Chapter 100: Each Person

Between Chang'an and Luoyang there is a Tang government‑maintained highway kept in excellent condition. Not only do merchants travel it incessantly, it is also one of the main routes for transporting grain into the capital region.

Indeed, the western capital Chang'an and the eastern capital Luoyang are linked by this main artery, and the court could not overemphasize its importance.

The road is not only convenient and safe, but also one of Chang'an's lifelines for supplies from beyond the passes. Every year the court dispatches Ministry of Works officials to inspect its condition.

When a tree falls it must be replanted, pits must be filled, landslides cleared, and nearby mountain bandits must be dispatched to be eradicated.

In short, this is the Tang Empire's showcase project, bearing great symbolic significance and practical value.

One autumn afternoon, the sun shone brightly yet without heat, the pleasant weather perfect for outings.

A plain, undecorated carriage, drawn by three horses, moved slowly and steadily along the highway.

Behind the carriage followed four or five people dressed as ordinary caravan guards, in plain trousers and short shirts with no distinctive patterns, looking like some Chang'an men hired for guard work, earning a living on the road for various reasons.

Their attire was unremarkable, yet each appeared vigorous and capable, making their backgrounds impossible to guess.

The driver was a sturdy middle‑aged man, with a common horizontal sword from Chang'an's West Market hanging at his waist, its sheath unmarked.

In any case, this group didn't seem particularly wealthy nor officials, and they acted very low‑key.

Suddenly, a rider on a horse appeared not far ahead of the carriage, as if waiting specifically for the people inside.

"Stop!"

A sharp voice shouted from within the carriage.

The driver immediately tightened the reins and halted the carriage.

"Who blocks the carriage? What business is this?"

The driver, with a resonant voice like a great bell, asked, his tone imposing.

"Huan Huan, I know you're inside; may you step out for a meeting?"

The rider dismounted and said, he was none other than the Longevity King Li Chang, son of Li Longji and Consort Wu Huifei!

Li Chang's voice was pleading, lacking any princely arrogance, only heavy, lingering sorrow.

No one inside the carriage responded, as if they hadn't heard him.

"Huan Huan, do you know that after you left the palace, I have not slept a single peaceful night.

Now that you're gone, I feel everything is meaningless. Without you, what reason do I have to live?"

The Longevity King moved to lift the carriage curtain, but the burly driver blocked him.

"Audacious! Take another step forward, and you will be killed without mercy!"

The driver drew his sword, glared at the Longevity King, and shouted angrily!

"Li Chang, I am a True Immortal cultivator, not some Princess of the Longevity King, nor Huan Huan; please return."

From inside the carriage came Yang Yuhuan's voice, soft and even a little humble in its pleading.

Yet on the surface it sounded detached and ethereal.

Li Chang was overjoyed, stepped forward another step, ignoring the blade on his own neck that was already about to touch his skin, he shouted loudly and passionately:

"Huan Huan, I knew you had to be here! Could you let me see you once? I beg you! Just one more glimpse is enough!"

"Longevity King, our fate has long been exhausted; there's no need to bring it up again. If you continue to cling, I fear Sanlang will misunderstand!"

Inside the carriage came Yang Yuhuan's urgent defense, almost fierce in both voice and tone!

Her disposition is gentle; she rarely loses her temper like this.

"Sanlang? Who is Sanlang?"

Li Chang was startled, reflexively asking back.

Could Yang Yuhuan have taken another man? Calling him so affectionately? He couldn't recall who Sanlang was, only that the name sounded vaguely familiar.

"It is I!"

A voice from the carriage tore the Longevity King's heart asunder!

Deep! Brief! Vigorous! Powerful!

Longevity King Li Chang broke into a cold sweat, wanting to step forward to explain, yet fearing Li Longji would fling open the carriage curtain and scold him!

Li Chang slowly retreated, moving until he stood beside his own horse, then silently led the horse to the roadside.

Taking advantage of the moment, the driver sheathed his side‑blade, gave Li Chang a meaningful glance, and said nothing.

A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing half of Gao Lishi's head. He silently gestured to the driver, and the carriage accelerated toward Luoyang.

When passing Li Chang, no ripple was raised; Yang Yuhuan also did not lift the curtain.

After the carriage left, the Longevity King Li Chang, still shaken, leaned against a tree and gasped.

That beast was also on the carriage!

Why did this happen!

Longevity King Li Chang finally managed to learn that Yang Yuhuan today intends to return to Luoyang to visit her third uncle Yang Xuanji's family, and this is a required passage!

Since marrying into the Longevity King's household, Yang Yuhuan has never returned home nor kept contact with her relatives. From the moment the carriage left Xingqing Palace, her people have been watching closely!

