Chapter 96: The Prince of Hejian

Since Lu Xin had taken Li Chunfeng as his master, he had rarely seen this teacher praise anyone. Even at the bottom of Dongting Lake, when they had encountered Meng Fan, the lord of the ghost market, there had been no obvious words of approval.

Before meeting Wei Zheng, there had been only one exception: the day they saw the monk Xuanzang of Pure Land Temple outside the walls of Chang’an. Li Chunfeng had used the words “very strong, exceedingly strong” to describe the monk’s cultivation. Later, he had added that Xuanzang possessed the highest cultivation of all the yinyang masters he had ever seen.

Now, Li Chunfeng had actually described Wei Zheng as “profound in cultivation,” and that alone was enough to surprise Lu Xin. At the very least, when Li Chunfeng had met Hui Jing and Hui Neng, the two “bodhisattvas” of the Flame-Burning Buddha Mountain, he had never spoken of them in such terms.

Whether Wei Zheng truly possessed the power to behead a dragon king, as the Tale of the Journey to the West claimed, was still impossible to tell. But from Li Chunfeng’s reaction, Lu Xin’s view of this age-old paragon of loyalty had changed.

“If that is really as Master says, then this man ought to be serving in the Yinyang Temple. With Li Shimin’s iron rule, how could there be any sorcerers among the civil and military officials of the court? Since ancient times there have been tales of demon Daoists disturbing the imperial order. At the very least, a wise ruler should never put matters of gods and ghosts on public display.”

“Indeed. That is also where your master’s suspicions lie. Wei Zheng once served as an adviser to Crown Prince Li Jiancheng. Before the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he repeatedly urged Li Jiancheng to drive Li Shimin out of Chang’an and send him to govern a local post. After the crown prince was killed, a man of his cultivation should have found the whole world open before him. And yet he willingly surrendered, almost dying by the sword. Later, he was unexpectedly pardoned by Li Shimin. In the first year of the Zhenguan era, he was appointed Assistant Minister of the Department of Personnel. In the third year of Zhenguan, he was promoted to Director of the Imperial Library and began taking part in state affairs. Though he never held a truly high office, he was still one of the emperor’s closest ministers.”

As they walked along the crowded streets, Li Chunfeng kept glancing up at the sky, as though waiting for something. Lu Xin listened as he spoke of Wei Zheng’s past and grew all the more convinced that the man was no ordinary figure.

“Li Shimin should have known this Director of the Imperial Library was no common man, and yet he kept him close at court. More than that, in later histories Wei Zheng eventually rose to the rank of chancellor and was ennobled as a first-rank duke. Master, do you think it’s possible that Wei Zheng’s early years under the crown prince were actually arranged by Li Shimin?”

“It cannot be ruled out. This man is far too close to the emperor. Today at Wei’s residence, he tried us in more than one way. You and I have only just entered Chang’an. Since we are newcomers, we should be careful.”

In history, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had created the flourishing Zhenguan reign and was honored by peoples of many nations as the Heavenly Khagan. Envoys from all lands came to the Great Tang; it was a true golden age. And in the midst of it all, Wei Zheng had presented Li Shimin with memorials amounting to hundreds of thousands of words, making an immense contribution. At this point, Lu Xin increasingly felt that Wei Zheng was hiding some enormous secret.

By the time the group reached Yongfu Ward, dusk was already near. The sun had long since begun to sink behind the mountain peaks, and all of Chang’an lay beneath the glow of the setting light, like an ink painting touched with color. Yet as day and night turned and yin and yang met, it was precisely then that the snakes, insects, rats, and mice lurking in the darkness began to stir.

Wei Qing quickly found the residence of the Prince of Hejian. The guards at the gate, upon seeing him, did not stop them and immediately let everyone in. After entering the estate and walking only a short distance, they saw rows of pavilions and towers, pools and artificial hills, all exquisitely beautiful. Prince of Hejian Li Xiaogong might not have held especially high office, bearing only the nominal title of Minister of Rites, but he was a true member of the imperial clan and Li Shimin’s cousin. And if one looked more closely, he had distinguished himself in battle and was among the greatest founding功臣 of the dynasty.

When the group reached the depths of the manor, the sound of singing and dancing drifted into their ears. According to Wei Qing, the Prince of Hejian had not attended court for a very long time. He spent his days entertaining himself at home with song, dance, and beauties, and seemed to be living quite happily indeed.

“Damn it, being a prince really is comfortable. Drinking and eating meat all day and nobody cares. People like us, even if we pass the examinations and become officials, so what? In the end we still have to bow our backs for five pecks of rice, sell our conscience for silver, overtax the people, prey on the common folk, seize what we can by force and trickery…”

Listening to the pleasant music, the scholar closed his eyes and bobbed his head in rhythm, but his mouth never stopped moving. In one breath he rattled off nearly every phrase used to describe corrupt officials. Wei Qing stared at him in bewilderment, while Yue Bubai burst out laughing beside him.

“Tsk, tsk. So you do have a little self-awareness after all. But since you already know what you’d be like as an official, how can you still have the nerve to take the examinations? If someone like you really became a magistrate, wouldn’t the people have to sell their sons and daughters and live in misery beyond death?”

“Bah! You fox hag, what do you know? I was talking about corrupt officials. As for me, Tu Chengli, if I can become an official, I’ll naturally be upright, honest, and above reproach. Uh... no, that’s wrong. I mean I surely will become an official. When that day comes, my first order of business will be to throw you into a death cell and stew you into dog meat.”

“Get lost!”

The two troublemakers were at it again, each putting on a performance of his own. Lu Xin’s head ached when he saw it. If this had been any other time, it might have passed. But now they were in the prince’s residence, and to speak so recklessly was not only rude; it could also plant trouble for the future.

