Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 179

Wei Shaohua pointed at the Uyghur leader: "This man is not an imposter, but a Uyghur envoy, whose honorable name is 'Chixin'..." Li Ji thought to himself that it was probably a transliteration, not his real name. "Please, Minister Li, step aside and allow me to escort him back to the Honglu Temple."

Li Ji glanced sideways at Chi Xin and saw that the man puffed out his chest even more, and turned his mouth to one side, revealing an arrogant expression.

"Does Wei Honglu know that this man went to rob the Wannian County prison and even injured a prison guard?"

Wei Shaohua smiled somewhat awkwardly: "This... I've only just heard about it." He then said seriously: "I will investigate this matter myself after I return to the Court of State Ceremonial. There is no need for Minister Li to handle it."

Li Ji sneered, "If the investigation confirms the truth, I wonder how Wei Honglu intends to deal with it?"

"This... I have no authority to decide this matter; I can only report it to His Majesty..."

“Since you have no authority to handle this, why bother going back to the Court of State Ceremonies to inquire?” Li Ji pointed his whip at Wei Tan in the distance. “The security of Wannian County should be handled by the magistrate of Wannian. I am now helping the magistrate of Wannian capture that scoundrel, so there is no need for Wei Honglu to overstep his bounds.”

Wei Shaohua cried out urgently, "No, absolutely not..." He then gave Li Ji a series of meaningful glances. Li Ji, seemingly oblivious, simply waved his hand, ordering his guards to step forward. Wei Shaohua immediately darted between Li Ji and Chi Xin, spreading his hands: "Minister Li, please calm your anger. This matter concerns the friendship between the Tang and Hui families; you must not act rashly!"

Li Ji said in a deep voice, “Our Tang Dynasty has its own laws. Those who violate them should be handed over to the magistrate for judgment. How dare the Court of State Ceremonies interfere? If you say that our two families are on friendly terms, is it the way friends treat each other to kill someone in the marketplace, then kidnap a prisoner and injure a jailer? You should know that the Uyghurs were originally subjects of our Tang Dynasty, or at best, friendly nations. Does Lord Wei think that the lives of Uyghurs are more precious than the lives of Tang people?!”

Wei Shaohua said, "The lives of envoys are certainly more precious than those of merchants and common people."

Before the words were even finished, Wei Tan called out from afar, "The investigation into the Uyghur who committed the murder in the East Market has confirmed that he was not under the command of the envoy, but merely a foreign merchant..."

Wei Shaohua immediately shouted, "Shut up!"

He then turned to Li Ji and said, "The Court of State Ceremonial is in charge of matters concerning guests. The Emperor has also ordered me to treat the Uyghur envoys with great hospitality. Since this matter involves the envoys, the Court of State Ceremonial cannot ignore it!"

“Alright, then arrest them and hand them over to the Wan Nian Ling for swift trial. Wei Honglu and I will go and observe the proceedings.”

Wei Shaohua could no longer contain himself: "Minister Li, this matter has nothing to do with you, why be so aggressive? If this damages the friendship between our two families..."

Li Ji was even more furious than him, and immediately shouted: "I cannot stand seeing the barbarians running rampant on my Tang land, disregarding my Tang laws and trampling on my Tang people as if they were nothing! Since I am paid by the court, I will certainly eliminate this injustice for the court. If it damages the friendship between our two countries, I will go north to apologize to the Uyghur Khan!"

As he spoke, he shoved Wei Shaohua without any politeness, causing him to stumble six or seven steps to the side and nearly fall. Then, Li Ji went straight for Chi Xin and pointed at the tall Tu Tunfa flag with his other hand: "Will you worship or not?"

Chi Xin still stubbornly insisted, "So what if we don't bow?"

