The autumn wind swept across Guanzhong. The last leaf on the ginkgo tree was torn from the crown by the cold wind. Following the cold wind in graceful flight, spinning as it passed over the tall Imperial City, it quietly flew past the ears of the golden-armored warriors at the city head into the Forbidden City. In the long corridor, there wasn’t a single person. The palace maids and eunuchs who usually walked hurriedly had already hidden in their small rooms, stamping their feet and complaining about the early-arriving cold weather. So this leaf didn’t linger here but stumbled and tumbled through the corridor to arrive before the Wanmin Palace.
The broad square was spotlessly clean. The tall palace blocked the cold wind. The cold wind refused to admit defeat, wanting to find a path forward through this palace obstructing its advance.
Thus, the wind sound became increasingly urgent. In the instant a eunuch opened the door, carrying that ginkgo leaf, it broke into this hall belonging to the Emperor.
The paper sheets before Li Er were blown to flutter everywhere like huge snowflakes. His brow furrowed and he was about to lose his temper, but inadvertently seeing that ginkgo leaf brought by the cold wind, he couldn’t help but quiet down. He pinched up that leaf and carefully examined it for a moment, then placed it inside that book “Great Tang Records of the Western Regions.” Then he picked up a memorial again to continue reviewing, paying no attention to those eunuchs and palace maids trembling with fear as they chased paper sheets everywhere.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Princess Jinyang has entered Yuntai Mountain. Her body is healthy.” The eunuch who entered softly reported.
Li Er raised his head to glance in the direction of Luoyang, made an “mm” sound to indicate he knew, and raised his hand to stuff a handkerchief embroidered with a panda that was on the table into his bosom. May little Zizi also have her own good fortune.
Every year at this time, Li Er would visit the Yun Family as a guest to enjoy a meal of autumn fat mutton. The fat mutton Yun Ye cooked truly achieved being fatty but not greasy. Just a handful of green salt brought the deliciousness of the mutton to the extreme. When he asked for the recipe, that bastard actually wouldn’t give it.
He hadn’t gone to the Yun Family to eat mutton for three years. It seemed this year he couldn’t eat it either. That fellow couldn’t return this year. An entire army drilled alone into someone else’s territory and even had the audacity to ask that country’s monarch for supplies there. Only this audacious bastard could do such a thing. Although all the civil and military officials said this kid was arrogant to the extreme, they had to admit doing this truly boosted spirits.
Even pretending to pass through Yu to attack Guo wasn’t done like this. It could only be said this fellow had confidence in his camel city to the extreme. This was a manifestation of using violent military thinking to the utmost.
Crossing two countries to attack a third country—what person had done such a thing? However, judging from current military reports, this fellow was actually doing it with distinction. The Sassanid Kingdom maintaining neutrality? This argument almost made the courtiers’ jaws drop. A fellow like a wild boar charged into your country, broke through your cities, demanded supplies from your subjects, and as the monarch, you actually maintained neutrality?
This was unimaginable in the Great Tang. Tang officials had become so obsessive that if a wild boar from another country charged into Tang territory and damaged some corn, local officials would habitually ask whether the other country’s monarch harbored hostility toward the Great Tang.
The fires of the world attacking Tang had just ceased. Now it was the Great Tang’s turn to ask those people why they attacked them, such as asking Queen Seondeok. Although she had already committed suicide and the throne passed to her niece Kim Seung-man, Zhang Jian still didn’t plan to let this new queen off. This time, even if you embroidered a love letter to the Emperor on your underwear, it couldn’t quell the Great Tang’s court and countryside’s towering fury.
The Mohe people and Shiwei people completely returned to a primitive state. After losing all the crude houses they could live in, they now only came out of mountain caves to exchange their women for alcohol to drink.
Li Er was very satisfied with the wicked things his son had done. Countless women’s ranches had been opened at the foot of Baideng Mountain. These women who originally belonged to savages, after eating their fill, no longer wanted to return to cold mountain caves. They were very diligent, liked herding sheep, liked catching rabbits on the grasslands, and even more liked having wild relations with clean Han people between heaven and earth.
When the first batch of children were rolled out from bellies by those savage women using rolling pins (this was an Oroqen custom), a new tribe slowly established. This was a tribe dominated by women who believed they could live well without men.
Thinking of this, Li Er laughed until he could barely breathe. His early years of warfare with Wei Zheng now seemed so laughable. His clever and mischievous son had already nearly driven Wei Zheng crazy. Even if there had been enmity, the hatred had long been avenged.
Old Master Wei Zheng presided over the grand plan of exchanging fine wine for women. Old Master Wei Zheng presided over the grand plan of population integration. Old Master Wei Zheng agreed to have border troops stay in these women’s tribes for ten days each year. Old Master Wei Zheng…
Li Er laughed wildly and ordered the historian to record Duke Zheng Wei Zheng’s deeds in the history books, and to use these glorious achievements as evidence for restoring Wei Zheng’s title and announce it to the world. He even specially sent Duan Hong to make a trip to Jinyang to read his decision to Wei Zheng in person. According to Duan Hong’s account upon return, after Wei Zheng finished listening, his face turned ashen, and he tore at Prince Jin’s garment and turned hostile on the spot.
