Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

In short, Li Heng then began a series of questionable actions in religious affairs and even in terms of laws and regulations, as if he wanted to make all officials, soldiers and civilians remember that there was an emperor lying ill in the palace without clearly managing state affairs.

In the seventh month of autumn that year, torrential rain fell for more than ten days—it was estimated that the harvest in the Guanzhong region would still be poor—and on the day of Guiwei, a solar eclipse appeared. According to traditional customs, a solar eclipse is the most serious warning from heaven, and the emperor on earth must reflect on his actions. However, when the officials reported this to the palace, Li Heng ignored them all.

On the contrary, ten days later, it is said that a jade lingzhi mushroom grew on the throne in Yanying Hall, with three flowers on one stem. Li Heng immediately composed three poems, which read: "The jade hall is solemn, the lingzhi mushroom is radiant. The flowers bloom in abundance, the leaves divide into buds..." and showed them to his ministers. Was this to show that Heaven was still favoring him? Was it to counteract the adverse effects of the solar eclipse? But it took you a full ten days to come up with this trick. How slow and disgusting!

Li Ji couldn't help but think to himself, "This emperor is acting against the natural order; he doesn't look like he'll live much longer..."

Two months later, on the third day of the ninth lunar month, a day of Jia Shen, Li Heng celebrated his fifty-first birthday, which was called "Tian Cheng Di Ping Festival".

The idea of ​​setting the emperor's birthday as a festival was first created by Li Longji, who designated the fifth day of the eighth lunar month as "Qianqiu Festival" (later renamed "Tianchang Festival"). After Li Heng ascended the throne, he naturally lost his reputation, but because Li Longji was still alive, it was inconvenient to have the same name, so he set his own birthday as "Tiancheng Diping Festival"—which has more characters than his father's birthday.

A month in advance, the palace began various preparations, intending to hold a grand celebration. Indeed, after the crisis at the beginning of the year when the rebel army approached Shanxian County, the court and the public were in dire need of a grand event to boost morale and inspire the people. Eunuchs, palace maids, and officials from the Ministry of Rites came and went in an endless stream every day. Since the Yingwu Army was guarding the inner and middle courts, it was impossible for them to stay out of it.

First, there was a complete change of uniforms—no matter how poor the country was, it couldn't afford to lose face—soldiers and officers all wore brocade armor, with their spear shafts painted bright red. Of course, when guarding the palace, they were not allowed to wear helmets or heavy armor; they only wore brocade robes that imitated the style and patterns of brocade armor.

Li Ji thought to himself, "It's alright. I'm a civil official, I don't have to stand guard, and I don't need to wear such colorful clothes..."

Li Ji entrusted Ma Sui with all the details of the costume changes and the ceremony procedures, especially assigning Ma Xunmei to communicate with the eunuchs and officials from the Ministry of Rites. As for himself, his main responsibility was to arrange the shifts—those on duty on the day of the festival had to be well-looking, have excellent physiques, and be diligent and experienced soldiers; otherwise, if they made a mistake, he and Ma Sui would be implicated.

While he was checking the roster and deliberating repeatedly, Ma Sui entered from outside and asked, "Changwei, has the list of those on duty for the day been finalized?"

Li Ji replied, "A total of 342 people entered the inner court, and 204 people entered the central court. It's just barely completed. Xunmei, would you like to review it again?"

Ma Sui said no need, then hesitated for a moment, his face showing difficulty: "The palace has just sent an order, and the two of us must also go into the inner court to serve, and... we should change into other clothes."

Li Ji frowned: "The ceremony is important, and it is indeed safer for us to join the guards, but... isn't wearing official uniform enough? Are you and I also going to wear two different outfits and pretend to be warriors?"

Ma Sui didn't answer directly, but instead pulled a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Li Ji: "This is... the style of clothing that day, please take a look, Chief Guard."

Li Ji took it, unfolded it, and couldn't help but smile: "Xunmei has misunderstood. This is a Buddhist painting, not a military uniform design."

Ma Sui hesitated for a moment, then finally said with a bitter face, "No, it's exactly what I want to do, like painting on clothes..."

Li Ji could hardly believe his ears, and immediately glared at him: "Which bastard came up with this terrible idea? Could it be that because the Emperor has recently become fond of Buddhism, he is sacrificing the face of the court and us just to curry favor?!"

Ma Sui quickly reached out and pressed down: "Chang Wei, be careful what you say—this is, this is the will of the Sage, and it has just been issued to the Ministry of Rites..."