But why was that beast also on the carriage?

Why, why!

Why could no information be obtained earlier?

Li Chang simply couldn't fathom—could that grimy scavenger not fear being assassinated?

Thinking of this, Li Chang felt a sudden jolt, and some malicious thoughts rose in his mind.

If!

If he now seized the chance to send men after that beast and kill it, could he then become emperor and claim Huan Huan back?

That thought flashed through his mind, only to be quickly replaced by the three corpses hanging from the beams at the Eastern City post.

Li Ying and the other three princes had already turned cold, yet Li Chang still didn't want to die!

That striking scene, though he hadn't seen it himself, was described by servants who had witnessed it in the mansion, and it was already terrifying.

Now Li Longji's "White Dragon Fish Garment" – is it sheer carelessness, or has he already set a trap, using himself as bait to wait for the unscrupulous to act?

Prince of Longevity Li Chang does not know, and he does not dare to gamble.

Even if he eliminated his beastly father, he still could not secure the throne. All the unrealistic scheming is merely paving the way for those so‑called "brothers" who have been watching his jokes.

Li Chang does not know that his act of blocking the carriage not only failed to anger Li Longji, but actually made the Tang Emperor more excited!

Soon after the carriage left, Brother Ji, disregarding decorum, tore off Yang Yuhuan's belt and, taking advantage, stripped her pristine…

Nearby, Gao Lishi turned a blind eye and deliberately turned his head away.

…

In Fang Chongyong's imagination, a newly appointed prefect would be shunned by local officials, perhaps even greeted with hostile looks, and maybe some troublemakers would jump out to embarrass this "bicycle prefect."

In reality, when he arrived at the post station by the Weak Water, ready to cross the stone bridge toward the nearby Zhangye City West Gate, he found that both the station and the bridge were lined with local officials in green robes, welcoming him in great splendor.

Among them was even a middle‑aged man dressed in high‑rank military attire.

The group all bowed their palms toward him, their demeanor unusually deferential.

From any angle, such an attitude is rather odd.

"Colleagues, what are you doing…"

Fang Chongyong asked, his face full of confusion.

Even politeness shouldn't be this over‑the‑top, right?

"Lord Fang, we've been waiting for you! If you don't come, we wouldn't know what to do!"

The officer in military garb introduced himself: "I am Ouyang Kui, the Jiankang Army Envoy and also the Gan Zhou Prefect. But from now on I am no longer the Gan Zhou Prefect."

"The seal is here; entrust it to Lord Fang for safekeeping, and then I can go about my duties with the Jiankang Army peacefully, hahahaha!"

The bearded middle‑aged man cheerfully slipped the prefect's seal from his sleeve into Fang Chongyong's bosom; it looked less like a dismissal and more like dropping a heavy burden.

"Envoy Ouyang, I'm a bit confused… you were supposed to succeed as Gan Zhou Prefect, so why are you so delighted after being removed?"

Fang Chongyong asked, his face puzzled.

One can tell at a glance whether someone's joy is genuine or feigned! This Envoy Ouyang's joy is sincere.

Not a iota of pretense.

So he ran over two hundred li just to wait for Fang Chongyong to take office in Zhangye City!

Any way you look at it, it's sheer impatience and jubilation.

These days, which official would complain about holding few concurrent posts? It's not like they can't hire staff!

"Lord, the affairs of Gan Zhou are hard to explain in a word; even if mishandled, the Sage certainly won't punish you, and the He Xi Military Governor certainly won't either."

"Just go to your post with peace of mind; I shall now take my leave and return to the camp."

Ouyang Kui bowed, clasped his hands, performed a salute, then vaulted onto his horse and headed west.

He rode lightly and unencumbered, embodying the He Xi style of pragmatic efficiency.

While Fang Chongyong was still stunned, a green‑robed junior official emerged from the crowd, abruptly grasped his hands and exclaimed, "Lord Fang, in person? I am Yan Zhuang, the County Captain of Zhangye!"

Seeing an old acquaintance far from home, the beleaguered Yan Zhuang nearly wept upon recognizing Fang Chongyong himself.

After a year of hardship, he finally got his backstage.

How come it's you?

Fang Chongyong, full of doubt, slowly withdrew his hand from Yan Zhuang's grasp, then stared pensively at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

Too many things to say, too many questions to ask, and he felt unsure where to begin.

"Lord, Gan Zhou's situation is complicated; this isn't the place to discuss it. Tonight the entire prefecture will welcome you, and after the banquet we can talk in the study."

Yan Zhuang leaned close to Fang Chongyong's ear and whispered.

"Understood, then we'll speak later."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, then raised his voice to the welcoming officials: "Colleagues, you may disperse for now. In three days convene in the Gan Zhou Prefecture Hall to discuss major matters; otherwise attend to your own duties."

