Chapter 157: The Hidden Dragon Gathering

“Qilang, wait a moment!”
As soon as Li Qing’an stepped out of Xingqing Palace, Yang Huahua followed closely behind.
“Madam, is there something?” Li Qing’an stopped and smiled gently.
“Don’t call me madam. It’s just the two of us here.”
Yang Huahua stepped forward slowly, smiling seductively. “Just now, the emperor invited you to watch the lanterns, but you refused. How about I invite you? Will you go?”
Li Qing’an smiled apologetically. “Madam, it’s not about who invites me. I really have something to do tonight.”
Yang Huahua’s expression immediately darkened. With a huff, she said, “So you really intend to go find Mingyue?”
Li Qing’an felt disgust arise in his heart. Who he wanted to see had nothing to do with her. What right did she have to interfere in his personal affairs? Suppressing his dissatisfaction, he bowed and said, “If you have nothing else, I’ll be leaving then!”
“Stop!”
Yang Huahua rushed to him, blocking his path with outstretched arms. She stared into Li Qing’an’s eyes and said, “You must explain to me today—what kind of person am I in your heart?”
Li Qing’an glanced around. The nearest guards were fifty steps away. Sighing inwardly, he lowered his voice and said, “Perhaps I once had feelings for you. Your disregard for conventions left a deep impression on me.”
Yang Huahua’s gaze softened. She whispered, “What about now? Why not anymore? Qilang, could it be you still hold a grudge over the slap I gave you? You should know it was because I liked you!”
Li Qing’an shook his head. “It’s not about that slap. It’s that you like too many men. I don’t want to be one of them. Do you understand?”
“Aren’t you the same? You like many women too, but I don’t mind. Then why do you insist on caring about me?”
Li Qing’an was speechless for a moment. He shook his head with a bitter smile. Yang Huahua was right. She had her freedom, her preferences. Her demand for equality between men and women wasn’t wrong in itself. He could appreciate and comment as an observer, but becoming one of them was beyond his acceptance.
“Huahua, can we be friends? Without any romantic involvement? That way, maybe we can get along better.”
“What if I insist on romantic involvement?” Yang Huahua bit her lip.
“Madam, I know you’d never force yourself to do something you don’t want. I’m the same. I don’t want to force myself either. I’m sorry, madam!”

Li Qingan pushed away Yang Huahua’s arm and strode away quickly. Yang Huahua stared at his retreating figure before suddenly shouting, “Li Qingan, do you know what happens to men who reject me?”
Li Qingan stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her sideways. “I’m actually very curious to find out what happens to men who reject you.”
Yang Huahua sneered. “At the beginning of the year, Zuo Wei’s military officer Fang Yufeng was just like you—pretending to be noble and daring to reject me. But in less than half a month, he came crawling to me begging for mercy. Hmph! I had him beaten severely and thrown out of the mansion. He’s still in prison, regretting his actions. Li Qingan, do you believe that if you dare to reject me, you’ll end up the same way?”
Li Qingan laughed heartily, then walked away at a fast pace. From afar, his voice could be heard saying, “Thank you, madam, for resolving the doubts in my heart.”
Anger flashed in Yang Huahua’s eyes. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Li Qingan, one day, you’ll be kneeling and begging me!”
She wouldn’t give up—she insisted on making Li Qingan kneel at her feet.
…
Li Qingan returned to the mansion on horseback. As soon as he entered, the female guard Zhang Xiuer came to report, “General, Mr. Yan has woken up. He wants to see you.”
“I was just about to see him.”
Li Qingan hurried into Yan Zhuang’sward. There, Yan Zhuang was leaning on soft cushions, taking medicine. Li Qingan bowed and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Mr. Yan, on recovering from danger.”
Yan Zhuang quickly put down his bowl and cried on the bed, “General Li, for forgiving me and saving my life, I am infinitely grateful. I’m willing to serve you loyally.”
Li Qingan quickly helped him sit up. “Mr. Yan, your injuries haven’t fully healed. You must not move recklessly.”
He helped Yan Zhuang sit properly and asked, “Mr. Yan, what exactly happened? Why were you subjected to such cruel treatment?”
“I misjudged An Lushan.”
Yan Zhuang sighed and recounted what had happened. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “I thought he was just going through the motions—just beating me up. But instead, he torn my tendons, leaving me disabled for life. What’s even more despicable is that he ordered his guards to kill me to silence me. If it weren’t for the favor I once did for one of those guards, I would have died last night. I, Yan Zhuang, chose the wrong master and must bear the consequences!”
It turned out that Dong Yanguang had been killed by An Lushan. Only then did Li Qingan realize it was all to gain control of the Turkic elite cavalry led by Abu Shi. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Then why did Mr. Yan think of turning to me?”

