“Fourteenth Brother,” his elder brother’s calm voice seemed to pierce through time and space, striking directly into his heart, “go back and hurry with your preparations. In a few days, you’ll be departing for Gaochang.”
“De… what?” Li Yuanxu raised his head in confusion.
“Gaochang.” The Emperor frowned. “Originally, I didn’t want to rush this. I’d planned to wait until after the Grand Emperor’s burial ceremonies, letting you fulfill your filial duties before heading beyond the frontier. But yesterday we received battle reports from Tuyuhun…”
“Is General Yaoshi having difficulties?” Li Yuanxu guessed.
The Emperor shook his head: “Quite the opposite – he’s been too successful. After the great victory at Kushan, Li Jing split his forces to pursue Tuyuhun’s main army. He led Xue Wanjun and Li Daliang along the northern route, achieving consecutive victories at Mantou Mountain, Niuxin Dui, and Chishui Spring, beheading their noble princes and capturing vast herds. Now, Qibihe and the Xue brothers are chasing Murong Fuyun into the great desert. On the southern route, Hou Junji and Li Daozong led troops through two thousand li of uninhabited territory in the height of summer with frost falling, breaking through the Luozhen Valley. In that waterless land, men ate ice and horses ate snow, yet they still managed to crush the Tuyuhun Prime Minister King Tianzhu at either Wuhai or Chihai. They even captured Fuyun’s queen and several of his children, ah…”
Though this string of victories was delivered in a flat tone, Li Yuanxu felt his blood surge with excitement, yet the Emperor’s voice carried far more worry than joy. The young prince asked in surprise: “If that’s the case, why is Your Majesty concerned?”
“The division of forces!” The Emperor struck his desk. “We’re fighting on enemy territory, an unfamiliar land surrounded by foreign peoples. Li Jing doesn’t have many troops to begin with, yet he dares to split them, separated by thousands of li – if anything happens, it would be impossible to support each other! The army’s losses haven’t been replenished, supplies can’t keep up, and he has just those few tens of thousands of men running wild across the Qinghai wilderness! With barbarians within and powerful neighbors watching like tigers for an opportunity to pounce, they could easily divide and surround our forces piece by piece – what an obvious strategy! If I were Gaochang in the north or Tibet in the south, I’d be a fool not to seize this chance! It’s only because it’s Yaoshi in command that I have some peace of mind – he’s careful and experienced, sure to have countermeasures ready. If it were anyone else, I’d be riding non-stop to Fuyi City right now!”
Li Yuanxu lowered his head in thought, then understood: “So I must depart earlier for Gaochang, to… to stabilize the Qu royal family, preventing them from rashly sending troops into Tuyuhun to take advantage and attack our forces…”
Which meant he had to leave in a few days to become the son-in-law of Gaochang’s king.
Wei Shubin watched him quietly, her eyes clear as autumn waters. She showed no resistance, no grievance, no indignation – in those crystal-clear depths so close to him, there was only understanding and strength.
Their clasped hands tightened.
You will wait for me, I know. And I will never fail you. For all eternity, our love will remain unchanged.
“There’s another matter,” the Emperor, completely unconcerned about how much the young couple might hate this interruption, continued, “Several months ago, Fourteenth Brother – ahem!”
Li Yuanxu hurriedly tore his gaze from Wei Shubin’s face and looked toward his brother.
“Several months ago, I ordered you to find the only son of the Tuyuhun Daning Wang who was left in the Central Plains. How is that search going?” The Emperor looked at his young brother with an ambiguous smile. “Li Jing’s report also mentioned that when Murong Fuyun fled the capital of Fuyi City with his wife, Daning Wang Murong Shun surrendered to our army with his people. As the Khan’s eldest legitimate son, his succession to the throne would be natural, but the only problem is that he has no son, and the people won’t accept this, fearing future troubles. I gave you this task quite a while ago – have you spared any time from your romance to handle my assignment?”
Li Yuanxu nearly choked. Wei Shubin also shifted slightly, releasing his hand, her small face flushed crimson.
“Your subject… has already reported that Master Shangtrue and Miss Wei here interviewed Former Sui Dynasty’s Empress Xiao, who personally told them that Murong Shun’s original wife and young son perished in Shandong during the Sui chaos. Their remains must have long since turned to ash…”
“That won’t do,” the Emperor’s tone was matter-of-fact. “I could have thought up that conclusion myself – do you think I’ve seen less of the Sui Dynasty’s devastation than you? When I assign you a task, you need to produce useful results. If you just casually say ‘they’re dead, I can’t do anything,’ why did I specially appoint you as Prince Wu?”
