Chapter 235: In Times of Peace, the Western Frontier Stretches Ten Thousand Miles

Although Chang'an has no gate opening to the sea, early spring already brings warm weather and blooming flowers.

The aristocrats' offspring, accompanied by assorted exotic beauties and slingshots on their backs, stroll in small groups to the countryside for spring outings, shooting chickens and birds.

Those heading east to Bā Bridge to see off friends, and those going south to the cemetery to sweep graves, are also plentiful, with arrivals and departures nonstop.

Poetic lines like "If relatives in Luoyang ask, a heart of ice in a jade pot" occasionally reach the ears of passersby.

Moreover, the estates of powerful rural landlords, to adapt to Chang'an's increasingly fierce "market economy" trend, have converted some houses into "farmhouse inns" for temporary lodging of high officials and nobles from the city, earning a modest profit from rent.

Students from various regions studying around Chang'an for examinations also gather every few days to compose poetry and prose, each with ambitions soaring higher than the sky, hoping their fates will be even loftier.

In short, all of this appears as a vibrant scene of thriving life, with all things competing to flourish.

Since the aristocrats of Chang'an are accustomed to carefree outings beyond the city, how could the Tang Emperor Li Longji, who prides himself on being the greatest player and loves to have fun, possibly stay cooped up in Xingqing Palace without leaving?

Early that morning, Ji Ge, accompanied by Gao Lishi, had Fang Youde bring a company of elite Divine Strategy Army troops to station near Bā Bridge east of Chang'an. The ever‑young‑at‑heart Ji Ge also summoned a few usually well‑behaved imperial grandsons to team up and play a game of polo against soldiers selected from the Divine Strategy Army.

Indeed, although Ji Ge has grown indifferent to all his sons, he still feels some affection for his grandchildren—a so‑called "intergenerational bond."

Among those soldiers were riders of exceptional skill and polo masters. Yet with Ji Ge's decisive command, the imperial grandsons routed them, leaving them helmetless and armor‑less, not even scoring a single ball, thus achieving a complete victory!

Those polo experts who usually sweep away thousands of opponents like a rolling mat found no match before Ji Ge.

Unfortunately, the polo skills of Ji Ge's grandchildren were merely passable, and today their performance was truly lacking; essentially Ji Ge alone held up the game, becoming the most dazzling figure on the field.

The horses flew like wind, swift as lightning. To an untrained eye, one might think the Ji Ge riding them is only forty years old.

Even so, after the polo match, Ji Ge was exhausted to the point of immobility, lying on a special soft mat like a dead dog, inhaling the fragrance of wildflowers on the grass.

Gao Lishi knelt attentively beside him, wiping his sweat, while Fang Youde stood nearby, silently furrowing his brow to observe the surroundings, not uttering a single word.

At that moment, a courier from the eastern post station rode in on a swift horse and was immediately escorted by Divine Strategy Army guards to Li Longji.

"Lishi, I won the polo today; there is a reward."

Ji Ge lazily pointed at the courier and said.

"Thank you for the saint's grace!"

The courier was overjoyed, kneeling on the ground and fervently giving thanks.

He was originally ordered to deliver the letter to the palace, but after hearing that the emperor was nearby, he went straight here instead of proceeding to the palace.

Skipping a stretch of road and unexpectedly receiving a tip—it's like Qin Shi Huang accidentally touching a power line and getting struck.

After dismissing the courier, Ji Ge withdrew the crowd, leaving only Fang Youde and Gao Lishi to discuss confidential matters.

"Read it; who wrote the letter?"

Ji Ge asked weakly, his mind still savoring the thrill of delivering a decisive strike on the polo field.

On the field he still felt like the wind‑chasing youth of old, yet lying on the ground he sensed his own aging.

"Your Majesty, it is from the acting Lǒng‑right Military Governor Fang Guozhong, the son of Fang Quanzhong."

Gao Lishi cast a meaningful glance at the expressionless Fang Youde beside him and said cautiously.

"Your Majesty, I shall step aside."

Upon learning the letter was written by Fang Chongyong, Fang Youde quickly performed a crossing‑hand salute to Ji Ge and said.

