Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

—In comparison, Li Ji felt that Cui Guangyuan was really wronged... There was nothing he could do, since his men were not private soldiers, and the court could still barely control them.

Ultimately, under the combined attack of Tian Shengong, Deng Jingshan, and Li Zangyong, Liu Zhan was defeated and killed, and his troops scattered. The court then appointed Cui Yuan as the Commander-in-Chief of Jianghuai to replace Li Huan, and Cui Yuan appointed Li Zangyong as the Prefect of Chuzhou. Li Zangyong's subordinate, Gao Gan, harbored resentment towards his superior and sent men to Guangling to falsely accuse Li Zangyong of treason. Without waiting for the imperial decree, Gao Gan launched a surprise attack and killed Li Zangyong.

This is what Li Ji meant when he said, "The military governors and local prefects of various towns are not worthy of their positions, so their generals and soldiers rely on their power to bully them."

However, how did Cui Yuan handle this problem? Instead of reprimanding the high-ranking officials, he arrested Li Zangyong's officers and soldiers, demanding confessions of treason. The officers and soldiers, fearing implication, all obeyed, except for one named Sun Daifeng, who refused, and even declared with righteous indignation:

“When I first followed Doctor Liu (Liu Zhan) to the garrison by imperial decree, people accused me of rebellion; when Lord Li raised an army to kill Doctor Liu, he was accused of rebellion. If this is the case, then who is not a rebel? When will this ever end!”

You see, even a lowly official understands this principle, yet Cui Yuan, a high-ranking official who was once prime minister, doesn't...

In addition, there are four other cases that we only recently learned about.

Firstly, the court summoned Lai Zhen back to the capital, but Lai Zhen refused to obey and even instructed his subordinates to jointly submit a memorial requesting his retention. Lü Yin, the military governor of Jingnan, and Wang Zhongsheng, the military governor of Huaixi (again, that scoundrel), secretly told the imperial envoys that Lai Zhen "had won over the hearts of the people, and if left unchecked, he would be difficult to control." Therefore, Li Heng issued an edict establishing separate military governorships for the four prefectures of Shang, Jin, Jun, and Fang, appointing Li Qijun, the prefect of Shang, to assume the post, thus reducing Lai Zhen's actual territory to only six prefectures.

But to directly punish or even launch a campaign against Lai Zhen? Even if the imperial court had the courage, it didn't have the military strength...

Secondly, when Wang Sili served as the military governor of Hedong, he accumulated a considerable amount of grain and submitted a memorial requesting the supply of 500,000 hu (a unit of dry measure) to the capital. However, before this could be carried out, Wang Sili died of illness. After Guan Chongsi succeeded him, he was extravagant and overly trusting of his subordinates, so within a few months, the surplus grain was almost entirely dissipated. Therefore, Li Heng appointed Deng Jingshan, a meritorious official who had suppressed Liu Zhan, to take over. Deng Jingshan tortured and plundered his officers and soldiers, triggering a mutiny, and was subsequently killed by the mutinous troops.

However, afterwards, Li Heng not only did not punish those who caused the disturbance, but also sent envoys to appease them...

Thirdly, Li Guozhen (originally named Li Ruoyou, later given the name Guozhen), the commander-in-chief of the various military campaigns including Shuofang, was stationed in Jiangzhou. His army was without provisions, and he petitioned the court, but the court could not provide any, leading to widespread resentment among the soldiers. Taking advantage of this, his subordinate Wang Yuanzhen issued a false order: "Tomorrow, the commander-in-chief's residence will be repaired. All units should prepare baskets and shovels and await orders at the gate." The soldiers were enraged, saying, "Are we, the brave men of Shuofang, mere laborers repairing a house?!" Wang Yuanzhen then incited a mutiny and killed Li Guozhen.

Fourth, the Zhenxi and Beiting military camps, stationed in Yicheng, also rebelled, killing the military governor Li Feiyuanli and promoting the deputy general Bai Xiaode as the new military governor, which the Tang court actually approved!