Yan Zhuang sighed and said with a bitter smile, “At the last polo tournament, my series of tactics were flawless. I never expected General Li to crack them. Since then, I’ve always regarded General Li as An Lushan’s fierce rival. Now that that hostility is gone, General Li is naturally my wise leader. Not for anything else, but because General Li refused to go to the capital to boast about his achievements and instead went to comfort the families of the fallen soldiers. Just for that, I, Yan Zhuang, will wholeheartedly follow General Li.”

Li Qing’an was overjoyed. Yan Zhuang’s cunning and deceitful tactics had always left a deep impression on him. Now that he had this man’s loyalty, it was like giving a tiger wings. He quickly bowed and said, “Mr. Yan is willing to serve me, and I will never treat him poorly. For now, please rest well and recover. I’ll find a way to help you stand up again. I have some matters to attend to; I’ll come visit you again this afternoon.”

After saying that, he stood up and instructed a few of his bodyguards, “Take good care of Mr. Yan. Do not neglect him.” The bodyguards agreed, and Li Qing’an left the room. At that moment, Nan Jiyun stepped forward and said, “General, be careful—this Yan Zhuang might be using a ruse.”

Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and laughed, “Even if he used a ruse, he wouldn’t tear his own tendons. Unless I were Wang Zhongsì, don’t worry! I’ll treat him sincerely. Even if he has ulterior motives, over time, he’ll truly submit to me.”

Smiling, Li Qing’an took out Wang Changling’s address from the inn and handed it to Nan Jiyun, saying, “Take a few men to move Mr. Wang’s luggage here. He will be my advisor from now on. Also, give him five hundred taels of silver and ask him to give it to Li Bai, saying it’s my congratulatory gift.” After giving more instructions, Li Qing’an left, heading west to the Western Market with over a dozen bodyguards. It was the 14th day of the first lunar month, the first day of the Lantern Festival. Although it was still early before dark, the streets were already crowded. Many residents of Chang’an had come out with their wives and daughters, full of excitement. Along the streets, lanterns were set up everywhere—huge, exquisitely crafted official lanterns as well as private lanterns donated by wealthy families. They stretched for miles, covering the streets densely. The Western Market was also a sea of lanterns, mainly the innovative and unique shop lanterns with the names of each shop on them, serving as a form of advertising.

At that moment, Li Qing’an suddenly noticed something interesting. At the entrance of the Western Market, there was a young man dressed just like him from the previous night—also wearing a replica military uniform, holding a sword in his right hand and a wine jug in his left, chanting something as he danced with a drunken gait. A large crowd of young women surrounded him, clapping and laughing.

“General, he’s imitating you!” Jiang Xiaonian and several bodyguards couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Qing’an touched his chin and couldn’t help but laugh. He thought there was only one such group, but after walking a few steps, he saw two more young rangers carrying wine jars and long swords. Last time it was the trend of throwing spears, and now it was wielding swords and carrying wine jars—Chang’an’s enthusiasm for such things truly left Li Qing’an in awe.

They entered Xiling Alley. Deep in the alley lay Rehai Ju. He remembered that the owner last time, surnamed Chang, was a Han from Suiye and seemed to hold considerable status there. Perhaps he could help fill in the last gaps in Li Qing’an’s background.

“Guests, welcome!”
Two Hu girls greeted them with smiles. Suddenly recognizing Li Qing’an and his group, they exclaimed in delight, “Aren’t you General Li from last time?”
“That’s right. Is Master Chang here?”
“He is. General Li, please come in quickly!” One of the Hu girls arranged a room while the other rushed off to inform the owner.

In a small room on the third floor, five men were meeting to discuss something. One of them was Chang Jin, the owner of Rehai Ju, while another had white hair. Last time, Chang Jin had sought his help regarding Li Qing’an’s matter. These were the leaders of the Hidden Dragon Society.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were countless organizations, both in the court and among the common people. They weren’t martial arts sects nor did they have any martial arts leaders. They were simply groups united by common interests or goals. Broadly speaking, in the court, there were Li Linfu’s Prime Minister faction, the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace faction, Li Cong’s Prince Qing faction, Zhang Yun’s Zhang faction, Yang Zhao’s Yang faction, as well as later the Li faction and the Niu faction—these were the factions within the court. Among the common people, there were even more numerous interest-based factions, such as the Jianghuai Shipping Gang and the Salt Gang, which were industry-based gangs.

One characteristic of the Hidden Dragon Society was that its main leaders all came from Suiye and were Han from Suiye. This didn’t mean they were part of the Suiye gang; their common ideals had nothing to do with Suiye.