It turns out that Li Heng had a sudden inspiration and planned to set up a Taoist temple in the three main halls—Hanyuan, Xuanzheng, and Zichen—so that monks could chant sutras and pray for longevity and blessings for himself. Not only that, he also ordered palace servants to dress up as Bodhisattvas and the Northern Army guards to dress up as Vajra warriors, creating a Buddhist kingdom in cosplay!

Ma Sui leaned closer and pointed to an image on the Buddhist painting: "The Ministry of Rites said that the Emperor summoned the Minister and personally presented this painting to him, saying that Li Changwei should be depicted as Weituo, to protect the Emperor. Is this not appropriate?"

Li Ji lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the guardian deity "Weituo Tian" on one side of the Buddhist painting. He saw that the figure wore a golden crown, had a bare upper body, was surrounded by colorful ribbons, wore a golden battle skirt, was barefoot, and held a huge golden pestle...

Holy crap, how shameful! I absolutely refuse to do it!

He immediately threw the scroll of Buddhist painting on the ground and said, "I am ill and need to take three months' leave!"

Ma Sui smiled wryly, "Since the sage has spoken, I'm afraid the guards can't avoid it... Even I will inevitably have to serve as his deputy..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "So what if I'm the deputy? I saw it myself. The two golden-armored warriors beside Wei Tuotian were both wearing shirts!"

"How can one be naked within the palace walls?! This is outrageous! I must storm the palace and confront the Emperor directly, urging him to rescind this decree!"

Chapter Eleven, The Emperor's Benevolence

Li Ji was ultimately a civil official in the Imperial Guard, not responsible for official duties. Therefore, unless summoned, his movements were limited to the Central Court and he was not allowed to enter the Inner Court. Although the Inner Court guards were all brave and valiant, and were his subordinates, theoretically he could definitely break in, but... whether he could come out alive was another matter.

Therefore, he could only wait outside the Zichen Gate, asking the eunuchs who came in and out to inform Wang Jiahe. A short while later, Wang Jiahe arrived with his hands behind his back and asked him, "Li Ji, is there some important matter in the army?"

Li Ji reported with his hands clasped: "Wang Junrong, the Emperor decreed that on the day of the Heavenly Cultivation and Earthly Peace Festival, the three main halls should be converted into a Taoist temple, with palace maids dressed as Bodhisattvas and Northern Army soldiers dressed as strongmen... Has Wang Junrong heard of this?"

Wang Jiahe nodded: "I just heard about it. Are you worried that there is not enough time to prepare the clothes? It's alright, the Empress has already ordered the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Wardrobe Department to speed up the preparation."

Li Ji smiled bitterly and said, "According to the Ministry of Rites, even the Emperor wants me to dress up as Weituo Tian..." He took out the scroll of Buddhist painting from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "How can I wear such attire? The censor will surely impeach me. Disrespect before the Emperor is a serious crime—I'm afraid someone is trying to frame me!"

Although he felt it was shameful to do cosplay in the most important political venue in the country, the Three Great Halls, it was the Li family's face that was being disgraced, and the face of that bastard emperor, so what did it have to do with him? As for the emperor's devotion to Buddhism and his distancing himself from Confucianism, there would be court officials to dissuade him, and it was not his place as a sixth-rank civil official in charge of the imperial guards to interfere.

Consider this: in many Western medieval countries, courts frequently gathered nobles for masquerade balls. In contrast, ancient China, deeply influenced by Confucianism, was inevitably more solemn than lively—although, generally speaking, the Tang Dynasty was relatively open. Therefore, in this context, it was perfectly acceptable for the emperor to want to hold a religious cosplay event and even have himself participate, treating it as a way to relax and enjoy the spectacle.

The problem is that the outfit was really embarrassing, especially since fashion was so open these days. Men were still expected to keep their bodies covered in formal settings. Moreover, in recent years, people have become more conservative, and even women are showing less and less of their breasts... If I wore such an outfit, the emperor might be pleased, but it would inevitably lead to impeachment by the censors. Even if the impeachment failed, the Confucian officials would definitely despise me from then on.

It wasn't because he refused to compromise his principles or conform to the world that he incurred the disdain of mediocre court officials, but because he was despised by all scholars for cosplaying—that was hardly worth it... Li Heng, you're really seriously ill, aren't you?!

Wang Jiahe took the Buddhist painting, unfolded it, and glanced at it. A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth… He vaguely felt that Li Ji's concerns were not unreasonable; it was most likely a deliberate attempt to frame him. After all, Li Ji was a pillar of the Yingwu Army, and in a sense, a figure of honor. If Li Ji were impeached because of this, could he, the Military Inspector, remain unscathed? This fire would inevitably burn him sooner or later!

