Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 48

Li Ji had considered the possibility that Cui Guangyuan might poison him—after all, given the current situation, although he had fought alongside Zeng Cuiqi, he couldn't really call himself friends with her master—but considering that the other party had called him over in the middle of the night and tried to poison him before even getting to the point, the possibility was extremely small. Besides, if he were suspicious and dared not touch the food, it would seem too cowardly and beneath him.

After setting down the porcelain cup, Li Ji turned slightly to face Cui Guangyuan, clasped his hands, and asked, "I didn't expect to be summoned by you, Master Cui. May I ask what your instructions are?"

Cui Guangyuan smiled and said, "I didn't give any instructions. It's just... my intention to turn enemies into friends."

Before Li Ji could answer, he waved his hand and said, "Actually, we can't be called enemies, but there are some misunderstandings. If we don't clear them up, they might cause a rift. Since Tian Qianzhen has already told your elder brother Changyuan about what happened at Tanshan, I'm sure your elder brother has also told you about it, right?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "That's quite straightforward," and immediately nodded.

Cui Guangyuan said, “I didn’t mean to hide this matter. When the Duke of Cheng (Li Fuguo) sent the message, I had already left Chang’an. So I had my servants torture Tian Qianzhen, and he confessed to your brothers’ whereabouts. I heard that they were in danger at Tanshan and almost died… It’s just that I was busy with state affairs at the time and didn’t have time to apologize to your brother in person…”

Li Ji thought to himself, "Go ahead and make this up. If you weren't deliberately hiding it, you two were once courtiers; surely you had time to even meet and say hello? At the very least, you could have written an apology letter. You clearly know you've been exposed, so you're just rushing to make amends."

But since the other party had adopted this attitude, he couldn't very well confront them directly, so he could only say, "This is the will of Heaven, not the fault of Master Cui."

Cui Guangyuan smiled and said, "You might think that I conspired with the Duke of Cheng to kidnap or even harm your brother, right?" He then pointed his finger like a knife and swung it forcefully from top to bottom: "Absolutely not! Even the Duke of Cheng had high hopes for your brother back then, and couldn't wait to bring him here to assist the emperor and quell the rebellion. As for your subsequent offense against the Duke of Cheng... it has nothing to do with me."

As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly and looked at Li Ji: "I am a court official, how could I have any connection with the eunuchs? My relationship with the Duke of Cheng is just an old acquaintance. Since he is in charge of internal affairs, I should naturally avoid suspicion."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's heart skipped a beat—was this a plan to sever ties with Li Fuguo? But what business was it of mine whether you colluded with Li Fuguo? Why did Cui Guangyuan specifically call me over to discuss this matter?

Cui Guangyuan stared at him for a while without responding, then leaned back again and slowly said, "Although the abandoned child is a maid, I have always raised her as my own daughter. According to her, she was well taken care of by the guards in the Imperial Palace in Luoyang. I am grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and cannot help but express my gratitude."

"However, offering gold or silver would treat your relationship as a business transaction, which I'm sure Changwei will refuse..."

Li Ji thought to himself: That's not necessarily true. Unable to figure out the other party's intentions, he could only remain silent.

Then Cui Guangyuan continued, "I heard that Changwei wants to transfer to a civil post? That's a good thing. As a member of the Li family of Zhao County, how can I be reduced to a crude and uncouth man, mixed among the soldiers? But I wonder if there are any connections? Perhaps I could give you some pointers?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Just say what you have to say, or shut up! Why are you beating around the bush?"

He had only mentioned his intention to switch to a clerical position, following Li Bi's advice, to four people: Li Qiyun, Li Guayan, Li Tan, and Li Chu. Therefore, Cui Guangyuan could only have known about this by having informants in the East Market tavern or at the Sixteen Princes' residence—the latter being more likely, since Cui Qi had mentioned being watched by Cui Guangyuan at the Sixteen Princes' residence. Given this, it was obvious to Cui Guangyuan that he wanted to use the Li brothers' connections to switch positions; why bother asking "if there are any connections?"

The key lies in the following sentence, "Perhaps I, Cui, need some guidance"—so, does he genuinely want to point out the direction he should take? What exactly does he intend to say?

