Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 120

In the blink of an eye, a kick suddenly flew out from the side, hitting Shen Taizhi squarely in the ribs. With a "thud," the sorcerer was kicked more than ten feet away, landing face down on the ground, where he immediately fainted.

The one who stepped forward was naturally Li Ji. Everyone else respected this "Shenshanren" (a Taoist priest), but Li Ji had always looked down on monks and Taoists who practiced feudal superstition—proper religious figures usually wouldn't claim to have any magic or supernatural powers; especially since my brother was also a Taoist priest and a hermit, so why would he know any sorcery?

Therefore, no one paid any attention to Shin Tae-ji. Lee Ji-ke kept glancing at him sideways. Before Shin Tae-ji could even pull out his dagger, Lee Ji-ke saw his eyes gleam. Instinctively, he took a step forward, raised his leg, and kicked Shin Tae-ji away, saving Lee Yu's life once again.

Li Yu was so frightened that he was out of his wits and couldn't recover for a long time. Li Fuguo, however, kept rubbing his hands together, saying, "This must have been sent by the Empress... This Empress really cannot be allowed to live!"

Li Yu took a few quick breaths, calming himself slightly. He first nodded slightly to Li Ji as a gesture of thanks, then turned to Li Fuguo: "Lord Li, no, I cannot bear the name of murdering my mother..." He then sighed deeply: "I can only go to the Emperor to plead for the Empress's removal..."

There's no other way, I'll have to go see my dad in person.

So, under the protection of the crowd, they headed straight for the Hall of Longevity. Upon reaching the hall's entrance, Li Yu waved his hand, and everyone stopped. He then stepped in hesitantly alone. Li Ji thought to himself, "What a pity! I won't be able to witness Li Heng's amusing expression upon hearing of the palace coup."

Not long after, Li Yu's crying suddenly came from inside the hall, followed by a loud shout: "His Majesty has passed away!"

Li Ji was startled, thinking, "No way, could he have been murdered by you?! I reckon Li Yu wouldn't have the guts... he was probably scared to death by you..."

Good riddance, wonderful death, a glorious death! Don't jump! It saves us the trouble of cleaning up the Taiji Palace again and imprisoning Li Heng as the emperor.

Upon hearing the devastating news, everyone outside the palace knelt and wept bitterly. Li Ji, not wanting to stand out, could only follow suit. Of course, he only let out a few empty cries before glancing at Li Shi. The little guy did seem to be genuinely crying… Indeed, although Li Heng was incompetent, and Li Shi often lamented the emperor's foolish decisions in private, Li Heng had always treated his eldest grandson well. In terms of kinship, Li Shi's feelings for his grandfather were definitely not as deep as his feelings for his father.

After weeping for a while, Li Fuguo stopped crying, stood up and bowed deeply to Li Shi, then stepped into the hall. Not long after, he helped Li Yu out and advised him, "The emperor has passed away, and the country is without a ruler. Your Highness must take charge of all matters and not grieve too much... In my opinion, Your Highness should temporarily take charge of the affairs of the palace. Your Highness should go out to meet with the prime minister to reassure the people and stabilize the country."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji quickly declared, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the valiant army to protect Your Highness as you go to see the Prime Minister."

Li Fuguo said, "The affairs of the palace will be temporarily managed by Your Highness," implying that he wanted to take control of the Imperial Guards—the old eunuch had long coveted control of the Northern Army. Li Ji, understanding the implied meaning, immediately reminded Li Yu: "At least the Yingwu Army should be entrusted to me for protection; it cannot all fall into the old eunuch's hands."

It's just that it's unclear whether Li Yu, with his intelligence, can understand it; Li Shi, on the other hand, will definitely understand, but perhaps in his grief and distraction, he won't be able to react immediately...

Li Yu sobbed, "We are all relying on Lord Li..." He paused, then added, "Shence is unreliable. They can be transferred to the capital, and the outer court can be defended by the Weiyuan Army."

"Here."

Li Yu pointed at Li Ji: "Changwei, Yingwu Army will still be under your command; Shence Army will be temporarily under Ma Sui's command, and Weiyuan Army will be given to Li Sheng."

