Chapter 361: Return to the Capital City

Outside Chunming Gate, Li Qingan had been waiting for a long time. Unhurried, he calmly waited for the gate to open. They had waited nearly an hour with no signs of activity inside the city. At that moment, Nan Jiyun whispered behind Li Qingan, “General, our arrival with troops seems to have scared them! But it also shows that the city’s defenses are weak.”

Hearing the sound of horse hooves inside the city, Li Qingan smiled and said, “They’re coming!”

The gate creaked open, and a group of cavalry escorted dozens of ministers out. At the forefront was the crown prince, Li Yu.

With a single gesture, three thousand cavalry riders dismounted in unison, kneeling in salute as they shouted in unison, “Long live His Highness, the Crown Prince!”

The thunderous chorus of three thousand voices was awe-inspiring. Soldiers on both sides of the city were stunned. Zhang Yun and Chen Xilié paled, with Zhang Yun letting out an indignant snort, deeply dissatisfied. Was Li Qingan trying to show him off?

Li Qingan stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and bowed to Li Yu. “Your servant, Li Qingan, pays his respects to His Highness, the Crown Prince!”

Li Yu quickly stepped forward to help him up, smiling and assuring him, “General, there’s no need for formalities. Your timely arrival in Chang’an has finally put my worried heart at ease.”

Li Qingan also smiled and said, “I came to the capital to report to the emperor on matters related to Hezhong and the refugees. Along the way, I heard that Chang’an was defenseless. Worried that it might fall into the hands of villains, I rushed here without even having time to report in advance. I am ashamed.”

“Let’s not talk about this. Let’s enter the city.”

Li Yu glanced at the formidable cavalry force before him and asked, “General Li, do you plan to station your troops outside the city or in the military camps inside?”

“I’ll follow Your Highness’s instructions. If You Highness wishes for these troops to protect the Eastern Palace, they can be stationed inside the city. It’s entirely up to You Highness.”

Li Yu sensed something hidden in Li Qingan’s words. Their eyes met, and they understood each other’s intentions. Li Yu realized that Li Qingan had come for him, so he smiled gladly and said, “Since the General allows me to decide, I won’t be polite. There are plenty of empty military camps in Chang’an. Let the troops enter the city—specifically, within the imperial palace.”

“As ordered!”

Li Qingan turned to nod at Nan Jiyun, who waved and ordered, “Enter the city!”

The large cavalry force slowly headed toward the military camps, while Li Qingan went forward to greet the ministers.

“Good friends, it’s been a long time.”

They returned his greeting one by one. Wang Gong smiled and asked, “General, how long do you plan to stay this time?”

“It probably won’t take too long. I’m worried that the Uyghurs might retaliate against Beiting, so I’ll have to return within half a month at most.”
After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone turned and headed back into the city. At that moment, Pei Min walked up behind Li Qing’an, patted his shoulder, and whispered, “Qing’an, how about coming to my residence this evening?”
Li Qing’an quickly bowed and said, “I have to go to the Dugu residence tonight. Uncle, why not come with me?”
“Good idea! I can take the chance to see my sister too. See you at the Dugu residence later!”
Once everyone entered the city, it was almost time to leave court, so they all rushed back to the palace. Li Yu accompanied Li Qing’an to Zhuque Gate and then said with a smile, “Well, I need to return to the Eastern Palace first. General, you’ve worked hard—rest well first. We can discuss this in detail tomorrow.”
“Your Highness, go ahead carefully!”
After bidding farewell to Li Yu, Li Qing’an led his troops into the imperial city. The Ministry of War had already made arrangements; since their numbers were small, they were stationed in the camp of the Left Army Command, where conditions were the best and it was close to Zhuque Gate—perfect for them. Nan Jiyun went to arrange the camp, while Li Qing’an took over a hundred bodyguards to the Juhai Bank in the Eastern Market.
The Juhai Bank was established by the Anxi Army, mainly to facilitate Hu merchants traveling between Anxi and Chang’an in storing money and goods. Merchants would deposit money in Anxi and then retrieve it in Chang’an using a token. Although Li Longji hated Li Qing’an deeply, he dared not touch the Juhai Bank, as most Anxi generals had stakes in it. Seizing it would mean offending most of the Anxi army commanders.
A few months earlier, the Juhai Bank had opened two more branches in Chang’an, as well as one each in Luoyang, Chengdu, Yangzhou, and Taiyuan. Its business grew enormously, and it gradually became the largest bank in Chang’an. Especially with the continuous influx of silver coins from Anxi, the Juhai Bank was responsible for distributing them, making it the leader in the banking industry.
The original manager of the bank was Li Huichun’s second son, but now it had a new manager: Chang Fang, the younger brother of Chang Jin.
Hearing that Li Qing’an was coming, Chang Fang hurried out to greet him. He bowed and said, “General, thank you for your hard work on the journey.”
Chang Fang resembled his brother Chang Jin and was also a bold and rugged man, tall with dark skin, showing traces of Western Regions ancestry. Though he appeared rough, Chang Fang was actually very meticulous, thorough in his planning, and bold. Within less than half a year as manager, he had opened six branches.