Li Ji's curiosity was piqued, so he cupped his hands and said, "Lord Cui is an important minister of the country and a senior, so I naturally hope for your guidance on how to act—how can Lord Cui teach me?"

Cui Guangyuan smiled slightly, as if to say: "Good question! Now that you've asked, I can continue."

Chapter 50, An Uncertain Future

Facing Li Ji, Cui Guangyuan slowly said, "The Emperor summoned me last night to inquire about the matter of establishing an heir. Naturally, I, Cui, wholeheartedly recommended Prince Cheng. Prince Cheng is the Emperor's eldest son, renowned throughout the land for his loyalty and filial piety. He also served as the Grand Marshal, recovering the two capitals and rescuing the people and women of the two cities. The court and the public alike praise him as a virtuous king. So, after the Emperor's passing, who else but Prince Cheng can be entrusted with continuing his legacy?"

“I believe the Emperor also favors King Cheng, and will soon issue an edict inviting him to the Eastern Palace. Since Changwei was once a subordinate of the Commander-in-Chief, following King Cheng is the best way to secure his future—such a golden opportunity must not be missed!” He paused, his expression suddenly darkening: “However…”

Li Ji thought to himself that it was all a bunch of nonsense, and finally it came to "however," so he quickly perked up his ears.

"However, I have heard that many ignorant people are planning to bother Xingqing Palace and ask the Emperor Emeritus to persuade the Emperor to establish Prince Cheng as the heir apparent—I believe this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Why not?

Cui Guangyuan did not answer, but stared at Li Ji for a long time before asking in return, "What do you think, Changwei?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "I also think it's absolutely unacceptable, but I can't possibly say the reasons why—I guess you have the same concerns as me."

Seeing that he wouldn't respond, Cui Guangyuan didn't press the matter and quickly changed the subject again—

"There is another matter. During the audience with His Majesty the other day, I heard that His Majesty intends to appoint the Prince of Qi as the military governor of Longyou and Hexi, to be stationed there to defend against the barbarians..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's heart skipped a beat. Considering the attitudes of Li Tan and Li Chu towards him, he vaguely grasped some immature guesses. While pondering, he interjected, "Is there any precedent for a prince being sent to a military post rather than being appointed as a remote military governor?"

Cui Guangyuan scoffed, "Since the Tianbao Rebellion, the state has nearly collapsed, and the world has undergone tremendous changes. What precedent are we talking about?" He paused, then slowly said, "If we follow precedent, military governors often concurrently hold the positions of observer, pacification commissioner, and financial commissioner. But if Prince Qi were to follow this precedent and take full control of the military and political power of the two military districts, it might be detrimental to Prince Cheng..."

Like the military governor, the positions of observer, pacification commissioner, and finance commissioner were all temporary appointments. The observer was responsible for assessing official conduct and overseeing criminal justice; the pacification commissioner was responsible for stabilizing public morale and restoring social order in war-torn or disaster-stricken areas; and the finance commissioner was responsible for managing and compiling military expenditures. In short, the military governor was merely a local military leader, but for the smooth operation of military campaigns, he often concurrently held the positions of observer, pacification, finance, transport, agricultural administration, and military governor. Cui Guangyuan pointed out the three most crucial roles, thus granting the military governor simultaneous judicial, civil, and financial power, making him the top military and political leader within his region—essentially a de facto ruler who divided the land into separate territories.

Cui Guangyuan outwardly expressed concern that Li Tan's departure to govern might threaten Li Chu's position as crown prince. In reality, he suggested overturning precedent and granting Li Tan only military power, without judicial, civil, or financial authority. In this way, Li Tan's power would be weakened, yet firmly held in the hands of the central government, thus posing no threat.

"If Changwei can advise King Cheng on these two matters, it will not be difficult for him to become a civil official and serve in the royal court. I am now passing on this plan to repay the kindness of the women in the Luoyang inner palace who protected the abandoned children."

Having finished discussing the important matters, and exchanging a few more casual words, Cui Guangyuan then hinted that he should see the guest out. However, he asked Li Ji, "Does Changwei still intend to return to Lü Miaozhen's house?" Before Li Ji could answer, he grinned and said, "A vulgar courtesan from the Central Opera, pretending to be a disciple of Wang Wei, such a common and vulgar woman, how could Changwei possibly deign to look at her? It's already late, why not stay at my detached residence for the time being? The courtesans of the Cui family, in terms of beauty and talent, cannot be compared to any courtesan from the Southern Opera."

