Chapter 442: The King of Shu Forces Marriage

On the tenth day of the sixth month in the second year of the Dali era, the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shi, ascended the throne in a simple yet solemn ceremony. Since he was under thirteen years old and unable to govern the country, his grandfather, the former crown prince Li Heng, served as regent. Li Qingan, the governor of Anxi, was appointed as the Right Chancellor and honored as the father figure to the emperor. Together with the Right Chancellor Li Qingan, the Left Chancellor Wang Gong, the Minister of Personnel Pei Min, the Minister of Revenue Zhang Yun, the Minister of Justice Li Yan, the Minister of Rites Yang Guozhong, and the Minister of War Chen Xilie, these seven officials formed the Zhengshi Tang in the Zichen Pavilion. All major military and state affairs were discussed and decided by these seven, with the regent signing the decrees.

At the end of the ceremony, the late emperor Li Yu was granted the posthumous title of Jingzong, and his burial would take place five days later. Empress Shen was titled Empress Dowager Wenhui. Starting from the day of his ascension, Li Shi adopted a new era name: Zhenzhi.

The coronation ceremony lasted two full hours. By the time it ended, it was already daylight, and the court officials gradually dispersed to begin their daily duties.

The Zhongshu Province was located to the right of the Xuanzheng Hall and was a vast building. Most of the ancient buildings we see today date from the Ming and Qing dynasties, featuring intricate carvings and elaborate designs. However, Tang Dynasty buildings were different—they were typically supported by large brackets and pillars, giving them a grand and imposing appearance.

After the ceremony, Li Qingan went to the Zhongshu Province. Although Wei Qingping advised him not to become Right Chancellor and instead manipulate politics behind the scenes, Li Qingan agreed. But everything requires a process; before the power structure stabilized, it was not appropriate for him to resign from the position of Right Chancellor.

Ascending the tall white marble steps, Li Qingan entered the Zhongshu Province. Like the Suiye Zhengshi Tang, it was centered around a central axis, with various important departments on either side—such as the offices of the Deputy Chancellors, the Secretaries, and the documents room. At the very back was the Chancellors’ office. Through a small side door lay the Zhengshi Tang, the highest decision-making body of the Tang Dynasty. Also known as “Zhongshu Menxia,” it was not merely a meeting place. Similar to a board of directors in later times, it had secretaries and was accompanied by five departments: the Personnel Department, the Affairs Department, the Military Department, the Revenue Department, and the Justice and Rites Department, all responsible for drafting proposals on military and state affairs.

During Li Linfu’s reign, Li Qingan had visited the Zhengshi Tang many times to handle affairs and was very familiar with it. But today, he came there as the master of the place.

The main hall of the Zhongshu Province was very quiet. It was the first day of the new emperor’s reign, and the entire province was bustling with activity.

“Chancellor Li, please follow me.”

Fang Gan, the Deputy Head of the Secretariat, led Li Qingan forward with great respect, explaining the situation of the Secretariat to him. “There are six officials in the Secretariat, one for each of the six ministries. They can submit their preliminary opinions on major military and state affairs discussed within the ministry as well as on the memorials submitted, sign their names, and these are called ‘Wuhua Judges.’ These are then handed to the Head of the Secretariat for consideration. After the emperor issues his final approval, they are returned to the Secretariat officials, who draft imperial edicts based on the emperor’s wishes. The official responsible for drafting these edicts is called ‘Zhi Zhi Gao.’” Seeing that Li Qingan was listening attentively, Fang Gan smiled and asked, “Would you like me to call everyone here to meet the Prime Minister?” Li Qingan waved his hand and said with a smile, “Everyone is very busy; there’s no need for a meeting now. We have plenty of time in the future.” With that, the two entered the Head of the Secretariat’s office complex. This wasn’t a single room but rather a collection of dozens of rooms—there were five or six meeting rooms alone, along with a library, sleeping quarters, and offices for the chief clerks and other officials. Inside the complex, there were five chief clerks and five other officials. The chief clerks were responsible for organizing documents and archives, while the others handled communications. Small doors surrounded the main hall, leading to various parts of the Secretariat. For example, a small red door on the right led to the council hall, where the Prime Minister would go directly to hold meetings. Another small door in the lower left led to the office hall of the Secretariat officials, where the Prime Minister could seek advice if he had any questions. Li Qingan entered his own office, a spacious and bright room with snow-white walls adorned with several paintings by famous artists. In the center by the window stood a low, wide desk with a cushion behind it. The desk and the bookshelves around it were filled with various memorials—well over two or three hundred of them. During the Tang Dynasty, the power of the Prime Minister was extremely great, as many major military and state affairs were decided by the Right Prime Minister. As a result, the Right Prime Minister had an extremely busy schedule. After Yang Guozhong was removed from his position as Right Prime Minister, many matters were temporarily handled by Deputy Head Fang Gan, but some important issues still needed to be dealt with by the new Prime Minister. Over time, the number of such matters accumulated significantly. Seeing Li Qingan staring blankly at the memorials, Fang Gan said with a wry smile, “Although the Right Prime Minister holds a high position and great power, the job is truly exhausting. In the past, Li Linfu would start handling government affairs at dawn and not return home until dusk. Although Yang Guozhong was less capable, he still didn’t dare to slack off, staying busy day and night. It’s not that they don’t want to rest; it’s simply that the government affairs are too overwhelming—every detail must be reviewed by the Prime Minister.”

