Chapter 40: Silence (II)

It turned out that Gao Dezhong had already come to Chongye Fang to look for Li Kuo as early as the pre-dusk hour. Zhang Yanji sent a man disguised as a young monk, and after much persuasion, they managed to convince the high-ranking official that the young monk had gone out with Master Xuan Gan to give lectures and debate, and would return soon.

After changing his attire, Li Kuo rushed to Chongye Fang immediately. Just as he turned the corner of the street, he happened to encounter Gao Dezhong pacing anxiously outside Futang Temple. The young man’s heart sank—he realized that Gao Dezhong coming to find him so suddenly must mean something serious had happened. After approaching him and probing a bit, as expected, the high-ranking official revealed a shocking secret…

The young man pretended to calculate using his fingers and came up with a series of prophecies before sending the official away. Having calmed his troubled mood, Li Kuo headed straight to his private residence in Qinren Fang, where he gathered his trusted friends to discuss their next steps.

According to the high-ranking official, those strangers were undoubtedly Tibetans. Recently, their leader had frequently met with his master’s father in the study, each meeting lasting at least half an hour. A few days ago, by chance, he went to report on the household’s procurement accounts and overheard their conversation at the door. It turned out that these Tibetans were the same Buddhist monks who had caused chaos in Chang’an earlier. The reason they could act so freely and disappear successfully from Chang’an after their plans were exposed was because they had an informant in the Tang Dynasty’s Chang’an.

That informant was Gao Xiuyan.

To be cautious, Gao Xiuyan did not let them stay in the mansion but provided them with a house in Chongye Fang, where they lived most of the time.

After hearing Li Kuo’s account, Zhang Yanji shook his head. “Brother Kuo, what Gao Dezhong said is too absurd. It’s understandable that those strangers are Tibetans, but claiming they’re those demon monks spreading the Lo Shu scriptures is utterly unbelievable.”

“General, yes. After all, Gao Xiuyan has already reached such high positions as General of the Jinwu Guard and Deputy Governor of Longyou. There’s no need for him to take unnecessary risks by cooperating with the Tibetans.”

Dou Qing also thought Gao Dezhong’s words were full of doubts and untrustworthy.

Li Kuo sighed slightly. “How could I not know? The Gao family enjoys the emperor’s favor—two generals in one family, at the height of glory. They really have no need to collude with the Tibetans. But who can say for sure what goes on in this world? Back in Jiuku, who could have imagined that Gao Xiuyan would turn against us and try to get rid of me?”

“In my opinion, what that high-ranking official said isn’t entirely impossible to believe.”

Zhou Wucui stretched and yawned as he analyzed, “Although he is the manager of the Gao family’s residence, he must already be fully convinced of Qi Lang’s identity as a Taoist priest. Qi Lang’s analysis was accurate; Gao Dezhong, fearing disasters, will naturally obey Guo Erge’s orders. But just because the messenger didn’t lie doesn’t mean the one who spread the news didn’t either.”

Li Sheng frowned and asked, “Brother Wucui, are you saying that Gao Xiuyan deliberately spread this news to lure us into a trap?”

Zhou Wucui put a piece of cheese in his mouth and patted the crumbs on his palm. “Hmm, I’m not sure. But given Gao Xiuyan’s cunning, he probably wouldn’t be so careless. It could very well be a trap set to catch prey step by step.”

Pu Dachui slammed the table and said, “Who cares if it’s a trap or not? We’ll just catch him in the act. Gao Xiuyan has soldiers at his disposal—does General Li only have weaklings? If it comes to a fight, I’ll grab a weapon and chop that bastard into pieces!”

Wang Xiaochun added, “Exactly. There’s nothing to fear. Our three battalions together number over a thousand men. With General Li’s order, we can rush to Gao’s residence and skin that traitor right away.”

As everyone’s words grew more extreme, Li Kuo quickly raised his hand to calm them. “I know everyone is angry. So many of our brothers died unjustly at Jiuqu—don’t you think I feel pain too? But without evidence, given Gao Xiuyan’s connections in the court, this matter will likely be dropped, and we might even get implicated. There’s something suspicious here. I think we should plan carefully.”

“General Li, actually, we might as well investigate first.”

Li Sheng thought for a moment before smiling. “There are only two possibilities. If it’s as the manager said, that would be ideal—we can find evidence and report it to the court to charge Gao Xiuyan with treason. Even if Gao Xiuyan has set a trap in his house, we don’t need to worry too much. How many ambushes can one house have? If we plan well, we’re not afraid of them!”

Wang Xiaochun agreed, “Brother Li Sheng is right. Even if Gao Xiuyan wants to swallow us whole, we’ll see if he has the strength to do it!”

