Chapter 182: Undercurrents

The Hua'e Xianghui Pavilion is an architectural complex encircled by double-layered corridors, its spatial design novel and lively, the buildings rich and magnificent.

The main building is an H-shaped three-story tower, with a covered corridor built on the outside.

Specifically, the corridor forms the shape of the character "ri," with the tower built in the upper square. The lower square is a courtyard, and the corridor stands two stories high.

The entire exterior resembles a flower and its sepals.

It was already the season of falling leaves. In the courtyard of the Hua'e Xianghui Pavilion, the ground was covered in fully reddened frost-touched leaves, looking somehow both magnificent and sorrowful.

At this very moment, Li Longji was pacing in the courtyard, listening to Gao Lishi report to him the various important news from Chang'an of late.

One could say that Gao Lishi was an extension of Li Longji's eyes and ears. Without Gao Lishi present, the current Li Longji could accomplish virtually nothing—let alone control the political situation in Chang'an.

"Hmph, that degenerate son of mine is rather interesting."

Li Longji said with a cold snort.

Hearing this, Gao Lishi said cautiously:

"Sage, your servant believes that the Prince of Shou's request is quite reasonable. He merely asks that during the wedding, outsiders be dismissed so that the Sage and the princes may share a meal together. This is only human nature. If word got out that the Sage refused, it would inevitably give people grounds for criticism.

The talk running rampant through the Ten Princes' Residence all says that the Prince of Shou harbors resentment toward the Sage and intends to cause trouble at the wedding ceremony. Yet your servant finds it very strange—since so many people know the Prince of Shou will cause trouble, why do they know nothing at all about how he will do it?

If no one knows how the Prince of Shou plans to cause trouble, then how can they conclude that he harbors resentment toward the Sage?"

Gao Lishi laid out his analysis to Li Longji.

Judging from the rumors spreading from the Ten Princes' Residence, someone was clearly fanning the flames. Meanwhile, intelligence from those around the Prince of Shou indicated that apart from going to the Daqin Temple to carouse with those Western Region barbarians and taking Wushi Powder to act recklessly,

he had been quite well-behaved, not contacting any civil officials or military generals, nor any eunuchs in the palace.

"Heh, the Prince of Shou wants to deal with me—what benefit could he gain? Whom does he have in the court? What trusted aides does he have in the army?

If he kills me, can he then ascend the throne and become emperor?

In the Ten Princes' Residence, it is not just the Prince of Shou who harbors complicated thoughts."

Li Longji said with a cold, dark expression, his words laden with implication.

None of his fine sons was a simple lamp to keep burning. Setting aside everything else, Li Heng at the very least harbored hatred toward him as a father!

With so many people saying the Prince of Shou intended to rebel, from a certain perspective, it instead proved the Prince of Shou's innocence.

A person harboring anger was one thing; whether he had the ability to make trouble was quite another.

One could even say that the Prince of Shou was now the son who posed the least threat to him. The possibility of his inheriting the throne was zero!

One only needed to look at the fact that the Prince of Shou's mother was Consort Wu Hui, and that she had already passed away, to know that no one in the court would support him.

"Fine, it is just a family banquet. I want to see what tricks he can pull. If the Prince of Shou has the ability, then let him commit regicide in front of all his brothers!

I guarantee not a single guard will remain at my side!"

Li Longji said through gritted teeth.

Not only would he attend this meal openly and confidently, he would also maintain control of the scene, letting the wedding banquet proceed normally, demonstrating to those princes and key ministers of the court that he still firmly controlled everything in Chang'an!

"Sage, when the time comes, even the Prince of Shou will be subjected to a body search. Please do not worry, Sage."

Gao Lishi was startled and hastily bowed.

"Mm, on the day of the Prince of Shou's wedding, transfer all the Southern Commanderies' imperial guards—the Jinwu Guard, the Jianmen Guard, the Qianniu Guard, and the rest—out of Chang'an to participate in military exercises in the outskirts!