Fang Guan’s tone finally couldn’t help but show a hint of disdain. He knew that Li Qing’an had seized the position of prime minister through military strength. Li Qing’an was nothing but a warrior—could he really handle government affairs? Perhaps he could fight, but could someone who could fight become a prime minister?

Li Qing’an slowly sat down, flipped through some memorials at random, and said, “The first meeting of the Council of State will be held in a while. Go and get ready!”

“Yes! I’ll go prepare right away.”

After sending Fang Guan away, Li Qing’an looked at the mountains of memorials piled up and felt a throbbing pain in his head. He had always left the governance of Anxi to Wang Changling, making decisions only on major matters and ignoring trivial details. Now he truly understood Wei Qingping’s advice—that serving as right prime minister would consume too much of his time and energy, leaving him no time to deal with Anxi’s military and political affairs, and eventually he would lose control over it.

Li Qing’an roughly calculated: if he reviewed a hundred memorials per day, with each memo averaging a hundred words, that meant he would have to write ten thousand words daily, not to mention time for reading and reflection. No wonder Li Linfu was busy from dawn till dusk.

With a sigh of helplessness, Li Qing’an realized he couldn’t do anything else for the next few days. At that moment, Dou Hua, a clerk in the Secretariat, came to the door and said, “Prime Minister Li, the other six prime ministers have arrived. Please go over.”

“I know.”

Li Qing’an picked up three memorials from the table—these were the three major issues to be discussed at the Council of State that day. The first was the timing and arrangements for the funeral of the late emperor Li Yu. The second was the severe drought in Henan Province, which required relief from the court. The third was a memorial from Ge Shu Han, asking the court to provide funds, grain, and military supplies to Longyou and allow it to expand its forces to strengthen defense against the Tibetans.

The first two issues were easy to resolve. The key was the third. If he agreed, would Li Hen’s faction consent?

……

In Hanzhong, light rain began to fall—this was the third time in five days. The roads became extremely muddy. Distant horsebeats could be heard on an official road outside Nanzheng County. Soon, a group of cavalry rushed toward them. There were about three hundred of them, all quite distinctive—small in stature, wearing small-scale armor. Although the people of Shu were not as tall as those in the north or the Western Regions, they weren’t this petite either. But upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were a group of female soldiers.

Female soldiers were not something unusual in the outwardly open Tang Dynasty. As early as the early Tang period, there were female soldiers under Princess Pingyang’s army. But after Li Qing’an first established female guards in Anxi, Gao Xianzhi, who also came from Anxi, set up his own group of female guards. This group consisted of about a thousand women, led by Gao Wu, Gao Xianzhi’s daughter. Gao Wu also had a thousand male soldiers under her command to transport military supplies and equipment. Gao Wu herself was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General for her achievements in battles against Nanzhao and Tubo.

These three hundred female soldiers were the ones led by Gao Wu. They had come from Chengdu to join the main force of the Jiannan army. The leading general was Gao Wu herself. She had originally gone to Guanzhong with her father, but since the King of Shu also arrived there, Gao Xianzhi ordered his daughter to return to Chengdu to avoid him. However, not long ago, she received a military order from her father stating that the Jiannan army was about to fight against the Guanzhong army, and she was tasked with leading a battalion of female guards to provide support. Not daring to neglect this order, Gao Wu immediately led three hundred female guards there.

