Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 25

But upon closer inspection, his anger dissipated. It turned out that the one who had stormed the palace was none other than his most beloved eldest grandson—Prince Li Shi of Fengjie.

Li Shi rushed into the main hall in tears, running all the way to the imperial desk before kneeling down. As he passed Li Ji, he deliberately stretched out his leg and gently kicked him, as if to say: Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you.

Li Ji was both amused and exasperated. "Young master, if you want to save me, please come sooner rather than later. I'm already fine, why are you jumping out here pretending to be a benefactor?"

Li Heng asked his grandson, "Why are you crying? Has someone bullied you? Who dares to be so bold? Let your grandfather deal with him!"

Li Shi replied, sobbing, "Just now, the Li family steward (referring to Li Fuguo, the Crown Prince's steward) sent someone to deliver a message saying that he had received news of my mother—he earnestly begs Your Majesty to save my mother!"

Upon hearing this, Li Heng couldn't help but feel a little sad. He quickly got up, pulled Li Shi up, and held him in his arms, saying, "I have also heard about the matter of Lady Shen. It is said that someone saw her in the Imperial Palace in Luoyang, but we do not know if it is true or not. Your father has just taken over Xijing. After a little reorganization, he can lead his troops to Dongjing again. At most, you and your son will be able to see each other in half a year. Do not worry."

Li Shi wiped away his tears and said, "Mother and son are the closest of kin, bound by blood. How can we wait another six months? We have had no news for two years. Now that we have news of my mother, even if it is false, we must come to her rescue. And Your Majesty, what if the rebels secretly harm my mother during these six months? What if the army conquers Tokyo and the rebel An takes my mother away? What then?"

"Furthermore, since my father is the Grand Marshal of the Army, will the traitor An use my mother as a hostage to blackmail him? My father carries the weighty mandate of His Majesty and will certainly not be coerced. I fear..."

Chapter 55, Five Things That Should Not Be Left Behind

Li Shi's biological mother's surname was Shen. She was originally from Wuxing and came from an official family. Later, she was selected into the Eastern Palace as a daughter of a good family and was given by Li Heng to Li Chu, who was still the grandson of the emperor at the time, to be his concubine.

Coincidentally, Li Chu was capped at the age of fifteen and enfeoffed as the Prince of Guangping, while Shen Bodao (Shen's paternal uncle), the most distinguished member of the Shen family, had served as the Prefect of Guangping Prefecture...

Not long after following Li Chu, Lady Shen became pregnant and gave birth to the eldest son, Li Shi, before the principal wife, Lady Cui. As a result, she not only won Li Chu's favor, but Li Chu even wanted to depose Lady Cui and make her the principal wife. In particular, although Lady Cui gave birth to the second son, Li Miao, her grandfather, Li Heng, did not consider him the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but preferred the grandson of the concubine, Li Shi.

The reason for this is probably because Lady Cui was born to Lady Yang, the wife of Lady Han, and was the niece of Consort Yang. Li Heng suffered a lot of mistreatment from the Yang family when he was the Crown Prince.

On that day, the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Yang fled Chang'an in a panic, followed by the princes. Consort Cui also accompanied Li Chu. As for Lady Shen, since she was a concubine, no one went to inform her... It's possible that the Yang family deliberately left her behind.

The group fled Chang'an in haste, only to be met with the Mawei Post Station Incident. Li Heng then parted ways with the retired emperor, heading to Lingwu to ascend the throne. Li Chu, having lost his beloved, and Li Shi, having lost his mother, were adrift and unable to send anyone to inquire about their whereabouts. It wasn't until after Li Heng's ascension, and thanks to the valiant efforts of Xue Jingxian and others, that the Tang army finally re-established its defenses just two days' journey from Chang'an, temporarily stabilizing their position. Only then did Li Chu and his son Li Shi plead with Li Heng to send someone to inquire about Shen's whereabouts—they desperately needed to see her alive or dead.

