Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 6

Li Bi cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, which government troops are they from, and where are they headed?"

Another knight casually replied, "We are the garrison troops of Wuyuan and Ningshuo, ordered to march south to Fengtian..." He then proudly raised his head—"Naturally, we are going to recapture Xijing!"

Before long, a troop of soldiers arrived in a grand procession, their banners fluttering. Li Ji, leading his mule, stood aside and watched coldly. He saw that only 60% of the soldiers were armored, and very few of them had equipment comparable to that of the "assassins" they had encountered at Tanshan.

The soldiers were roughly a hundred or so men per unit, some carrying spears, others swords and shields, and still others bows and arrows at their waists. The soldiers within each unit were generally of the same type, but apart from the scouts and a few officers, there were no other cavalry. Li Ji silently counted about forty units, roughly four thousand men. However, the latter half of these four thousand men included many laborers pushing carts and carrying loads, numbering no less than two thousand.

After the troops passed by, Li Bi did not mount his horse at first, but turned to Li Ji and asked, "How is it?" The implication was that he was saying, "I heard you have commanded troops before. What do you think of this army? Is it ready for battle?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "The equipment is inferior, the training is insufficient, and apart from those few cavalrymen, most of the infantrymen have little fighting spirit..." After he regained his mobility in Fengtian City, he often went out to spy on the garrison soldiers' training, just to prevent Li Bi from asking similar questions.

Compared to the regular armies of later dynasties, such armed forces were certainly inferior, but frankly speaking, their overall quality was far superior to that of the common people in Fengtian City who had only been handling weapons for a month or two. However, Li Ji looked down on these recruited soldiers of the cold weapon era, and in order to pretend that he was a veteran general with high standards, he certainly couldn't say anything good about them.

Li Bi smiled and said, "They are just soldiers from the prefectures and counties. The main force of the Shuofang army would never be like this." He then mounted his horse and continued his journey, finally arriving at Ding'an County two days later.

Where in the future is this? Li Ji was a little confused and couldn't make sense of it.

Ding'an was a large county, roughly twice the size of Fengtian, with high walls and dense battlements. There were also many camps scattered around, indicating that a large army was gathered there. Therefore, the checkpoints at the city gates were even more stringent. As soon as the soldiers saw them, they ran over and questioned them. Li Bi replied, "I am Li Bi, a hermit, who has come to pay homage to the Emperor by imperial decree."

The soldier sneered, "Even court officials rarely get to see the Sage. Where did this savage come from, claiming he wants to see the Sage?"

Li Bi didn't waste any more words with him and directly presented the document prepared by Xue Jingyou—to see the emperor, Ban Hong, a county-level official, was not qualified to provide a written citation.

The soldiers were clearly illiterate, but they dared not be negligent—firstly, Li Bi possessed an outstanding demeanor, appearing unlike any ordinary person; secondly, recently, officials who had fled Chang'an had frequently come to pay their respects, and who knew who this man was? If he said "mountain man," would you believe him? Perhaps "mountain man" was just a respectful title for some official position. Look, he has official documents in his hand.

He immediately ordered them to stay and wait. A soldier, carrying the official document, jogged back to the city to report. He returned shortly afterward, respectfully bowing to Li Bi and saying, "Please enter the city first, settle inside the gate, and await your summons."

So, just like when we entered Fengtian City a few days ago, we waited inside the city gate. After a short while, someone came out to greet us. However, this time it wasn't a general on horseback who came, but a magnificent carriage.

The carriage sped towards them like the wind, and pedestrians and soldiers scrambled to get out of the way, looking disheveled but daring not to utter a sound of complaint. As it drew near, it suddenly braked, and the carriage doors opened, from which a man leaped out in a flurry.

Li Ji stared intently, noticing that the man was quite young, probably only a few years older than himself. He had a handsome face, most notably long, slanted eyebrows that jutted into his temples, complementing his straight nose and thin lips, giving him a dashing and heroic air. He wore a small gold-threaded crown, a purple robe embroidered with white deer, a gold-plated belt adorned with jade, and six-section leather boots—hmm, he seemed to be of high status.

