Chapter 54: Heavenly Questions (6)

After hearing what the imperial guard officer said, Li Longji frowned slightly. He did not like the title of “Emperor Emeritus,” as it made him feel extremely old. Thus, even when alone with Gao Lishi, Gao Lishi would still address him as “Your Majesty.”
But after all, he was no longer Your Majesty!
Shaking his head, Li Longji said indifferently, “Mm…”
For some reason, Li Heng had assigned him a jujube-red steed as a means of transportation. Moreover, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty explicitly stated that the Emperor Emeritus could only ride a horse.
Although Li Longji was skilled in horseback riding and archery, he was now old, and his physical strength was far from what it used to be. Besides, he had few opportunities to ride horses during his time in Shu. Requiring him to ride now seemed rather excessive.
Gao Lishi glared at the imperial guard officer with red eyes, seemingly wanting him to explain why such an unreasonable request had been made.
But it was an order from Li Heng, and the imperial guard officer acted on the emperor’s orders. Therefore, Li Longji did not want to create further trouble and upset everyone.
“Cough… Yuan Yi, help me onto the horse!”
Li Longji tugged at Gao Lishi’s sleeve, signaling him not to argue with the imperial guard officer.
“Your Majesty, I’ll help you onto the horse!”
Gao Lishi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and bent down to assist Li Longji onto the horse.
As one ages, one’s legs become less agile—whether one is an Emperor Emeritus or a beggar, there’s no difference. Li Longji struggled to climb onto the horse’s back and let out a long sigh.
“Let’s go!”
Silent and devoid of warmth, the magnificent Daming Palace now seemed so cramped…
The jujube-red horse stopped in front of the Zichen Hall, and eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Supervision Department stepped forward to lead the horse away.
The Zichen Hall was still the same, but the person sitting in it was no longer himself.
Li Longji smiled bitterly and strode into the hall, holding the edges of his bright yellow robe.
After going through numerous formalities, Li Longji finally entered the hall where he had lived for over a decade.
“Father, Father!”
As soon as he entered the hall, Li Heng came down from the dragon throne, smiling broadly. “Father, you’re finally back! When I first recaptured Chang’an, this Daming Palace was in chaos. But after a month, things have been brought under control.”
Li Longji detested Li Heng’s insincere demeanor. His lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing further.

Seeing Li Longji’s indifferent attitude toward him, Li Heng felt somewhat embarrassed. Fortunately, there were no foreign officials in the palace except for some eunuchs; otherwise, it would have truly undermined the dignity of the Tang emperor.
“Ahem, Father, you must be tired from your return from Shu. Daming Palace is too noisy and not suitable for you to rest in peace. I’ve had people prepare Taiji Palace for your rest. You should be able to move there after the New Year—it’s quiet, and you’ll be comfortable there with Grandpa Gao.” (Note 2)
Li Heng rolled his eyes and said this with a forced smile.
Boom!
Li Longji’s head buzzed, leaving him momentarily confused.
What? What did that traitor just say? Move to Taiji Palace? What did he mean?
Seeing Li Longji about to lose his temper, Gao Lishi quickly stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, considering the Emperor Emeritus is of advanced age, the palaces in the western area have not been used for a long time and are damp, which may not be conducive to his recovery from his illness. Besides, you and the Emperor Emeritus have just reunited. It would be troublesome if he kept traveling back and forth. It would be better if the Emperor Emeritus stayed in Xingqing Palace, so it would be easier for you to be together.”
Li Heng raised the corners of his mouth and sneered, “Grandpa Gao is wrong. I consider Xingqing Palace to belong to the previous dynasty—it’s a residence for a hidden dragon. Now that I’ve ascended the throne, it’s not appropriate to use it anymore. So I’ve already ordered it to be given to Wei Jiansu as a private residence.”
“What? You—!”
Li Longji had been suppressing his anger to avoid a confrontation with Li Heng, but hearing this, he could no longer hold back his fury. Pointing at Li Heng in anger, he suddenly fainted from the surge of emotion. …
Li Longji saw everything blurred before his eyes, his forehead throbbing painfully, and his head feeling like it might explode.
“Water, Yuan Yi, water…”
Li Longji uttered faint murmurs, signaling for Gao Lishi to attend to him. Seeing Li Longji wake up, Li Heng immediately stepped forward and handed him a jade bowl.
“Father, let me take care of you!”
Now, just seeing Li Heng’s hypocritical smile made Li Longji feel disgusted, so he turned away.
“Father…”
Seeing the imperial physicians nearby, Li Heng didn’t dare be too forceful and could only swallow his anger, smiling and saying, “Father, there’s no need to worry. Physician Wu has already checked your pulse. You fainted due to a sudden surge of energy. With some rest, you’ll recover soon.”
After saying this, Li Heng even gave a subtle nod to Physician Wu Guotai.

Wu Guotai immediately understood and knelt down, bowing to Li Longji and saying, “Your Majesty, the late emperor is absolutely right. Ever since you fainted, Your Majesty has been unable to eat or sleep properly, staying by your bedside constantly. Such filial piety is truly moving heaven and earth. It is a blessing for the realm and for the Tang Dynasty.”

Hearing Wu Guotai’s words, Li Longji almost cursed out loud. Filial piety? Could the actions of this traitor really be called filial piety?

“Father, you must take care of your health. I will handle all matters in the court now, so you needn’t worry. As for moving to the Taiji Palace, we can discuss that later.”

Li Heng also didn’t want to press Li Longji too hard. He simply smiled and defused the situation.

“Enough, enough. It’s good that you have such filial piety. As for me, I’ll move to the Western Inner Palace. As you said, it’s peaceful there! I won’t have to see all these insincere faces every day, which would only disturb my mind!”

Li Longji helplessly waved his hand and sighed deeply.

Things remain the same while people change—what can be done? What can be done!……

Note 1: The palaces in the Tang Dynasty were mainly divided into three: Daming Palace, Taiji Palace, and Xingqing Palace. Most emperors lived in Daming Palace during the Tang Dynasty, but Li Longji was an exception. He spent most of his time in Xingqing Palace, with only occasional stays in Daming Palace.

Note 2: Western Inner Palace refers to Taiji Palace. Apart from Li Yuan and Li Shimin, few emperors lived there. Of course, Li Longji did reside there after returning from Shu.