Chapter Twenty-Five: I Am Li Duozuo

Li Jiu gently helped Zhu Shitian to his feet and said warmly, “All these years, you have suffered, General Zhu. I am Li Chongjun, son of Prince Li Xian of Luling! Here and now, I swear that the Li family shall never forget General Zhu’s service in protecting the realm. Your name, General, will be inscribed in the Pavilion of Meritorious Officials. You have fulfilled your duty to the nation; now you may return home and honor your family. I am sure your parents, wife, and children have long awaited your return.”

At these words, Zhu Shitian wept as though rain, covering his face with both hands, his tears seeping through his fingers. At first, he strove to suppress his sobs, but eventually broke down and cried aloud. Li Jiu knew how much pain and grief had built up in Zhu Shitian’s heart after so many years living under an assumed name. It was only right to let him weep.

At length, Zhu Shitian stifled his cries, bowed deeply, and said, “Forgive my lack of composure, my lord. But I have no home to return to. My true name is Li Duozuo; Zhu Shitian is but an alias. Years ago, when I left the Imperial Guard under an assumed name, I sent my family north to Beiting for safety. Who could have foreseen that the Khitans would raid that year? They slaughtered my entire family, young and old. My youngest son was only two—he too was cut down by those Khitan dogs. Now my family’s home is but a barren grave, haunted only by foxes.” As he finished, tears streamed down his face once more.

Li Jiu’s heart ached. This man’s life had been fraught with hardship and misfortune. Since becoming the Bearer of the Sacred Armor, he had truly given up everything—even his family, who died as a result.

What was the Bearer of the Sacred Armor? In the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty, Empress Wu—Wu Meiniang—was deeply favored by the emperor. Later, Emperor Taizong ordered Yuan Tiangang to divine the fate of the dynasty. After his calculations, Yuan Tiangang told the emperor that after His Majesty’s ascension, a member of the Wu clan would usurp the throne. In response, Emperor Taizong ordered a purge of Wu clan officials at court. Wu Meiniang was to be among those exiled or executed, but the emperor’s love for her was too great—he could not bring himself to kill her. After agonizing for days, he ultimately removed her name from the list, favoring her even more than before.

Yet, on his deathbed, Emperor Taizong still felt uneasy. He summoned the great minister Zhangsun Wuji to the inner council and personally wrote an imperial edict, decreeing that should Wu Meiniang ever seek to depose the Tang dynasty and seize power, the world should unite against her. He hid the edict within a suit of armor and appointed Zhangsun Wuji as Bearer of the Sacred Armor to secretly watch over the realm.

Later, Wu Zetian somehow learned of this secret. She forced Zhangsun Wuji to surrender the edict, but he refused and fell from her favor. At that time, Wu Zetian was merely Empress to Emperor Gaozong, Li Zhi, and had yet to show any signs of plotting against the Tang. Thus, even as his entire clan faced extermination, Zhangsun Wuji would not reveal the edict. Only as he neared death did he entrust it to the literary giant Luo Binwang. At that time, Luo Binwang was in Chang’an serving as tutor to Prince Li Chongjun of Luling and enjoyed close friendship with Zhangsun Wuji. After receiving the edict, Luo Binwang, unable to wait, conspired with General Xu Jingye to rebel against Wu, claiming to restore Tang. But as Wu Zetian was still only empress, not yet a usurper, the edict lacked legitimacy. In the end, Luo Binwang could only denounce her as a “seductress who bewitched the sovereign.” Yet, no cause could be weaker for an uprising—Xu Jingye’s forces were isolated and unsupported, outmatched by the many loyal generals of the court. Luo Binwang and Xu Jingye, for all their talents, managed only a few desperate battles. When Xu Jingye finally fell, Luo Binwang vanished without a trace. It was but a scholar’s dream—doomed from the start.