Li Ji thought to himself, "That makes sense. A high-ranking official like Cui Guangyuan would theoretically never visit a brothel; it would be beneath his dignity." Wealthy families often keep courtesans to provide companionship. No matter how alluring or talented a woman is, as long as she isn't from an official family, they can find ways to bring her into their household for their own enjoyment and the pleasure of their distinguished guests. At first, I doubted Cui Guangyuan's decision to stay overnight in Nanqu; that seemed too much like the thinking of a commoner.

It's as ridiculous as the local operas of later generations, where "the Empress of the East Palace makes pancakes while the Empress of the West Palace peels scallions."

Since Cui Guangyuan had invited him to stay, Li Ji couldn't refuse—firstly, the other party's attitude was quite sincere, and he wouldn't refuse someone who was smiling; secondly, he didn't really want to spend the night in a brothel. Besides, it must have been Cui Guangyuan's doing that Lü Miaozhen had feigned appreciation for the poem "Sympathy for the Peasants" and his own poetic talent, luring him here. And now that he had already left, it was highly likely that Miss Susu had already led another guest into her boudoir. Why should he go back? To compete with her? How embarrassing!

So he clasped his hands in thanks to Cui Guangyuan for his kindness: "Since you, Lord Cui, have invited me to stay, it would be impolite of me to refuse. I have only just arrived in Chang'an and am still quite tired. There is no need for my maids to accompany me."

Cui Guangyuan neither pressed nor agreed, but simply ordered the maid waiting outside the door to lead Li Ji to rest.

Upstairs in this small building, to the left and right of Cui Guangyuan's main room, there were two side rooms. Li Ji had just stepped downstairs when a man strolled out of the east side room, put his hands behind his back, and casually entered the main room. He then sat down on the couch in the same unceremonious manner, facing Cui Guangyuan directly.

Cui Guangyuan asked the man, "How is it?"

The man stroked his beard and asked in return, "Junyun, did this boy once impersonate a eunuch and sneak into the inner palace of Luoyang?"

Cui Guangyuan nodded.

“What a pity,” the man sighed, shaking his head. “In the past, I frequented the Luoyang Palace and even stayed there two out of three days, yet I never noticed such a person among the eunuchs… Cui Qi is right. This young man appears honest and kind, but his eyes are extraordinary, indicating inner wisdom. Although he is currently a commoner, he has been kind to Prince Cheng and Prince Qi, is Li Bi’s cousin, and is also skilled in martial arts. He will surely rise to prominence in the future.”

“Li Bi once said that his own achievements were too great and his deeds too extraordinary. I think Li Ji’s extraordinary circumstances are no less than his brother’s.”

Cui Guangyuan nodded and said, "I hope he truly understood what I meant tonight."

The man in the same bed smiled slightly and asked Cui Guangyuan, "Since you intend to win this person over, why did you only order one prostitute to serve him?"

Cui Guangyuan frowned: "Are we going to give him money or silk? That would be too obvious."

The man said, "No." He then leaned closer and whispered, "When Li Ji came, I looked out the window and saw that he was actually your Cui Qi holding the lamp..."

Upon hearing this, Cui Guangyuan was slightly taken aback, then shook his head: "Cui Qi is not yet fully grown, and his physique is rather thin..."

"Some people just like to be thin."

Cui Guangyuan shook his head: "What I said to Li Ji just now was not false. I did indeed regard Cui Qi as a fake woman."

"In the end, she is a maid, not a fake woman. Even if she is a fake woman, she is not a real woman. Even if she is a real woman... is the Zhao County Li family of Fanyang branch not good enough for your Boling Cui family's third branch?"

Cui Guangyuan waved his hand, his expression slightly changed, and said, "Even if it is a phoenix chick, it is not a true phoenix. Why invest so much? Lord Yan, do not try to play games with me!"

----------

Li Ji followed the maid out of the small building. Looking around, he saw only darkness and could not find Cui Qi. He then followed the maid through the corridor to a bedroom on the side of the courtyard. Bathing utensils and bedding had already been prepared in the room, and a woman in yellow was kneeling to greet him.

