Chapter 159: Cao Yuanxin, Clear-Eyed in a World of Men

Shule City, formerly the palace of Satuq Bughra Khan of the Karakhanids, had now become Li Shengtian's palace.

Cao Yuanxin entered with seven or eight maidservants, who carried in their hands a magnificent set of ceremonial robes — a grand empress's formal dress, imitated by the Khotanese royal weavers according to the Tang dynasty empress's style.

Passing through several arched gates in the Islamic style, Cao Yuanxin saw Li Shengtian sitting with his back to her. She waved a hand to dismiss the maidservants behind her, then walked softly to Li Shengtian's side.

"Is Erlang still sulking at me?" A doting, elder-sister-like expression appeared on Cao Yuanxin's face. She first let Li Shengtian see her smile, then moved behind him and began kneading his shoulders.

If Zhang Zhao were here, he would instantly understand the greatest reason Cao Yuanxin could keep Li Shengtian in hand.

Although Li Shengtian was much older than Cao Yuanxin, and although in others' eyes he was the Great Sage Son of Heaven who decided the life and death of hundreds of thousands, before Cao Yuanxin he was like a mischievous little brother.

Having lost his mother in swaddling clothes, then seeing the elder sister he regarded as a mother married off far away when he was around ten, and with a father strict to excess, Li Shengtian had developed a deep mother-complex.

Toward Cao Yuanxin, who could put on the manner of a mature elder sister before him, Li Shengtian was indeed very fond; he even found the small restraints she placed on him extremely comforting.

"All right! All right! What's there to be angry about! I am stepping up the training of the two daughters of the King of Zhongyun. Just wait a little while, and in a few years I guarantee you two beauties thoroughly versed in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song!"

As a woman already past thirty, who in this era could call herself an old crone, Cao Yuanxin deeply understood that by looks alone she no longer held much advantage with Li Shengtian.

So she was now shifting into the role of wife-and-sister in one — from a monopolizing queen of the harem who barred all manner of bewitching beauties from approaching Li Shengtian, into an enlightened first wife who ensured that bewitching beauties could only be supplied by herself.

To say Li Shengtian bore no resentment over Cao Yuanxin spiriting away Satuq's queen, Lady Cao, ahead of time and then delivering her to Zhang Zhao's bed — that would certainly be false. But it was not worth falling out with Cao Yuanxin over the matter.

Besides, Zhang Zhao was his nephew, and a nephew who had rendered tremendous service. However much Li Shengtian coveted Satuq's queen, he could not bring himself to contend with Zhang Zhao for her.

"It is not for a woman that I am troubled, but truly out of worry over the present situation!" Li Shengtian patted his left shoulder, signaling Cao Yuanxin to knead harder there.

Behind Li Shengtian, the corner of Cao Yuanxin's mouth curved up slightly. As if it weren't! But of course she would not expose him; instead she hastily changed the subject.

"I knew a brilliant lord like Erlang would hardly care about some mere woman. Let me guess — is Erlang perhaps worried about the other Erlang?"

Li Shengtian was the second son, and Zhang Zhao was also the second son, so Cao Yuanxin called Zhang Zhao "the other Erlang."

"Sixth Sister knows me! I, Li Erlang, was raised by my eldest sister's own hand. Without her, whether I could even have grown to manhood is uncertain. And Zhang Erlang, in only eight months since first arriving in the Golden Kingdom, has already helped me capture Shule and crush the powerful enemy that was a dagger at my heart.

Mother and son — one's kindness to me and to the Great Golden Kingdom is deep as the sea, the other's merit is high as the heavens. Therefore I must enfeoff Zhang Erlang as Prefect of Polu Prefecture, administering the affairs of Polu Prefecture.

Yet the soldiers and civilians of this prefecture, the tribes, tens of thousands of people, will all be under Zhang Erlang's control. Moreover, the fighting strength of the Hanshan Du armored troops under his command exceeds even my five hundred elite palace guards.

What is more, these men in Shazhou were merely on par with my palace guards, but once in Erlang's hands they became the sharpest assault troops for breaking enemy lines. Even those several hundred miners and the sworn followers of the Three Teachings faintly show the makings of elite soldiers. Erlang is a commander of rare talent in training troops!"

Hearing this, Cao Yuanxin sighed, then sat down beside Li Shengtian. It sounded as though Li Shengtian was praising Zhang Zhao, but in truth it carried a thick — ah! — perhaps "wariness" is not quite accurate; "apprehension" would be more fitting.

Because in the present situation, a "border king" of the Kingdom of Khotan like Zhang Zhao already posed a certain hidden threat to King Li Shengtian's authority.

Not to mention the future. Zhang Zhao said he would return to Guazhou and Shazhou, but who can be sure of what comes later? Perhaps Zhang Erlang would find the Golden Kingdom of Khotan agreeable and decide to stay?