"Eh, no need; it's fine to listen. Lishi, no need for restraint, read it."

Ji Ge turned over, propping his chin with his left hand, gazing at the nearby grass dotted with unknown white wildflowers—a springtime vista.

Gao Lishi read Fang Chongyong's letter verbatim, and after finishing added, "Fang Guozhong's handwriting is quite good."

Fang Chongyong mentioned several matters in the letter.

First, the Lǒng‑right troops are overdue on wages, and the An People Army has mutinied. No word was given about other armies stirring.

Second, Du Xiwang is gravely ill and can no longer serve as Lǒng‑right Military Governor; he is now on his way back to Chang'an.

Third, Fang Chongyong himself, as a temporary successor, has taken over the Lǒng‑right Military Governor position and begun addressing the troops' unpaid wages.

Regarding these three issues, Fang Chongyong also offered solutions to Ji Ge and the court.

The first measure advises the court to issue a secret edict pardoning the mutinous An People soldiers, handling it discreetly without official paperwork to avoid public knowledge, and to punish only the ringleaders, sparing the rest, thereby minimizing impact on the Lǒng‑right military system.

The second measure recommends the court prepare two hundred thousand bolts of silk and swiftly transport them to Lanzhou for stockpiling, to meet future needs. The winter garments owed from previous years should also be promptly supplied to bolster the court's reputation in the border towns.

The third measure is to refrain from appointing a formal Lǒng‑right Military Governor for now; after he resolves these matters and recruits troops for the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, the court can then send an official to take over the Lǒng‑right forces, avoiding ambiguous authority.

If the first two are routine, the third clearly demonstrates Fang Chongyong's political responsibility.

I will take on the matter, finish it, and then hand over a tidy situation to my successor; I will not abandon it before completion. Any problems left during my tenure are solely my responsibility, not for others to pick on.

As for the Lǒng‑right's empty wages, the martyr turning into a deserter, and the nonsense about Wang Sijing, the father of Wang Nande, being a partisan of Li Heng, Fang Chongyong said nothing about any of it.

After the letter was read, Li Longji and Fang Youde stared at each other; the former completely baffled by how things turned out, the latter silently worrying about the border troops' changes.

"The aristocratic youths of Chang'an are now out in the countryside chasing chickens and fighting dogs, hugging exotic beauties and babbling nonsense. Yet Fang Guozhong, not even twenty, can already hold his own. By comparison, the difference is clear. I have dozens of princes, but none match you, Fang Guozhong, even a single son!"

Li Longji sighed with a sigh of lament, startling Fang Youde, who hurriedly offered his apology.

Ji Ge waved his hand dismissively and Fang Youde continued, "Regarding the Lǒng‑right affairs, how does Fang Guozhong think they should be handled?"

Hearing Ji Ge's question, Fang Youde also sighed, "My unworthy son has already said all he can. Even if someone personally goes to Lǒng‑right, that's all there is. I do not know what else to say; I ask Your Majesty to decide."

Upon hearing Ji Ge's question, Fang Youde also felt moved and sighed, saying: "My unworthy son has already said everything that could be said. Even if I personally went to East of Long, I could do no more than that. I, your humble servant, do not know what to say; please let the sage decide."

Fang Guozhong requests two hundred thousand bolts of silk; I will give him four hundred thousand, lest the officials' spirits grow cold. Also grant him an additional office ceremony equal to the Three Departments, and award him a manor on Chang'an's eastern outskirts.

Lishi, have the eunuch issue an edict praising Fang Guozhong's diligence in Lǒng‑right, and send a few jin of pepper so he can enjoy his lamb heartily."

Ji Ge, looking at another letter marked "Your Majesty's Personal Dispatch," said calmly to Gao Lishi.

After speaking, he ordered Fang Youde to gather the Divine Strategy Army's personal guards, sent Gao Lishi to deliver the message, and himself sat in the carriage returning to the city to read the letter.

He skimmed through ten lines at a glance, puzzled, then read it word for word, suddenly enlightened, slapping the table in admiration!

After a long silence, Ji Ge couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, lamenting, "If only Fang Guozhong had been born thirty years earlier."

