Chapter 389: Return to Anxi

Liu Yan’s words were like a key that unlocked Li Qing’an’s doubts. Though he knew Liu Yan hadn’t covered everything—such as the fact that his status as the Prince of Zhao posed a far greater threat than An Lushan’s—and that by confining him in Anxi, Li Yu could focus on the east to deal with An Lushan and the other three princes—money was still a crucial factor, at least a catalyst. It revealed Li Yu’s weakness and impatience; he was eager to amass wealth and recruit troops but dared not offend the powerful, fearing more people would become disappointed in him.
Liu Yan was the first, but by no means the last.
After resting in A Huan City for two days, Li Qing’an continued northward. Half a month later, his group finally returned to Suiye.
“It’s only now that I realize the Emperor’s decision to break ties with the Great General was his biggest mistake. He could have easily gained the General’s support—so much silver!”
Liu Yan couldn’t help but sigh again. He had said this three times already. Ever since he saw the massive mines and piles of silver ingots at the Bosi Mountain silver mines, this financial expert seemed inspired, sighing constantly and expressing deep emotion, much to the amusement of Li Qing’an’s bodyguards.
“Actually, what Sir has seen is just a fraction of Anxi’s wealth,” Li Qing’an said, slowing down his horse to walk beside him. “Our trade with Byzantium brings great profits, along with land—vast, fertile lands. That’s Anxi’s greatest wealth. And honest, efficient officials and brave, loyal soldiers are even greater assets.”
“But I’m only interested in silver and gold,” Liu Yan replied, blinking his small eyes. “There’s nothing I can do—it’s my natural interest!”
Finding his honesty endearing, Li Qing’an burst into laughter. “Good! Let’s talk about gold and silver. The Bosi Mountain silver mines Sir saw are just a small part of Anxi’s silver mines. The Qianquan Mountains hold even more silver than Bosi Mountain. There are also silver mines in the Kunlun Mountains—of high quality, easy to mine, and with the largest reserves in the world. We’ve already discovered them, but lack the manpower to exploit them. There’s also gold in the sands of the Suiye River. It might make you think it’s so easy to acquire wealth. We’re preparing to organize people to mine for gold. If Sir is interested, he might as well join the first gold-mining fleet.”
Liu Yan’s eyes shone as he murmured, “I must go. I definitely must.”
Suddenly realizing something, he added hurriedly, “But what if the Central Plains cut off trade with Anxi? What if all this gold and silver can’t be exchanged for goods?”

Li Qing’an smiled slightly. “Sir, you’re overthinking it. Without goods from the Central Plains, we can produce them ourselves. In fact, we anticipated this day long ago. That’s why Anxi has many workshops producing silk, plain cloth, porcelain, pig iron, copperware, weapons, paper, pens, and all sorts of other supplies, including essential tea. We can set sail from Surat Thana in Punjab and use sea ships to buy tea along the coasts of the Tang Dynasty. We’ve taken all this into account; I’m not worried at all.”

Liu Yan couldn’t help but feel inspired and laughed, “It seems there’s a lot for me to do in Anxi.”

“The first thing you need to do now is to speed up the horses. Otherwise, we’ll have to head home in the middle of the night.”

Li Qing’an whipped his warhorse hard, and the group accelerated, rushing toward Suie City, which was dozens of miles away.

Despite speeding up, Li Qing’an still arrived at Suie City at the second watch of the night. His troops went straight to the barracks outside the city to rest. Liu Yan, exhausted, found a tent in the barracks and went to sleep. But Li Qing’an, worried about his family, took over a hundred of his personal guards and entered the city overnight.

The main road in Suie City was also called Zhuque Avenue, lined with lush apple trees. In autumn, the avenue was filled with ripe, red apples, and the whole city was filled with their enticing sweet scent.

But it was already October, and the chill of early winter enveloped Suie City. Although it hadn’t snowed yet, the thick white vapor coming from people’s mouths proved that autumn had passed.

The night sky was clear, studded with stars. Li Qing’an tried to keep the horse’s hooves as quiet as possible, moving slowly for fear that the loud sound would disturb the peaceful night.

Soon, he arrived behind the government hall—his home. But what he saw left him stunned. His home had become an empty house. The Suie government had hung a large white sign on the door, reading: “Empty House. No Entry.”

Li Qing’an stared at the door in shock. Had they moved? How could he not have known? At that moment, the sound of a bell rang in the distance—“Bang! Bang! Bang!” It was already the third watch.

