Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

A few days ago, when he visited Li Qijun's residence and met with Li Laopeng, Li Guayan, and others, Li Guayan mentioned that he had already registered for the imperial examination this spring. At that time, Li Laopeng shook his head repeatedly, saying, "My father doesn't want Guayan to take the exam this year, but he has repeatedly pleaded... However, the examination was not held last year, and with scholars from both years gathering, the chances are really slim..."

Last year was originally the first year of Emperor Suzong's reign, but after his death, Emperor Li Yu restored the reign title system and designated it as the first year of Baoying. At the beginning of that year, Emperor Li Heng felt his illness worsening and was forced to loosen his control over the outer court. Li Fuguo seized the opportunity to consolidate power and did not mention the spring imperial examinations. Then, in April, the two emperors died one after the other, so there was no chance of holding the examinations.

Since the Tang Dynasty first established the imperial examination system in the fifth year of the Wude era, nearly 150 years have passed, and there have only been nine instances of the annual tribute system being suspended—the first year of the Baoying era was the ninth, and the eighth was in the first year of the Dazhu era of Empress Wu Zetian, a gap of exactly 63 years—for various reasons, such as years of famine and poor harvests, and the high price of rice in the capital, so scholars were not allowed to come and cause trouble...

Since the examination failed last year, there would surely be many candidates this year. Therefore, Li Qiyun advised Li Guayan to wait another year. However, Li Guayan was being forced by his uncle to study diligently in seclusion, almost to the point of madness. He was also confident in his abilities, believing he had a good chance of passing this year's examination, and thus repeatedly wrote letters pleading with him. Ultimately, Li Qiyun himself was not in Chang'an and couldn't control his nephew too much. He thought that letting him try, even if he hit a wall, would be good for him, at least he could gain some experience. Finally, he agreed.

Li Ji didn't take it to heart at the time, but it was only after Li Shi reminded him that he realized there was such an opportunity!

Then Li Shi said, "Xue Gonghe (Xue Yong) has been appointed as the Assistant Minister of Rites and will participate in this year's spring imperial examination. Changwei Zheng can go and ask him for advice."

—The imperial examinations were mostly handled by the Ministry of Rites unless the emperor appointed the examiners. For example, the examiner this spring was Xiao Xin, the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Xue Yong, as an important official of the Ministry of Rites, was also involved.

Li Ji had visited several of his colleagues from the Longyou period, such as Yang Yan and Du Fu, a few days earlier, and hosted a banquet at Lü Miaozhen's house. Only Xue Yong, busy with the imperial examinations, had temporarily declined Li Ji's invitation. Now that Li Shi had given him some advice, Li Ji visited Xue Yong again the next day. Xue Yong said, "Let's wait until the results are announced, and I will immediately copy out the successful papers and give them to Changwei so you can choose first."

However, whether a newly appointed scholar is willing to join the emperor's staff depends on your abilities—I imagine many regional military governors are also eyeing that position with great anticipation.

Li Ji thought to himself, "No wonder. Pugu and his son, Li Huaiguang, Ma Lin, and others all have no intention of leaving the capital. Perhaps they have long intended to take this opportunity to recruit talent. I may not be able to compete with them..."

So he bid farewell to Xue Yong and went to Li Qiyun's residence again to visit Li Guayan. Upon meeting him, he asked, "Sixth brother, do you have any dealings with the scholars who are taking the imperial examinations this year?"

The imperial examinations were held every year in the second month of spring, with the results announced before the third day of the third lunar month (Shangsi Festival). However, under normal circumstances, scholars from other places would begin their journeys at the end of the previous year. This was partly because they worried about delays on the road, which would cause them to arrive in Chang'an late and have difficulty finding lodging; and partly because they wanted to use their poetry and prose to curry favor with powerful figures and build their reputations in advance. Of course, there was another need: the scholars taking the exams would get to know each other and gather beforehand. This wasn't necessarily to investigate who their rivals were, but rather to consider how their friendships with those who passed the exams would facilitate mutual support in their future official careers.

Therefore, Li Guayan, who used to spend the whole year studying behind closed doors, would surely want to gather friends and associate with other candidates now that he has been allowed to take the exam. That's why Li Ji planned to ask, "Do you know of any outstanding scholars who could serve as my advisors?"

Upon hearing the question, Li Guayan bowed to Li Ji, saying, "I have not yet congratulated Changwei on being appointed to a regional post."

Li Ji waved his hands repeatedly: "It is always the sage's great virtue that has enabled me to assume a post at such a young age..."

