Chapter Eighty-Nine: Palindrome Couplet, Capturing a Beauty Alive, Part One

As he looked back at the large crowd following behind him, Li Wei felt rather helpless.

Once they had left the city, he immediately got down from his carriage. The supposed prayer for blessings was merely a pretext; the real purpose was the journey itself. There was no need to rush. That suited Li Lingyue perfectly, and she too came out, leaving the coachman to drive an empty carriage along behind the procession.

Li Wei walked over to Xue Na with obvious curiosity and asked, "Xue, may I ask your age this year?"

He had never heard of ministers such as Yuan Sigu, Zhu Jingze, or Wei Zhigu, but he certainly had heard of Xue Na. The famed Xue Dingshan, after all. It seemed that on some forum he had once read that during the battle at Dafeichuan, a minister had even proposed replacing Guo Daifeng with Xue Na as deputy commander.

Li Wei had taken that rumor for truth, but after seeing Xue Na in person, he realized how absurd it was. Guo Daifeng had served as deputy to an army of tens of thousands; he was already in his forties and also held the post of General of the Left Leopard Camp Guard, nearly equal in rank to Xue Rengui before the campaign. Could Xue Na really do it? Barely in his twenties, only a minor gate official, and unlike Wei Qing or Huo Qubing, he had no powerful background whatsoever. Had the court truly run out of men?

Xue Na replied, "This year, Your Highness, I am twenty-three."

It was the customary way of reckoning age, and in any case he was three years older than Li Wei.

Li Wei said casually, "I have great admiration for your father, General Xue."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xue Na's face reddened. He believed the crown prince's admiration was mostly polite flattery. After his father's defeat at Dafeichuan, all his offices had been stripped away. Then, when Goguryeo rose in rebellion, he went there in plain dress, only to become entangled in a murder case and end up exiled all the way to Xiang Prefecture in Lingnan.

The Xue family was no longer what it had once been.

Li Wei sighed inwardly. The court had indeed been somewhat unfair to Xue Rengui. In this battle, had another general been sent, the result would have been the same, perhaps even worse. Some time ago, he had happened to hear a saying: after his defeat, Xue Rengui had once remarked, "This year is gengwu, and the stars are in Jianglou. There should be no trouble in the west. Deng Ai died in Shu; I knew full well I would be defeated." Talk of the stars was empty enough, which meant that before setting out, he had likely already sensed an omen of defeat. As for the imperial decree exiling him to Xiang Prefecture, it had only recently been issued, and the dead man was merely a Goguryeo subject. Yet the court had taken it seriously. In the end, Xue Rengui had been of peasant stock, with a thin foundation. So when Guo Daifeng returned, he heaped all the blame upon Xue Rengui, dragging his name through the mud and causing him to be sent first to Korea, then to Lingnan.

But though he understood all this, Li Wei did not dare say it aloud. Xue Rengui was still a great commander of the court; if he spoke, his father would only grow more uneasy.

He patted Xue Na's shoulder and said, "Gold will always shine in time."

This time Xue Na understood that the crown prince was not mocking him. Moved, he said, "Thank you for your gracious words, Your Highness."

Li Wei then walked up to Yao Chong and asked, "Yao, your family comes from Liang County, does it not?"

"That is my mother's natal home."

"Your mother must have had a difficult life."

"Yes. I hold my mother in the deepest respect."

Yao Yuanzhong's mother was the third wife of Yao Yi, a woman named Liu. Yao Yi died while in office, and Liu, guarding the funeral carriage, led Yao Yuanzhong, his younger brother Yao Yuanjing, and a younger sister across mountains and rivers, traversing nearly five thousand li. Most of the journey lay through the perilous mountain roads of Guizhou and Sichuan, and in some places the roads were still unsafe. Yet she brought the coffin all the way to Shan Prefecture for burial. That year, Liu was only thirty-seven.

Li Wei listened and found it almost unbelievable. He could only marvel at the resilience and greatness of Chinese women.

"After we have gone to Mount Song, I shall come to visit your home."

"Your Highness..." Yao Yuanzhong was so moved that he could scarcely speak. For the crown prince to visit personally would be an honor beyond measure.

Ximen Chong teased him, saying, "Yao, when the prince comes to your house, you must not be stingy."

"Of course, of course. And my hometown is not far from Guangcheng Marsh. I can take Your Highness hunting there. The scenery of Mount Kongtong is also most beautiful."

