Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Ji was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask, "In your opinion, Master, can I still go back?"

Zhizang told him, "Since you're here, make the best of it."

When Luoyang was restored, Emperor Suzong summoned Zhizang to Chang'an and had him stay at Daxingshan Temple. He was granted permission to repair and translate the Buddhist scriptures brought to China by eminent monks such as Xuanzang and Yijing from the Ci'en and Jianfu Temples in Zhongjing, the Shengshan and Changshou Temples in Dongjing, and other scriptures from various counties. Li Ji also occasionally interacted with Zhizang when he was in Chang'an.

According to Yu Ling, last year Zhizang instructed his disciple Han Guang to go to Mount Wutai to build the Golden Pavilion Temple, an important monastery for Esoteric Buddhism. Not long ago, Zhizang himself left Chang'an to inspect the progress of the project at Mount Wutai. On his return south, he first went to Luoyang and stayed at the Shengshan Temple. Yu Ling and Zhizang had a long-standing friendship; Yu Ling was a great benefactor. When Yu Ling visited him, Li Ji was mentioned, and Zhizang said, "This old monk has been acquainted with Benefactor Li for a long time. I wonder if it would be possible to invite him to meet me?"

Yu Ling hesitated for a moment: "General Li's current status is very different from before, and he has never been a Buddhist... It would be better if the Master went to pay his respects in person."

Zhizang smiled and said, "If he is unwilling to come, then it is not meant to be, and this old monk need not go to meet him in person."

Yu Ling had no choice but to go and inform Li Ji. Li Ji, however, didn't take it to heart: "How can I not go when an elder summons me?" He was never one to put on airs, and besides, the old monk was getting on in years. If he were to come in person with his cane, Li Ji would feel rather embarrassed. Although he was not a Buddhist, the other party was, after all, a famous religious figure, and in these times, could be considered a heretical thinker. Anyway, he had nothing better to do, so going over for a chat wouldn't hurt.

So he followed Yu Ling to Shengshan Temple, revisiting the place with a touch of melancholy. Upon entering the monks' quarters, he met Zhizang, who instructed a novice to serve him soup. Li Ji took a sip and casually asked, "Master, you are still so vigorous. I wonder how old you are?"

Zhizang smiled and said, "This old monk is sixty-one years old, and has been a monk for forty-one years."

Li Ji thought to himself, "I can't believe it! You're much more energetic than Yu Baiwan... By the way, is Yu Ling already sixty?"

"Li Jieshuai looks much older than before. Is he over thirty?"

Li Ji said not yet, but soon... He then sighed, "As I grow older, I have yet to achieve anything significant, which is truly shameful."

Yu Ling, who was listening nearby, couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted, "General Li is only in his prime, yet he commands thousands of troops and has been appointed to oversee two prefectures. He has besieged Jin and is dressed in scarlet robes. How can you say that he has not accomplished anything? If General Li is ashamed, wouldn't we all be ashamed to death?"

Li Ji's casual remark earlier had seemed somewhat pretentious, but when Yu Ling asked about it, it touched upon his innermost thoughts. He then smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Yu enjoys trading and accumulating wealth. He has already amassed millions and is rolling in money. He can be said to have achieved his ambitions. I, Li, seek to restore order, revive China, and pacify the people. However, after years of struggle, the country has shown no improvement. Although the rebels An Lushan and Shi Xiangshan have been defeated, Yan and Zhao are still divided, and the regional military governors are becoming increasingly arrogant. Barbarian bandits and the Western Qiang are eyeing our territory. I cannot wield my sword to sweep away... the evil forces that threaten the Emperor. This is why I sigh."