Li Qing’an dismounted from his horse. Seeing the bustling traffic in front of the shop with merchants coming in and out, he bowed slightly and smiled, saying, “Master Chang, business must be booming!”
“Thanks to the Great General, business has been very good lately. Please come in, Great General.”
Li Qing’an entered the shop through the side door and called back, “Go and invite Chang Jin here!”
“Don’t worry, Great General. I’ve already sent someone to call him. He’ll be here soon.”
Chang Fang led Li Qing’an inside. A maid brought him tea. After taking a sip, Li Qing’an asked, “I’d like to know about silver coins—how are they received in Chang’an?”
Chang Fang quickly fetched a wooden box from a nearby cabinet and opened it. On the red silk inside were over twenty silver coins. The two largest and roundest ones were the Anxi silver coins.
“Great General, please take a look. These are the various silver coins in use in Chang’an’s market—there are coins minted by the Ministry of Finance, privately minted by imperial relatives, coins from Youzhou, Shu, and Longyou. But most of these coins contain less than 50% silver; they’re mostly made of lead mixed with copper. People call them ‘black-hearted coins.’ Their market value is 100 wen, but in reality, they’re only worth twenty or thirty wen. The official coins are slightly better—originally worth 70 wen—but with so many fake ones on the market, it’s impossible to tell which ones are genuine. Since this year, the number of fake official coins has exceeded those genuine, causing their price to plummet to just 30 wen. This is a form of exploitation of the people of the Tang Dynasty, leading to widespread resentment. Many shops refuse to accept these coins.”
“Great General, please take a look at this one.”
Chang Fang took out a silver coin and said, “This is An Lushan’s Youzhou coin. Its market value is the lowest—only 20 wen.”
He applied a little force, and with a ‘snap!’ the coin broke in half. He handed one half to Li Qing’an, saying, “Just take a look, Great General, and you’ll understand.”
Li Qing’an took it and glanced at it, then was stunned. The coin had only a thin layer of silver on the outside; the rest was black lead and copper. An Lushan was really ruthless.
At that moment, he noticed another coin covered in green mold. Out of curiosity, he picked it up. It felt extremely heavy—not like a silver coin at all. He laughed and asked, “Whose coin is this?”
“Oh! This is the coin minted by Yang Huahua,” Chang Fang said, rubbing the back of his head with a smile. “I forgot about it. This is the least valuable coin—its core is made of iron, and it’s only worth 10 wen.”
“Only 10 wen?”
Li Qing’an couldn’t help but laugh too. That woman was too greedy.
Li Qing’an put the coin down and asked, “What about my Anxi silver coins?”
“Our Anxi silver coins are treasures!”

When the topic of Anxi silver coins came up, the contemptuous expression in Chang Fang’s eyes vanished, replaced by a proud satisfaction. He carefully picked up a silver coin, held it gently between his index finger and thumb, and blew hard on it. A distinct metallic ringing sound emerged, echoing continuously. Chang Fang’s eyes narrowed into slits, as if that sound were the most beautiful music in the world.

“General, our silver coins are the most popular. We released three batches in total, numbering 100,000 coins. As soon as they hit the market, they were all snapped up. The original price was one silver coin equal to one guan, but now it’s risen to one guan and 200 wen. They’re rare in the market now, as everyone has collected them.”

Li Qing’an also picked up a silver coin, blew on it, and then brought it to his ear. He heard a continuous metallic ringing, similar to the sound of steel wires. He smiled and asked, “Are there any forgers?”

“Of course, quite a few. But no one can forge our Anxi silver coins. To forge them, one would need to use the same amount of silver, which those forgers can’t afford. The common people aren’t fools either—they check the craftsmanship and weight, but the most crucial factor is the sound. That’s why fake coins are easily identified, and few people get deceived.”

Li Qing’an nodded and said, “The second batch of 500,000 silver coins will arrive soon. My goal isn’t for people to hoard them. I want Anxi silver coins to gradually become the main currency of the Tang Dynasty, replacing silver coins and becoming one of the primary circulating currencies alongside copper coins. I hope Juhai Xing can help me achieve this and get these coins circulating as soon as possible.”

“Yes! I will do my best.”

At that moment, footsteps were heard outside. Chang Jin’s voice rang out, “General, I’m here.”

“Come in!”

The door curtain was lifted, and Chang Jin stepped in quickly. He knelt down before Li Qing’an and bowed, saying, “Chang Jin pays his respects to his lord.”

He was using the rituals of the Hidden Dragon Society to pay homage to Li Qing’an. Chang Fang, who was standing nearby, was stunned. Although he was also a member of the Han-Tang Society, he wasn’t aware of the secrecy of the Hidden Dragon Society. The Han-Tang Society had a strict hierarchy, but it never required kneeling as a form of respect. To see his elder brother kneel before Li Qing’an left Chang Fang utterly astonished.

Li Qing’an quickly helped Chang Jin up and smiled slightly, saying, “I’ve said before that we don’t need to kneel. How could you forget again?”