The three generals accepted the order in unison. Li Fuguo was stunned for a moment, wanting to smile bitterly, but he dared not—a bitter smile is still a smile, after all, the emperor had just died, how could he smile? He could only purse his lips and lower his head.

Li Yu was escorted out of the Zichen Gate to meet with the prime ministers and perform the rites of regency. Li Fuguo and Li Shi each gave a brief account of the previous events to the court officials. On the same day, an edict was issued to grant a general amnesty and restore the reign title system, with the first month of the year still designated as the beginning of the year, thus establishing the "Baoying" first year.

Just like Li Heng, he first changed his father's empty titles and fancy tricks, restoring them to their original state.

The following day, a funeral was held for Li Heng in the Liangyi Hall, and his will was read aloud—who knows where it came from. The officials pleaded that the country was in chaos and the rebels were still powerful, so the throne should not remain vacant for long. Thus, Li Yu ascended the throne before the coffin.

Subsequently, Empress Zhang was deposed and imprisoned in a separate palace. Zhu Huiguang, Ma Yingjun, and the "Five Traitors" were executed, along with the hermit Shen Taizhi; Prince Yue, Li Xi, and Prince Yan, Li Xian, were both ordered to commit suicide; Zhang's close relatives, including the female Taoist Xu Lingsu, and more than thirty generals and officers of the Shence Army who had sided with the rebels, were exiled; Zhang's elder brother, the Imperial Son-in-Law Zhang Qing, was demoted to the position of Prefect of Xiazhou; her younger brother, the son-in-law of Princess Yanhe, Zhang Qian, the Minister of Ceremonies, was demoted to the position of Prefect of Chenzhou; and her maternal uncle, the Minister of Ceremonies Dou Luxin, was demoted to the position of Governor of Daozhou.

After punishing the guilty, it was time to reward the meritorious. Li Yu first issued an edict: "Of all the important matters of the state, military affairs come first. The court has established rules, and the virtuous and capable are appointed. Therefore, we must seek the appropriate and exercise the power of the middle; we must be impartial and not ashamed of recommending people from within the court. — Shi, the Grand Master of the Palace and Prince of Fengjie, is appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army." He also promoted Li Fuguo, the Minister of War, the Grand Marshal of the Army, and the Director of the Imperial Stables, to the title of "Grand Master," and appointed Cheng Yuanzhen, the Deputy Director of the Imperial Stables, as the Right General of the Imperial Gate.

Below them, Li Ji, Li Sheng, and Ma Sui were the three with the greatest merit. Li Ji was promoted to the rank of Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of War (rank 5), while still serving as the Chief Clerk of the Yingwu Army, effectively in charge of the Yingwu Army; Li Sheng was promoted to the rank of Left General of the Weiwei Guard (rank 3), while serving as the Commander of the Weiyuan Army, effectively in charge of the Weiyuan Army; Ma Sui was promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Compiler (rank 6), while concurrently serving as the Chief Clerk of the Shence Army, effectively in charge of the Shence Army.

Before the officials, Li Yu praised Li Ji, saying, "Li Changwei stood at the palace gate with his sword, which saved me from a great calamity. He can be called a 'sword-wielding hero'!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Even the emperor's playing games. I was clearly blocking the entrance to the Flying Dragon Stables government office, how did it become the 'palace gate'? And what the heck, 'swordsman'? I wield a knife... Are you talking about a 'keyboard' swordsman? Hmm, I appreciate the lack of a 'pan' in the middle..."

Grand Secretary Yang Wan rose and said, “Although Your Majesty wishes to encourage Li Ji, this statement is inappropriate. ‘Knight-errant’ is not one who seeks fame; this is what is meant by ‘knight-errant using force to disrupt the law.’”

Yang Wan had always held Li Ji in high regard and was also his matchmaker. Furthermore, he was known for his upright character and willingness to stand up for those in power, so his advice was entirely well-intentioned. He worried that Li Ji would be branded a "knight-errant," drawing closer to the martial world than to the court, and closer to martial arts than to literature, which would be detrimental to his future.