Even if the Prince of Shou has accomplices within the Southern Commanderies' imperial guards, they won't be able to make any waves. Furthermore, the imperial guards responsible for security at the Ten Princes' Residence are forbidden from appearing in Shengye Ward!

That way, trusted agents bought by certain people won't be able to show up at the wedding venue!"

Li Longji said in a low voice.

"Yes, your servant will see to it."

Gao Lishi said, bowing with hands crossed.

After all, the Prince of Shou's mother was Consort Wu Hui. One could not entirely rule out the possibility that the Prince of Shou had connections with certain people in the Southern Commanderies' imperial guards and might take desperate risks when the time came.

Transferring all those troops outside Chang'an for military exercises on the wedding day—pulling the firewood from under the pot to eliminate hidden dangers—could be called a foolproof strategy. It fully demonstrated Brother Ji's crafty mastery of political scheming!

Then no matter how much the Prince of Shou thrashed about, he wouldn't be able to make any waves.

"Also, the commanders of the Dragon Martial Army, including Chen Xuanli and Wu Zhiyi, must all be present, stationed outside Ganlu Convent.

Other Dragon Martial Army soldiers not assigned to wedding guard duty must remain in their main camp that day and are forbidden from making any unauthorized moves.

Anyone who leaves the Northern Garden garrison without orders will be treated as committing rebellion!"

Li Longji continued to emphasize.

He had risen to power through a coup and was extremely sensitive to such critical matters.

The Southern Commanderies' imperial guards were a mixed bag, with deeply intertwined relationships within. For instance, the late Wei Sanniang had relatives serving as officers in the Southern Commanderies' imperial guards—could such an army be guaranteed loyal?

Brother Ji did not believe for a moment that they could play a crucial role at a critical juncture.

"Understood. This time we are also not inviting court ministers, correct?"

Gao Lishi asked cautiously.

"Correct, we are not inviting them. I simply want to see who will pull tricks this time. Too many outsiders would make things difficult to handle."

Brother Ji suddenly stood still, thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said:

"The people of the Imperial Provisions Bureau cannot be trusted. There is a possibility they have been bought by a prince and could poison the food.

And the Fine Brews Office that makes the wine is not necessarily trustworthy either. They could also easily poison the wine.

Do it this way: the day before the wedding, secretly purchase wine from a famous brewery in Chang'an. Then, before the wedding begins, have palace eunuchs test the wine before bottling it, to ensure the wine is poison-free.

As for the food for the wedding banquet, buy it that day from a fine restaurant in Chang'an—nothing made in the palace. Remember to pick a restaurant at random, and only go looking for one on the day of the wedding!"

Hearing this, Gao Lishi was nearly speechless.

Who would go to such idle trouble to cause trouble for no reason!

The wine at the Emperor's table was all drawn from random bottles, randomly portioned before being served. If someone wanted to poison this batch of wine, how much poison would that require?

Could such a large quantity go undetected? Where would the Prince of Shou have the ability to make such a big commotion?

As for buying food from outside restaurants, that was even more absurd.

Even Brother Ji thought things through this carefully—truly worthy of someone who rose to power through a coup. Indeed, cautious to the extreme! One could even say so cautious that he disregards even the imperial family's face!

Gao Lishi grumbled inwardly, yet on the surface bowed respectfully.

Li Longji felt that everything worth considering had been more or less covered, so he gave a slight nod and said:

"Let it be done as such. If the Prince of Shou wants to make trouble, let him be.

If the other princes also want to make trouble, let them be too.

When the time comes, I shall deal with them all in one sweep!"

……

On this day, Fang Chongyong was resting at home instead of being on duty, but early in the morning, an uninvited guest arrived at his house.

This guest was a certain important manager in the Shazhou caravan, responsible for the transport and distribution of smuggled goods from Hexi to Chang'an.

He went by the alias "Antiochus," a Persian, and also served as the temple warden of the Da Qin Temple in Yining Ward.

Although Fang Chongyong had already relinquished all his positions in the caravan and no longer handled any affairs, Antiochus still frequently sent people to his house to ask how certain caravan matters should be handled.

