Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 18

Especially during his time living in the palace, which gave him direct access to members of the royal family and powerful eunuchs, Li Ji deeply felt that the murky waters of the palace were unfathomable… Although Li Heng appeared to value Li Mi highly, displaying an unprecedentedly close relationship between ruler and subject, the emperor himself was mediocre and easily swayed. Zhuge Liang needed to meet Liu Bei to become a renowned prime minister, while Li Heng, at best, was no better than Liu Biao.

Liu Biao had once dominated Jingzhou and Xiangyang, enjoying great power and prestige. Kongming, on the other hand, came from a family with a family history of holding high-ranking official positions and was related to Liu Biao. If Kongming had gone to serve him, how could Liu Biao not have offered him a position? However, Kongming preferred to farm and wait for his opportunity, resolutely refusing to join the Xiangyang government. He understood very well that being accepted and being given important responsibilities were two different things, and being given important responsibilities and being trusted were even more different things...

If Li Bi only sought to achieve merit and establish a career, he absolutely should not have come out of seclusion at this time. His intention in coming out of seclusion was purely to quell the chaos and support the country, even claiming that after pacifying the rebels and suppressing the rebellion, he would return to the mountains to live in seclusion. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have dared to interfere in royal affairs and try his best to mend the rift between father and son, and brothers, otherwise he would surely have been killed! This is precisely what Li Ji had to worry about for him, and he had to continue to maintain his rough-and-tumble persona to facilitate his charade with Li Bi...

Li Ji didn't have a good impression of Emperor Li Heng, nor did he have a good impression of Prince Li Chu of Guangping—mediocrity wasn't a mistake, but mediocrity wielding power and ruling the world was a crime! In comparison, Li Ji sometimes felt that perhaps Li Tan was more suitable to be the emperor in this chaotic situation… Li Tan's personality was indeed too strong and outspoken. As his sister, Princess Ningguo, said, he was diligent in planning for the country but inept at planning for himself. If he were a monarch, with capable ministers to assist him, he wouldn't necessarily suffer disaster. But as a minister, and in a position of suspicion, his future was unlikely to be bright…

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Therefore, he also felt some pity for Li Tan, especially after the assassination incident, which essentially cleared Li Tan of suspicion for secretly kidnapping Li Bi and privately raising carrier pigeons in order to seize the throne. In Li Ji's view, those things were mostly related to eunuchs like Li Fuguo, so he instinctively couldn't feel any ill will towards Li Tan, who was at odds with eunuchs.

Unfortunately, he couldn't let his rough-and-tumble persona crumble. He had no way to persuade Li Tan, only feeling that the guy had regained his high spirits after being released from confinement, completely unaware that he had already stepped onto the edge of a precipice... Especially after the rebellion of Prince Yong, Li Lin, it was hard to guarantee that Li Chu wouldn't become wary—Li Lin and Li Tan were just too similar in terms of their abilities and positions.

Therefore, he couldn't help but talk to Li Tan a few more times and drink a few more cups of wine. Li Tan's ambitions and words were actually quite to Li Ji's liking, but he pretended to be ignorant and didn't understand two out of three sentences, and he didn't care about the remaining one... It's because you have desires, while I have no desires, so I can be carefree.

After eating and drinking his fill—he really didn't dare get drunk in front of the emperor—he got up and took a walk in the courtyard, looking up at the brilliant stars. Suddenly, he heard the sound of drums from the watchtower in the distance, and then Li Huang shouted, "It's midnight! It's already the second year of the Zhide era!"

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On what appeared to be the eve of the Lunar New Year, Li Tan's obsequious behavior successfully won back the favor of his father, Li Heng. Therefore, less than five days after the New Year, Li Heng summoned Li Bi to court and asked him: "Jianning deeply regrets his past actions and is unwilling to remain idle. He repeatedly requests to lead an army to retake Chang'an for me. His ambition is commendable, and his heart is pitiful. I wish to appoint him, but I fear it would diminish Guangping's power—why not establish Guangping as the Crown Prince?"