Li Ji meticulously detailed the various misdeeds committed by the army to Li Shi, concluding, "The imperial court's provisions for suppressing the rebellion mainly come from Sichuan and the Jianghuai region. To completely quell Shi Chaoyi's rebellion, Hedong is the crucial frontline for advancing directly towards Fanyang. However, Sichuan is currently plagued by Duan Zizhang's rebellion, and Jianghuai by Liu Zhan's. Both regions are devastated, and grain supplies have been cut off! Moreover, the Hedong troops have repeatedly mutinied and arbitrarily killed generals. Can such arrogant and unruly soldiers be entrusted with the task of suppressing the rebels? I fear that once the rebellion is quelled, they will simply transform themselves back into rebels!"

"At this critical juncture, although the Emperor is in Chang'an, in my opinion, the situation is even more perilous than during the Qian Yuan era. Li Fuguo is in charge of the Ministry of War, and Yu Chaoen is the Military Commissioner in charge of the various Taoist temples. What have they done? Do they still believe that eunuchs can be trusted?"

Li Shi's face was gloomy, and he remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "If Changwei were to take charge, would it be possible to quell the unrest in various places?" Li Ji shook his head: "Even if Your Highness... the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne immediately, I would still not be able to take charge, so why ask such a question?" After a pause, he added, "Unless my elder brother is summoned back to court, there might still be a chance to save him."

Li Shi smiled wryly and said, "Although the Sage is very concerned about Mr. Changyuan, in my opinion, he has absolutely no intention of recalling him... just like Li Bai."

Ever since Li Ji presented Li Bai's poems, which he had obtained from Wei Hao, Li Heng had frequently mentioned the "banished immortal" to Li Shi and others, but he had never given the slightest hint of recalling Li Bai—nor was he explicitly suggesting it. Just recently, Li Yangbing, the magistrate of Dangtu, reported that his cousin Li Bai had passed away at the age of sixty-two. It is said that Li Heng was deeply saddened and even abstained from a meal of meat in his memory…

Li Ji couldn't help but curl his lip: "Is the sage Guo?"

Huan Tan of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote a book called "Xin Lun" in twenty-nine chapters. Although it has been lost, it left behind a famous saying: "To praise the good but not be able to use it, to hate the evil but not be able to get rid of it."

He was a fake vassal strategist who explained to Duke Huan of Qi the reasons for the downfall of the ancient feudal lord Guo clan, because—"Good people know that others value them but do not employ them, so they resent them; bad people see that others despise them and do not like them, so they hate them. If one makes enemies of good people and hates bad people, how can one avoid destruction?"

However, Li Ji felt that Li Heng only grasped the first half of the point. As for "evil," did that bastard emperor know that Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen were both treacherous villains?

Li Shi smiled wryly and said, "Good and evil, huh?" He then revealed, "There is discussion in the court that Guo Ziyi should be reinstated to lead the Shuofang and other armies, which might be able to quell the rebellion in Hedong..."

Chapter Seventeen, Entrusting His Son on His Deathbed

In the second month of the lunar calendar of this year, the imperial court officially issued an edict appointing Guo Ziyi as the Prince of Fenyang, and concurrently as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the military commands of Shuofang, Hezhong, Beiting, and Luze, as well as Xingping and Dingguo, to quell the rebellion in Jiangzhou.

However, the strategy for quelling the rebellion was primarily appeasement. Therefore, the government plundered the treasury, taking out 40,000 bolts of silk, 50,000 bundles of cloth, and 60,000 shi of rice, which Guo Ziyi then delivered to the Jiangzhou army.

Before Guo Ziyi could return to the capital to receive his orders, Cui Guangyuan had already returned from Shu and the next day he took the initiative to summon Li Ji to meet him.

Li Ji was overjoyed, thinking to himself that the opportunity had finally arrived!