They were less than twenty li away from Nanzheng County. Ahead lay a dense forest, with the official road passing through it, making the path narrow. At Gao Wu’s command, the female soldiers slowed down their horses.

As the group entered the forest, the tree canopy above blocked the light from the light rain, soaking the soldiers. They took off their helmets and pulled out dry handkerchiefs from their saddle bags to wipe the water from their faces and hair. Gao Wu also took a handkerchief to wipe her face, but she kept looking around warily. The forest was dim and eerie. With her years of military experience, she sensed that there seemed to be a murderous aura hidden in the woods.

“Sisters, hurry! Leave this place!”

As soon as Gao Wu finished speaking, a gong sounded, and a large number of soldiers appeared around the forest. They surrounded them from all sides—thousands of them.

The female soldiers were terrified. They tried to turn their horses around, but there was no way to escape; they were completely surrounded. Gao Wu was shocked. It was less than twenty li from Nanzheng, the heart of Hanzhong. With hundreds of thousands of Jiannan soldiers here, how could there be enemy troops lurking in this area?

Gao Wu drew her sword and shouted, “Who are you people?”

The hidden soldiers did not answer. They drew closer, gradually forming a large circle that encircled the three hundred female guards. They carried spears and crossbows, looking fierce, while the female guards only had knives, bows, and arrows—light weapons. Facing thousands of soldiers filled with murderous intent, they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

At that moment, a gap appeared in the surrounding circle of soldiers, and several cavalrymen entered from outside. Leading them was a young man in a brocade robe, holding a precious sword. With a smile, he nodded slightly at Gao Wu and said, “Lady Wu, I’ve been waiting for you for almost an hour.”
“It’s you!”
Gao Wu recognized the young man before her—it was King Li Li of Shu. He smiled triumphantly, as if he were a fish that had been caught in a net. Gao Wu’s expression darkened as she asked, “Your Highness, what are you doing here? Where is my father?”
Li Li replied with a smile, “Of course, I’m here to welcome Lady Wu. As for your father, Gao Dashuai, I’m sorry, but he’s not in Nanzheng. He’s in Fengzhou; we have our troops stationed there separately.”
Gao Wu was stunned. If her father wasn’t in Nanzheng, how could he have ordered her to come? After a moment of realization, she flew into a rage. Pointing her sword at him, she said, “It was you who pretended to be my father and ordered me to come, wasn’t it?”
Li Li wasn’t angry at all. He nodded with a smile, admitting Gao Wu’s accusation.
Gao Wu suppressed her anger and demanded, “Why would you do this? Pretending to be the commander and issuing orders is a serious violation of military law. Even if you’re a prince, such behavior is unacceptable in the army.”
“Hmph!”
Li Li snorted disdainfully, his smile fading slightly. He said to Gao Wu, “Lady Wu, actually, you understand better than anyone why I did this. I want to marry you as my concubine, but your father keeps delaying, saying you’re in Chengdu and we can talk when you return. I see no sincerity in him, so I invited you to Nanzheng. Now your father has nothing to say.”
“You’re shameless and despicable!” Gao Wu spat through gritted teeth.
Li Li’s expression turned cold as he said, “Lady Wu, let me make one thing clear first. Don’t think I like you. To be honest, I have no interest in you, an unmarried old girl. But there’s no choice—your father is Gao Xianzhi, so I have to endure this. Being my concubine should be an honor for you.”
“Dream on!”
Gao Wu sneered. “I’d rather die than be your concubine. Do you think surrounding me with troops will make you succeed?”
Li Li gave a signal to the people beside him. With a whooshing sound, dozens of crossbow arrows were shot out. Dozens of female soldiers nearby screamed as they were hit by arrows and fell from their horses, seemingly doomed.
“Li Li, you…”

Gao Wu was filled with extreme anger. These female soldiers were all recruited by her herself; they had spent days and nights together, and she knew the names of almost every one of them. She felt a deep bond with them. Yet instead of dying at the hands of the enemy, they died at the hands of the King of Shu whom they served. In her fury, Gao Wu bit her lips until they bled.

