Chapter 119: I Offer My Blood to Xuanyuan

In those years when Taizong inscribed a stele, writing a five-character poem to record the place of the alliance, it was not within Lingzhou City, but not far from the outskirts of Lingzhou, atop a prominent hill at the foot of Mount Helan.

Originally there was no scenery here at all; after Taizong's Lingzhou alliance, the local authorities built an altar as well as pavilions and temples at this site, offering sacrifices and worship every year.

At this very moment, standing on the high altar, Li Longji looked at the densely packed leaders and envoys of the various Tiele tribes below the hill, numbering over a thousand, and in his heart he felt the same lofty ambition and grand resolve that Emperor Taizong had in those days!

Today, he had finally ascended the same stage Taizong had stood on in those days, achieving accomplishments that were no less magnificent.

No—in the future he would surpass even Taizong! He would reach a pinnacle unprecedented and never to be repeated!

Right now Li Longji felt he was omnipotent!

"In former times, Taizong forged an alliance with the various Tiele tribes here; from the dawn of primordial chaos, such a thing had never been heard of. This boundless enterprise shall be bequeathed to descendants forever. What the ancients could not attain, we have now swallowed whole. What former kings could not subdue, we have now utterly vanquished. This is truly something never before recorded in writing, a magnificent spectacle unmatched from ancient times to present.

Now that the Turkic buffoons have been destroyed, the various tribes of the steppe must each hold to their own lands, serve the Great Tang with the rites of a son, and our Great Tang shall treat them with the rites of a father. We shall smear blood to seal the oath, erect a stele as witness, and never turn against each other..."

Gao Lishi read out the edict at the top of his lungs. Li Longji said not a word, his head held high as he gazed into the distance at the winding Yellow River, finding it magnificent and grand beyond words.

This was the world; this was the empire!

Li Longji sighed inwardly, then grew wistful.

Life was short; one should drink and sing while one could. The good days could never be lived enough. If possible, he wished such days would never come to an end.

Even Li Taibai had said, "Floating life is like a dream; how long can one's joys last? The ancients held candles to roam by night—there is good reason for this."

If a person could live two hundred more years without aging or dying, how wonderful that would be!

Li Longji could not help fantasizing that if a method of immortality existed in this world, he would definitely obtain it.

The endless delicacies to enjoy, the endless beauties to enjoy, the endless praise and flattery to enjoy—all of it belonged to him.

History would engrave his great achievements.

The empire of the Great Tang spanned more than ten thousand li; from ancient times to now, who could claim such accomplishments?

At this moment Li Longji wanted to shout into the vast distance: Who! Else! Is! There!

"Drink the blood wine!"

Gao Lishi shouted at the top of his lungs, shattering Brother Ji's fantasy.

Then Gao Lishi took the wine cup handed over by a eunuch, knelt before Li Longji, and presented the cup with both hands.

Brother Ji raised the wine cup, drained in one gulp the fine wine with its faint hint of blood, then tossed it aside with boundless bravado.

"We are willing to serve the Great Tang with the rites of a son, obedient for generations, never to turn against you."

The envoys of the various Tiele tribes below the hill bowed in unison and shouted, drinking down the blood wine they had long prepared.

Seeing this awe-inspiring sight, Li Longji felt proud, yet at the same time grew secretly vigilant in his heart.

The Tiele tribes, divided and fragmented, could indeed be manipulated at will. And without external pressure, without a powerful external enemy, it would be very difficult for them to form a united force.

But if these fragmented forces joined together into a single rope, that would be an unimaginably powerful force—one powerful enough to threaten the Great Tang's frontier defenses!

Li Longji, of course, did not believe any nonsense about "obedient for generations, never turning against us." In fact, such alliances had no substantive binding power whatsoever. Control over the steppe tribes was all achieved through the Great Tang's various administrative decrees, and had nothing at all to do with things like alliances.

On the contrary, it was commercial trade with the border towns that was exceptionally close.

For Brother Ji, the future rebellion of the steppe tribes was a high-probability event. Based on past experience, there were plenty of steppe tribes that rebelled the very second year after an alliance, let alone anything else.