He had initially oversimplified things, believing that once Li Heng died and Li Yu ascended the throne, trusting virtuous ministers and distancing himself from treacherous officials, he could easily wipe out the bandits of Ping'an and Shi, revitalize the Tang Dynasty, and ensure the people's peace and prosperity. He thought he could then lead tens of thousands of troops to the western front to drive out the Tibetans… Who would have thought that the current emperor was only slightly better than his father? Eunuchs still held power, and Yuan Zai was jealous of the virtuous and committed evil deeds. In particular, the regional military governors and military commanders were becoming increasingly powerful and difficult to control. Just after eliminating Lai Zhen, the Pugu father and son emerged; just after dealing with the Pugu father and son, Zhou Zhiguang appeared… Not to mention the several surrendered vassal states in Yan and Zhao, which were essentially separatist regimes.

Even if everything goes smoothly after I pacify Yan and Zhao, how long will it take? With the Tang court's current financial resources, how long will it take to accumulate enough money and supplies to launch a full-scale counterattack against Tibet? Will I have to spend my whole life cleaning up the messes of the previous generations of lousy emperors? If it weren't for the concern for the common people and my inability to bear seeing them suffer from large-scale and widespread warfare again, it would be better to seek independence. At least then I wouldn't be hampered in every way, and it would be much less troublesome.

Nowadays, among local officials, including myself, probably less than one-tenth actually help repair leaky roofs; the rest are saboteurs. As for the imperial family and the court, they practically stand by and watch...

Upon hearing Li Ji's words, Yu Ling had no reply. Instead, Zhi Zang smiled slightly: "General, there is no need to be dejected. The world is vast and the affairs of the world are complex. How can one person alone be able to help? It is like repairing and translating Buddhist scriptures. But the Buddha's teachings are boundless and the scriptures are numerous. How can this old monk do everything by himself?"

He picked up the soup bowl in front of him, tilted it slightly, and a few drops of soup fell onto the table: "But drop by drop, they can eventually accumulate into rivers and oceans. If there were no righteous leaders in the world, the situation today would probably be even worse; since righteous leaders have emerged, they should do their best to act, and even a leaky room can be mended, and a collapsing building can be propped up. Why should we belittle ourselves?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "That's true. If I hadn't traveled through time, the Tang Dynasty might have been a completely different place... It's a pity we're not on the same timeline, so there's no way to compare."

He then asked Zhizang, "In your opinion, Master, is it possible for this country to return to its former glory during the Kaiyuan era?"

Zhizang answered directly, "No."

"Will we ultimately perish?"

Zhizang smiled and explained, “Only the Buddha is immortal, only the Dharma is immortal. Sentient beings in the world are always born and die, dwell and pass away, and so is the state. But even though there is death, does that mean we should not cherish life? Even though there is passing away, does that mean we are not permanent? For an old monk over sixty to wish to return to youth is truly a fool's dream. In the past, when I was ordered to deliver a letter to the Lion Kingdom, the distance of ten thousand miles was easily traversed; the arduous journey was like a smooth road. Now, on my journey to Mount Wutai, a mere thousand miles, I feel physically exhausted and mentally weary, and am forced to rest in Luoyang for some time…”

"Even so, youth is gone, and death looms ahead. Should we simply let life pass by in emptiness? I am ill, and I must seek medical treatment. I cannot remain bedridden, passively awaiting my end..."

Yu Ling interjected, "The Dharma Master possesses great wisdom and is destined to attain Buddhahood on the spot."

Zhizang smiled, ignoring his words, and simply pointed to the novice monk standing beside him: "If I waste time, squander my life, and ignore my illness, in the end, it will only make them suffer. Would the General be willing to let the people suffer?"

Li Ji couldn't help but put his palms together and said, "The words of the Dharma Master are unfathomable. I, Li, bow down in reverence."

"If that's the case, why not take refuge in the Buddha?"

"That won't be necessary..."

After a heartfelt conversation with Zhizang, Li Ji felt much better and was no longer willing to stay idle in Luoyang. He set off the next day to continue his journey eastward and finally returned to Yuancheng in mid-May.

Lu Qi, the official in charge of reporting from Chang'an, arrived in Weibo before Li Ji. Li Ji received the report as soon as he returned to his office, and upon unfolding it, he was both surprised and delighted.