Although the original soul lacked worldly experience, it knew that in those times, a man's clothing had to match his status, especially the material and color scheme. Dressing haphazardly without proper rank was considered presumptuous and a violation of the law. Take color, for example. In the first half of his life, Li Ji had seen countless commoners in white—like himself and Li Bi in their current state—and minor officials in green; this was the first time he had ever seen someone wearing purple…

Of course, with the arrival of the so-called "prosperous age" of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, the poor had nowhere to stand, while the rich owned vast tracts of land. There were quite a few who dared to overstep the rules in clothing because they had a little money. But now that the emperor is staying in Ding'an, it is estimated that no one, inside or outside the city, would be so bold as to break the rules.

Oh dear, is this the emperor's envoy sent to welcome Li Bi? Quite high-ranking. Could he be some powerful eunuch, like Gao Lishi, who served the retired emperor? No, although this fellow's beard isn't thick, it still has some…

Chapter Twelve, Judging by Appearance

The old eunuch blocked the carriage, and as soon as it stopped, he went around to the side, bowed and asked, "Has Your Majesty been able to welcome Mr. Changyuan? His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."

Li Bi and the young man got out of the carriage hand in hand—it was obvious that he didn't want to hold hands, but the other party wouldn't let go—and he hurriedly bowed and said, "Lord Li, though we have been apart for a long time, your demeanor remains the same."

The old eunuch said with a fawning smile, "This old servant has no charm whatsoever. Mr. Changyuan is the one with the appearance of a celestial being, unchanged for years."

Li Ji, observing from the side, suddenly noticed that although the old man was not good-looking, when he smiled, he exuded a subtle feminine charm that was enough to cover up his ugliness and make people want to get close to him.

While he was still in a daze, Li Bi took two steps to stand in front of him, reached out and pulled him down—"Come down here!"—then unfastened the sword from his waist and handed it to Li Ji, saying, "You shall wait here and not do anything rash or speak recklessly." Then he smiled and explained to the old eunuch, "My younger cousin Li Ji is a country bumpkin who does not know etiquette, so I am taking care of him."

The old eunuch chuckled, “He seems like an honest boy. He shouldn’t speak or act recklessly. Sir, you needn’t worry.” He then bent over and gestured to the side, “Quick, quick, come with me to see the Emperor.”

The three people left in a hurry, and the carriage also sped towards the side courtyard, leaving only Li Ji there.

Looking around, the courtyard wasn't large, sparsely planted with flowers and grass. Further in, there were layers upon layers of eaves and walls, the number of which was unclear. Turning back to where they had come from, the side gate was closed. Four armored soldiers, leaning on their long halberds, stood solemnly like pine trees, remaining silent and motionless for a long time—it seemed that even if one went over to speak, no one would dare to utter a word. Occasionally, a few maids in colorful clothes or officials in green robes would pass by, but they all held their breath and moved quickly along the walls.

—So I have no one to talk to here, and nowhere to sit. It's so boring.

He had no choice but to grip the hilt of his sword, prop himself up on it, and spin around in place. He knew this was the emperor's residence, and any misconduct would likely be punishable by death. He'd only recently transmigrated here; it wouldn't be worth losing his head over something so trivial. He'd better stay put for now. He wondered how long Li Bi's meeting with the emperor would last.

It's truly unexpected that Li Bi is so favored, that the emperor would send a prince or grandson to the city gate to greet him—as for the emperor's intention to personally welcome him, that's just a pretense of courtesy and respect, and shouldn't be taken seriously. However, this also shows that the emperor really values ​​Li Bi and will most likely grant him an important position.

A few days ago, he gave Li Bi a crash course on the Tang Dynasty's official system. Now that he had nothing to do, he simply wondered what official position the emperor would appoint to Li Bi. Although it seemed like he had high hopes for him, Li Bi was ultimately just a scholar. It was impossible for him to lead troops, nor was it likely that he would be sent to guard a prefecture or county. He would most likely stay and serve in a nearby post.

The four departments most likely to be the Secretariat, the Chancellery, the Imperial Library, and the Palace Secretariat are quite probable. Li Bi's original rank in the Eastern Palace wasn't high, so a third or fourth rank was out of the question. Entering the Secretariat, he might become a court attendant, or a remonstrator or supplementary official; entering the Secretariat, he might become a court attendant or interpreter; entering the Imperial Library, he might become a secretary; entering the Palace Secretariat, he might become…

He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard someone behind him ask, "Are you Mr. Changyuan's cousin?"

