Chapter 192: Two Dragons Meet

"The Sage arrives at Xuanwu Gate; please have Grand General Zhang Lingshen of the Right Dragon Martial Army open the gate and welcome the Sage into the camp!"

Outside Xuanwu Gate, Fang Youde shouted in a booming voice toward the city walls. Behind him stood a group of Jinwu guards in red uniforms.

Fate differs for each person; who could have guessed the Xuanwu Gate would not open? When Fang Youde uttered the words "Sage," Zhang Lingshen immediately ordered the gate opened without hesitation and, together with Li Linfu, went out to greet.

The massive Xuanwu Gate swung open, accompanied by a grinding sound that made one's teeth ache.

General Zhang Lingshen of the Right Dragon Martial Army and Right Prime Minister Li Linfu both appeared before the exhausted Li Longji, then knelt and said, "We respectfully welcome the Sage into the camp!"

"Hmm, rise. No need for formalities."

Ji Ge calmly waved his hand; after Zhang Lingshen and Li Linfu rose, Li Linfu reported to Li Longji:

"The rebel Li Heng has been captured by us and is currently detained within the camp. His family members have also all been captured; please, Sage, issue your decree."

Li Linfu's classic phrasing omitted any mention of where Li Heng was captured.

Unfortunately, while he and Zhang Lingshen shouted for credit, Li Longji, uninterested, shook his head and said, "I am weary; let's first enter the Western Garden."

Li Linfu felt his heart sink instantly; he had never seen Ji Ge so indifferent and silently lamented.

The group entered the Western Inner Garden Hall, and after taking their seats, Li Longji instructed Fang Youde beside him, "Quan Zhong, handle the remaining matters; I await your good news."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked, especially Zhang Lingshen, who had expected to clean up the situation himself and did not anticipate Li Longji entrusting it to someone who seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

Seeing many in the hall with uncooperative attitudes, Ji Ge snorted and said:

"I now appoint Fang Youde as Grand General of the Dragon Martial Army, commanding both the left and right forces; the rest of the Southern Yamen Imperial Guard shall obey his deployment, assist in quelling the rebellion, and capture Li Heng's followers.

My decision is made; no further words are needed."

Li Longji sealed the matter with his words!

This rebellion exposed a major security flaw in Chang'an's Imperial Guard: the lack of a compact, elite, rapid‑response personal guard unit—small in size yet capable of ten men, fiercely loyal and unsellable.

In Chang'an's terrain, such a force need not be large; a single battalion of five hundred is sufficient, and at critical moments can protect Li Longji as he enters the Northern Yamen Imperial Guard garrison.

During the formation of the Dragon Martial Army, its structure kept expanding, diluting the core; low‑ability nepotistic recruits slipped in. These men are useless in battle, and one fiasco after another follows.

As Li Longji issued his orders, he also contemplated how best to reform the Imperial Guard's organization.

The main concern is how to improve the security around himself.

"We shall follow the Sage's command!"

Everyone in the hall shouted in unison.

"Quan Zhong, it's on you."

Li Longji patted Fang Youde's arm and said earnestly,

"Rest assured, Sage; I, the junior general, will now tidy up the situation."

Fang Youde took Li Longji's private seal, bowed and took his leave, striding out of the Western Garden Hall. In truth, his heart was already roiling with turmoil, but the crowd around him prevented any outward display.

Li Heng actually rebelled, and he was never made Crown Prince!

Where exactly did things go wrong?

Fang Youde realized his original plan could not keep up with the shifting circumstances. Since Zhang Xun secretly killed Yang Yuhuan, the course of history has diverged completely from his recollection!

This gave him a bone‑deep chill; the trump card he once boasted about had, at some point, become utterly useless!

"First, clean up this mess."

Fang Youde sighed heavily; the great Tang prosperity must be preserved no matter what. Since the old path is blocked, he must try a new one.

…

"Douse him with water!"