He originally intended to kill Zhou Zhiguang as a warning to Yu Chaoen, but he didn't expect the emperor to act so quickly this time, directly killing the powerful eunuch with whom he had a long-standing feud. Li Ji couldn't help but clap his hands in delight and ate an extra bowl of mutton soup that day.

In his official document, Lu Qi elaborated on the cause and effect in great detail. In particular, he used Li Ji's influence to recently establish a connection with Crown Prince Li Shi, visiting him frequently and thus uncovering many secrets. According to his writings, Li Ji estimated that Li Yu's original plan was to capture Zhou Zhiguang and demote him to the position of governor of a border prefecture—he would no longer dare to kill a garrison general without authorization—but since he had killed Zhou Zhiguang with his mace, he might as well use the Secretariat and the Chancellery to publicly declare his crimes and order Guo Ziyi to bring Zhou Yuanyao, Zhou Yuangan, Shao Ben, Jiang Luohan, and others to Chang'an for execution.

He then beheaded Zhou Zhiguang and his two sons, and displayed their heads on the south street of the imperial city.

As for Yu Chaoen, although he hanged himself, in consideration of his past merits, he was still allowed to be buried with the rank of a third-grade official.

Some of the positions held by Yu Chaoen were abolished, and his authority was returned to the outer court. The rest were given to eunuchs such as Wang Jiahe, Dou Wenchang, Huo Xianming, and Zhang Shangjin.

First came Li Fuguo, then Cheng Yuanzhen, then Yu Chaoen. Although Li Yu is still unwilling to abolish the eunuchs' participation in politics, he probably wouldn't dare to put the heavy burden of resisting the outer court on one or two people again.

Lu Qi was very diligent in his work, never missing a beat, submitting a report every month, and the following month's report always brought more good news. The matter, upon closer examination, stemmed from Li Ji's killing of Zhou Zhiguang, a lingering effect and an unexpected stroke of good fortune.

When the news spread, another ferocious tiger trembled in fear—that was Liang Chongyi, the acting military governor of Shannan East Circuit. Upon hearing this news, Liang Chongyi was immediately reminded of the past—when Li Ji, right before his eyes, killed Li Zhao with a single blow…

He then smiled bitterly and said to those around him, "General Li's mace is extremely heavy. He killed Li Zhao in the past, and he killed Zhou Zhiguang today. Who knows if he won't come to kill me tomorrow..."

Therefore, he took the initiative to request an audience with the emperor. Li Yu was overjoyed upon receiving the memorial. In June of that year, Liang Chongyi entered the court and was appointed as the Military Governor of Shannan East Circuit and concurrently the Prefect of Xiangzhou. He was also granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace and concurrently the Acting Minister of Justice.

Because Liang Chongyi was beheaded, under the planning of prime ministers such as Yuan Zai, the Tonghua Jiedushi (military governor) was abolished and replaced by the Tongguan Defense Commissioner, who only governed Huazhou and was appointed by Luo Yuanguang. Because Liang Chongyi entered the court, the Tang court, while actually granting him the title of Jiedushi, also divided the vast Shannan East Circuit. In the north, the Jinshangdu Defense Commissioner was re-established and appointed by Wei Boyu, while in the south, the Jingnan Jiedushi was established and appointed by Li Xian. Liang Chongyi only governed seven prefectures.

The situation near the capital region has thus changed dramatically, allowing all the troops within the Great Wall to be concentrated to defend against the Tibetan Empire in the west.

Furthermore, Li Ji, having made a trip to Chang'an, knew that a campaign against the Tianxiong Army this year was impossible; the time was not right, and the mission wouldn't start prematurely. The best time for military action was generally in the autumn when horses were fat and strong—without interfering with farming—but the Tang court still had to defend against the Tubo in the autumn, leaving no spare capacity for a two-front war.

Therefore, he could only watch the situation on the western front with his eyes wide open, silently praying that nothing else would go wrong this year...