Li Ji hurriedly turned around and looked closely; it turned out to be a child.

The child was probably only fourteen or fifteen years old, with bangs on his forehead, indicating he hadn't yet undergone his coming-of-age ceremony. His attire, however, was remarkably similar to that of the "Your Highness"—a golden crown, purple robe, gold belt, and leather boots… Li Ji thought to himself, "As expected of the Imperial Attendant! I've already seen two people in purple robes and one in scarlet robe in this short time!"

Knowing that this young man must be of high status, he quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and introduced himself, saying, "That's right, my name is Li Ji, courtesy name Changwei."

The young man looked him up and down, then curled his lip and said, "The Sage and my father summoned Master Changyuan, but they wouldn't let me sit with them. I heard that you have a brother, so I came to see him. Who would have thought... hey, how could Master Changyuan, a god-like figure, have such an ordinary-looking brother?"

Li Ji asked seriously, "Have you ever been to school?"

The boy raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?!"

"Have you not heard the saying, 'Judging people by their words, you will lose Zai Yu; judging people by their appearance, you will lose Zi Yu'?"

Upon hearing this, the young man paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That makes sense." He reached out and patted Li Ji's upper arm, "He seems to be quite sturdy, which is why he was able to escort Mr. Changyuan all the way here—I wonder how skilled he is in martial arts."

"Can you serve as a guard with just your physique? I dare not speak of your martial arts skills, but even twenty or thirty ordinary men wouldn't be able to get close to you," Li Ji seized the opportunity to inquire. "I am a country bumpkin, I don't know anyone, and I can't read clothes—may I ask who you are..."

The young man took a half step back, put his hands behind his back, and puffed out his chest: "I am Li Shi, the Prince of Fengjie."

Ah, indeed of noble status, a prince, but—"What is the relationship between Your Highness and the Emperor?"

“The Sage is my great father, and the Prince of Guangping is my father.”

Li Ji pointed to the side: "Could the person who greeted my elder brother at the city gate just now be the Prince of Guangping?"

“That’s Uncle Jianning.”

Li Ji thought to himself, "Who are they all? I was so busy asking Li Bi about geography, administrative divisions, the official system of the court, and the names of important officials these past few days that I didn't even think about brushing up on the royal family's genealogy... Well, Li Shi seems to be quite lively and doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives, so I might as well ask him."

So he bowed and asked, "May I ask, what is the meaning of this Guang?"

What were Prince Ping and Prince Jianning's positions as sons of the sage? Did they have any brothers?

Li Shi may have lacked playmates of the same age—perhaps he had some in Chang'an, but now, in this state of exile, it's hard to say—so the emperor didn't allow him to join in the fun and meet Li Bi. That's why he had nothing better to do than come and see what Li Ji looked like. Therefore, Li Ji answered all his questions in detail—finally, he had found someone to talk to.

The current emperor, the one who is currently summoning Li Bi inside, is said to be the third son of the retired emperor, whose name is unknown—Li Shi naturally dared not address the emperor by his grandfather's name. The emperor has a large number of sons; his eldest son is the Prince of Guangping—whose name is also unclear; his second son is the Prince of Nanyang, Li Xi; his third son is the Prince of Jianning, Li Tan, who is said to have a very good relationship with the Prince of Guangping, despite being half-brothers; and his fifth son is the Prince of Xincheng, Li Jin. All of these sons are kept by his side.

The Prince of Guangping also had a large number of sons. His eldest son was Li Shi, the Prince of Fengjie, who claimed that he had been cherished by three generations, from the Emperor Emeritus and the Sage to his own father. He was granted the title of Prince while still an infant, and the Sage had always kept him by his side instead of leaving him in Lingwu.

As Li Shi explained, he broke off a branch and drew a genealogical chart on the muddy ground. The intricate branches made Li Ji dizzy. He thought to himself, "Is this family born in the Year of the Rabbit? They're so prolific... I don't want to deal with so many princes and dukes." But following Li Bi, it would be difficult to avoid them—at least he probably couldn't escape the Prince of Guangping and the Prince of Jianning—so he might as well force himself to memorize it.