Li Ji immediately reached out and pressed down on his shoulder. Chi Xin hadn't expected him to resort to violence so suddenly, and before he could dodge, he felt a tremendous force pressing down on his left shoulder, causing his knees to tremble violently, and he involuntarily knelt down…

Upon seeing this, the remaining Uyghurs all drew their swords and rushed to their aid. Li Ji shouted, "Seize them all! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately charged forward, swords drawn. At this moment, Yuan Jing'an had already ordered his men to bind the Uyghurs pinned to the ground, freeing himself. He then drew his sword and leaped forward. Seeing this, the Uyghurs couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive—was this really a case of killing people?

Li Ji firmly pinned Chi Xin down with one hand. Chi Xin knelt on the ground, trying to draw his sword, but Li Ji exerted force again, sending him sprawling face-first to the ground. Li Ji raised his leg and stepped on Chi Xin's waist, coldly saying, "Order your men to lay down their weapons and surrender, or I will kill them all, including you!"

Since entering Tang territory, Chi Xin had been greeted with smiles and unwavering respect by both local officials and central government officials. His arrogance grew daily, but he never expected to suffer such a great loss today. He had initially intended to confront Li Ji—even if it was Tutunfa, it had no place in his jurisdiction; even if the case reached the Khan, he might not be the only one punished—but he was quickly pushed to the ground, realizing that Li Ji might truly intend to kill him…

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind—such as "A wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him" and "Where there's life, there's hope." Of course, these weren't the actual sayings, but rather Uyghur proverbs. A sudden fear gripped me, and I was forced to shout at the top of my lungs, "Disarm! Disarm first!" I shouted a couple of sentences in Tang language, then switched back to Uyghur.

Upon hearing this, the Uyghurs had no choice but to drop their weapons—three of them were already wounded, and two of Li Ji's personal guards were also injured, but fortunately, none of them were in vital areas.

Li Ji glared at the county magistrates: "What are you all standing there for? Come here and face the law!"

The officials were all terrified and retreated instead of advancing. Wei Tan had to follow behind and kick them before they finally cautiously went over and tied up the Uyghurs one by one—including Chi Xin, who was under Li Ji's feet.

Wei Tan was really going all out. To be honest, although the magistrate of the capital was of noble rank, a fifth-rank official, and could wear a red robe, the Wannian County under his jurisdiction was full of high-ranking officials and powerful families, none of whom he could afford to offend... In recent years, the Uyghurs had also been added to the mix, so he lived in constant fear, lest he accidentally kick a hornet's nest and be in trouble.

This time, he genuinely didn't know it involved a Uyghur envoy; he thought it was just an ordinary Uyghur merchant—which was indeed the case—and since he had been arrested for murder and brought to the city by the people, he was immediately detained. Later, a dozen or so Uyghur riders stormed into the government office, injuring people and attempting to break into the prison. As the magistrate of Wannian, Wei Tan couldn't simply turn a blind eye, could he? While the perpetrators were committing the crime, he might have dared to temporarily evade them, but now that they had escaped, he would certainly have to give chase.

Then the Uyghurs were cornered by Li Ji. His subordinates said that Li Ji seemed to be displaying some Uyghur banner, causing fear among the Uyghurs. Only then did he dare to boldly declare that he would never flatter the powerful and would handle the case impartially. When Li Ji's soldiers actually started fighting the Uyghurs, and blood was drawn, Wei Tan felt his legs cramp and his crotch become somewhat wet… Everyone said that regional warlords were arrogant, and it was indeed true. If he didn't obey Li Ji's orders and didn't give him a way out, would Li Ji order his soldiers to rush over and kill him?

I can't afford to offend any of the Uyghur envoys, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, or the military governor of Shuofang! The problem is, if I offend the Uyghur envoys, at most I'll be chased through the market and have my horse taken away, just like Shao Shuo, the magistrate of Chang'an a few months ago; if I offend the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, at most I'll be impeached afterward; but if I offend the military governor of Shuofang, I might even lose my life!

Alright, alright, we're in a bind, let's just focus on the present and do whatever Li Shuai says.

