From this day forward, Huo Qi Lang stayed in Prince Shao’s quarters as a personal bodyguard, nominally under Yuan Shaibo’s command, resting in the guard quarters outside the main hall when off duty.

Everyone in the manor said that Huo Qi Lang was the ward against evil spirits that Madam Li had carefully selected for Prince Shao. This wandering knight clearly possessed a hard fate that could ward off misfortune, and the madam trusted her greatly, even bestowing upon her Persian golden artifacts.

Since this person arrived at the prince’s manor, Prince Shao’s condition had stabilized slightly. Though he remained bedridden with no signs of recovery, he could at least take some food and drink, no longer looking like funeral preparations needed to be rushed. The steward ordered the spirit pavilion, coffin, and other funeral items to be returned to storage.

Perhaps it was the good fortune that Huo Qi Lang brought, for just a few days after her arrival, shortly after the Double Ninth Festival, a convoy slowly entered Youzhou City. Leading it was a pale, beardless eunuch who claimed to carry the sage emperor’s decree, having traveled far from Chang’an to bestow upon Prince Shao five carriages of silk fabric and one carriage of raw silk as frontier assignment subsidies.

In the early Tang period, princes appointed as governors or prefects could receive two thousand bolts of silk annually as compensation for the hardships of distant official duties – the so-called frontier assignment subsidies.

Since Emperor Xuanzong seized the throne through a coup, fearing his descendants might threaten his rule by the same means, he established the Ten Princes’ Residence and Hundred Grandsons’ Court. From then on, all imperial descendants were restricted to live under the emperor’s watchful eye. Though favored ones were appointed as governors and prefects with generous stipends and fiefs, unlike the early Tang period, they did not personally govern their territories but merely held titular positions.

For nearly a century, Li Yuanying was the first prince dispatched to actually take up residence in his fief, and frontier assignment subsidies had not been implemented for over a hundred years.

The normally tightly closed main gates of Prince Shao’s manor suddenly swung wide open. Li Yuanying, supported by palace attendants, received the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude while crowds of onlookers filled the streets shoulder to shoulder. The ignorant merely watched for entertainment, but the perceptive recognized the deeper significance. Though this gift was not particularly generous, it symbolized the emperor’s will and sent a special signal.

Calculating when the convoy departed Chang’an, it was roughly shortly after Princess Wangshou’s death. Perhaps after losing his beloved daughter, the emperor remembered that Noble Consort Xue’s other child had been exiled to the harsh borderlands and felt some regret, prompting him to send this gesture of comfort. Beyond the silk fabric, the separate gift of a carriage of raw silk carried the meaning of “si” (longing) – like the continuous threads in lotus roots, though broken, still connected.

The eunuch from the Palace Attendants Bureau in the capital also brought good news: Noble Consort Xue’s younger son, Prince Li Yuanyi of Anping, had been elevated to Prince Huai, jumping from princely rank to first-rank prince status, while Noble Consort Xue’s brother Xue Wenyao had been granted the title of Duke. Though these were honorary positions, this clearly showed the emperor’s intention to compensate the Xue family line.

The current sage emperor had long consumed alchemical pills, gradually weakening his dragon body. With the Crown Prince position vacant for so long, he had to consider who would inherit the throne. The deposed Crown Prince Li Chengyuan had suffered a hunting accident, becoming disfigured and blind with severe disabilities – he could never ascend to the imperial throne again. After excluding him, Li Yuanying was the eldest remaining.

Next came Prince Wei Li Yuanchai, also a strong contender for the Crown Prince position, but he was crude and dull-witted, far inferior in capability to Prince Shao. Below him were three or four young princes, all not yet of age for the capping ceremony and thus not yet significant threats.

Everyone recalled the history of Prince Li Xian of Luling, who was exiled by his mother Empress Wu Zetian to Junzhou and Fangzhou, only to be recalled years later, restored as Crown Prince, and eventually ascend the throne. Using the past as a mirror, Prince Shao Li Yuanying might have the same opportunity.

