Chapter 53: Flowing Fire (III)

“Your Majesty, please prioritize the greater good and return to Chang’an to reassure the people!”
“Please think of the people of Guanzhong, Your Majesty! As long as you are here, Guanzhong will thrive; if you leave, it will perish!”
“Your Majesty, how can you stand by and watch the vast lands of Qinchuan be ravaged by rebels?”
“Your Majesty, please put the greater good first!”
The curtains could hide the crowd but not their hearts. “The emperor guards the nation’s gates; the monarch dies for the realm” seemed to be the people’s unwavering desire from beginning to end.
Li Longji closed his eyes tightly, unable to bear to witness this scene. He had already failed the people of Qinzhong once; now he was about to fail them again. Though he was the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, his words carried the weight of imperial edicts, but speaking again was no easy task.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”
Yang Yuhuan shook Li Longji’s arm, but his resolve remained unshaken.
“Kindness toward others is just a deceptive trick, a mere illusion.” Li Longji never believed such words meant to deceive the common people or scholars. One must first love oneself before loving others—a truth that remained constant throughout history.
“Everyone, please go back! Our father will surely reclaim lost lands and quell the rebellion. Return home for now and wait for good news from the imperial forces!”
Prince Li Heng’s voice suddenly came from outside the carriage. Li Longji’s lips twitched involuntarily, and he tried to rise.
“Your Majesty!”
Yang Yuhuan raised a hand to silence him, signaling that she would handle it. She gently lifted the curtain and saw Prince Li Heng on a white horse, standing among the villagers, speaking passionately to them.
“Your Highness, either you stay or Your Majesty stays. Guanzhong needs a leader. If both of you go to Shu, how shall we commoners survive? An Lushan is a ruthless demon; if we fall into his hands, we won’t even retain our bodies intact.”
A burly man put down his hoe and pleaded earnestly.
“This…”
Prince Li Heng looked troubled, unsure what to do.
“Your Highness, at least one of you must stay. The court won’t abandon Guanzhong, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness, please prioritize the greater good.”
The villagers urged him relentlessly, leaving Li Heng sweating profusely.
“Everything must be decided by our father. I will follow his orders!”
After much hesitation, Li Heng finally spoke these lukewarm words, much to the disappointment of the villagers.

“General Chen Xuanli, let’s set off!”
Li Heng gritted his teeth, waved his whip, and nodded at Chen Xuanli.
“As ordered!”
Chen Xuanli raised his whip and bowed to Li Heng from afar before ordering the entire army to set out。……
By dusk, the army had reached the vicinity of Mawei Post Station.
The people along the way trying to dissuade them filled Li Longji with depression, but fortunately, Crown Prince Li Heng handled the situation quite well, providing some comfort to him.
“Heng has really grown up!”
With Yang Yuhuan’s support, Li Longji staggered toward Mawei Post Station not far away.
“Don’t say that. The crown prince is already in his forties; he should be able to share your burdens by now.”
Yang Yuhuan subtly made a remark, helping Li Heng as well. Li Heng had always been respectful to her, and she really didn’t understand why her cousin got along so poorly with him. No matter what others thought, she had always treated this boy like her own son.
“I am fortunate to have met Yuhuan in this life; I have no regrets!”
Gazing at the dim and dilapidated post station gate in the distance, Li Longji was filled with emotion.
What did thousands of miles of land or three thousand concubines matter compared to Yuhuan’s enchanting glance?
“Be careful, oh, watch your step!”
Seeing Li Longji nearly trip over a stone, Yang Yuhuan quickly pulled him back. At his age, he still refused to admit defeat!
The setting sun stretched the shadows, and under the sparse, mottled tree shadows, a man and a woman supported each other as they walked forward.
At this moment, they were not emperor and subject, but just husband and wife。……
“Your Majesty, this is all that’s left.”
Gao Lishi carried a somewhat shriveled flatbread and approached Li Longji.
The dim light in the room made the flatbread appear even uglier.
Li Longji raised his eyebrows in disdain and said, “How could Yuan Yi be like this? Didn’t we still have rice porridge yesterday?”
Gao Lishi rubbed his hands awkwardly and replied, “Your Majesty, that rice porridge was specially brought by the Empress from the imperial kitchen. There was only one pot in total, and you drank it all, didn’t you? We left Chang’an in a hurry and didn’t have time to bring much food. We thought the post stations along the way would have sufficient supplies, but it turns out they only have these left.”
Li Longji was puzzled. “Doesn’t the court allocate funds to the post stations every year? How could this be?”

Gao Lishi swallowed hard upon hearing this and said, “Indeed, the court allocates silver to the post stations every year. But think about it—there are thousands of post stations within the Tang Empire, not to mention tens of thousands. If all that money were given to them, even a mountain of gold in the Left Treasury would be exhausted. That’s why the Ministry of Revenue only provides a small portion each year; the larger part has to come from the post stations themselves.”

After hearing Gao Lishi’s words, Li Longji nodded and said, “I see. It seems I was negligent. Allowing them to raise funds on their own explains why the post stations are in such poor condition.”

“Exactly. To speak the truth without angering you, look at the post stations within dozens of miles of the capital—they’re all extremely luxurious. That money comes from the salaries allocated by local officials along the way.”

Gao Lishi broke the flatbread into small pieces for Li Longji, soaked them in boiling water until soft, and then carefully placed them in front of him.

“Hmph! Those treacherous officials! I won’t spare them!”

Li Longji flew into a rage at these words and slammed his hand on the table.

“Your Majesty, please calm down and take care of your health. We’re not in the palace now; there are only a few imperial physicians with us. What if—”

“Enough. You needn’t say more. I know everything. I won’t be angry.”

Having spent decades together, no one knew Li Longji’s habits better than Gao Lishi. Likewise, what Li Longji tolerated least was Gao Lishi’s nagging. Whenever he started nagging, it was usually Li Longji who gave in first.

“Yuan Yi, where is the Imperial Concubine?”

Li Longji suddenly remembered something and asked in a deep voice.

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine and Lady Guo went to the back mountain to pick wild vegetables, saying they wanted to prepare a dish for you.”

Gao Lishi clearly felt troubled, but he had never lied to Li Longji, so he had no choice but to confess honestly.

“What? Why didn’t you stop her?”

Li Longji’s already calmed mood erupted again in anger. “It’s dark now, and there are many wild beasts in the mountains. What if something happens to them?”

“I deserve death!” Gao Lishi knelt down and said, “The Concubine was determined. I couldn’t persuade her. But I’ve sent several imperial guards to protect her. I think nothing bad will happen.”

“Get up. I was just overly emotional!” Li Longji sighed deeply and waved his hand at Gao Lishi. Ever since leaving Chang’an, he had become somewhat irritable, easily angered by trivial matters, which was rather inappropriate.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to blame yourself. I understand everything.” Gao Lishi slowly stood up. “One doesn’t realize the hardships of a position until they’re in it. How could I not understand your difficulties?”

Eugene clearly had something to say, but after thinking for a moment, he swallowed his words again.
“Very well, go and rest as well. I’m tired; I’ll take a short nap first. Wake me up when the Imperial Concubine returns!”
Seeing Eugene remain silent, Li Longji stopped pressing him further and waved his hand to signal that he could go rest on his own.
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I’ll wait outside. Call for me anytime if you need anything.”
Eugene bowed to Li Longji once more before retreating.
“Tap, tap!”
“Tap, tap!”
At that moment, it started to rain outside, with the rainwater flowing down the eaves, creating a shimmering, hazy veil.