Li Guayan laughed and said, "However, do not come looking for me. I am unwilling to go to Weibo with you."

Li Ji was worried about this matter. He had personally visited Li Guayan to inquire if there were any outstanding talents among the scholars of this year's examination, but he had no intention of hiring Li Guayan. After several interactions and observations, he felt that Li Guayan was just a bookworm with no practical experience and probably no natural ability in that area. He thought, "I don't need him." Wasn't that a bit unfair? Would it cause any misunderstanding? Fortunately, Li Guayan understood the underlying meaning and directly excluded Li Ji from the competition.

Li Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face showed regret: "What a pity, what a pity..."

Li Guayan waved his hand and said, "It is not appropriate for relatives to act as host and guest, otherwise it would be difficult to maintain proper decorum."

"Sixth Brother is right, that's what I've been thinking too... But I wonder if there are any scholars in this year's examination who could be of service to me?"

Li Guayan thought for a moment and replied, “I know that Hebei has just been pacified and Changwei has been ordered to take up his post. He must seek out outstanding talents who can get things done as soon as they arrive. However, most of the candidates for the imperial examinations have no practical experience and only know how to study. For the time being, I really can’t think of any useful talents.”

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was somewhat dejected. After considering it for a moment, he pleaded again, "Do you and your peers ever gather to discuss poetry and literature? Could I pretend to be a scholar and accompany you to investigate on my own?"

Li Guayan said, "Those I often gather with are scholars from Zhao Prefecture..." because Zhao Prefecture was his hometown—"And scholars from Jingzhao..." because he had lived in Jingzhao for a long time—"Zhao Prefecture has long been occupied by bandits, and this year, including my brother, there are only three people taking the exam, truly no outstanding talents among them. On the other hand, Jingzhao has a strong literary tradition and a thriving scholarly community, and they often gather at Falun Temple in Xuanping Ward. I can lead my guards there..."

At this point, he looked Li Ji up and down and said, "But Changwei's appearance is not that of a scholar."

Li Ji touched his face: "How can it not look like it?"

Li Guayan sighed softly: "When I first met Changwei a few years ago, I could pass for him somewhat. But now, with the increasing bloodshed, it's hard to shake off the warrior's spirit. Even if I wear a robe and walk on the main street, people will just think I'm an official in disguise, not a commoner. Especially this beard... should I shave it off?"

Li Ji instinctively shrank back, raising his hand to protect his beard: "No!"

In fact, his soul in his later life was used to shaving. Every morning he would use an electric razor to shave until his skin felt smooth and free of any prickly sensation, only then would he feel comfortable. The problem was that in this world, all adult men grew beards, and if they didn't, they would most likely be mistaken for eunuchs... Especially since Li Ji had been forced to shave and impersonate a eunuch once, he became even more averse to this matter afterward.

Li Guayan shook his head and said, "It would be fine if I went to see those two fellow townsmen from Zhao Prefecture. But since they are scholars from the capital... how many people in Chang'an know Changwei? Unless he shaved his beard, he wouldn't arouse suspicion, would he?"

Li Ji scratched his head, thought for a while, and then slowly said, "Perhaps I don't need to shave, nor do I need to pretend to be a scholar... I can disguise myself as my sixth brother's servant and go with him, and then no one might notice..."

He made an appointment with Li Guayan to meet at the corner of the street next to Falun Temple the next afternoon, and together they would go into the temple to visit the scholars who were taking the imperial examinations this year.

When the appointed time arrived, Li Guayan, led by a servant, stood at the street corner, looking around—why hadn't Changwei arrived yet? Even if his disguise wasn't convincing and he had backed out at the last minute, he should have at least informed me first.

Just as he was feeling puzzled and somewhat annoyed, he suddenly heard someone behind him call out in a low voice, "May I ask if you are Mr. Li Guayan, the scholar from Zhao Prefecture?"

Li Guayan turned his head and glanced over. He saw that the speaker was dressed in plain clothes and a small hat, like a servant. He was quite tall, but deliberately hunched over and stood with his hands clasped in respect. Looking at his face, it was pear-shaped with full cheeks, high brows that looked like a messy broom, and a straight nose that resembled a garlic bulb. He looked incredibly ugly. At first glance, this man's face was full of wrinkles, and his hair and beard were gray and slightly curly, making him seem quite old. But upon closer inspection, his eyes were bright, and he didn't seem so old after all…

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

Could it be that Changwei sent someone to inform me? But I only know that he has a Kang Lian in his household, whom he has now recognized as his sworn brother and who is locked up in the house to study. There are no other servants from the Central Plains. The appearance of this person in front of me does not seem to be that of a person from the Central Plains.

