He felt something was wrong. He had been feeling something was wrong all along.
From the beginning of the coffin-moving ceremony, Li Yuangui had been following his brothers in the ritual proceedings while feeling deeply uneasy. This scheme he was involved in had been implemented far too easily—so easily that he felt even Sangsai himself should have noticed something was amiss.
Kang Sumi was responsible for teaching Sangsai to disguise himself as a palace eunuch, training him in mannerisms, and speech, and providing clothes and implements. Li Yuangui had gone to the Sabao mansion to help with the rehearsals several times, then early this morning had Sangsai mix in with his Prince of Wu’s retinue to enter the front courtyard of Taiji Palace, where he was handed over to the Palace Domestic Service officials.
On the Palace Domestic Service side, which should have been arranged by Crown Prince Li Chengqian, they didn’t ask a single question and directly gestured for Sangsai to join the ranks preparing to serve the sacrificial wine. That Tuyuhun youth with obviously foreign features who could barely speak Chinese was thus allowed to personally poison the Great Tang Emperor and avenge his parents and country.
If things in this world could be that easy, His Majesty the Heavenly Khan would have died hundreds of times over, and the Great Tang would have fallen countless times already.
So that day by the polo field, after hearing Li Chengqian’s plan, he stared in shock for a moment and laughed out loud:
“Is Your Highness joking? Or testing whether Yuangui has heart problems?”
Even going ten thousand steps back, even if the Crown Prince truly hated his father deeply enough over his marriage troubles to contemplate patricide and usurpation, he wouldn’t entrust it to unreliable foreign remnants. Those involved—the Sogdian Sabao, the imperial brothers, and the princes—had no deep ties with the Eastern Palace, and all had their capabilities and positions. If this heinous act of betrayal succeeded in the future, it would be troublesome for Li Chengqian to silence them all. In coming up with such a plan, had he gone mad?
“Do I look like I’m in the mood to joke with you?” Li Chengqian’s lips curled slightly, clearly swallowing the words “Who do you think you are?” “Whether you participate or not, it’s a simple yes or no. Give me a straight answer.”
“This subject doesn’t understand Your Highness’s intentions, and doesn’t dare commit treason.” Having one experience of killing an emperor and rebelling was enough for one lifetime, Li Yuangui thought with a bitter smile. “Please forgive me, Your Highness, but as a subject, having heard such shocking words, I dare not conceal them from the sacred hearing. Tomorrow at court, I shall report this to His Majesty.”
Li Chengqian turned his face away, scanning his dozen or so guards. More than half of the guards were fierce Turks, currently shouting as they galloped back and forth striking balls on the field. Li Yuangui had heard that the Crown Prince preferred to use Turkish guards, and presumably, these guards only recognized the Eastern Palace as their master, paying no heed to the prince’s uncles or even the emperor.
Fighting these dozen men alone, the odds weren’t good, Li Yuangui assessed calmly. If Li Chengqian was serious about dragging him into patricide, after being refused and threatened with exposure, he should now be ordering his men to kill him. He might be able to take the initiative and hold the Crown Prince hostage for self-preservation, but Li Chengqian himself was no weak scholar incapable of tying up a chicken, and if his strike missed, there would be big trouble…
Before he could finish these various calculations and considerations, Li Chengqian turned to look at him again, also smiling:
“Fourteenth Uncle, do you think I’m stupid?”
“No,” Li Yuangui answered without hesitation. His second brother’s eldest son had been known for his intelligence and quick wit since childhood. Though now as he grew older, he might be becoming arrogant and violent, lacking in virtue, he was not foolish.
“Then I’ll repeat once more. Go to Kang Sumi’s home and help him train that acquaintance, following the old Sogdian merchant’s arrangements. On the day of the coffin-moving ceremony, bring the person to the upper gate of Taiji Palace, hand him over to the Palace Domestic Service supervisor, and that’s the end of your involvement.” Li Chengqian chose his words carefully. “If you don’t agree and want to report my treason to the Emperor, that’s up to you. Whatever. I’ll find someone else to work with.”
Li Yuangui stared at his nephew for another moment before asking, “How does Your Highness know Kang Sumi?”