The Hidden Dragon Society had been established for a hundred years, with its ideals passed down from generation to generation. It originated from a famous palace coup at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty: the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

On June 4th of the ninth year of Wude, Li Shimin launched a bloody coup at Xuanwu Gate, killing Crown Prince Jiancheng and Prince Yuanji of Qi. When the news reached the Eastern Palace, Jiancheng’s personal guards realized that survival was unlikely. To preserve a trace of the crown prince’s lineage, eighteen guards escorted Crown Prince Jiancheng’s wife, Lady Chang, who was already four months pregnant, out of Chang’an overnight. They fled westward to Suiye, where they received shelter from Khagan Qutlugh of the Western Turks, who was on good terms with Crown Prince Jiancheng. They settled in Suiye, where Lady Chang gave birth to Jiancheng’s only surviving son, named Li Chengsi.

In the 16th year of the Zhenguan era, Li Jiancheng was made the Crown Prince in hiding. That same year, Li Chengsi turned 16. To restore him to the throne he deserved, 18 renowned generals founded the Hidden Dragon Society in Suiye and took a blood oath before the spirit of the Crown Prince: if they failed to achieve their great ambition in their lifetime, their descendants would carry on this mission.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, and much changed, yet the oath taken by those 18 generals was continued by their descendants generation after generation. Li Jiancheng’s lineage also reached his great-grandson, Li Jin.

However, the Hidden Dragon Society grew from 18 members to 24, all of whom were descendants of those original 18 generals. There were eight members in Chang’an, and five of them attended today’s meeting. Among them, aside from Chang Jin, who was the owner of Rehaiju East, the others were mostly merchants. For example, the white-haired elder was the owner of the famous tea shop “Lingxi Tea House” in the Western Market, named Li Huichun. His tea house monopolized the tea trade west of the Pamir Mountains. Additionally, he served as the vice leader of the Hidden Dragon Society.

There were two other well-known merchants, and one was a court official—Du Run, the deputy head of the Taichang Temple. He was the highest-ranking official of the Hidden Dragon Society in the court.

Whether they were merchants or high-ranking officials, these roles were merely cover-ups. Their goal remained the same: to fulfill their ancestors’ dream from a century ago.

“I already told our eldest brother last time—Li Qingan can definitely be brought into our Hidden Dragon Society. His background is simple; he isn’t from a prominent family. More importantly, he’s a general in Anxi, which will greatly help us strengthen ties with our headquarters in Suiye. Now that he’s become the military governor of Beiting, we can’t miss this opportunity. With him as a member, our headquarters can be moved from Suiye to Beiting, which will be crucial for our growth in Anxi and even for fulfilling our ancestors’ wishes.”

Chang Jin was a descendant of Chang Miao, the third brother of the former Empress Chang. He had always advocated for reforms within the Hidden Dragon Society to bring in new blood, and Li Qingan was the candidate he had in mind.

Li Huichun glanced at Du Run and asked, “Fourth brother, what do you think?”

Du Run pondered for a moment before saying, “Li Qingan is part of the Crown Prince’s faction—a fact well-known in the court. I’m worried that instead of joining us, he might expose us, causing us heavy losses. The reason our Hidden Dragon Society has endured for a hundred years is because we prefer fewer members but higher quality, along with strict secrecy. Eldest brother, I think we should proceed with caution.”

Li Huichun nodded. “Fourth brother is right. Our strong desire to pull him into the organization might just be wishful thinking, and if things go wrong, it could backfire. But fifth brother is also correct—it’s indeed an opportunity for us. A hundred years have passed, and how many people in the Tang Dynasty still remember the legitimate Tang lineage? If we don’t take action now, our dream will remain just that—a dream, and we won’t be able to fulfill our ancestors’ wishes.”
Silence filled the room. A hundred years had gone by; their grandparents and great-grandparents had passed away filled with regret. As they themselves grew older, was this dream meant to be left for the next generation?
“Let’s do this!” Li Huichun decided firmly. “Find a way to get him into the Suiye Han-Tang Society first, and then gradually bring him into the Hidden Dragon Society.”
The Hidden Dragon Society was an extremely secretive organization with only twenty-four members. But to expand its membership and influence, it established the Suiye Han-Tang Society, aiming to bring Suiye back under Tang rule. With nearly ten thousand members across the Tang territories, the Hidden Dragon Society was the core of the Suiye Han-Tang Society.
Just then, a messenger’s voice came from outside: “Master Chang, General Li Qing’an from last time is here again. He wants to see you.”
The five men in the room were stunned at first, then overjoyed. As the saying goes, when you think of someone, they show up. Chang Jin quickly stood up. “I’ll go talk to him first to find out what he wants.”
He left, and after a while, Chang Jin called out from the door, “Elder brother, could you come out for a moment?”
Li Huichun stepped outside and asked, “What does he want?”
Li Huichun’s face lit up with a smile as he lowered his voice. “An opportunity has arisen. He wants my help. He says his grandfather was also a Han from Suiye, and he wants us to help him find records of his grandfather in Suiye. The condition he’s offered is that I can freely enter and leave the Beiting border. Elder brother, I understand what he means—he wants to claim Han descent from Suiye and needs my help.”
Li Huichun’s eyes shone. He quickly asked, “Did you tell him that to become a Han from Suiye, he must join the Suiye Han-Tang Society?”
“I did. That’s why he wants to meet you.”
The sudden good news filled Li Huichun with hope. Perhaps this was truly a great opportunity.
……
Li Qing’an waited patiently in the He Lie Cheng Tang on the second floor. It was the first time he had heard that the Hans in Suiye had their own Suiye Han-Tang Society, and that its leader was even here. Li Qing’an sensed that things might not be as simple as they seemed.