Seeing that the Uyghurs had been wounded and captured, Wei Shaohua was truly enraged. He lunged forward and grabbed Li Ji's sleeve, shouting, "You, you come with me to the palace to see the Emperor!"

Li Ji slowly turned his head to the side, staring at Wei Shaohua without uttering a word. Wei Shaohua saw that Li Ji's eyes were bright and seemed to be burning with flames, and he couldn't help but feel a chill, involuntarily letting go of his hand.

Just then, another rider galloped up, holding a flag and shouting, "The envoy's flag is here!"

The man, a minor official from the Court of State Ceremonial, was ordered by Wei Shaohua to retrieve the Uyghur envoy's flag to settle the dispute. Upon dismounting and seeing the scene, he froze, unsure whether to advance or retreat. Wei Shaohua, grasping at a straw, hurriedly called out, "Bring the flag! Bring the flag for Minister Li to inspect!"

The junior official approached nervously, bowing deeply and presenting the envoy's flag with both hands. Unexpectedly, Li Ji took it with one hand, and without unfolding it, gripped the other end and snapped it in two with a "crack" at his knee!

Wei Shaohua was so shocked that his face turned pale: "Li, Li... how dare you..." Seeing this, Chi Xin's eyes widened in fury.

Li Ji said in a deep voice, "It's fake."

"For example, how can it be fake?"

Li Ji stared intently at Chi Xin, a cold smile playing on his lips, and asked sharply, "May I ask Wei Honglu, if you were sent as an envoy to the Uyghurs, would you hand over your imperial staff to the Uyghur soldiers to display to others?!"

Wei Shaohua was speechless, and even Chi Xin looked defeated.

Actually, the Uyghurs didn't care about such things, and Wei Shaohua hadn't considered this possibility beforehand. That's why he ordered someone to retrieve the Uyghur banner, and the Uyghurs guarding the Honglu Temple actually did... But Chixin had just claimed that the banner's arrival was like the Khan's personal presence, and now the Khan's authority was being carried away by a mere Tang Dynasty official? If this were reported to the Khan, his first reaction would definitely be: "You bastard, you're really not taking your duties seriously! You've handed over the Uyghur banner to someone else, completely destroying my dignity in one fell swoop!"

Chi Xin thought to himself, "If something like this happens, I'll surely be punished when I get back. The only ones who can save me now are probably the Tang people." So he shouted to Wei Shaohua, "Wei Honglu, save me!" Li Ji immediately ordered, "Stop making such a racket! Seal his mouth!" Then a soldier took off Chi Xin's boots, tore off his socks, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Li Ji then ordered Lu Qi to take his family and staff back to his residence in Pingkangfang, while he himself would escort the Uyghurs to Wannian County for trial. Gao Ying, Yin Shen, and several others volunteered to go as well. Wei Shaohua, however, refused to go, glaring at Li Ji a few times before mounting his horse and riding off—presumably to find someone to complain to.

Therefore, Lu Qi bid farewell to the carriage, saying, "Madam may return to her residence; she is familiar with the roads. I will hurry to pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince and ask for his assistance in easing this predicament."

Cui Cuo wasn't the only one in the carriage; his maid Hongxian was also there—Qingluan was in another carriage with her daughter Li Bi. After Lu Qi left, the wheels rumbled and headed straight west. Hongxian couldn't help but click her tongue and say, "I never imagined that Commander Li would be so... strong."

Cui Cuo smiled wryly, "He's always been reckless. He's only just returned to the capital, and he's already gotten himself into this mess..." Actually, the reason she handed over the Uyghur banner earlier was because she feared Li Ji would act rashly and confront the Uyghurs head-on. She hoped this banner would deter them. She had often heard Li Ji express his hatred for the Uyghurs; although they aided the Tang in suppressing rebellions or defending against the Tibetans, they were known for their widespread burning, killing, and looting, making them practically no different from bandits. Especially since Emperor Suzong had even considered offering up the children of the two capitals, and the Yabghu prince had refused...