Li Ji looked the woman in yellow up and down under the lamplight. She was probably around twenty years old, with a graceful figure and snow-white skin. Of course, you can't look at her face, as it was covered in makeup. You have to look at her wrists. Her features were delicate, and he believed that she would be quite beautiful even without makeup.

But after he had his fill of the feast for the eyes, he forcefully kicked the courtesan from the Cui household out, saying that he was exhausted from working for days and wanted to sleep immediately, and did not want to be served by anyone. Firstly, he was indeed not used to the customs of this era, going to someone else's house to have his way with others... Secondly, he needed to secretly sort out and carefully consider the two things Cui Guangyuan had just mentioned.

Undoubtedly, Cui Guangyuan's advice to the officials to support Li Chu as Crown Prince must not go through the Emperor Emeritus, and that it would be best to strip Li Chu of his political and financial power as the military governor of two garrisons. This was by no means advice for himself, hoping to win Li Chu's favor. Cui Guangyuan clearly wanted to use himself to convey a message to Li Chu, expressing his intention to surrender.

But why did he do that?

Li Ji had rendered meritorious service to Li Chu by protecting him, and had shown kindness to Li Shi by saving his mother. Others might not be aware of this, but Cui Guangyuan, who was fond of keeping eccentrics and had many informants, could not possibly have been unaware of it. Moreover, Li Ji had only just arrived in Chang'an when he went to pay his respects at the residence of the Sixteen Princes. Although he had first visited the Qi residence, Li Chu had sent his eldest son, Li Shi, to personally invite him…

Most importantly, Li Ji's lowly status meant that using him to curry favor with Li Chu would be less likely to leak out.

Li Ji was brought over from Zhongqu in the dead of night without anyone noticing. He hardly encountered anyone along the way—people in these days are used to going to bed early, and there aren't many people willing to wander the streets after dark. Moreover, Cui Qi deliberately avoided the patrolling soldiers—it's believed that even Li Fuguo might not have been able to detect Li Ji's whereabouts.

The "Investigation Hall" is quite powerful, but it has only been established for a short time. It is probably still too inexperienced to investigate Cui, who is used to raising strange people and doing secret things.

But why would Cui Guangyuan, instead of clinging to Li Fuguo, want to cling to Li Chu instead?

Logically speaking, as the Minister of Rites, he was only one step away from becoming prime minister. Perhaps Li Fuguo, on a whim, would appoint him to the Council of State Affairs. With such a position, there was no need for him to fawn over the crown prince; as long as he didn't deliberately target him and create enmity, it would be fine. So, is it possible that Li Fuguo actually wanted to curry favor with Li Chu, and therefore instructed Cui Guangyuan to act in his stead?

Ultimately, although Li Fuguo seems to be on the same side as Empress Zhang at present, it is more advantageous for him to make Li Chu the crown prince than to make Empress Zhang's second son the crown prince.

Upon further reflection, that didn't make sense either. Cui Guangyuan's words not only didn't reveal Li Fuguo's intentions, but he also deliberately distanced himself from them. Besides, Li Fuguo had many ways to curry favor with Li Chu; there was no need to make things so complicated. Moreover, that old eunuch had a grudge against him, and Cui Guangyuan must know about it. Wasn't he afraid of angering Li Fuguo by having him deliver a message to Li Chu?

I racked my brains but couldn't figure it out.

Then, Cui Guangyuan's second point provided Li Ji with important information, which made him feel somewhat lost and uncertain about his future.

Originally, he had a well-thought-out plan: to transfer to a civil service position through Li Chu and be employed by the military governor's office in Longyou or Hexi to participate in the war against the barbarians, accumulating merits on the one hand and truly defending the borders for the country and protecting the common people on the other, thus making his time-traveling journey worthwhile. But now, following this path, he would be forced to serve under Li Tan.

Compared to Li Chu, he still favored Li Tan more. However, given the unclear situation, as Li Bi pointed out, rashly becoming Li Tan's henchman, or even just being perceived as one, might not be beneficial to his own development. If Li Tan truly seized power in the two military districts, with his abilities and Li Heng's assistance, he could very well achieve great merit, thus threatening Li Chu's position as crown prince—Li Heng's decision to send this son away was clearly intended to restrain the future crown prince, Li Chu.

