Chapter Eighty-Six: Garlan Monastery

Lingeringly, Longji mouthed the name of the Crown Prince to Xue Chongjian, and Xue Chongjian immediately understood. He hurriedly said, “Now that the Crown Prince is trapped in prison and his life hangs by a thread, Mother...”

Princess Taiping smiled faintly. “He has already done what he ought to do. After all, he is my brother’s blood. If his life can be spared, that would of course be best. That you still remember him shows that you have a kind heart, and I am pleased by that. Only, he is now secretly held in Green Lotus Temple. Though the Wei clan fears drawing attention and has posted only a small guard, they are all carefully chosen hardened troops, and among them is a master of the Imperial Guard named Zhao Sishen, who personally oversees the place. I hear his martial arts are no weaker than Zhou Rui’s. If you mean to rescue him, how easy can that be? Do not end by failing to save him and instead dragging yourselves down with him.”

Longji and Xue Chongjian knew that every word she said was true, and for a time neither could think of any good plan. Both fell silent and helpless.

While tending to a pot of orchids, Princess Taiping said, “A few days ago, Eunuch Liu went south of the Yangtze on official business and told me an interesting tale. It was said that on the ridge-beast of a certain temple in Xiangzhou, young storks in their nest would, whenever their feathers had just finished growing, be swallowed by a snake as large as a washbasin. For three years this went on, and still the storks nested there. Then one time the snake came again, and the two storks cried out sharply, drawing a great bird that spread its wings to cover the heavens. That bird struck the snake with its claws, and the snake’s head dropped at once, after which it beat its wings and flew away. The common folk all said it was a chivalrous bird. Thinking of it now, it was rather interesting.”

Longji said thoughtfully, “Does Aunt mean that we should seek out skilled and extraordinary people of the jianghu to rescue him?”

Princess Taiping said, “We need only let the news out. Crown Prince Li Zhongjun comes from the Heavenly Mountain Sect. That sect and Shaolin are counted among the titans of the martial world. If even when one of their own disciples has been thrown into prison they dare not rescue him, what face will the Heavenly Mountain Sect have left to boast of its valor before the world’s martial men? Without a drop of blood, we could break apart a great sect. Would that not be a good thing? If they are reckless enough to make a move and rescue him, then naturally that is what we desire. But if they fail, then the Heavenly Mountain Sect will have forged a deep enmity with the Wei clan. Given the Wei clan’s temper, in the days ahead she will not only seek to cut down the Heavenly Mountain Sect, but likely spare no other sect either. Such a move benefits the realm and the state, and we are more than willing to sit back and watch. Would you not agree?”

Longji bowed deeply in thanks. “Thank you for your guidance, Aunt. I shall arrange it at once.”

Xue Chongjian said resentfully, “Mother, I think Li Zhongjun is already a ruined man. You could let him go, yet you still want to use him to wipe out the jianghu sects. I... I... I do not know how to put it!”

Princess Taiping’s gaze was as cold and sharp as a blade as she fixed him. “Do you think your mother is heartless or not?”

Xue Chongjian lowered his head. “I would not dare. I only think that acting this way is unfair to Ninth Brother.”

Princess Taiping suddenly gave a cold laugh. “Fair? Where in this world is there any fairness! Some are born to poverty and cannot fill their bellies, while others are born into great wealth and noble houses, feasting to the sound of bells and music. Is that fairness? Some labor their whole lives over the classics and still gain no rank or title, while others, still in swaddling clothes, are granted the title of Grand Master of Ceremonies. Is that fairness? Those old pedants speak endlessly of sages’ doctrine and preach the superiority of men over women. No matter how weak a man may be, he can still be an official, a merchant, even an emperor. No matter how capable a woman may be, she can only hide away behind the inner doors. Is that fairness?!”

Xue Chongjian dared not answer. He could only kneel and bow repeatedly. “Mother, please calm your anger. Please calm your anger.”

Princess Taiping let out a long sigh. “Jian’er, get up. Your mother is not angry with you. It’s only that I have suppressed myself for too long. Alas, speaking of it, Li Zhongjun is also pitiable. Since it has come to this, let him render one more service for the Li clan!”

She lifted her teacup, took a light sip, and said softly, “In truth, I was not always like this. When I was little, I would cry at the death of a small bird. But after I began following my mother in handling state affairs, I saw too much, and my heart slowly hardened. Before imperial power, human lives are not human lives, only pieces on a board. Like playing chess, the player thinks only of where to place each piece so that the game may be won; he does not think of what the pieces feel. So it is with imperial power as well. For the stability of the realm, some good people must be killed, and some wicked people must be used. We are born of the imperial house. Though our status is noble, our fate is the same as that of everyone under heaven. We are all pieces on the board. For the Li clan’s throne to endure through a thousand generations, if need be, we will all be sacrificed. Such is our destiny! Li Zhongjun is no exception. I believe that, as a descendant of the Li house, he will accept it.”

Longji stepped forward quietly and patted Xue Chongjian’s shoulder. “Alas, cousin, there is no need to be so despondent. I have a group of Japanese death warriors at hand; I can order them to help in secret. Besides, the Heavenly Mountain Sect has many experts, and it may not be impossible to rescue him. And if by chance we cannot rescue him... then we must accept our fate.”

Xue Chongjian ignored him and turned at once to run out.

Princess Taiping sighed. “This child is still so immature. How can I ever truly rest easy about him?”

After Li Zhongjun drove Li Zhongyuan and the others out of the Prince of Wei’s residence, they traveled day and night to Suzhou. Since they had been cast out by Li Zhongjun, the others did not think much of it, but Zirang had anger and frustration coiled in his heart. Fearing that Li Zhongjun was making some important move and did not wish to drag him down, and yet unable to stop worrying, he had been unable to eat or sleep for days, and had grown haggard and thin.