Upon hearing the question, the other party suddenly burst out laughing, unable to contain himself. His voice, which he had been trying to keep low, returned to its usual tone: "Since even Sixth Brother can't recognize me, with this disguise, no one in Chang'an will be able to see through my disguise."

Li Guayan was taken aback and examined him closely again—he seemed to have a bit of Changwei's shadow, especially... that voice sounded familiar, although it was slightly indistinct, it was definitely Changwei.

"What a wonderful makeover! I wonder who did it?"

In fact, Li Ji had thought of this yesterday. With so many martial arts masters under my command, surely no one could disguise themselves? After bidding farewell to Li Guayan, he went home and told his wife about it. Cui Cuo immediately laughed and said, "Why ask others? I know a little about it myself."

She then carefully examined the young man's face and asked, "What kind of appearance should I wear?"

"They should resemble servants, so that people cannot recognize them; there are no other requirements..."

So Cui Cuo took out her own jewelry, cosmetics, and all her other makeup supplies, and went to the kitchen to ask for a small lump of dough and two walnuts. She first had Li Ji hold the walnuts in his mouth to lift his cheeks, then used the dough to raise his eyebrows and nose, painted his face purplish-red, and used an eyebrow pencil to draw wrinkles…

"My lord, this beard is not easy to conceal... Should we trim it, or simply shave it off?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji became extremely anxious: "Do you want your husband to become a eunuch?! Not a single hair on his beard can be touched!"

Cui Cuo covered her mouth and laughed: "Actually, young master looks much younger with his beard shaved. Perhaps he could even be dressed as a scholar." After all, she was the only one who had ever seen Li Ji without a beard.

Of course, it was just a few jokes. It's not difficult to shave off a beard, but it would take a long time to grow it back. It wouldn't be good if the dignified military governor of Weibo opened his office and all the generals looked at each other in the court and saw two supervising eunuchs standing side by side...

Cui Cuo said, "If we can't go, then we'll have to change our appearance." So he dusted off some powder on Li Ji's temples and beard to make them look white, then applied a thick layer of beard wax and made them slightly curled; finally, he plucked some hair from his fake hairpiece and made his eyebrows thicker.

After finishing his disguise, Li Ji grabbed a bronze mirror and looked at himself. He didn't even recognize himself... But then again, looking at his reflection, it seemed somewhat familiar...

Holy crap, this is just like Kang Laohu's brother, Kang Lian's own uncle!

Chapter Thirteen, Surrounded by Wolves

Li Guayan led Li Ji into the Falun Temple.

Falun Temple was originally the former residence of Changsun Lan, Duke of Xue during the Sui Dynasty. Later, it was converted into a Buddhist temple and became one of the most famous temples in the capital. Every year during the spring imperial examinations, scholars from various counties of Jingzhao Prefecture—Jingyang, Xianyang, Huxian, etc.—would stay at Falun Temple when they entered Chang'an. It gradually became an important gathering place for candidates from Jingzhao Prefecture.

Most of the scholars stayed near the monks' quarters behind the temple. Li Guayan knew the way well and, without greeting the monks, went there with his hands behind his back. Under the peach trees, he saw many scholars in white robes either studying alone or gathered in twos or threes, talking in hushed tones—after all, it was a quiet place in the temple, and they couldn't make a scene.

As soon as Li Guayan approached, a scholar bowed and greeted him, saying, "Brother Guayan has arrived."

Li Guayan returned the greetings to each of them. When the next two scholars arrived, one of them asked, "I was just about to ask you, Brother Guayan, is there someone with the same name as you? Do you know him?"

Li Guayan glanced back slightly—Li Ji was right behind him—then smiled and asked in return, "Are you asking about Li Erlang, who defended Longyou against the barbarians and quelled the rebellion in Guandong?"

"Exactly."

“I recognize him naturally; he is a member of the same family.”

Upon hearing this, the other party was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized and said, "I was confused. Li Erlang is Li Hanlin's cousin, and naturally he is also from the Li family of Junzhao County. How could I not recognize him?"

Li Guayan shook his head and said, "I come from the Western Ancestral House, and he comes from the Liaodong House. We are far apart, so it's not surprising that we don't know each other—but we had the chance to meet several years ago and even connected through our genealogies." He then asked, "Why did you bring him up?"

The other party waved his hand: "Since you are a relative of the taciturn brother, it's fine not to say anything."