Naturally, Li Heng assigned this task to Li Fuguo.

After Li Shi dragged Li Ji down from the hall and recounted the whole story, Li Ji couldn't help but nod in agreement—Li Fuguo was indeed the most likely mastermind behind a series of conspiracies!

As Li Shi explained, Li Fuguo's influence was not limited to Emperor Li Heng, nor was he limited to managing the palace eunuchs and servants, nor was he limited to controlling the palace gates. Since he was under the emperor's command, he could certainly mobilize more manpower and resources, and under the pretext of searching for the Shen family, he secretly cultivated his own power.

Therefore, it's entirely reasonable that he could command the elite cavalry and even mobilize some elite soldiers to ambush at Tanshan. As for Li Heng's order for Li Fuguo to recruit martial arts experts after the assassination attempt on the commander's mansion, who knows if he had already secretly started doing so beforehand?

Ultimately, since the Shen family was trapped in the capital Luoyang, it was impossible to send officials to investigate, and it was also inconvenient to mobilize soldiers. Perhaps the only ones who could be of use were those martial arts masters.

According to Li Shi, after a long search, Li Fuguo recently obtained a piece of information that was not very reliable, saying that someone had seen a woman who looked like Lady Shen in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

The term "Yeting" originally referred to the side courtyards of the main palace where the emperor and empress resided. Initially, it was the residence of palace women, but later the term expanded to refer to the residences of imperial concubines. As for whether this woman who resembled Shen was hiding her identity and pretending to be a palace woman, or whether she was being held hostage by An Lushan and his son, Li Fuguo remained vague.

However, according to Li Ji's analysis, the former is more likely; if it is the latter, then it can be basically identified as Shen himself. Finding Shen would be a great achievement, and Li Fuguo would not need to be vague.

Although the Shen family originated from Wuxing—the same Wuxing Shen family that was known as "the most powerful family in Jiangdong during the Eastern Jin Dynasty"—they had moved to the Central Plains and settled in Luoyang several generations ago. So even though Tokyo had fallen, there were still some members of the Shen family, as well as relatives and friends in the city. It is said that it was through their inquiries that the news eventually reached Li Fuguo's ears through certain channels.

Li Shi bowed repeatedly to Li Ji, saying, "I beg you, Changwei, to have pity on my pain of parting from my mother and my sorrow of missing her, and please help me find out the truth and protect my mother's safety!"

Trying to rescue someone from within a besieged city, or even from the imperial palace in Tokyo, is extremely difficult. Li Shi dared not make such a request of Li Ji. He only hoped that Li Ji could infiltrate the city beforehand and protect Shen Shi's safety when the government troops attacked, so that she would not suffer any misfortune in the chaos of war.

"The so-called extraordinary people recruited by Li Fuguo are not to be trusted. The only one I can trust is you, my esteemed brother!"

Li Shi even addressed him as "Brother Li" openly, right inside the palace and outside the main hall, and Li Ji couldn't bear to refuse him.

Moreover, Li Shi leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother, you just beat up the Crown Prince of Yehu. Li Fuguo and the others will surely use this as an excuse to slander you and try to harm you. You might as well take this opportunity to flee far away and you will be safe." Does the emperor think he can just send someone to arrest you in Luoyang if he is ever in a bad mood? You can lie low in Luoyang and wait for my father to lead his troops eastward in the future, then you can seek refuge under his protection.

"Furthermore, if you can truly find my mother, it will be a great favor to me, and my father and I will all protect you before His Majesty. Li Fuguo, Yu Chaoen and their ilk are no threat!"

Li Ji didn't hold out much hope—your father almost couldn't even save his own brothers, and you think you can save me? But upon further reflection, although Li Shi was young, he seemed to have more courage and responsibility than his father, Li Chu. Moreover, in Li Heng's heart, this grandson might be more precious than several sons combined. This powerful figure... well, it's worth trying to curry favor with him.