Splash! Icy, bone‑piercing water drenched his head, tugging at the painful wound.

Li Heng slowly opened his eyes and saw his "good father" Li Longji perched on a high stool, looking at him with a mocking gaze.

"Before we set out, I wish to ask you why you rebelled."

Li Longji looked at Li Heng and said gravely,

"Prince Shou has already said everything; what more can I say?"

Li Heng's face bore a sarcastic sneer as he retorted disdainfully,

"You all truly chill my heart."

Li Longji slowly shook his head, his expression icy.

"Chill my heart? Father, you really know how to phrase it!"

At that moment, Li Heng's fury ignited.

"Speaking of chilling the heart, which father else makes us children feel so cold as you do!"

Prince Shou had two consorts; one you seized, the other you forced to death. My greatest mistake was not expecting Prince Shou not to kill you!

I hate it! I hate that I failed to see how deep Prince Shou's hatred was; he can hate a beast like you to such an extreme!

If Prince Shou had killed you then, I would now be sitting on the Dragon Throne as the next Tang Emperor!

You ask what I did wrong? Then I tell you, I simply miscalculated this step!

Father, act swiftly; back then you killed three in a day, and today, if you don't kill ten, I fear it will be hard to appease you.

I'll go down and wait; after all, the Yellow Springs are bustling with companions.

Li Heng ranted at Li Longji!

He was half‑mad, half‑wild, laughing and crying, his bruised face from the beating looking no different from a demon in hell.

"Wretch! Shut up!"

Li Heng's words broke Li Longji's composure! This "good son", even at death's brink, still felt no remorse for the rebellion; he only regretted that some details were mishandled, causing the failure.

Utterly unreasonable!

Li Longji rushed forward, grabbed Li Heng's blood‑stained shirt, and slapped him twice.

Slap! Slap!

After those two slaps landed, whether Li Heng felt pain was unknown, but Brother Ji certainly felt his own hand aching.

"Someone! Take this rebellious son of Zhen—"

Li Longji trembled all over with rage, pointing at Li Heng and giving Zhang Lingxin half an order before suddenly stopping.

"Take him down and lock him in the prison, serve him well. After Zhen holds court, transfer him to the Court of Judicature and Revision prison."

Brother Ji took a deep breath and spoke, suppressing his fury.

"Hahahahaha! At a time like this, you still care about saving face! Father, you truly are useless!"

Li Heng seemed disappointed that Li Longji had not ordered his execution on the spot, and kept provoking him with words. Unfortunately, Brother Ji's heart was now cold as iron and he had no desire whatsoever to listen to Li Heng's continued clamor.

Only after Li Heng was led away did Li Longji close his eyes in pain.

One Li Heng had fallen, but among the many remaining princes, just how many more "Li Hengs" were still hidden?

Sending Li Heng's entire family down the road to the Yellow Springs—killing them was just killing them. But with so many princes, could Li Longji kill them all one by one?

If he killed the princes and wanted to eliminate the roots entirely, then the imperial grandsons would naturally have to be killed too.

That would truly mean rivers of blood!

Li Longji instantly suppressed the notion of exterminating every last prince who had attended Prince of Shou's "wedding banquet."

He had no choice but to accept it—if he really killed these unfilial sons, then either the Li-Tang dynasty would collapse, or the drama of "a minor lineage merging into the main lineage" would play out.

The lineage of the Prince of Xue, which had likewise participated in this rebellion, was precisely such a case.

Li Longji understood very well that if his own heirs were not prosperous, then his several brothers' heirs rising together to contest the imperial orthodoxy would be a perfectly natural consequence.

"Li Chang, you are truly ruthless enough. Zhen underestimated you."

Brother Ji murmured to himself, feeling a twinge of regret over whether he had gone a bit too far back then.

Prince of Shou Li Chang's temperament had originally been very cowardly; this he had seen clearly. Brother Ji assumed that a cowardly nature meant he could be bullied however he pleased with no consequence.