If Li Heng were to formally change the heir apparent one day, ensuring a smooth transfer of the throne, that would be fine. However, if this led to infighting among brothers and chaos within the royal family, as Li Mi said, it would be detrimental to the country and the common people. What role should he play in this situation? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

If, as Cui Guangyuan suggests, Li Tan can only wield military power and become a crippled military governor, his threat to the throne will certainly be greatly reduced. However, once Li Chu ascends the throne, he will inevitably recall Li Tan to the capital and confine him to the Sixteen Princes' Residence. In that case, my path to advancement as Li Tan's subordinate will likely be cut short…

Li Ji tossed and turned until late into the night before finally falling into a deep sleep. Not long after, he was woken up. It was still dark, and the curfew hadn't been lifted. Led by a servant from the Cui household—not Cui Qi—he returned to Lü Miaozhen's house to meet Jia Huai. Jia Huai, looking smug with satisfaction, had no idea that Li Ji had spent the night elsewhere. He eagerly asked, "What does Miss Susu look like? Brother Li, did you enjoy yourself last night?"

Li Ji gave a perfunctory reply and rode away from Pingkang Ward with him, but instead of returning to Daning Ward, they headed straight for the Sixteen Princes' Residence—just in time for Jia Huai to go on duty.

After entering the mansion, Li Shi came out to greet him shortly. Upon meeting him, he pointed at Li Ji and asked with a smile, "What are the sights like in Pingkang Ward? Did you have a good time last night?"

Li Ji's face darkened: "Does Your Highness mean to send someone to secretly monitor me?"

Li Shi quickly apologized and explained, "Jia Huai told everyone he met that he went to Pingkang Zhongqu with you last night and even gave me a silver ingot as a gift..."

Li Ji secretly resented this gossip—he's ruined my reputation!

He gestured to Li Shi with his eyes, signaling him to dismiss the others, and then lowered his voice to recount the events of the previous night—mainly the two matters Cui Guangyuan had instructed him to attend to. Li Shi listened, pondered silently, and after a long while said, "Cui Guangyuan is about to step down as Minister of Rites and be appointed Military Governor of Weizhou..."

Li Ji understood.

It seems Cui Guangyuan wasn't a staunch supporter of Li Fuguo, though perhaps he once was, but his habit of acting alone eventually aroused Li Fuguo's suspicion. The Minister of Rites was an important position, with the potential to become prime minister, and Cui Guangyuan, having joined Li Fuguo early, enjoyed Li Heng's trust. Now, however, he was to be banished from the capital to become the military governor of Weizhou…

As military governors, their power was immense. In chaotic times, even if they didn't reach the level of a prime minister, they were still on par with the ministers of various departments. Cui Guangyuan's transfer from minister to military governor didn't seem like a demotion on the surface. The problem was that he only commanded Weizhou—meaning he wasn't a commander of a major military region, but merely a commander of a military sub-region—and Weizhou was currently under rebel control. So, the implications of a demotion were quite obvious.

Is Li Fuguo giving up on Cui Guangyuan, or is he planning to give him a serious warning?

Therefore, Cui Guangyuan did not actively want to sever ties with Li Fuguo, but rather, having already lost the favor of the eunuchs, he planned to find another powerful patron to rely on...

Chapter 51, The Mistress's House Slave

Since Li Ji knew that he was being watched by eyes from all sides at all times, he naturally became more cautious. From then on, he stopped wandering around the streets and instead went to Prince Cheng's mansion with Jia Huai every morning. He would either chat and play with Li Shi or borrow books and poems from Li Shi to read, often staying there for the entire day.

Time flies, and it passes by in a flash.

Within days of his arrival in Chang'an, officials successively submitted memorials requesting that Prince Cheng, Li Chu, be made crown prince. It is said that Li Heng consulted with Li Kui, the Director of the Bureau of Personnel Evaluation and the Imperial Edict Drafter, before finally making his decision. On the day of Gengyin in May, he officially appointed Li Chu as crown prince and changed his name to Li Yu.

Li Ji felt deeply indignant about this.

