Chapter 49: My Father-in-Law Is Li Longji

"Being a daughter-in-law is hard; being a daughter-in-law of the Li family is harder; being the Sage's daughter-in-law is harder still—alas!"

In the bedchamber of the Prince of Shou's residence within the Ten Princes' Estate, a beautiful young woman in mourning clothes sighed softly, as if talking to herself.

Her name was Yang Yuhuan, wife of the Prince of Shou, Li Chang. They had been married for four or five years, and their relationship as husband and wife was very harmonious.

The simply furnished bedchamber was no longer monotonous because of her. She was the sole radiant presence here.

Yang Yuhuan's clear, lovely face was gently revealed amid faint sorrow, a trace of serenity showing between her brows, yet the corners of her mouth turned up unconsciously, betraying a faint, elusive, charming smile.

Both sorrowful and lightly smiling—expressions that should have contradicted each other—were now perfectly combined on her face.

Her skin, as fine and smooth as ripples on water, was exceptionally fair, and paired with that stunningly beautiful face, it radiated a unique charm.

Her figure was full but not bloated, her curves soft and elegant, with a delicate-boned, plump-fleshed grace that displayed perfect bodily proportions.

Her entire person carried a sense of full, healthy beauty—a perfect union of delicate loveliness and plump fullness.

Not to mention the saying, "To look charming, wear mourning clothes." Yang Yuhuan, already incomparably gorgeous, was all the more endearing in mourning garments.

She was still in mourning—mourning her mother-in-law, Consort Wu Hui. But Yang Yuhuan noticed that the Sage in Xingqing Palace, the Son of Heaven who ruled the Great Tang Empire, her father-in-law Li Longji—today in the mourning hall, the way he looked at her was somewhat strange.

No, one should say, very blatant—it was an undisguised possessiveness.

That gaze seemed as if it could pierce through her mourning clothes. The virile, aggressive, domineering look was almost tangible, sweeping back and forth over her body in a very frivolous manner, roaming, drifting, making every hair on her body stand on end.

She felt as though she wore not a single stitch of clothing, being displayed before a crowd.

That feeling was like a plump lamb being stared down by a ravenous, starving wolf.

Wanting to flee, yet having nowhere to flee.

This feeling was in fact not the first time. Back when she married the Prince of Shou, that gaze had already been faintly present, but never had it made her feel such fear as today.

"Huanhuan... are you alright?"

The young, handsome Prince of Shou, Li Chang, came over and gently took Yang Yuhuan's hand, asking with concern. Today he had felt that his wife Yang Yuhuan seemed not quite right.

"My lord, let us not stay in Chang'an anymore. I am truly so afraid. The Sage looks at me as if he wants to devour me. He... he has improper designs on me."

Yang Yuhuan clutched the Prince of Shou Li Chang's hand and spoke agitatedly.

"It's no use... not the slightest use."

Li Chang sighed, his whole person deflating as he sat powerlessly on the bed.

He actually knew everything. How could Li Chang, as a husband, not know about that look in his father Li Longji's eyes when he gazed at Yang Yuhuan, his coveting of her?

But even knowing, what could be done? Start a mutiny now? Perish together?

Was the lesson of killing three sons in a single day really so far away?

Li Chang had thought a great deal today at his mother's mourning hall. In truth, his father Li Longji had been waiting for this day all along, hadn't he?

No—even his mother's sudden "death from illness" might well have been orchestrated single-handedly by this Sage of the Great Tang.

A Sage?

Heh—is there such a shameless Sage, one who is determined to have his own daughter-in-law?

An expression of mockery involuntarily appeared on Li Chang's face, but he quickly suppressed it, a flash of desolation and helplessness passing through.

All of the Great Tang belonged to Li Longji. As long as he wanted it, no matter what it was, he could have it.

Let alone merely a woman?

Never mind whether it violated all ethics!

Just then, Li Chang's personal eunuch approached cautiously and whispered in his ear, "General Gao has arrived."

The Dragon Martial Army had now been established, and Gao Lishi had been appointed General of the Dragon Martial Army, so his form of address had changed accordingly.