Only this time, Antiochus—that fat man grown plump and prosperous in Chang'an—actually came in person, which was somewhat puzzling.

"Lord Fang, after you left, things in the caravan have been in complete chaos. Are you truly no longer going to concern yourself with any of this?"

Before him, wearing the splendid brocade robes typical of wealthy Chang'an merchants, apart from his hair and facial features, Antiochus's speech, conduct, and manners were indistinguishable from a Han Chinese's, including his way of speaking and accent.

"No longer the Inspector of Shazhou, so no one listens to what I say."

Fang Chongyong gave a slight self-deprecating smile, brought out some "pan-fried tea" to entertain Antiochus, and the etiquette of their meeting was very casual.

"That's true enough. It's just that the newly appointed Inspector of Guazhou refuses to let go of the trade route, which puts us in a very difficult position. His father is the Left Chancellor of the court, so we can't simply kill him outright.

Today I have come to ask Lord Fang what would be the best way to deal with this man?"

Antiochus made a throat-slitting gesture. Clearly, they did not take an ordinary border garrison Inspector seriously at all—anyone who blocked their source of wealth had to die.

Even if this fat man of his was easy to reason with, the blades of the rough soldiers at the Hexi border garrisons were not so easy to reason with. This was not a question of who was looking for trouble.

"Let him run rampant; he will surely bring about his own destruction in the end. There is no need to pay him any mind."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand dismissively and said unconcernedly.

"But his demands are truly exorbitant—he even wants the share that belongs to you, Lord Fang.

That money is used by the Shazhou Doulu Army to provide for orphans and widows.

If it is touched, not just Shazhou, but even several other armies in Hexi—apart from the Chishui Army—might mutiny!"

Antiochus frowned and said. Many things were not as simple as Fang Chongyong made them sound.

If the "fund" that Fang Chongyong had left behind was swallowed by the Inspector, it would set a very bad precedent.

Since the new Inspector of Guazhou, Zhang Xiancheng, wanted to take a share, would the other Inspectors of Hexi not want to take even more?

Back then, it was Fang Chongyong who set the example, which was why each prefecture set aside a portion of the caravan's profits to provide for the orphans and widows among the military households. With Zhang Xiancheng setting this precedent, the civil and military leadership of the various prefectures, who had long been eyeing it greedily, would also be unable to resist reaching for that money.

Then the foundation of Hexi's military affairs would be unable to stabilize. Heaven knows what might happen next.

And once something went wrong, the ones to suffer would be all of them—even including Brother Ji, who did nothing yet still collected money!

"Haha, let him be. Not in that position, I no longer concern myself with its affairs. I am now but a halberd-bearer in Xingqing Palace, just keeping watch at the gate for His Holiness."

Fang Chongyong laughed heartily, clearly having no intention of taking the bait.

"Speaking of Xingqing Palace, there happens to be a certain confidential matter of late."

Antiochus lowered his voice and whispered in Fang Chongyong's ear for quite a long while.

"The Prince of Shou purchased that heavy treasure from the Western Regions, and is also learning how to use that thing—I'm afraid he… must have designs."

Antiochus gave Fang Chongyong a meaningful look and said.

"Does anyone else know about this matter?"

Fang Chongyong asked softly, his tone very calm, as though he did not find it strange at all.

"No one else. To avoid suspicion, I personally took action and erased the markings on the item.

Besides, this item is an antique—anyone could have obtained it."

Antiochus said with a smile.

The more he spoke, the more confused Fang Chongyong became.

After a long while, Fang Chongyong wore an expression of disbelief and asked in return: "How much money can the Prince of Shou give you to make you take such a great risk to work for him?"

Money was certainly important, but if something went wrong, it would cost your head. What could be more important than one's head?

"What the Prince of Shou offers is nothing more than gold, silver, and jewels—I certainly don't regard that highly.

But what the Prince of Zhong offers is far beyond what money can buy. Lord Fang knows this better than anyone—His Holiness is already sixty years old, with not many years left."

Antiochus revealed a meaningful smile.