“Go and bring the night watchman,” Li Qing’an ordered softly. Two of his guards immediately rushed over and brought back the old man within moments. He was in his sixties, someone Li Qing’an recognized as the one who used to keep watch near his residence.

“Old man, do you still recognize me?”

The old night watchman wasn’t very sharp-minded. He stared at Li Qing’an for a while before suddenly realizing who he was. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed. “General, this humble servant didn’t know. Please forgive me!”

Li Qing’an gave his guards a signal to help the old man up.

“Sir, I’m going home, but my house is no longer there. I was wondering if you know where it moved to?”
The old bellower finally understood. He scratched his head and laughed, “So the general can’t find his house. They moved out a few months ago. It’s Lady Luo’s residence—the largest house in Suiye, with a very tall white pagoda.”
“I see. Thank you, sir!”
Li Qing’an took out a silver ingot from his saddle bag and handed it to him. Turning to his guards, he said with a smile, “That house is big enough for everyone to live in. Let’s go!”
He mounted his horse and led his guards toward the street corner. The old bellower stood there, holding the twenty-tael silver ingot, as if in a daze.
After passing two streets, Li Qing’an finally arrived at his new home. There was no mistake—the plaque above the gate read the three bold characters “Zhao Wangfu.” In Li Qing’an’s memory, there had once been another plaque reading “Li Fu”; now it had returned to its rightful owner and became his own mansion.
It was very quiet in front of the mansion, with two heavy lanterns hanging there, emitting a faint light. At that moment, a guard ran up the steps and knocked on the doorbell. After a while, the peephole in the side door opened, and a drowsy doorman poked his head out and took a look at them, then froze in surprise.
“What’s the matter? Open the door quickly! The general has returned.”
“Ah!” The doorman was shocked and hurriedly opened the gate.
“Get up quickly! The master has returned!”
He shouted and was about to run inside to announce their arrival when the guard swiftly grabbed him. Li Qing’an stepped forward and said, “It’s late at night. Don’t disturb everyone. Just call the steward.”
“Yes! Yes!” The doorman rushed inside to report.
One after another, they led their horses through the gate. By then, Steward Zhang had already heard the news and came forward to bow. “I’m sorry I wasn’t prepared for your return, sir. Please forgive me!”
Li Qing’an nodded and smiled. “I’m not blaming you. Go and arrange things for the soldiers first. I’ll go to the inner residence. By the way, are my family members well?”
“Yes! Everyone is well. Lady Luo is also in good health. Please, sir, go inside and rest.”
Steward Zhang quickly asked two maids to lead Li Qing’an into the mansion, while he went to arrange food and lodging for the soldiers. The two maids, carrying lanterns, led Li Qing’an along a winding corridor toward the inner part of the mansion. As they walked, Li Qing’an took in the vastness of the mansion.

His mansion was the largest residence in Shuiye City, covering over thirty acres. With layers of buildings and hundreds of rooms, it also had a vast back garden filled with lush flowers and trees, along with various pavilions and towers. Among them stood a white stone pagoda over ten zhang tall, famous throughout Shuiye. The locals called it the White Pagoda. Before the bell tower in the government hall was built, it had been the tallest structure in Shuiye. It was constructed by the first generation of descendants of the crown prince. Standing on top of the pagoda and looking east, one seemed to be able to see their distant hometown, which was why it was also called the Homesickness Pagoda.

After passing through a courtyard, there was a small river in front with a wooden bridge. Beyond the bridge lay the inner residences. Suddenly, several lanterns appeared ahead, winding their way toward them.

As the lanterns crossed the bridge, Li Qing’an saw them at once. It was his wife, Dugu Mingyue. “Is it my husband?” Mingyue also saw him.

Li Qing’an’s heart warmed, and he strode forward eagerly. “It’s me, Mingyue!”

Mingyue had just heard the news that her husband had returned. Overjoyed, she didn’t even have time to tidy her hair; she simply gathered it slightly and put on a robe before coming out to greet him. Hearing her husband’s voice, she became extremely excited and rushed to cross the bridge, but her heavy body nearly caused her to fall. The maids beside her quickly helped her up.

It was then that Li Qing’an noticed his wife’s protruding belly and was stunned. He had been away fighting for half a year, far from home, with extremely poor communication, and had received no news from home. He had been worried about her, thinking she was about to give birth, yet he didn’t know that Mingyue was also pregnant.

Mingyue had expected her husband to rush over and embrace her, filled with anticipation. Instead, he stared at her belly in confusion, so she teased him, “What are you staring at? Hurry up and support me.”

Li Qing’an finally snapped out of it and hurriedly helped his wife up. “What… is going on?”