At that moment, a cough came from the door. Chang Jin led in an old man with white beard and hair. The old man bowed and said with a smile, “I have long heard of General Li’s fame. To meet you in person today is a great fortune for me.”

Li Qing’an stood up to return the greeting and glanced at Chang Jin. Chang Jin quickly introduced him, “This is the owner of Lingxi Tea House. His surname is also Li. He is one of the most respected elders among the Han people in Suiye. He only arrived in Chang’an last year.”

Li Huichun quickly added, “I am Li Huichun, just a merchant with a little influence among the Han people in Suiye. Brother Chang, you’re too kind.”

Li Qing’an got straight to the point. “So it’s Master Li. I have a request for your help today. I’m sure Master Chang has already mentioned it. I wonder if Master Li can help?”

“Sure! Of course! General Li, please sit down and we can talk at ease.”

The three sat down, and the servant brought them tea. After taking a sip, Li Huichun said, “I wonder what your grandfather’s name is. Maybe I know him.”

Li Qing’an smiled faintly. “My grandfather’s name is Li Zengyun. He loved traveling around the world. Our ancestors fled to Suiye during the chaos at the end of the Sui dynasty.”

“Oh! Li Zengyun. I seem to have heard of him.” Li Huichun looked at Li Qing’an with a half-smile, implying, “I might know him or not—it depends on you.”

Li Qing’an also smiled. “In the future, when you travel between the Tang dynasty and Suiye, you can use the Beiting border crossing. I’ll give you every convenience.”

Li Huichun shook his head and laughed. “General Li may not know, but all the Han people in Suiye are members of the Suiye Han-Tang Association. If your grandfather was indeed a Han person from Suiye, he must also be a member.”

“The Suiye Han-Tang Association!” Li Qing’an pondered for a moment before asking, “What does it do?”

Chang Jin beside him laughed. “Last time I told General Li, all of us Han people in Suiye hope that Suiye will return to the Tang dynasty soon. For this goal, we came together—this is the Suiye Han-Tang Association. And not only in Suiye, but after the sixth year of the Kaiyuan era, many Han people returned to the Central Plains. They are still members of our Han-Tang Association and serve us loyally. That’s why our influence is very strong in the Tang dynasty. If General Li is willing to join us, we can make him one of the leaders of the Han-Tang Association. It would also benefit General Li.”

Li Qing’an sneered. They wanted him to join some mysterious gang? He was a noble lord, yet he would become a member of a gang—wasn’t that ridiculous? He didn’t show his disdain but simply smiled faintly and said, “Does the imperial court know about your existence?”

Chang Jin and Li Huichun exchanged a glance. Li Huichun said, “In the 18th year of the Kaiyuan era, three hundred Suiye Han people jointly submitted a petition to the imperial court, asking for Suiye to be returned to Chinese rule. We used the name ‘Suiye Han-Tang Association’ at that time. I think the court should be aware of our existence.”
Li Qing’an pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, “How about this? My father and grandfather were both members of the Suiye Han-Tang Association. I left Suiye when I was young and didn’t have the chance to join officially. I was just a nominal member under that association. What do you think?”
Li Huichun knew that Li Qing’an still didn’t fully trust them, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He nodded and smiled cheerfully, “Very well! Please give me my father’s and grandfather’s information, General Li. I’ll add them to the list of Suiye Han people.”
They exchanged another glance and smiled knowingly. Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside.
“I need to see Brother Li urgently. Tell me where he is!”
Li Qing’an recognized it as Mingzhu’s voice. How did she get here?