Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 36

Therefore, it could only be a charade, the purpose of which was to get Zhou Zhi to leave Chang'an as soon as possible and to keep him out of sight for a period of time, so as not to report the thieves. Li Ji thought to himself that the woman in white and the young men were actually "honorable thieves," although they framed Zhou Zhi, they didn't really hand him over to the authorities as a scapegoat, nor did they kill him outright to avoid future trouble...

Simply cutting off his path to officialdom and kicking him out is quite lenient.

He laid out his analysis to Consort Shen in its entirety, and Consort Shen nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your judgment is the same as that of Magistrate Cui." Then she smiled and said, "This is, after all, a matter from twenty years ago. I was just over twenty years old when I was suddenly involved in the heinous theft case. I was flustered and confused and did not have time to investigate carefully, which is understandable."

The implication is that you can't judge people with old eyes and think that Zhou Zhi is still so easy to fool.

Then, let's continue with the second part of the story:

Meanwhile, Cui Guangyuan, having received a reminder from Zhou Zhi at the banquet, immediately devised a plan to capture the "master bandit," interrogated him rigorously, and confronted Zhou Zhi. The master bandit was quite honest and confessed everything without needing torture.

He admitted that he was indeed responsible for the palace robbery several years ago. There were nine of them in total: eight teenagers and a woman in white—and the mastermind was indeed the woman in white.

The woman in white was named Jiao Jingzhen, her origins and background unknown. Zhou Zhi thought she was seventeen or eighteen, but she was actually over forty. However, she possessed a strange ability to maintain her youthful appearance. The eight boys were all orphans adopted by Jiao Jingzhen, who taught them secret techniques for lightness of body. They frequently traveled to various places, either swindling or stealing from wealthy families. It's unclear what possessed Jiao Jingzhen at that time, but she suddenly became ambitious and went to Chang'an to plot a robbery within the imperial court.

Afterwards, Jiao Jingzhen was still able to calmly set a trap to deal with Zhou Zhi's problem, confident that her whereabouts would not be discovered. Unexpectedly, the matter involved the palace, enraging the emperor, who unleashed his loyal henchmen. Following the slightest clues, they eventually found her. During her escape, Jiao Jingzhen was shot in the back by a crossbow bolt fired by an official, and died from her wounds.

After burying their master, the youths naturally began to divide their belongings, and soon infighting broke out, causing the group to break up and scatter. One of them—one of the two youths who had lured Zhou Zhi that day—finded it difficult to commit crimes alone, so he wandered around and eventually went to Shu, where he joined Cui Guangyuan's tutelage.

Cui Guangyuan's interrogation

De Shi secretly sent people to excavate Jiao Jingzhen's grave, only to find a blood-stained white garment in the soil, but no remains...

Even in his youth, Cui Guangyuan enjoyed associating with extraordinary individuals from the martial arts world. After becoming an official, he sought them out even more, inviting them to join his circle of friends. Although his achievements during his tenure as magistrate of Tang'an were not yet significant, and he had few capable subordinates, he had heard countless anecdotes and strange tales. If he had the will, he could easily have written hundreds of thousands of words of legendary stories.

Therefore, Cui Guangyuan had heard of extraordinary individuals faking their deaths to escape, or even performing miracles like the Daoist concept of "disintegration of the body." When, this time, they failed to unearth Jiao Jingzhen's remains, only finding a blood-stained white robe, and reported this to Tang An, Cui Ling couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, followed by a cold sweat…

—That was close! Luckily, I hadn't reported this to my superiors yet, nor had I killed the notorious bandit on the spot.

The original plan was to wait until the bandit leader's remains were unearthed and there was evidence before reporting, to avoid the bandit being merely making empty promises or spreading falsehoods. However, having found the blood-stained clothes, it's clear the indicated burial location was correct; having not found the remains, it seems... Jiao Jingzhen might still be alive!

If I were to easily reveal this matter, or execute Jiao Jingzhen's disciple, wouldn't she come looking for revenge? I can't defend against her underhanded tactics!

Originally, Cui Guangyuan admired the talent of the master thief and wanted to give him an important position. However, since this matter had been exposed, considering his past experience as a bandit, he dared not use him. The matter required lightness skills must be extremely secretive, so how could he entrust it to a guy with a criminal record? Yet, he also couldn't bear to kill him.