Unfortunately, Li Yu, having long resided in the Eastern Palace, was completely unaware of the relationship between Yang Wan and Li Ji. He assumed the old man was deliberately belittling Li Ji, or trying to intimidate him as the new emperor. Therefore, he coldly observed Yang Wan and slowly began to speak: "It is also said: 'Scholars use literature to disrupt the law.'"

Yang Wan was shocked and had no choice but to prostrate himself and admit his slip of the tongue—Why are you, a Confucian believer, quoting Legalist words in the court?

Chapter Thirty: Three Things to Ask for Rewards

Li Ji was quite disapproving of the series of reward and punishment edicts issued by Li Yu after he first ascended the throne, so he privately inquired about them with Li Shi.

First of all—"Why did the Emperor not make His Highness the Crown Prince, but instead appoint him as Marshal?"

Li Shi replied, "This is what I requested of the Emperor. Hebei is not yet pacified, and the rebels are still rampant. I hope to personally lead a large army to suppress the rebels and stabilize the country. As for being made Crown Prince..." He paused, then curled his lip, "I don't want to be imprisoned in the Eastern Palace again after just escaping the prison of the Hundred-Year-Old Prince!"

Li Ji raised an eyebrow and asked, "Since the reign of the late Emperor, all his sons have been imprisoned in the residences of the Sixteen Princes. Even the Crown Prince cannot leave. Father and sons have been suspicious of each other to this extent... But Your Highness is different. The current Emperor ascended the throne largely thanks to Your Highness's efforts. There must be no reason for him to be suspicious of you. Even if you become the Crown Prince, you will not be imprisoned again, will you?"

Li Shi replied, "Even so, there is no reason for the Crown Prince to lead troops out into the country. Besides..." He wanted to say, "Perhaps it is precisely because I have made great contributions that my father is more suspicious of me." But in the end, he swallowed his words and did not dare to say them.

Li Ji reminded him, "Virtue is easily lost, and favor is easily diminished. The Emperor doesn't only have one son, Your Highness. It's best to decide on the heir apparent as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications. Besides, when will the Emperor welcome Consort Shen back?"

There's another question: "Does your father plan to make your mother empress?"

If Li Yu were to make Consort Shen his empress, then Li Shi would undoubtedly be the eldest son of the legitimate wife, with a solid foundation. The position of heir apparent, if not 100%, would at least be 80-90% secure in Li Shi's grasp. However, the problem is that Li Yu's favor towards Consort Shen has long since waned; his current favorite is another concubine, Consort Dugu.

Lady Dugu also had a son, namely Li Yu's seventh son, Prince Yanqing, Li Jiong. If Lady Dugu became empress, Li Jiong, as the legitimate son, could threaten Li Shi.

In addition, Li Miao, the second son of Li Yu and Prince of Yichang, also had a certain qualification to contend for the throne. This is because Li Miao's birth mother, Lady Cui, was once the principal wife during the reign of Li Yu, the Prince of Guangping. Although they were later forced to divorce, Li Miao's birth was still more noble than Li Shi's—unless Consort Shen was made empress.

— Consort Cui gave birth to two sons, and there was also Prince Zhao, Li Si, who could be disregarded, because Li Si had been adopted by his grandfather Li Heng five years ago, and from then on became Li Shi's eleventh uncle... Li Ji also thought to himself, your family is really strange, even the bastard emperor who just died is always able to cause trouble.

After listening to Li Ji's words, Li Shi remained silent for a long time before finally waving his hand and saying, "Let's quell the chaos first, then we'll talk about it."

To conclude the topic, Li Ji then asked, "Then why is the old eunuch addressed as 'Shangfu'?"

The title "Shangfu" originated from Lü Wang, a famous minister who helped establish the Zhou Dynasty, also known as Jiang Taigong in folk legend. Throughout history, there have been two interpretations of the two characters: "Shang" means to admire or venerate, and "Fu" means father or father.

In other words, if we interpret both characters with a humble tone, it means that King Wu of Zhou affectionately addressed Lü Wang by his courtesy name instead of his given name, as a sign of favor—Li Ji himself tends to agree with this interpretation. However, most Confucian scholars believe that both characters should be interpreted with a more respectful tone, indicating that King Wu of Zhou treated Lü Wang with the respect due to an elder, equivalent to calling him "my respected uncle."

