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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 174: An Agreement
Li Mi glanced at them without saying a word and immediately left. Only then did the others react. In today's world, at such an age, the only ones worthy of such a title, aside from Li Jian Cheng in Turkic, were the notorious fugitive, the Duke of Pushan, Li Mi.
The first to receive the news undoubtedly chose to help Li Mi. However, although they were friends, they were not united in purpose. Some were already preparing to capture Li Mi for a better future.
Although official positions in the court were not as precious as before, they still represented a pathway to wealth and status. Otherwise, with their meager resources, even a slightly prominent rebel would look down on them.
"Yang Lin, step aside! Capturing Li Mi could at least earn you a fifth-rank official position!"
One person stood up and spread his arms to block the others: "What hope do we have for court positions? Those who rushed to save the king didn't receive any rewards; we have even less chance."
Moreover, who was Li Gong? He was a remarkable hero destined to achieve great things in the future. Following him would surely lead to wealth and honor, far better than relying on that foolish monarch.
As they hesitated, Li Mi had already mounted his horse and galloped towards Chengwai. Clearly, it was too late for them to pursue him now, so their grip began to loosen. One person said, "Then let today’s rescue of Li Gong count as our collective achievement; Yang Lin, you can't take all the credit."
Zhao Yang Lin immediately replied, "We are family by marriage; if we rise in status together, we will share both hardships and fortunes!"
Bah! If it weren't for the need for everyone’s effort to cover up this matter, you wouldn’t be worthy of sharing this life-saving grace.
Huaiyang Governor Zhao Tuo had always been a loyal and honest man. As long as they all claimed ignorance of Li Mi's identity, this incident would not implicate their families.
They immediately called upon the innkeeper and two local patrons who had witnessed the events unfold. Being locals made things easier.
As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Their families had been established in these two or three counties for over a hundred years. If these few dared to report them, regardless of how the Prefect reacted, they would definitely be walking into a dead end.
When the county soldiers finally arrived, everyone unanimously pointed to the city gate where Li Mi had escaped. Too many people had seen it for there to be any doubt.
Moreover, considering Li Gong's intelligence, he would not be unaware of the need to change direction after leaving the city to shake off his pursuers.
...
The emperor resembled a piece of raw iron, appearing incredibly tough at first, but immediately revealing its brittle nature after encountering setbacks. His grand ambitions had been shattered.
At this point, he should have returned to Chang'an, the birthplace of the Sui Dynasty and its foundation.
However, the emperor was determined to return to Jiangdu, the place where he had lived as a youth, his true home.
By making this decision, he essentially acknowledged that the Sui Dynasty was coming to an end, but he could not concern himself with that anymore; he only wanted to return to Jiangdu, even if it meant settling for a fragmented existence.
As he grew older, all he wanted was to enjoy life before he died.
Thus, while he still held some power, the emperor issued an edict for Piling to gather tens of thousands of troops from ten counties and build a palace garden in the southeastern part of Piling County. The garden would cover an area of twelve miles and contain sixteen secondary palaces, mostly modeled after the Eastern Capital's Western Garden but surpassing it in novelty and grandeur.
He also urged Wang Shichong to construct dragon boats, as he intended to return to Jiangdu this year.
The nobles at court quickly sensed the emperor's intentions. Led by Suwei, the Noble Families of Guanlong advised him against such a course, insisting that returning to Chang'an still offered a chance for the state.
However, the more the emperor listened, the more uneasy he felt. As a member of the Noble Families of Guanlong himself, he understood all too well what it meant for imperial power to wane and authority to be lost.
Thus, he found several reasons to dismiss Suwei; even Yuwen Shu faced repercussions. Now, anyone opposing a return to Jiangdu instead of Chang'an would become an enemy of the emperor's life and death.
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The vacant positions in the court were immediately occupied by Pei Yun and Yu Shiji, as they were southerners and naturally preferred the emperor to go to Jiangdu.
As soon as the Dragon Boat arrived, the emperor could hardly wait to set off. The remaining Guanlong representative, General Zhao Cai of the Right Imperial Guard, advised, "The people are exhausted, the treasury is depleted, bandits are rampant, and the prohibitions are ineffective. I urge Your Majesty to return to the Capital City and bring peace to the populace."
Furious, the emperor was about to execute him, but was stopped by Yuwen Shu and Yu Shiji. Killing Zhao Cai would only add fuel to the fire; the already strained Guanlong families would surely rebel.
Seeing that Zhao Cai was unharmed, another sixth-rank official, Ren Zong of Jianjie Wei, submitted a memorial urging caution, entirely out of loyalty to the court. However, the emperor finally found someone on whom he could vent his anger.
Imitating his predecessor, he had Ren Zong beaten to death and then dismissed the court before retreating to the inner palace. Yet even there, he faced headaches; rumors spread wildly in the harem that he would never return from his southern tour.
Most of them were clearly going to be left behind, surrounding the Queen in tears. Empress Xiao could only helplessly summon the emperor; Yang Guang was somewhat kinder to them.
"Who says I will not return? Such words are mere fabrications!"
Yang Guang rallied his spirits, stroking his beard as he composed a poem: "I dream of Jiangnan's beauty; my campaigns are but chance encounters. As long as my appearance remains, this parting is only for this year."
This meant that he longed only for Jiangnan's beautiful scenery and that his expedition against Goguryeo was merely a whim. "You all take good care of your lovely appearances; I will visit Jiangnan and return next year."
However, such sweet talk was clearly unconvincing. Yet the emperor insisted on embarking on his journey along with Royal Relatives, concubines, palace maids, Civil and Military Officials, monks and Taoists, as well as the Valiant Fruit Army down the Canal towards Jiangdu amidst a chorus of opposition and lamentation.
…………
"How is Jian Cheng?"
Brushing off the dust from his clothes, Xiao Cong reflected on how he had once been an emperor and now was a duke. He had experienced great rises and falls, but this was his first time digging through a tunnel.
Li Yan stepped forward to help his father-in-law dust himself off and replied, "Very well. Shibi Khan has granted him pastures for cattle and sheep, and he is even marrying his younger sister to him. That kid is living better than he did in the Central Plains."
Xiao Cong chuckled, "Jian Cheng truly can find himself in a position of power wherever he goes. Wealth and nobility are indeed fated; good for him."
The two sat down, and Xiao Cong cleared his throat twice before saying, "His Majesty has gone south to Jiangdu. With this departure, he has forsaken the two capitals. Destiny shakes the State, and it remains to be seen which family can uphold Heaven's will and rebuild the State."
Li Yan fell silent for a moment. "Peach and Plum, Peach and Plum. Perhaps my Li Family should strive for something."
Xiao Cong nodded with a smile but remained silent. Li Yan stood up solemnly and said, "Xiao Chanyan has been respectful and dutiful. For many years she has been favored by my elderly mother since marrying into our family. My wife and I often praise our daughter-in-law for not being arrogant due to her wealth, for her grace and modesty; she is truly worthy of being a noble lady of the Xiao Family.
Regardless of whether the Great Undertaking succeeds or fails, my family only has this one matriarch. The glory of nobility must surpass today's prominence; if I go against this statement, I shall cut off my lineage!"
Xiao Cong rose and performed a grand bow. "I would never force Duke Li into such a situation; please retract those words!"
Li Yan stepped forward to grasp Xiao Cong's hand. "I understand Duke Xiao's concerns. Even if our matriarch has no children, my family's eldest grandson should still come from Lady Xiao."
………
(End of Chapter)
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