“Can you two settle down for a bit? Especially you, Scholar. Will you die if you don’t talk?”

“Brother Xin, forgive my frankness. You won’t die if you don’t fart either, so by your logic, should a man still fart or not?”

“I’ll fart your grandfather!”

Lu Xin could not bear it any longer. He roared and chased after the scholar to beat him. The two of them ran one after the other into the garden, only to run straight into Li Lingyu and the sisters of the Yang family.

The three women seemed to know that Lu Xin and the others were coming and had deliberately come out to welcome them, all of them dressed up for the occasion. In particular, Li Lingyu had applied rouge, tinted her lips, and adorned herself with pearls and jade. She was dazzlingly lovely.

Li Lingyu was not very old, and was even a little younger than Yang Qin. But now, with her makeup on, she gave the group a bright, sweet smile that was at once pure and faintly seductive. In an instant, Lu Xin was struck speechless. The scholar beside him was even more outrageous, staring straight at Li Lingyu with eyes wide open, practically on the verge of drooling.

“Golden hairpins line the head in twelve rows, silk slippers tread with five embroidered patterns. So this is what a noblewoman looks like after all. Emperor Wu of Liang did not deceive me!”

The scholar could not help reciting a poem as well. Seeing this, Yang Qin suddenly flew into a rage and stepped forward at once to slap him across the face.

“Shameless!”

“What?”

The scholar, suddenly struck, was completely dumbfounded. When he finally reacted, his cheek was burning hot with pain. He hurriedly covered his face, glaring at Yang Qin with both anger and grievance. Lu Xin, standing nearby, was startled and quickly looked away from Li Lingyu.

“What are you staring at? Want another slap?”

“Damn it, I wasn’t even looking at you, so why are you acting so fierce? And stop calling me shameless. That’s called appreciation, understand? The Book of Songs says, ‘Gentle and graceful is the fair maiden; the gentleman seeks her.’ Even the sages don’t object to it, so why can’t I look? Oh, I know now—you must be upset because hers is bigger than yours…”

“What did you say? Say that again.”

Yang Qin was completely thrown off by the scholar’s nonsense. Though she could not make sense of all he was saying, she knew instinctively that none of it was good. In an instant, she grabbed hold of the scholar’s ear again. He winced in pain and hurriedly shouted for mercy.

“Mercy, heroine, spare my life!”

“Will you behave?”

“I will, I will. Actually, it wasn’t I who wanted to look—it was that filthy fox who forced me to. That lecher is rotten to the core.”

“What?”

Hearing the scholar’s wild babbling, Yang Qin turned her gaze toward Yue Bubai. The fox rolled his eyes so hard they nearly fell out, and he looked as though he would gladly hack the scholar to pieces with a knife. The three of them quickly began another round of chaos. Lu Xin had no way to manage them, and fortunately there was no one else in the garden, so he could only let them make fools of themselves.

At that moment, however, Yang Xiu was standing to one side, laughing nonstop. After greeting her, Lu Xin hastily asked about her injuries.

“Princess Lingyu has already sent for a physician. After taking two doses of medicine, I’m nearly recovered.”

Compared with the scholar and the others, Yang Xiu was clearly much more composed and never caused a stir. Only the look in her eyes when she spoke made one slightly embarrassed. Lu Xin coughed awkwardly and turned his body away.

“That’s good. I... I’ve come to take you away.”

“Heeheehee, why should Young Master Lu be in such a hurry? If someone belongs to you, they will be yours sooner or later. They won’t be able to run away.”

“Princess, you...?”

Yang Xiu blushed at once. Fortunately, girls of the Miao people were naturally bolder than Han women, so she was not too embarrassed. Li Lingyu could naturally see what Yang Xiu was thinking, but she soon composed herself and said to Lu Xin, “Young Master Lu saved my life. After hearing of it, my father has long wanted to meet you and thank you in person. Since Young Master Lu has come, might you meet my father?”

“This...” Lu Xin hesitated, then looked back at Li Chunfeng. Only after seeing his master nod did he say in a low voice, “The princess has also saved my life, so I would be unworthy to accept such thanks face-to-face. As for meeting the Prince of Hejian, since the prince has invited me, how could I possibly refuse?”

“Good. Please come with me, Young Master Lu.”

Li Lingyu was overjoyed and immediately led the group deeper into the residence. Soon, Lu Xin saw the Prince of Hejian in a grand hall.

The banquet seemed to have just ended. A number of singing girls were filing out one after another, and the air was thick with the scent of wine and rouge.

In the third year of Zhenguan, Li Xiaogong was actually not yet forty and was in the full vigor of his years. He lay reclined on a mat, wearing a loose robe, his face flushed red. His beard was long, as though it had not been groomed in a very long time. There was even a hint of frivolity between his brows, entirely unlike a founding general famous for battlefield merit.

Seeing Li Lingyu bring guests into the hall, Li Xiaogong sat up a little straighter. After everyone exchanged bows, they took their seats in turn. Lu Xin was placed first among the guests, with Li Chunfeng after him. The scholar and the others sat on the other side with Wei Qing, helping themselves to wine and food.

Li Xiaogong glanced over everyone one by one, then smiled and let his eyes settle on Lu Xin.

“I have heard that a young hero saved my daughter in the eastern part of the city. I have long wanted to thank you personally. Now that I see you today, you truly are a young man of fine bearing and exceptional grace.”

“Your Highness flatters me. I merely could not stand by when I saw injustice. It is not worth troubling Your Highness over.”

“Haha... I, Li Xiaogong, have always been clear about gratitude and grudges alike, and I never owe anyone even the smallest debt. You saved Lingyu, and that makes you a benefactor of my prince’s residence. Speak. What do you want? So long as I have it, I will not so much as wrinkle my brow.”