He now only hoped for Li Heng's death; otherwise, he could do nothing but watch the Tang Dynasty, a edifice built over two hundred years, slowly crumble... But the pillars were still barely holding on, and the people could still see some hope. If the world truly descended into chaos, and there were no more safe havens along the rivers, it could truly become a living hell. Even if he intended to rebuild and contend for supremacy, let alone his chances of success, he would still have to struggle and fight for many years. He wondered how many of the Tang Dynasty's fifty million people (who were certainly gone now) would survive the ravages of war...

He could worry about the future later; for now, he just wanted to live his own life well—first, he wanted to get married!

So he dressed neatly and followed the visitor to the Cui residence in Chongyi Ward. Most of the branches of the Boling Cui family had purchased residences in Chongyi and Changxing Wards in the southeast of the imperial city. The Pingkang Ward residence where Li Ji first met Cui Guangyuan was just a separate residence. The gatekeeper invited him in. When he arrived in the courtyard, he saw a scholar in a blue robe with his hands behind his back waiting for him.

Li Ji guessed that this person should be Cui Ju, the youngest son of Cui Guangyuan. Cui Guangyuan originally had three sons. His eldest son, Qianling, died before reaching adulthood, and his second son, Cui Gou, served in Shu. Only Cui Ju remained in the Chang'an mansion.

However, Cui Ju's attitude greatly displeased Li Ji. He thought to himself, "I was invited by your father, and I'm a sixth-rank official. You're still studying and haven't even taken office yet. If you're not going to come to the door to greet me, you should at least have moved your arms in front of you earlier! I've already come close and you're still standing with your hands behind your back. Are your hands crippled? Besides, you have a gloomy face and not a trace of a smile. I don't owe your family any money!"

Out of respect for Cui Guangyuan… no, Cui Qi, Li Ji decided not to stoop to his level and, suppressing his anger, bowed first. Cui Ju then returned the bow, coldly saying, “My father has been waiting for Chief Secretary Li for a long time.” He gestured to the side, “Please follow me.”

He led Li Ji through a maze of turns, heading straight for the backyard. Li Ji was puzzled. If receiving guests wasn't in the main hall, it should be in the study. Now, it seemed he was being led to the bedroom... What did this mean?

When Li Ji entered the dormitory and saw Cui Guangyuan, he suddenly realized what was happening.

Cui Guangyuan was lying on the couch, wrapped in a thick quilt, his face as white as paper, his breathing heavy—he was ill and unable to get up, no wonder they could only meet in the bedroom.

If that's the case, why did you call me over in such a hurry?

He stepped forward, bowed, and greeted, "Greetings, Master Cui. I did not expect you to look so haggard. Did you catch a cold on your way home? Have you sought medical treatment?"

Cui Guangyuan looked at Li Ji, his brow furrowed slightly, and he gave a bitter smile: "I fell ill as soon as I received the imperial edict, and I had to be carried all the way back to Chang'an..." Before Li Ji could ask any more questions, he stretched his hand out from under the covers and gestured: "Changwei, come closer and let's talk."

Although Li Ji was surprised—"Do we really know each other that well?"—he still followed Cui Guangyuan's instructions, quickly went to the bedside, and reached out to grasp the other's outstretched hand. He felt that the hand was dry and cold, and even though Li Ji was not knowledgeable in medicine, he instinctively sensed that the old man's illness was probably quite serious.

However, the reality was even more unexpected. Cui Guangyuan slowly said, "I have wasted nearly fifty years of my life. I had hoped to take charge of a local area and build a better future for my children and grandchildren, but alas, fate has been cruel, and I have suffered repeated turmoil, leaving me utterly exhausted..."

Li Ji comforted him, saying, "Lord Cui, please rest and recuperate. You will surely recover one day..." Of course, this referred to his physical health. As for his career, in Li Ji's opinion, the old man probably would never have another chance to be sent to a post outside the capital. It was already a stroke of luck that the court had given him a sinecure and asked him to retire.

Unexpectedly, Cui Guangyuan shook his head and revealed his true colors: "I know my own affairs. Not only have I lost both my heart and soul, but I am also... on my last legs!"

"Lord Cui..."