That evening, the two brothers discussed the matter, and Li Ji immediately shook his head: "No. If the Prince of Guangping is made crown prince, then the Guoyu says: 'When the emperor travels, the crown prince resides to oversee the country; when the emperor travels, the crown prince follows to pacify the army.' How can there be a reason for the crown prince to lead an army on a distant expedition while the emperor is in Ding'an? Even if military power is temporarily divided, it will eventually fall entirely into the hands of the Prince of Jianning!"

Before Li Bi could respond, he suddenly frowned, leaned closer, and asked in a low voice, "Regarding the position of Crown Prince, which one does my elder brother favor?"

His point was that even if Li Chu was made crown prince, the situation could still be reversed if military power fell into Li Tan's hands. I recently heard Li Shi tell stories of the early Tang Dynasty; wasn't that how Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, became crown prince? When vying for power, Shimin, with his military and political talents, commanded all the armies and controlled a region—that was unavoidable. But once the regime was basically stable, and Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan had made his eldest son, Jiancheng, crown prince, he should have gradually stripped his second son, Shimin, of his military power. However, Li Yuan decided to divide the empire in two, leaving Shimin to guard Luoyang… This caused the two brothers to turn against each other, ultimately leading to the "Xuanwu Gate Incident."

Li Shi naturally claimed that Crown Prince Jiancheng was a scoundrel, at least instigated by Prince Qi Yuanji to plot against his younger brother, while Emperor Taizong was a pure and innocent figure who only retaliated when pushed to the limit… Li Ji, having read many historical texts, possessed his own value judgments and analytical methods, and naturally wouldn't believe him. The saying goes, "With a sharp blade in hand, the will to kill arises." Given the Qin family's growing power, it was impossible for Li Shimin to remain completely unemotional. Official historical records, and the education of later generations, have undoubtedly crammed countless biased narratives into them, whitewashing Li Shimin while simultaneously smearing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji.

So even if he believed that Li Tan had no intention of seizing the throne for the time being, as Li Bi had said to Li Heng before, what if he were to gain military power and even surpass his elder brother? Would he change his mind?

Chapter Thirty-Nine, Chang Hong Transforms into Jade

Not long after Li Ji entered the palace, he was suddenly informed by Princess Ningguo that Li Heng wanted to kill Li Tan. He was greatly alarmed.

He blurted out, "No! Just a few days ago, the Emperor wanted to appoint Prince Jianning as commander and placed great trust in him. How could he suddenly have murderous intentions? What did Prince Jianning do?"

Princess Ningguo, panting, said, "His Majesty was troubled by wine, and Consort Zhang and Li Fuguo took the opportunity to slander him, saying that Prince Jianning wanted to seize the throne and intended to harm Prince Guangping. His Majesty was furious... The reasons for this are too numerous to recount. I think the only ones who can save Prince Jianning are my brother Prince Guangping and Mr. Changyuan. I was just about to go and inform them... I just happened to meet Changwei. Why don't you make this trip for me?"

Li Ji's eyes darted around, and he shook his head, saying, "No. I have just been ordered to submit a memorial to the emperor, so it is inconvenient... No, how can I explain such an important matter? It would be better for the princess to go in person."

This is truly baffling. Who knows where Princess Ningguo got this information? Did she hear the emperor's order firsthand, or was it relayed by someone else? Perhaps she even had a nightmare and took it literally… If I help her with this and nothing happens, I'll be in grave danger! What is this called? Spreading palace rumors and sowing discord within the imperial family…

Besides, even if this were true, I'd need Li Chu to believe me—but I don't really believe it myself, so how could I expect Li Chu and Li Bi to understand? Especially when it comes to the emperor's family affairs, the waters run too deep. As a lowly seventh-rank military officer, it's best for me to stay out of it if possible.