Li Li didn’t even blink at the deaths of the female soldiers. He said indifferently, “It’s indeed a pity these soldiers died. They should be sent to the camp to reward the soldiers. Mother Wu, I’ll give you one last chance. If you become my concubine, I’ll let them go. Otherwise, I’ll order my soldiers to capture these people and bring them back to the camp.”

Gao Wu tightly grasped the hilt of her sword, forcing herself to stay calm. She said to Li Li, “Let them go first, and then I’ll agree to your request.”

Li Li blinked at her, then suddenly burst into laughter. After a while, he pointed at Gao Wu and said with a smile, “Mother Wu! Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? If I let them go, you won’t agree to me anyway. What should I do?”

Suddenly, he stopped laughing and said coldly, “I’ll count to three. If you don’t agree, I’ll immediately order my soldiers to capture them and take them back to the camp. I mean what I say. One!”

Left with no way out, Gao Wu swung her sword horizontally and placed it against her own neck. She shouted, “I’ll also count to three. If you don’t let them go, I’ll commit suicide right in front of you. You can go explain this to my father! One!”

“Two!” Li Li remained unmoved.

Gao Wu gritted her teeth and shouted, “Two!”

She exerted force, and blood droplets appeared on her neck, staining the sharp sword red.

Li Li never uttered the word “three.” He was at a loss. In fact, Li Li’s insistence that Gao Wu become his concubine was also due to the circumstances. As soon as his father, Emperor Li Longji, arrived in Nanzheng, he summoned the senior generals for a speech. It was then that Li Li realized a serious problem: who was the true ruler of Shu—him or his father? Although his father had promised to make him the crown prince, once his military power was taken away, he would no longer qualify as crown prince. His father would surely promise the position to Li Mao, who commanded the troops in Jingzhou, or Li Lin, who commanded those in Yangzhou. Then he would be worthless.

One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. To prevent his father from taking away his military power, he had to make Gao Xianzhi pledge loyalty to him. The best way to do that was to marry his beloved daughter and turn her father into his father-in-law. Thus, the matter of marrying Gao Wu became more urgent than ever. He even resorted to deceiving her into coming to Nanzheng under Gao Xianzhi’s name.

But he didn’t dare really force Gao Wu to death—otherwise Gao Xianzhi would immediately rebel. Gao Xianzhi still had 70,000 troops at his disposal, while he only had 30,000. He couldn’t afford to take such a risk.
Li Li also knew Gao Wu was a fierce woman who might truly commit suicide if pushed to the limit. Unable to insist any further, he spoke softly again, “Lady Wu, how about this? I’ll make one more concession—I promise to make you the legitimate wife of the King of Shu. What do you think?”
Gao Wu realized that her threat of death had worked. Suicide was a last resort that wouldn’t save her sisters either. As long as Li Li didn’t force her, she could find a way to deal with him.
She pretended to be somewhat tempted and pondered for a moment before saying, “What about Concubine Wei?”
Only then did Li Li realize that what Gao Wu wanted was the title of legitimate wife. It made sense—she had originally wanted to marry Li Qing’an, but Li Qing’an married Du Gu Mingyue, thwarting her wishes. As the legitimate daughter of the Jiannan Military Governor, she certainly wouldn’t want to be someone else’s concubine. That’s why she refused his proposal. If she had agreed, she would have married Li Qing’an as his concubine long ago—would he even be a contender then?
Realizing this, Concubine Wei suddenly became unimportant. What mattered now was Gao Xianzhi. As long as Gao Wu agreed to marry him, he could easily dismiss Concubine Wei. He immediately said, “Concubine Wei has been married to me for years without giving birth. I can easily divorce her.”
Gao Wu sighed softly and said, “How about this? Go and bring my father here. I want you to promise him in person before we discuss marriage. I can’t trust your promises.”
Li Li was overjoyed. He immediately bowed and said, “Very well! Please come with me to Nan Zheng for the time being. I’ll send someone to summon the commander right away.”
Gao Wu nodded. Looking at her sisters who had been killed by arrows, she felt deeply saddened. She then said to the other female soldiers, “Take them all with us. We’ll bury them in Nan Zheng.”
At that moment, Li Li gave the soldiers a signal, and the soldiers surrounding them cleared a path. Gao Wu whipped her warhorse fiercely and led her female guards toward Nan Zheng at full speed.