Li Yuan had spent many years in the capital, and although he had now left it, he still had many people there, so as soon as Yang Xuangan rebelled, urgent reports were immediately sent to Honghua Commandery.
Xia Houduan shook his head, “His Majesty is already extremely wary of those surnamed Li, and now there happens to be another person with the surname Li rebelling. Looking at this situation, your trip will surely be fraught with danger.”
At this point, Li Yuan also fell silent. Though he wasn’t afraid of death, he was unwilling to go to his death for nothing. What he feared most was that after Yang Guang killed him, he wouldn’t stop there but would massacre all his Li family descendants.
Li Shimin put down the letter in his hand and said solemnly, “Father, Uncle Xiahou is right. Your trip would be fraught with danger—you absolutely must not go to the capital.”
“But as long as His Majesty is willing to abandon the situation in Hedong, he can use the crime of defying imperial orders to put our Li family to death.”
Li Shimin lowered his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “The news of Father being attacked by assassins and injured has always been contained within our mansion—no outsiders should know about it. Your son just had someone take Shen Moping’s corpse out of the mansion to bury it. If we make a bigger commotion and, at this time, conduct a large-scale search of Honghua Commandery, it should be enough to let everyone know that Father was attacked by assassins and suffered poisonous wounds.”
Xia Houduan asked puzzledly, “Didn’t we say before to try not to expand the matter? Why are you saying this now? Besides, the Governor’s mansion is heavily guarded—the assassins shouldn’t have been able to escape.”
Li Yuan stared at Li Shimin, “You want to use this incident to avoid my trip to the capital?”
“Exactly. Although imperial edicts cannot be disobeyed, it depends on the circumstances. Father is severely injured and can barely rise from bed—how could he possibly go to the capital for an audience?”
His words made Xia Houduan’s face light up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly, “Exactly! This way, it wouldn’t count as defying the edict, achieving the best of both worlds.”
Li Shimin said slowly, “Father’s specific condition is only known to us few and the servants of Songtao Residence. As long as we don’t leak it out, others will think Father’s poison wounds haven’t healed and he’s still bedridden.”
Xia Houduan smiled, “Shimin still has many solutions. Brother Li, now you can be at ease.”
Li Yuan thought for a moment and also felt this method was feasible, so he nodded, “Good. I’ll write a memorial pleading illness and asking for forgiveness to send to the capital.”
Xia Houduan let out a long breath, “Now I can finally return with peace of mind.”
Li Yuan asked in surprise, “Brother Xiahou is leaving so soon?”
Xia Houduan smiled, “I’ve already imposed upon you for so many days—it’s time to go back. Moreover, there are some matters that need to be arranged. Although I’m only a Court Investigator of the Grand Court of Judicial Review, I will certainly do everything in my power to assist Brother Li!”
“Thank you, Brother Xiahou.” Li Yuan patted his shoulder and reminded him with concern, “Although you don’t bear the surname Li, you are after all close to me, and His Majesty’s moods are unpredictable. You must be very careful.”
Xia Houduan smiled, “Brother Li, rest assured. I’m waiting for the day when Brother Li raises troops. When that time comes, I’ll definitely be the first to come and join you!”
“It’s a deal!” Li Yuan said half-jokingly, “If you don’t come then, I’ll tie you up and drag you here.”
That day, Xia Houduan left the Governor’s mansion, and on that same day, someone saw a dead person being carried out of the Governor’s mansion. Upon inquiry, they learned it was one of the assassins who had attempted to kill the Governor, and another assassin was still at large.
On the same day, many soldiers searched house by house throughout Honghua Commandery, looking for the female assassin who had attempted the assassination that day. Someone heard that the female assassin had infiltrated the Governor’s mansion disguised as a maid and suddenly attacked during a dance performance. Although she only caused flesh wounds, the dagger was coated with a rare poison from the Western Regions, causing Li Yuan to suffer poisonous wounds. Even after several days, he remained bedridden, extremely weak, and whether he could fully recover was still uncertain.
While Honghua Commandery was in turmoil because of this incident, Li Jiancheng also heard about it and kept frowning. Seeing Li Shimin enter, he said displeasedly, “Second brother, what’s going on? Why did news of the assassins suddenly spread and cause such a commotion? Also, have the assassins truly escaped?”
Li Shimin glanced at the attendants and guards in the room, “You all withdraw.”
After everyone withdrew as instructed, Li Shimin stepped forward, “Elder brother, how is your leg? What did Physician Xu say?”
“There’s some damage to the leg bone, but it’s not serious. It’ll be fine after resting for some days.” Then he said, “Second brother, tell me quickly—about the assassins…”
“I deliberately spread the news, and those soldiers were also deliberately sent out by Father. The assassins have always been trapped in the mansion and never escaped.”
Li Jiancheng was completely confused by his explanation, “This… what exactly is going on?”
Li Shimin clearly explained the whole situation, “Only this way can Father have an excuse not to go to the capital. I’ve already sent word down that anyone who dares leak this information will be executed without mercy.”
Li Jiancheng frowned tightly, “Has the situation… truly reached such a critical point?”
Li Shimin nodded, “That ballad has already made His Majesty deeply suspicious of those surnamed Li, and now this incident has occurred. If Father really goes to Luoyang, I fear he’ll have difficulty returning, so we can only resort to this desperate measure—claiming illness to avoid going to Luoyang, hoping to have enough time for us to plan and prepare. After the assassin incident passes, I’ll recruit retainers in Father’s name and find ways to gather talented people to help Father achieve great things. As for third brother…”
Li Jiancheng said, “Third brother has an impatient nature and a violent temper. Before we raise troops, we shouldn’t tell third brother, lest it ruin our great enterprise.” As he spoke, he shifted his body to sit more comfortably, but as soon as he moved, sharp pain shot through his leg, making him furrow his brow.
Li Shimin quickly stepped forward to help him sit down, saying carefully, “Elder brother, be careful.”
“I’m fine.” The pain in his leg reminded Li Jiancheng of Shen Moping, and he said through gritted teeth, “Damn assassin! Not only did he fool me twice, but he also bit my leg like this. If he weren’t already dead, I would have had him cut into a thousand pieces.” Still not satisfied, he added, “Go to the mass grave, find the corpse, and have it whipped three hundred times and fed to wild dogs.”
Li Shimin naturally wouldn’t say that he had ordered Shen Moping to be buried, so he nodded, “I understand. I’ll handle this matter. Elder brother, just focus on recovering.”
As Li Jiancheng nodded, he said, “Speaking of which, that Wu Meixue has quite some courage—she actually dared to kill someone with her own hands.”
“Yes, I was also startled.” Li Shimin was silent for a while, then changed the subject, “Elder brother, I’ve heard that there’s a kind of disguise technique in the martial world that can change one’s appearance. Do you know if this is true?”
Li Jiancheng thought for a moment, “There is indeed such a thing. It’s a kind of mask made from human skin. I once saw a man put one on and transform into a charming woman. Just looking at that face, you’d never imagine it was a man.” After a pause, he asked puzzledly, “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”