Chapter 322: Identity Revealed

Chang’an’s Yonghe District was a place where many poor people lived. Most of the residents there were refugees from various places who stayed in Chang’an instead of returning home. With such a large population, fights and disputes occurred frequently, making it so chaotic that even the local officials were reluctant to go there. Amidst the dense rows of low houses lived countless people of unknown origins. No one inquired about them, nor did anyone come to collect taxes from them. Only when unsolved murders occurred would officials appear in the area.

In one of the alleys of this residential area, at the end of it, there was a small courtyard consisting of three or four rooms. The original owner was from Fengxiang. After returning to his hometown, he rented out the courtyard. A new family moved in a month ago. They rarely went outside; only a young maid often went out to buy vegetables and rice. Almost no one had ever seen the owners of this family. However, these days, it seemed there was some conflict among them, as people often heard the shouting of a young man and the desperate pleas of two women. But since the courtyard was hidden deep in an alley, passersby could hardly hear their noise.

This family was Mrs. Luo and her family, who had fled from Suiye. One of them was Li Deng, Li Qing’an’s nominal brother. The two women were Mrs. Luo and Princess Heyi, who had fled from Ningyuan Country and refused to return to her family. She now went by the name Ning Qingyi. There was also a young maid, making a total of four people living in this hidden courtyard.

It’s necessary to explain their background. Last year, after fleeing from Suiye, they took refuge in Anding County, Jingzhou, in Guanzhong. They brought with them a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels, enough to support them for the rest of their lives. Mrs. Luo simply liked the name of this county, so they moved there. In Anding County, they bought a house. To avoid running out of money, they also purchased 200 acres of farmland and rented it out to tenants to earn income. Not long after settling in, under Mrs. Luo’s arrangement, Li Deng married Ning Qingyi. It should be noted that, by convention, they should not have been able to marry since they shared the same Li surname. But because Ning Qingyi kept her identity as a princess hidden and was from a branch of the Li family, they married to protect their secrets. After marriage, Li Deng proved to be hardworking, spending his days studying and reading, and living a happy and loving life with his wife. Mrs. Luo also hoped that her daughter-in-law would soon give birth to a grandson.

But no matter how beautiful the poppy is, its essence remains evil. Over time, Li Dang grew tired of his wife. Ning Qingyi could no longer control her husband, and his wasteful nature began to show day by day. He stopped studying and spent his days with a group of local ruffians, learning to gamble, prostitute himself, and drink. He squandered the wealth his mother had brought with them in less than a year, accumulating huge debts. His creditors took away their house and land and drove them out. It was then that Li Dang cried bitterly to his mother and wife, promising to reform and start over. His kind mother and beloved wife eventually forgave him, but they no longer had any property or support. With no choice, they left Anding to seek a living in Chang’an. Fortunately, Ning Qingyi had a few fine pieces of jewelry; selling them earned them some money, allowing them to rent a place in Yonghe Fang.

They had been in Chang’an for a month, and the money from selling the jewelry was almost gone. The financial hardship and concerns about their future led to conflicts within the family, with arguments mainly between Li Dang and his wife. He asked Ning Qingyi to go to her family’s home for help, but she refused. The conflict finally erupted the day before yesterday when a local official came by. Hearing that Li Dang could read and write, he enthusiastically offered him a job teaching at a school, which was considered a respectable occupation. Both Lady Luo and Ning Qingyi strongly advised him to take it, but Li Dang refused. He wanted to seek support from the Han-Tang Association, but his mother and wife strongly opposed it. Determined to go, Li Dang forced Lady Luo to reluctantly reveal the truth about their escape. The current leader of the Hidden Dragon Association, Li Dang’s brother, was none other than Li Qing’an, the governor of Anxi. Upon learning the truth, Li Dang flew into a rage. Like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away, he became hysterical, cursing his mother and wife for hiding it from him and ruining his happy life. For days, he was furious. Despite his mother’s repeated pleas that, for their safety, he should stop pretending to be the leader of the Hidden Dragon Association and that since he had already left that organization, he must not risk falling back into their grasp.

