Yun Ye returned to the capital and handed back the tiger tally to the Emperor. He once again explained the matters in Hengyang. The young Emperor very politely invited the Grand General to a banquet, and even composed a poem on the spot during the feast, praising the Grand General’s brave decisiveness and unparalleled military achievements. Yun Ye listened with hearty laughter and told the Emperor that his father hadn’t possessed such skills back in the day.
After dinner, the Emperor invited the Grand General to stroll through the imperial gardens. Yun Ye gladly accompanied him. One old and one young walked along the small path paved with crushed stones, chatting and laughing in great harmony.
“I know the palace’s evening banquet doesn’t suit the Grand General’s taste, but the meals for honoring soldiers are just those few kinds. I also don’t like vinegar celery, don’t like lamb wrapped in spices—the taste is quite poor.”
Yun Ye said with a smile, “This ritual system is something to show outsiders; it’s part of how the state rewards soldiers for their achievements. However, if we’re talking about delicious food, the Yun Family’s cuisine has earned universal praise. But if you were to reward meritorious soldiers with Yun Family dishes, those soldiers wouldn’t be willing. The Yun Family’s food can only satisfy one’s appetite. Although the menu formulated by the Ministry of Rites tastes terrible, it represents the highest honor—these two cannot be mentioned in the same breath. Take another example: the academy’s braised pork dish originated from the Yun Family’s recipes, and countless people have eaten the most authentic braised pork at the Yun home, yet they unanimously評price that the Yun Family’s braised pork isn’t as delicious as what the academy’s head chef stir-fries with a big spatula.”
“What’s the reason for this? It’s because mood plays a role. People cannot merely satisfy their appetite; they also need psychological and spiritual fulfillment. Only then can a person be considered complete.”
Li Jue chuckled and said, “The Grand General speaks reasonably. I’ve taken note and won’t change course—the dishes for welcoming victorious soldiers won’t be altered in the future.”
Yun Ye laughed heartily, “As it should be! This old man has eaten half-cooked pork his entire life; how could the younger generation be spared? Ever since Fan Kuai placed a pig’s leg on his shield and chomped away, this famous dish became a staple on the imperial menu. Your Majesty, the next time you host a banquet, don’t forget to bestow the pig’s leg upon the bravest general—that’s what makes a fine tale.”
Li Jue’s eyes curved with laughter. He discovered that conversing with Yun Ye was not only reasonable but also extremely witty, and he couldn’t help but say, “The Grand General is a sage of our Great Tang. In the future, I will rely on you in many matters—please don’t hesitate to offer guidance!”
“Naturally, but there are only ten years. This is the time I promised your father for your growth. After ten years, this old man will completely retire. For this country, I believe I’ve served with all my heart and mind for a lifetime, defended the homeland for a lifetime, yet haven’t had time to properly appreciate these beautiful mountains and rivers. What a loss.”
“Could it be that I am not worth teaching, and you’re unwilling to assist me further?”
Yun Ye said resentfully, “If your father were still alive now, this old man would run even farther—perhaps I’d have already led the fleet to the Red Sea to bully that Japanese demon woman. He didn’t take care of his own body and died happily, forcibly entrusting the young you to this old man. One sentence has bound this old man for ten years, unable to move.”
Seeing Yun Ye becoming melancholic, Li Jue said no more and silently accompanied Yun Ye in watching the layers upon layers of lotus leaves in the pond. A cool breeze blew past, and the lotus leaves rolled like surging waves. Yun Ye awakened from his memories and pointed to the Eastern Palace not far away, saying to Li Jue, “My acquaintance with your father began with a brawl.”
“At that time, I was a junior general in the Left Martial Guard. Your father led people from the Crown Prince’s Six Directorates to Longyou to learn how to fight. As a result, we had a conflict and thus became acquainted. Your father was only one year older than you are now, and I was one year older than your father. I had successfully grown potatoes in a flowerpot and secretly took two, pretending to taste them to see if they were poisonous. At the time, General Cheng didn’t know we were actually just greedy, so he gave us two. Back at the camp, we cooked the potatoes with beef and ate very satisfyingly…”
“Later, we violated military discipline and were thrown into the dungeon by General Niu. I slept wildly for two days, while your father, along with Cheng Chumo, Zhangsun Chong, and Li Huairen who died in my arms—they were disciplined quite harshly…”
Zhangsun watched from afar as one old and one young sat astride the railing talking. His heart felt warm. Seeing Yun Ye speaking enthusiastically, he quietly ordered the guards, palace maids, and eunuchs not to approach the lotus pond, lest they disturb their conversation.
“I’ve heard that you are Chang’an’s…” Li Jue endured for a long time before asking the doubt in his heart.
“Ha ha ha, this old man is Chang’an City’s greatest scourge. Just after entering Chang’an, I beat someone who didn’t have eyes until his bones broke and tendons snapped—he couldn’t even keep his manhood intact. Then Cheng Chumo, Zhangsun Chong, Li Huairen, your father, and I roamed Chang’an proudly every day. Your father—people didn’t dare speak of him—but the other three scoundrels all had backing. Only I seemed relatively easy to bully, so I became the chief of Chang’an’s Three Scourges. Actually, this reputation was created by the five of us together.”
“This isn’t shameful. What’s truly shameful was being captured by your Imperial Grandfather from a brothel, then being tied to a chair by the Grand Empress Dowager to learn etiquette. Those days were unfortunate but very happy.”
“Your grandmother hasn’t tied you to a chair to learn etiquette, has she?”