Now, coupled with the suspicion that Jiao Jingzhen was not dead, Cui Guangyuan hesitated to act rashly. After obtaining Zhou Zhi's forgiveness, he kept the notorious thief in the manor, but made it clear to him that he would only stay here to make a living and would not employ him. However, he said that it would be a pity to lose such skills. He suggested that Cui Guangyuan choose a servant in his manor, take him as an apprentice, and teach him all his knowledge as a way of repaying his guest.

The notorious thief dared not refuse, so he searched the entire mansion for a suitable successor. However, this kind of agility required exceptional talent; tall people were out of the question, as were those who were obese. Even a young man, whose future could be predicted by feeling his bones, would naturally be ineligible for this skill if he were likely to become a large, fat man as an adult.

Have you ever seen a burly man weighing over 300 pounds leap across rooftops as if walking on flat ground?

As a result, not a single person in the entire household was qualified. Cui Guangyuan thought the notorious bandit was deliberately making excuses, and he flew into a rage, his murderous intent rekindled. The bandit panicked and knelt down to report that there was indeed a suitable candidate, but he was simply too young.

It turns out that during his journey to take up his post, Cui Guangyuan found an abandoned baby. Feeling sorry for her, he entrusted her to a family member who had served him for generations and raised her with great care.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji blurted out, "It's Cui Qi!"

Consort Shen nodded and said, "That's right."

Cui Qi was still an infant at the time, but the notorious bandit saw her when he examined her adoptive parents and concluded that only this girl could inherit his mantle. Cui Guangyuan was skeptical but had no other choice, so he ordered Cui Qi to begin practicing skills with the bandit every day after she turned three…

More than a decade passed quickly. Cui Guangyuan rose through the ranks, eventually going to Chang'an to become the Vice Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture. When he visited Shen Yizhi, he mentioned Zhou Zhi—who had by then joined An Lushan's staff—and recounted this past event in detail. He was there to oversee the criminal justice system of Jingzhao Prefecture, while Shen Yizhi had just stepped down as the Chief Justice of Dali and was considered a seasoned judge. Discussing old cases and analyzing their details would help them build rapport.

Shen Zhen then reported this matter to Consort Shen, who, out of curiosity, sent someone to Cui Guangyuan's residence, saying she wished to summon Cui Qi to witness his skills. At that time, Cui Qi was already thirteen years old, and it was said that his agility and martial arts had already reached a considerable level.

Li Ji secretly calculated that Consort Shen hadn't specified the exact year, but she was about thirteen years old five years ago, so Cui Qi was at most one year younger than him... It was completely impossible to tell!

At this point in the story, it finally connects with Cui Qi, and it can be confirmed that Cui Qi is indeed Cui Guangyuan's subordinate, and not a privately recruited superhuman, but a maidservant raised at home since childhood.

Li Ji couldn't help but think that in addition to his lightness skill, Cui Qi also had a way of throwing flying swords. Among the people who went to assassinate the general's mansion that day, there was one who was also good at lightness skill and could throw darts... He wondered if there was any connection between them, and whether they were all Jiao Jingzhen's disciples or grand-disciples.

Of course, such a question could only be answered by asking Cui Qi in person; Consort Shen couldn't answer it. So Li Ji crossed his hands and asked, "Yu Lingyun and Cui Qi have suddenly disappeared—where did she go instead of protecting Your Highness?"

Consort Shen waved her hand: "I am perfectly safe here, why should I need her protection..." Before she could finish speaking, someone outside the door suddenly shouted: "Is Li Zhiguo here? Something terrible has happened!"

That was Jia Huai's voice, sounding rather panicked. Li Ji was surprised—what could be so serious? Could it be that the rebels had discovered Consort Shen's whereabouts and planned to abduct her before fleeing? He hurriedly apologized to Consort Shen and Yang Siyi, turned around, and rushed out the door.