Li Shi himself had quite a few brothers. After recounting his own branch, he turned back and drew a line next to the emperor, intending to introduce the emperor's contemporaries. Just then, Li Ji caught a glimpse of a green-robed eunuch stepping out from the side and quickly approaching—

"Why is the Prince here?"

Li Shi raised his head, glanced at the eunuch, and said, "Eunuch Cheng, is it His Majesty or my father who summoned me?"

The eunuch smiled and shook his head: "No." Then he looked at Li Ji: "Are you Mr. Changyuan's cousin? The Emperor has arranged accommodations for Mr. Changyuan and ordered me to take you there first."

Li Ji hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency... Eunuch." He thought to himself, "Ever since we entered this city, everyone has addressed me as 'Master Changyuan' without mentioning my name. Li Bi certainly has a lot of influence! I really need to look at him in a new light..."

So I bid farewell to Li Shi—you've said enough, I really can't remember any more, and it's inconvenient to interrupt. This "Eunuch Cheng" coming here has saved me from this predicament. Li Shi was clearly unhappy, but he didn't seem to dare to keep me—"I, Cheng, said it was the Emperor's decree"—so he could only reluctantly toss the branch aside and say, "Go on, I'll come find you again when I'm settled."

In Li Ji's mind, although this residence was large, it was most likely a government office or private property, not a temporary palace—Ding'an was not a major city, so there was no reason to build a temporary palace in advance—according to Li Shi, the emperor was not traveling south alone this time. Although he left many relatives in Lingwu, he still brought many brothers, descendants, and even concubines with him, which would probably fill the various courtyards. In other words, although this place was not a temporary palace, it served as a temporary residence, which was equivalent to a temporary palace, and it was impossible for officials from outside the capital to stay there.

So he wondered how far the eunuch surnamed Cheng would lead him, but the journey was winding and circuitous, and he remained within the courtyard walls until he finally passed through a small gate and entered a courtyard.

Cheng added, “The princes each have their own residences, and there aren’t many spare courtyards left. Therefore, Li Ling carefully selected this place, even though it’s a bit cramped… and the Emperor has approved it…”

In other words, if it weren't for the crowds, the emperor would have chosen a large courtyard for Li Bi? Was he really that capable?!

Li Ji was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond. He could only pretend to be a country boy visiting the city, keeping his mouth shut and searching around. The courtyard, though described as "crowded," was actually quite large—several times larger than his dormitory in his previous life and his home in Yingyang in this one. The courtyard faced south, was rectangular, and probably five or six hundred square meters. Upon entering, there was a pavilion open to the elements on all four sides, behind which was the central hall, followed by two bedrooms. In addition, there were three corridor rooms on each of the east and west walls—nine rooms in total!

Cheng led Li Ji around the front pavilion, through the central hall, and towards the rear chamber. They stopped at the door and coughed lightly. Footsteps were heard from inside, and four elegantly dressed maids came out, stood at the door, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Supervisor Cheng."

Li Ji glanced at them briefly and saw that all the maids had their hair piled high in black buns, and they all wore light yellow shirts with green shawls over them. Their lower bodies were covered with long skirts of various colors, some red, some orange, some blue, and some indigo. Both their tops and bottoms were very tight, perfectly accentuating their curvaceous figures.

In this life, Li Ji had not seen many women from wealthy families, not even maids. Li Ji, who came from a later era, was naturally more knowledgeable, but he never expected that there would be such women's clothing in the Tang Dynasty—look at that low neckline, the "career line" is so obvious! He couldn't help but take a few more glances.

It was obvious that the four maids' clothes were made of excellent materials, either silk or gauze, in short, silk fabrics. In comparison, Li Ji, dressed in plain linen shorts, felt somewhat ashamed of himself...

Although the maids bowed to Cheng with flirtatious glances, their eyes were all fixed on Li Ji behind him, as if they had high hopes, but upon seeing him, they seemed somewhat disappointed. Cheng was adept at reading people and understood their intentions perfectly. He couldn't help but find it amusing. He immediately stepped aside slightly to reveal Li Ji and introduced him, saying, "Master Changyuan is still before His Majesty. This is his cousin, Li Ji. Please settle him in first."

