To deceive an emperor requires both extremely high emotional intelligence and intellect. Clearly, Yun Ye possessed neither. All he had were those tactics learned from history, and they couldn’t be from before the Tang Dynasty—Li Er knew that period of history far better than he did.
Yu Qiuyu once said: our history is too long, our political schemes too deep, our military strategies too numerous, our black boxes too large, our inside stories too thick, our tongues too greedy, our perspectives too mixed, and our calculations too treacherous. Therefore, there exists such a thing as over-strategizing. Yun Ye deeply agreed with this.
Those records that had been preserved were without exception rare incidents that occurred only once every few hundred years. Because they were rare, they were recorded in the history books. In ordinary times, didn’t people live just like common folk? Peaceful days far outnumbered those complicated moments filled with flashing swords and shadows. No one could live for extended periods in an environment requiring their brain to operate at high speed—such people were madmen, like Hitler.
Li Er was in fact a very emotionally-oriented person. If one said this out loud, people would certainly slap you across the face and perhaps spit a few times. He had imprisoned his father, killed his brothers, killed his sons, and killed his daughters—all these things he had done. The only thing he hadn’t done was massacre his meritorious officials on a large scale. It seemed he treated outsiders far better than his own family. Even Yuchi Gong, a subordinate with a tainted record, was allowed to die peacefully of old age. One had to say his magnanimity was extraordinarily broad. “When the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden away; when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked”—this usual pattern didn’t manifest in him. Even when Hou Junji rebelled, he tearfully pleaded with his ministers on Hou’s behalf. Though there was suspicion of playacting, the indisputable fact was that Hou Junji’s wife, children, and other family members ultimately survived.
The history of the Tang Dynasty could be considered a very credible period of history, because it recorded even the scandals within the imperial palace in great detail. For this reason alone, Yun Ye believed that among feudal emperors, Li Er was one who could still be salvaged.
While Yun Ye was saving Li Er’s soul, someone very much hoped to eliminate Li Er physically. The previous assassins had achieved very poor results, and several major sects in Chang’an City had all been thoroughly suppressed by government troops.
Hong Cheng had gone completely mad. The assassins sent from the Yun Family—though one had already gone half-insane and another’s tongue had completely lost the ability to retract, hanging outside his mouth all day like a dog’s tongue on a hot summer day, dripping with saliva in a disgusting manner.
The Bai Qi Si didn’t mind, and Hong Cheng treasured them even more. The losses in Chang’an City needed someone to compensate for them, and someone needed to shoulder the blame. He had already been thoroughly plundered by Yun Ye until he had nothing left and couldn’t afford the compensation. So he directed his attention toward those gangs. Over the years they had engaged in shady dealings, accumulating substantial wealth. Not seizing it would really be letting himself down, and even more so letting down the common people who had been victimized all these years.
Facts proved that under the sweep of the state apparatus, all criminal forces would vanish like ice and snow on a summer day, disappearing in an instant. Hong Cheng’s decision was wise. From the nooks and crannies of Chang’an City, they swept up a total of two hundred sixty-seven sets of armor and countless regulated long and short weapons. What made Hong Cheng break out in the most cold sweat was the appearance of two eight-ox crossbows.
Firing three bolts at once, their force could pierce heavy armor. During siege warfare, soldiers could grasp the javelins pinned into city walls and climb up. If the emperor went out and someone opened fire from five hundred paces away, Hong Cheng didn’t dare imagine the consequences.
The chief of the Tiger Alliance now hung on the wooden rack in the interrogation room. The White Tiger, who in the past had been imposing and arrogant beyond measure, now looked like a sick cat, trembling under Hong Cheng’s icy gaze, constantly pleading.
“How many eight-ox crossbows are there total? Where did they come from? Where did the rest go? Speak clearly and I’ll reward you with an intact corpse.”
White Tiger still wanted to make excuses. His eyeballs rolled and lies were about to spill out. Hong Cheng had seen plenty of this type—they wouldn’t confess without really tasting suffering. His hand rose and the blade fell, and White Tiger’s four fingers were severed.
Agonized screams rang out, sounding much like a tiger’s roar. Perhaps this was the origin of the White Tiger name.
White Tiger’s confession made Hong Cheng’s heart turn completely cold. There were two more, bought by people of unknown names for three thousand strings of cash, disassembled into scattered parts and taken out of Chang’an City.
Several carrier pigeons took flight into the sky, while a cavalry unit galloped on the ground. Though one was in the air and one on the ground, their direction was identical—both heading toward Yushan. Hong Cheng on horseback wished he could sprout wings and reach Yushan immediately.
The old veteran was herding a flock of sheep at the foot of the mountain. His son was about to get married, and the guests who would come to celebrate were all gluttons—they couldn’t do without meat. The three-room brick house with tile roof sat not far from the main road, adjacent to Gou Zi’s three rooms. The Yun Family’s house-building craftsmanship was unquestionable. In ten days, the houses had been erected—tall and spacious, even the gate tower was built with blue bricks, bat-pattern bricks, and beast-head eave tiles. So impressive! He had never dreamed he could live in such a house someday.
Recalling the Yun Family steward’s apologetic words warmed the old veteran’s heart. There were no red bricks left—they had all gone to the capital city construction site and really couldn’t be spared. They could only make do with blue bricks. The Yun Family felt bad about this and asked the old veteran and Gou Zi for forgiveness. If they waited two or three months, there would be red bricks.