“No, Grandmother said my imperial bearing is very good and doesn’t need learning. Now I need to study the art of emperorship.” Li Jue proudly opened his mouth wide to show off to Yun Ye. His Imperial Grandmother had also mentioned tying his father and the Duke of Chu to chairs to learn etiquette, saying those two weren’t even considered nobility or royalty—no proper sitting posture, no proper standing posture, eating like wild boars…
Yun Ye looked at Li Jue with pity and said, “Your Imperial Grandmother actually doesn’t know how to teach people. Her old methods of teaching people are two things: the cane and pretending to cry. Your father and I were ruined by this our whole lives.”
“We learned a whole bunch of useless things, and as a result, when we became adults and held high positions, we discovered that the suffering back then was all for nothing. For those with lower positions than us, I didn’t need to pay attention to etiquette. Those with higher positions than us would strip to bare torsos and fight at your Imperial Grandfather’s banquets. If you wanted to recite poetry, before you could even open your mouth, a bucket of wine would be pried into your mouth and poured down. Once drunk, you’d be tossed into a corner. Let me tell you, don’t be fooled by Emperor Taizong’s court records. The famous ministers and brave generals of the Zhenguan era were either former rebels or bandits—not a single good person among them. Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin would wrap a towel around their waists and wrestle at banquets, while Taizong would open betting pools on the side… This old man often lost. You had to lose, because Cheng Yaojin couldn’t beat Yuchi Gong in wrestling, so I could only bet on Cheng Yaojin. If I didn’t bet, I’d get a thorough beating when I got home…”
Li Jue laughed so hard he swayed back and forth, nearly falling into the lotus pond. After catching his breath, Li Jue said longingly, “Father lived so happily, unlike me, who can only stay in the palace. If possible, I also want to be a wastrel racing horses and flying hawks, but it’s not possible. Father entrusted the realm of the Great Tang to me, and I vow to become a great monarch…”
Yun Ye patted Li Jue’s shoulder and said, “Having ambition is good. A great monarch isn’t spoken into existence but made through actions. You’ve inherited the most massive empire in our world—when the sun rises in the east, the west is still full of stars; the northern cold winds cannot reach the warm south. Young man, your army is the most formidable army in this world—wherever it goes, not a blade of grass remains. Your fleet is now rampaging wantonly across the great oceans. Any ship floating on the sea that encounters the Great Tang’s fleet must lower its sails, stop its vessel, and let you take what you will.”
“Go look, go to the frontier to see how mighty your army is, go to the South Seas to see how powerful your fleet is, go to Yushan to see how talented the Great Tang is!”
“You don’t need to be extraordinarily strong. Your most minute voice, once transmitted from the Hall of Ten Thousand People, will become the roar of a deity. You are the person with the most authority under heaven. Young man, see yourself clearly. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Bring forth your grand ambitions—all the subjects of the Great Tang are waiting for you to issue your voice!”
Li Jue trembled with excitement. With each sentence Yun Ye spoke, they struck the hard railing together with their fists, not caring even though their knuckles were covered in blood. Li Jue’s hot blood surged and burned in his chest. At this moment, he was proud—the proud bloodline of the Li Family was revived in him at this very moment…
Yun Ye left the palace with great laughter, walking while loudly reciting those famous lines that had long spread throughout the Great Tang: “When the red sun first rises, its path shines brilliantly; when the river emerges from underground flow, it pours forth in a vast expanse;”
“The hidden dragon ascends from the abyss, its scales and claws flying; the young tiger roars in the valley, all beasts tremble in fear; the falcon tests its wings, wind and dust are drawn in; the rare flower first buds, brilliant and magnificent; the famous sword emerges from its sharpening stone, revealing its gleam;”
“Heaven bears its azure, earth treads its yellow; though there be a thousand ages past, across all eight directions; the future is like the sea, the days ahead are long. How beautiful, my youthful Great Tang, never aging with heaven! How magnificent, my Great Tang youth, boundless as the nation…”
The Grand General departed from the palace, generous and bold, walking with the stride of a tiger and bearing of a dragon.
The Emperor clasped his hands in farewell. The Grand Empress Dowager also slightly curtsied to show gratitude. All servants bowed down. Li Tai stood before the newly built Hall of Martial Virtue, beating drums in farewell. Zhangsun Chong and others, upon hearing the news, spontaneously stood on both sides in deep bows without rising…
The Emperor looked down at his blood-covered hands and smiled with extreme joy. It was from this very moment that an effeminate youth was thoroughly cleansed by the Great Tang’s fierce masculine spirit. The Great Tang did not need an effeminate emperor. The emperors of the Great Tang were born to be proud, born to be generous and heroically fierce.
Here there was no need for marriage alliances, no need for ceding territory or paying indemnities. Here there was no need for forbearance. As long as I need it, I can simply demand it, and if the demand fails, I’ll take it myself—this was the prerogative of the Great Tang Emperor!
Under all heaven, only this one person!
Zhangsun came to the Hall of Receiving Heaven and caressed Li Chengqian’s memorial tablet, saying with a smile, “The lesson you didn’t give your son, Yun Ye has completed for you. I am just a woman of the household. A man of purpose’s fortitude, a warrior’s fearlessness, an emperor’s dominance, a man’s masculine spirit—as a mother, I cannot teach these things. Previously, I worried that Li Jue, growing up in a woman’s hands, would be detrimental to the realm, worried that he would become effeminate due to his mother’s death. Now, there’s no need to worry. The person you chose truly lives up to you. Having such a friend, your life has no regrets!”