Chang Jin scratched his head and laughed, “When I saw my lord, I was so excited that I momentarily forgot.”

“Then be sure to remember next time. Sit down!”

Chang Jin sat down and smiled, saying, “Suddenly appearing in Chang’an has caused quite a stir. It’s been talked about everywhere—everyone says the lord has come to compete for the throne, and some even say the Xuanwu Gate incident will happen again.”
“All these are rumors spread by troublemakers. If I were here to fight for the throne, I wouldn’t have brought only three thousand men.”
At that moment, Chang Fang felt a bit redundant, so he stood up and said, “You two continue chatting. I’ll go check on the business ahead.”
He quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Now, only Li Qing’an and Chang Jin were left in the room. Li Qing’an said, “I actually came here mainly to see you. I want to learn about the status of our intelligence network. Is the court’s crackdown on the Han-Tang Society still going on?”
Chang Jin was now Li Qing’an’s chief spy. Since Li Huichun’s death, Chang Jin had taken over the Han-Tang Society. He obeyed Li Qing’an’s orders and transformed it into Li Qing’an’s secret intelligence agency.
The humble smile on Chang Jin’s face disappeared. After a moment of thought, he said, “After the New Year, Li Longji focused his efforts on Longyou and Shuofang, and stopped the pursuit of the Han-Tang Society. Most of the members captured in various places were released after paying a ransom. Currently, the Han-Tang Society has 3,300 members across the Tang Dynasty, most of whom use business as a cover, but many have also entered government positions. I’ve established intelligence branches in eight cities—Chang’an, Chengdu, Taiyuan, Youzhou, Luoyang, Xiangyang, Yangzhou, Shanzhou, and Guangzhou—all using single-line communication. This is actually the same method the Han-Tang Society used before. In the past, it mainly collected information about local conditions, but now our scope is broader—military deployments, food reserves, city structures, local officials, and so on are all part of our intelligence gathering. I plan to set up an intelligence hub in Fengtian County to consolidate information from various places. It should be completed by next month.”
“Why Fengtian County?” Li Qing’an asked, somewhat puzzled.
Chang Jin smiled and said, “That’s because the county magistrate of Fengtian County, Yu Zhijie, is also a member of our Han-Tang Society. Even the deputy magistrates and clerks have been bribed by us. Thus, Fengtian County is the safest place. If we set it up in Chang’an, with so many pigeons coming and going, it would surely arouse suspicion.”
“Hmm! Good point,” Li Qing’an nodded in approval and smiled. “Not only in Chang’an, but other cities should do the same as well—place intelligence branches in nearby smaller counties to avoid drawing attention.”
“I understand. I’ll definitely follow that plan.”
After a pause, Li Qing’an remembered something else and asked, “How is Li Deng?”

Chang Jin snorted heavily and said, “This man brought this upon himself. I heard he’s locked up in the dungeon of Chang’an County, but now he’s gone mad. No one believes what he says anymore.”
Li Qing’an remained silent for a moment before saying, “Perhaps this is the best fate for him. Let him stay there!”
With that, Li Qing’an stood up and said, “Well, that’s all I have to say. You can report anything to me at any time.”
After giving Chang Jin a few more instructions, Li Qing’an left the Juhai Xing Cabinet Shop and headed toward Wuben Shop.
Going to Wuben Shop meant going to the Dugu Mansion. By now, it was dusk, and the streets inside were bustling. There were vegetable vendors, peddlers selling various goods, and those selling steaming buns. The clamor was constant. After passing a street corner, the Dugu Mansion was just a hundred steps ahead.
Li Qing’an pulled back on the reins; his head started to ache. The scene from before seemed to reappear before his eyes. In the distance, he saw a large group of young women standing by the walls of the Dugu Mansion. Each of them was dressed gorgeously, gathered together, arguing loudly. Suddenly, a head emerged from among the group, looking this way. Wasn’t that Mingzhu?
“Look! My brother-in-law is here!”
Mingzhu cried excitedly. The group of women quickly turned their heads. “Ah! What beautiful women!” one of the bodyguards exclaimed.
Each of them was dressed with great care—wearing colorful long skirts tied at the chest, making them look slender and graceful. They wore short shirts adorned with intricate patterns, covered with gauze as thin as cicada wings. Li Qing’an inwardly marveled at the sight of these beautiful young ladies, like a picturesque scroll unfolding before his eyes, pleasing to the eye.
At that moment, Li Qing’an rode his horse up to them. He suddenly recognized them— weren’t these the same girls who had worn strange and fancy costumes back then? He had even given each of them an arrow back then. They had all grown up.
“Hehe! I still remember you all,” Li Qing’an said with a smile. “You’ve all become even more beautiful.”
“Brother-in-law, do you still remember me?”
Mingzhu jumped down and winked at him playfully, smiling shyly. “You can’t speak, huh? Ah! Whose daughter is this? She seems familiar…”
“You little brat!” Li Qing’an laughed as he dismounted and handed the reins to the bodyguard.
……