Undoubtedly, Li Yu's use of this title to refer to Li Fuguo also carries the latter meaning.

Li Ji thought to himself, "The whole court is already respectfully calling him 'Fifth Father,' and now the emperor is jumping on the bandwagon, honoring him as 'Grand Father.' Won't that old eunuch get all cocky? Is it really necessary to spoil him like this?"

Li Shi smiled and asked in return, "I've heard that Changwei often reads history lately. Does he know who, after Master Shangfu (Lü Wang) and before Li Fuguo, ever held this title?"

Li Ji's mind raced, and he was horrified—"Dong Zhuo!"

Li Shi nodded and lowered his voice, saying, "When the late emperor passed away, Li Fuguo intended to seize the Northern Imperial Guards. Fortunately, the chief guard warned him, preventing the emperor from falling into his trap. However, in this palace coup, Li Fuguo has rendered great service, and his cronies are spread throughout the court. Since the emperor has just ascended the throne, it is not appropriate to punish him, lest it cause unrest. Therefore, he has been given an honorary title to prevent him from entering the Hall of State Affairs..."

Having just escaped disaster, Li Yu was still trembling with emotion. When he saw Li Fuguo leading troops to protect him, he naturally wanted to say a few words of praise. However, in his haste, he blurted out a lie: "I suppose the Emperor would be willing to appoint Lord Li as his prime minister if he heard this..."

Originally, he intended to kick the ball to his father, but unexpectedly, his father passed away in the blink of an eye. Li Yu himself became a "saint," so Li Fuguo would definitely hope that he could keep his promise.

To be honest, Li Yu didn't like Li Fuguo. He had only pretended to be friendly with him in the past. Even if he were to trust eunuchs, he would definitely consider Cheng Yuanzhen, or Dou Wenchang, Huo Xianming, and others. As for Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen, who were left behind by his father, they would eventually be sidelined as the saying goes, "a new emperor, a new court."

Therefore, according to Li Shi, Li Yu was using this nominal title to prevent Li Fuguo from entering the Council of State Affairs.

Li Ji thought for a moment and asked, "Did His Majesty really send His Highness to ask me what reward I desire?"

In fact, Li Ji did not play a very big role in this palace coup, but he was very crucial, saving Li Yu's life twice. With Li Shi recommending him, Li Yu believed that only Changwei was his trusted confidant, followed by Cheng Yuanzhen. As for Ma Sui, Li Sheng, and others, they were only newly recruited and could not be fully trusted.

Therefore, Li Shi was specially dispatched to ask Li Ji, "Besides being promoted to the fifth rank and being praised by the emperor as a 'key knight,' do you have any other requests?"

Li Shi nodded: "If you have any further requests, please feel free to speak frankly."

Li Ji counted on his fingers and said, "Then I have three requests."

Li Shixin thought to himself, "You have quite an appetite—please speak freely."

"Firstly, we request that the Emperor issue an edict summoning my elder brother back to court."

Li Shi clapped his hands and laughed: "This is the original wish of the sage and I, why should Changwei ask for it?"

Li Yu initially treated Li Mi with the respect due to his father; later, when Li Yu became the Grand Marshal of the Army, Li Mi served as his Chief Secretary. Li Mi handled almost all the affairs of the Grand Marshal's office, becoming an indispensable ally for Li Yu, which further enhanced his appreciation for Li Mi's talent. Especially considering the adage "it's not that you don't know the value of goods, it's that you don't compare them," the ministers appointed by Li Heng during his reign included arrogant, incompetent, lazy, and incompetent individuals. While not all of them were entirely worthless, the difference between them and Li Mi was stark.

Therefore, when Li Heng was still alive, Li Shi had repeatedly suggested to his grandfather that Li Mi should be recalled and entrusted with state affairs. Li Heng would hum and haw, seemingly agreeing, but he just kept putting it off. Li Shi then advised Li Yu, who clearly stated: "If I ascend the throne, I will definitely entrust state affairs to Mr. Changyuan."

Therefore, when Li Ji brought up this matter today, Li Shi laughed and said, "Do you even need to tell me? It's just that—"Although Mount Heng is vast, with the power of the nation, finding Master Changyuan's whereabouts should not be difficult. However, I fear that Master Changyuan is so engrossed in cultivating the Tao that he may not be willing to accept the mission. What should we do?"