Unexpectedly, it was his own heartless oppression that forced Li Chang, originally like a sheep, into a forbearing vicious hound.

A dog that bites does not bark—and the bite Li Chang delivered truly hurt!

"Sage, the ventilation here is poor. Please move to the west garden side room to rest."

Zhang Lingxin had already sent people to "settle" Li Heng, and upon returning, saw Li Longji staring blankly, so he reminded him softly.

"Mm, let's go."

Li Longji stood up and nodded woodenly. At this moment, he looked like a man in his twilight years.

……

In the autumn of the fifth year of Tianbao, Prince of Zhong Li Heng rebelled, joining forces with Grand General of the Left Dragon Martial Army Wu Zhiyi, Prince of Xue Li Jue, and Vice Censor-in-Chief Wei Jian and others, nearly driving the Tang Emperor Li Longji into a dead end.

Fortunately, Lingnan Military Commissioner Fang Youde, who had returned to the capital to report on his duties, seized command of the Southern Office Imperial Guards, led troops to rescue the sovereign and cleanse Chang'an of its filth, and the Sage was thus delivered from danger.

As for Fang Chongyong who protected Li Longji to safety, Zhang Lingxin and Li Linfu who held troops in check to stabilize the Dragon Martial Army, Zheng Shuqing who failed to mobilize the Southern Office Imperial Guards into the city, and Prince of Xin'an Li Yi who stepped up at the critical moment—not a single word was mentioned in the official documents issued by the government.

The disgraceful matter of Prince of Shou taking Brother Ji hostage at the wedding banquet was even more impossible to mention.

On the surface, Li Longji only issued an edict ordering all male members of Prince of Zhong Li Heng's lineage to be put to death, and the womenfolk exiled to the Music Bureau. The other princes within the Ten Princes' Residence, including Prince of Shou Li Chang, received no substantive punishment at all.

Even regarding the Prince of Xue's lineage, Brother Ji only ordered Li Jue to take his own life, while the other imperial clan members in the Prince of Xue's Residence were ordered to face the wall in reflection and not leave the residence for a year.

But in reality, Li Heng's network of connections was extremely broad, and the forces beneath the surface could not be underestimated; those implicated in this case were very numerous.

The "ringleader" of the rebellion, Wu Zhiyi, had already died in the conflict, beheaded by a general named He Qichang. Wei Jian and the others who had colluded with Li Heng in the uprising had their entire families exiled to Lingnan.

Such punishment, by past "conventions," was truly not worth mentioning. So one could only conservatively conclude that Li Longji's big move had not yet come; this Tang Emperor should still be calculating whom to kill, whom to dismiss and exile, and whom to promote.

After finishing these matters, it would not affect the operation of court politics.

However, these matters no longer had the slightest thing to do with Fang Chongyong. His post as Halberd-Bearer of the Dragon Martial Army returned to a salted-fish state—clocking in for work each day, going home after work, and playing with his wife at night.

As for Fang Chongyong's great merit in "saving the sovereign," Brother Ji seemed to have forgotten it entirely. Not only him, but even Zhang Guangsheng, who had run errands across the entire field and delivered many crucial letters, received not the slightest reward. This drove Zhang Guangsheng to come to Fang Chongyong's residence after work every day to drink and complain together, saying Li Longji was "stingy and lacking in grace."

As for Fang Youde, though Fang Chongyong knew his old man had returned to Chang'an, he did not even have the chance to speak with him.

One day, Fang Chongyong dragged his exhausted body to the door of his home in Yongjia Ward, and through the courtyard gate, he could already hear women's laughter coming from inside.

After having the courtyard gate opened, he found that not only had Fang Dafu and Fang Laique returned, but in the main hall there was also a tall, lean middle-aged man chatting with Wang Yunxiu, while Ana'ye attentively served by brewing tea to the side. Both women wore smiles as they chatted with the man, looking quite at ease.