To show that he wasn't just being perfunctory, Li Ji immediately took off his waist token for entering and leaving the palace: "Princess, you can take this token and quickly report to the Marshal and the Chief Secretary..." The princess doesn't know everyone, and besides, it's the middle of the night. Even if the princess wanted to leave the palace, she couldn't just leave the palace or enter the Marshal's mansion whenever she wanted. She needed proof. "I'll go to the front of the palace first to observe the situation and wait for reinforcements to arrive."

The two parted hastily, and Li Ji quickened his pace to the palace where Li Heng resided, requesting an audience. Li Fuguo came out and asked him what was the matter. Li Ji explained his purpose, and Li Fuguo smiled and said, "It gets dark early. Why are the Marshal and Chief Secretary still busy and unwilling to rest? His Majesty has been working hard for days and is having his evening meal. He is also quite tipsy and cannot see you—please bring the memorial here, and I will present it to him on his behalf."

Given Li Ji's rank, it was impossible for him to see the emperor whenever he wanted—in fact, even someone of a higher rank wouldn't be able to; probably only Li Chu and Li Bi had that privilege. It was common practice for eunuchs to present memorials on his behalf. So Li Ji took out the memorial from his robes and presented it with both hands. Li Fuguo also respectfully accepted it with both hands, then smiled and said, "Please tell the Marshal and Chief Secretary to make arrangements as soon as possible and not to overwork themselves." Seeing that Li Ji hadn't left, he asked, "Why aren't you leaving? Is the Marshal urgently awaiting orders?"

Judging from Li Fuguo's words, Li Heng was probably a bit drunk—Princess Ningguo's words were indeed true—and he might not see this memorial until he sobered up tomorrow.

Li Chu hadn't actually asked Li Ji to bring the imperial decree back, and he didn't dare to make something up. He could only clasp his hands and say, "Lord Li, please go first, then I will go." Li Fuguo's features relaxed slightly, and he seemed quite pleased. He said repeatedly, "Thank you for your courtesy, thank you for your courtesy." He turned and walked into the hall.

Li Ji didn't dare ask about the execution of Prince Jianning. He wanted to stay in front of the palace a little longer to observe the situation, but although Li Fuguo had left, the palace guards were still staring at him with wide eyes, so he couldn't linger at the foot of the steps. He could only make a perfunctory gesture, cup his hands to the guards, say thank you for your hard work, and then slowly walk out of the courtyard.

Just as he reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly heard a commotion and looked up to see a large trail of firelight approaching. Li Ji quickly stepped aside, hiding behind the wall, and listened intently. Sure enough, he heard the voice of Prince Jianning, Li Tan: "Who is slandering me, saying that I am plotting to harm my brother, Prince Guangping? Yu Chaoen, could it be you, you eunuch?!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Wow, what Princess Ningguo said is actually true!"

The voice that rang out immediately was also familiar to Li Ji; it was the eunuch Yu Chaoen—"It has nothing to do with this servant. This servant was merely acting on the Emperor's orders to capture the King. However, even if this servant spoke out, since it is true, it cannot be called slander."

"How can you say it's true? How could I possibly plot against my brother, the Prince of Guangping?!"

Yu Chaoen replied ambiguously, “This servant cannot say for sure about such matters—the supreme position is the most precious in the world, does Your Majesty not covet it? Back at Bianqiao, it was Your Majesty and Lord Li who persuaded the Emperor to go north to reclaim the Shuofang army and recover the two capitals. The Emperor ascended the throne in Lingwu, and Your Majesty was the first among them. Your Majesty has become arrogant because of this, thinking that the position of heir apparent is within your grasp. However, the Emperor favors the Prince of Guangping, and Your Majesty has developed resentment…”

Li Tan roared, interrupting Yu Chaoen: "How dare this eunuch spew such slander?!"

