Chapter 323: The Crisis Deepens

As night fell, a carriage rushed toward Xingqing Palace as if driven mad. From inside, Yang Guozhong’s voice could be heard urging repeatedly, “Hurry! Speed up!”
The more than 200 guards protecting him were astonished. In their memory, Prime Minister Yang had never been so panicked before. It was all related to Fumeng Lingcha’s sudden arrival.
Inside the carriage, Yang Guozhong was both nervous and excited. The news that Li Qing’an was actually a descendant of Li Jiancheng shocked him greatly. For the first time, he felt fear toward Li Qing’an. No wonder Li Qing’an’s identity had always remained a mystery—he was actually a descendant of the hidden crown prince! His excitement stemmed from having captured Li Qing’an’s greatest weakness. He knew that this time, the emperor would definitely not let Li Qing’an go.
The severity of the situation forced Yang Guozhong to abandon his plan to hold a family meeting that night. Their family was also facing a serious crisis. He had just learned that the night before last, the Imperial Concubine had cut her hair and returned to the Taizhen Temple in Daming Palace. Although it was not clear whether she had become a monk, this incident was enough to shake the foundations of the Yang family.
Yet, even such a serious matter could not distract Yang Guozhong. As the Right Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, he knew that Li Qing’an represented a serious consequence following Li Jiancheng’s reign—a severe threat to Emperor Li Longji’s empire. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided it was better to discuss matters of state with the emperor rather than sit with his family in worry, as the latter would only endanger his own position.
While anxiously urging the coachman to speed up, Yang Guozhong turned back and asked Fumeng Lingcha anxiously, “Envoy Fumeng, are you really sure the man’s words are true?”
He had asked this question at least three times already, but given the gravity of the matter, he still wasn’t convinced. Fumeng Lingcha sat behind him, entering the palace with him. He was also nervous. He knew he had uncovered a shocking secret, but he had no idea what consequences it would bring. Yet, Fumeng Lingcha harbored a faint hope—he longed to return to Anxi and replace Li Qing’an. Since the day he left Anxi, he had sworn he would return.

Seeing Yang Guozhong nervous, Fu Menglingcha also felt uneasy and said, “It must be true. I know there’s a Han-Tang Association in Suiye, and I know some of its leaders. I just didn’t expect there to be a Hidden Dragon Association within it. There’s also a legend in Anxi saying that eighteen generals escorted Consort Chang to Suiye. He even mentioned the dragon-patterned jade pendant—there’s indeed solid evidence for it. More importantly, Li Qing’an’s background has always been a mystery. Didn’t the Emperor later order everyone not to talk about it?”
Yang Guozhong also sighed, “He didn’t investigate Li Qing’an’s background back then because he wanted to use him. Now look—he’s trapped by his own actions. I guess even the Emperor regrets it.”
At this point, he instructed Fu Menglingcha, “When you go to see the Emperor later, don’t say a word. I’ll handle everything. Understand?”
“Rest assured, Prime Minister. I know my place and will never overstep my authority by answering on my own.”
“Mm!” Yang Guozhong nodded in satisfaction. This Fu Menglingcha did know his limits.
“Hurry! Faster!”
The coachman whipped the pulling horses desperately, and the carriage rushed toward Daming Palace at lightning speed.
…
These past two days, Li Longji had been in an extremely bad mood. His concubine had actually cut her hair and entered a temple, which filled him with both anger and sorrow. He was angry because Yang Guifei refused to admit fault, stubbornly insisting that he reverse his decision regarding Li Qing’an. She even threatened to become a monk again for him, which only deepened Li Longji’s jealousy. Could it be that she had developed feelings for that Li Qing’an?
But he was sorrowful because he might lose her. After all, he had doted on her for nearly ten years, and he truly cared for her. It was a shame for such a beautiful woman to become a monk. However, Li Longji was slightly relieved that she hadn’t truly become a monk but had only moved into Taizhen Temple. Perhaps she was waiting, hoping he would revoke his decision against Li Qing’an.
Li Longji was also in his sixties now. At this age, people became extremely stubborn, and this was even more evident in Li Longji. Once he made a decision, it was very difficult to persuade him. How could he yield just because Yang Guifei tried to blackmail him by becoming a monk!
Li Longji was also growing annoyed and ashamed. Did this Yang Yuhuan think she was the only beautiful woman in the world? To threaten him with becoming a monk over a young general—such a woman was better left alone! As his Wu Xianyi had said, it was enough for a woman to know how to serve a man; everything else didn’t matter.