Governing the Great Tang required more than just him as emperor; it also needed many obedient, handy, capable dogs. These dogs were to manage the state for him, guard the house and courtyard, and tear apart prey.

So Brother Ji felt he needed to pull tight the nooses around these dogs' necks, not letting them run wild like runaway horses.

Yet these different types of dogs, when carrying out their duties, would also throw tantrums and cause scenes, doing things recklessly or doing them poorly. They would not be as well-behaved as the master wished.

To control these dogs, the master needed appropriate soothing, proper reprimands, and when necessary, had to cook and kill certain troublemakers as a warning to others.

This would consume a great deal of time and energy, lowering the quality of life for Li Longji, the Tang Emperor. Life was already short—how could he spend all his energy on such tedious matters?

Li Longji silently made a decision in his heart: he would "appropriately" change himself a little.

The state of course still needed to be managed, but Brother Ji felt his focus should shift slightly as well.

After decades of painstaking effort, today he had finally achieved what Taizong had accomplished in those days, bringing the Great Tang to even greater heights and farther reaches!

This dazzling world—if he, the Great Tang Sage, did not enjoy it, then... would he leave it for his unworthy sons to enjoy?

Did those pig- and dog-like creatures even deserve it?

At this thought, a trace of resentment could not help but rise in Brother Ji's heart.

This glorious moment had come too late, so much so that he felt the helpless sorrow of "the sunset is infinitely beautiful."

……

On the evening the alliance ceremony concluded, Li Longji, following Tiele custom, held a grand banquet on the far bank of the Yellow River north of Lingzhou, and personally took the floor, singing and dancing with the leaders of the various Tiele tribes. The atmosphere on site could be said to have reached the absolute pinnacle of harmony!

It was as if the Great Tang had never had any conflict with the Tiele tribes at all.

But this scene of blooming splendor and glorious attention had nothing to do with Yang Yuhuan.

She was still someone who could not appear on formal occasions, still could only exist in the identity of a "Daoist priestess." It was Li Longji who had overruled all objections to insert her into the entourage coming to the alliance.

In other words, Yang Yuhuan was now just an "ordinary" Daoist priestess in the entourage. Theoretically speaking, she had no status whatsoever; if any soldier killed her, Li Longji would have no way to openly retaliate!

Although by the well-known unspoken rules, everyone knew Yang Yuhuan was Li Longji's woman, very likely the future empress, or at the very least starting as Noble Consort!

But this matter simply could not be spoken of openly!

If Yang Yuhuan attended the banquet now being held, then with her looks, it was highly likely she would be demanded by those Tiele tribal leaders dazzled by her beauty. Would Brother Ji give her or not?

Not giving her would mean not giving face to the Tiele tribes, diminishing the effect of the alliance, with an extremely bad impact; giving her... on what grounds? Brother Ji did not have a cuckold fetish!

At that point Li Longji would have no choice but to publicly reveal their relationship, to put an end to the Tiele people's intentions. This could naturally "explain itself," but it would also expose the scandal he had been hiding all along to the public!

Otherwise, how would Li Longji explain to those leaders why the Great Tang refused to bestow even a woman of no status, merely a Daoist priestess? Was the friendship between the Great Tang and the various Tiele tribes not even worth a "common woman" with no status or position whatsoever?

Today Li Longji had settled Yang Yuhuan in an inconspicuous residence within Lingzhou City, precisely to guard against this matter.

Only, Yang Yuhuan was very unwilling to accept it. Thinking back on everything that had happened over the past year and more, she felt she had lost out enormously!

Yang Yuhuan had always hoped to become the most central person on a prominent stage. She was herself a woman whose appearance was soft and alluring, yet whose heart yearned to be bold and conspicuous.

The higher her status, the grander the occasion, the more she was the focus of thousands of eyes, the more satisfied her heart became!

And the Prince of Shou was himself very likely to be named Crown Prince. Yang Yuhuan felt she was very likely to become the Crown Princess, the future empress!

A game she could win just by lying back—why must it now become a sordid secret that cannot see the light of day?

With Prince Shou's devotion to her, once he ascended the throne as emperor, what would she not have? Everything she possessed now would be just as easily within reach then!

And without the foul reputation she had now!