As the convoy entered the manor, Li Yuanying ordered the steward to select two portions of the finest imperial silk to be sent respectively to Youzhou Military Commissioner Liu Kun and Supervising Commissioner Ruan Ziming.

By now, news of Chang’an sending frontier assignment subsidies to Prince Shao had spread far and wide. Liu Kun and Ruan Ziming dared not accept the gifts casually and personally visited with generous gifts in return, their words several times more respectful than when Li Yuanying first arrived in Youzhou.

The three Hebei circuits had always maintained the tradition of subordinates overthrowing superiors – when soldiers were strong, they expelled their commanders; when commanders were strong, they rebelled against the court. Power was not exercised purely from top to bottom, but often granted from bottom to top.

Though Youzhou operated independently from the court with self-appointed military commissioners, if a commissioner failed to receive timely imperial recognition of his rank and title, his position would be unstable and he could easily be driven out or killed by powerful subordinates. They needed court appointments to stabilize military morale, making all circuits extremely sensitive to changing winds from Chang’an.

Supervising commissioners were pieces placed by the court to monitor and balance military commissioners locally. No matter how powerful they became locally, upon returning to the capital, eunuchs were nominally still the emperor’s household servants.

A few days later, Liu Kun sent someone with an official seal carved with the characters “Youzhou Prefect,” claiming it was discovered when organizing the previous military commissioner’s treasury, supposedly a relic from before the An Lushan Rebellion, specially placed in a golden box and presented to Prince Shao.

The lone copper seal gleamed brightly, looking like it had been cast less than three days ago. Besides this, there were no population or land registers, nor staff appointments. Li Yuanying half-reclined on his bed, toying with this seal with his thin, elegant fingers, revealing an almost imperceptible cold smile.

At the hour of chen (7-9 AM), Huo Qi Lang finished her night guard duty. After changing shifts, she came to rest in the outer guard quarters, sharing the morning meal with other off-duty guards. It being the Double Ninth Festival, besides regular food, the kitchen had sent seasonal hemp and kudzu cakes, chrysanthemum cakes, and a portion of dogwood wine for each person.

Since staying alert during night watch was usually required, being able to drink freely today was a rare pleasure. Everyone was delighted and in no hurry to catch up on sleep, drinking wine and playing several rounds of leaf card games. However, Captain Yuan Shaibo managed strictly and forbade gambling, so there was no real winning or losing.

Since no betting was allowed, Huo Qi Lang lost interest. Suddenly hearing cawing outside, she realized the princess consort had come to pay her respects to Prince Shao. Since he always slept poorly, any official business was delayed until this hour.

Huo Qi Lang glanced outside through the window lattice and noticed among the princess consort’s maids there was still one specifically responsible for holding an umbrella. Finding this strange, she asked, “It’s not raining – what are they carrying an umbrella for every day?”

A guard named Huang Xiaoning answered, “Because crows are mischievous and like to prank people. Especially in the west courtyard, there are several bad birds that enjoy defecating on people. To avoid soiling their hair ornaments and clothes, refined ladies must carry umbrellas for protection when going out.”

Huo Qi Lang asked again, “There are indeed many crows in this manor – annoying and noisy. Why don’t you use bows and arrows to get rid of them in your spare time?”

Huang Xiaoning quickly said, “That’s not allowed. Both military and civilians in Youzhou believe in Buddhism. Madam Li and the princess consort often go to Minzhong Temple to pray for the prince’s welfare. The abbot specifically instructed to minimize killing, and they usually eat vegetarian food.”

Huo Qi Lang said, “Even without killing, driving them away would be good. These things are inauspicious and give people headaches with their noise.”

These guards were all selected from imperial ranks – not only were their martial skills outstanding, but many came from prestigious families. One named Yuwen Rang, who had read many books since childhood, spoke in a mysterious, lowered voice: “Not allowing crow killing might be the prince’s idea. These birds have particular significance.”

Everyone stopped their cards and waited for him to continue.