This kind of creative naming practice was first invented by the artistic Emperor Li Longji. Originally, there was no fixed rule for naming his many sons. Later, for some unknown reason, he changed all of them to have the water radical (氵), for example, his eldest son Li Tan, second son Li Hong, third son Li Jun, fourth son Li Qia… Then, a few years later, he uniformly changed them to have the jade radical (玉), so Li Tan became Li Cong, Li Hong became Li Ying, Li Jun became Li Yu, and Li Qia became Li Yan…

Li Ji had met Prince Ying, Li Jiao, who had previously used the name Li Yun; Prince Xin, Li Huang, who had previously used the name Li Mian; and Prince Yi, Li Ci, who had previously used the name Li Cui. He also met Prince Yong, Li Lin, who had previously used the name Li Ze; and Prince Shou, Li Mao, the former husband of Yang Guifei, who had previously used the name Li Qing.

After Li Yu was officially named Crown Prince, the old emperor began to ponder: "Since this child is the heir apparent, he will inherit my throne and become emperor. There is a distinction between him and his brothers, who are subjects of the emperor. How can we use the same radical?" So, with a stroke of his pen, he changed Li Yu's name to Li Shao. However, after changing his name and intending to record it in the imperial genealogy, he suddenly discovered that he shared the same name as his nephew… and thus changed it to his current name, Li Heng.

Li Longji not only changed his sons' names, but also followed this example by giving his grandsons names with the same radical, resulting in names like Li Chu, Li Xi, Li Tan, Li Bi, Li Jin, Li Zhao, Li Tong, and so on. This tradition even extended to his great-grandsons, leading to the brothers Li Shi, Li Miao, Li Xia, and Li Shu.

So, naturally, following the example of Li Yu changing his name to Li Heng, the new crown prince Li Chu should also be renamed.

Li Ji thought the name Li Chu was quite good, its goodness lying in its rarity. The Tang people were particular about avoiding taboo names, especially those of the emperor. For example, to avoid using the name of Emperor Taizong, they changed "民" (min) to "为人" (ren), and to avoid using the name of Emperor Gaozong, they changed "治" (zhi) to "理" (li)—so "治民" (zhimin) became "理人" (liren)...

When Li Ji first joined the army, he couldn't call himself a "commoner" and had to call himself a "grassman"—grassman? I can borrow arrows but not him?

There's also the taboo against using the name of Li Longji, so "Long" was changed to "Sheng," and "Ji" was changed to "Gen" or "Ben." Well... if "stirring up a relationship" is like "stirring up a root," that's quite apt.

Then, to avoid using the taboo name of Li Heng, Heng was changed to Tong. Therefore, the opening of the Book of Changes after Zhide should be "Yuan Tong Li Zhen".

Comparatively speaking, the character "亨" (heng) is less commonly used and causes the least trouble for officials and the people. If Li Chu were to succeed to the throne in the future, avoiding the character "俶" (chu) would undoubtedly be more welcome than "亨" (heng). But instead, it was changed to "李豫" (Li Yu)... "豫" (yu) is a commonly used character. So how am I supposed to say "犹豫" (you he) or "逸豫" (yi yu) in the future? What will happen to Yuzhou? What will happen to Yuzhang?

It was probably that old, immortal bastard in Xingqing Palace who did it. He's so damn annoying!

Although an imperial edict had been issued establishing Li Chu and Li Yu as Crown Prince, the formal investiture ceremony had not yet been held. Therefore, Li Heng made no mention of moving the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace, leaving Li Yu to stay at the residence of the Sixteenth Prince, merely changing the plaque of the "Cheng Prince's Residence." This was undoubtedly a good thing for Li Ji; otherwise, given the depths of the palace, he, without a title or status, would likely never have been able to enter.

Then, at the end of the month, another imperial edict was issued, officially appointing Prince Qi, Li Tan, as the military governor of both Longyou and Hexi. However, he only held the position of military governor of the two regions, without any other titles—not even the Changxing Transport Commissioner, a position that the Hexi military governor was required to hold. The Changxing Transport Commissioner was in charge of managing the taxes and output of the seven prefectures in Hexi, which were deposited into the national treasury in peacetime and supplied to the army locally in times of war. Without this position, Li Tan would have to rely on others for the allocation and use of military funds in Hexi.