Yang Guifei’s stubbornness, and Wu Xianyi’s gentleness and consideration, made Li Longji start to consider whether to appoint another concubine.
“Your Majesty! Prime Minister Yang has an urgent matter to report,” Yu Chaoen’s hurried report interrupted Li Longji’s thoughts.
“An urgent matter?”
Li Longji was momentarily stunned before ordering, “Summon him!”
Although Li Longji had deep conflicts with Yang Guifei, he did not take it out on Yang Guozhong. He had chosen Yang Guozhong as prime minister years ago. He didn’t need Yang Guozhong to be highly skilled in governing the country; he only needed him to understand one thing—prime ministerial power must always be subordinate to imperial power. This was precisely what Li Linfu had done best.
At present, Yang Guozhong was fully qualified. Li Longji’s desire for supreme power didn’t mean he wanted to interfere in state affairs. On the contrary, he didn’t want to get involved in any state affairs at all. What he needed was Yang Guozhong’s attitude—unimpeded imperial power with no resistance from prime ministerial power. In short, he, Li Longji, wanted to do as he pleased, though whether he would actually do so was another matter.
A moment later, Yang Guozhong rushed into the room like a gust of wind, knelt on the ground, and said anxiously, “Your Majesty, I have discovered a shocking secret.”
“What kind of shocking secret? Calm down—nothing catastrophic will happen.”
Li Longji said irritably. This was exactly what he disliked about Yang Guozhong—being nearly fifty years old yet still unable to stay calm, lacking the composure expected of a prime minister.
Yang Guozhong kept kowtowing and saying, “Your Majesty, it’s not that I can’t stay calm. It’s simply too shocking. I’ve uncovered the mystery of Li Qing’an’s background.”
“What’s his background? Speak quickly!”
During this time, Li Longji had conflicts with Guifei. Despite Wu Xianyi’s gentleness and Mei Fei’s elegance, none of them could replace Yang Guifei’s striking beauty. Yet Li Longji refused to yield to her. Under such circumstances, only Du Gu Mingyue could replace her. Since he had this desire, Li Longji’s longing for Du Gu Mingyue grew stronger by the day, just as did his urgency to get rid of Li Qing’an. He thought day and night about how to eliminate Li Qing’an smoothly. Now that Yang Guozhong suddenly revealed Li Qing’an’s background, Li Longji could no longer remain calm.
“Your Majesty, Li Qing’an has always hidden his true identity. He is actually from the imperial family—he is the son of Prince Jiancheng.”
Yang Guozhong’s last words were like a thunderclap, stunning Li Longji. His mind went blank. He didn’t know how long he sat there in shock before, as if his soul returned to his body, he stared at Yang Guozhong and asked, “Is what you say true?”

“I would never dare deceive Your Majesty. Fu Meng Lingcha received secret reports from the people of Suiye, confirming that Li Qing’an is indeed a descendant of Princess Changjian, who fled to Suiye and gave birth to him there. To fulfill the unfulfilled wishes of Crown Prince Jiancheng, the descendants of those eighteen generals formed the Hidden Dragon Society, with the goal of pushing Li Qing’an to the throne…”
Yang Guozhong recounted in detail what Fu Meng Lingcha had reported. By the end, he dared not say more, as he noticed Li Longji’s expression growing darker and his eyes becoming bloodshot. An unprecedented fury surged toward Li Longji. Having been emperor for forty years, it was the first time he heard of someone trying to seize his throne—someone who was a descendant of Crown Prince Jiancheng from a hundred years ago, someone who had hidden this truth from him all along and had been promoted step by step by him, a frontier commander commanding two hundred thousand troops. This person wanted to take his throne. The anger of being deceived nearly melted his heart. At this moment, Du Gu Mingyue no longer mattered; what mattered was his throne, the throne he valued more than his life, which struck his aged chest like a heavy hammer.
“Crack!”
The white jade writing brush in his hand broke into two. A bitter taste filled his throat as he spat out blood. His vision went dark, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Your Majesty! Your Holiness!”
Yang Guozhong and Yu Chaoneng rushed at Li Longji as if mad.
…
These past two days, Chang Jin had been uneasy. He had been worried about Li Dang, feeling increasingly that he had handled the situation poorly. He shouldn’t have just let Li Dang go. Even if he hadn’t followed Li Qing’an’s orders to send Li Dang and his wife to Suiye, he should have at least sent someone to take them away. He had thought of doing so at the time but ultimately gave up, driven by self-interest. Since Li Huichun didn’t want to get involved with Li Dang’s affairs, he shirked responsibility by pushing him away. But wasn’t he also afraid that Li Qing’an would find out? It was precisely this fear that made him treat Li Dang as a hot potato, hurriedly sending him away without wanting to deal with him further. Now, he realized he had been careless. Li Dang and his mother weren’t dangerous creatures. If they were sent away properly, he believed Li Qing’an, given his magnanimity, would understand their longing for the past. On the contrary, handling Li Dang so hastily would create hidden risks. Chang Jin regretted it, but since he couldn’t find Li Dang’s whereabouts, he could only hope that the mother and son had truly left.
That night, Chang Jin drank alone in his room. Suddenly, a servant outside said, “Master, there’s a lady surnamed Luo outside looking for you. It seems it’s urgent.”