Jia Huai and Yun Lin were pacing outside the gate, only stopping when Li Ji emerged. Immediately, Chen Fu grabbed Li Ji's arm and shouted, "The government troops are entering the city!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "This is a good thing! Why do you all look so panicked?" Yun Lin, standing nearby, didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "However, the first to enter the city were the Uyghur soldiers, who were burning, killing, and looting everywhere, and they were approaching the Shengshan Temple!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji suddenly realized—oh no, I'd forgotten about that…

Li Heng once promised that after the recapture of the two capitals, the land and people would belong to the Tang Dynasty, and the wealth would be returned to the Tang.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Uyghur General

Li Ji glanced at Chen Fu, who was still panting heavily, then turned to look at Jia Huai and Yun Lin, and suggested, "The best course of action now is to trouble Brother Jia to sneak out of the temple and find the Prince of Guangping as soon as possible... no, it would be best to find the Prince of Jianning and tell him that Shen... that person is in Shengshan Temple and may be harassed by the Uyghur soldiers. He must come to his rescue immediately!"

Jia Fu had helped Yu Ling deliver a letter before, so someone in the Tang army should know him, which would make it easier for him to find Li Tan.

Jia Fu agreed and turned to leave, intending to sneak out through another gate. No sooner had he left than the sound of galloping hooves could be heard in the distance. Li Ji quickly climbed the ladder himself, ascended the temple wall, and peered out.

From afar, as dust rose, dozens of riders slowly approached. They all wore iron helmets and leather armor, carrying swords and bows—they were Uyghur cavalry. Many bags hung from their saddles, presumably the spoils of their recent plunder. A long string of Tang women, of varying ages, were tied to the back of their horses, their hands bound, forced to run alongside their horses, panting heavily. Some even fell and were dragged along, their cries of agony heart-wrenching.

Upon seeing this, Li Ji was filled with rage!

Mencius said, "I have seen the ox but not the sheep," which is truly a profound truth. Many things are difficult to move one's heart unless one sees them with one's own eyes. When Li Ji first heard that the Uyghur soldiers had entered the city and looted, although he was also angry, he had not yet seen the miserable state of the women and was only focused on protecting Consort Shen and the common people in Shengshan Temple. As for the entire city of Luoyang, he figured he couldn't control it... However, after witnessing the Tang women being abducted with his own eyes, he couldn't help but be furious and could no longer suppress his anger.

He almost wanted to jump off the wall, scatter the Uyghur soldiers, and rescue the women into the temple.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt a tap on his shoulder, followed by a familiar voice: "Don't be rash, let's think this through."

Li Ji didn't need to turn around to know who it was—Cui Qi, weren't you missing? How come you suddenly reappeared? And you climbed up the wall so silently, so close to me, that I didn't even notice… If you wanted to stab me, just use a short sword, and I wouldn't be able to dodge it!

He then coldly asked, "What other plan do you have?"

Cui Qi said, "Didn't you send someone out to inform Prince Jianning? You can try shouting to these Uyghur soldiers to buy time for reinforcements to arrive."

Li Ji pointed and said, "The reinforcements have arrived and may be able to save Consort Shen and everyone in the temple, but what about those who have already been captured?"

Cui Qi sighed softly, "Then we can only place our hopes on Prince Jianning..."

Li Ji thought it made sense. Although the emperor was a scoundrel and Li Chu was unreliable, Li Tan was ultimately much more responsible than his father and brother. He could only hope that Li Tan could persuade the Crown Prince Yehu to give up the abduction of the women from Luoyang.

He had helped stop the Uyghur soldiers from plundering Chang'an in the past, but that was because the strategy of "capture the leader to defeat the enemy" was to seize the leader first. Now, the Uyghur prince was no longer within his sights, and that plan was unlikely to succeed. Moreover, facing dozens of Uyghur cavalrymen, could he possibly drive them all away by jumping down alone? Even with Cui Qi and the flying sword from the wall to help, it wouldn't be enough. As for others, he doubted many would have the courage to fight alongside him.

Even if he could scatter these Uyghur soldiers and rescue the woman being led by the horse, it would still be just a drop in the ocean. Luoyang is such a big city, what would happen to the women who were kidnapped elsewhere?

In just a short while, the Uyghur soldiers had already approached the temple gate, all brandishing long swords and yelling at the top of their lungs. It was unclear what they were shouting... They were probably ordering the temple gate to be opened so they could go in and rob money and women, and if it wasn't opened, then we might have to use our knives!