Li Guayan reached out and tugged at the other man's sleeve, pulling him to sit down beside him—another scholar who had remained silent also followed suit—and pleaded, "Please speak freely, sir. Has Li Erlang somehow incurred some ill will?"

The other person shook their head: "Not exactly. Your father was ordered to garrison Weibo, but that's a dangerous place surrounded by wolves..."

"What do you mean by that?"

The other party slowly explained: "Weizhou is a strategic location in Hebei, the seat of the Grand General's Office, with fertile land and abundant people, originally considered an excellent place. However, now to its west and north are surrendered generals from An Lushan, and five garrisons from Yan to Zhao reside there, while to the south lies the Yellow River, and south of the Yellow River are Pinglu and Ziqing..."

"Ziqing Hou Fu (also known as Hou Xiyi, whose original surname was Hou Fu) was originally a subordinate officer of Pinglu and a general under An Lushan; Pinglu Tian Shenggong also followed Li Zhongchen (Dong Qin) in his rebellion against Yan. Although the two of them surrendered voluntarily, they were not comparable to the desperate people of the five towns of Yan and Zhao who surrendered to the enemy. In the end, they were accomplices in the past and jointly violated the royal territory. It is impossible that they did not collude with each other."

"In particular, Tian Pinglu, who once went south to attack Liu Zhan, occupied Yangzhou, plundered people and wealth, and killed thousands of Persian merchants—his arrogance and lawlessness, and his treatment of his subordinates like thieves, can be seen from this."

"The nation is currently in dire straits and has been forced to recognize the surrender of various garrisons, effectively creating a situation of division between Yan and Zhao. This is not a long-term solution. Once they are given a respite, they will surely recruit a large number of followers and become a powerful threat. If Yan and Zhao rebel again, they will definitely take Wei first. However, Wei is only 750 li away from the Eastern Capital, and it is unlikely that we can be saved in a short time."

"At that time, Xiang and Wei will block its westward advance, Cang and Di will invade its eastward advance, De and Bei will attack its northward advance, and Pinglu and Ziqing will be in the south. Most of them will not come to its aid and will sit and watch the outcome. Surrounded by wolves, even tigers will be bound. Even if Li Erlang has extraordinary talent and Wei and Bo have victorious troops and strong cities, I am afraid they will not be able to escape the fate of overthrow! I'm afraid that my dear brother Guayan's family may be able to go to Hebei, but they will not be able to return to Chang'an."

This analysis is quite logical. While Weibo is indeed a sharp blade thrust into Hebei, it is also a thorn in the side of the various Hebei garrisons, and they cannot rest easy until it is removed. The key lies with the Pinglu and Ziqing garrisons in Henan. If they are willing to help each other, Weibo will have a solid backing. However, if they secretly collude with the Hebei garrisons, even if they offer verbal support like Lai Zhen, but delay sending troops, Li Ji will inevitably suffer the same fate as Wang Zhongsheng in the past.

Of course, Li Ji had also considered this situation repeatedly. He was quite confident in himself and believed that as long as those traitors did not intend to rebel again in a short period of time, he would be able to train a strong army to fight against them, relying on fierce generals such as Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, and with hundreds of veteran soldiers from Suiyang as the foundation.

After all, the various towns in Hebei are not a monolithic entity. There is much room for maneuver among them. If the lands of Yan and Zhao were to be brought under the control of one person—like Shi Siming in the past—even if Li Ji had a hundred times the courage, he would not dare to take up his post in Weibo unless he was given 50,000 to 60,000 elite troops first.

However, Li Ji had not carefully considered the loyalty of Ziqing Marquis Xi Yi and Pinglu Tian Shengong before. Now, his words were a wake-up call—he had to talk to his brother and ask the court to replace one of the towns with a more trustworthy person.

At the very least, there can be no more instances of treasonous generals, because as that scholar said, who knows if they will consider the past ties with An Lushan and Shi Xiangqian and refuse to come to their aid in times of trouble, preferring to sit on the sidelines and watch?

Li Ji was overjoyed, thinking to himself that he had really come to the right place today. He had met a talented person as soon as he entered the Falun Temple. At least the other person was not like Li Guayan, who buried himself in the classics and ignored worldly affairs. He was in the capital, but he was able to consider the situation in Hebei, which was thousands of miles away. This was truly commendable.

Just as he was about to ask Li Guayan what this person's name was, what his background was, and whether there was any chance of recruiting him into his service, he heard Li Guayan laugh and say, "I didn't expect you to have such insight..." Although he basically didn't understand what he was hearing, he knew that this was not a boast that could be made by ordinary talkers.