“Madam Luo!”
Chang Jin stood up in a rush, knocking over the small table in front of him. Plates and dishes with food and wine rolled to the ground, but he paid no attention to them. Even without shoes on, he rushed downstairs. Madam Luo needed him urgently—something must have happened to Li Deng. Panicked, he ran out the gate at full speed and saw Madam Luo, looking extremely anxious from afar.
Li Deng only knew about the Huichun Tea House, but Madam Luo knew that Rehaiju in Chang’an’s West Market was also owned by the Han-Tang Association. After searching everywhere, she finally found Chang Jin’s place. As soon as she saw him, she burst into tears. “Fourth Brother Chang, something terrible has happened to Deng! Please save him!”
“Calm down! Calm down! Let’s go inside and talk.”
Chang Jin was in a state of panic. Noticing a young woman behind Madam Luo, he quickly asked, “Who is this?”
“She’s Deng’s wife, my daughter-in-law.”
“Then let’s go in together!”
Chang Jin led the two of them upstairs to a quiet room. Once they sat down, he asked, “What happened to Deng?”
“Deng has disappeared!” Madam Luo cried.
“No! He went to see Fu Menglingcha, the former governor of Anxi.”
Ning Qingyi was more rational than Madam Luo. She took her mother-in-law’s hand and urged her, “Mother, it’s too late now. We must tell the truth!”
Chang Jin was stunned. After a long while, he stammered, “Miss, are you sure?”
Ning Qingyi nodded. “Yesterday afternoon, my husband came home with five hundred taels of gold, somehow obtained from somewhere. Mother guessed he must have asked you for it, so she wanted to leave Chang’an urgently, but he refused. He said five hundred taels wasn’t enough and that he could get five thousand taels. Early this morning, he slipped out and hasn’t returned yet. We searched everywhere. A tavern owner said he went to see Fu Menglingcha. We then went to Fu Menglingcha’s residence and learned that my husband did come, but was taken away by the authorities.”
“Idiot!” Chang Jin slammed his fist on the table and roared in anger.
Madam Luo was too scared to cry anymore. She looked at Chang Jin timidly, terrified.
Chang Jin was filled with chaos and regret. He hated himself for ruining everything out of selfishness the day before. Needless to say, Li Deng must have gone to report them. This meant the Hidden Dragon Association was in danger, and so was Li Qing’s safety! His mind was in turmoil, and he didn’t know what to do.
At this moment, Ning Qingyi truly lived up to being a princess of the Tang Dynasty—calm and rational. She immediately said, “To prevent the authorities from arresting them, Fourth Uncle Chang should go and inform the members of the Hidden Dragon Association right away.”

A single sentence reminded Chang Jin. He gave Ning Qingyi a grateful look and said to them, “I guess the authorities have already come to arrest you. Hide here and don’t go back. Dang’er doesn’t know about Rehaiju yet. I need to head to the East Market right away and will be back soon.” After saying that, he ordered his assistant to close the shop and had his trusted men hide the two of them in the backyard. Then he mounted his horse and rushed straight to the East Market.

But Chang Jin was still a step too late. When he arrived at the East Market’s main gate, he saw from afar that the area was filled with guards carrying swords, with strict security preventing anyone from entering or leaving. Everyone held torches, lighting up the gate brightly.