Then he said to Li Ji, "This palace maid was specially sent by the sage to serve Mr. Changyuan."

Chapter Thirteen, Trouble Starts Within the Walls

After Li Ji repeatedly questioned him, he learned that the current emperor was named Li Heng, and his eldest son, Prince Guangping—who was also Li Shi's biological father—was named Li Chu.

Upon Li Bi's arrival in Ding'an, Li Heng immediately summoned him. Among those seated were Prince Guangping, Li Chu, and Prince Jianning, Li Tan—the very prince who had personally greeted Li Bi at the city gate. According to Li Bi, this initial meeting did not involve any substantial discussions. Li Heng merely reminisced about their past interactions in the Eastern Palace and inquired about Li Bi's experiences, observations, and observations during his journey.

Li Bi naturally reported the incident of encountering bandits at Tanshan to Li Heng in detail without any concealment—he had to explain where the Qianniu Beishen had really gone—of course, the matter of Li Ji's possession of another body was absolutely out of the question, and even if he did mention it, Li Heng might not believe it.

Li Heng said: "At that time, I had just arrived in Pingliang, and all the officials were scattered and the troops had not yet assembled. The enemy was behind us, and I was in a very difficult situation. Therefore, I missed Changyuan and sent Zhen Sui to deliver a letter and welcome him. If I had known, I would have sent more troops to protect Changyuan and prevent him from suffering such fright and hardship."

Li Bi hurriedly replied, "The rebels have just entered Xijing. If it weren't for Cui Gong's (Cui Guangyuan) plan and Xue Shijun's (Xue Jingxian) brave battle, the enemy cavalry would surely have spread throughout the capital region. If Your Majesty were to send troops to welcome me, the target would be too great, and it would be difficult to pass through safely. Now that I have arrived in Ding'an, there is no need to mention the past. However, if you were to die while protecting me, I hope Your Majesty will grant you leniency."

Li Heng agreed, then frowned and said, "As Changyuan said, those rebel soldiers went straight for you..." After a moment's thought, he turned around and ordered, "Li Fuguo, quickly send someone to investigate whether it was An who instigated it, or if there is another mastermind behind it."

The Li Fuguo he ordered was none other than the old eunuch in scarlet robes who had led Li Bi to the audience. After Li Bi returned, Li Ji inquired in detail about the backgrounds of the people he had met that day, only to learn that this eunuch's original name was Li Jingzhong. He had first served Gao Lishi, and was later recommended to the Eastern Palace, where he gained the trust of Li Heng. After Li Heng ascended the throne, he appointed him as the Crown Prince's Household Steward—in fact, the Crown Prince had not yet been appointed—and bestowed upon him the name Huguo. On this trip south to Ding'an, he changed his name to Fuguo.

As Li Ji had expected, this was currently the most powerful eunuch by the emperor's side.

As for the eunuch who later arranged Li Ji's residence, he was named Cheng Yuanzhen. He was Li Fuguo's confidant and served as the sixth-rank Inner Attendant Supervisor in the Inner Palace.

Li Heng then ordered Li Fuguo to investigate the assassination attempt on Li Mi. Li Fuguo replied with a bitter expression, "Just as Master Changyuan said, enemy cavalry are now everywhere in the capital region. It's probably difficult to send anyone to investigate. Finding even a few bandits or assassins is like finding a needle in a haystack..." Seeing the emperor's displeasure, he quickly added, "However, I've heard that Zhou Zhi, in his plot to appease the rebels, recruited martial arts masters. Previously, he often carried weapons and assassinated those in the army who refused to submit. Could it be that those vile individuals, hearing that Master Changyuan was coming north to join you, secretly lay in wait on the way, intending to poison you?"

Li Bi then relayed these words to Li Ji, who first asked, "Who is Zhou Zhi?"

Li Bi explained, "He was a trusted confidant of the traitor An, appointed as his secretary. He was of high moral character and a scholar, and participated in the rebellion..."