The old veteran had laughed and said to the steward: “Just for catching a spy we get such benefits—what more could we ask for? Blue bricks are fine. My ancestors never lived in houses with tiles. Red bricks are for noble people to use. Country folk using such things would shorten their lifespan. Having blue bricks already shows the Yun Family’s generosity. Meeting such a wealthy family that keeps their word is a farmer’s good fortune.”
Watching the houses change daily, the latticed windows installed and then whitewashed, the Yun Family had even specially used leftover bricks to build a large heated kang for both families. What a good thing! Now winter would be much easier. Warming his old cold legs on a hot kang—he wouldn’t trade that for being an immortal.
Herding the sheep home, the new house still needed to air out for a few more days before they could move in. If he didn’t look at it several times a day, his heart felt like something was missing, terribly empty. Yesterday that fool had forgotten to close the windows. If wind picked up, wouldn’t it blow the windows apart?
The Zhao family’s daughter was a real vixen, dressing up garishly all day and bewitching the fool until he was completely confused. Could a farming family withstand that wasteful woman’s extravagance? He had beaten the fool three times already, but he still wouldn’t speak. Fine, let him be. When life gets hard later, don’t expect your old man to help you. Today all the old brothers would come—slaughter a sheep, drink some wine, and stop being angry with this foolish boy.
Several horse carts came racing down the main road. Whose wasteful son was this? Not caring for the animals at all. Who would drive their livestock like rabbits when transporting goods? The carts arrived before him in an instant. A black-clothed man jumped down and immediately asked: “How far is it from here to the Yun Family estate?”
He didn’t want to engage with him—no manners at all, even asking for directions in such an irritating way. However, seeing that the black-clothed man was powerfully built with a solid stance, he might be a servant from some wealthy household. He had seen many such people these days, constantly running to Yushan. With the thought that having one less thing is better than one more, he told the black-clothed man: “Less than twenty li away. But when you reach the Yun Family estate, you must drive your carts slower, otherwise the Yun Family guards will chase you away.”
Several copper coins were tossed over, landing at the old veteran’s feet. The black-clothed man drove the cart away quickly again.
The old veteran picked up the coins that had fallen in the dirt one by one, wiped them clean with cloth, stacked them neatly, and placed them on a roadside stone. He sighed and said: “Young people these days don’t know how to cherish their blessings—throwing copper coins around everywhere.” Looking at the wheel ruts on the ground, he muttered: “Carrying something as heavy as an eight-ox crossbow and still whipping the horses desperately—what a sin.”
The sheep had run off again. He picked up a clod of earth and threw it from a distance, hitting the lead sheep right on its horn. The flock began running back. The old veteran chuckled—he hadn’t lost his stone-throwing skills.
The market at the entrance to the Yun Family had now become a daily affair. At first it was only on the first and fifteenth of each month, then changed to once every seven days. Unable to cope with the ever-increasing number of merchants, it had simply become daily now. Whoever had goods could come sell them. The county office had also built a market administration office near the Yun Family, responsible for managing these merchants. Merchants needed to pay taxes—one-fifteenth—but farmers didn’t need to. This was specifically requested by the Yun Family. The original intention of allowing farmers to sell things here was to provide convenience to common people. If they had to pay taxes, what kind of convenience would that be?
There were many newly opened businesses. Zhou Dafu’s fish market was one of them. He bought fish from fishermen and resold them for profit. Of course, the fish were already cleaned, with bones carefully removed. Buyers only needed to take the fish meat home and steam or boil it. Combined with the fish shop’s seasonings, it made a delicious meal. The Yun Family especially needed it every day—the old grandmother loved eating it most.
Today Zhou Dafu stood at the entrance of his fish shop, wrapped in an apron, constantly chatting with familiar neighbors, discussing business in a lively manner. However, his eyes occasionally glanced toward the street entrance, as if waiting for something.
When carts covered with oilcloth slowly entered the market, Zhou Dafu’s eyes lit up. He apologized to the person beside him, saying his new equipment had arrived and he needed to receive it, then hurriedly went to meet them.
In the bustling market, there were many carts covered with oilcloth. Zhou Dafu’s two carts were completely unremarkable, driving straight to the back entrance. The back had a large gate, big enough for carts to enter.
In the courtyard, Dou Yanshan stood there. When all the assassins dispatched to Yushan disappeared, he knew things had gone wrong. He had hidden far away outside Chang’an City, waiting for an opportunity. When news came that Li Er was at Yushan, it gave him renewed hope. However, close-range assassination was an impossible task to complete. Only long-range attacks could work. Long-range attack weapons were strictly forbidden by the court for private ownership. He didn’t have the ability to obtain military crossbows.
As a native Chang’an underground rat, Zhou Dafu knew that White Tiger had such things. He had spent a large sum to obtain two eight-ox crossbows, finally having the capital for assassination. The long street at the entrance to the Yun Family was the necessary route for Li Er’s return to the capital. Assassinating here could also achieve a double effect. Once Li Er was attacked, regardless of success, the Yun Family would face great disaster. The army would draw circles on maps with the Yun Family as the center, and people, dogs—everything within those circles would become targets for elimination. This was the usual practice.
Stroking the gleaming wooden eight-ox crossbow, Dou Yanshan closed his eyes. With this weapon, the possibility of successfully assassinating Li Er was eighty percent, while the Yun Family faced certain death. Surely grandfather’s spirit in heaven would be very gratified.