The Prince of Shou frowned. It was already past the hai hour, nearly the zi hour—what was Gao Lishi doing here at this time?

"Quick! Go lie down on the couch and pull the blanket over yourself!"

Li Chang hastily instructed Yang Yuhuan.

People always held on to wishful thinking. Though he was certain it was almost certainly useless, if there was something to try, he had to try first—what if, just maybe?

"Your Excellency visits in the dead of night—might there be some urgent matter?"

Li Chang's face was plastered with smiles as he walked up to Gao Lishi and asked in an exceedingly fawning manner.

"Your mother has passed away tragically, and the Sage is so grief-stricken that he cannot eat or drink. Having heard that the Princess of Shou is skilled in music, this old slave thought to have the Princess go to Xingqing Palace and play a piece for the Sage, to ease his sorrow."

This flourishing age of the Great Tang truly cannot do without the Sage."

Gao Lishi said to Li Chang with a false smile.

Li Chang fell silent. He did not know how he should answer.

He could not even bear to tear away this fig leaf!

It was nearly the zi hour now, and that deathless old man still wanted to hear his daughter-in-law play the qin—play my ass!

Li Chang cursed Li Longji viciously in his heart, wishing him to hurry up and die, yet on his face he did not dare show the slightest sign of it.

"Huanhuan has already gone to sleep. Could... could this be postponed until tomorrow?"

Li Chang asked, his face showing difficulty.

Gao Lishi gave a cold smile, snorted softly, and turned to walk toward the gate of the Ten Princes' Estate.

"This slave will wait outside the Ten Princes' Estate. Prince of Shou, hurry things along—have the Princess dress quickly. Best not to let the Sage be upset."

Gao Lishi could not even be bothered to engage with Li Chang's little tricks. He had already spelled things out this plainly, and the man was still dithering—what was the point?

Returning to the bedchamber, Li Chang saw that Yang Yuhuan had already dressed properly and was ready to go out. He wanted to say something, but upon seeing her resentful gaze, it all dissolved into a sigh in the end.

"I'm going."

Yang Yuhuan said with a soft sigh, and headed out the door without looking back.

Li Chang felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart. And yet... he did not even have the courage to turn and look at Yang Yuhuan's retreating figure.

What could he do?

What could a worthless coward do?

……

"The city gates are locked! The gates will open at the fourth watch, first quarter! No one may enter the city for any reason!"

On the gate tower of Chunming Gate, soldiers of the Golden Guard shouted down at the group of people below the city walls.

In the flourishing age of the Great Tang, prohibitions inside and outside Chang'an were strictly enforced. If they said the city gates could not be opened, then they could not be opened!

"I am Fang Youde, Military Commissioner of Youzhou. I have urgent matters requiring me to enter the palace for an audience with His Majesty!"

Fang Youde, draped in a red cloak, his frame upright as a mountain, shouted at the Golden Guard atop the gate tower at the top of his lungs.

After receiving Fang Dafu's carrier pigeon message with the secret report that Consort Wu Hui had passed away, he had rushed back from Youzhou without stopping.

Fortunately, the northern canal waterways had not yet frozen over. Traveling downstream at a pace of one thousand li per day and night, he had hurried desperately to reach Chang'an.

The Son of Heaven probably still cared about face, right? He wouldn't go looking for a new love the moment his old one had just passed away, would he?

Fang Youde muttered to himself, but he knew that once he got inside Chang'an, he would have a way to deal with Yang Yuhuan properly after daybreak.

Without Yang Yuhuan, there could be no Yang Guozhong, and then the An-Shi Rebellion would never happen.

Without any of those things, the flourishing Tang could endure for all eternity.

Many thoughts turned in his mind, and the more he thought, the more he felt his arrangements were flawless.

Before long, the great gates of Chunming Gate were opened. A middle-aged general clad in bright armor strode up to Fang Youde and punched him squarely in the chest.

Fang Youde did not move an inch, taking the punch with a smile on his face.

"Hahahahaha! How did you come back from Youzhou without sending someone ahead to let me know? I could have welcomed you properly!"