Undoubtedly, this was Cui Guangyuan's plan, which was relayed to Li Shi through Li Ji. Li Shi then reported it to Li Chu, who found it reasonable and used it to trip up his brother. Qi's staff were all indignant and pleaded to submit a memorial to the emperor, but Li Tan dissuaded them. Li Tan said, "The emperor has already bestowed upon me the title of military governor of two regions, which is an extraordinary favor. How can I be greedy for more? Besides, the barbarian bandits are currently heading towards Longyou, and there is no immediate danger in Hexi. There is no need for long-distance transport."

After expressing his gratitude to the Emperor, Li Tan began to assemble his own staff. Of course, most positions had to be reserved for the veterans who had served as military governors in Longyou and Hexi—the Emperor had promoted Gao Sheng, the military governor of Longyou, to deputy military governor of Longyou, and Zhou Ben, the military governor of Hexi, to deputy military governor of Hexi, and they each had their own subordinates—so the newly formed staff could only include four or five more trusted confidants.

Li Ji then received a letter of appointment from Li Tan, who sent someone to his door, offering him a monthly salary of five strings of cash to serve as the military governor of two towns, and promising to help him obtain a court official position as a stipend.

Li Ji accepted it respectfully and then went to the Qi residence to express his gratitude.

He finally determined his direction, mainly because Li Shi privately revealed that Li Yu had sent his old essay, "Strategy for Defending Against the Barbarians," to Li Tan that very day, and Li Tan was said to be deeply impressed. Li Ji thus understood that his entry into the staff of the two military commanderies and becoming a guest of Li Tan was not only Li Tan's wish but also Li Yu's arrangement—Li Yu had personally placed Li Ji in the staff, paving the way for him.

Li Ji had worried that if the brothers Li Yu and Li Tan were to clash in the future, he would be in a difficult position; and if Li Yu were to successfully ascend the throne, Li Tan would be sidelined or even imprisoned, which would also affect his future. But since it was Li Yu's wish, his position in the conflict would be easier to manage, and he wouldn't be cut off from his path to promotion because of Li Tan.

More importantly, through Li Shi's hints, Li Ji vaguely learned of the secret agreement between the brothers Li Yu and Li Tan—he estimated that at least before Li Yu ascended the throne, or before he completely brought down Empress Zhang and her son, the two of them would not have any serious conflict.

The road ahead is fraught with difficulties and thorns, but it is not without a way out. Unless Li Ji seeks only the safest option and intends to abandon his westward journey and instead go east to assist Guo Ziyi in suppressing the rebellion—but he truly has no interest in the already decided civil war—he will inevitably have to join Li Tan's staff.

Li Tan quickly secured a position as the assistant magistrate of Shimen County in Lizhou for Li Ji. Shimen was a mid-level county, and the assistant magistrate was a low-ranking eighth-grade official—a transition from military to civil service, and obtaining an eighth-grade rank was already quite good.

In mid-June, a thousand soldiers from the Shence Army, originally stationed in Shanxian County, arrived in the capital to serve as the personal guards of the two military governors, protecting Li Tan on his westward journey to his new post. Li Ji, through Li Tan, specifically named Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui, and the old friends were overjoyed to see each other again. In particular, the Shence Army, ostensibly guarding Guanzhong, had little to do; Chen Fu and the others had long been scheming to return to their hometown of Taozhou to fight the Tubo and seek revenge. Li Ji had given them this opportunity, and they were naturally extremely grateful.

At the end of the month, Li Tan officially accepted the order to set off on the expedition, leaving Chang'an City with Li Ji, Jia Huai, and his trusted confidant Yang Yan, among others. His brothers all came to see him off, except for Crown Prince Li Yu, who claimed illness and did not attend.

This was to mislead Empress Zhang, making her believe that Li Tan's departure to govern was purely his personal desire to seize power and attempt to seize the throne. Li Yu would undoubtedly feel deeply resentful about this, and a rift between the brothers would be imminent. Of course, his dissatisfaction couldn't be shown too obviously, as that would raise suspicions that it was all an act. Therefore, Li Yu specially sent his eldest son, Li Shi, to respectfully see off his uncle.