The two conversed with His Highness for a long time before Li Bi finally took his leave. Li Bi first bowed to Li Shi and said, "Your Highness, do not worry. I will instruct my younger brother that as long as the news of Consort Shen in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo is indeed true, we must ensure her safety so that Your Highness can be reunited with your son."

"Li Shi, being quick-witted, bowed deeply upon seeing this and said, "It is all thanks to Mr. Changyuan and Brother Changwei." He then took his leave.

He understood that Li Bi's words meant: I need to have a private talk with Li Ji and give him some secret instructions. Your Highness, please take your leave first.

After Li Shi left, Li Bi pulled Li Ji towards the palace gates—he had been living in the commander's mansion for a long time, and there was no longer a place for the two of them to stay in the palace. They had to go outside the palace, or even to the military camp outside the city, to find a place to rest. He remained silent and expressionless throughout the journey, and it wasn't until they were outside the palace gates that Li Bi lowered his voice and asked Li Ji, "What exactly happened just now?"

Li Ji recounted the whole story, and Li Bi couldn't help but sneer, "This is because the eunuchs wanted to bind and humiliate you, or perhaps they wanted to force you out of the palace... Although your actions were too reckless, your refusal to leave the palace and your coming to see the Emperor was the correct response." He paused, then added reproachfully, "Fortunately, the current Emperor is benevolent. If Emperor Taizong or the retired Emperor were here, they would have ordered you to be arrested on the spot and executed for disrespect!"

Li Ji sneered, "If the retired emperor were still alive, that would be one thing, but if Emperor Taizong were still alive, would the world be in such a state? May I ask, brother, is there any precedent of eunuchs controlling the imperial guards during Emperor Taizong's reign?"

Li Bi was speechless and had no choice but to change the subject, asking Li Ji, "Why did Li Fuguo suddenly decide to recommend you to go to Luoyang? Do you understand the treachery involved?"

Li Ji smiled slightly: "I know perfectly well what's going on."

Li Bi said, "That's good. With your intelligence, since you've seen through their scheme, you have your own countermeasures. There's no need for me to devise any more plans. Although this journey is dangerous, leaving this turbulent court might actually be safer..."

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Ji said, "I fear that the eunuchs and others are not only jealous of me, but also of my own. My departure would be like a fish entering a deep abyss, and I worry that you, brother, would be isolated and helpless in court, and would fall victim to the underhanded attacks of villains..."

Li Bi waved his hand and said, "It's alright. I have already made it clear to the Emperor that I will resign and return home once His Majesty returns to the capital. After we recover Tokyo, whether or not we find and protect Consort Shen, you will not need to return to Chang'an to report back. You can find me in the mountains and rivers of Yingyang."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked, "Brother, do you really want to resign? What exactly did you say that made the Emperor agree?"

Li Bi said, “I told the sage that I have already repaid his kindness enough and should return to being a recluse, because there are ‘five things I cannot stay in’…”

What are the "five things that should not be kept"?

What Li Bi said to Li Heng in the palace at that time was: "I met Your Majesty too early, Your Majesty entrusted me with too much responsibility and favored me too much, my achievements are too great and my deeds are too extraordinary. These are the five reasons why I cannot stay."

Li Heng, unwilling to hear such words, suggested they discuss it another day. Li Bi hurriedly replied, "When I served Your Majesty in Ding'an, I already stated that Your Majesty's refusal to allow me to leave is tantamount to an attempt to kill me!"

Li Heng said angrily, "I thought we were friends in name only, but I didn't expect you, Changyuan, to doubt me so much! How could I kill you? Do you take me for Goujian?"

Li Bi kowtowed and said, "Because Your Majesty would not kill me, I dared to ask to leave; if Your Majesty truly intended to kill me, how could I dare to ask in person? Moreover, it is not Your Majesty who would kill me, which is one of the 'five impossibilities'!"

