Chapter 64: Picking Wild Vegetables (I)

Life is wonderful and prosperous precisely because it holds too many mysteries waiting for one to explore. These mysteries have existed since Pangu created the world, and whether one can uncover them or comprehend them depends on oneself.

For Li Kuo, although he failed to kill the treacherous minister Li Linfu, upon reflection, this outcome might be more acceptable to him. Just as an inexperienced and poor scholar can only come to understand some of the secrets widely recognized by the world by immersing himself in the political arena.

For a young man, these secrets in the world are the definition of pain. The young man had always thought that pain meant inflicting maximum suffering on others. But now it seems that for someone like Li Linfu, fear is the greatest pain.

After all, for a person burdened with grave sins, living in unknown fear is far more painful than dying. This family feud and national hatred cannot be resolved with mere swords, blows, or bloodshed. He wanted Li Linfu to live in pain forever, tormented by the accusations of ghosts and consumed by guilt, until he died of fear. This process might last just a few months or stretch on for years—he wanted the old thief to experience the excruciating pain of an ant, only then could his great revenge be fulfilled.

The young man didn’t know when his heart had become so hard—perhaps on that twilight when the Tibetans marched toward the Great Wall fortress, perhaps on that evening when Gao Xiuyan ordered a counterattack, or maybe on that midnight when Li Linfu set a trap at the crown prince’s residence to lure him in?

None of this mattered anymore. He only wanted to live well, knowing that only by doing so could he survive better.

Li Linfu’s sudden “illness” had an obvious impact on the political situation. Chen Xilié, the conciliatory elder statesman, naturally wouldn’t want to upset the newly appointed and powerful Left Chancellor Yang Zhao. In fact, aside from attending the daily court meetings, the old chancellor rarely interfered in government affairs. Since he wanted to be a hands-off leader, Yang Zhao was more than happy to take matters his own way.

Chancellor Yang was straightforward as well. As soon as he took office, he pointed out some of the misgovernances during the old chancellor’s tenure. Yet he also fully acknowledged the old man’s achievements and expressed his respect as a junior to him. However, in the following days, the memorials submitted by several lower-ranking censors somewhat spoiled the mood. In short, these petitions directly addressed to the emperor could be summarized into two matters.

One reason was that Li Linfu colluded with the Arabs and sold iron weapons to the barbarians. Another was that Gao Xiuyan, the newly appointed deputy military governor of Longyou, was suspected of colluding with Tubo during the Battle of Hehuang and betraying his comrades. It is worth noting that these memorials were submitted at a very strategic time—exactly within three days of Prime Minister Yang taking office.

Upon reading the memorials, the Emperor was furious and ordered the Dali Temple to investigate thoroughly. After several days of investigation, the head of the Dali Temple presented an interesting report. Indeed, the Huiyuan Warehouse under Prime Minister Li had been stockpiling iron weapons, but Prime Minister Li was unaware of this; it was all done by his subordinates without his permission. As for General Gao’s alleged betrayal of his comrades, the situation was more complicated.

Despite trying his best, the head of the Dali Temple could not exonerate General Gao. He finally reported that General Gao had indeed delayed military actions, leading to a fierce battle between the troops of the Tongwu, Zhenwu, and Xiongwu camps and the Tubo forces, resulting in heavy losses.

After reading the report, the Emperor sneered a few times before issuing his decision. He approved the investigation results regarding Li Linfu; the two warehouse owners had deceived the emperor and deserved the death penalty, so he ordered their beheading as a warning to others. Although Li Linfu was unaware, he failed to supervise his subordinates properly, so his salary was withheld for half a year as punishment.

As for Gao Xiuyan, how could the wise and mighty Emperor not see the obvious attempts by the head of the Dali Temple to cover up for him? But since he wanted to do Gao Xianzhi a favor, he chose to turn a blind eye and stop further investigation. Still, the punishment of reducing his salary and demoting him was too mild. In the end, the Emperor decided to remove him from his positions as general of the Jinyiwei and deputy military governor of Longyou, but he retained all his other titles.

Since the Emperor personally intervened to protect Li and Gao, which foolish censor would dare to provoke further trouble? Thus, the highly publicized treason case in the capital came to an end.

Li Kuo was very dissatisfied with the Emperor’s actions, but under Yang Zhao’s persuasion, he did not make futile protests. According to Yang Zhao, it was inevitable that Li Linfu’s faction would fall now; there would be plenty of opportunities to deal with them later, so there was no need to create more trouble at this critical moment.

The young man himself should pay attention to his marriage. He’s almost nineteen by the count of years, yet he still doesn’t have anyone to take care of him. Although the betrothal gifts have been given and the wedding date has been set, as long as the bride hasn’t entered the family home, the elders can’t rest easy, right? (Note 1) Lady Li Lu came from a distinguished family and was sensible enough to understand the pain in Li Kuo’s heart. Thus, she didn’t press him to get married until his revenge was fulfilled. But now that the wedding is approaching, Lady Li Lu, eager to have grandchildren, has become the most committed person in arranging this marriage.
Who to invite to the wedding banquet, which restaurant to hire for the meal, how many tables and dishes to prepare—all these required the elders’ approval; no one else’s opinion counted!
Though she was frugal in her daily life, she wasn’t hesitant at all when it came to her son’s marriage. The young girl from the Du family had grown up under her care. Although she was a bit impulsive, she was kind-hearted, and such a woman was ideal for managing a household.
As for Shen Liniang, though she hadn’t known her for long, the old lady could sense her education and sense of propriety. Although she had once lived a life of debauchery, hadn’t she now redeemed herself? Besides, as her son’s concubine, she didn’t need to have a noble background.
After waiting for seventeen or eighteen years, she finally saw this day arrive. That boy, Kuo, was truly capable—bringing her back two beautiful young women in one go!…
Note 1: In the Tang Dynasty, the age count was unique—usually two years older by the count of years. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, a child was considered one year old while still in the womb, and two years old after the full moon ceremony.