Cui Cuo and Li Ji had been husband and wife for many years, and Cui Cuo knew his likes and dislikes well. She knew that her husband would not tolerate such a thing, so she handed over the Tutunfa flag. Who would have thought that they would still end up fighting... Li Ji seemed to have made up his mind to deal a good blow to those Uyghurs.

However, it was not Cui Cuo's idea to send out the banner from Tutun that was suggested; rather, it was Hong Xian's suggestion. When leaving Weibo that day, Hong Xian helped Cui Cuo pack his luggage. Upon seeing the banner, she did not understand what it was. Cui Cuo then recounted how Li Ji had entered the Uyghur Khaganate and received a title and banner from the Changshou Tianqin Khan. He added, "This time, when you go to garrison Weibo, you will mostly have to deal with the Uyghurs. With this title, things may be easier for you in the future—this banner must not be lost."

So today, when Li Ji was besieged by the Uyghurs with his sincere heart, Cui Cuo was worried that a real conflict would be detrimental to Li Ji's future. He casually asked Hong Xian, who suggested, "The Uyghur flags we saw the other day should be taken out; perhaps they can drive the Hu away."

At this moment, Cui Cuo scolded her husband for his recklessness, but was worried about Li Ji's safety. However, as a woman, she couldn't go to the Wannian County government office like Gao Ying and the others, so she couldn't help but frown. Hongxian comforted her gently, "Madam, don't worry, General Li will definitely be alright."

Cui Cuo smiled bitterly, “The country is on good terms with the Uyghurs and is hoping to receive reinforcements to defend against them. But now, my lord has offended the Uyghur envoy… If you were in Weibo, with your strong army, the court might not have dared to punish you. Now that you have returned to Chang'an, if the Emperor were to punish you…”

Hongxian retorted, "So what if we offended the Uyghur envoy? At most, the Khan will break the alliance and attack..."

"You mean the most?"

Hongxian smiled slightly: "If the Uyghurs march south, where will they first attack?"

"Naturally, it's Shuofang."

"Given the looming enemy and the court's need for capable men, how could they possibly punish Commander Li severely? They should simply send him to garrison Shuofang to guard against the barbarians. Would they really bind him up and send him to the Uyghurs? If they did, not only Weibo, but all the garrisons in the land would rebel at once, or at least refuse to reinforce Guanzhong. What troops would the court then have to defend against the Uyghurs and the Western Barbarians? Therefore, punishment is probably unavoidable, but Commander Li's life and future are certainly safe."

Cui Cuo stared at the red line, remaining silent for a long time.

Chapter 44, Congratulations to His Majesty

That afternoon, Li Ji was summoned to the palace and met the emperor in the Penglai Hall.

Upon entering the hall after registering, he glanced around and noticed that besides Li Yu sitting upright on the couch in front of him, there were three other attendants at the low tables on either side: one was the Crown Prince Li Shi; another was also wearing a purple robe embroidered with dragons, and looked slightly younger than Li Shi, whom he suspected was Prince Zheng, Li Miao, who had been newly appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army and Cavalry.

Well, in this kind of situation, with the Crown Prince and Prince Zheng sitting on either side, Li Yu might actually be harboring some thoughts that cannot be openly discussed with others for the time being...

What surprised and delighted Li Ji was the third person. Although they had been separated for several years and he looked much older than before, it was clearly Prince Qi, Li Tan! Had this guy finally been released by his elder brother?

A quick calculation confirms it: five years have passed since Li Heng's death, so no matter how much Li Tan observes mourning in a hut and fulfills his filial duties, the time for a general amnesty should have come.

After bowing, Li Yu asked him directly, "Li Ji, you have just returned to Chang'an. Why didn't you come to pay your respects in a hurry? Why did you beat up the Uyghur envoy in the street?"