The scholar, who had been listening silently the whole time, suddenly burst out laughing. "Brother, don't listen to him trying to show off his newfound knowledge. How could he possibly have such insight? He's just picking up scraps from others."

"Oh? Then who taught you to say that?"

The scholar, who had been speaking so eloquently, looked somewhat embarrassed, but he had no choice but to tell the truth: "Actually, it was Du Zunsu who mentioned it the other day..."

Li Guayan looked around: "Where is Zunsu? I can't find him today..."

"He's riding high on his success, why would he bother coming to Falun Temple to linger with us?" the scholar who exposed his companion's boasting replied, "The other day he went to the Prince of Fenyang's residence to submit his examination papers, and today the prince even sent someone to invite him for drinks..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji immediately realized something was wrong!

It turns out that the person who fabricated that story, while perhaps not a very accurate analysis of the situation in Hebei, was nonetheless quite insightful. It wasn't the person before me, but a scholar named "Du Zunsu." Li Ji had already implicitly intended to recruit Du Zunsu, but then he heard that Guo Ziyi had summoned him for a banquet… Good heavens, a mere scholar who hadn't even passed the imperial examinations, and he'd actually caught the eye of Minister Guo! Was he planning to bring him into the Shuofang army, or was he recruiting the self-proclaimed but incompetent Dan Yan from Fufang? I was caught off guard, and I was a step too late!

He quickly reached out and nudged Li Guayan in the back with his finger. Li Guayan understood, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then got up and left the two scholars. Once they were alone, Li Ji asked him who Du Zunsu was. Li Guayan introduced him:

"His name was Du Huangshang, courtesy name Zunsu. He was a scholar from Wannian County and the son of Du Wan, the registrar of the Jingzhao Prefecture..."

A quick calculation revealed – “Oh, he’s a year older than Changwei.”

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's desire intensified—he's only a year older than me, that's twenty-six! A twenty-six-year-old scholar with such insight—given time, his talent is limitless! No way, I have to get my hands on this person no matter what!

"Does Sixth Brother know where this person lives?"

Since Du Huangshang's father was an official in the Jingzhao Prefecture, he naturally had a home in Chang'an City and would not have stayed at the Falun Temple—his home was next to the Zijing Nunnery in Yongle Ward.

That afternoon, Du Huangshang left the residence of the Prince of Fenyang and rode a nag slowly back to his home. Just as he reached the street corner, he heard someone beside him ask, "May I ask if you are Mr. Du Zunsu?"

Du Huangshang turned his head to look and saw that the person speaking was dressed in white linen clothes and a cloth turban, the attire of an ordinary scholar; but he was quite burly, with a round face and a thick beard. Although he bowed and spoke respectfully, he vaguely revealed the manner of an official.

He hurriedly dismounted and returned the greeting, saying, "I am indeed Du Huangshang. May I ask who you are...?"

"Li Ji, Li Changwei".

Upon hearing his name, Du Huangshang was greatly surprised and hurriedly bowed, changing his cupped hands to crossed hands: "So it is Commander Li—I, Huangshang, failed to dismount and pay my respects first, please forgive me, Commander."

As soon as Li Ji found out where Du Huangshang lived, he hurriedly left Falun Temple and rushed over. He waited at the street corner to intercept Du Huangshang. Of course, he could no longer dress up as a servant—he wasn't afraid that Du Huangshang would judge him by his appearance, but he was afraid that Du Huangshang would hide his true intentions upon first meeting him and not show his sincerity. As soon as he left the temple, he instructed his men: "Quickly go back to the mansion and fetch a set of my usual clothes."

Cui Cuo understood her husband well. Although he wasn't entirely unsophisticated, he was often too bold and daring, relying on his superior skills to insist on taking the lead in trouble—his previous exposure of the Shence Army's treachery was a prime example. This might be one thing in other places, but in Chang'an, where high-ranking officials filled the streets, and he was on the rise, she didn't want him to cause any more trouble. Therefore, she often sent two or three of her skilled martial artists to secretly follow Li Ji.

It was said that he was following secretly, but in reality, he was just hiding his presence and not interfering with the young master's daily interactions with others. This matter was not kept from Li Ji himself.

Li Ji didn't take offense and expressed complete understanding—actually, he had the wrong idea. He thought to himself, "I invite people to Lu Miaozhen's house for drinks every day. It would be strange if my wife didn't send someone to keep an eye on me!"