“Your Highness doesn’t know—on those boundless grasslands, when spring arrives, the beauty is almost suffocating. Blooming flowers, white cattle and sheep, verdant tender grass all grow freely under the blue sky. Herdsmen sing beautiful songs. The peace and tranquility there once made this poor monk want to break his vows, never return to the Central Plains, recite sutras and worship Buddha under the blue sky and white clouds, and finally rest eternally there.”
“Fortunately, the Buddha is merciful. This poor monk saw in the high heavens a resplendent temple. It was so magnificent and grand—this was the Buddha’s land. This poor monk deeply understood that where there are monks, there naturally must be temples; where there are bodhisattvas, there naturally must be monasteries. Therefore, this poor monk made a great vow, wishing to establish a grand Buddhist monastery on the grasslands to pray daily for those generous and kind people.”
“You monk are quite refined in appearance and are actually a disciple of Master Xuanzang. If you want to solicit donations, you must explain Buddhist teachings to us sisters. If your explanations are clear, we’ll naturally help you fulfill your grand vow.” A lazy female voice came from inside the carriage.
“I would be most willing. Spreading Buddhist teachings to the world is also Bianji’s duty as a monk.” The monk pressed his palms together, chanted a Buddhist phrase, and answered respectfully.
Wei Zheng observed coldly and sighed. A monk who had gone astray in his cultivation and several dissolute and decadent princesses meeting together could only make things turn for the worse. Thinking of this, he waved his hand and immediately let them pass. There was no need for him to punish these people who violated their vows—they would slowly walk to the execution platform themselves.
The Emperor was now complacent and ambitious, his ambition almost enough to swallow the world. Because of his own circumstances, he wouldn’t tolerate any moral flaws. As long as one didn’t commit major crimes like treason, after death there would still be a posthumous title with auspicious characters.
The nobles left, the dandies left. Only Yun Shou and Helan still stood against the wall—not because they didn’t want to leave, but because the time Wei Zheng stipulated hadn’t arrived.
Wei Zheng smiled with satisfaction, walked to the two children’s side. An old servant brought over a chair. Sitting in the chair, he conversed intermittently with Yun Shou.
“Your father will be fine. The camels have already been sent over. With the Camel City, the triangular area your father is defending won’t have major troubles. As for the Tubo people, if they want to cut off your father’s retreat, naturally Su Dingfang will step up. Your father is just the highest official of Beiting. Well, now Anxi also falls under his jurisdiction.”
“Child, you don’t understand. Without the court’s decree, your father cannot approach within five hundred li of Jade Gate Pass. It’s complicated to explain to you in one moment. You just need to know the difference between vassal prefectures and frontier armies.”
“Not bad, the fruit from your house tastes good. Grandfather can’t eat pears now, but pastries are no problem. When you get home, tell your mother it hasn’t reached that point. Years ago, Huo Qubing led twenty thousand men and could traverse Langju Xu Mountain. Your father’s strength is ten times better than Huo Qubing’s. Western Regions people also need to eat when fighting. Even if there are a million people, they can’t all rush forward at once.”
“In that godforsaken place in the Western Regions, the maximum scale for long-distance raids is a hundred thousand men. Any more and the grain supplies can’t keep up. For these hundred thousand men, they would need at least three hundred thousand people driving flocks of sheep and cattle to provide supplies. They don’t have that capability.”
“Eh? This is fruit syrup? What fruit? Peach. Drinking peach honey in the dead of winter—only your household has this. The taste is very good. When you go to the palace for school tomorrow, bring Grandfather more. This stuff gives one energy.”
“Follow the rules in the palace. Don’t always beat those imperial clan children until they’re screaming. You have the perfectly good Jade Mountain Academy but don’t go—why must you suffer in the chaotic palace?”
“Old wretch, you’d better explain clearly to me—how exactly is my palace chaotic?” Li Er’s voice suddenly came from the side. Wei Zheng wasn’t surprised at all. Rising, he was about to respectfully salute the Emperor. The salute was only half-performed when he saw Li Er wasn’t wearing dragon robes and hadn’t donned his crown. He abruptly stopped his waist from bending and remonstrated:
“You still prefer traveling incognito in common clothes. Since you’re not wearing your crown, this minor subject won’t perform the court audience ceremony. As for saying the palace is chaotic, this was this minor subject’s slip of the tongue. Please, Your Majesty, forgive me. If you feel that not punishing me would be insufficient to quell your anger, why not send this old subject to guard Jade Gate Pass? Banishment three thousand li accords with court law.”
Li Er walked over from the side with his hands behind his back, told Yun Shou to quickly scram, and if he dared misbehave again, his legs would be broken. Watching Yun Shou drag Helan away running, only then did he say to Wei Zheng with a dark expression:
“Listen to all sides and you’ll be enlightened; trust one side and you’ll be benighted. You’ve said this principle countless times. Today I’ll give you a chance to explain clearly. If you encounter punishment again, no one will be able to say I didn’t give you a chance to defend yourself.”
“The Court Diaries matter is indeed true. Chu Suiliang wasn’t wrong. This minor subject did indeed submit his conversations with Your Majesty to the Yan family to be recorded in the Court Diaries. Just yesterday, Your Majesty’s decree—this subject also sent it to the Yan family. The Yan family has always been fair and impartial and would never speak nonsense. This subject was supplementing content missing from the Court Diaries. The law stipulates Your Majesty cannot read them, but it doesn’t stipulate this subject cannot read them. Everyone says one’s legacy can only be determined after the coffin lid closes. This subject was just a bit greedy, wanting to see before the coffin lid closes what exactly I’ve strived for in my lifetime, wanting to see how the world evaluates me, Wei Zheng. That’s all.”
“You truly care so much about posthumous fame?”