Li Ji glanced around and recognized the general leading the troops; he was probably the one he had entertained when the Crown Prince of Yehu came to meet Li Chu. He immediately puffed out his chest, sticking half his body over the wall, pointed his halberd at the general, and roared, "Summon the Crown Prince of Yehu to see me!"

His voice was naturally loud, and this sentence, delivered with a powerful gust of air from his diaphragm, was like a thunderclap, so loud that A-Cuo, who was crouching beside him, covered his ears, completely silencing the shouts of the Uyghur soldiers. The Uyghur soldiers were stunned; their shouts seemed to have been cut off by a knife, and they immediately fell silent.

Most of them couldn't understand Tang language. Li Ji shouted the whole sentence, and they only understood "Yehu" – because this term was a transliteration.

The Uyghur general leading the troops looked at Li Ji, whom he didn't recognize; he couldn't understand what the man was shouting. He said "Yagu," could it be that he had a relationship with the Yagu and hoped that we would let them go and not disturb the temple? But how could a Tang man, not an official, have a relationship with our Yagu? Unless the Yagu he was referring to was... Li Chengcai, the Khan's son-in-law? Why should we bother with that guy's old friend?

He immediately raised his sword, held it up to the air, and retorted with something. Of course, Li Ji couldn't understand it either, so he could only repeatedly call out the name of "Prince Yehu". After calling it a few times, seeing that it had no effect, and his own voice was getting hoarse, he reached out and pinched his throat, then raised it and beckoned to the Uyghur general.

The Uyghur general asked what this meant, unable to speak, and asked me to come closer to answer.

Last night, they were ordered to launch a surprise attack on the rebel army in Cijian. As Li Tan and Guo Ziyi had predicted, the rebels had already heard news of An Qingxu's escape, causing widespread panic. They were swiftly defeated by the Tang-Hui allied forces, with most surrendering and becoming prisoners. Immediately afterwards, a secret order arrived from the Yabghu prince, instructing the Uyghur cavalry not to rest, but to advance directly into Luoyang that very night to seize money and women, lest they be captured by the Tang army again.

That was obstructed.

Along the way, they encountered few setbacks. Although the rebel army defending the city had scattered, even among the common people in Luoyang, few dared to resist the Uyghur soldiers—the wealthy mostly paid for peace, while the poor could only watch helplessly as their wives and daughters were abducted—they were robbing with such ease that they had lost their vigilance. Therefore, seeing Li Ji beckon, the general slightly led his horse closer to the temple wall.

Seeing this scene from the top of the wall, Li Ji couldn't help but feel an irresistible urge to act.

In truth, he had been persuaded by Cui Qi to abandon any thought of leaving the temple to fight the Uyghur soldiers, as he felt he had no chance of winning. His voice was a little hoarse from shouting, so he casually waved, hoping the general would come closer to talk. To his surprise, the general was quite obedient, and...

You've positioned yourself so perfectly, just a few steps from the temple wall. If I were to leap down from this height, I could easily catch you. Since that's the case, it would be a shame not to give it a try.

To capture the thief, capture the king. In the past, capturing the Crown Prince of Yehu could save the women of Chang'an. Although we cannot save the entire city of Luoyang now, capturing this general might offer hope of saving those captured by this small group of Uyghur soldiers.

So I pounced!

A-Cuo reached out but failed to grab him. Li Ji pushed off the wall with his right leg and leaped down, opening his arms to embrace the Uyghur general. The general's long sword was still raised high, slashing a gash more than an inch long on Li Ji's face, blood spurting out. But at the same time, Li Ji hit his target, firmly gripping the general's arms, and knocking both man and horse to the ground.

The Uyghur soldiers were all shocked and hurriedly drew their swords to help, but Li Ji moved quickly. He flipped over and jumped up, his own sword already in hand. He then brandished it at the neck of the Uyghur general who was pinned to the ground. The Uyghur soldiers, fearing for their lives, were forced to rein in their horses.

Then one man faced dozens of riders, shouting insults at each other, but of course, it was all a charade, and no one could understand him. Helpless, Li Ji could only gesture, first pointing to the women being held captive by the Uyghur soldiers, then to the Uyghur general at his feet, the meaning being: exchange those women for your general.

Several Uyghur soldiers on horseback were also gesturing, pointing to the temple gate and then to Li Ji. It was unclear whether they were saying, "If you release our general, we will not enter the temple to plunder," or "With your strength alone, you probably cannot save the entire temple, so give up on this idea!"