This year, for the autumn defense, the Tang court concentrated an army of 120,000, with Guo Ziyi still serving as the deputy commander within the pass, stationed in Chang'an, and Ma Lin, the military governor of Jingyuan, as the frontline commander. However, Ma Chongying still directed his main attack northward, successively capturing Gansu and Suzhou, and ravaging Guazhou. The Tang army marched out of Longshan Pass to try and contain them, but was harassed by former Tuyuhun troops who had surrendered to Tibet, and suffered a setback.

The Tang court hoped to launch a counterattack in Xichuan, just as Yan Wu had done during his lifetime, but unexpectedly, chaos broke out in Xichuan once again...

On this day, Li Ji returned to his quarters after sitting in the government office, and Cui Cuo, heavily pregnant, came to greet him—she was eight months pregnant. To be honest, Li Ji was quite worried because his wife had small hips and a narrow pelvis, and he didn't know if she could have a natural birth…

Cui Cuo wanted to help Li Ji undress, but Li Ji quickly stopped him—"Don't move, I have hands and feet, do it yourself." After removing his robes and turban, and changing into loose-fitting home clothes—the brazier in the bedroom was burning brightly, so there was no chill—he had barely settled on the couch when Cui Cuo pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Li Ji:

"My seventh brother has sent a letter, earnestly requesting your assistance, sir."

Li Ji was taken aback upon hearing this: "Which Seventh Brother?"

Cui Cuo said unhappily, "Young master, you've drunk so much of their tea, and you've only recently switched to tea from Huainan. Are you already pretending not to recognize it?"

Li Ji then suddenly realized: "So it's Cui Gan... You don't seem to have mentioned his seniority before..."

Cui Gan owned 40% of the shares in Ya Xuan Tea House, which was considered a business partnership with Li Ji. However, what Li Ji valued more was that the other party could send him some roasted loose tea from Shu. Since he had come to Weibo, there was no need to send tea all the way from Shu through Chang'an to Hebei. Instead, he used Huoshan Huangya from Huainan.

He was now a military governor, so sending Bao Zitian to negotiate with the Huozhou government to purchase a batch of simply roasted loose tea was a piece of cake.

In addition, to investigate the situation in Sichuan, Li Ji also instructed Cui Cuo to maintain frequent contact with Cui Gan. The siblings, being from the same clan, corresponded often—more frequently than with their two legitimate "brothers," Cui Gou and Cui Ju. However, Li Ji generally did not read Cui Gan's letters. He only needed his wife to inform him of the military and political affairs in Sichuan—they would certainly discuss the domestic affairs of the Cui family of Boling, so why waste time reading them? Cui Cuo directly handed him letters from Sichuan, which was unprecedented.

Since it said, "I earnestly request your help, sir," Li Ji took the book and read it carefully. He had only read half of it when he slapped his thigh and exclaimed angrily, "Damn it, this brother-in-law is no pushover either!"

Chapter Nine, The Seven Brothers of the Cui Family

Cui Gan was originally the prefect of Lizhou, but later he was valued by Yan Wu, the military governor of Jiannan Xichuan, and was reassigned as the prefect of Hanzhou and the military commander of Xishan, where he was stationed on the front line of defending against the barbarians.

At the beginning of the year, Yan Wu died, and his troops split in two. Cui Gan recommended General Wang Chongjun to succeed him as the military governor of Jiannan Xichuan. However, the court, heeding the advice of the military commander Guo Yinggan and the military advisor Guo Jialin, appointed Guo Yingyi instead. Guo Yingyi harbored resentment towards Wang Chongjun for this. After only a few days in Chengdu, he falsely accused Wang Chongjun of a crime, had him bound and executed, and then summoned Cui Gan back to Chengdu to report on his duties. Cui Gan, of course, dared not return, citing preparations against the Tubo (Tibetan) forces, and delayed his return. Guo Yingyi was furious, so he first cut off Cui Gan's supplies and then personally led a large army to attack him.

Just as autumn and winter were approaching, heavy snow fell in the mountains. Guo Yingyi was unprepared, and many of his soldiers froze to death. Cui Gan seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and Guo Yingyi suffered a great defeat. In the end, he only led a thousand or so remaining troops back to Chengdu.