After a long silence, Ji Ge couldn't help but shake his head and let out a long sigh, feeling deeply regretful as he muttered to himself: "If only Guozhong had been born thirty years earlier."

Five days later, the nominal magistrate of Xingyang County, Zheng Shuqing, after receiving the imperial command, raced nonstop to Chang'an, with two relay horses dying from exhaustion on the road!

Five days later, the nominal Xingyang County Magistrate Zheng Shuqing, after receiving the imperial edict, rushed to Chang'an at breakneck speed, non-stop; on the way, even the relay horses were run to death, two of them!

He didn't even take a carriage, but rode a horse day and night to rush on his way; even relay soldiers carrying urgent military intelligence couldn't match his speed.

Seeing the Spring Gate of Chang'an with people coming and going like shuttles, Zheng Shuqing's tears streamed down his face, and the excitement in his heart was beyond words.

You don't know how small an official is until you've been a county magistrate; this bout of a "self-abuse journey" was finally over!

Whether serving as an Inspector in the provinces or as Palace Censor or Mayor of the Capital in Chang'an's center of power, these offices were several orders of magnitude above a mere county magistrate.

Fine, a county magistrate was a county magistrate; it was still an official position, after all.

But after Zheng Shuqing was demoted to the provinces, he found that he was nothing! Never mind a county magistrate—at this point he didn't even count as an official anymore! He couldn't even compare to a non-appointed clerk!

This was not a metaphor, but a true portrayal of his circumstances after "retiring to his hometown."

Though nominally he still held the title of county magistrate, in reality the administrative affairs of Xingyang County were handled by the county registrar on his behalf, and had nothing to do with Zheng Shuqing at all.

The court, worried about trouble in the provinces, had even specifically sent an official dispatch to Xingyang County. It stated in no uncertain terms: Zheng Shuqing was merely a mascot "recuperating in peace"—don't listen to his nonsense. You should conduct your daily business as usual, and don't even let him touch the county magistrate's seal.

Brother Ji's meaning was also very simple: hadn't you said you were resigning due to illness? Fine, then just convalesce at home in your hometown; court affairs have nothing to do with you anymore.

Fearing that Old Zheng might fish in troubled waters, Brother Ji even had Li Linfu send a letter to the provinces, laying it out in crystal-clear terms, as if afraid outsiders wouldn't know that Zheng Shuqing was completely finished.

This was Brother Ji applying eye poison to the "neutral faction" that jumped back and forth between both sides.

Loyalty that isn't absolute is absolutely not loyalty!

You want to be neutral? Then stay home and maintain your neutrality!

For Zheng Shuqing, who was addicted to being an official, being left idle was more unbearable than killing him.

Though in front of outsiders Zheng Shuqing could still maintain his persona of being "unfazed as a light breeze and passing clouds," appearing not to care at all about resigning and returning home, in reality he regretted it so much his intestines had turned green!

When you muddle along in officialdom long enough, you'll run into ghosts too! Zheng Shuqing's case was a textbook example of "being too clever for one's own good."

The Xingyang Zheng clan's status had been declining ever since the Wu Zhou era, and Zheng Shuqing was already one of the clan's few prominent figures.

The position of Palace Censor was even the Zheng clan's highest office in the imperial court!

Precisely because his rank was high, Old Zheng could freely squander the wealth the Zheng clan provided him, living in luxury with music, women, and hounds, without the slightest burden on his conscience.

For Zheng Shuqing to be forced to "retire to his hometown" while still in his prime was no less than a heavy blow to the head of the Xingyang Zheng clan.

What was even more infuriating was that after the Tang Emperor Li Longji mentioned expanding the number of meritorious officials in the Lingyan Pavilion, he seemed to have forgotten about it entirely! There was no follow-up whatsoever!

Perhaps it was still brewing, or perhaps after the heat of the moment he regretted taking too big a step; in any case, the matter appeared to have fizzled out for now.

Not only had Zheng Shuqing lost his official position, but he had gained no prestige in officialdom either; instead, he learned from others that he had now become a famous laughingstock of the official world—a different kind of notoriety.

