Chapter 30: Zi Gu (4)

“Third Brother!”
Li Kuo’s lips twitched slightly as he leaned forward, speaking in a trembling voice. Happiness came so suddenly that the young man feared it might be just a dream. He kept staring wide-eyed, afraid the person before him would vanish like a gust of wind.
The young man smiled faintly, stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Li Kuo’s neck. “Little Seven, it’s been so long—weird how tall you’ve grown. I remember seven years ago, when I went on an expedition with General Wang Zhongsì, you still clung to my waist asking for candy.”
Li Kuo grinned slyly. “No way. It was you who lost at quoit playing and promised me the reward.”
“You little rascal, you’re really clever!”
With a helpless sigh, the young man stopped teasing his cousin.
“Elder Zi Gu, don’t just chat with your cousin. Your disciple is waiting eagerly for you. After all, you’re half my master—surely you haven’t forgotten what you promised, right?”
Zhang Yanji squeezed between the two, trying to get attention in a somewhat annoying way.
How could Li Zigu forget this “little troublemaker”? Ever since Zhang Yanji insisted on becoming his disciple, his life had been nothing but trouble. Either he had to act as a strict teacher to teach this mischievous kid martial arts or take the two of them to his fields in the countryside to ride horses. Of his only two months of military leave each year, he probably spent less time with his wife than with them.
Annoyed, he punched Zhang Yanji’s shoulder and pretended to be angry. “What did I promise you? Haven’t you practiced martial arts all these years since your master left? With your physique, do you really think you can fight the Turks in Hexi Road?”
Zhang Yanji shrank back beside Li Kuo, muttering, “Why be so fierce? I’ve been practicing the Blood Battle Sword Technique you taught me. These past years, I’ve read the book you left on regulating breath every afternoon, and now I no longer suffer from shortness of breath.”
Finding his reaction amusing, Li Zigu crossed his arms and cleared his throat lightly. “Actually, I brought something for you too. Whether it’ll work well depends on your strength.”
With that, he clapped his hands, and a burly man dressed like a bodyguard stepped forward, handing him a horn bow two and a half feet long. The bow was dark brown, with waterproof varnish applied to the nocks, and a silver-plated string stretched taut.
Li Zigu gripped the bow with his left hand and pulled it back fully with his right. With a sharp sound, the string snapped back, vibrating violently at the nocks.
“What a great bow!”
Zhang Yanji jumped up excitedly, rubbing his hands together, eager to try it out right away.

Seeing the little guy’s delighted expression, Li Zigu felt pleased and said loudly, “You know what’s good. I specially picked this out for you during the trade with the herders last year. Those herders are really unscrupulous—they took five pounds of tea bricks from me.” He paused briefly and added, “This is a solid two-stone hard bow. Don’t rush to learn archery. Practice drawing the bowstring every day first. Once you can pull it easily, then switch to a soft bow.” “Thank you, master!” Zhang Yanji bowed to Li Zigu and snatched the horn bow to examine it closely. “You brat, you’ll have plenty of time to play later. Don’t ignore your master now!” “Yeah, yeah,” Zhang Yanji replied repeatedly, but his eyes wouldn’t leave the horn bow. “Third brother is biased!” Li Kuo rubbed his hands, clearly dissatisfied. Zhang Yanji quickly stepped forward and muttered, “Master, don’t listen to Brother Kuo complaining. Elder Nan gave him a fine dark-blue horn bow!” “Let’s go to my residence. This isn’t the place to talk.” Li Zigu gently patted both of their heads and spoke soothingly. The three got into the carriage, closed the curtains slightly, and heard Li Zigu sigh softly, “I’ve heard about what happened to Second Uncle. Don’t be too sad, Kuo.” Li Kuo’s eyes reddened slightly, but he forced a smile. “I’m fine, right? Don’t worry too much, Third Brother.” “You!” Li Zigu affectionately tapped the boy’s forehead and said with a wry smile, “I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. How could I not understand you? Your stubborn nature will eventually get you into trouble. Things in life are unpredictable. With Second Uncle being harmed by villains, our Li family finally saw hope for revival…” “Third Brother, think positively! Isn’t Uncle Eldest now the governor of Jiangzhou? Third Uncle has also become an official in Jiannan. I believe one day, Grandfather’s injustice will be redressed, and our Li family will return to its former glory.” Not wanting to discourage his cousin, Li Zigu continued, “Yes, Little Seven, you’ve already become a guest in the imperial palace and an official at such a young age. Surely you’ll have a successful career as an official, and becoming a marquis or prime minister is just around the corner. Why should I worry?” “Third Brother, you’re teasing Kuo again. How can Kuo’s minor position compare to yours? You’re a renowned general of the Tang Dynasty, a true fourth-rank general who earned his rank through battles!” Li Zigu gently tickled the boy’s nose and narrowed his eyes. “Hmm, you really know how to speak nicely. When we get back to the mansion, I’ll ask Aunt Yun to make your favorite sweet cheese for you.”