He told Li Ji about these conversations. Li Ji remained silent for a long time before asking, "Brother, you stand out in the court, which is bound to bring danger. But if you leave, what will become of the country? As you said, most of the current prime ministers are incompetent, and the country lacks a capable leader. If you leave, is it still possible to quell the chaos?"

Li Bi sighed, “With the Western Capital fallen, the Eastern Capital will not be difficult to pacify. Henan can be completely taken, and the Jianghuai region can be secured. As for Hebei and Youzhou… if the Emperor had listened to my strategy in the past and taken Fanyang first, they could have been pacified. Now, we can only leave it to fate…”

Li Ji said solemnly, "Brother, I have said something disrespectful—how can you abandon the people for your own safety?!"

Li Bi smiled bitterly and said, "How can I alone bear the weight of the world's people? Changwei, you once said that the world belongs to all people. When people's hearts are united, there will be stability; when people's hearts are disheartened, there will be chaos. Even if I have no desire for immortality and am full of ambition to serve my country, I cannot support this world by myself alone."

He then bowed respectfully to the heavens, saying, "I only hope that the spirits of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong in heaven can bless this Tang Dynasty and allow it to continue for another one or two hundred years. The current emperor is ultimately benevolent and can be called a moderate ruler, as is the Prince of Guangping... Perhaps he can be revitalized; it all depends on what happens when the Prince of Fengjie comes of age..."

(End of Volume One, "The Palace of Eternal Life Locks in the Spring Clouds")

Chapter 1: Strange People in the Martial World

In the ninth month of the second year of the Zhide era, on the day of Guimao, the Tang army recaptured the western capital Chang'an. Soon after, Deputy Marshal Guo Ziyi led Han and non-Han troops to pursue the rebel army to Tongguan, where they recaptured Huayin and Hongnong prefectures and beheaded 5,000.

On a certain morning earlier, the Chunming Gate on the east side of Chang'an City quietly opened, and five fast horses stepped out of the gate under the watchful eyes of Prince Jianning and Li Tan, the military secretary of the Marshal's Office, and headed straight for Ba Bridge.

Ba Bridge is named for the Ba River it spans, which originates in Lantian County and flows northwest into the Wei River. After crossing Ba Bridge, the five knights traveled south along the left bank of the Ba River, their first destination being Lantian County.

Although the route they were traveling along was also a major thoroughfare, it differed from the main road connecting Chang'an and Tongguan. Due to the terrain, it was relatively narrower and more rugged—the surging Ba River was on the right, and the famous Lishan Mountain was on the left. From Ba Bridge to Lantian, it was only about fifty li (approximately 25 kilometers), and even at a moderate speed, it would take a little over an hour to reach the destination.

However, after traveling only halfway, one of the riders suddenly slowed down, then with a "whoosh," pulled the reins to a stop, and the rider leaped off. The other four riders, puzzled, could only turn their horses around to investigate—

"what happened?"

The dismounted knight bent down to examine his mount, his tone full of frustration: "The girth of the horse is broken..." He then looked up, frowning at his companion: "We've only just left Chang'an, and this has already happened. Is this a warning from heaven that our journey is not going to be very auspicious?"

"Pah! Don't jinx it!" one of the youngest-looking companions immediately spat. "It's just poor saddle maintenance, what kind of divine warning is this? How can it be unlucky?"

"I told you earlier that today was not a good day to travel and that we should postpone it until tomorrow, but Prince Jianning refused to agree and insisted on setting off immediately..."

“You dare disobey the king’s command?” His young companion dismounted, saying, “Hurry up and get ready; we can rest and have a drink.” He then glanced at the three men still on horseback: “Gentlemen, it seems you’re not used to riding these fine horses in the army, are you?”

One of them immediately frowned: "Is Li Zhiguo implying that we are江湖人士 (jianghu figures) without official status?!"

The second person to dismount was Li Ji, who held the official rank of Deputy Commandant of Zhiguo. He was ordered by Emperor Li Heng, and also entrusted by Prince Li Shi of Fengjie, to sneak into Luoyang, the capital, to find out the whereabouts of Consort Shen, the concubine of Prince Guangping, and to ensure her safety.