Li Ji didn't care. Although he couldn't achieve his goal by holding someone hostage, he could at least buy time for Jia Huai to bring his reinforcements, Li Tan.

However, not long after, the sound of horses' hooves rang out again. Li Ji glanced sideways with anticipation—oh no, it was the Uyghur army again, and this time there were even more of them.

Li Tan, you're moving way too slowly! I can't hold on much longer! Heaven knows how high-ranking this Hu general at my feet is. If he doesn't accept the threats and disregards the hostages' lives, swarming in, I'm doomed!

Several Uyghur soldiers who were confronting Li Ji rode off to report the situation to the approaching army. Not long after, a silver-armored general rode up, cracking his whip and shouting, "Release the man immediately, or I'll spare your life!" Although somewhat awkward, it was a proper Tang Dynasty accent.

Li Ji thought to himself that being able to communicate was a good thing, and when he looked up, he was both surprised and delighted. He was delighted because the person who had become a friend through a fight was none other than Dide, the very same person he had defeated with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu; he was surprised because, if Dide hadn't considered their friendship, he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat him unless it was hand-to-hand combat…

But with all the enemy troops surrounding you, you plan to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy general? Either the enemy is out of their mind, or you yourself are... well, you know.

Then he shouted, "Emperor De, I am not even afraid of your Crown Prince Yehu, so why would I be afraid of you?!"

Upon hearing this, Di De was somewhat confused. Who was this person? How did he recognize me? "Who are you?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Hey, they only remember the good times and not the bad ones—I am Li Ji. After more than a month apart, do you think I don't recognize you?"

Di De scrutinized Li Ji's face closely, and vaguely realized that they did indeed look somewhat alike—"You are Li Ji? Why...did you shave your beard?"

The Chinese have a saying, "Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents, and we should not damage them," so men are accustomed to growing beards. Although the Uyghurs don't have this saying, their customs are similar—of course, they aren't absolutely forbidden from touching their beards, and they often trim them. So Emperor De wondered, "Li Ji, why do you shave all the time?"

I've heard that some elderly people in the Tang Dynasty would pretend to be young to look younger—for example, those who had passed the age limit for the imperial examinations—and might shave or even pluck their beards. But you're not that old, and with this shaved beard, you look even more like a child; I almost didn't recognize you. What could be the reason for this?

Li Ji certainly couldn't say that he was impersonating a eunuch, and besides, the matter was hard to explain. Almost instinctively, he reached out and touched his stubble, and could only casually say, "I had lice, so I had no choice but to shave it off temporarily."

He then glared at Di De and said, "Summon the Crown Prince of Yabghu."

"Why do you wish to see the Crown Prince?"

Li Ji straightened his chest and said righteously, "Back then, the Crown Prince of Yehu wanted to abduct women from Chang'an, and it was only after the Marshal pleaded that he was allowed to leave. Now he's trying to abduct women from Luoyang again. Does he think that punch I gave him back then wasn't hard enough?!"

When Dide heard him mention this matter, his expression changed.

Several Uyghur generals, who couldn't understand Tang language at all, gathered around and asked Emperor De who this person was and what he wanted. Emperor De said to them, "Do you remember outside Chang'an City, someone dared to beat up the Crown Prince? This is the man, named Li Ji."

Upon hearing this, the Uyghur generals were shocked, and their expressions changed in various ways.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: When Faced with Strength, There Will Always Be Setbacks

The Uyghur general patted his chest and introduced himself, saying, "My name is Chebi Shitu Tunfa Peiluo Teqin."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Are you Russian? Your name is so long."

In fact, the other party had given out his name and position, just like Li Ji introduced himself as "Li Changwei, Deputy Commandant of the Seventh Rank, Lower Grade"—his name was Chebishi, "Tutunfa" refers to an inspector, "Peiluo" means prince or grandson of a king, indicating that he was a member of the Uyghur royal family, and "Teqin" refers to his rank, which was second only to Yabghu and She, and ranked third after the Khan.