However, if it truly was a Buddhist painting personally bestowed by the emperor with an imperial edict, then it would be inconvenient for Wang to directly remonstrate before the emperor...

He couldn't help but ask Li Ji, "What do you intend to do?"

"Please, Wang Junrong, give your honest advice to the Emperor."

Wang Jiahe shook his head with a wry smile and asked again, "What other plans do you have?"

"Please inform the Emperor, Wang Junrong, that this humble official must speak frankly to His Majesty!"

Wang Jiahe shook his head again and asked, "Is there any other plan?"

Li Ji thought for a moment and replied, "Could Wang Junrong possibly convey this painting and the words of the lower-ranking official to Minister Li?"

The "Minister Li" mentioned refers to Li Fuguo. Just last month, Li Fuguo, an unprecedented eunuch, was appointed Minister of War. Emperor Li Heng even ordered a banquet to celebrate, which all officials below the rank of prime minister were to attend. Li Fuguo also took the opportunity to request, through his advisor Pei Mian and others, to be appointed prime minister in the Council of State Affairs. Unfortunately, Li Heng refused to let him take this final step.

But Li Heng was cunning. He secretly summoned Prime Minister Xiao Hua, who had always been at odds with Li Fuguo, and said, "Fuguo requests to be prime minister. If all the ministers submit petitions, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to grant it." Xiao Hua then turned around and questioned Pei Mian, declaring, "I would rather cut off my arm than become prime minister!"

To get back to the point, Li Ji felt that someone must have used this opportunity to frame him, but this person was most likely not Li Fuguo, because as things stand, Li Fuguo and the Crown Prince are still in a cooperative relationship; and among the eunuchs, the only one who could directly advise Li Heng on this matter was probably Li Fuguo.

Wang Jiahe then went to Li Fuguo for help, and Li Fuguo couldn't help but laugh and say, "I'd like to see Li Ji's makeup like this..."

He suspected that this trick was mostly the work of Empress Zhang, or one of the "five traitors" around her, who deliberately presented the painting to Li Heng with the aim of expelling Li Ji from the court. Given Li Ji's current reputation and achievements, coupled with the support of Li Yu and his son, Li Heng seemed to value him quite a bit. Even if he were impeached by the censor, it was unlikely that he would be sentenced to death; however, he certainly couldn't stay in the Imperial Guard, or even in Chang'an.

Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang initially maintained a cooperative relationship, but they drifted apart over the issue of choosing an heir. By this point, they had essentially parted ways completely, though they hadn't officially broken off relations yet. Therefore, even though Li Fuguo hadn't become friends with Li Ji, he was determined to thwart the Empress's faction's scheme!

This is what is called a petty person; they do things regardless of right or wrong, only considering whether someone is a friend or foe.

So he comforted Wang Jiahe: "Do not be anxious, and tell Li Ji not to be angry and reckless. This matter rests with me. We will wait for an opportunity and slowly speak to the sage."

Every day, Li Fuguo would handle state affairs in his duty room inside the Right Silver Terrace Gate of the West Garden, which is located north of the Taiji Palace. After finishing his duty at dusk, he would rush to see Li Heng and then assist in coordinating palace affairs. This routine was unwavering. He had to manage both the court and the palace affairs. If he were to falter in either area, he would likely face severe consequences under the condemnation of the people.

So that evening at dinner time, Li Fuguo went to serve Li Heng his meal again. Li Heng smiled and waved his hand at him, saying, "You old codger, go and get some rest. Your eyes are all dark..."

Li Fuguo said with a fawning smile, "With the Emperor's birthday approaching, palace affairs are numerous and busy. How dare this old servant rest? I will ask for leave after the Heavenly Cultivation and Earthly Peace Festival." He then introduced the arrangements for the celebration. Li Heng nodded while eating, "What you have said is in accordance with my wishes. If it is not important, there is no need to ask for instructions."

Taking the opportunity, Li Fuguo asked in a low voice, "On the Emperor's birthday, the palace maids are to be dressed as Bodhisattvas and the Imperial Guards as strongmen. So, shall the Empress and the Empress be dressed as Buddhas of the Three Worlds?"

Li Heng shook his head and said, "Dressing up as a Bodhisattva or a warrior is to show my devotion to Buddhism, but how can I presume to be the Buddha? We should just wear formal attire."

Li Fuguo said with a fawning smile, "In this old servant's heart, everyone is a Buddha."

Li Heng raised his leg and gave a feint kick: "You old geezer, spouting nonsense—get out of here!"

Li Fuguo laughed and said, "Actually, this old servant is also relieved. Most of the Buddhas in the paintings are disheveled, with their chests exposed. How can we dress like that? It would be best if we didn't dress up. Let Li Ji be the only one who is completely naked."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng frowned slightly: "What did you say?"