Cui Guangyuan interrupted Li Ji and continued on his own: "I had already seen Gou'er in Shu. I forced myself to return to the capital this time so that I could see Ju'er one more time... And dying at home would make it easier to hold a funeral, so that my children and grandchildren wouldn't have to travel so much to carry the coffin..."

Li Ji wanted to say a few polite words to comfort the other party, but he didn't know how to start. The old man knew he was dying, and the fact that he still thought of asking him to come and see him before he passed away was a kindness... So he simply said, "If Lord Cui has any instructions, Li Ji will obey them without question."

Cui Guangyuan turned his head and beckoned to his son: "Ju'er, come here and pay your respects to the chief guard."

Without saying a word, Cui Ju immediately knelt down, which startled Li Ji so much that he shuddered.

"What the hell does this mean? Is he entrusting his son to someone?!" Although Cui Ju's expression clearly showed some reluctance, and he deliberately turned his body slightly to the side when he knelt, his attitude was clear. He must have been instructed or even persuaded by Cui Guangyuan beforehand. He quickly turned around, pulled Cui Ju up, and said repeatedly, "How can I accept this?"

Cui Guangyuan said, "I deserve it... I am a few years older than you, and I have always treated you like my own son or nephew. From now on, I will treat you as my elder brother..."

Li Ji grinned somewhat awkwardly, "Well... I'm actually only twenty-three years old..." But judging from Cui Ju's appearance, he should be older than me.

Cui Guangyuan twitched his beard: "Let's not talk about age... Changwei, were you born in the year of Ji Mao, the month of Bing Yin, and the day of Yi Si?"

Li Ji was startled upon hearing this—the old man even knows my birthday! Where did he find out? Upon further reflection, the Ministry of Personnel records theoretically require the date of birth to be noted, and given Cui Guangyuan's taste and his fondness for cultivating extraordinary individuals, it wouldn't be difficult for him to peek.

"Just as Master Cui said."

Cui Guangyuan nodded: "Although I don't know the time of his birth, based on these six characters alone, I had a master from Sichuan and Chongqing divine his future on my journey. Changwei's future is limitless..."

Li Ji thought to himself that the old man's superstitious beliefs were quite serious... but he took the advice as a piece of advice, thank you, thank you.

"My Cui family of Boling is gradually declining. If we wish to revive it, we can only rely on the Crown Prince. As for this third branch... their children and grandchildren are unworthy, and I fear they will be unable to climb the social ladder. After much thought, I believe the only one I can entrust with this is Changwei..."

"What merit or ability does Li Ji possess...?"

Cui Guangyuan waved his hand: "Changwei, there's no need for such modesty. Your talent in literature is already half that of your brother, and in martial arts... well, even your brother would be far behind. Now you've also befriended the Prince of Fengjie and twice rescued Consort Shen. The Prince will surely rely on you as a confidant. If we had released Changwei earlier, it wouldn't have been difficult to find a position as governor or military commander—you're only just reaching adulthood and already wearing red robes; who can say your future isn't bright? Yet the Prince insists on placing Changwei in the Imperial Guard, which only shows him more favor..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "You've already said so much, there's no point in me being modest anymore." So he walked back to the couch, took Cui Guangyuan's hand, and promised, "If anything happens to you, Master Cui, and your son faces any difficulties in the future, I will certainly lend a helping hand."

This attitude was naturally somewhat reserved. He was already burdened with the responsibility of Kang Lian, and it was impossible for him to take on another burden without a reason. Besides, Kang Lian was easy to support, and Kang Lao Hu's dying words did not intend for his son to revive the family business; he only wanted his son to live a stable life under Li Ji's protection. However, Cui Guangyuan's words implied that his children and grandchildren should rely on Li Ji to climb the social ladder and become rich and powerful through Li Yu and his son. How could Li Ji possibly agree to that rashly?

Cui Guangyuan, being an old and shrewd man, immediately saw through the hidden meaning in Li Ji's words and said, "I know it's difficult for you, Changwei... If you don't produce an offspring, you will gain nothing. If you want someone to do you a favor, you must first repay them—I am willing to give Cui Qi to you as a concubine, what do you say?"