Li Fuguo sent three so-called "martial arts experts"—the same three who were still seated on their horses. However, Li Bi immediately requested of Li Heng that although his younger brother was brave, he was impulsive and lacked strategy, and therefore needed a more experienced military commander to assist him. This was, of course, at Li Ji's behest, and Li Ji, through Li Bi, recommended a suitable person: Chen Fu, the Yihui Xiaowei of the Shence Army.

Chen Fu was originally the deputy commander of the Yihui Army. He was promoted one rank because he followed Li Tan on a nighttime expedition to pursue the fleeing enemy. In fact, Li Ji, who captured the traitor Tian Qianzhen, was not promoted because his merits and demerits canceled each other out after he severely beat the Uyghur Yehu prince.

Li Ji chose Chen Fu as his ally because he was most familiar with three junior officers in the army: Jing Jiang, Chen Fu, and Yi Tiechui. After a period of contact and observation, he felt that although Old Jing was righteous, he lacked intelligence—otherwise, he wouldn't have almost become a target of the eunuch's treachery, trying to let Li Ji leave the palace. Yi Tiechui was a pure brute, needless to say. Only Chen Fu, seemingly honest but actually cunning, could be considered someone of his own type, and they could even support each other.

As for officers of mid-level or higher rank, if they are sent here, whose orders will they listen to?

It was Chen Fu who dismounted to fix his horse's girth. Li Ji seized the opportunity to ask the three "supernatural beings" to also dismount, have some water, and rest for a while. Unexpectedly, the three refused, suspecting Li Ji was mocking them. Li Ji immediately flew into a rage, pointed, and shouted:

"Don't think that just because you know some rough and unsavory martial arts, you can't handle such confidential matters without your help! I, Li, also came from humble beginnings. I visited famous mountains and studied under sages, learning excellent martial arts skills. Later, when I was protecting the marshal in Ding'an City, I killed two people like you and captured one alive on the spot!"

"Since you are so confident in your abilities, why don't you dismount and have a contest? Let me see what makes these so-called 'extraordinary people' so extraordinary!"

The three men's expressions turned somewhat unpleasant as they listened to his boasting and cursing.

According to Li Fuguo, these three were recruited by him after he accompanied the emperor to Fengxiang. One was from Pengcheng, named Yu Xiuhe, who was skilled in light-footed martial arts and could leap directly up walls eight or nine feet high without using his hands; another was from Shu, named Yunlin, who was said to have studied immortal magic in Kunlun Mountain and was also proficient in swordsmanship; and the third was from Taiyuan, named Jia Huai, who had worked as a jailer and was skilled with a whistle.

The one who suspected Li Ji of making sarcastic remarks was Yun Lin. This guy was the youngest of the three extraordinary people, probably not much older than Li Ji. Although he usually liked to dress as a scholar, he only knew a few words. He obviously wanted to join the bureaucracy but couldn't find a way in. Therefore, he was most sensitive to the difference between scholars and commoners.

Jia Huai, being older and more mature, especially having worked within the system, valued hierarchy and knew that superiors shouldn't be offended in public. He quickly pulled Yun Lin aside, saying, "Li Zhiguo's invitation for us to dismount and rest was well-intentioned; why argue about it?" He then smiled, "The horses in the army are strong, and my legs are indeed a bit sore; I should rest." He then called to his two companions, and they dismounted together.

Yunlin's expression remained displeased, but Li Ji persisted.

"No way! We have to have a contest with them!" Chen Fu chimed in from the side, "I need time to adjust my horse's girth. It would be good for you to have a contest first." After a pause, he added, "We're about to venture into the lion's den to do such a great thing. If we don't know each other's strengths and weaknesses, how will we cooperate and support each other in the future?"

