Although Li Shimin spoke lightly, Zhangsun Wugou always felt he seemed to have something on his mind, and this pot of yellow wintersweet was not simply “a pot of flowers” to him.
However, since Li Shimin was unwilling to speak, he had his reasons. She was not a woman who would persistently ask questions out of momentary curiosity.
Zhangsun Wugou’s eyes turned gently, and she smiled: “I’d like to ask Brother Shimin for a favor. Would that be possible?”
Li Shimin smiled: “To serve Miss Zhangsun would be Shimin’s honor.”
Zhangsun Wugou was made to cover her lips and laugh softly by his words. After she stopped laughing, she said: “Please have Brother Shimin take care of this pot of wintersweet for me. When…” A flush of crimson flew across her powdered face as she said in a low voice: “When I come next time, I’ll take it back then.” The “next time” she spoke of naturally referred to when they would marry. Li Mother had already passed away for over a year and a half. Counting the time, they should complete their marriage in the twelfth year of the Daye era.
Li Shimin said unexpectedly: “I’ve already said that as long as you like it, just take it.”
Zhangsun Wugou shook her head: “Precisely because I like it, I don’t want to take it. The climate and soil of Zhuguan County are actually not suitable for yellow wintersweet growth. It would be such a pity if such beautiful wintersweet withered. It’s better to leave it here.”
Although Zhangsun Wugou kept saying she didn’t want the wintersweet to wither, Li Shimin understood that she had noticed the trace of reluctance he had revealed earlier, which was why she made this excuse to leave it here. Wugou’s thoughtful understanding deeply moved him.
Before he could speak, Zhangsun Wugou had already said again: “But Brother Shimin, don’t forget that this yellow wintersweet has been given to me. You must take good care of it. If it withers and dies, I won’t let you off easily.”
Li Shimin laughed: “Alright, alright, this humble person will respectfully follow Miss Zhangsun’s instructions.”
This year’s first month passed amid heavy snowfall. The Zhangsun siblings stayed at the Li residence until after the first month before setting out to return to Zhuguan County.
The beginning of the new year was not something worth celebrating for Yang Guang. The successive uprisings left him overwhelmed. Often, just as one side was suppressed, another would emerge. Among the more powerful forces were Dou Jiande’s rebel army in Hebei, the Wagang Army led by Zhai Rang in Henan, and Du Fuwei’s Jianghuai righteous army in the Jianghuai region. Besides these, there were also some former nobles and wealthy merchants who, seeing the Sui Dynasty’s poor situation, also joined the anti-Sui struggle. For example, the wealthy merchants of Jincheng Commandery, Xue Ju and his son Xue Rengao, both raised troops and declared themselves kings, leaving the Great Sui army exhausted from dealing with them. The situation could be said to be worse day by day.
On the second day after the Dragon Raises Its Head festival in early February, when the sky had not yet brightened, Yang Guang, who usually slept until the sun was high, suddenly awakened from his bedchamber covered in cold sweat. Consort Chen, who had served him through the night, was awakened by him and said drowsily: “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”
Yang Guang didn’t speak, only gasping heavily. Consort Chen placed her hand on his bare chest and said softly: “It’s still early. Let this consort serve you to sleep a little longer.”
Yang Guang waved his hand: “No need. You may withdraw!”
Consort Chen hadn’t expected Yang Guang to tell her to withdraw the moment he opened his mouth. The cold wind was bitter outside, and going out now would surely freeze her. She acted coquettishly: “Your Majesty…”
Having said only two words, Yang Guang had already shouted sternly: “Didn’t you hear when I told you to withdraw?!”
Consort Chen was frightened pale by his sudden stern shout. She knew Yang Guang was moody, often laughing and chatting one moment, then wanting to put someone to death the next. She dared not say more, lest she invite disaster upon herself. She hurriedly put on her clothes and left in haste, supported by a palace servant’s hand, not even having time to put on her embroidered shoes.
After Consort Chen left, Yang Guang wiped the sweat from his brow and said coldly: “Summon An Jiatuo to see me!”
Zheng Ying departed as ordered. After about half an hour, An Jiatuo—dressed in blue robes, short in stature, and unremarkable in appearance—entered with a palace servant, bowing his hands: “I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”
After waving to dismiss the palace servants except for Zheng Ying, Yang Guang said with lingering fear: “I just had that nightmare again, and it was even more vivid than before, almost like it was real. ‘When Yang flowers fall, Li flowers bloom.’ Master An, have you calculated which person surnamed Li it could be?”
An Jiatuo said with a grave expression: “Your Majesty, although I have tried my utmost to calculate, there are so many people surnamed Li in the world that it’s impossible to calculate them all. The only method is to kill all those surnamed Li. Your Majesty, now is not the time to be soft-hearted!”
Yang Guang waved his hand impatiently: “How could I not know this? But as you say, there are so many people surnamed Li in the world—how easy would it be to kill them all?”
An Jiatuo probed: “Your Majesty, Li Yuan…”
Yang Guang shook his head: “This past year, I have been keeping an eye on Li Yuan. He spends his days indulging in women and pleasure. His previous inability to come to court was indeed due to being attacked by assassins and seriously injured—it wasn’t intentional. I don’t think it would be him.”
An Jiatuo thought for a while and said: “I remember that after Yang Xuangan’s rebellion failed and he was executed, Li Mi, who conspired with him, escaped. Someone saw him in Huaiyang Commandery, but when they searched for him, he had already fled. Could the ‘Li flower’ refer to Li Mi?”
At the mention of Li Mi, Yang Guang snorted coldly: “I will issue orders to intensify the manhunt and definitely capture Li Mi.” Then he said: “Besides this, I have another matter to discuss with you.”
“Now rebellions are frequent in Shanxi and Hedong areas. Being far from Luoyang, it’s difficult for the army to suppress them. I intend to select someone as the Shanxi and Hedong Pacification Commissioner to suppress the rebellions in Hedong.”
After hearing his words, An Jiatuo probed: “Does Your Majesty have a preferred candidate?”
Yang Guang said in a deep voice: “After thinking it over, only Li Yuan is capable of this great responsibility, but he happens to be surnamed Li.” Although his suspicions of Li Yuan had greatly diminished, he was still surnamed Li after all. Once he appointed him as Pacification Commissioner, it would mean Li Yuan would command the armies of thirteen commanderies. If Li Yuan harbored disloyal intentions, he would immediately become a major threat to the Great Sui, forcing him to be extremely cautious.
An Jiatuo hurriedly said: “Your Majesty absolutely must not! Even if Li Yuan has no rebellious intentions now, there’s no guarantee he won’t in the future. Unless we know for certain who the ‘Li flower bloomer’ is, we absolutely cannot be careless. In this humble one’s opinion, it would be better to choose someone else.”
Yang Guang irritably put on his clothes and got out of bed, walking barefoot on the smooth, mirror-like golden bricks: “How could I not know what you’re saying? But you’ve also seen the results of the previous suppressions—it was literally killing three thousand enemies while losing one thousand of our own. If this continues, before we kill all those rebellious troublemakers, our military strength will already be half depleted. Just thinking about it gives me a terrible headache.”
“Li Yuan does have the ability to lead troops, but…” An Jiatuo also understood Yang Guang’s thoughts, so he was torn between both sides, not knowing how to advise.