Once upon a time, during the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong fled to Shu (Sichuan). Upon returning to Chang'an, he converted his temporary palace into a Taoist temple, where Taoist priests cast a golden portrait of Xuanzong, which they worshipped day and night. Guo Yingyi, who was stationed in Xichuan, loved the lush bamboo groves of the area. He petitioned to have the temple converted into a military camp and removed the portrait of Xuanzong, moving in himself. Cui Gan used this as a pretext to impeach Guo Yingyi, accusing him of treason—"How dare you touch the golden statue of the late emperor?!" He then personally led his 5,000 troops to counterattack Chengdu. Guo Yingyi was defeated and fled alone to Jianzhou, where he was killed by Han Cheng, the prefect of Puzhou, who sent his head to Cui Gan.

Bai Zhenjie, a military commander in Qiongzhou, Yang Zilin, a military commander in Luzhou, and Li Changkui, a military commander in Jianzhou, each raised troops to attack Cui Gan, causing great chaos in Shu.

Cui Gan knew he had gotten himself into a terrible mess, but he had no powerful backing. He had originally relied on Yan Wu, but Yan Wu was dead; he had once gone to the capital to establish a clan alliance with Cui Guangyuan, but Cui Guangyuan was also dead. Although he had repeatedly submitted memorials to the emperor explaining that he had no choice but to launch a counterattack on Chengdu and that he had not killed Guo Yingyi himself, he figured the court would not believe him, or even if they did, they would never forgive him.

In desperation, he traveled a great distance to Hebei to send a letter, pleading with his brother-in-law Li Ji, with whom he had a distant but ambiguous relationship—"Please put in a good word for me with the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

Li Ji felt deeply troubled upon receiving the letter forwarded by Cui Cuo.

He had never liked Guo Yingyi—because he was too greedy—and if what Cui Gan said in his letter was true, Guo Yingyi had only himself to blame. The problem was that the laws of the court were there; Guo Yingyi, as an official, used his position to disobey orders and lead troops to attack Cui Gan. While this was morally wrong, it wasn't legally wrong. Conversely, Cui Gan, to save his life, could have easily resisted, but to launch a counterattack on Chengdu was tantamount to rebellion.

And that Han Cheng, he dared to kill the military governor of this town without permission, he is truly guilty of a heinous crime!

However, Cui Cuo said, "Guo Yingyi brought this upon himself. If the situation were reversed, and the superior official fabricated charges against you out of personal resentment, would you have simply stood your neck and endured it?"

Li Ji frowned and said, “The laws of the court must not be abolished… No matter how many faults Guo Yingyi has committed, he has not violated the law in the end—unless the court approves Cui Gan’s impeachment against him for removing the golden statue of Emperor Xuanzong—and the generals and soldiers of various garrisons are gradually becoming accustomed to insubordination. If this trend is not stopped, there will never be peace in the world. Am I not allowed to punish my generals for disobeying orders?”

Cui Cuo said, “Young master, you may not always follow the law, but you never fail to uphold the principles of reason and compassion. If your subordinates disobey your orders, with your abilities, can’t you quell the rebellion in one fell swoop? If you act recklessly without regard to reason and compassion, and fail because you don’t understand who is on your side, can you blame others?”

Li Ji clicked his tongue: "When Lai Zhen defied the imperial edict, I went to persuade him; when Pugu and his son rebelled, I went to abduct them; when Zhou Zhiguang committed evil, I went to kill him... Now I have to speak up for Cui Gan. How will the court view me?"

Cui Cuo scoffed, “Lai Zhen has no relation to you, yet you respectfully saw him off from Xiangyang; the Pugu father and son have a past relationship with you, yet you protect their wealth and status; Zhou Zhiguang robbed the tribute from Weibo and had a grudge against you, yet you killed him out of the blue—that’s just how human relationships are! Cui Gan is my kinsman and has served you tea for years, so can’t I say a few words for him?”

Li Ji thought to himself, "Oh dear, you've hit the nail on the head..."

