Li Yanrong happily followed behind Yun Shou and climbed onto the Yun Family’s carriage. She didn’t need to pack anything, nor did she need to bring the palace maid her mother had found for her. The Yun Family lacked nothing. The ugly cloth doll that A Shou had made for her was in an attic of the Yun Family estate. As for her clothes and jewelry, Mama Xinyue had already prepared a large collection long ago. Once there, she wouldn’t need to read anyone’s expressions.
The Emperor’s procession was just ahead, preparing to inspect Yushan. All the civil and military officials of the court thought he was going to Yushan Academy, but they didn’t know that the Emperor’s most important itinerary was at the back mountain of Yushan.
The Crown Prince was also going along, so when he saw Li Yanrong climb onto the Yun Family’s carriage, his teeth itched with resentment. This daughter was his most cherished one, but now it seemed her heart was no longer in the Eastern Palace. The imperial family married off daughters to win people’s hearts and firmly bind the meritorious nobles to their chariot, but marrying off his daughter might very well turn out to be like throwing a meat bun at a dog.
When Yun Ye returned, he would have to properly settle this account. Why should a perfectly good daughter, not yet married over, live at her future in-laws’ home? The imperial family couldn’t afford to lose this much face.
When the Emperor’s carriage passed by the Yun Family residence, Li Er lifted the carriage curtain to look at the ceremonial halberds planted on the Yun Family’s roof. He nodded with satisfaction. This was right. Fighting well for the empire would always bring benefits. Although people constantly impeached him, saying things like he was arrogant and overbearing, could you expect a general who had just won a great victory to be meek and submissive? That didn’t make sense. Li Jing had done exactly that, making himself feel uneasy, and even wanting to give rewards made him worry about unexpected consequences.
Li Er was a commander who had led troops, and he clearly understood the psychology of generals after great victories. At such times, they should be excited throughout their entire bodies. Why pretend to be mature and steady?
Yun Ye stirring up border troubles? Speaking of this matter was laughable. Since when did the Great Tang only allow others to strike them without striking back? The Arab warships were completely destroyed by Liu Renyuan’s bombardment at the strait entrance. After Liu Renyuan reorganized his forces, didn’t he pursue and kill into the outer seas? Now he was burning, killing, and plundering in Arab waters, committing every evil imaginable. Just thinking about it made Li Er feel comfortable. Generals, after all, would have some violent tempers.
Watching Yun Shou’s carriage sneakily enter through the Yun Family’s side gate, Li Er chuckled and said to Zhangsun: “Did you see that? That pair of little people entered the Yun Family residence.”
Zhangsun said expressionlessly: “I saw it. This is a shame for the imperial family. A dignified princess doesn’t want to stay in the imperial palace but prefers to go to someone else’s home to be a young daughter-in-law. Do you feel comfortable about this?”
Li Er scratched his chin awkwardly and said: “Of course the imperial family’s atmosphere can’t compare to the Yun Family’s warmth. As models for all the people under heaven, we can’t be without proper hierarchy like the Yun Family.”
Zhangsun sighed and said: “The little devils nowadays are becoming harder and harder to control. One by one, though young in age, they have plenty of scheming thoughts. Li Qi and Li Mo incited other children to bully Prince Hengshan. What are they trying to do?”
Li Er curled his lips and said to Zhangsun: “Does that kind of incompetent person deserve to covet the heir position? Even if Xiang’er has ten thousand faults, he still firmly adheres to filial piety. What do they have?”
Zhangsun frowned and said in a low voice: “We can’t possibly exile them all to the Western Region deserts to be kings, can we? You’ve already enfeoffed sixteen princes.”
“That’s exactly right. The more scattered we make the lands of the Western Region, the better. Chao Cuo’s strategy from back then is equally effective in the Great Tang. After several hundred years, they will automatically become ordinary Li surname commoners. What’s wrong with that? They say wealth doesn’t last more than three generations. Letting their titles pass down for a long time is already being worthy of the blood flowing in their veins.”
Li Er spoke very decisively. From now on, the lands of the Central Plains would no longer be enfeoffed. Prince Hengshan Li Xiang was the last one.
“This consort has never understood why you don’t recall Du Ruhui from the Western Frontier. Having two voices appear in one army is a major military taboo. You, an old military man, wouldn’t not understand this, would you?”
Li Er shook his head mysteriously and said: “If the Grand Protector of the Beiting Protectorate were someone else, I naturally wouldn’t do this. Military orders not coming from one source is certainly a path to death, but this rule doesn’t seem to apply to Yun Ye. He can always get along very happily with others at just the right time. You’ve read their military reports and political orders. Did you notice anything?”
“Yun Ye firmly holds onto military authority but leaves all political orders entirely in Du Ruhui’s hands. The two of them, one civil and one military, complement each other perfectly. Yun Ye doesn’t interfere with political affairs, and Du Ruhui doesn’t meddle in military authority. In military matters, Yun Ye is aggressive as fire and invincible wherever he goes. In political affairs, Du Ruhui is like spring wind passing over the earth, causing all plants to grow. The fact that more than thirty thousand auxiliary troops appeared under Yun Ye in such a short time says it all.”
“This time, I truly have nothing to say about Yun Ye. It’s not about the military achievements he established, but about the cooperation between him and Du Ruhui. The two depend on each other yet also mutually restrict each other. This is almost a model of civil and military separation. This kind of cooperation must be promoted nationwide. We’ve been calling for civil and military separation for several years now, but the effect hasn’t been great. This is a new breakthrough.”