Guangcheng Marsh was quite famous: mountains and waters, luxuriant forests, emerald bamboo, lovely scenery, birds, beasts, and fish, a natural hunting ground. The Han dynasty had once turned it into Guangcheng Garden. From Emperor Taizong to Li Wei's own father, Emperor Gaozong, the Tang emperors had often hunted there.

At the mention of Guangcheng Marsh, Xue Na's eyes lit up. "If Your Highness goes to Guangcheng Marsh, my archery is passable, and I could perhaps keep you company a little."

Yao Yuanzhong was no slouch with the bow either, but when he saw the massive iron-arm bow slung behind Xue Na, he opened his mouth and said nothing. Instead, Li Lingyue exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, splendid, splendid."

Traveling, after all, ought to be lively.

But what could she do if she went along? Even if one gave her the smallest bow, she would not be able to draw it.

Li Wei ignored that entirely and asked another question: "I hear your father was most accomplished with the bow?"

"Indeed. My father once shot down Mount Tianshan with just three arrows. Compared with him, my own skill is far inferior."

Li Wei laughed again. This campaign had been nothing short of miraculous, yet that General Xue had done another astonishing thing: after frightening more than a hundred thousand Tiele horsemen into dismounting and surrendering, he had simply ordered the thirteen thousand surrendered Tiele troops buried alive. Then he pursued them all the way to the northern desert and captured the three Yabghu brothers. From that battle onward, the Nine Tiele Clans were crippled by him. This was hardly in keeping with the court's spirit of ethnic "great harmony," so the murderous general was immediately recalled, without any reward for his merits.

But Li Wei approved of it very much. With these nomadic peoples, one had to be a little harder-handed.

That judgment was also correct. Later, when Xue Rengui appeared, the Turks surrendered without a fight the moment they saw him, precisely for that reason. They had been terrified by that killing star. The Tang dynasty's spirit of ethnic integration was certainly admirable, but at times it leaned too soft.

Still, he did not dare voice such thoughts.

Wei Yuanzhong suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

Li Wei went with him to the roadside, and Wei Yuanzhong said, "Your Highness, Guangcheng Marsh is an excellent place. After you have gone to Mount Song to offer prayers, it would be best to remain there a while longer."

"Why?"

"The Emperor has allowed the little princess to travel with us. Since this is a matter of prayer for blessings, he does not wish Your Highness alone to enjoy all the honor. That suggests there is still some anger in his heart. Staying at Guangcheng Marsh to hunt would both escape the summer heat and make use of the cool shade, and there is an imperial villa there already. It is a place well removed from the court. Your Highness could read, and you could also observe the hardships of the common people. It would serve both purposes. Therefore, I think it best to remain there until the marriage is celebrated, and only then return to the Eastern Capital."

"At the time, did you not say there was fear that some villain might take advantage, and that we should come immediately to the Eastern Capital? Why now...?"

"Then was then, and now is now. Your Highness is already in the Eastern Capital and has healed the rift with the Empress; moreover, there is that remark from Wang Cainian. If the Grand Tutor makes any further move, the Empress will certainly notice. The circumstances now are no longer the same as they were then."

What he did not say was that Emperor Gaozong likely already had that "Three Kingdoms" sort of notion in mind, yet Li Wei had instead drawn close to the Empress. How was the Emperor to take that? In truth, these twists and turns were more than Wei Yuanzhong could untangle, and every time he thought of them, his head ached.

Fighting for power was unavoidable. They must not truly hand all authority over to the Empress. The outcome would not be very pleasant. And yet no one knew how many more years they would have to endure...

"Then I shall follow Lord Wei's counsel." In his idle moments he could read, and when bored, roam mountains and rivers. Such a life was, in truth, what Li Wei longed for.

The large party veered southeast in grand procession.

After a while, the eunuch Jin said, "Your Highness, please return to the carriage."

"No need. The reason my health has gradually improved is precisely because I exercise every day. The reasoning is simple enough: if a soldier does not train his body, how can he become strong? Walking slowly like this is not only pleasant, it is also a method of exercise."

This body was indeed weak; strenuous training would not do. This kind of slow walking, however, was proving quite effective. His wasting illness had still not entirely cleared, though that was not because the imperial physicians dared not boast. At times, when the weather turned unfavorable, his lungs still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Still, it was improving, and improving quickly, so Li Wei was not anxious.