But Li Dang was relentless. Thinking of the luxurious life he once had, the numerous women around him, the ornate buildings, and now the fact that they could only survive on thin porridge, living in dilapidated houses and counting stars until dawn, the stark contrast drove him to hysteria. He shouted at his mother all day long. At this moment, he had completely forgotten his own extravagance and wastefulness, believing that all the blame lay with his mother for accepting that so-called “eldest brother.” His miserable life was her fault. His anger also turned toward his wife, accusing her of dragging him down.

Early in the morning, when he saw another bowl of inedible wheat porridge for breakfast, he lost his temper again. With a “bang!” he smashed the bowl against the ground, shattering it. Pointing at his terrified mother and wife, he cursed, “Are you feeding pigs? I’m a human being, the rightful heir to the throne! Yet you make me eat pig food. You two women have ruined my life and now insult me with pig food?”

Lady Luo trembled violently. Suddenly, tears streamed down her face as she covered her face and rushed inside. Ning Qingyi was also in extreme pain. She knelt in front of her husband and wept, “We only have four hundred coins left. You can still eat rice at night, but my mother and I have been drinking wheat porridge every meal for a month. Husband, if you really refuse to become a teacher, we won’t force you. My mother and I have decided to do laundry for others to save some money and start a small business. Things will get better soon. Please bear with us! Mother has already suffered enough.”

“That’s what she deserves! Who told her to escape from Suiye? Who told her to give up her comfort? Your stupidity has dragged me down. Do you want me to suffer like you? Where’s the money? Where is it?”

Li Dang screamed hysterically. Suddenly, he rushed to a broken cabinet, rummaging inside wildly. His wife was shocked. She got up from the ground, grabbed his arm, and cried, “Husband, don’t do that! Those four hundred coins are for buying rice. We’re out of rice at home.”

“Get out!”

Li Dang kicked his wife aside, took a cloth bag from the cabinet, stuffed it into his chest, and ran outside. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Ning Qingyi stared blankly at her husband’s retreating figure. Suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow, she collapsed to the ground and wailed. She began to miss her husband from the grasslands, who would rather risk his life to protect her and help her escape. She missed the simple people of the grasslands, even though she had once hated them.

Since Li Qing’an left Chang’an, Rehaiju once again fell into tranquility. Its business had always been lukewarm. Located in a back alley, it only had a few regular customers who came to drink there. Even during the busiest festivals, it was never crowded. The tavern remained quiet all day long. At noon, a carriage stopped in front of Rehaiju. Li Huichun stepped out of the carriage, looking worried. He asked the attendant who came to greet him, “Where is the owner?”
“Brother, what brought you here?”
Chang Jin stepped out laughing. Seeing Li Huichun’s worried expression, he was stunned. “Brother, what’s wrong?”
“Come here, I need to tell you something important.”
Li Huichun pulled Chang Jin aside and whispered a few words to him. Chang Jin was shocked. “Good heavens! They’re in Chang’an?”
“Yes! I think they’re in great trouble. Go to Baimiaolou for me, rescue that boy, give him some money, and have him take his mother and leave Chang’an immediately.”
“Brother, are you worried the master will kill them?”
“That’s not all. The situation in the court is complicated now. I’m afraid he’ll expose his identity and ruin our plan to bring back Yinlong. We must get him out of Chang’an quickly.”
“He’s so naive and impetuous. Something bad will happen to him sooner or later. Maybe we should just…”
Chang Jin couldn’t say the word “kill.” Gritting his teeth, he said, “Didn’t the master say to take him back to Suiye as soon as we see him?”
Li Huichun sighed. “I know he’s in danger, but after all, he’s the master’s own flesh and blood. The lady has also been kind to us. Sending him back to Suiye would surely be his death sentence. Forget it. We must get him out quickly. He can’t stay in Chang’an any longer. And only the two of us know about this. We must not tell anyone else, not even the master. He won’t spare him, do you understand?”
Chang Jin pondered for a long time before saying, “Alright! I’ll go right away. Only the two of us know about this. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Remember, give him plenty of money so he can take his mother and leave Chang’an immediately.”
Baimiaolou was one of the most famous brothels in Pingkangfang. At that moment, in a small room inside, Li Dang, naked from the chest and pale, was tightly tied to a pillar. His head hung limply, and his face and body were covered in blood marks, clearly beaten badly.
At a small table not far away, two burly men sat facing each other, drinking. From time to time, they glanced at Li Dang and muttered angrily, “What kind of person is this? Only four hundred coins and still daring to come to Baimiaolou? He must be tired of living. Daring to order the expensive Lianhua Miaojiao for forty strings of coins. He deserves to die.”