Li Ji clasped his hands in court and answered in one breath: "I just came from Wannian County. His envoy Wei Tan has confirmed the facts. A Uyghur merchant killed a Tang person in the East Market out of personal resentment and was imprisoned. He was not a subordinate of the Uyghur envoy. However, the Uyghur envoy Chi Xin, along with his subordinates, armed with weapons, rode from the Court of State Ceremonial into Wannian County to rescue the prisoner, and injured the prison guards. He was wicked and immoral, and violated the laws of our Tang Dynasty. The evidence is conclusive, and the criminals have all confessed without hesitation."

"A life for a life. The Hui merchant is to be hanged, but the Hui envoy Chixin and others are not a matter that Wannian Ling can decide. They should be temporarily imprisoned, and a report should be submitted to the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice—I believe the two departments will soon submit their reports to His Majesty."

He deliberately emphasized the phrase "the evidence is conclusive, and the perpetrators have all confessed," stressing each word heavily. Li Yu frowned upon hearing this. He wanted to question Li Ji further, but felt it would be beneath his dignity—while he worried about damaging relations between the Tang and Hui families, or even provoking a Uyghur invasion, such obvious words of weakness could not come from the mouth of an emperor.

Then, glancing sideways at Li Tan, he asked in a deep voice, "What is your opinion on this matter, my worthy brother?"

Li Tan thought to himself, "Why do you need to ask me in front of Li Ji? This is clearly a way for you to use me to rebuke Li Ji..." He couldn't help but feel annoyed.

— Li Tan was dragged here by Li Shi, and Li Shi was informed in time by Lu Qi, who asked him to enter the palace to explain things to Li Ji and plead for him.

Whether envoys, merchants, officials, or commoners, the Uyghurs had been acting arrogantly and lawlessly in Chang'an for more than a day, and were hated by everyone, including Lu Qi. The problem was that the imperial court needed the Uyghurs' help, and various government offices, including the Court of State Ceremonies and the Prefectural Government, were following the emperor's wishes and deliberately protecting the Uyghurs, or at least turning a blind eye to their misdeeds. Unless he himself was directly offended, why would Lu Ziliang dare to be the first to act?

Furthermore, given his status and character, even with the Crown Prince as his backer, he would likely suffer greatly if involved in such matters, and might not even achieve a good outcome.

Not only that, Lu Qi also did not want Li Ji to get involved in this matter. Even if they happened to bump into each other on the street today, in Lu Qi's opinion, the military commander should find a suitable way to back down and let those Uyghurs go. After all, the security of Chang'an City is not under your jurisdiction, so why make trouble for yourself?

However, the unfolding events, though seemingly lengthy, actually occurred in the blink of an eye. Lu Qi initially didn't have time to interject, and by the time he realized what was happening, he had already missed his chance to stop it—the military commander was already furious, and had straightened his carriage, intending not only to punish the Uyghurs but also to contradict the Minister of Ceremonies. If Lu Qi were to speak up at this moment, he might be seen as a traitor, showing favoritism. Although the Crown Prince had promised him a good official position largely because of Li Ji, if he lost Li Ji's trust, even a slight change of heart in front of the Crown Prince would surely tarnish Lu Ziliang's future.

But Lu Qi couldn't just stand by and watch from the riverbank; he had to hold his post under Li Ji until the very end in order to smoothly enter the ranks of officials in the central government. So when he saw Li Ji and his entourage heading to Wannian County, and the Minister of Ceremonies Wei Shaohua also galloping away, Lu Qi immediately bid farewell to Cui Cuo and his party, and rode off to find Li Shi, both to inform him of the situation and to seek his assistance.