Yu Chaoen, however, showed no fear. After Li Tan finished shouting, he continued, "If Your Majesty has no intention of becoming the heir apparent, then you should avoid suspicion. You can stay in Lingwu. Why follow the Emperor south? If you go south, you can enjoy poetry and wine like the Prince of Ying and the Prince of Xin. Why ask to take charge of the palace guards? Isn't it because you intend to incite the imperial guards to murder the Prince of Guangping, or even coerce the Emperor to make you his heir?"

"How were those assassins able to bypass the palace and assassinate the Prince of Guangping at the Marshal's residence? Is Your Majesty incompetent and negligent in your duties, or did you harbor treacherous intentions and secretly collude with Zhou Zhi?"

This was a difficult question to answer. Li Ji, who was not far away, could hear Li Tan panting heavily, indicating that he was extremely angry.

"If Your Majesty is foolish and has already been punished and imprisoned by the Sage, you should repent and no longer concern yourself with military and political affairs. Only when your treacherous schemes fail will you be so eager to please the Sage again and request to lead troops to divide the power of the Prince of Guangping. This servant is of limited knowledge and originally thought..."

"Without understanding the king's heart, one cannot explain these principles, but with everyone in the court and the public discussing this matter, and with everyone pointing fingers, the wicked will naturally have nowhere to hide."

"You eunuchs are the real villains!"

“This servant is utterly loyal and devoted to protecting His Majesty. There’s no need to say more. Is Lord Li a villain? Moreover, it’s not just Lord Li who has exposed the King’s true colors, but also Consort Zhang. Is she a villain? Very well, Lord Li and Consort Zhang are right before Your Majesty. Your Majesty can go and confront them. This has nothing to do with this servant. This servant was merely following orders.”

Li Ji became increasingly confused as he listened. What on earth was Yu Chaoen thinking? He kept saying "it has nothing to do with me," as if to absolve himself, but in between, he deliberately attacked Li Tan with baseless accusations. Was he relaying Li Fuguo's slander? Was he trying to sow discord between Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen?

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Hearing Li Tan's incessant cursing, Yu Chaoen, after finishing his words, ordered his soldiers to continue escorting Li Tan to see Li Heng. The group entered the courtyard, and Li Ji quickly hid in the shadows. Looking closer, he saw a dozen or so imperial guards, all with red headscarves. Leading them was his old acquaintance, Jing Jiang, who followed closely behind Yu Chaoen. As for Li Tan, he was bound hand and foot and being pushed along.

He raised his head and looked towards the direction of the general's residence, but saw no movement—Princess Ningguo, have you managed to deliver the message? Will Li Chu and Li Bi be willing to come to the palace to plead for Li Tan? Looking at Li Tan from afar, he was quite pitiful; yesterday a nobleman, tonight a prisoner; his purple robe was still on, but his golden crown had fallen off, and he was barefoot, his hair disheveled; his features were still handsome, but his face was flushed red, and his eyes seemed to spit fire…

Li Ji felt a pang of conscience and was unwilling to leave just like that, letting things unfold as they would, since it was none of his business anyway... After thinking for a while, he finally lowered his profile, moved lightly, and carefully followed behind the crowd, returning to the front of the hall.

When he arrived, Li Tan had already been taken into the palace. Apart from Yu Chaoen and two imperial guards holding him hostage, everyone else was waiting outside. Li Ji watched Lao Jing's back and whistled softly, wanting to call him over and find out the details, but the guy was hard of hearing and didn't react at all.

Well, it wasn't his hearing problem. The other guards didn't react either. Everyone had a solemn expression and were staring at the palace gate. No one was paying attention to what was happening behind them.

Using the shade of the trees to conceal himself, Li Ji crept closer, pondering how to attract Lao Jing's attention, when suddenly he heard Li Heng's furious roar from inside the hall: "You rebellious son, how dare you argue!" Li Tan's voice followed, but he was too far away to hear clearly, though it sounded as if Li Tan was trying to explain himself, and his tone was both urgent and angry…

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Li Ji's mind—I understand! Yu Chaoen was ordered to capture Li Tan, but he suddenly stopped halfway there to have such a long talk with Li Tan, accusing him of falsehoods. His purpose was to provoke Li Tan! Li Heng was a mediocre ruler, and he was drunk. If his son had entered the palace and knelt down, wept, and begged for forgiveness, there might have been a glimmer of hope for him. But given Li Tan's strong character, and further provoked by Yu Chaoen, he certainly wouldn't say anything nice. He might even confront his father, asking why he listened to women and eunuchs and doubted his own son.