Li Fuguo then pulled out the scroll of Buddhist painting from his sleeve and unfurled it beside Li Heng: "Look, everyone, the Buddhas in this painting are dressed lightly, and even Weituo Tian is dressed lightly, yet you've ordered Li Ji to impersonate Weituo Tian. It seems you intend to make fun of him in public." He thought to himself, "I've made myself perfectly clear. If Your Majesty still refuses to retract your order, then it means it's you, not just the Empress, who wants to expel Li Ji. So I'll close the tent now and say no more."

Unexpectedly, upon seeing the Buddhist painting, Li Heng frowned and flew into a rage—"Where did you obtain this painting?"

"It was received by the Ministry of Rites from everyone and distributed to the Yingwu Army. The King brought it to this old servant on his crane."

Li Heng slammed down his chopsticks and gritted his teeth, saying, "This painting is not what I bestowed upon the Ministry of Rites!"

Upon hearing this, Li Fuguo understood perfectly, but still pretended to explain, "The Emperor bestowed this painting, but there was only one. I suppose the Ministry of Rites needed it to arrange ceremonies, and the palace needed it to cut clothes and prepare utensils. Therefore, when it was given to the Yingwu Army, it was replaced with another one, just to show the general idea. So there are multiple paintings. It was this old servant who was ignorant and mistakenly thought there was only one. I spoke nonsense and angered everyone. I deserve death."

Li Heng waved his hand, "It's not your fault." After a pause, he added, "Summon Li Ji. On that day, he should simply wear golden helmet and armor, and carry a golden pestle. There's no need to follow any Buddhist paintings!"

He then curled his lip slightly: "He is already my Weituotian, does he need to disguise himself?"

Li Fuguo retreated meekly, but thought to himself: What a pity.

If Li Heng had ordered a thorough investigation, he would have had the opportunity to clean up the palace and eliminate several of the Empress's cronies. However, Li Heng knew perfectly well that someone was behind it, yet he remained completely silent, only hoping things would eventually get back on track, showing no intention of holding anyone accountable. Li Fuguo thought to himself, "Everyone is truly kind… but this kindness is something I'm deeply grateful for when it's applied to me, and when it's applied to my adversaries… I feel extremely uncomfortable!"

So he ordered someone to tell Li Ji, who then breathed a sigh of relief and took a set of golden armor from the treasury. It was ceremonial armor, not meant for serious battle, and could not be painted in such a flashy way. He then modified it slightly according to his own size.

The only problem is the Vajra Pestle. Even without referring to any Buddhist paintings, the statues of Weituo in temples everywhere all hold a huge Vajra Pestle, more than twice as thick as Li Ji's pair of "Blue Lotus Four-Sided Maces"—if it really is that big, it can probably only be used by gods and Buddhas, and no mortal can use it.

Therefore, in the end, they could only ask someone to carve a handle out of wood and then paint it with gold paint. Although it was thick, it was very light. Li Ji could even balance it by supporting one end with his index and middle fingers...

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Li Tan submitted a memorial from Longyou, saying that the Yunfan rebels would surely launch another attack this autumn, and requested the court to provide financial and material support. Li Ding also submitted a memorial from Fengxiang, saying that the Nuci and Dangxiang seemed to be showing signs of internal strife. However, almost all the civil and military officials were preparing for the Tiancheng Diping Festival, and due to Li Fuguo's presiding, national affairs were almost completely suspended.

On the day of the ceremony, Li Ji did not return home the night before, but stayed overnight at the yamen. Before dawn, he was forced to get up, gather more than 500 specially selected brave soldiers, dress them up neatly, and march into the central court.

Along the road, colorful lanterns were hung everywhere. The Shence Army, under the command of a golden-armored general, had divided into squads to occupy key positions and take turns wielding halberds. Among them, those guarding the area near Hanyuan Hall were all dressed as golden-armored deities.

Li Ji happened to meet the eyes of the golden-armored general, they each snorted coldly, and then turned their heads away.

Because that general was none other than Liu Xixian, the commander of the Shence Army, whose old grudges with Li Ji had not been resolved and whose resentment was hard to shake. Although Liu Xixian had not been punished for the Shence Army's previous plundering of wealthy households and even scholars in Chang'an, he had been warned and dared not mention opposing Li Ji again. However, the two often met, but they always acted like strangers and never even greeted each other.

Li Ji, thinking of the Shence Army, couldn't help but think of the Weiyuan Army. He had previously led the Weiyuan Army to rescue Fengxiang, and after returning from Fengxiang Prefecture, he naturally included many Weiyuan Army generals in his banquet guest list, especially Li Sheng, with whom he had become close friends after several visits.