Chang Jin’s heart plummeted. He hid in an inn on the second floor, facing the East Market’s gate. After watching for a while, he saw chaos at the gate as numerous guards rushed out, capturing a large group of people—mostly employees from the Huichun Tea House. The first two captured were tied up tightly; it was Li Huichun. His hair was disheveled, his robe torn, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating he had been beaten. Chang Jin felt heartbroken and slapped himself hard several times, tears streaming from his eyes—it was his fault that Brother Li had suffered.

At that moment, two covered horse carts arrived and took them father and son away. Just as Li Huichun was taken into the cart, he suddenly turned around and shouted, “If you’re brave enough, go capture Li Qingan in Suiye! Don’t target us innocent people…” Before he could finish, his mouth was covered, and he was pushed into the cart. Chang Jin suddenly realized that Li Huichun was trying to urge them to flee back to Anxi to report the situation. Li Huichun also glanced at Juhaihang, which remained quiet and unharmed. The owner of Juhaihang, Li Yunfeng, was Li Huichun’s second son—he was trying to tell his younger son to escape. Given the suddenness of the incident, the authorities hadn’t thought of Juhaihang yet. Realizing this, Chang Jin quietly slipped downstairs and went to the back door of Juhaihang. There, he saw Li Yunfeng coming out with a bundle. Upon seeing Chang Jin, his eyes reddened as he said, “Uncle Chang Si, I was just about to look for you.”

“Stop talking. Come with me quickly. We must leave Chang’an right away.”

“What about the money in the store?”

“How much of it is ours?”

“About fifty thousand guan. The general’s new silver coins haven’t arrived yet. The rest is money stored by various merchants. I think they’ll flock here to withdraw it tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s urgent to tell everyone to leave Chang’an.”

Chang Jin pulled Li Yunfeng along, and the two disappeared into the darkness. That night, Chang Jin and his group left Chang’an. They didn’t dare go to Anxi either, so they hid in the suburbs near Chang’an.

Although the mystery surrounding Li Qing’an’s origins was kept tightly secret, the news still leaked out. By dawn the next day, a tense atmosphere filled the various government offices in the Imperial City and Daming Palace. No one dared to discuss it openly, but glances and notes quietly spread the news: Li Qing’an was actually a descendant of Prince Jiancheng. This came as a surprise to many and was incredibly exciting. Although several of Li Jiancheng’s sons had been killed, many people knew of a legend that eighteen generals had protected Consort Chang and fled Chang’an, their fate unknown. This had always been considered an obscure legend, and after a hundred years, its truth or falsehood no longer mattered. But today, the revelation of Li Qing’an’s true origins made people think again of that century-old legend—it turned out to be true.

This dramatic revelation sparked endless speculation among the officials. They also heard that Li Longji was so enraged by it that he nearly fainted, adding more drama to the story and making it even more extraordinary. Some imaginative people even began to wonder what it would mean if Li Jiancheng’s descendants replaced Li Shimin’s descendants a hundred years later—what a irony it would be for the Xuanwu Gate Incident of a century ago.

Was it possible? No one knew, but no one said it was impossible. Li Qing’an controlled Anxi and commanded a force of 200,000 elite soldiers. How many troops were there in Guanzhong, and how many in the heartland of the Tang Dynasty?

Just as dawn broke, Li Longji finally regained consciousness thanks to the efforts of several imperial physicians. His awakening brought joy to the palace, but that joy was quickly suppressed by Yu Chaoyen, who ordered silence—the emperor needed rest. Li Longji indeed needed rest. From the moment he opened his eyes, he stared blankly at the ceiling. He had never been so clear-headed before, and many forgotten things suddenly came flooding back to his mind.

That year, he was 28, full of vigor and ambition. His father pointed at him and said to his brothers, “See? This is the second son of Taizong.” It was at that moment that his status as the supreme ruler was established. His elder brother, intimidated by his authority, voluntarily gave up the throne, prompting his father to exclaim, “Jiancheng is dead! Xuanwu Gate no longer exists!”

Forty-some years passed in the blink of an eye. As he neared old age, Li Jiancheng “revived” in his descendants, so close to him, and his arrows were so deadly that Li Longji couldn’t help but sigh to the heavens, “Father, Li Jiancheng isn’t dead!”

“Your Majesty, I offer one piece of advice—please remember it.”