Yun Lin snorted coldly and placed his hand on the sword at his waist: "Since that's the case, I, Yun, will not be so polite. Please, Li Zhiguo, draw your sword."

Li Ji spread his hands and said, "Let me show you my strength first, and then we'll test my weapons—whether it's fists, kicks, or sumo, the three of you can come up together, and we'll have the first match!"

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged bewildered glances—each of them possessed a unique skill, but in terms of martial arts alone, they were not particularly adept.

Chen Fu was busy adjusting the horse's girth, but he overheard the entire conversation between the four men. He immediately laughed and said, "Changwei, that's not very fair of you. You're good at sumo wrestling, and three or five ordinary men can't even get close to you. Why do you have to use your strength to fight their weakness? But those three are all outstanding men recommended by Lord Li, and they all look strong. Even if they're not good at hand-to-hand combat, they could easily overpower you if they all rushed at you—don't let yourself be caught off guard and become a laughingstock."

Li Ji said arrogantly, "I'll take on three at once. If you're not convinced, Old Chen, then it's your turn after those three!"

Chen Fu didn't turn around, but waved his hand behind him: "I'm not fighting, I'm busy. If I'm delayed and can't get into Lantian City by noon, I'll have to eat dry rations in the wild."

The three were still hesitating—Yunlin, in particular, was the most easily provoked and was quite eager to try—but Li Ji suddenly leaped up: "If you don't dare to come, then I will!" He pounced on Yunlin.

Enraged by his words, Yunlin roared, "Who wouldn't dare?!" Releasing his right hand from his sword, he threw a punch at Li Ji's face. Li Ji parried, but Yunlin's move was a feint. His arm suddenly twisted like a snake, changing direction from a blow to a punch to the chest. Li Ji couldn't help but exclaim, "Eh!"—this was somewhat similar to the fist technique taught by that immortal master Xu.

Since they were similar, he naturally had a countermeasure, and his left hand quickly came to protect his chest. Yun Lin did not want to confront him head-on, so he changed his move again, but Li Ji took the opportunity to close in instantly, wrapping his arms around Yun Lin's waist.

Yun Lin was shocked and quickly retreated—whether he used his fists or his sword, he had to keep a certain distance from his enemy. He had never practiced close-quarters combat before. However, Li Ji missed his grab and took the opportunity to leap forward again. Seemingly against the principles of boxing, he knocked Yun Lin to the ground with his head and then pressed his whole body against him.

He also shouted, "The other two come at me too! Don't say I'm taking advantage of you by only hitting one at a time!"

Yu Xiuhe and Jia Huai had no choice but to simultaneously apologize, saying, "Excuse me," and together they grabbed Li Ji's arm.

Originally, he only wanted to pull Li Ji away from Yun Lin, but unexpectedly, Li Ji bent one leg and pressed it firmly against Yun Lin's stomach, making the other party dry heave and almost unable to move. Li Ji took the opportunity to break free, grabbed Jia Huai's pulse point with his left hand, and inserted his right wrist into Yu Xiuhe's ribs, then flipped it up and firmly locked one of his arms.

He then exerted force with both arms, and with a shout, pressed down hard. The two men involuntarily bent one knee and knelt on the ground. Li Ji laughed loudly, "How about that? I said one against three, and I meant one against three!"

Yu and Jia were both unconvinced, thinking to themselves that Yunlin could be considered defeated by you. We originally only wanted to come up and break him up before having a proper match. Who would have thought that you could subdue that good-for-nothing Yunlin without even using your hands... But Li Ji's strength is really great. It was worth Li Gong's repeated instructions before he left that we should not have a direct confrontation with him...

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling that continuing the fight was pointless. Moreover, as long as he didn't break free, Li Ji could render them helpless with sheer strength. Yu Xiuhe thought to himself, "My specialty is lightness skill; with one arm locked, how can I use it? To use my weakness against my strength is truly unwise."