Cui Cuo was right. If Li Ji hadn't received favors from Pugu and his son, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to persuade them to return to court, ultimately being forced to take action. If Zhou Zhiguang had offended everyone but not Li Ji, he might not have left Weibo that day, using his return to court as an opportunity to persuade the court to launch a large-scale attack. Although they claim to be upright and virtuous, people are ultimately emotional beings. No one can claim that their actions are purely for the sake of the country, without any selfish motives.

Moreover, Li Ji originally commanded the Imperial Guards, but felt that almost none of the regional military governors were good people. He believed that only those who were like Guo Ziyi, who could be summoned at a moment's notice and sit quietly on the sidelines in Chang'an, could be considered loyal ministers. However, when he himself became a regional military governor, he felt that the imperial court was too difficult to deal with, and he had to navigate the gaps in the law and make his own decisions on many matters.

For example, kidnapping Hwang Cheol-hyun.

Now, put yourself in his shoes. If you were Cui Gan, and Guo Yingyi led his troops to attack, would you have surrendered without a fight? Afterwards, Chengdu would be vulnerable, morale would be low, and could you resist the urge to counterattack? Even if you won a battle, if you didn't drive Guo Yingyi out, forget about wealth and honor; your life would be in danger...

Ultimately, Cui Gan had rendered meritorious service in resisting the Tibetan rebels under Yan Wu's command, and he had not surrendered to the Tibetans or become a traitor when he was desperate, which could be considered a matter of integrity... Most importantly, the person had come to him for help, so how could he ignore him? In any case, he was a distant relative, albeit indirectly.

Seeing that Li Ji seemed somewhat interested, Cui Cuo added, "My seventh brother is in Xichuan, where he fiercely defends against the barbarian bandits. Last year, he distinguished himself in the battles of Goucheng and Yanchuancheng. He mentioned this in his letter, and I also mentioned it to you, my lord..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but sigh softly, thinking to himself: Wife, how do you know me so well?

Although he was dissatisfied with Lai Zhen's arrogance and disobedience, and even his failure to aid his colleagues in times of trouble, he did not believe Lai Zhen deserved to die. This was because Lai Zhen had rendered great service to the country—he had once defended Yingchuan, inflicting a major defeat on the An Lushan rebellion, earning him the nickname "Lai the Iron Chewer"; later, he defended Tongguan, preventing Shi Siming from easily venturing into the capital region; and subsequently, he quelled the rebellions of Zhang Weijin and Cao Jie in Xiangzhou…

As for his risky journey to Fenzhou to persuade Pugu and his son to return to the court, besides personal friendship, it was also because the Pugu family had been loyal to the Tang Dynasty, with forty-six members dying in service to the king; Pugu Huai'en had followed Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi in suppressing rebellions, always leading from the front in every battle; and finally, as the deputy marshal of Hebei, he commanded the troops of various garrisons, recovered Luoyang, and drove out Shi Chaoyi...

Li Ji disliked Zhou Zhiguang because that guy only knew how to act recklessly and had no merit for the country. He also disliked Guo Yingyi for basically the same reasons; and although Guo Yingyi did not have the same evil deeds as Zhou Zhiguang, apart from killing Wang Chongjun and fighting against Cui Gan, he was extremely greedy and had built a luxurious mansion in Chang'an; in addition, Guo Yingyi was also a close friend of Yuan Zai.

Then, one's attitude towards others becomes clear. First, one looks at whether someone has talent and whether they are willing to use their talent to protect the country and its people—for military generals, this means whether they fight bravely against rebels and foreign invaders—thus achieving outstanding merit. Second, one looks at integrity, and as long as one's major principles are not compromised, that is sufficient. Li Ji was not a person who was discerning and discerning.

Li Ji, in particular, valued resisting foreign aggression more than quelling internal rebellions—even though the An Lushan Rebellion's harm to the common people was probably no less than that of the Western Barbarian invasions—he would instinctively consider those willing to defend against the barbarians as like-minded companions. That's why Cui Cuo reminded him, saying, "My seventh brother has repeatedly distinguished himself in defending against the barbarians in Xichuan. If he were to be executed by the court due to the coercion of people like Guo Yingyi, wouldn't you think it a pity, my lord?"