Those who had firmly opposed Brother Ji's "changing of ancestral institutions" naturally rose in fame without any embarrassment;

Those like Li Linfu who needed to cling tightly to Brother Ji's thigh had nothing to be embarrassed about either—after all, they had no choice.

The most embarrassed person became Zheng Shuqing, who had suddenly "bailed" right before the final kick—losing face and losing substance, wrong on both sides.

Zheng Shuqing, who hadn't been ill to begin with, actually fell ill from being cooped up at home idle. He caught a chill in winter that nearly cost him his old life, and only recovered his strength by spring.

Having walked through the gates of hell, Zheng Shuqing's heart was dead; he planned to just lay low at home until old age.

Unexpectedly, Brother Ji issued an imperial edict that summoned him back to Chang'an!

This secret edict stated: The court is to establish a new bureau, and I have decided that you, the former Palace Censor, shall oversee it. Come to Chang'an quickly to see me! We shall discuss the details in person!

Zheng Shuqing, newly recovered from his grave illness, immediately acted as though injected with chicken blood, riding post horses and galloping madly toward Chang'an—truly covering five hundred li a day as if it were nothing!

Arriving outside Chang'an's Spring Gate, Zheng Shuqing's green official robe was dirty, his hat was crooked, and he reeked of sweat. So he bought a clean brocade robe, found a "public bathhouse," properly washed up and changed into fresh clothes, and only then proceeded unhurriedly to Xingqing Palace for his imperial audience.

However, when Zheng Shuqing entered Xingqing Palace full of joy, he saw from afar Li Longji with three ladies of the Yang family catching butterflies in the flower beds!

Damn it, what was so fun about catching butterflies! Seeing this scene, Zheng Shuqing was full of fury! Riding from Xingyang to Chang'an, he had chafed the insides of his thighs raw, and the emperor was out catching butterflies with women!

Gao Lishi asked with a half-smile whether he needed to be announced; Zheng Shuqing, knowing what was what, hastily begged forgiveness, hurriedly left Xingqing Palace, spent a night at his nephew's home in Chang'an, and first thing the next morning went back to Xingqing Palace to request an audience.

However, Zheng Shuqing's luck seemed to be quite bad; this time when he went, Brother Ji was enthusiastically weaving flower baskets on the grass with several young beauties from the palace. Weaving flower crowns while telling bawdy jokes, he had the beauties laughing shyly.

Nearby, several musicians from the Pear Garden were playing to liven the mood. Zheng Shuqing felt there were truly too many people, and it wouldn't be good to interrupt the Sage's refined pleasure.

This time, before Gao Lishi could even speak, he took his leave first and bailed.

For the next several days Zheng Shuqing didn't dare report to Xingqing Palace, until the fifth day after his arrival in Chang'an, when Gao Lishi personally went to Zheng Shuqing's nephew's house and brought Zheng Shuqing to the study of the Qinzhengwubenlou.

The Tang Emperor Li Longji finally had time to receive this demoted official.

As for what kind of new institution Brother Ji wanted to set up, what it was meant to do, and why he chose him—a man who had become a salted fish with no value to exploit, a "person recuperating from illness"—Zheng Shuqing was completely baffled.

But this was already the last chance he could grasp.

Even if Brother Ji made Zheng Shuqing patrol the streets naked every day shouting "I am a fool," he could not refuse!

This was not merely for himself, but because his clan needed a prominent figure. A clan that goes a long time without a prominent figure in officialdom will inevitably decline.

Zheng Shuqing could not gamble, and dared not gamble even more.

"I heard that you, my beloved subject, fell seriously ill this winter. Are you better now? My official duties have been heavy, and only today have I had a free moment."

In the imperial study, Li Longji helped Zheng Shuqing, who was prostrate on the ground, to his feet, and asked with a face full of concern.

"Replying to the Sage, your humble subject's health is perfectly fine now. Whatever the Sage commands, your humble subject will surely be up to the task!"

Zheng Shuqing patted his chest and said.

Brother Ji calmly nodded slightly and said, "I do indeed have a difficult matter to entrust to you, my beloved subject."

My heart is filled with mixed feelings; writing is not easy these days, so please show your support.

(End of this chapter)