Wei Huairou’s great name had already spread throughout the world. Now everyone said Old Wei was quite skilled at dealing with women, especially excelling in the way of bloodline integration. Without shedding blood, he made one hundred thousand bandits and captives retreat to mountain forests to become savages. His achievements covered the world. As for Marquis Yun’s achievements of expeditioning ten thousand li and being invincible in battle, they fell to an inferior level before the old man’s unfathomable methods. According to marketplace rumors, Duke Lu, who was confronting the Tubo people at Dafeichuan, also personally wrote three characters meaning “impressed” and sent someone to deliver them to Wei Zheng’s residence.
Li Er was very satisfied with his current state. The domestic people’s lives were improving daily. Even during the most tense period of warfare, he hadn’t increased any taxes. Although corvée labor was somewhat frequent, the people could understand. After all, countries throughout the world were attacking the Great Tang. Transporting supplies to the front lines was originally what they should do.
Next spring, the major projects that had stopped could continue. This time the forces and funds invested would be more, because there were several hundred thousand more prisoners of war. With them, the common people could breathe much easier.
“Should have some mutton soup to drink!” Li Er smacked his lips twice. In such weather, one should drink mutton soup.
“Eh? How did Your Majesty know this consort prepared mutton soup?” Zhangsun came out from the inner chamber carrying a food box. As soon as she came out, she heard Li Er talking to himself.
Li Er chuckled and walked from behind the desk to the front hall, sitting beside the pear wood flower table waiting for the Empress to serve him food.
The mutton soup was brought to the table. Li Er sniffed it—the taste was good, comparable to the Yun Family’s mutton soup. Inside were also crystalline vermicelli, green coriander, and greenish radish slices. Just looking at it, one knew the taste would be good.
“The Yun Family’s mutton soup is just this taste.” After eating a mouthful, Li Er looked at the Empress in surprise and said.
“There’s nothing difficult about it. If the Yun Family’s secret recipe were told, you wouldn’t even believe how simple it is.” Zhangsun picked up that “Great Tang Records of the Western Regions” and flipped through it.
“Didn’t that kid refuse to give it?” Li Er picked up some vermicelli to admire and asked casually.
“It’s just throwing a fresh pine wood stick into the pot for cooking mutton—that simple. Qing Que and the others knew long ago. His Yun Family doesn’t lack such a skill. When you asked back then, didn’t it happen to be when that ‘Patent Law’ was promulgated? Naturally he had to get one over on you.” A leaf fell from the book. Zhangsun bent down to pick it up, put it to her nose to smell, waved it at Li Er, then put it back in the book. Her expression was strange.
Li Er ate his meal in large mouthfuls. Only after a large bowl of mutton soup went down his belly did he satisfactorily wipe his mouth and respond to Zhangsun: “I have no mind to play these petty games with a woman. Today when reviewing memorials, I was reading Yun Ye’s military report when suddenly a strong wind arose. This leaf landed on my desk at that time. Since this leaf has affinity with me, I kept it.”
Zhangsun giggled with laughter and curtsied to the Emperor: “This consort dare not inquire into your affairs. However, you shouldn’t always circle around us few old women. Those young ones, you should bestow rain and dew evenly. Now resentful deep palace grievance poems have already emerged. Moreover, you should have more offspring. You can’t count on us few anymore.”
“I think there are already enough offspring. Fourteen sons isn’t few. Any more, and enfeoffment becomes troublesome. This time, dividing the land that Yun Ye and Guo Xiaoke and others won with their lives among the sixteen princes—I already feel I’ve wronged those warriors who fought bloodily. Palace matters, what great matters can they be? Next year don’t hold selections. Just pick some bright and beautiful women to reward ministers.”
Zhangsun nodded. Indeed it was so. After turning the year, armies from all routes would return to the court. Since border troubles had been pacified, it was time to reward all the generals and commanders. Military men from each camp should also return to their own camps to continue rest and reorganization.
“Er Lang, this time the Crown Prince’s achievements are there for all to see. Should you reward him once? Last time denying Xiang’er’s heir apparent position dealt him no small blow. His harem is now chaotic. Even Yanrong, such a good-tempered child, is unwilling to stay in the Eastern Palace. Tell me, has the time come for this consort to go discipline the Eastern Palace?”
“This is your matter. Chengqian should understand that Li Xiang isn’t suitable to inherit the throne. We’ll be the villains—it’s easier than him doing it himself. He’s the heir apparent. He must persist. There’s nothing more to say about this.”
“Rather, you should visit Qing Que more often. That the airship can’t fly isn’t his fault. Tell him not to put too much energy into that thing. Having it is good, not having it isn’t anything to regret. Research other things to change his thinking. I also heard that Hypatia also set down her own work to help Qing Que with all her strength.”
“This isn’t cost-effective. It’s not worth having the Great Tang’s two top talents exhaust their energy on this thing.”
“Can’t persuade them down! Qing Que has a character that faces difficulties head-on. Hypatia is the same. Two stubborn oxen have drilled into a dead end. To pull them out, Yun Ye must return!”