Fortunately, with Lin Qingli, Lan Wutong, and the others comforting him, his brow would relax from time to time along the way.

One day they were eating noodles at a roadside noodle shop. The Lanzhou-style noodles here were reputed to be unmatched. Though the stall was only a temporary shed by the roadside, it was crowded with diners. On the clay stove stood seven or eight large pots, simmering noodles, broth, and beef. The noodles were as fine as hair and as white as silk, not cut with a knife at all, but pulled bit by bit from a great mass of soft dough by the chef. Once cooked, they were served with palm-sized slices of beef, chili powder, and mustard, and finished with a ladleful of sizzling hot chicken-fat broth. When poured into the bowl, it crackled softly, and the fragrance spread everywhere. Everyone ate with unstinting praise.

Seeing their approval, the chef grew even prouder, flouring the dough between his hands with the skill of a spearman twirling a long halberd, drawing it back and forth until it became strand after strand of fine noodles.

Just then, while everyone was enjoying themselves, a sudden uproar rose from the street. The crowd hurried aside, for a rider on a fast horse was charging down the road at a reckless pace. Lin Qingli shouted angrily, “What sort of person is this, galloping through the street in broad daylight?!”

As he spoke, a child in the jostling crowd was pushed into the middle of the road. Just as a hoof the size of a bowl was about to come down, amid the screams of the crowd, Li Zhongyuan slapped the table, borrowed the force to spring up, and in the blink of an eye landed before the horse’s head.

With his left arm he gathered the child into his embrace; with his right hand he reached out and pressed against the horse’s shoulder, using the technique of dispersing force. At once the charging momentum of the horse was dissolved without a trace, and its body sagged. The rider, unprepared, was thrown from the saddle at once and landed with his face battered and bruised.

The man scrambled up from the dust and roared, “You dare block an imperial messenger in public? You do not want to live!”

Li Zhongyuan said, “You race horses through a crowded street and do not fear taking a life?”

The man sneered. “What do other people’s lives have to do with me?”

With that, he drew the saber at his waist and struck down toward Li Zhongyuan’s face. By then Lin Qingli had already arrived.

With his left palm he gently lifted the man’s knife-holding wrist, and with his right palm he pushed at the man’s waist, sending him staggering several zhang away. Seeing a leather tube slung diagonally across his back, Lin Qingli reached out and snatched it, about to tear off the imperial seal strip at the mouth of the tube.

Under the laws of the Great Tang, a messenger who lost official documents was to be executed, and the man turned ashen with terror. He kept begging, “Hero, please, you must not open the seal. If you do, this humble one’s life will be lost.”

Lin Qingli sneered. “What do other people’s lives have to do with me?”

Li Zhongyuan was, after all, more compassionate and did not wish to tear open the seal and make the matter blow up. He took the leather tube, pressed his hand over the seal, and silently circulated the Primal Chaos Art. Heat surged through his palm, and in no time melted the adhesive gum fastening the seal.

He quickly peeled off the seal while it was still warm, opened the tube lid, and took out a yellow cloth scroll. It was an imperial proclamation. When they unrolled it and read it, it said in essence that the Crown Prince, Li Zhongjun, had plotted rebellion, was stripped of his position as Crown Prince and reduced to commoner status, was to be held temporarily in the imperial prison, and was to be executed at the end of the month. Those implicated in the rebellion, such as Li Duozuo, Dugu Wei, and Li Chengkuang, were to be put to death on the spot.

After reading it, cold sweat broke out at once. Something had indeed happened to Li Zhongjun.

Zirang, Lan Wutong, and the others crowded over as well. When Zirang saw the edict, he swayed as if about to faint. Li Zhongyuan stuffed the proclamation back into the leather tube, melted the seal adhesive again, resealed it, and tossed it back to the messenger. The man looked left and right and saw no flaw, and could not help but brighten with relief.

Li Zhongyuan barked, “You know better than I what punishment there is for leaking official documents. Better not speak of this matter to anyone!”

The man hastily cupped his fists and bowed. “Thank you, hero, for saving my life. I would not dare speak of it!” With that, he led the horse away in a sorry state.

Everyone hurried back to the inn where they were staying and shut the door to discuss a plan. Zirang had only just parted from Li Zhongjun a few days before when this great change struck, and he was already panicked and unsteady. He insisted on rushing back to Chang’an at once to rescue Li Zhongjun. Li Zhongyuan knew well that among the three of them Zirang’s martial arts were the weakest, and that he had no experience of the jianghu; moreover, when concern clouds the mind, returning to Chang’an to save someone would not only be of little help, but would also drag everyone else down.

After much effort, they finally persuaded Zirang to ride at top speed to Luoyang and seek help from the Wang brothers, while he, Lin Qingli, and Lan Wutong slipped back into Chang’an to look for an opening to rescue the prisoner. If the rescue succeeded, they would retreat south to Mount Zhongnan and rendezvous there, with the Wang brothers arranging carriages and horses to send them to the Heavenly Mountain for refuge. If it failed, they would still have to find a way to hold the enemy off until the people of the Heavenly Mountain Sect arrived before making further plans.

Leaving Zirang to gallop back to Luoyang in haste, Li Zhongyuan led Lin Qingli and Lan Wutong back to Chang’an by moon and starlight.

Only after entering Chang’an did they realize that rescuing someone was not so simple. They did not even know where the imperial prison was. At such a critical time, they could not ask around for directions either. If they simply asked everyone they met where the imperial prison was, even a fool would know they intended to stage a prison break, and it would likely not be long before the Imperial Guards responsible for street patrols and arrests came to seize them.