Upon hearing the whole story, Li Shi couldn't help but feel a bit angry and resentful—"Changwei, why are you meddling in so many things?" But after all, Li Ji's return to the west was something he had orchestrated, intending to use him as a backup in times of crisis. At this moment, it was impossible for him to abandon Li Ji. He immediately sent an envoy to the palace to request an audience, and after careful consideration, he also sent someone to inform Li Tan to include the Prince of Qi in the meeting.

After completing his mourning period, Li Tan returned to Chang'an, but from then on, he had no chance to hold any official position and could only live a life of luxury in his mansion, waiting to die. It is said that he recently frequently invited Du Fu to banquets, where they would exchange poems.

In fact, Li Tan had told Li Bi long ago that he did not particularly like Du Zimei's writing style. However, the problem was that many of the famous poets of the time held prominent positions in the capital, and Li Tan dared not associate with them too much, fearing that it would arouse his brother's suspicion. Only Du Fu, as an assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, had not been promoted for several years and was a marginal figure with no power in the court. In addition, he was Li Tan's former subordinate, so there was an excuse for him to associate with Du Fu.

Li Shi knew that Li Tan's friendship with Li Ji was probably no less than his own—after all, Li Ji had once stormed the palace to save the life of the Prince of Qi's uncle, and they had both served in Longyou for several years, defending the barbarians—so Li Tan would definitely be willing to plead for Li Ji, which is why he earnestly requested to go to the palace together to see the emperor.

As expected, Li Tan did not wait for the emperor and hurriedly led his uncle and nephew into the palace together. Li Yu was talking with Li Miao when they were invited in. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wei Shaohua, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, presented an urgent memorial.

When Li Shi was appointed Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces and marched east to conquer Shi Chaoyi—in fact, he only went as far as Shanxian County—Li Yu appointed Yao Zi'ang, the Palace Attendant and Censor-in-Chief, as the Left Wing Army Commander; Wei Ju, the former Grand General of Luzhou and Censor-in-Chief, as the Right Wing Army Commander; Wei Shaohua, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, as the Grand Marshal's Judge and Chief Secretary; and Li Jin, the Attendant Censor-in-Chief, as the Grand Marshal's Military Advisor. These four were his former officials from the Eastern Palace and were relatively trustworthy, so they were used to monitor Li Shi.

Wei Shaohua, at the young age of forty, was promoted to Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, adorned in jade and purple robes, and was highly trusted by Li Yu. Li Yu had even privately hinted to his court officials that Wei Shaohua, with a few more years of experience, could become prime minister. Following this, Wei Shaohua submitted a memorial, stating that Li Ji was arrogant and disrespectful, and had arbitrarily arrested a Uyghur envoy, potentially leading to a military conflict between the two sides. Upon reading the memorial, Li Yu was furious.

Seeing his father's angry expression, Li Shi trembled and dared not utter a sound, only gesturing to Li Tan with his eyes. Li Tan thought to himself, "Li Ji has been kind to me, so if I don't speak up for him, the emperor might become suspicious." Therefore, he straightened his clothes and performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows. Li Yu was puzzled. "I've been here for half a day, why is he suddenly bowing to me again?"

"Our brotherly bond is stronger than that of others, and we are both confined within the palace walls. So, why do you bow to me in front of your two sons?"

Li Tan said, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you. With such a loyal and upright minister, the prosperity of our Tang Dynasty is in sight!"

Li Yu thought to himself, "So they wanted to plead for Li Ji, they even copied the wisdom of their ancestors..."

It is said that one day, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, returned to his inner palace after court, angrily muttering to himself, "I will surely kill this country bumpkin!" Empress Wende, Changsun, asked, "Who is it that you resent?" Li Shimin replied, "It is that old scoundrel Wei Zheng, who dared to insult me ​​in public!" Changsun immediately returned to her inner chambers, changed into her ceremonial robes, and bowed deeply before the emperor. Li Shimin, surprised, asked her why she had performed such a grand ceremony. Changsun explained, "I have heard that only when the ruler is wise can his subjects be truly loyal. Wei Zheng dares to speak frankly and offer advice; only with Your Majesty's virtue could such a loyal minister be found. Therefore, I congratulate you."