Li Ji, his sore spot hit, could only manage a helpless, bitter smile. He then said to Cui Cuo, "It is inconvenient for me to submit a memorial on this matter to plead Cui Gan's innocence—after all, we are too far apart, and his one-sided account is not reliable. But I can write to the Crown Prince to intercede on his behalf, hoping the court can show leniency and allow him to atone for his crimes through meritorious service..."

So he spread out a sheet of hemp paper, picked up his pen, and began to draft a letter to Li Shi—Cui Cuo helped grind the ink, watching intently from the side.

Li Ji gets straight to the point without any embellishment, stating directly that he received a letter from Cui Gan in Shu—"because the Cui family of Boling is his wife's cousin." He then recounts Cui Gan's one-sided defense, concluding that he doesn't know whether it's true or false, but if his words aren't overly embellished, then it's indeed a helpless act, and somewhat pitiful...

Finally, I say that I know Your Highness has always valued Duke Yan Zheng (Yan Wu was enfeoffed as Duke of Zheng), but it is a pity that he died young. Duke Zheng greatly valued Cui Gan during his lifetime, appointing him as the Military Commander of Xishan, where he stood at the forefront of the resistance against the Western Barbarians, demonstrating his ability. Now, with chaos in Sichuan and Wang Chongjun already killed by Guo Yingyi, if Cui Gan is also executed, it will likely severely weaken the western region, and the Western Barbarians may take advantage of the situation to attack, which would be detrimental to the country. Therefore, I am trying to appeal to Your Highness to plead with the Emperor to pardon Cui Gan's death sentence and allow him to continue leading troops to resist the Western Barbarians, thus redeeming himself through meritorious service—I humbly request your permission.

The letter had barely been written when Cui Cuo snatched it away, saying there was no need to copy it neatly, and that he should send it out immediately by fast horse. Li Ji glanced at his wife: "Brothers Yu Gou and Ju, don't you seem to care about this much?"

Cui Cuo replied, "Those two are neither talented nor virtuous, nor courageous. They are incapable of accomplishing great things or causing great disasters. Why bother with them?" As he spoke, his expression darkened slightly. "As for my seventh brother, although I have not yet had the chance to meet him, we have exchanged letters, which makes me feel closer to him. How can I bear to see him die?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "I let you correspond with Cui Gan, and you've actually become pen pals. How is this possible...?"

Weibo to Chang'an was still two thousand li away; even with the fastest horse, a letter wouldn't arrive in less than ten days. Just as Li Ji sent his letter, Lu Qi's new report arrived, bringing two pieces of bad news:

Firstly, Princess Hezheng passed away...

Li Ji had always observed that Princess Hezheng did not appear to be destined for longevity, as her figure was excessively plump, with a pear-shaped body that was wider at the bottom than the top… According to later knowledge, such a physique would not indicate good health. The princess was already pregnant, yet she disregarded her husband Liu Tan's advice and went to the palace every few days to discuss state affairs with Li Yu and dispel his worries. This autumn, the Tubo attacked Gansu and Suzhou, and the Tang court was powerless to aid them, yet dared not launch a full-scale attack beyond Dazhen Pass to reclaim Longyou. They could only helplessly await the arrival of one piece of bad news after another. Li Yu fell ill with worry and fear, and the princess visited the palace daily to comfort him…

So, the day after news of the fall of Suzhou arrived, the princess, exhausted, suffered a difficult childbirth and eventually passed away.

Upon reading the letter, Li Ji couldn't help but feel sorrow. In truth, he didn't have a deep relationship with Princess Hezheng, far less so than with Princess Xiao; however, Princess Hezheng had once disrupted his wedding night and subsequently helped him on numerous occasions—a kindness he would never forget. Judging by her appearance, the princess should only be in her early thirties, yet she had died in childbirth… Why did the useful members of the Li family always die young, while the useless ones often lived long lives?