Another person also cursed through the mouth, “Killing him would still be too lenient for him. If he can’t come up with forty guan, not to mention ten guan for wine and tips, if he can’t pay fifty guan, we’ll skin him.”
Li Dang kept his head lowered, silent. At that moment, the door opened, and a brothel owner walked in, chatting cheerfully, “Young Master Li! I’m sorry for the trouble.”
She gave the two burly men a wink. “Untie him!”
Li Dang suddenly raised his head and said in a trembling voice, “Has… has my uncle arrived?”
“I didn’t expect your uncle to be Master Li of Chunhua Tea House. My apologies—it wasn’t Master Li who came, but someone else.”
The two burly men untied the ropes around Li Dang, and the brothel owner personally put new clothes on him, saying flatteringly, “Miss Lianhua Miao said that since she’s taken care of you, we should let this go. Young Master Li, do give Miss Lianhua Miao some face!”
Li Dang swallowed hard and said, “If she’ll spend another night with me, I’ll let it go.”
“No problem. She can stay with you for three nights. Master Li said he’ll cover any shortfall.”
At that moment, a loud cough came from the door. Chang Jin walked in with a gloomy expression. He had heard everything at the door—this idiot still wanted to stay another night, which filled him with great dissatisfaction. Chang Jin was a generous and loyal man who had never liked this spoiled young master. He valued the cause of the Hidden Dragon Society above everything else, but Li Dang only brought him deep disappointment and pain. The dreams and beliefs held by their eighteen families over four generations for nearly a hundred years were meant to be upheld by this foolish and ignorant brat—just thinking about it filled him with endless sorrow. This was also why Chang Jin resolutely supported Li Qingan. Whether Li Qingan was real or not didn’t matter; what mattered was whether he could fulfill the dream the Hidden Dragon Society had waited a hundred years for.
He walked into the room, gave him a cold glance, and said, “Come with me!”
Among the Hidden Dragon Society, Li Dang feared two people the most—his grandfather Luo Pinfang and Chang Jin. Although he should have been happy to see his long-lost relative today, Chang Jin’s icy tone filled him with fear.
He never managed to call out “Uncle Chang Si.” His lips trembled as he lowered his head and followed Chang Jin out. Chang Jin led him away from Bai Miao Lou without saying a word. He led the horse forward, while Li Dang followed behind with his head down. Chang Jin went to the back of an inn, a quiet place with no one around.
Chang Jin took a heavy leather bag off the horse and threw it at his feet with a thud.