“Third Aunt’s husband,” Li Chengqian answered. “I’ve never met that old Sogdian merchant in person. Only Third Aunt’s husband vouched for him, in the Imperial Study.”
This meant that the entire plan to have Sangsai pour poisoned wine for the Great Tang Emperor was actually conceived by Kang Sumi, who submitted it to the Emperor through the Third Princess’s husband, Duke of Qiao Prefecture Chai Shao, and the Emperor then handed this plan to Li Chengqian to implement.
No wonder Kang Sumi wouldn’t let me report the capture of the young Tuyuhun prince to the court, Li Yuangui thought with some resentment. That old Sogdian merchant had been considering how to sell Sangsai for a good price, recover his previous investment, and profit from him to the maximum extent… Would the Tuyuhun royal orphan’s public attempt to assassinate the Heavenly Khan demonstrate their people’s vicious hearts and deserved fate, proving that Tang’s destruction of the Tuyuhun state was Heaven’s will?
Li Chengqian urged him once more, and Li Yuangui had no more time to consider. He verbally agreed and acted according to the arrangement. Time was tight—training the completely inexperienced Sangsai to avoid major mistakes required day and night effort. Fortunately, Sangsai also knew this was his last chance in life and was prepared to die, subduing his previous arrogance and studying seriously, managing to appear somewhat convincing before entering the palace.
This morning after Li Yuangui smuggled him into the palace and handed him over to the Palace Domestic Service, the two parted. Unable to see Sangsai anymore, he felt increasingly uneasy, growing more suspicious that there was another hidden aspect to this matter. Mainly… what great benefit could there be in having the son of the Tuyuhun Prime Minister publicly attempt to assassinate the Heavenly Khan and get caught?
Thinking carefully, there didn’t seem to be any overwhelming advantage in terms of international opinion. Sangsai was a youth whose country was destroyed and family ruined, coming alone to seek revenge. His assassination attempt on the Great Tang Emperor would only highlight his blood courage, likely earning him more sympathy than anything else.
The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and Li Yuangui gradually began to panic. He remembered that Li Chengqian had never explicitly told him “the Emperor knows and planned this,” not once. All those connections were his assumptions.
At the Zixu Temple polo field, when Li Chengqian mentioned his half-brother Li Tai’s literary academy and spoke angrily about how he “was born owing everyone,” that didn’t seem feigned. No, Li Yuangui was certain those were his true feelings, just as he was certain about his true love for Chai Yinglu… He hadn’t known about their relationship before, but when Wei Shubin mentioned it that day, he immediately understood. He had seen various hints and clues before but hadn’t thought in that direction; now that it was revealed, everything fit together.
So if Li Chengqian truly wanted to use another’s blade to kill his father… precisely because everyone thought it impossible, he could easily employ a double-sided scheme of apparent loyalty and hidden treachery, and it would be perfect…
Throughout the entire coffin-moving ceremony, he had been lost in these confused, tangled thoughts like a mess of hemp threads. Even when the Tuyuhun envoy Minu went to kowtow to Princess Dehua, it was only when his brothers pulled him over to watch the spectacle that he realized what had happened.
The legitimate grandson of the Tuyuhun Khan whom he had been desperately searching for and had concluded was dead was actually Yang Xinzhi, who had been inseparable from him.
Before he could recover from this thunderbolt of a revelation, the wine offering began. He watched as Sangsai, wearing the cage-like hat and wide-sleeved robes, stepped forward to pour wine for the Emperor.
During practice at Kang Sumi’s house, he had reminded them that before the Emperor’s lips touched any food or drink, someone would always taste it first to prevent poisoning. At the time, Kang Sumi had worried for a while, then seemed to remember something and said “Old Kang has a way,” immediately ordering his servants in the Hu language. As for what method this was, Li Yuangui didn’t know. He had returned to Da’an Palace before the night curfew yesterday, as he also had to prepare his attire for participating in this morning’s ceremony.
Now he could only watch as Sangsai held the golden wine vessel, pouring and presenting the cup. This scene stirred something in his mind, giving him pause for thought, but there was no time to think it through. From his angle, he saw his Emperor brother seemingly completely unaware of anything amiss, taking the wine cup from the Tuyuhun avenger’s hands and raising it to his lips…