He lifted the seal aloft.

"We will obey your command!"

The green‑robed officials bowed and left, causing Fang Chongyong to sigh.

He had a bad feeling, as if someone had dug a huge pit for him.

…

Zhangye City is much smaller in area than Liangzhou City, consisting of a square main city with no ancillary structures around the walls. It has four gates, and the market lies on the western side near a gate, enclosed by a fence, very simple and down‑to‑earth.

There are no wards or ward walls inside, but most government offices are clustered in the southeast corner.

The welcome banquet the Gan Zhou officials arranged for Fang Chongyong was lavish: the wine came from Liangzhou grapes; the rice was steamed from the locally famed "black water rice," fragrant and said to be a tribute that common folk never taste;

The usual roast lamb leg and mutton soup were omitted, but Fang Chongyong was surprised to find camel‑trotter soup and sliced roasted camel hump on the table, as well as a hand‑mixed rice dish called "Qiangzhu" with rich, mysterious accompaniments.

This long, wide banquet table held not only food but the rich, all‑encompassing aura of the flourishing Tang.

Holding a complex, inexplicable mood, he ate the lavish banquet amid the flattery of many officials; Fang Chongyong gained a relatively direct impression of Gan Zhou's prosperity. After wine and food, he led Yan Zhuang to the prefectural study, lit an oil lamp, and the two talked long by its light.

"Lord, Gan Zhou itself has no anomaly; it's the central autumn defense decree that's problematic—no official dares to enforce it, let alone take the lead."

Yan Zhuang said gravely, seeing Fang Chongyong's expression neither sad nor happy, and then lowered his voice to continue:

"Young master could try to transfer to a post somewhere in Liangzhou; the trouble in Gan Zhou wasn't caused by you, nor should you have to clean it up."

Yan Zhuang knows the inside story but doesn't know how to explain it to Fang Chongyong.

Local customs are tangled and cannot be summed up by right or wrong. In other words, the conflict between the region and the central authority is perpetual, with no simple explanation; local officials only have the choice between "execute" and "not execute."

"Documents from Liangzhou Prefecture arrived; Gan Zhou officials, via other channels, already know the contents. Yet now they claim that, as an acting Gan Zhou Prefect, they cannot oversee the overall situation, and thus refuse to carry out Liangzhou's orders as if covering their ears."

"Liangzhou Prefecture probably doesn't fully endorse the Sage's decision, so they deliberately delay the autumn defense decree. As long as the main army wins a great victory on the front, defeating the Tufan people, then the execution or non‑execution of the decree will be moot."

Yan Zhuang said calmly.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, offering no response.

Ji Ge's orders are a bit outrageous; the Hexi side feels they cannot be carried out at all. But they obviously cannot defy the demands from Chang'an, so they can only delay by outwardly complying while secretly opposing. The situation on the ground is very complicated, and Ji Ge is unaware of it.

However, local officials need to ensure stability in the locality and prevent trouble on the frontier. As for Ji Ge's specific orders, if they are inconvenient to carry out, they should just drag them out; they must not mechanically and rigidly implement any policy, lest the border town situation collapse.

In the end, it's still the local officials who will suffer.

However, playing this game long-term seems not to be a solution; ultimately there needs to be someone with authority to take charge of the overall situation.

By the way, take the blame!

Fang Chongyong somewhat understands why those green-robed officials look at him as if seeing their father.

"Guo Ziyi wants to train six thousand United Army troops; that is the top priority, and all other governmental affairs should be postponed."

Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Yan Zhuang gave a wry smile and said: "Prefect, you're right; training the United Army is indeed one of the troubles."

Trouble?

Fang Chongyong had discussed this with Guo Ziyi, and the latter did not consider training the United Army to be a difficult matter. The United Army are not raw recruits with no foundation; in fact, many are retired veterans, so their basic combat capability is guaranteed.

"Training the United Army isn't hard, but we also need soldiers to train!"

Yan Zhuang sighed helplessly; as the County Lieutenant of Zhangye County, he just does odd jobs.

"Zhangye City... has no United Army?"

Fang Chongyong asked in shock.

Recruiting troops and training them are two different matters, even handled by different agencies; he had only heard that Guo Ziyi would come to Ganzhou to train the United Army and rebuild the Zhangye garrison. No one told him that Zhangye City had no United Army awaiting training!

"Not to mention the United Army, there aren't even any soldiers."

Yan Zhuang uttered the answer that Fang Chongyong least wanted to hear.

Fuck! This damn joke has blown up!

Fang Chongyong now even feels like rushing back to Chang'an to stab Ji Ge to death!

The curtain rises.

(End of chapter)