For a moment, Fang Chongyong thought he had walked into the wrong place!

"Since she's already living in your house, why haven't you held the wedding yet?"

The moment that man saw Fang Chongyong, he demanded head-on.

"Father, I've just been busy…"

Fang Chongyong answered cautiously.

The moment he walked in, he had recognized him—this was Fang Youde, who every time he entered Xingqing Palace would pretend not to see him! The cheap deadbeat father of this body of his!

"Nonsense! How can a matter as important as marriage be treated child's play!

Hold the wedding three days from now—mm, just keep it low-key, no need to make a fuss, and do not invite the Sage.

Whether life is good or not is something you know yourself; it's not about putting on a show for others."

Fang Youde said thoughtfully.

Hearing these words, Fang Chongyong finally breathed a sigh of relief—he had genuinely feared that Brother Ji would be invited over.

"And this concubine of yours—you must treat her well, understood?"

Fang Youde pointed at Ana'ye and said.

"Understood, Father."

Fang Chongyong nodded woodenly.

"Then come with me to the study for a moment; I have an important matter to discuss with you."

Fang Youde stood up and walked toward the study. He turned his head and saw that Fang Chongyong had not followed, so he frowned slightly and asked, "What are you standing there for? Come here!"

Fang Chongyong's heart pounded with apprehension, and he had no choice but to slowly follow behind the other man, entering the study together.

After the two took their seats, Fang Youde seemed to be recalling something, and sat without speaking for a long time.

"You were foolish from childhood, and at five years old still could not speak. I thought that chaotic times might come, and when they did, you would surely be unable to protect yourself.

And the things I wanted to do were bound to leave no heir to carry on my line, so back then I set a trap, wanting to use Zheng Shuqing's hand to eliminate you, so you wouldn't suffer in this world—alas!"

Fang Youde said with a sigh of lamentation.

"Father is ruthless enough."

Fang Chongyong said expressionlessly. In truth, he had long noticed that Fang Youde was subconsciously avoiding him, his only son.

"Not quite ruthless, really. After all, you fell into the water and fell into a coma. Yet when you woke up, you were like a prodigy, capable of everything.

So I knew—my foolish son had long been dead. What stood before me now was merely a monster wearing my son's shell."

Fang Youde looked at Fang Chongyong, his gaze burning as he spoke.

"You call me a monster—Father, aren't you a monster yourself?"

Fang Chongyong met his gaze without backing down and fired back.

"Hahahahahaha! Good! Well said! Well scolded! We are a pair of monster father and son!"

Fang Youde slapped the desk and laughed loudly, laughing until tears came out.

"A golden millet dream. Back then I personally watched the Great Tang fall, powerless to do anything, and so I chose to perish together with the Great Tang.

I woke up inside a cave at Dunhuang, half my body buried—I must have been a servant buried as a sacrifice. When I emerged from the cave, it was the High Tang. Heaven has not been unkind to me.

Do you know, a hundred years from now, there will be a man named Zhu Wen, who will destroy the Great Tang and seize the empire.

Because his courtesy name was Quanzhong, I took Quanzhong as my own courtesy name for self-reflection.

In this life, I will ensure that this Great Tang's golden age never loses its splendor!"

Fang Youde wore a sickly smile on his face, as if the Great Tang were his own flesh-and-blood son.

"Zhu Wen?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes, born of a humble family, his name unknown to all. You would never imagine that such a man could destroy the Great Tang."

Fang Youde said, full of regret. These were words he had bottled up for many years, and today he finally had someone to confide in. He was genuinely happy.

"Your version is a bit outdated."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help muttering under his breath.

"Hm?"

Lost in excitement, Fang Youde hadn't caught what Fang Chongyong had just said and gave a puzzled grunt.

"I mean, the ways of the world truly are unpredictable."

(End of this chapter)