As a result, Li Shimin's anger turned to joy, and from then on he valued Wei Zheng even more.

The anecdotes of their ancestors were known to every member of the royal family, so Li Tan, in a moment of panic, immediately imitated them. Li Yu, seeing this, understood perfectly well what was going on. Faced with this situation, he couldn't afford to lose his temper, so he simply reached out to help Li Tan up and asked him, "When you spoke of 'a loyal and upright minister,' were you referring to Li Ji? Now, Li Ji has offended the Uyghur envoy, a matter that is extremely harmful to the country. Why do you still congratulate me?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Tan said, "Your Majesty is well aware of Li Ji's character. Although he may seem somewhat hasty and reckless, this matter concerns the friendship between the Tang and Hui families. How could he act so rashly? I suspect there must be a reason. Moreover, the Uyghurs are abusing their power and bullying others, indulging in lawlessness. The people of Chang'an are filled with resentment. Although my brother stays at home composing poetry and drinking wine, and does not concern himself with state affairs, he has heard quite a bit about it. For example, last month they went out of the Court of State Ceremonies, entered the market and raped people, and even chased the Chang'an magistrate Shao Yue on the street of Hanguang Gate, seizing his horse and leaving. The officials were unable to stop them..."

"The friendship between the two countries is certainly important, but are Your Majesty's divine authority and the laws of our Tang Dynasty not important? If we allow them to run rampant without punishment, I fear that the officials will all slander and turn back, or that some will secretly collude with them; the people and soldiers will all be afraid to turn back. If they were to invade one day, no one would dare to defend us. Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"A small leak, if left unchecked, will eventually lead to a great calamity; a slight oversight, if left unchecked, will eventually result in a great disaster. I humbly request Your Majesty to summon Li Ji and inquire into the matter in detail. If it is indeed Li Ji who was rude and offensive, then we can discuss it separately; if there is a reason for the incident and the fault lies with Hui, then we can take this opportunity to punish him and warn him, so as to prevent any potential problems. Moreover, if Hui was indeed disrespectful and the officials punished him, Your Majesty will ultimately pardon him, which will also show the goodwill of our Tang Dynasty towards Hui, and it would be a way to curry favor with the Uyghur Khan—Your Majesty, please heed my advice."

After listening to Li Tan's words, Li Yu lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Then he turned to Li Miao and asked, "What do you think? Can I possibly adopt all of your uncle's suggestions?"

Li Miao hurriedly replied, "Although I bear a heavy responsibility, I am actually young and inexperienced, and I only know how to study behind closed doors. How dare I offer any opinions on such important national affairs? Besides, with the Crown Prince by your side, Your Majesty should ask me first."

Li Yu then looked at Li Shi with some displeasure.

Li Shi clasped his hands and said, "Actually, I have heard some rumors about this matter..." He then relayed what Lu Qi had said, and finally replied to Lu Qi's suggestion, "I think what Uncle Qi said makes some sense. The Uyghurs are violent and should not be indulged too much..." At this point, he suddenly changed his tone: "However, if we want to punish them and warn them, Li Ji is the best candidate."

Li Yu was somewhat bewildered: "Why is that?"

Li Shi said, “Your subject has three concerns: First, Li Ji is not a court official, but a military man. Therefore, his conflict with the Hui envoys upon his return to the capital is clearly not at the behest of the court, but rather a private matter that he can use to appease the Khan…”

Li Yu slowly shook his head, thinking to himself: This kind of excuse is probably not believable to the other party.

Li Shi continued, "Secondly, Li Ji is also respected by the Uyghur Khan, who bestowed upon him the title of Tutunfa, and today he has also raised his banner. If the Khan is displeased, Your Majesty can argue that this is a matter between Uyghur officials, and that it is inconvenient for our Tang Dynasty to discern right from wrong; the matter should be handed over to the Khan for judgment..."