In the side room of the small courtyard, Yang Yuhuan had locked the door from inside and was sulking alone.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice sounded from outside the door: "Daoist Taizhen, the Sage has a verbal decree."

Hearing this, Yang Yuhuan excitedly opened the door, only to find someone she had seen before but did not know well. She only knew he was a trusted aide of Fang Youde, the Jiedushi of Youzhou; she did not even know his name.

"General, what is the matter? What verbal decree does the Sage have?"

Yang Yuhuan asked softly. The several eunuchs and palace maids in the courtyard responsible for attending her were also completely bewildered, because if a verbal decree were truly being conveyed, it would definitely be Gao Lishi who came in person!

Gao Lishi did not come, yet this stranger had—what could it mean?

They vaguely remembered that this person was the border army officer posted on guard duty outside the gate.

"The Sage has ordered me to take Daoist Taizhen to the bonfire banquet on the other side of the river. He intends to publicly confer upon you the title of Guifei before the chieftains of the Tiele tribes. This matter must be kept absolutely secret—it concerns whether Daoist Taizhen's investiture can succeed!"

Hearing him say this, Yang Yuhuan was beside herself with joy. She had no time to think through the peculiarities of it, nor did she even want to touch up her makeup. She hurriedly said to the man: "General, please take me there quickly. If we are late, I fear the banquet will already be over."

"Indeed. This way, please, Guifei."

The man said without batting an eye.

Yang Yuhuan did not think too much of it and whispered a few words into the ear of the personal palace maid beside her.

Today, the small number of Longwu Army troops had all been transferred to the other side of the Yellow River to protect the Son of Heaven. The guard duty for Yang Yuhuan's residence had been taken over by Fang Youde's Youzhou Army.

This was actually quite easy to understand.

Compared to the Longwu Army—a motley crew drawn from all walks of life, men who could not walk straight at the sight of a beautiful woman and whose reputation had never been good—Jige still trusted the discipline of Fang Youde's iron army more. It was not that Jige treated Yang Yuhuan poorly; rather, he treated her too well, leaving her the finest guard force available.

The Youzhou Army was a "Guest Troops" force here in Shuofang, not a local power with deep roots, and thus had far fewer entangled interests. Jige was very much at ease with this.

Yet less than the time it takes to burn one stick of incense after Yang Yuhuan left the residence, several elite soldiers of the Youzhou Army burst in through the gate and knocked out every last one of the palace maids and eunuchs serving Yang Yuhuan—not a single one was spared!

Soon after, Xu Yuan, dressed as a scholar, walked into the courtyard and said to those soldiers: "Throw these people into the Yellow River, and be quick about it. If this is discovered in the future, swear on your lives that Zhang Shijiang (Zhang Xun) ordered and threatened you into doing this."

On the other side, Yang Yuhuan followed this general she did not really know out of the city, and the further they walked, the more something felt wrong. Because they kept following the bank of the Yellow River heading southwest—rather than crossing the river to attend the banquet as the man had claimed!

Yang Yuhuan stopped in her tracks and asked in confusion: "General, are we not supposed to cross the wooden bridge to the other side?"

Under the torchlight, her exquisite and graceful face was filled with worry. Yang Yuhuan vaguely sensed that the man seemed to be deceiving her, but she still clung to a sliver of hope in her heart—she wanted to become Guifei too much!

"That's right. Hmm, it should be about far enough here."

Zhang Xun, holding a torch, suddenly seized Yang Yuhuan by the arm. With an iron-like grip, he dragged her to the riverbank not far away, then gave her a violent shove!

With a splash, Yang Yuhuan tumbled into the Yellow River several meters below the ground and vanished into the darkness!

"A great scourge has been removed from the realm. Without this temptress bringing ruin to the state, the empire shall enjoy lasting peace and stability.

Daoist Taizhen, do not blame me. I did this for the sake of all under heaven. The beautiful are fated to suffer—if you must blame anything, blame your own peerless beauty."

Zhang Xun spoke these words coldly in the direction where Yang Yuhuan had fallen into the water, then turned and walked away.

When the emperor discovered that his beloved consort had vanished, he would certainly investigate to the very bottom. But that did not matter—Zhang Xun had already prepared himself to sacrifice his life for righteousness. If this matter could not ultimately be concealed, then it would be the time of his death! He would never implicate anyone else!