It just so happens that I'm on duty at the palace city today. Otherwise you'd have had to wait even longer!"

The general speaking was Chen Xuanli, Li Longji's staunch loyalist. Now that the Ten Thousand Cavalry had been reorganized, he had already been appointed Grand General of the Dragon Martial Army.

"I defeated a Khitan tribe and have come specially to Chang'an to present captives to the Son of Heaven. The main column is behind me and will reach Chang'an in a couple of days."

Fang Youde said without changing his expression.

That's it?

Chen Xuanli was bewildered for a moment.

Defeating a Khitan tribe and coming to the capital to present captives seemed reasonable enough. But did you really need to rush back traveling day and night?

"The Khitan have a custom of raiding for grain south of the border after autumn. Once I've presented the captives, I still need to hurry back to Youzhou City to hold the line."

Fang Youde added another sentence.

Chen Xuanli nodded slightly, not doubting the truth of his words in the least. Fang Youde was a diehard loyalist among the officials from the imperial residence days, and he was a very rigid man. Apart from Li Longji's rewards, he refused gifts from anyone else.

Chen Xuanli was absolutely certain that even if everyone in the whole world rebelled, Fang Youde would never rebel.

"Come, I'll take you to see His Majesty. The Sage's mood hasn't been good lately. If you have any grievances, you can submit a memorial to the Sage complaining after you return to Youzhou. Don't say it to his face right now..."

Chen Xuanli cautioned Fang Youde in a low voice by his side.

Zhao Kan, Bai Zhentuluo, Cui Hao, and the others behind the two men all looked at each other in astonishment!

Fang Youde's face was actually this big! This was something they had completely not expected.

That's right—after the last great battle, Zhao Kan and Bai Zhentuluo had become Fang Youde's diehard loyalists. Afterward, Fang Youde purged some people within the Youzhou regional command and promoted others. Zhao Kan and Bai Zhentuluo were promoted for their military merits, and they followed Fang Youde's lead in everything.

Back then, many people believed that after Zhang Shougui left, Fang Youde would not be able to hold down Youzhou, and that something major was bound to happen.

They guessed half right.

Fang Youde did hold down Youzhou. The ones who had something major happen were the Khitan.

Just ten days ago, Fang Youde selected five hundred of the most elite cavalry from the Youzhou regional command army, raided over five hundred li in one push, penetrated deep into the northern heartland, and shattered a Khitan tribe!

Honestly, this kind of battle with no logistics in the rear and no reinforcements for support not only left the Ministry of War officials dumbfounded, but even the Khitan found it baffling.

They had grown accustomed to judging the direction and strength of Tang army movements through their early logistical preparations, thereby effectively deploying their own forces for mobile defense.

When the Tang army was large, they would avoid its vanguard and strike at its logistics in roundabout fashion.

When the Tang army was small, they would contact the various Xi tribes in the surrounding area and encircle the Tang main force.

This tactic had been used for no less than several decades, with fruitful results ever since the Wu Zhou era!

But Fang Youde simply refused to play by the rules. He picked five hundred elite cavalry, packed seven days' rations, and hit the road!

He didn't even notify the various armies within the regional command to coordinate. Under extreme secrecy, he struck north by surprise!

Honestly, the game he was playing this time was really no different from courting death. No logistics, no reconnaissance, no reinforcements—nothing at all.

Aside from the strategic advantage that the enemy completely hadn't anticipated the Tang army would march, Fang Youde had absolutely nothing to rely on.

Because just in the twenty-fourth year of the Kaiyuan era, Li Longji appointed the Khitan official Li Guozhe as Prince of Beiping Commandery, granted him the title of Special Advancement, and commissioned him as Acting Governor of Songmo. Relations between the Tang court and the Khitan had grown stable.

Yet that very same year, Ni Li—the remnants of the previous Khitan leader Ketuyu, whom the Tang army had disposed of, and the founding ancestor of Yelu Abaoji—assassinated Li Guozhe and his son, massacred his household. His son Li Ligan fled to the Andong Protectorate, and the Tang court appointed him General of the Left Xiao Guard.