Li Ji replied, “My elder brother left in the past, believing that the world was about to be at peace; but now, several years have passed and the rebels are still rampant. If the emperor sincerely seeks him out, there is no reason why he will not respond.” He paused, then added, “In the past, the late emperor forced a purple robe onto my elder brother’s shoulders. Can’t the current emperor forcibly bring him to Chang’an?” If the emperor is truly determined to use you, how could you possibly escape?

Li Shi smiled and said, "That would be too disrespectful and not the way to treat a worthy person. I hope Changwei will also write a letter, expressing the longing of my father and me, and help persuade Mr. Changyuan to come out of seclusion and help us." Li Ji nodded and said, "Okay, I'll write it in a bit."

Li Shi then asked, "What are the two matters that Changwei requested?"

Li Ji gritted his teeth: "Please kill Li Fuguo, Yu Chaoen, and other corrupt eunuchs who have harmed the country!"

Li Shi's face darkened: "This is also my wish." But unlike the first matter, he did not mention that it also aligned with his father Li Yu's thoughts—"However, the emperor has just ascended the throne, and people's hearts are not yet settled, so it is not advisable to act hastily. Changwei, please be patient and not be impatient."

Li Ji also knew that the time was not yet ripe to issue an edict to eliminate the two eunuchs—especially Yu Chaoen, who had long been supervising the armies in the field, and Li Ji himself was not entirely sure how much power he currently wielded. So he instructed, "I only hope that Your Highness and the Emperor will remember what I have said today."

What are the three things?

Li Ji spread his hands: "Your Highness made a promise to me, have you forgotten?"

Li Shi looked somewhat bewildered: "I have made many promises to Changwei, which one are you referring to?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "What did you promise me? It was all empty talk, except for one slightly more substantial sentence: 'Your Highness, I request to lead 100,000 troops to quell the rebellion in the east and defend against the barbarian invaders in the west. Have you forgotten? Or do you intend to keep me in the palace as a guard?'"

I was utterly disillusioned with Li Heng and placed my hopes on the next generation. I only agreed to join the Imperial Guard to help Li Yu ascend the throne. Now that Li Yu has achieved his goal, shouldn't they release me from the capital? Don't think that a mere promotion of two ranks will suffice!

Li Shi smiled and said, "The reason why Jin Changwei is now a fifth-rank official is precisely because of this matter."

In the Tang Dynasty's official system, there were nine ranks from highest to lowest, and those outside the official ranks wore robes of five different colors. Each change of robe color was a significant hurdle, not easily overcome. First, those moving from outside the official ranks to within them wore blue robes (actually azure, but Emperor Gaozong changed it to avoid "deep blue and chaotic purple"); second, those from the eighth or ninth rank to the sixth or seventh rank wore green robes; then, those from the sixth or seventh rank to the fourth or fifth rank wore vermilion robes…

Wearing a vermilion robe signifies high-ranking official status. Moving from the middle to the top is not an easy hurdle to overcome. Of course, in terms of civil service, if Li Sheng were to advance to the third rank, he could wear a purple robe, which is actually a grade lower than Li Ji's current vermilion robe.

Li Shi's intention in giving you the high rank of Li Ji was so that you, as a civil official, could be sent to command troops—at least enough to become a prefectural governor with the power to lead troops. However, we can't rush this—

"The current position of the Ministry of War official is merely a nominal salary. Changwei's real job is still the Chief Secretary of the Heroic Army, responsible for securing the Northern Imperial Guards for the Emperor. He will be released after Li Fuguo is eliminated and the Forbidden City is secure."

If you were to walk away now, Li Fuguo could easily slip his hand into the Northern Court, believe it or not? At that point, the Emperor would surely be wary—fearing another palace coup—and it would be inconvenient to eliminate him.

“Furthermore,” Li Shi smiled, “Changwei is not yet married. How can he bear to abandon his new bride and go to another town alone?”

Li Ji sighed softly, "During this period of national mourning, I don't know when we can set a wedding date again..."