“Naturally. This subject has never cared for wealth, never cared about official position, but places extremely heavy importance on posthumous fame. The leopard dies and leaves its skin! This old subject, this already aging and feeble worn-out horse, wishes to leave behind a good-looking pelt. What’s wrong with that?” Wei Zheng still had that confident manner of speaking, completely unconcerned about adding articles to the Court Diaries.
“I won’t obstruct you wanting to leave a good reputation. I just want to ask you, Wei Zheng—all these years you’ve exhausted yourself protecting the Shandong aristocratic clans for what purpose? At this moment, you and I are both under the bright sun—let’s not speak ghost talk.” Li Er’s words were squeezed out from between his teeth.
“Heh, there is indeed selfish interest, but doing this brings me, Wei Zheng, not half a bit of benefit. This old subject wants to ask Your Majesty—now that your authority has reached its peak, a single word can make rivers and mountains change color and shock the four seas, does Your Majesty’s heart feel secure possessing such authority?”
“I am the Son of Heaven, shepherding the people on behalf of heaven. What’s wrong with possessing supreme authority? Old wretch, you’ve schemed deliberately to set obstacles for me. Detestable! Infuriating!”
“A runaway horse doesn’t run fastest, my Emperor.”
“I am a divine dragon. Naturally I should move clouds and spread rain in the ninth heaven, wielding thunder and lightning to discipline the people.”
Hearing Li Er say this, Wei Zheng was stunned for a moment, then spread his hands and said: “Your Majesty is naturally a divine dragon, even the most majestic divine dragon in our Chinese historical records.”
“This subject dares to ask Your Majesty—must we people like ants applaud and cheer whether Your Majesty sends down hail or torrential rain? Several years ago, Your Majesty said that water can carry a boat but also overturn it. At that time, whenever this subject heard this phrase, he was overjoyed. Now that you’ve become a divine dragon capable of raising clouds and breathing mist, can you make the world follow according to your own will?”
“This subject heard that the common people are like water, the emperor like a boat. Going downstream naturally one can cover a thousand li in a day; rowing upstream naturally requires double the effort for half the result. Since Your Majesty is now a divine dragon in the ninth heaven, upstream or downstream no longer constrains Your Majesty, this subject has nothing more to say. Please allow this subject to continue serving the Great Tang unto death in the position of City Gate Officer. If I die, this subject dares not request a tomb. I only ask that my body be burned to ash and spread on this city gate. Perhaps when enemy troops enter the city, this old subject’s ghost can still hold back one enemy’s footsteps.”
“Audacious! You dare curse the Great Tang’s destruction?”
“This old subject cannot do what Wu Zixu did suspending his head, but spreading myself on the ground is possible. If Your Majesty continues being so obstinate, refusing remonstrance, the calamity of national destruction will come sooner or later. Even if it’s not foreign tribes entering the city, it will be peasants rising up in rebellion. Regardless, this old subject lives as a subject of the Great Tang and will die as a ghost of the Great Tang. Rest assured, Your Majesty, this old subject won’t curse the Great Tang, because this nation also contains this old subject’s blood and sweat. When that time comes, I will certainly do my utmost to help the Great Tang’s realm endure for ten thousand generations and a thousand autumns.”
“The hour is late. Your Majesty, please return. This old subject must now go perform his duties.”
After Wei Zheng finished speaking, he straightened his clothing, adjusted the horizontal sword at his waist, and returned to the city gate to continue watching the crowds of people entering and leaving the city.
Their conversation was heard by no one else—only two sparrows perched on the city wall seemed to have heard something.
“I will kill him! I will kill him! I will kill this wretch! Not only will I kill him, his entire family—not one will be spared!” Li Er, hastily returning to the palace, flew into a violent rage.
His beloved Eight Treasures jade scepter was smashed to pieces by him. Everything on the desk—brush, ink, paper, inkstone, incense burner—was all swept to the floor by him. His face was flushed red, veins bulging. Just as he vented his temper twice, he felt a severe headache. With a loud cry, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The entire palace immediately descended into chaos. Imperial physicians hurriedly rushed over but were helpless against the Emperor whose face was like gold paper. The Emperor remained unconscious. Yang Fei, Yin Fei, and other high-ranking concubines surrounded the dragon bed, weeping piteously. Li Tai kept looking outside the hall. Li Chengqian, according to protocol, had already gone to sit in command at the Sixteen Guards’ camp. Zhangsun sat beside Li Er, softly saying to him: “Second Brother, wait a bit longer. Daoist Sun will arrive soon. Endure a bit more.”
Sun Simiao, who rarely rode horses, this time rode a fast horse, continuously whipping it. The war horse passed through Vermillion Bird Street and, making no stop at all in the palace, came directly to Wanmin Palace.
When he quickly walked to the Emperor’s bedside, he was already drenched in sweat. Without bothering to wipe the sweat or salute the Empress, he closed his eyes and waited for his wildly beating heart to slowly recover. Only then did he grasp the Emperor’s wrist to investigate the condition.
“Prepare a silver knife and silver bowl. His Majesty is suffering from anger attacking his heart. Medicine and herbs are too slow in effect and cannot be delayed, otherwise there will be danger to his life. Even now, His Majesty’s eyes will be injured. This old Daoist must immediately perform bloodletting. Please, Your Majesty the Empress, give the order.”
Zhangsun stood up and performed a salute to Sun Simiao, saying: “This palace trusts the Daoist. Please do everything in your power.”
The silver knife in Sun Simiao’s hand lightly cut open three blood vessels on Li Er’s head. Fresh blood spurted out. Three imperial physicians held silver bowls, trembling with fear, catching the blood flowing from the Emperor’s head, eyes unblinking, beads of sweat the size of beans continuously streaming down from their foreheads.