Li Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself: Sigh, this is not a bad excuse to clear his name.

“Thirdly,” Li Shi softened his tone slightly, emphasizing each word, “Li Ji will be appointed to Shuofang, a region close to the Uyghurs. The Uyghurs will be friendly to the court but not to Shuofang, which is beneficial to the country…”

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. Even Li Tan couldn't help but glance at Li Shi, thinking to himself, "How could you come up with such a reason?!"

Li Shi meant that if Li Ji were appointed as the military governor of Shuofang, whose military region was closest to the Uyghurs, and if he were to become close to the Uyghur Khan like Pugu Huai'en had been, even to the point of being related to him, and if the two sides were to collude and invite the invaders into the pass, it would surely lead to a great disaster. Didn't Pugu and his son once intend to summon Uyghur troops south to aid their rebellion? If, because of this, Li Ji lost the favor of the Uyghur Khan, and the Uyghurs, although close to the Tang Dynasty, were not on good terms with Shuofang, and in the future, when they joined forces to defend against the barbarians, Li Ji would not be able to command the Uyghur troops, then the court would have no worries.

There was a fierce, behind-the-scenes debate within the court regarding where Li Ji should be placed after being recalled from Hebei. Li Shi naturally wanted him to be as close to the capital as possible, but Li Yu was not foolish. He understood that his son was building up his own power base, which is why he summoned Cui Youfu and others for a secret meeting, ultimately settling on Shuofang.

Although the troops stationed in Shuofang were formidable, they were still quite far from Chang'an. Even if Li Ji harbored rebellious intentions, he couldn't possibly march straight in and besiege the city. Moreover, although Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en had been dismissed, Shuofang had long been without a commander due to its arrogant and unruly soldiers. If this were handed over to Li Ji, and he couldn't control them, they wouldn't pose a threat to the central government. But if he could control them… it would be like cutting off the arm of his "in-law"!

Li Yu and his son, though rivals, also understand each other. Li Yu can understand Li Shi's intentions, and Li Shi can also guess some of his father's thoughts. Thus, after receiving a hint from Lu Qi, he came up with this idea: to pretend to be wary of Li Ji, but actually to exonerate him—let's get through this calamity first.

Li Yu, having made up his mind, summoned Li Ji to the palace. He certainly wouldn't praise Li Ji to his face—he intended to give him a minor punishment as a warning, then release the Hui envoys and their party, offering them rewards as compensation; ideally, Li Ji would apologize, but this fool would likely refuse—but reprimanding him directly would make him appear too protective of the Uyghurs, unbecoming of an emperor. Therefore, he gestured to Li Tan with his eyes, meaning: Brother, you should step forward and play the good cop.

Helpless, Li Tan could only ask Li Ji with a bitter face: "The barbarian bandits are pressing us closer and closer, and the country has no power to retaliate. We are relying on the help of the Uyghurs, yet you, without cause... well, not without cause, arrested the Uyghur envoy in the street. If this damages the friendship between our two countries and ruins the affairs of the state, what should we do? You are now an important minister of the court, not a mere honorary military officer of the past. How can you not know the difference between what is important and what is not? How can you act so recklessly?!"

Actually, Li Tan might have thought the same thing. If it had been another official, not Li Ji, who had committed the offense, he would have slapped him across the face long ago.

Chapter 45, The Quanrong Invade Hao

Li Tan questioned Li Ji, and Li Ji, seeing the other's expression, naturally understood that it was at the emperor's behest... This is for the best; some things are truly inconvenient to say directly to the emperor, so I can only trouble you, Prince Qi—

"I have a question that I do not understand, and I humbly request Your Majesty's guidance."

"What's the matter?"

"Is the fate of the nation more important, or the common people?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tan was taken aback, then replied hesitantly, "Naturally, the fate of the nation is of paramount importance..."