“This is five hundred taels of gold. Take your mother and leave Chang’an immediately—go as far away as you can!”
Li Deng’s eyes lit up as he involuntarily swallowed hard. Five hundred taels of gold meant five thousand guan, enough to keep him happy for two years.
Chang Jin seemed to know what he was thinking and said coldly, “I warn you—this is the last money we’ll give you for living. Be frugal, and it will be enough for you to live comfortably for a lifetime. From now on, neither the Han nor the Tang dynasties will care about you—whether you live or die has nothing to do with us. If you dare to come back, it will be your death sentence.”
Chang Jin’s indifference angered Li Deng. He slowly stepped on the gold bag and raised his head, saying, “The Hidden Dragon Society was founded by my great-grandfather—it’s our family’s legacy. You’re just a descendant of a household slave, yet you dare speak such words of rebelling against your master. Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?”
“The Hidden Dragon Society no longer belongs to you!”
Chang Jin glanced disdainfully at his feet and snorted, “If you had even a fraction of the intelligence and courage of the eldest master, you wouldn’t have ended up in this miserable state. You’re too lazy to make an effort, indulging in brothels. I even feel ashamed for you. How dare you mention the Hidden Dragon Society? Do you even deserve it?”
“Don’t insult me!”
Angered by Chang Jin’s contempt, Li Deng’s face turned red. Gritting his teeth, he cursed, “You bunch of opportunistic scoundrels, traitors! I curse you—may you have no face to meet your ancestors after death!”
Hearing his vicious curses, Chang Jin’s expression changed. He clenched his fist and stepped forward, scaring Li Deng into falling to the ground. He quickly grabbed the gold bag and crawled back a few steps, tremblingly asking, “What… what are you going to do?”
Chang Jin glared at him and said slowly, “I originally wanted to kill you, but Brother Li wouldn’t allow it. Out of respect for your father, who was once my master, and for your mother, who raised you with great hardship, I’ll spare you today. I don’t know if sparing you is the stupidest thing I’ve done as Chang Jin, but one must have principles. I’m letting you go out of principle. Get lost!”
Li Deng didn’t dare say another word. He grabbed the heavy bag and fled clumsily. After seeing him go far enough, Chang Jin sighed and said, “Born from the same mother—how can there be such a huge difference between us?”
He shook his head, mounted his horse, and left. Once Chang Jin was far away, Li Deng slowly emerged from behind a wall and sneered, “You want me dead, huh? Well, I’m curious to see who will die in the end!”
…

In Kaiming Fang of Chang’an, there was a mansion covering thirty mu of land, with high walls and a large courtyard, clearly belonging to an official family. Yet it appeared desolate—grass grew in the cracks of the steps, the paint on the main gate was peeling in large patches, and two lifeless lanterns, worn by wind and rain, had turned a faded white, giving the place a dilapidated look. This was the residence of the former Anxi Military Governor, Fumeng Lingcha.

The next day at noon, Li Dang, dressed in fine clothes, appeared in front of Fumeng Lingcha’s mansion. The gate was tightly closed. He stepped up the steps and knocked hard on the door. “Is anyone there?”

No one replied for a long time. He knocked again, and then the gate creaked open slightly, revealing an old man with white hair. “Who are you looking for?”

“Elder sir, is General Fumeng at home?”

“General Fumeng is not here. It’s Fumeng Lingcha.”

“Oh! You really know how to joke. I’m looking for Fumeng… the one! I’m here to see him.”

“Who are you?”

Li Dang quickly took out a name card and handed it over. “I’ve met General Fumeng before. Just say it’s Lord Dang from Suiye asking to see him.”

“Alright! Wait here.”

The old man took the name card and slammed the gate shut. His heavy footsteps gradually faded away. Li Dang rubbed his hands and waited outside.

In Chang’an, Li Dang didn’t know anyone except Li Huichun and Chang Jin. He only knew Huichun Tea House in the East Market, where he had stayed when he first arrived in the capital. After thinking all night the previous evening, he finally remembered Fumeng Lingcha—someone he had met twice before. Fumeng Lingcha had liked him quite a bit and once said he could come to him for help if he encountered any difficulties.

Although many years had passed, Li Dang still remembered clearly. Early in the morning, he had asked around and was lucky enough to find a tavern owner who knew Fumeng Lingcha’s address and also knew that he was in the capital, having even seen him a few days ago.