Nevertheless, Luo Binwang was shrewd. At that time, Li Duozuo, serving with the Imperial Guard, had infiltrated Xu Jingye’s side to assassinate him. Unfortunately, he was discovered, and Xu Jingye, furious, ordered his immediate execution. Luo Binwang, realizing the tide of battle could no longer be turned, intervened to save Li Duozuo. In the tent, he spoke at length with him and, through eloquence and persuasion, convinced Li Duozuo to become the new Bearer of the Sacred Armor, establishing a secret signal and splitting a jade token between them as proof of identity. This risky choice was made because, as a failed assassin, Li Duozuo faced certain death under Imperial Guard law, and since everyone expected him to be executed, he could “die” and vanish. Skilled and cautious, Li Duozuo was well-suited to bear such a secret burden.

On the day the army was routed, Li Duozuo carried the sacred armor through the chaos and disappeared into the world. Luo Binwang had told him that Xu Jingye, hoping for his cause to rise again, had hidden vast sums of gold in several secret locations, one of which was in Hengzhou. Under the alias Zhu Shitian, Li Duozuo settled in Hengzhou, quietly retrieved the gold, became the wealthiest man in the region, and befriended many heroes, preparing for the future.

To the world, Luo Binwang had vanished or died in the chaos, but in truth, two years later, he risked everything to return to Chang’an. There, he met the still-youthful Li Chongjun, revealed the secret, and entrusted him with the token and the code. After that, Luo Binwang drifted away, his heart at peace. Later, Li Chongjun, because his father was repeatedly persecuted by his grandmother Wu Zetian, fled to the distant Tianshan mountains under the name Li Jiu and was gone for twenty years.

Li Jiu—Li Chongjun—spoke: “General Li Duozuo, take heart. Now Wu Zetian slaughters the Li clan without restraint; only loyal men like you can turn the tide and save Tang. Since you have no home to return to, why not join me in gathering heroes from the martial world? When the time comes, we shall rally the multitudes and restore the Li family’s realm. The day the Tang is revived, your name will be honored, your deeds rewarded—none more deserving.” Li Duozuo’s spirits soared. He cried, “To ride by my lord’s side and roam the world—such is the ambition of a true man! Whatever you command, I shall obey without hesitation!”

Li Duozuo strode over and kicked the cultist lying on the ground. “You cur, speak up! Tell us who you are, or you’ll taste the Imperial Guard’s methods of interrogation!” The cultist wailed, “Mercy, lord! Just kill me—I can’t take it anymore!” Li Duozuo sneered, “You want to die so easily? Not a chance! I’ll fetch some ginseng broth to keep you alive—so you can suffer a lifetime of torment, wishing for death but never finding it!” Terrified, the cultist broke down, crying, “I’m from Qinghai!” Li Chongjun nodded inwardly—their guess had been correct. These men were indeed from the Qinghai Sect, though how they ended up in the Crane God Cult was still unclear.

Li Duozuo tore a piece of flesh from the cultist, who nearly fainted from pain. “Why did you leave Qinghai for the Central Plains? And how did you get involved with the Crane God Cult?” The cultist sobbed, “No more, I’ll tell you everything. Years ago, monks from India arrived from Tibet and established the Qinghai Sect, recruiting disciples and teaching their arts. I was a poor shepherd on the Qinghai border. Seeing their magical powers, I left my flock and joined the sect. Two years ago, our leader, Nahu Gan’e, went to Tibet to brew tea and worship, leaving Senior Brother Shenguazi in charge. But Nahu Gan’e never returned. Shenguazi took the opportunity to kill all dissenters and proclaimed himself leader. Shenguazi is both strong and cunning—no one dared oppose him. Later, he ordered us to join the Crane God Cult in the Central Plains, saying that the Qinghai Sect was wasting away on the frontier. We should first attach ourselves to the Crane God Cult, and when the time was right, we would borrow troops from the emperor to march on Tibet and make Shenguazi king there. Failing that, we’d at least demand the governorship of Xiliang and rule as local lords. And if chaos swept the land, we’d lead the Xiliang cavalry to seize the Central Plains.”

Li Chongjun and Li Duozuo could not help but draw a sharp breath. This Shenguazi, for all his foppish appearance, possessed no small ambition.