One sentence struck at the heart of the matter, and Li Ji was stunned on the spot.

He felt he was taking advantage of someone's misfortune... But then again, this was a golden opportunity that came to him of his own accord. If he didn't seize it, he would regret it for the rest of his life! Especially since Cui Guangyuan was about to die, neither Cui Gou nor Cui Ju, the steward, would have any connection with him then. So what chance would he have of getting Cui Qi?

Hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell the truth: "I dare not refuse Lord Cui's kind offer. However... I do love Cui Qi, but he has made it clear that he does not want to become a concubine. I do not wish to force him. I wonder if Lord Cui has any solution that satisfies both parties?"

Before Cui Guangyuan could answer, Cui Ju, who was standing beside him, finally couldn't hold back any longer and sneered, "Refuse to become a concubine? Who does she think she is?!"

Cui Guangyuan glared at his son, then closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to have made a great decision, and ordered Cui Ju: "Summon Cui Qi."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "Master Cui, you mustn't force yourself."

Cui Guangyuan smiled slightly: "I know what I'm doing, and I'll offer some kind advice... How about the guard waits in the side hall for now?"

He ordered Cui Ju to lead Li Ji out to a side room, where maids served him soup and snacks. However, Li Ji had no appetite for food or drink. He waved his hand, telling the maids not to close the door, and then stared intently towards the main bedroom. After a short while, he saw Cui Ju leading Cui Qi back, and then they disappeared from his sight in a flash. After a while, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps, and then saw Cui Qi cover his face with his hands and run out, heading towards the courtyard gate.

Li Ji panicked—was the old man forcing her? She couldn't possibly blame me for this! He immediately darted out, not even having time to put on his boots, and chased after Cui Qi's retreating figure.

However, although the little girl was small and thin, she must have taken small steps. Even with his long legs, Li Ji couldn't catch up with her. Somehow, she would turn east and west, and then disappear from sight.

Chapter 18, Ethical Farce

Li Ji looked around and guessed that he had accidentally run into the back garden of Cui Qi while chasing him. Normally, such a large family would have gates and servants guarding the outer courtyard and inner residence. However, the main room was in the inner residence, so although he had seen a few maids along the way, no one stopped him.

The garden is planted with many willows, and in the middle of spring, the willow branches are green and droop like ribbons. In addition, flowers are planted everywhere, half of which are spring flowers, which are in full bloom and are a sight to behold that makes one feel refreshed.

However, Li Ji couldn't help but think to himself: No wonder they are a family with hundreds of years of history, they are really rich! Although the greenery obscures the view and the entire garden cannot be seen at a glance, a rough estimate suggests that it is probably even larger than his own mansion. In Chang'an, where every inch of land is precious, Cui Guangyuan is still able to amass such a large estate. Where does he get his money from?

While Cui Guangyuan's official rank was Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, a second-grade official, his salary, stipend, land grants, and corvée labor were nearly ten times that of his own, even if he could earn sixty or seventy thousand coins a month, could he afford such a large mansion? Besides, the Cui family owned more than just this one residence.

In such a vast place, where am I supposed to find Cui Qi? Besides, it's someone else's house. I was in such a hurry that I didn't think things through and chased after him. Now that I've slowed down, can I still run around aimlessly?

Having exhausted all other options, I can only go back to see Cui Guangyuan first—and ask him how exactly he "kindly persuaded" Cui Qi? Is it because you treat a servant as a master, and you think that as long as you don't speak harshly, slam the table, or glare at him, it counts as "kind words"?

Just as he was about to turn around and retrace his steps, he suddenly heard a soft sobbing sound beside him. Li Ji's spirits immediately lifted—he'd found her! But then he tensed up again—was the little girl crying? It seemed Cui Guangyuan was pushing her too hard; he didn't want this to ruin her good impression of him.

I need to go and explain to her quickly that it's not that I'm forcing her to marry me, but that Old Man Cui himself came to me...