He walked, and Li Lingyue, having been confined for so long and now delighted by novelty, had excellent physical stamina, so she walked as well, pestering Li Wei for stories along the way. Since these two were walking, everyone walked together, and even the guards dismounted. Shangguan Wan'er was also on foot. She had suffered greatly in the Palace of the Rear Courts, so this little bit of walking was no burden to her.

After a while, Xu Yanbo, accustomed as he was to a life of comfort, could not bear it. Sweat sprang to his face, and he wanted to remount, but in the end lacked the courage. He wore a bitter expression, and his very posture seemed to distort as he walked.

Yuan Sigu, the Taichang Doctor, said with disgust, "An invalid."

Still worse than the crown prince, whose health was not even very good.

The crown prince was dressing plainly only out of consideration for the people, so as not to disturb them. Otherwise, if he traveled in full ceremonial splendor, none of the officials in this entourage would have been fit to accompany him, and even if they did, they could only occupy the lowest seats. Such was the glory of it all. Even merely becoming tired from walking would itself be a kind of honor. If the crown prince were someday to ascend the throne, this journey of accompaniment would be a splendid credential indeed.

But the old gentleman merely toyed with cleverness and concern, and there was no need to take offense.

"What did you say?" Xu Yanbo had been tormented half to death by Li Wei, but that did not mean he feared the officials in this procession, not even Xue Na.

"I merely saw an invalid. Could it be that I was speaking of you?"

"You..." Just as he was about to flare up again, Li Wei came over and stopped them both. He could provoke Xu Yanbo, but he could not afford to provoke Yuan Sigu. For Xu Jingzong, in order to protect that precious grandson of his, had even dared to scheme against him; much less a mere Taichang Doctor.

Yet he could also tell that Xu Jingzong had a very poor impression of these few shabby young officials, and so bore them ill will out of hatred for the house, too.

Once the matter was calmed, they continued on foot. Seeing Xu Yanbo's condition, Li Wei found it rather amusing. Wu Zetian was a very shrewd person, but not a god. She could not know that her son and her trusted minister Xu Jingzong would one day be at deadly odds...

But the sun grew fierce in the end, and after a while everyone became thirsty. They had water flasks with them, but just ahead there happened to be a tea stall. Li Wei said, "Let's go there."

"Yes!" everyone answered in cheerful unison.

The tea stall stood near the roadside, with a few tables and more than twenty low couches beneath a simple canopy, supported all around by bamboo poles. The business was decent enough, with nearly ten travelers seated inside. When the party poured in, it grew somewhat crowded.

The guards, however, did not mind; they could stand wherever there was space. There were not many who could sit down. Xu Yanbo was just about to plop himself onto a seat when he suddenly remembered that the crown prince had not yet sat, and so he had no choice but to remain standing.

The tea seller was an elderly couple who did not know Li Wei and found nothing strange in the party. Though there were rather many of them, this was the great road leading to the Eastern Capital; sons of prominent families or the nobility often traveled with large retinues as well. Besides, there were merchant caravans and official post stations escorting valuable goods, often with many guards or warriors.

No doubt they had mistaken them for bodyguards.

Even in its simplest form, however, the party had brought a great deal of luggage. There were each person's belongings, especially those of the crown prince and princess, which were numerous; there was still the shadow of the matter on Mount Zhongnan as well, so they had brought armor, shields, and other weapons, though most of these, being too conspicuous, had been placed in the carriages. There were also everyday necessities, and since they were traveling light and could not trouble the local populace, they might have to camp outdoors, making tents essential. Indeed, several carts' worth of provisions had been brought.

Li Wei took Li Lingyue's hand and sat down, saying, "Tea, please."

"Right away, honored guests." The tea owner called out warmly and prepared to brew the tea.

At that moment, Yao Yuanzhong pointed to a bamboo pole and said, "Look."

Li Wei and Wei Yuanzhong followed the direction of his finger and saw a sheet of paper pasted there, bearing several graceful characters: mist locks the mountain peak, the mountain locks the mist.

"Hm?" they all walked over in surprise to look.

"It was those two young gentlemen just now," the tea owner said, pausing there. Young gentlemen perhaps not; they were clearly two delicate young ladies. But since they were dressed as men, there was no need to expose them. He continued, "They said they were leaving a matching line here to add a bit of literary charm to my humble stall."