With Zhang Zhao's abilities, if he stayed in the Golden Kingdom of Khotan for eight or ten years, this country would probably have nothing left for Crown Prince Li Congde.

But Li Shengtian could not do anything to Zhang Zhao. The man was only a nephew, yet he was willing to stake his life in bloody battle for your realm — and you still want to be suspicious, still want to move against him? What would everyone else think?

A saying suddenly came to Cao Yuanxin's mind: "When there is no reward left to give, only death remains." She had once thought it a joke, but now it seemed it was actually very sound.

If things kept developing this way, and Zhang Erlang did not return to Guazhou and Shazhou, then perhaps the only path truly would be to grant him death.

For only thus could Crown Prince Li Congde's position be secured. In history, many whose merit overshadowed their lord did not necessarily wish to overshadow him — it was the lord who felt overshadowed.

"And, Sixth Sister, I must also entrust another important matter to Zhang Erlang. Envoys have come from Balasagun. They wish to take me as their lord, to repay the grace of my personally leading a great army to relieve their siege. At the same time, Master Titsigu has also sent a secret envoy — he hopes I will support him!"

Hearing Li Shengtian say this, Cao Yuanxin's brows nearly knitted into the shape of the character 几.

"Balasagun is the stronghold of the Church of the East. Is Master Titsigu not being too hasty? Right now Satuq has merely been defeated, not destroyed. The strong enemy has not departed, and already the Buddhists and the Church of the East in Balasagun are to begin fighting among themselves?"

"That is why only Zhang Erlang can go. Only someone of his status can restrain Master Titsigu and guarantee Balasagun's stability!" As he spoke, Li Shengtian heaved a deep sigh.

"Originally I myself would be the most suitable for this, but from Shule to Balasagun, even at the fastest it takes more than two months, and one must cross high mountains and gorges. The round trip, plus handling the affairs of Balasagun, would take half a year.

Yet Shule has just been occupied, and among the surrounding tribes there are still many whose hearts incline toward Satuq. I truly have no time to travel so far. Sending anyone else would not put my mind at ease the way sending Zhang Erlang would."

Li Shengtian's face was full of helplessness. Given the Kingdom of Khotan's present situation, it truly could no longer afford to keep relying on Zhang Zhao.

His was a small country of only a few hundred thousand people, and the peoples of Anxi had always followed the strong. If he kept giving Zhang Zhao importance, it would not be long before the guest usurped the host — yet there was truly no one more suitable than Zhang Zhao.

"No wonder my venerable father-in-law would rather send off several dozen elite armored soldiers just to send Zhang Erlang away. A man like this — if you cannot kill him, then you can only make him go far away from you." Li Shengtian gave Cao Yuanxin a bitter smile.

Cao Yuanxin rose to her feet, walked solemnly before Li Shengtian, then slowly knelt and placed her hands on Li Shengtian's knees, looking straight into the eyes of this Great Sage Son of Heaven of the Golden Kingdom of Khotan.

"Erlang, you must never sell yourself short. Zhang Erlang may be valiant, but from what I have observed so far, he still falls short of the Han heroes who awed the Western Regions — men like Ban Dingyuan and Chen Pohu — and of heroes of our own dynasty such as Xue of Youzhou and Duke Zhuang of Xing.

If Erlang wishes to rule over Anxi, then all the more must you grow stronger when faced with strength! When the late king left behind a poor Kingdom of Khotan, you built it into such prosperity in fifteen years. You, Li Erlang, are no less than Zhang Erlang!

Storming cities, seizing territory, and expanding the realm are not your strengths, but in knowing men and employing them well, in making the country rich and the people strong, you far surpass Zhang Erlang.

As for the future, let the future take care of itself. Now is not the time to dwell on such things. What matters most at this moment is that you, uncle and nephew, work together with one heart — one civil, one martial — to swell our Kingdom of Khotan's power and display anew the heroic spirit of Han and Tang!"

In Cao Yuanxin's heart only one voice sounded: she must not let this seed of suspicion sprout in Li Shengtian's heart.

When Zhang Zhao had analyzed the fate of the Kingdom of Khotan for Li Shengtian, Cao Yuanxin had actually been listening behind the screen. So she understood that this was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for Khotan — they must seize it and make Khotan the hegemon of Anxi.

If ill feeling grew between the two of them, how could they still work together in harmony?

As for whether Zhang Erlang would return to Shazhou — Cao Yuanxin's face twisted twice, and in her heart she made a ruthless resolution.

To make Zhang Erlang firm in his resolve to return to Shazhou, she could only start with her own family.

Her father was already past sixty and clearly had little time left. As for her elder brother Yuande — then she was sorry, but his sister would have to support Zhang Erlang's return to Shazhou to seize power.

As long as Khotan endured, as long as Khotan remained this prosperous, then even if Zhang Erlang seized the great authority of the Guiyi Army, the Cao family would still enjoy wealth and honor for generations, would it not?

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