It would be better to admit defeat and feign flattery, which would make Li Ji lower his guard. Or perhaps we could have a weapons contest later? I don't believe he's proficient in both fists and weapons—he's still quite young. Strength might be innate, but techniques always require time to learn and practice.

So they all flattered him, saying, "Li Zhiguo's power is divine; we are in awe!"

Yunlin was pressed against his stomach and couldn't speak.

Li Ji continued to laugh heartily, and called out, "Old Chen, come and take a look."

Chen Fu approached with a smile, saying, "You're cheating, what kind of hero are you?" Before he finished speaking, he suddenly leaped forward, his long sword, already drawn and concealed behind him, swung around and struck Jia Huai hard on the back of the head with the back of the blade. Jia Huai felt a darkness before his eyes and collapsed to the ground with a "thud." Taking advantage of this, Li Ji released his left hand and simultaneously pulled with his right arm, wrapping his arms around Yu Xiuhe and pinning him down—right on top of Yun Lin's stomach.

He said, "This one is said to know kung fu, we have to tie him up."

Chen Fu nodded: "I brought a hemp rope."

Yu Xiuhe shouted, "Li Zhiguo, what do you mean by this? We have not offended you..."

Li Ji sneered, "What do you think I mean? Why speak such nonsense in front of sensible people?"

Immediately, Li and Chen worked together to tie the three "strange people" up like dumplings with hemp rope and threw them in the middle of the road—anyway, with the recent chaos of war, there were few pedestrians on this road, and even if there were, they would be blocked by others...

Jia Huai was struck on the back of the head, but Chen Fu's blow wasn't very strong, so he woke up quickly. He shook himself, struggling to break free, and saw Yun Lin kneeling on the ground, just dry heaving. He heard Yu Xiuhe...

Chapter Two, Throwing the Peasant into the Clear Waves

Pugu Huai'en asked Jia Huai who was more powerful, Li Fuguo or the Emperor. Jia Huai was somewhat puzzled and slightly raised his head, but Pugu Huai'en glared at him fiercely, frightening him into daring not to answer:

"The sage is the ruler of the world, supreme and great; naturally, Lord Li cannot compare to him..."

Pugu Huaien sneered, "You know it best." He pointed at Li Ji and said, "This Li Ji once saved the lives of the Prince of Guangping and the Prince of Jianning, and he also has a deep friendship with the Prince of Fengjie—otherwise, why would the Prince ask him to lead you all to the capital to search for someone? The Prince of Guangping and the Prince of Jianning are the sons of the Emperor, and the Prince of Fengjie is the eldest grandson of the Emperor. All three of them said that if anything happens to Li Ji, all those who accompany him will be executed by slow slicing and their entire families will be exterminated!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Huai's heart skipped a beat...

Then Pugu Huai'en continued, "If any of you three were to die, you would still be just commoners, without any official rank. Would Li Fuguo show you any pity? He certainly wouldn't make Li Ji pay for your lives! If this mission succeeds, it will be easy for Li Ji to petition the Emperor and the Prince of Guangping to secure an official position for you. For example, you could be assigned to the command of the Grand Marshal, or to Vice Grand Marshal Guo, or even to my command. Li Fuguo is in the palace; what can he do to you?"

"Even if we fail, we can still give you official positions as a reward for your hard work. But regardless of success or failure, if anything happens to Li Ji, or if he says a few bad things about you to the Marshal, you will all be dead!"

“Li Fuguo is just a eunuch. Even if he is favored by the emperor for a time, he will be disliked by the Prince of Guangping and the Prince of Jianning. How can he last long? As for you, you serve him only for fame and profit. Whatever he promises you, the Prince of Guangping and the Prince of Jianning can give you as well.”

"Furthermore, the Prince of Guangping will be made crown prince sooner or later, and the Prince of Fengjie also has a share in inheriting the throne. It doesn't matter if you offend Li Ji, and it's even less important if you offend Li Fuguo. But if you offend those two, hehe, no matter how big the world is, where will you find a place to hide?!"