"The Prince of Zhong!"

Fang Chongyong started to his feet, but Antiochus hastily grabbed hold of him.

"Although the person who came was heavily disguised, I have been to the Ten Princes' Residence to sell goods, I don't know how many times already.

I recognized at a glance that the person was the Ten Princes' Residence Commissioner Li Jingzhong! He has betrayed the current Emperor and pledged allegiance to the Prince of Zhong!

I shall be leaving Chang'an today. The waters here are too deep, and great upheaval is imminent. Lord Fang, please take care of yourself."

Antiochus patted Fang Chongyong's large hand firmly and said.

"You're afraid of being silenced, so you tell me the secret. If something happens to you, I'd still have to clear your name and tell your family who to hold accountable.

You really are quite the schemer. And here I thought we were friends back in Shazhou."

Fang Chongyong said with a helpless, bitter smile.

"That's precisely because Lord Fang is renowned for keeping his word. If it were anyone else, how would I dare lay everything out as I am now?

I surmise that on the day of the Prince of Shou's grand wedding, something momentous will surely happen in Chang'an! More precisely, at the place where the wedding is held, someone will attempt to assassinate His Holiness, to claim the merit of following the dragon.

This piece of information is quite valuable to Lord Fang, isn't it—one could even say it's life-saving news."

If something happens to me in the future, you tell my family in Hexi the truth — that's not asking too much, is it?"

Antioch finally spoke his truest intention for coming today.

Whether Fang Chongyong told Li Longji, or merely made preparations to protect himself, that was no longer this Western Region merchant's concern!

For people like them, getting involved in the high-level power struggles of Great Tang put them in an extremely dangerous position.

Doing a favor might get you silenced, causing trouble might also get you silenced — better not to play at all, completely wash your hands of it, and run first.

"Understood. Take care on your journey. The Prince of Zhong even—"

Fang Chongyong recalled how Li Heng ruthlessly killed his own wife, sending someone to poison her without the slightest hesitation. He wanted to warn Antioch, but in the end obediently shut his mouth.

"It's nothing. Just get out of Chang'an first."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand weakly and said.

In a few days it would be the Prince of Shou's wedding. He feared this would be a complex game of which all the fathers, sons, lords, and ministers were well aware.

Things had been unsettled lately. For example, the Dragon Martial Army that Ji Ge relied upon had seen great internal upheaval. Many of Wu Zhiyi's trusted confidants had been thrown into the "Northern Command Prison" located in the North Park where the Dragon Martial Army was stationed, undergoing interrogation inside.

This was Great Tang's earliest "military tribunal." Back when Li Yuan raised troops at Taiyuan and captured Chang'an, he settled those Taiyuan veterans here at the Northern Command, building offices and a prison to enforce military discipline.

Why these officers fell into misfortune was actually plain to see.

They served as backers for the rogues and ruffians in Chang'an city, who bullied the markets, collected protection fees, stole, robbed, and even abducted people.

Having done so many wicked deeds, Ji Ge would eventually have to clean things up.

After all, Ji Ge hadn't gotten a single cent of benefit from all this mess, yet was poked in the back and cursed for failing to govern Chang'an well.

Add to that the Wei Sanniang affair, and it was obvious that the discontent in Ji Ge's heart would erupt.

With the Dragon Martial Army unstable internally and certain princes stirring restlessly outside, would the Prince of Shou's wedding truly go without incident?

Fang Chongyong pondered for a moment and felt that the news Antioch had brought was something he could quietly prepare for himself — there was no need to tell Ji Ge.

Since Ji Ge and his dutiful sons and grandsons were all no easy lamps to deal with, they might as well see who would burn brighter.

With complicated feelings, Fang Chongyong saw Antioch to the door.

Yet what he could not see was that within half a shichen, Antioch — that exceptionally low-profile fat man — was sent flying by an out-of-control carriage while walking along the cross-street between Chunming Gate and Jinguang Gate, the longest cross-street in Chang'an!

By the time he was brought to the nearest medical clinic, he had already breathed his last.

(End of this chapter)