For the sake of all under heaven, someone must always step forward!

Before him there was Jiedushi Fang, and today there is Zhang Xun.

The sacred flame of the Great Tang shall never be extinguished!

……

Because the Kaiyuan reign title was to be changed to Tianbao, all seals bearing the characters "Kaiyuan" in the Dunhuang prefectural offices were invalidated, becoming genuine "artifacts."

Replacing them with new seals would cost a considerable sum!

What was even more frightening was that the "Changxing Decree," one of Li Linfu's policy achievements, would also require a major overhaul!

In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, Li Linfu, then one of the chief ministers, felt that compiling fiscal accounts anew year after year was a waste of labor and resources. He therefore decreed that once the stable, recurring portions of revenue and expenditure were codified, they would be followed every year without alteration or resubmission. This fixed fiscal account came to be known as the Changxing Decree.

Simply put, the routine reports were block-printed in advance as fixed items, with only minor modifications made by hand. Any new surplus items would then be compiled separately.

Every report bore a date record, such as "Kaiyuan, year XX."

Now that it was switching to the Tianbao era, did every single form printed with the Kaiyuan characters need to be replaced?

Indeed it did. Once the replacements were done, the second year of Tianbao would not require this procedure again, but this year it had to be carried out.

One would not know without calculating, but once the numbers were tallied, the new paper needed actually exceeded two hundred thousand sheets! Though brush-written characters were indeed rather large, and office paper was cut quite small, so not many characters fit on a single sheet.

But a figure of two hundred thousand sheets was still a bit outrageous!

Having just arrived to serve as acting Inspector, he encountered this kind of maddening business, which infuriated Fang Chongyong enough to curse at length. He considered many clever schemes, but ultimately concluded that honestly following procedure would carry the least cost. Thus he had no choice but to spend a large amount of silk to procure new official seals, new report forms, and other items for the prefectural office.

Fang Chongyong suddenly felt that after Lord Chancellor Li Linfu took office, he had indeed accomplished some things of real merit. After all, without comparison there is no discernment—had the Changxing Decree not been invented, who knows how much more of the people's blood and sweat the local government offices would have wrung from the common folk!

With this in mind, Fang Chongyong, now reduced to a "signing machine," approved a petition from a prominent local family in the small city to open a new canal. The government collected tax revenue from the canal every year, which was also one of the main income sources for the local prefectural office.

Here in Dunhuang, the annual evaporation rate was several hundred times the rainfall. The oasis ecosystem was sustained entirely by snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains and groundwater, and the survival of local residents depended completely on karez wells and irrigation canals to water their farmland.

The harvests from the fields were woefully inadequate.

Under normal circumstances, a large portion of the grain supply depended on imports from Liangzhou; local agriculture could not sustain itself.

"Without agriculture there is no stability, without industry there is no wealth, without commerce there is no prosperity. Since agriculture is a dead end, we must find solutions in the other two directions."

Twirling the brush in his hand, Fang Chongyong muttered to himself.

Once he had sorted out the administrative affairs of Shazhou, he left Yan Zhuang to handle day-to-day business. Adolescence was the time for growing, and Fang Chongyong felt he needed to devote great effort to tempering his body and go to the military camp to learn martial arts and tactics.

Tianbao had arrived—the great upheaval could not be far off now.

Fang Chongyong could not help but sigh with emotion. He had a vague feeling that Kaiyuan had been shortened by two years. By all rights, it should not have transitioned to Tianbao so quickly, should it?

Just then, Yan Zhuang approached cautiously, cupped his hands in a bow to Fang Chongyong, and said: "Your Excellency, today you are to go to the Medicine Spring to take over from that Director of the Ministry of Rites. There are quite a few taboos involved in carving the Buddha statue and painting the murals. It would be wise for Your Excellency to be careful."

Yan Zhuang's words carried an implied meaning. Fang Chongyong, who had been set up and burned more times than he could count, understood perfectly. He nodded and said: "So be it, then. Let us set out at once!"

Read patiently, do not let your imagination run wild.

(End of this chapter)