He returned home the day after the palace coup. Qingluan had already been sent back, but Cui Qi had also disappeared again. Upon questioning, he learned that Qingluan had not left the house that day; she was merely sweeping inside when suddenly someone covered her mouth and nose. After struggling for a moment, she fainted. When she awoke, she was in a dark room, her hands and feet bound, and her mouth gagged.

However, she was rescued not long after, but not by Cui Qi, but by several burly men who claimed to be friends of Li Ji. They promised to escort Qingluan back to her home in Pingkangfang the next morning when the city gates opened. Qingluan was terrified by the abduction, and her memory of it was hazy and confused, as if she had just had a nightmare.

Only after Li Ji repeatedly questioned her did she describe the events of that night, estimating that the small dark room where she was imprisoned was probably not too far from Wangchun Tower.

Li Ji was very grateful to Cui Qi and wanted to thank him in person, but Cui Qi refused to show himself again. Although the marriage was arranged and Li Ji had met Cui Ju, it was still inconvenient for him to personally visit his fiancée according to the customs of the time. The death of Li Longji had already forced Li Ji to postpone his wedding, and now that Li Heng had also passed away, who knew when it would be postponed? Logically speaking, the national mourning period shouldn't be extended, right? Probably…

Li Shi comforted him, saying, "It won't take too long."

China is a land of etiquette, and its etiquette is generally divided into five categories: sacrificial rites (auspicious rites), funeral rites (inauspicious rites), military rites (military rites), rites for guests (guest rites), and rites for coming-of-age and marriage (auspicious rites). Violating these rites often results in breaking the law. However, even so, because the categories are so numerous and the regulations are frequently changed, few people, except for a few learned scholars, can truly master all the rites.

Ordinary people, especially those like Li Ji who are naturally more concerned with law than with etiquette, often only seek advice from knowledgeable people when the situation is dire—especially during national mourning, when one might never witness an emperor's death in their entire life, let alone two dying within a month.

Fortunately, Li Shi told him that since Emperor Ming of the Later Zhou Dynasty, marriage was no longer prohibited during the national mourning period. Of course, one couldn't have the emperor's funeral on one side and then have a wedding ceremony with gongs, drums, and suonas on the other side; generally, the mourning clothes had to be removed before it was allowed.

According to the Zhou Dynasty's rites, the mourning period for one's parents should last three years (actually twenty-seven months). The first year was called the Lesser Mourning, the second year the Greater Mourning, until the mourning period ended. However, the Tang Dynasty stipulated that regardless of whether one was a soldier or a civilian, upon receiving an imperial edict announcing the death of an emperor, one could observe three days of mourning before being released from mourning. As for the emperor himself, he would hold court for three days, observe the Lesser Mourning for thirteen days, the Greater Mourning for twenty-five days, and be released from mourning on the twenty-seventh day—condensing a month into a single day.

Li Shi said that you are now a high-ranking official in the court and cannot be compared with ordinary people. It would be best to wait until the emperor is released from mourning before you go on your wedding day—which should only take about a month, so there is no need to wait too long.

However—"I'm afraid your father-in-law won't be able to hold on for much longer, will he? If Cui Guangyuan passes away, his daughter should observe three years of mourning..." This cannot be shortened—"Then Changwei's marriage will be indefinitely postponed."

The implication is clear: hurry up and marry Cui Guangyuan's daughter before he dies!

Chapter Thirty-One, Luoyang Peonies

Li Shi's words put Li Ji at ease, so he waited patiently for more than half a month. After Li Yu's funeral, he went to visit Yang Wan and asked the old gentleman to accompany him to the Cui family to discuss the wedding date.

Upon arriving at the Cui residence, Cui Ju came out to greet them with extreme respect—and it was clear that this respect was not only directed at Yang Wan.

Cui Guangyuan was seriously ill and unable to talk to anyone for long. After a few words, he pushed all the matters onto his youngest son, Cui Ju. Li Ji had met Cui Ju several times before, but the latter had been somewhat indifferent and had been delaying the wedding as much as possible. Clearly, Cui Ju was not satisfied with the marriage and did not even intend to acknowledge the suddenly appearing "third sister," seemingly intending to postpone the marriage until his father passed away, thus completely ruining it.

