Chapter 77: The Emperor’s Summoning

The next day, the remarkable event that took place at Yang Huahua’s residence spread throughout every street and alley of Chang’an. Li Qing’an, known as the best archer in Anxi, competed with Shi Siming, hailed as the best archer in the world, in a pot-throwing contest. Li Qing’an won 19 to 18. The competition itself was particularly thrilling, and through the vivid descriptions of those who witnessed it, its excitement left every inhabitant of Chang’an in awe.

Within just one morning, a craze for pot-throwing swept through Chang’an. People practiced throwing pots from a distance of ten zhang in the streets and alleys. Countless young men aspired to become the second best archer after Li Qing’an from Anxi, and many even had fake or real scars on their foreheads.

At the polo field in Chongren Fang, the Anxi polo team was in full training, riding swiftly and striking the ball with great speed. Today, an unusually large crowd of Chang’an residents came to watch the training—far more than just those from Chongren Fang. People from nearby districts, as well as from the more distant Yonghe and Chang’an Fangs, also came to watch. Most of them were young men and women. Overnight, Li Qing’an gained countless admirers.

They pointed at him and whispered, “That’s him—Li Qing’an, the best archer in Anxi! No! The best archer in the world!”

Chang’an’s girls also had their own trend of idolizing celebrities. Large groups of young women gathered outside the field, eagerly watching Li Qing’an play. With each shot he took, they would cheer enthusiastically.

Li Fei Yuanli felt both envious and frustrated. “Damn it! Why don’t I have such good luck?”

Especially when Li Qing’an won over a pair of twin sisters, it made Li Fei Yuanli even more jealous. Why did this clueless guy have such great luck with women?

In a corner of the polo field, Ru Hua and Xiao Lian filled a table with tea. Bai Yuan Guang, drenched in sweat, rode over and said with a smile, “Ru Hua, give me a bowl of tea.”

Ru Hua was sweet and lively, especially popular among the soldiers from Anxi. She smiled and brought him a bowl of tea. “Big Brother Bai, shall I add some hot water?”
“No need. I prefer it cold.”

Bai Guangyuan downed the bowl of cold tea in one gulp. At that moment, the polo players rushed over asking for water.
“Xiao Lian, give me a bowl.”
“Ru Hua, one for me too, thank you!”

The three girls were busy serving tea and water when suddenly, screams from outside the field came from a group of young women. Everyone turned to look—it turned out Li Qing’an had left the field.

Duan Xiushi couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. “This Seventh Brother! How does he manage to win over so many women?”

Ru Hua glared at them angrily and muttered to Xiao Lian, “These girls are like swarms of flies, buzzing noisily. They’re so annoying!”

Rushi poured a bowl of hot tea and carefully brought it over. “Brother Li, have some tea.”
Li Qingan dismounted and took the teacup. Seeing her shy eyes, he remembered her infinite tenderness from last night, and a sense of affection arose in his heart. He took the cup and smiled, saying, “Rupai and Xiaolian are here, that’s enough. You can go back now!”
Rushi felt a surge of sweetness in her heart. She lowered her head and said softly, “Brother Li, I like to come and watch you play ball too.”
“Li Qilang—” Suddenly, a girl’s delicate cry came from afar.
Li Qingan frowned. How could they know his nickname? Next to a group of girls, Li Feiyuanli was grinning at him.
“That bastard, always causing trouble,” Li Qingan muttered under his breath.
Rushi covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “Brother Li, everyone along the way has been talking about what happened last night. Maybe more girls will come tomorrow.”
Li Qingan gave a bitter smile. Then, with a change of thought, he said, “How about we play quoits tonight?”
Rushi seemed lost in thought. Her face turned red as she shyly nodded.
At that moment, Duan Xiurui called out from behind, “Qilang, it seems some people from the palace are coming.”
Li Qingan looked into the distance and saw several eunuchs riding towards them, quickly entering the horseball field.
“Where is Li Qingan?”
Li Qingan spurred his horse forward and said, “It’s me.”
One of the eunuchs raised his head and said, “By the emperor’s orders, Li Qingan is summoned to the palace immediately.”
……
It was already afternoon. Emperor Li Longji had just finished his lunch and was lying in his study, resting with his eyes closed. As usual, he would have gone back to the palace to take a nap for an hour, but the palace had been in disarray due to moving, so he didn’t feel like going back. At the same time, he was waiting for a memorial he had been concerned about for a long time.
At that moment, an eunuch hurriedly came outside the study. Gao Lishi waved at him and pointed inside, signaling him to speak softly.
“Uncle, the memorial from Longyou has arrived,” the eunuch said, handing the memorial to Gao Lishi.
“I know. You may go now.”
Gao Lishi opened the memorial and glanced at it. Unconsciously, his brows furrowed, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes. How could Wang Zhongsì be so insensitive?
“General, is it Dong Yanguang’s memorial that has arrived?” Emperor Li Longji’s voice suddenly came from inside the study.
“That’s right. It just arrived.”

Gao Lishi hurriedly entered the room and saw that two eunuchs had already helped Li Longji sit up. Another eunuch handed him a wet cloth scented with ambergris. Li Longji wiped his face, and his mind immediately cleared. He put down the cloth and said, “Give me the memorial!”
Gao Lishi sighed inwardly and respectfully handed the memorial to Li Longji. “Your Majesty, please take a look.”
Li Longji eagerly flipped through the memorial. Unexpectedly, after just a few lines, he flew into a rage and threw the memorial onto the ground angrily. “What does this Wang Zhongsi mean? If he refuses, does that mean I can’t find anyone else to do it?”
“Your Majesty, calm down! Please calm down!”
Gao Lishi quickly picked up the memorial, patted it gently, and placed it back on the table. He said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, Wang Zhongsi believes that Shibu City is a dangerous place, and capturing it will cost more than half of our troops. This is his concern for the soldiers—a normal thought for a general.”
“A normal thought for a general?” Li Longji sneered. “Then what’s a normal thought for a subject? I’ve ordered him three times to take control of Shibu City. I’ve given him money and grain, but he still refuses. I tolerated him and sent Dong Yanguang to attack Shibu City, yet he didn’t send reinforcements, resulting in Dong Yanguang’s disastrous defeat. I really don’t know—do the troops in Longyou and Hexi belong to me or to him, Wang Zhongsi?”
Gao Lishi realized the situation was serious. If he didn’t intervene soon, Wang Zhongsi’s life would be in danger. He tried his best to defend Wang Zhongsi, saying, “Your Majesty, Wang Zhongsi is extremely loyal. He surely understands Your Majesty’s intentions. I think he must have some other difficulties. Perhaps we should summon him to the capital to ask what’s going on. We can’t rely solely on Dong Yanguang’s account.”
Li Longji stared at the ceiling in silence for a long time. Suddenly, he asked, “Why didn’t the crown prince attend the birthday banquet for the Third Consort last night? I remember he had an invitation.”
Bringing up the crown prince while discussing Wang Zhongsi might seem confusing to others, but Gao Lishi knew Li Longji too well. He felt panicked—his worst fear had finally come true.
“Your Majesty, I heard the crown prince fell ill yesterday and hasn’t left his bed.”
“Hmph! He’s always sick. With such health, how can he bear the burden of ruling the Tang Dynasty? He doesn’t even have the energy to govern. Well! General, go see him for me. Try to meet his needs, even if it means going slightly beyond the rules.”
“I shall obey your orders!”
At that moment, a eunuch’s voice came from outside the door. “Your Majesty, Lieutenant General Li Qingan has arrived and is waiting outside the palace.”