This meant… he wanted Li Yuanxu to find a fake prince, train him well, coordinate with Murong Shun’s envoys, and send him to Tuyuhun.
Li Yuanxu looked glumly at his second brother, then at Wei Shubin beside him, when suddenly inspiration struck. He kowtowed:
“Your subject accepts the command. However, training… ahem, finding Murong Shun’s son, though it seems simple – finding a youth of appropriate age in Chang’an isn’t difficult – requires intricate work when examined closely. Sons of wealthy families with money and power are unsuitable, as their fathers and brothers in official positions might spread rumors. It would be better to choose someone of talent and ambition from a poor but respectable family, willing to serve the country beyond the frontier – only if they’re willing can we properly arrange this performance. But those from poor backgrounds often have crude manners and miserly habits. With little time left before departure, we’d need to spend considerable money to improve their bearing and demeanor, providing them with fine clothes and luxurious living daily, so they can adapt to an opulent lifestyle and be more convincing to Murong Shun and others in Tuyuhun. The special envoys would also need to be compensated…”
“Just say it directly – you want money!” the Emperor interrupted impatiently. “How much?”
Li Yuanxu kept his gaze straight ahead: “Thirty thousand bolts of silk should be enough.”
Wei Shubin drew in a soft breath. The Emperor glanced at Chief Minister Wei’s eldest daughter, and after a moment’s standoff, suddenly burst into laughter:
“You little rogue, is this really for official business? You’re trying to send a betrothal gift to your future father-in-law! Even when the Grand Emperor was alive, I never saw you so filial to your father! Fine, fine…”
After laughing for a while, the Emperor made his decision:
“I might as well see this through. If I’m giving money, I’ll give enough. You handle those two tasks for me – arrange Murong Shun’s son properly, and I’ll reward you with thirty thousand bolts of silk; then clear up the cause of the Linfen County Princess’s death and bring the murderer before me, and I’ll give you another twenty thousand bolts. That should be enough, right? Don’t say your elder brother is stingy and only bullies his younger siblings!”
Li Yuanxu was overjoyed, and even Wei Shubin’s face brightened with happiness as they exchanged smiles. However, Li Yuanxu knew his imperial brother well enough to never let down his guard. After careful thought, he reported:
“Your subject accepts the imperial order. However, with my departure date changing repeatedly, I dare not guarantee completing these two tasks before leaving for the frontier. I beg Your Majesty to consider the circumstances and set a deadline – for example, before autumn this year. Even if I depart before then, I will entrust the tasks to capable individuals. I stake my life and position on their completion.”
When he said “capable individuals,” his gaze unconsciously turned to Wei Shubin again. The young woman returned a gentle smile, clearly grateful for his praise and trust, warming his heart.
Perhaps he still couldn’t maintain his composure, with his emotions visible on his face, because the Emperor behind the desk laughed again. As he laughed, he said: “You’re quite thorough, Fourteenth Brother, thinking of everything in advance. What are you afraid of—”
I’m afraid that right after I agree to complete these two tasks, Your Majesty will exile me to the Western Regions tomorrow, then punish me for failing my duties – it wouldn’t be beyond you to do such a thing — Li Yuanxu silently retorted in his heart.
“—So let’s settle it then, before autumn. My tasks are assigned to you, Prince Wu. As long as there are reports and results, that’s fine. As for whatever help you secretly arrange or whatever immortals you consult, I couldn’t care less— Don’t rush to thank me. Let me be frank upfront: what if autumn comes and you haven’t completed either task?”
“Then…” Li Yuanxu frowned and scratched the back of his head, “Your subject… would owe Your Majesty fifty thousand bolts of silk?”
After all, he already had an indenture contract with Kong Sumi – if he couldn’t repay fifty thousand bolts of silk, what difference would a hundred thousand make? When you have too many lice, they stop biting; when you have too much debt, you stop worrying.
But the Great Tang Emperor was different from Hu merchants, and he sneered at this suggestion: “Get out! Do you think I’m short of money?”
“Then…”
“As I said earlier, with the great victory in Tuyuhun, many areas need pacification. In Tuyuhun proper, you’ll send a young prince for Yaoshi and Murong Shun to work with; in the north, you’ll go to Gaochang for a marriage alliance; in the south, Tibet is also discussing marriage ties with our Great Tang, so we need to prepare another princess for the alliance. If you fail to complete these tasks…”
As the Emperor spoke, his gaze turned to Wei Shubin with a slight smile.
Li Yuanxu and Wei Shubin’s souls nearly left their bodies in terror.