It is worth mentioning that the "Li Clan of Liucheng" of the Khitan people had been steadfast pro-Tang loyalists ever since they submitted to the Great Tang during the Wu Zhou era. The famous Li Guangbi, renowned in the history books of Fang Chongyong's previous life, came from this very lineage.

After Li Guozhe's death, relations between the Great Tang and the Khitan deteriorated sharply, and the security situation facing the Youzhou regional command also deteriorated sharply.

Moreover, due to changes among the Khitan leadership, the Great Tang's military strength in Youzhou was actually no longer superior. The pro-Tang Khitan forces had already been routed by Ni Li. For the Tang army to march at this moment could be said to lack every advantage of timing, terrain, and popular support—not a single factor was in their favor.

Even the decision-making level of the Great Tang's central court believed that the Youzhou and Pinglu regional commands should focus on defense, and if necessary, could abandon some northern outposts and consolidate their forces.

But what others dared not do, Old Fang dared.

What others considered suicide, Old Fang thought nothing of.

While Ni Li was still in the royal tent dreaming his grand dream of unifying the northern steppe, disaster struck from the heavens—his lair was wiped out in one fell swoop!

The Tang elite cavalry descended like heavenly soldiers, smashing through Ni Li's forces with irresistible force and routing them.

Now Ni Li was being escorted to Chang'an, waiting for Li Longji to slap his face.

As they walked and Fang Youde recounted the story, Chen Xuanli felt a sense of absurd unreality. Fang Youde described in a calm tone how the Khitan were utterly defenseless, how the royal tent was completely devoid of troops, as if he had just gone there for a pleasure outing.

"Couldn't you have waited for orders from the Ministry of War before acting? Do you always have to march first and report afterward?"

By the time they had nearly reached the gates of Xingqing Palace, Chen Xuanli could not help but complain.

Generally speaking, without orders from the Ministry of War, troops could not be deployed. And the Ministry of War also acted on orders—the Bureau of State Affairs was where matters of military and state importance were decided. There was a complete set of procedures in between.

"No time for that. Let's act first and talk later."

Fang Youde said calmly.

That was just the kind of person he was — he disliked cumbersome constraints. He chose five hundred elite cavalry because they could be directed as easily as one's own arm. If the Tang army's numbers were larger, the logistics would inevitably become bloated, and the strength they could bring to bear might not match these elite cavalry, each one picked from a hundred.

"Wait here, I'll go announce you."

Chen Xuanli warmly clapped Fang Youde on the shoulder, gave him a thumbs-up, and turned to enter a small gate of Xingqing Palace.

The Tang dynasty had a strong martial ethos, and great generals who could don armor and wield weapons were respected wherever they went. Zhao Kan and Bai Zhen Tuoluo had still harbored devious intentions under Zhang Shougui's command, but once under Fang Youde's hand, they were brought into line and became his trusted loyalists.

People always yearn to become the strong, and worship the strong.

Chen Xuanli made his way to the door of the master bedchamber in Xingqing Palace and saw Gao Lishi dozing with his eyes closed, arms folded, gently rocking his body back and forth.

"General Gao, Jiedushi Fang requests an audience with His Majesty — a great victory on the frontier!"

Chen Xuanli suppressed the excitement in his heart and said.

"Tell him to go home and rest first. His Majesty is very busy right now."

Gao Lishi replied listlessly.

Busy? Busy with what?

Chen Xuanli was taken aback, then heard delicate and lingering sounds of moaning coming from inside the room, and seemed to understand something.

"Tell him His Majesty is in good spirits, and since he has rendered great merit, a heavy reward tomorrow goes without saying.

His Majesty is resting now; preserving the dragon body is what matters. It is certainly not any displeasure with him."

Gao Lishi said impatiently.

What was this Fang Youde making a fuss about! It was just that bit of business at the border — his share of the credit wouldn't be shorted. Was it really necessary to howl outside Xingqing Palace in the middle of the night?

Who ever rendered merit and then demanded an audience with His Majesty in the middle of the night!