Zhangsun’s greatest pride came from her husband. She straightened her chest and looked into Li Er’s eyes, saying: “This is natural. In the Great Tang, talking about achievements overshadowing the master is simply a joke. My husband established this empire through a hundred battles. Whose achievements could be greater than yours? Li Jing acts like a petty person in vain, a complete blockhead. I heard he also competed for power with Xu Jingzong but was forcefully pushed back by him, ending up quite embarrassed.”
Li Er laughed despite himself: “His ability to manage subordinates is too poor. In this respect, he can’t compare with Yun Ye. Although Yun Ye appears completely unconcerned, ah, once he and Li Jing come into conflict, there aren’t many people helping Li Jing.”
The Emperor and Empress’s conversation this time no longer discussed those vexing war fires, because there really wasn’t much to say. Their generals were very capable, achieving brilliant results on all four battlefields in the east, south, west, and north. The Great Tang’s victory was already in sight, so they began their old habit again, starting to analyze their subjects, and treating this habit as a way for the two of them to exercise their intellect. Although most of the time it was Li Er performing a one-man show, whenever Yun Ye was mentioned, Zhangsun always had to debate with the Emperor, not caring at all about any taboos. Yun Ye was the Empress’s disciple. Doing this was completely without fault. Not only did all the civil and military officials see it this way, even the Emperor saw it this way.
Xinyue frowned as she looked at Li Yanrong, very dissatisfied. Before Li Yanrong could speak, she began to explode: “How have your parents been taking care of you? When you left home in March, your little face had baby fat. How did your chin become pointed in just half a year? Since you’ve come back this time, occasionally go back to the Eastern Palace to see your parents, but don’t dare go back to suffer again.”
“That home of yours is chaotic, like a marketplace, even more annoying than the marketplace in front of our gate. You’re originally someone with a quiet temperament, so just stay at home and don’t go anywhere. Your Aunt Xiao Ya got married, and the heartless girl ran off to Qizhou as soon as she left. The house always lacks vitality. After Xiao Wu gave birth, she doesn’t come home either. Not only does she not come, Xiao Jie rarely comes either. The two times he came were to get medicinal materials to nourish Xiao Wu’s body. Every single one of them fed their conscience to the dogs.”
After venting her grievances at her future daughter-in-law, Xinyue finally calmed down. She pulled Li Yanrong, whose eyes were bent like crescents from smiling, to her small building. Yun Shou was just about to follow when he heard Master Lishi cough once while standing at the study door. He obediently followed Lishi into the study. Today he would begin studying the “Classics” again.
Li Yanrong entered her small building and immediately became as happy as a little bird. With a tiger pounce, she threw herself onto the soft bed. A cloth doll with crooked eyes and a twisted mouth sat properly on the bed. Although ugly, it was very large. This was the result of three days of work by her and Yun Shou. Although it couldn’t compare to dolls made by craftsmen, Li Yanrong stubbornly believed this doll was the best-looking one. If anyone said this doll wasn’t good-looking, Li Yanrong, who never got angry, would start roaring.
Xinyue looked at this child hugging the cloth doll with indulgence. This child had spent half her time with her. Saying she was her own daughter wouldn’t be wrong. Seeing her happy, Xinyue felt herself becoming happy too.
The tender moment didn’t last long before her expression changed, because Yun Mu was hanging upside down at the window, secretly looking down. Above came Yun Huan’s chattering cries, saying something about how she couldn’t hold on much longer. Oh heavens, this was the third floor! To dare hang upside down with just Yun Huan holding her feet—this girl was beyond help.
She didn’t dare go forward to disturb them, worried that if she went forward and Yun Huan lost her grip, it would cause a great disaster.
Li Yanrong laughed happily and clapped her hands, calling for Yun Mu to come in. Then Yun Mu grabbed the window frame with both hands and, like a civet cat, drilled through the window. She wore two-piece short clothes, her snow-white belly exposed, and twisted her waist quite unconcernedly.
Xinyue was so angry that she grabbed at the wall twice before pulling down the feather duster. She beat Yun Mu indiscriminately. This was unlivable! The Yun Family’s eldest daughter was a Persian dancing girl who liked to expose her belly. If word got out, the whole family wouldn’t be able to face anyone. This was all Tianmo Ji’s doing. Ever since that woman found out she only had worms in her belly, she decisively changed her personality and threw herself into dance research. I heard she was recently studying Persian snake dance and belly dance. No need to ask—Yun Mu had come from Tianmo Ji’s place. Except for Tianmo Ji’s place, there were no such strange clothes in the house.
“Sister Mu, hide here. Once you’re here, the Great Lady won’t be able to hit you.” Li Yanrong lifted the bed curtain, letting Yun Mu crawl behind it. She herself blocked in front of Xinyue, stretching out both arms to block the furious Xinyue, just like playing eagle catches chickens.
Yun Mu spotted an opening, ducked low, and flipped out through the window again. Grabbing the railing, she descended to the second floor, then ran away giggling.
Silly Yun Huan had just poked her head through the window when she saw her mother’s furious face. With a miserable scream, she fell from upstairs into the flower bushes below.
Xinyue trembled with fear throughout her body. She leaned out to look and found that Yun Huan had already climbed up limping and gone to chase her sister. Xinyue’s legs went soft and she collapsed to the ground…