Li Zigu’s residence in Chang’an was located in Zhao Guo Fang, right next to Ci’en Temple, and was meant solely for his use when returning to the capital to report for duty. According to Tang Dynasty regulations, military officers of the fourth rank or above were required to leave their wives and families in Chang’an. Thus, even though he already owned property in Liangzhou, he still had to buy a residence in this expensive city.

The Li family to which Li Kuo belonged was descended from the King of Hengshan, but they did not inherit any titles. The King of Hengshan had two sons, named Xiang and Jue. Li Xiang, as the eldest son, served as an official in various provinces and had three sons and two daughters. Li Jue never entered official service and only had one son, Li Shizhi, Li Kuo’s father. Therefore, Li Kuo could be considered the sole descendant of Li Jue’s line. Li Zigu’s father, Li Qingchen, was the eldest son of Li Xiang, so by this reckoning, Li Zigu should be the legitimate heir of the King of Hengshan. However, Li Shizhi reached the high position of Left Chancellor in the Tang Dynasty and revived the prestige of the Li family, so everyone in the family followed his lead. Unfortunately, misfortunes struck when, just as everyone thought the family would thrive again, Li Shizhi was framed by villains and died unjustly—a true twist of fate. After Li Shizhi’s death, his old house in Chongren Fang and his lands by the Wei River were confiscated according to the law. Thus, aside from Li Zigu’s residence in Qinren Fang, the Li family no longer had any property in the bustling city of Chang’an. Once a prominent family, they had now declined to such an extent, which was truly lamentable.

In no time, the carriage entered Qinren Fang. The official guarding the entrance, upon seeing it was the carriage of a high-ranking general, immediately greeted him with a smile. After some polite exchanges, the official praised the general for his dedication to defending the country, expressing great admiration. Li Zigu felt disgusted but didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so he gave a brief reply before instructing the driver to head straight to the main entrance of the residence.

Li Zigu didn’t have many family members left in Chang’an—along with servants, there were only a dozen or so people—so his residence wasn’t large, just a two-section courtyard house. Li Kuo knew the location of his third brother’s house in Qinren Fang, but since his brother wasn’t in the capital and his sister-in-law was living there alone, he didn’t feel right visiting unannounced. On the other hand, his sister-in-law had brought food and cured meat to his home in Ande Fang several times. As a result, Li Kuo wasn’t very familiar with this residence.

Before the carriage even stopped after turning the corner, Li Zigu jumped out and rushed to the door, shouting loudly, “Uncle Chen, I’m back!”

Soon, hurried footsteps could be heard, and the red-painted door creaked open as a man in his fifties, looking like a housekeeper, poked his head out.

“Yes, it’s the third young master who’s back! Shen’er, go tell the lady right away—the third young master has returned.”
Excitedly, he stepped forward and grabbed Li Zigu’s sleeve, saying, “Third young master, you’re finally back! The lady must have suffered so much these years…”
Li Zigu also felt deep guilt toward his wife. By tradition, he was entitled to two months of military leave each year—to report to the capital and spend time with his family. But with continuous warfare on the borders—first the rise of the Later Turks, then conflicts with the Uyghurs—the military leave had become nothing but a promise. He had thought the wars would end in two or three years, but they had dragged on for seven.
“Chen Bo, let’s talk inside. Can’t I even enter my own home after coming all this way?”
Chen Bo was an elder in the Li family, having served as the housekeeper since Li Zigu’s father, Li Qingchen, founded the household. Not wanting to see him sad and crying, Li Zigu quickly joked with a smile.
“Ah, you see, I’m getting old and my mind isn’t working well. I almost had the third young master waiting outside. If the master were here, I’d surely get scolded.”
Just as he was about to invite Li Zigu inside, Chen Bo noticed Li Kuo and Zhang Yanji nearby. “Oh, the seventh young master and the young master from the Zhang family are here too. Come on, let’s go inside together.”
Li Kuo didn’t bother with formalities either. He gave Chen Bo a slight bow before stepping into the mansion.
As soon as they entered, they saw a rockery made of Taihu stones in front of them, with a waterfall cascading down it, creating ripples in the water. Around the rockery was the main house, a five-room building connected together, with a plaque inscribed with the calligraphic characters “Linjia Tang” placed in the center. On either side were three side rooms each, which were rarely used and appeared rather desolate.
After walking through a covered corridor, they arrived at the back courtyard. Unlike other noble households in Chang’an, which had gardens and ponds, this courtyard had a flat area in the center used as a training ground. Behind the training ground was the Li family’s main bedroom. The mottled wooden door and faded lattice windows seemed to whisper of the decline since their owner left. Before Li Zigu could go to the bedroom to see his wife, he saw a young woman dressed in a green robe stumble out of the house.
Staring at her, he recognized it was Li Hua Qinxiang—her makeup blurred by the cold rain.
Note 1: I’ve finally clarified Li Kuo’s family background in detail. In my opinion, the decline of the Li family was inevitable at that time. But if they hadn’t declined, why would my little seventh have to struggle?