then gestured to the side with his lip: "There's a eunuch over there named Ran Mao'er."

Li Shi was somewhat disappointed: "So it's a person's name, not a real cat." He then pressed further: "What are you whittling the wood for?"

Li Ji didn't hide anything from him and casually replied, "A slingshot."

Li Shi stared at the branch that the other person had picked up again and frowned: "How can this be used to make a slingshot?"

Li Ji was just examining the branch when he unexpectedly recalled the slingshot he used to play with as a child in his previous life. He thought to himself that even in this forbidden palace, danger seemed to lurk everywhere, and without any long-range weapon, he felt really uncertain. But he didn't know how to shoot arrows, and he couldn't find an opportunity to learn for the time being. Why not try making a slingshot? Although it wouldn't go very far, he was much more skilled with a slingshot than with a bow, and he could probably aim more accurately.

I don't think there will be any more mutinies for the time being. No fully armored soldiers will come to attack. If it's just one or two assassins, or other petty scoundrels, my slingshot will be enough to take them down.

Since I have nothing to do anyway, I might as well do some crafts.

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