Even between fathers and sons, or brothers, daily friction and discord are inevitable if they live together. This is especially true for royalty, who have the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads; conflict is simply unavoidable. Even strangers, if they sit down and calmly analyze the problem, can resolve their doubts and untangle their knots. But even fathers and sons, if both are angry and constantly arguing, will eventually escalate the conflict.

Li Ji, being a son himself, understood this situation. In his previous life, he and his father constantly argued, even bringing his mother, caught in the middle, to tears. In this life, the real Li Ji was even more volatile; while his father was alive, they argued almost daily—for some reason, after his father's death and his move to Yingyang, he listened to Li Bi. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, are naturally destined to be enemies; arguments are inevitable. However, most families, despite their quarrels, don't hold grudges afterward.

But this family is different today; it's the imperial family, where kinship has always been weak and power has always been a dangerous force. In this day and age, the head of the family has almost absolute control and power over his children. As for the royal family, the emperor killing his sons and brothers is a common occurrence in history—theoretically, if it weren't for the crown prince, even court officials might not dare to plead against the emperor and risk offending him!

That Yu Chaoen is truly cunning; his intentions are despicable!

Just then, Li Heng roared again from inside the hall, and two soldiers dragged Li Tan out once more. This time, not only Yu Chaoen came out, but also Li Fuguo, who stood in front of the door and announced loudly: "By imperial decree, the Prince of Jianning harbors treacherous intentions and plots to murder his brother. He is to be executed immediately to uphold the law!"

Not only did Li Ji's heart skip a beat, but even the Imperial Guards exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this—Holy crap, was the Emperor really going to kill his own son? Yu Chaoen coldly ordered, "Did you all hear the Emperor's decree, Lord Li? Why aren't you making your move?!"

After Li Tan fled Chang'an with Li Heng, he repeatedly led troops to suppress defeated soldiers who dared to defy the emperor, earning him considerable prestige within the army. If it were still the original imperial guards, it's likely none would obey the orders of the two eunuchs, Li and Yu; they might even kneel before the steps, pleading with Li Heng for mercy. However, most of Li Tan's former confidants have now been purged by Yu Chaoen, and the men Yu Chaoen brought to capture Li Tan tonight are all newcomers.

Chapter 40, Breaking into the Palace and Disobeying the Emperor

Li Fuguo ordered that Li Tan be executed immediately in front of the palace. Li Ji, seeing this scene in the shadows, felt a nameless fire rise in his heart—these eunuchs were truly despicable!

Whether Li Tan had actually intended to murder Li Chu, Li Ji didn't know; nor did he know how Li Fuguo and the others had advised Li Heng, or whether they had truly found any incriminating evidence against Li Tan. However, he understood that if Li Tan were truly guilty and there was evidence, those eunuchs wouldn't have spoken to him in the dead of night while Li Heng was drunk, much less would they have first provoked Li Tan, causing a quarrel between father and son, escalating the conflict, and then, without waiting for dawn or to escort Li Tan out of the palace, immediately ordering his execution before the Emperor…

This is an attempt to create a fait accompli. Even if Li Heng comes to his senses and regrets his actions, it will be too late. Given Li Heng's weak character, he will only blame himself and will not punish Li Fuguo afterward, much less blame Consort Zhang. Moreover, given his status, knowing that he has been implicated in the affairs of the nation, no matter how much grief he feels, he will never easily change his mind and say that Li Tan is innocent—how could the emperor be wrong?

These eunuchs, including Consort Zhang, really had an accurate grasp of timing and a real understanding of the emperor's temperament, which allowed them to carry out their wicked schemes! Those spineless bastards can be so vicious when they do evil!