However, the negotiations went unexpectedly smoothly. Cui asked someone to calculate an auspicious date and set the wedding date for his sister on the Renyin day of the fifth month—exactly eleven days later.

After they came out, Yang Wan lowered her voice and said to Li Ji, "Cui Ju was arrogant at first but humble at second, a petty person—I'm afraid you may get a good wife, but not a good brother-in-law."

Li Ji smiled and said, "I have no need to rely on my wife's family's influence, so it's no harm."

He naturally understood what Cui Ju was thinking. Originally, Li Ji was only a sixth-rank official, not from the orthodox path of the imperial examination, and although nominally a civil official, he was actually in charge of military affairs. It was inevitable that he would be looked down upon by some self-righteous scholar-officials. Moreover, the Cui family was of high status, and Cui Ju always felt that his father was delirious in his illness, yet he insisted on arranging such a marriage, which was a disgrace to the family.

However, things are different now. Li Ji has not only been promoted to the fifth rank—a rare feat for a fifth-rank official in his early twenties—but he is also a meritorious official whom Ding Nan supports, with unlimited potential. Naturally, Cui Ju must readjust his attitude. To put it bluntly, given Li Ji's current status, he can now speak on Cui Ju's behalf to the examiners during the imperial examinations. How could Cui Ju not hurry to curry favor with him?

Li Ji thought to himself, "My brother-in-law is truly short-sighted and greedy, a man who forgets all righteousness." He wondered what had become of his brother-in-law in Shu. It was said that Cui Gou, after receiving news of his father's critical illness, had already decided to resign his official post and rush back to prepare for the funeral. He wondered if he would be able to make it in time for his own wedding.

The journey is long and arduous, and it's estimated that Cui Gou will not be able to return. However, Li Tan, the Prince of Qi in Longyou, has finally arrived at the time of mourning.

Before his death, Emperor Li Heng summoned Li Tan back to the capital. However, Li Tan was reluctant and dragged his feet on handing over official business, only rushing back to Chang'an after receiving news of Li Heng's death. Li Yu personally went out of the city to welcome his brother, and the two embraced and wept bitterly upon seeing each other. Li Ji, who was also present as a guard, felt that Li Tan's weeping seemed somewhat insincere…

It makes sense, considering his father once wanted to kill him, almost severing all ties. It's only natural for Li Tan to grieve over his father's death, and even if he wasn't particularly heartbroken, it would still be understandable.

Li Tan originally intended to return to Longyou immediately after Li Heng's burial, but because the mausoleum was not yet fully completed, the body had to be temporarily laid to rest, delaying the burial. Furthermore, Li Yu said to him, "As the emperor, according to custom, I must resume my duties three days after the mourning period and remove my mourning clothes on the twenty-seventh. With heavy responsibilities to the country on my shoulders, I cannot shirk my filial duty, even if it pierces my heart. I earnestly request my virtuous brother to observe mourning attire and fulfill your filial duty to me."

Although it was a pleading tone, could Li Tan possibly refuse? Especially since the eldest son had become emperor and the second son had been sentenced to death, how could he, as the third son, dare not take on the responsibility of mourning? He could only accept the imperial decree while weeping.

Li Ji thought that Li Yu was worried about Li Tan leading troops outside the region, but he was too embarrassed to directly imprison him—so he suggested that Li Tan go and mourn for his father for three years in his place.

The court officials bestowed upon Li Longji the posthumous title of Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Damingxiao, with the temple name Xuanzong; and upon Li Heng the posthumous title of Emperor Wenming Wude Dasheng Daxuanxiao, with the temple name Suzong.

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On the day before the wedding, in the Xin Chou month of May, the Cui family sent more than ten female relatives to the Li family to prepare the house.

Although it is called "pufang" (铺房), it is actually a felt tent set up in the courtyard, also known as "baizi zhang" (百子帐). It is said that Yan Zhenqing strongly opposed this practice, denouncing it as "barbarian etiquette" (虏礼) - which, as one can imagine, was passed down from the nomadic peoples of the Northern Dynasties, especially the Xianbei people - but this custom was prevalent, and everyone from the royal family to the common people followed it, so the old gentleman's criticism was in vain.