—Among An Lushan's officers and generals, whether Han or non-Han, the majority were military men; only Gao Shang and Zhou Zhi were genuine scholars with official titles. Of course, those who captured Tang officials after entering Luoyang and Chang'an and then granted them false positions are not included in this category.

Li Ji immediately shook his head: "That's impossible, what Li Fuguo said must not be the truth!"

His analysis was—"I think those assassins mostly used military skills, not江湖 (jianghu) techniques..." Actually, he wasn't clear whether there was a difference between military swordsmanship, archery, and horsemanship, and the martial arts of the common people, or what that difference was. But the Li Ji of the past practiced folk martial arts, clearly not the same as the two he killed; and now, Li Ji was also secretly observing military training in Fengtian City, gaining some understanding of military skills.

"Moreover, if they are long-prepared assassins, they may act alone to conceal their tracks and launch surprise attacks; if they act in groups, they must cooperate. But I see that those assassins do not cooperate at all, and they seem to be brave men temporarily selected from the army."

Li Bi nodded slowly and said, "That makes sense."

Li Ji had been pondering this matter for days, and taking the opportunity, he let his imagination run wild, saying, "The saying goes, 'Those who spread rumors are themselves rumors,' so why did Li Fuguo bring up Zhou Zhi? Was it to appease the emperor, or was he trying to cover something up? Also, we didn't take the main roads, but sneaked out from a dead end. What are the chances that we would be spotted by assassins? Unless someone secretly passed on a message..."

Li Bi frowned and asked him, "What are you suspecting?"

Li Ji was certainly suspicious that the Imperial Guard had indeed succeeded. Unless someone secretly relayed the message, the chances of the three of them being ambushed by assassins in the wilderness were extremely low. Could it be purely due to their own bad luck... or was it just Li Bi's bad luck? Li Bi would never have summoned assassins to kill or capture him, and neither would Li Ji—searching his memory yielded no clues whatsoever—so the suspect could only be a third person!

Furthermore, Zhen Sui was not only a guard but also a guide. He determined which path to take each day, how long to walk, and when to rest. The Li brothers were merely following along.

"Although I previously thought that Zhen Sui had been killed by the assassin, now that I think about it... he disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead..."

Li Bi shook his head repeatedly: "You are being far too suspicious. If he had truly colluded with the assassin, he could have easily captured us on the spot by simply switching sides. Why would he need to..."

What happened to the assassins' fight? This play, in effect, delayed their advance, allowing you and my brother to escape temporarily. What was the point of his actions?

This really doesn't make sense. Li Ji reached out and rubbed his chin—ouch, that prickly chin. Right, I have a beard now—and couldn't think of any rebuttal for a moment. He could only say, "In short, I'm afraid this disaster is 'not in Zhuanyu, but within our own walls.' Perhaps someone in the court wants to harm you, brother. You must not be careless!"

He couldn't understand why anyone would deliberately try to assassinate Li Bi, a country scholar—even if they didn't intend to kill him on the spot, they would most likely want to capture him alive. It wasn't until Li Bi arrived in Ding'an and received exceptional treatment from the emperor and princes, who addressed him as "Master Changyuan" that he overturned his previous prejudices and had a completely new idea.

Regardless of Li Mi's abilities, his favor with the emperor inevitably aroused jealousy among some in the court. Therefore, sending someone to ambush him on his way to court is perhaps understandable. As the saying goes, "A new emperor, a new court." No matter how much the previous emperor valued Li Mi, he ultimately demoted him. And only then, when the new emperor ascended the throne, would he inevitably give important positions to Li Mi, a former official of the Eastern Palace who didn't get along with the previous emperor's key ministers. Given time, Li Mi would hold a prominent position. Would those old officials from the previous dynasty be happy about this? Would they willingly sideline a younger generation?

Even if they were both former members of the Eastern Palace, like Li Fuguo, they probably wouldn't be happy to see Li Bi come and compete with them for their jobs again—it is said that eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty could also wield real power, as evidenced by Gao Lishi, who served the retired emperor.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the assassins sabotaged him. Considering that the assassins did not intend to kill Li Bi on the spot, they probably just wanted to prevent Li Bi from meeting with the emperor, or at least imprison him for a period of time, postpone the meeting, and wait until all the spoils around the new emperor had been divided up.