—Of course, this implies that the amount of money Kang Qian offered also had to be increased, eventually reaching 20,000 coins per month.

Li Ji thought to himself that Li Sheng and Wei Yuanjun couldn't participate in this grand event and didn't need to dress up as Vajra Warriors. He wondered if they would feel regret or relief.

First, Li Ji entered the Central Court and arranged for some soldiers to guard inside and outside the Xuanzheng Hall. Then, he led his troops through the Zichen Gate and headed straight for the Zichen Hall in the Inner Court. Behind him were two generals, both wearing golden helmets and armor. One held a pagoda in one hand, and the other wielded a vajra over a foot long. In terms of appearance, they were both lighter than the vajra in Li Ji's hand—of course, they were all made of wood, so the weight difference was not significant.

The two generals were Ma Sui and Qin Huan. It was obvious that Qin Huan was quite excited to be able to participate in such a grand ceremony—Li Ji noticed that the guy had applied beard wax the night before, combed his beard meticulously, and then put it in a brocade pouch to prevent it from coming loose while he slept—Ma Sui, on the other hand, seemed to be somewhat forced into the role; although he wasn't exactly listless, he was certainly not excited either.

In fact, Li Ji had already comforted them early in the morning, saying, "Just treat it as a game." Qin Huan repeatedly said, "I dare not," but Ma Sui smiled wryly and said, "Is it easy to participate in the games of the imperial family?"

After arranging the guards inside and outside the Zichen Palace, Li Ji led two generals to stand respectfully behind the palace, awaiting Li Heng's arrival. Around mid-morning, just as dawn broke, a group of palace servants dressed as Bodhisattvas, led by several eunuchs, walked in small steps, circling the palace.

Although the so-called Bodhisattva attire was rather androgynous, many of the valiant soldiers had never seen so many beautiful women arrive in a group before. Several stared wide-eyed, leaning forward involuntarily, mouths agape, some even drooling. Li Ji said angrily, "These ignorant fools have disgraced the Northern Army!" He ordered Qin Huan to go over and kick them all sober.

A moment later, Li Yu led the princes and grandsons, all dressed in their finest attire, into the Zichen Gate. They circled around to Li Ji and the others, bowing in greeting. This was the first time Li Ji had seen Li Yu since he became the Crown Prince. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the Crown Prince looked much more mature than before, or rather—more like a wooden figure.

Only Li Shi, still unable to conceal his eccentric nature, turned around and winked at Li Ji as he passed by, seemingly trying to convey some unspoken message.

After daybreak, Li Heng, wearing a flat-topped crown and a royal robe, and holding a jade ruyi scepter, arrived in his palanquin. Behind him followed Empress Zhang's palanquin. The members of the royal family knelt and bowed in unison. Li Heng waved his hand and said, "Rise, all of you. Follow me to Xuanzheng to see the officials."

His gaze then shifted to Li Ji: "Where is Weituotian? Come quickly to protect me."

Chapter Twelve, The Great Buddha Temple

Li Heng was actually a little weak, but he still tried his best to shout: "Where is Weituotian? Come quickly to protect me!"

Li Ji sighed inwardly, but dared not delay. He hurriedly stepped forward, without bowing, but simply raised the "golden pestle" in his hand to the sky and proclaimed, "By order of the Buddha, I have come to protect the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the sages of the mortal world, to help him quell the demonic forces and stabilize the nation!" He thought to himself, "Who wrote this? How shameful..."

Li Heng said, "I would be grateful if Your Majesty could lead the way."

Thus, Li Ji, accompanied by Ma Sui and Qin Huan, led the way, guiding the emperor and empress's carriages, followed by a large group of princes and grandsons walking on foot. They bypassed the Zichen Hall, exited the Zichen Gate, and headed straight for the Xuanzheng Hall of the Central Court.

Before the Xuanzheng Hall, officials stood in rows, their robes and caps a vibrant display. Li Ji stopped before them, slammed his golden pestle on the ground, and proclaimed, "The Emperor has arrived! Your subjects respectfully welcome him!"

He thought to himself, "It seems that ever since Li Heng returned to Chang'an, he has used the excuse of illness to cancel the grand court sessions during the New Year. In the past, even when hundreds of officials gathered, there were only a few dozen people from the Council of State Affairs and a few important departments. But now there are no less than three or five hundred people here. Is this because the palace guards have become increasingly lax, and they can't find anyone with a loud enough voice to shout? Is that why Li Heng specifically chose his own general?"