Hearing his foolish question, Mingyue felt annoyed but, due to the maids around, she secretly pinched his arm hard. “What do you think?”

Li Qing’an was overjoyed—he would have another child. At that moment, a river breeze blew, causing Mingyue to shiver. Li Qing’an quickly untied his cloak and wrapped it around her, then helped her walk toward the inner residences. “It’s cold outside. Hurry inside!”

Mingyue had severe reactions at the beginning of her pregnancy and suffered a lot. Now, hearing her husband’s concern for her, she felt both aggrieved and touched. She cuddled his arm playfully, resting her head on his shoulder, and said softly, “I wanted to write you a letter, but I was afraid it would distract you, so I decided to give you a surprise. Are you happy?”
“Of course I’m happy—more than winning a hundred battles.”
Li Qing’an wrapped his arms around his wife and smiled, “This time, I must see my child born no matter what. I want all the soldiers and civilians in Anxi to share my joy.”
“Husband, Rushi is also doing well. The midwife said she’ll give birth in a few days.”
“I think it’s also around these days. I’ll stay at home these days and not go anywhere.”
“Mm, the midwife said I can’t see her at this time. Please be extra attentive!”
As they talked, they entered the courtyard where Mingyue lived. The lights in the room were already on. An old woman came forward and said, “Madam, the hot water is ready, and the food will be delivered soon.”
Mingyue nodded. “Thank you for your hard work. Go and rest!”
She then smiled at Li Qing’an, “I guess you’re hungry too. There’s ready-made food in the kitchen. I’ll ask them to warm it up.”
Li Qing’an smiled, “Actually, there’s no need for such trouble. A hot foot bath and a few cakes will suffice. I just need a place to sleep.”
Mingyue took her husband’s hand and led him into the room. There was a charcoal brazier in the room, making it extremely warm. Mingyue brushed away a few pine needles from his shoulder and removed his outer robe. Seeing how dark and thin he had become from his military campaigns, she felt sorry for him. “You! It’s not like you’re fighting outside now. Look how thin you’ve become. I need to take good care of you during this time.”
At that moment, two maids entered carrying food boxes, setting down over a dozen dishes on the table and warming a pot of wine. Mingyue said to the maids, “Go and sleep quickly! I’ll take care of this. We can clean the dishes tomorrow.”
“Yes!” The two maids left.
Li Qing’an sat down and asked, “Aren’t you eating with me?”
Mingyue shook her head and smiled shyly, “Go ahead and eat! The food is getting cold.”
Li Qing’an was indeed hungry. He picked up his bowl and started eating voraciously. Mingyue sat beside him, resting her chin in her hand, watching him with joy. She picked up the wine pot and poured him a cup of wine. Then, suddenly remembering something, she said, “Husband, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?” Li Qing’an asked vaguely, still chewing his food.

“Last time with the matter in Hexi, I also signed the order to withdraw the troops. You’re not blaming me, are you?”
Mingyue had been very worried about this. She was waiting for her husband to return so she could explain everything to him. Li Qing’an already knew about her signing the order. He smiled and said, “You handled that matter very well. No problems.”
“Then I’m relieved. I was worried that others might accuse me of interfering in politics.”
“You’re overthinking it. Everyone is praising you! Saying how virtuous the princess is and how she helps the lonely and needy.”
Mingyue smiled and handed him her wine cup. “You’re making things up! You were still in the south when I was made a princess, and now you’re back in the middle of the night. Who told you that?”
“Anyway, it must be good.”
Li Qing’an drank the wine in one gulp. He patted his stomach and laughed, “Full and satisfied!”
Suddenly, Li Qing’an thought of something. His gaze fell on Mingyue’s rounded belly, and he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Let’s go to the room. Let me hear our child.”
Seeing that the door was closed, Mingyue nodded and took his hand to go into the inner room. The two embraced and lay down on the bed. Li Qing’an untied his wife’s skirt and gently lifted her robe, revealing her snow-white, round belly. He leaned in and pressed his ear against it, listening carefully. Mingyue gently stroked her husband’s hair and whispered, “Husband, can you hear? The little one is quite mischievous!”
“Husband!”
Mingyue felt that her husband seemed motionless, so she pushed him lightly. “Husband, are you listening?”
All she heard was his faint snoring. It turned out he had already fallen asleep. Mingyue quickly sat up with some effort, removed his shoes and socks, lifted his legs onto the bed, and covered him with a blanket. Looking at her husband’s tired face, Mingyue sighed happily, lowered her head, and gently kissed his face, murmuring, “You silly man. You’re finally home.”