Seeing Li Tan kneeling on the ground, and the soldiers raising their swords high under the watchful eyes and urging of Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen, Li Ji was extremely anxious—Princess Ningguo, are you a snail? Why haven't you been able to persuade Li Chu and Li Bi to come to your rescue yet? Li Tan is about to die. If I weren't here, it would be fine, but now that I'm here, can I just stand by and watch this tragic human drama unfold?

How can I face Princess Ningguo after this? How can I still have the nerve to boast and act all high and mighty in front of Li Bi?!

Filled with rage and hot-blooded, Li Ji immediately roared, "You mustn't kill him!" He then strode forward and kicked the soldier who was holding a sword high into the air.

Everyone was shocked. Old Jing was the first to react and asked him, "Li Ji, what are you doing?!"

Li Ji hadn't yet figured out how to answer, so he simply raised his arms to block Li Tan from behind. Then he heard Li Fuguo's effeminate, reproachful voice: "Li Ji, instead of returning to the commander's residence to report, why have you come to the palace?"

Li Ji turned around and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to Li Fuguo: "Reporting to Lord Li, when I left, a group of people were escorting Prince Jianning here. I don't know why, and I wanted to find out the reason before reporting back to the Marshal, so I came here..."

"The Emperor has decreed that Prince Jianning be executed. Since you came along, didn't you hear it?"

Li Ji raised his head and said loudly, "This humble general has only heard Lord Li's words, but has not heard the Emperor's decree—we humbly request the Emperor to come to the palace and give the order personally."

Before Li Fuguo could reply, Lao Jing came over and put his hand on Li Ji's shoulder: "This is none of your business, go ahead." His tone was quite gentle, but he was actually reminding Li Ji: This is not something you can meddle in, it's best to pretend you didn't see it.

Li Ji slumped his shoulders slightly, dodging Lao Jing's hand, then turned his head and glared angrily, shouting, "What are you all doing? Prince Jianning is the emperor's own son. It's common for him to get drunk and make a scene, shouting and threatening to kill. He'll definitely regret it when he wakes up tomorrow. Do you think those of you who committed violence will have any chance of survival then?!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Jing and the other soldiers couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines, secretly filled with lingering fear.

Yu Chaoen took two steps down the steps, and with a "whoosh," drew his sword from his waist: "Li Ji, the Emperor has decreed that Prince Jianning be executed immediately. If you obstruct him, you will be disobeying the imperial decree! Get out of here at once. This is none of your business. If you do not heed my advice, don't blame me for being rude!"

In fact, Yu Chaoen had the upper hand in the matter of executing Li Tan—he had the emperor's decree—and his rank was far higher than Li Ji's. Moreover, he was responsible for guarding the palace. If it were anyone else, he probably wouldn't have bothered to persuade him and would have just struck him down. It was only because Li Ji had Li Bi backing him that Yu Chaoen hesitated to act, and thus wasted a few more words with him.

Before Li Ji could react, Li Tan, who was kneeling on the ground, straightened up, turned around, and advised, "Chief Guard, I am deeply grateful for your kindness in saving me. If I have a spirit after death, I will surely repay you. However, I have also heard the Emperor's decree, how dare I disobey? If a father commands his son to die, how dare the son not die? Otherwise, how could these soldiers and Yu Chaoen have captured me?"

Li Ji rolled his eyes: "Your Majesty, haven't you heard the saying, 'Take a small beating, run away from a big one'?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tan was slightly taken aback, then sighed and said, "Things have come to this, I have no choice but to die. You should go now, and do not implicate Mr. Changyuan..."

Unexpectedly, Li Ji was unmoved and glared at Yu Chaoen, saying, "Even a sage cannot lightly kill the Prince of Jianning!"