After the Battle of Xiaobo, Fumeng Lingcha was replaced by Gao Xianzhi and reassigned as the deputy governor of Andong. The Andong Military Governorship covered parts of what are now the Liaodong Peninsula and western Liaoxi. After the second year of the Tianbao era, its headquarters was located in present-day Jinzhou. The jurisdiction of the Andong Military Governorship largely overlapped with that of the Pinglu Military Governorship, which meant it had little real power and was mostly symbolic. Under the dominance of the powerful An Lushan, Fumeng Lingcha was nothing but a figurehead. After staying there for a few years, depressed, he fell seriously ill. He used the excuse of recuperating to return to the capital and never went back. Of course, nominally he remained the deputy governor, but whether he was in office or not made no difference.

Fu Meng Lingcha no longer wanted to return. In another two years, he planned to request permission from the emperor to retire. Fu Meng Lingcha loved fishing, so he dug a fish pond in his backyard and raised several hundred fish, using fishing as a pastime when he had nothing to do.

One early morning, he went fishing in the pond. Although the sun was shining brightly, he still wore a raincoat and a conical hat, looking like someone fishing alone in the snowy river. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperative—there wasn’t even a light layer of snow to enhance the atmosphere.

At that moment, his old butler slowly approached and reported, “Master, there’s a young man at the door seeking you. His name is Prince Bell from Suiye.”

Fu Meng Lingcha frowned. What Prince Bell? He had never heard of such a person. He saw a visit card in the butler’s hand and took it.

“Li Dang!” The name seemed familiar. He tilted his head and thought for a long time before suddenly remembering—about six or seven years ago, Li Hui Chun, a wealthy man from Suiye, had brought this young man to him, asking him to arrange a position for the young man in the Anxi army. Back then, the young man seemed too weak and not smart enough, and Fu Meng Lingcha had politely declined. Why was he coming to see him now?

Fu Meng Lingcha was about to refuse, but then thought it wouldn’t hurt to meet him—his residence hadn’t had any guests in a long time.

“Take him to my guest room. I’ll be there in a moment!”

He fished for a while longer before putting away his fishing rod, taking off his raincoat and hat, and walking leisurely toward the guest room with his hands behind his back.

Li Dang had been waiting for a long time, sipping tea. When he saw Fu Meng Lingcha enter, he quickly stood up and bowed, “I am Li Dang, a humble learner. I pay my respects to Marshal Fu Meng!”

Fu Meng Lingcha waved his hand. “No need to call me marshal—that’s in the past. Just call me senior.”

“Yes, Senior Fu Meng.”

“Sit down.”

Fu Meng Lingcha smiled slightly, invited Li Dang to sit, and then sat down himself. He picked up a cup of tea and took a slow sip.

“Marshal—no, senior, I’m here because of an important matter related to Anxi. I’d like to report it to you.”

Fu Meng Lingcha raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, and said indifferently, “For matters related to Anxi, you should go see Li Qingan. Matters related to Andong should be brought to me.”

When the name Li Qing’an was mentioned, Fu Meng Lingcha slightly raised his tone—it was a name he was extremely reluctant to speak of. That once minor officer had now risen to become the governor of Anxi, as well as the prime minister of the Political Council and the prince of Anxi. No previous governor of Anxi had reached such a high position; even Gao Xianzhi only became the prince of Annan in Jiannan. As the waves behind drive on those before, naturally, this was something he said when talking to others, but inwardly he was filled with jealousy.
“But, Senior Fu Meng, I’m talking about Li Qing’an.”
Fu Meng Lingcha was stunned. He glanced at Li Dang again, his eyes flashing like lightning—the previous dazed old man’s appearance vanished completely. “What about him?”
Li Dang stepped forward and lowered his voice. “Does Senior Fu Meng want to know Li Qing’an’s true background?”
“Isn’t he from Luoyang? He followed his grandfather to Suiye, if I remember correctly.”
“No!” Li Dang snapped through his teeth. “That’s just a cover story. In truth, he’s a descendant of Prince Jiancheng from the Xuanwu Gate Incident.”
“Ah!”
Fu Meng Lingcha’s eyes widened in shock. He could hardly believe his ears.