Di De raised his hand and introduced, "The Crown Prince has brought four thousand cavalry. I will bring two thousand, and Tu Tunfa will bring two thousand to supervise the entire army. He is reliable, trustworthy, and you can rest assured."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Oh dear, I didn't know that Di De's rank was so high, and this Tu Tun Fa (whose real name is Che Bi Shi) seems to be no lower than Di De. If I can capture this person, I will have something to talk about with the Uyghurs."

He now firmly believes that problems that can be solved with fists are not problems at all.

He immediately reversed the horizontal sword in his hand and put it behind his back—for the sake of complete safety, he could not put the sword away for the time being—and raised his left hand with the five fingers together to the side at chest level, making a "please" gesture.

Che Bishi curled his lip, displaying an arrogant attitude, and was about to step forward to face Li Jifang. Di De was worried that he would be careless and lose, so he quickly reminded him: "Don't be fooled by his youth. He is strong and good at wrestling. I used to fight him and I was defeated in no time. Tu Tunfa, be careful."

Upon hearing this, Chebi Shi was slightly taken aback. He then turned to look at Dide, who was still on horseback, and asked, "Are you serious? He can actually defeat you?"

Di De nodded and said, “Absolutely true. On that day, when Tu Tunfa was guarding the main camp, I accompanied the Crown Prince to see the Prince of Guangping. I wrestled with Li Ji and the others and lost. When the Crown Prince heard about it, he also called him a brave warrior and rewarded him with the wolf pelt he had hunted a few days earlier.”

Che Bishi narrowed his leopard-like eyes slightly, stroked his beard, then turned around instantly and mounted his horse again.

Li Ji was puzzled and hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by this? You don't mean to challenge me to a horse battle, do you? Let alone that I don't have a mount, even if I did, my skills would definitely not be as good as your nomadic tribes—this is an unfair victory for you!"

Di De coughed awkwardly and replied, "You're young, beardless, and don't bully children."

Li Ji couldn't help but find it amusing: "What did you just say to him? Is he scared?" He felt quite regretful.

To be honest, Li Ji wasn't confident of victory against the tall and imposing Chebishi before the actual fight. He just gritted his teeth and thought, "What's the worst that can happen? I'll fight to the death!" He believed that shamelessness was invincible, and if he didn't value his life, he was sure this Uyghur barbarian would fall into his hands. If he could defeat him, he could at least save the Tang women who had been kidnapped nearby; if he could completely suppress him, he might be able to negotiate more with Emperor De.

I'm so angry and hot-blooded right now. If I can save a few more people, I'll accept it even if I get hacked to pieces afterwards!

But who would have thought that Chebi Shi was a "clever man," of noble status, who avoided dangerous places. No one knows what Emperor De said to him, but he actually chickened out—it doesn't matter if you chicken out, but who am I supposed to vent my strength on?! If I lose my temper too, are the women in Luoyang supposed to expect the Crown Prince Yehu to have mercy, or for the Li brothers to take responsibility?

Li Chu is one thing, no one can count on him, but Li Tan, why haven't you shown up yet?!

Over there, Chebishi rattled off a long speech to Dide, who then replied to Li Ji, "Tutunfa is invincible in every battle. He has killed at least five hundred, if not a thousand, warriors. He is not afraid of you, but... he is not worth fighting." As he spoke, he turned his head slightly to avoid Chebishi's gaze and gave Li Ji a wink.

That means: He's scared, please help him out and save him some face.

Chebishi was indeed somewhat timid, because everyone knew that Dide was the tribe's number one warrior. Chebishi had fought him before, and had basically lost every time. So, how could he dare to go up and let the Tang man who could defeat Dide in just a few punches and kicks go? He needed to find a way to save face in time. Otherwise, if he was defeated, with so many subordinates around, would they still obey his orders without question? Moreover, there were quite a few people around who didn't get along with him, and they would definitely spread the word everywhere. Where would he put his old face then?

I discussed it with Dide, and we decided to swarm him and take him down—the guy at his feet is just an insignificant general, we don't need to worry about his life or death.

Di De shook his head and said, "No. He is a confidant of the Prince of Guangping. How can we arrest him without authorization? Moreover, if so many of us capture him, we will surely be looked down upon by the Tang people. He has a knife in his hand. If there is any injury among us, it will damage the friendship between our two families and may jeopardize the Crown Prince's important affairs."

Upon hearing this, Che Bishi was speechless.