Li Fuguo sneered from the steps: "Oh, even the Emperor couldn't kill Prince Jianning, so who could? Do you also want to help Prince Jianning seize the throne?!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Wow, impressive! He's already slapped a serious accusation on me with just two sentences." He immediately replied, "The Marshal has already appointed the Prince of Jianning as his military advisor. The Emperor has entrusted all military affairs to the Marshal. How can we kill his advisor without first informing him?!"

Yu Chaoen and his group were in the right, so Li Ji thought to himself, "I have to find my own reasoning, even if it's flawed, to buy time for Li Chu and Li Bi to arrive. If those two still refuse to show up, then neither Princess Ningguo nor Li Bi can blame me. I've done my best..."

Theoretically speaking, since Li Heng had appointed himself Grand Marshal and entrusted all military responsibilities to Li Chu, he could not bypass Li Chu and directly issue orders to the officials in the Grand Marshal's office, nor could he dispose of matters without informing Li Chu.

His subordinates. Li Ji's meaning was, go and call Li Chu over. If he says he won't get involved, then I'll immediately let go and not interfere anymore.

Who would have thought that Li Fuguo would sneer, "Although the Prince of Guangping has submitted a memorial, the Emperor has not yet granted his request, so how can it be considered valid? I still have that memorial in my pocket and haven't handed it over yet!"

Li Ji retorted, "How can a marshal recruit virtuous men, only to have a sage kill them beforehand?!"

Yu Chaoen couldn't stand it any longer and immediately slashed at Li Ji's shoulder with his sword. He thought to himself that Li Ji was clearly just there to cause trouble and buy time, hoping that someone would go to Li Chu and Li Bi to ask for reinforcements. How could he let him have his way? Although killing Li Tan was not my plan, I was happy for it to happen. How could I let this reckless brat ruin things?

He probably thought I wouldn't dare to make a move, and that once I slashed him, he would be scared and retreat. Of course, I couldn't go all out, but since I was in the right, I should teach him a lesson and draw some blood. Surely Li Bi wouldn't blame me for that.

The sword was about to strike when, halfway down, Li Ji suddenly reached out and firmly grasped Yu Chaoen's wrist. His five fingers were like steel clamps, making it impossible for Yu Chaoen to exert any more force. The two glared at each other. Li Ji continued to apply pressure, slowly pressing Yu Chaoen's wrist to the side. Yu Chaoen cried out in pain, his entire body involuntarily turning halfway, one knee slightly bent, as if he might be forced to the ground at any moment. But this eunuch was truly stubborn. Although his face was flushed with pain, he refused to cry out, instead shouting at Li Ji: "You are disobeying the imperial decree! Do you intend to rebel? Know that treason is a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of your family!"

That means not only can Li Bi not protect you, but you might also implicate Li Bi, and the two brothers will be executed on the same day!

These words truly struck a nerve with Li Ji, but by this point, he was already in a bind… You think I'd back down just because you yelled at me? How am I supposed to face the world then? Damn it, is Li Heng really drunk? I shouted and yelled so loudly, and he didn't utter a sound. If Li Heng were to come to the palace gate now and say, "Li Ji, stop making a scene. It really was my personal decree to execute Li Tan. I'll tell Guangping afterwards," then I'd at least have a way out…

Delaying can only provide temporary relief, not a permanent solution. Without Li Chu and Li Bi's arrival, this matter will remain unresolved. Moreover, as Yu Chaoen said, if things escalate, not only will I be in trouble, but even Li Bi will likely suffer. Li Ji was anxious, his mind racing, and in a few short breaths, he made a decision—might as well go all the way and rebel!

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The most important thing now is to take a hostage so that the Imperial Guards will hesitate to attack us. Even if Li Bi refuses to come, I will have to summon him. The two brothers will then take the hostage and break out of the palace, then out of the city, and go far away. The world is vast, and there is turmoil all around. Where can't we find refuge? How could the Tang court catch us so easily?

Only in this way can we hope for a glimmer of hope.

However, when it comes to hostages, this Yu Chaoen in my hand isn't enough...