“Brother Kuo, in my opinion, let’s do it!”

Zhang Yanji felt his blood boil. “How can so many of us be afraid of him? Besides, even if something goes wrong, the worst we’d face is charges of trespassing and breaking curfews.”

“General, we’re all waiting for your order!”

“General, let’s go!”

Li Kuo took a deep breath. “All officers, follow my orders! Gather one hundred elite soldiers and, after nightfall, follow me to Gao Xiuyan’s private residence to find out what’s going on!”
The moonlight was hazy, like a veil of illusion.
Under the pitch-black sky, one hundred skilled copper-armored soldiers, armed with swords, moved swiftly down the streets of Chongye Fang under the leadership of their general. They had infiltrated the area before nightfall and scattered into various taverns to drink tea and chat, with few noticing anything unusual.
Once the gates were closed at night, they all emerged and gathered in front of Futang Temple, then followed their general to Gao Xiuyan’s private residence to investigate further.
According to the high-ranking official, the residence was located in the northeast corner of Chongye Fang. Since its owner rarely visited, almost no one passed by there, making it very quiet. Moving quickly along the path, Li Kuo panted heavily. This was the second time he had violated the curfew by staying on the streets at night. However, the circumstances were very different—the first time was to investigate the Qingchen incident, while this time it was to obtain evidence of Gao Xiuyan’s collusion with Tubo. Last time there were only a few people, but this time there were over a hundred, so mistakes were not allowed.
After passing through two streets, turning three corners, and going past two grand mansions, the group finally stopped.
“Brother Kuo, this is it!”
Zhang Yanji nodded and pointed at a mansion. “During the day, Brother Xianyu already sent people to investigate. It’s true, as that high-ranking official said—no one lives here permanently! And he saw those Tubo people enter the mansion with his own eyes!”
“Yes, it’s really strange. Such a large mansion remains unused all year round,” Xianyu Yucheng said, shaking his head in dismay.
“Stop!”
Li Sheng placed his index finger on his lips, signaling silence.
He pointed eastward toward the mansion and lowered his voice. “What do you see over there?”
The group followed his gaze and saw a dozen men in black moving swiftly along the wall, stopping at the side door on the east side. Before they could clearly see their figures, the men leaped up like monkeys and entered the mansion lightly.
“Hah, I told you it must be a thief’s den. Now you believe it, right?” Zhang Yanji patted his chest and said in a low voice.
“Strange. If this is their mansion, why do they need to climb over the wall?” Li Kuo frowned and pondered for a moment.
“What’s strange about that? Since it’s a thief’s den, it can’t be judged by normal standards. Those Tubo brutes are used to stealing, so they naturally don’t want to enter through the main door. Besides, it’s curfew now, and it wouldn’t be good if the city guards saw them.”

Zhang Yanji curled his lips, not finding anything suspicious about the other party’s actions at all.
“General, how about this: you take a dozen brothers and charge in, while I lead the rest to guard outside. That way, if anything goes wrong, we can still cover each other!” Li Sheng said, analyzing the situation carefully as he bowed to Li Kuo.
“Follow your plan then. Take your men and surround this house—make sure no one escapes!” Li Kuo sighed but ultimately gave the order.
“Brothers, follow me!”
Dozens of elite soldiers from the Tongwu Camp, led by Li Kuo, reached the mansion’s front door just a few steps away.
“Go in!” Li Kuo shouted loudly before smashing open the door and leading his men inside.
“Hey, who are you? Get out, get out now!” An old steward was terrified to see a dozen men storming into the mansion and kept shouting at them.
“Tell us where those Tibetans are hiding!” Pu Dachui grabbed the old steward by the collar and demanded.
“What Tibetans? You madmen! Do you know whose mansion this is? Get out now! I’m repeating…” Pu Dachui had no patience for his nonsense and threw him to the ground with a twist of his wrist.
“Ow! Damn you, you brutes! My back…”
Seeing the candlelight flickering in the main room, Li Kuo said firmly, “Go inside and search!”
Since Xianyu Yu Cheng had already concluded that the Tibetans had entered the mansion during the day, it was almost certain they were there. They had just seen those men in black sneaking in, so by now, they must be nowhere to hide.
“Understood!” Pu Dachui strode forward with fierce determination toward the main room.
“Hey, you can’t go in! You can’t!” The old steward pleaded desperately on the ground, his voice already tinged with tears.
“Someone! Someone! Where are all the people?” No one paid him any attention. The dozen soldiers from the Tongwu Camp had red eyes—their enemies were right there in that room!
“Bang!” The wooden door was pushed open, and Li Kuo rushed in first.
When he took a closer look, the young man was instantly stunned. On the carved bed in the main room, two naked bodies were entwined, engaged in intimate activity.