Following the sound, and passing a few willows, a clear pond suddenly appeared before me, with clusters of lotus leaves floating on the surface... Hmm, I had misjudged earlier; this garden is at least three times the size of my own house!

Beside the pond, a thin figure was curled up in a ball, head bowed, with faint sobs coming from within. Li Ji carefully walked over slowly—don't frighten the little girl, we finally found her, if she runs away again, we probably won't be able to catch her—he saw Cui Qi facing the pond, squatting down, her arms wrapped around her legs, her face buried between her knees.

Li Ji walked to Cui Qi's side, and the little girl trembled slightly, seemingly sensing something—given her qualities, she must have sharp ears and eyes, and even in the midst of intense emotional turmoil, she shouldn't have failed to notice—but she showed no sign of running away. So Li Ji mustered his courage and sat down cross-legged beside her.

He wanted to offer some words of comfort, but found himself speechless. Li Ji had seen women cry before, but this was the first time he had ever seen Cui Qi shed tears, leaving him feeling utterly helpless. In truth, he was usually a sharp-witted and eloquent person, but in this situation, he was quite anxious and insecure, afraid that saying the wrong thing would completely ruin Cui Qi's good impression of him.

But it's impossible to remain silent like this for long. If Cui Qi runs away, that's one thing, but as a guest of the Cui household, if he suddenly disappears without a trace, he will definitely send people to look for him. At that time, he probably won't be able to talk to Cui Qi anymore, to explain his feelings and seek the other party's understanding.

So he first coughed to clear his throat, and then asked softly, "Master Cui... what did you just say to me?"

Cui Qi maintained the posture of hugging his legs with his hands and burying his face in his knees, but then twisted his buttocks and turned ninety degrees on the ground, exposing his back to Li Ji.

Li Ji was startled and quickly said, "Whatever Lord Cui said is none of my business. You should know my feelings for you, and you have also told me your wishes. I will never force you. However, there are some arbitrary provisions in the 'Household and Marriage Law,' which are not suitable to violate outright. We should think of a solution that satisfies both sides..."

In the Tang Dynasty, people were generally divided into three classes according to law: officials, commoners, and lowly people. Officials mainly referred to officials within the official ranks (with official titles), and in some cases, also included those outside the official ranks; commoners were ordinary people who were required to pay taxes and perform corvée labor; lowly people referred to government and private slaves, miscellaneous households, and people in the Imperial Music Bureau, etc.

The Household and Marriage Law explicitly prohibited marriage between people of different social classes and those of lower social classes. Violators were punished with caning or imprisonment depending on their social status. Strictly speaking, even marriage between officials and people of different social classes, as well as between people of different social classes, was not permitted.

Of course, feelings are often not determined by social status, and officials can often get away with breaking the law without punishment. Therefore, many provisions in the Household and Marriage Law are ultimately just empty words. However, if the social status is too far apart, an official who marries a slave as his principal wife will most likely not be able to escape punishment.

Therefore, when Li Ji first probed Cui Qi, she immediately expressed her unwillingness to become a concubine—given her status, she never even considered becoming Li Ji's principal wife. Consequently, although Li Ji did not value status or rank, and unless absolutely necessary, he did not intend to break the law, he was always considering a solution that would satisfy both parties.

The best-case scenario would be if Cui Guangyuan not only released Cui Qi but also was willing to adopt her as his goddaughter, which would be a perfect match for Li Ji's status. As a fallback, they could consider finding another official to request the adoption of Cui Qi as their own daughter. However, such a person would be difficult to find; who would be willing to risk their family's reputation by adopting a freed slave as their daughter? They had originally pinned their hopes on Kang Qian, since Lao Hu at least held the position of examiner, but unfortunately…

Li Ji was about to reveal his plans to Cui Qi—regardless of whether they would succeed, he at least wanted Cui Qi to know that he was thinking about it and planning it. However, before he could speak, Cui Qi slightly raised his head, wiped away his tears, and sobbed softly as he said:

"The head of the family said that... actually, he is my biological father..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was stunned—what kind of bizarre turn of events is this? Is this some kind of family drama about ethics and morality?!