Yuwen Rang whispered, “Actually, before our current dynasty, crows were always symbols of good fortune. The ancients said, ‘Heaven commanded the dark bird to descend and give birth to the Shang Dynasty.’ There’s also ‘crows bring good news, thus Zhou prospered’ – this refers to when the Zhou Dynasty was about to rise, large crows carrying grain gathered on Wang Roof Mountain. King Wu was delighted, all ministers rejoiced, and from then on the Zhou Dynasty prospered. Now crows gather and linger on the prince’s rooftop without leaving – perhaps this is an auspicious omen?”

These words struck everyone’s hearts, and combined with the recent visit from court officials bearing frontier assignment subsidies, everyone began to fantasize.

Another guard named Xu Lai countered, “These crows are everywhere – even roosting on the kitchen roof. You can’t say Kitchen Manager Zhang is going to achieve great things. Whether crows are auspicious or inauspicious, I don’t understand, but I know they’re particularly smart and vindictive. If you shoot one dead, the others will definitely seek revenge. I don’t want to stand guard with an umbrella in the future, so I advise everyone to show mercy.”

Xu Lai’s twin brother Xu Xing added, “He speaks from personal experience. Crows can even distinguish between us two brothers – they harassed Xu Lai for over a year.”

Everyone understood that Xu Da had been targeted by bird droppings and clapped their hands in laughter.

After chatting a while, the princess consort’s group emerged from Prince Shao’s quarters. The maids each carried several bolts of silk and cloth, presumably silk fabric sent from Chang’an as rewards for her.

The guards could see through the window that Cui Lingrong looked dejected and gloomy, heavy with worries, showing no trace of joy.

Someone said, “She wasn’t left out of the rewards – what’s there to be unhappy about?”

Huang Xiaoning whispered, “That’s naturally because of comparisons. When the frontier assignment subsidies first arrived a few days ago, the first gifts went to the military commissioner and supervising commissioner, then to the Jing family, and only then to her. This openly favors the concubine over the wife – though she’s not even a concubine but a mistress without official status. How could she be happy?”

With everyone slightly drunk, the conversation turned to private matters and became increasingly animated. They simply threw down their cards and gathered to gossip enthusiastically.

Huo Qi Lang was particularly excited, asking, “The prince already looks like this – what must the woman he favors look like? Has anyone seen Lady Jing?”

All the guards shook their heads. Yuwen Rang put on a knowing expression and spoke eloquently: “I suspect no woman in the world could be more beautiful than he is himself. Lady Jing’s favor might simply be because she fits the type he admires. He doesn’t like fourteen or fifteen-year-old young girls, which is why he never let the Yang family send over the betrothed concubine they had arranged, resulting in her being delayed until death. The princess consort is also a petite, delicate type of woman, which is why she’s never been favored. I suspect he prefers mature, voluptuous women.”

Xu Xing clapped his hands and whispered, “That matches! Though I’ve never seen her face clearly, last year I was sent to deliver something there and happened to see a woman getting out of a carriage to enter the house. I caught a glimpse of her silhouette. It was a windy, dusty day and she wore a face veil with gauze covering her whole body – couldn’t see anything else clearly, but her figure was indeed very tall and statuesque.”

Everyone folded their arms and began fantasizing. When Noble Consort Xue was alive, she was indeed a tall, voluptuous beauty with a strong presence. Could the saying “sons prefer women similar to their mothers” be true?

Huang Xiaoning, unable to hold his liquor and red-faced from drinking, poured a cup of wine to toast Huo Qi and shouted, “Brother, you’re also quite tall – if you become rich and noble, don’t forget us!”

Just as they were chatting enthusiastically, Yuan Shaibo suddenly kicked open the door, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water, growling in a low voice: “I see you’re all idle and asking for trouble, daring to whisper and privately discuss our lord’s family affairs. Do you want a beating with military sticks?!”

The guards had removed their armor and wore black battle robes. Their superior’s angry rebuke was like throwing a stone into a flock of chattering crows – everyone scattered with a whoosh, throwing themselves onto their beds and pretending to sleep, speaking no more.