If the assassins were sent by An Lushan or his subordinates, they could have simply killed Li Bi—after all, An Lushan and Li Bi had some personal grudge. And if he wanted to capture Li Bi alive and persuade him to surrender, he could have sent someone to Yingyang long ago. While not many people knew about Li Bi's seclusion in Yingyang, it wasn't a state secret, and it wouldn't have been difficult to find out.

Of course, it's also possible that some people are simply vindictive and have a dark and cruel nature; they might want to capture Li Bi and repeatedly humiliate him, even to the point of murder, just because of a poem...

Therefore, Li Ji reminded Li Bi that he should not be careless with his colleagues in the court—he was a historian and had seen too many similar cases—Li Bi neither refuted nor agreed, but looked at him with a strange look and slowly asked, "'Not in Zhuanyu, but within the walls of the palace'—did you like to quote classics so much when you were alive?"

Li Ji certainly wouldn't have spoken like that in his previous life, but he had a similar habit when speaking online. Firstly, typing is more troublesome than speaking, so quoting classical Chinese can reduce the number of words and save time; secondly... it seems that people who like literature and history often have this common problem, using it to show netizens: I am knowledgeable, you have to listen to me properly, don't think that there is a chuunibyou kid on the other side of the screen talking nonsense.

Although he was not familiar with the Tang Dynasty, it was still ancient times, and even his daily language was more literary than that of later generations. So Li Ji unconsciously started to interject many classic ancient sayings into his speech. For example, when he met Li Shi during the day, he didn't say "You can't judge a book by its cover" but instead said "Judging a person by their words, you will lose Zai Yu; judging a person by their appearance, you will lose Zi Yu."

Li Bi said, "Don't do that. It doesn't fit your current... my brother's persona, and it'll easily arouse suspicion." Li Ji outwardly agreed, but inwardly thought, "If anyone asks, I'll just say it was you, Li Bi, who taught me."

Taking the opportunity, Li Bi lightly glossed over the assassination attempt and returned to the conversation between the emperor and himself.

Li Heng has been in high spirits these days because at the beginning of this month, when he traveled south to Ding'an and passed through Shunhua County, he finally received the approval of the Chengdu authorities for his memorial. In other words, the retired emperor was forced to acknowledge the fait accompli and formally issued an edict to abdicate.

He then ordered the Left Chancellor Wei Jiansu, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Cui Huan, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Cui Yuan, and the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs Fang Guan, among others, to travel north with the imperial edict to confer the title of Emperor Li Heng upon him. They eventually met in Shunhua County, north of Pengyuan.

The Tang Dynasty employed a system of multiple chancellors, jointly governed by the heads of the three departments—the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat (Left Chancellor), and the Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat (Right Chancellor)—along with other officials holding the title of "Co-Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery." Now that Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong has died, there are three others holding the title of "Co-Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery" besides Left Chancellor Wei Jiansu. The Emperor Emeritus has now appointed all four of these chancellors, demonstrating his sincere intention to abdicate.

—Since things have already come to this, do I still have a chance to regain the throne? I might as well go all the way and avoid incurring the wrath of my son, who is also the new emperor.

Although Li Heng had ascended the throne under the instigation of Pei Mian and others, he was actually quite hesitant—his father hadn't yet given his consent. Now, upon seeing the imperial edict, a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders, and he felt incredibly relieved. With Li Bi's arrival, he felt his throne was secure, the chaos was likely to be quelled, and the two capitals could soon be restored, allowing for a return to a prosperous era. Therefore, he treated Li Bi with even greater warmth and respect.

But it was a long-awaited reunion, and no one expected that this would put so much pressure on Li Bi's shoulders. As they talked until dusk, Li Heng said, "Changyuan, you have come from afar and must be tired and exhausted. You should go back and rest early—I have already arranged accommodations for you—as for state affairs, we can talk about them tomorrow."

Li Bi took his leave, and Li Fuguo saw him off at the bottom of the hall, taking the opportunity to boast, "According to the Emperor's wishes, you and your brothers have been arranged to live in a nearby courtyard. I've also sent four beautiful and obedient palace maids with you; you can use them as you please." Li Bi was displeased upon hearing this and vehemently declined.