Sun Siyi, the chief imperial physician standing by the dragon bed, whispered, “Your Majesty should no longer take that love-inducing flower. It has already severely damaged Your Majesty’s health.”
“I know. You may retire.”
Li Longji was annoyed that the physician had interrupted his reminiscences of the past. His tone was extremely impatient. Sun Siyi sighed, not knowing what to say. There were things he dared not utter—such as the fact that if it happened again, he would be powerless. He had just realized that the love-inducing flower was actually a highly dangerous aphrodisiac. It drew out vital energy from the internal organs, leaving behind hidden dangers. These dangers did not manifest immediately but accumulated over time. Once they reached a certain level and were triggered by external factors, they would cause catastrophic collapse within the body.
The reason this flower was more dangerous than the previous one was its concealment—it made the user feel only benefits without realizing the harmful effects, gradually making them dependent on it. Even after discovering this serious problem, Sun Siyi dared not speak out, as he had personally inspected both types of flowers and approved their use for the emperor. If he revealed the truth, wouldn’t that be considered treason?
At that moment, Yu Chaoen stepped forward and advised, “Doctor Sun, the emperor still has important matters to attend to. You should leave first.”
Sun Siyi nodded and left with his medicine box. As soon as he left, Li Longji said to Wu Xianyi sitting beside him, “Bring me a pill—the one I take every day.”
Wu Xianyi knew what Li Longji wanted, but she was also worried. “Your Majesty, didn’t the physician just say that pill should not be taken anymore?”
“Dare you ignore my orders?”
Wu Xianyi had no choice but to give a signal to the maid behind her. The maid left and returned shortly after with a golden box, which she handed to Wu Xianyi. Wu Xianyi opened the box and took out a crimson pill the size of a grape. After staring at it for a moment, she reluctantly helped Li Longji swallow it.
After taking the pill, after some time, Li Longji’s pale complexion gradually turned rosy. He nodded and said to the eunuch, “Call the Head of the Imperial Clan Affairs office in.”
The Imperial Clan Affairs office was the government department in charge of royal affairs. Currently, its head was Li Lin, the Prince of Sining, the son of Li Longji’s elder brother.
He quickly entered the room, bowed, and said, “Your servant Li Lin pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live forever!”
“That’s enough!”
Li Longji waved his hand lightly and asked, “Do you know why I’ve called you here?”
“I do!”
Li Longji glanced around at the people present and said, “All of you, leave.”

After everyone had left, he slowly said, “Speak then!”
Li Lin opened a volume and took out a yellowed memorial, speaking in a low voice, “There are no records in the historical archives. This volume has always been a secret not to be opened casually among the imperial family. It contains clues about the descendants of Prince Jiancheng. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, both Jiancheng and Yuanji were killed. Only Jiancheng’s second daughter, Princess Li Wanshun of Wenxi County, survived. However, Princess Chang was indeed rescued by Jiancheng’s guards and escaped. This memorial was an urgent report written by Li Yingyun, the governor of Fengxiang at the time, stating that Princess Chang passed through Fengxiang, as news of the Xuanwu Gate Incident had not yet reached there.”
Li Lin took out another yellowed piece of paper and said, “This is a pulse diagnosis record from the imperial physician of the Eastern Palace for Princess Chang, taken a month before the Xuanwu Gate Incident. It clearly states that she was pregnant—meaning Princess Chang was indeed carrying a child. This is why Jiancheng’s eighteen generals abandoned his four sons and escorted only Princess Chang in her escape.”
“What happened after that?”
Li Longji asked with a dark expression, “Where did Princess Chang go? Are there any records?”
Li Lin shook her head and said, “I checked all the volumes last night, but there are no records. However, Jiancheng had a very good relationship with the Khan of Western Turkistan, so it’s possible she fled to Suiye. And…”
“And what?”
“And the informant mentioned a pair of dragon-and-phoenix patterned jade pendants. Those were indeed Prince Jiancheng’s beloved possessions, bestowed by Emperor Gaozu. After the house was raided, their whereabouts were unknown. The Judicial Department also confirmed that Li Qingan carried a phoenix-patterned jade pendant on him when he was imprisoned two years ago. Therefore, I believe there’s a 90% chance that Li Qingan is indeed a descendant of Prince Jiancheng.”
“Damn that Gao Lishi!”
Li Longji gritted his teeth and said, “Bring that old slave to me!”
A moment later, Gao Lishi entered the room in panic. He had been waiting in the palace for an audience. He had also heard about Li Qingan’s situation and knew that Li Longji would surely summon him once he woke up.
When the Ministry of Personnel investigated Li Qingan’s background, they indeed found a flaw—his origins were unclear. In his own resume, he claimed his ancestors were from Luoyang and listed his grandfather’s and father’s names, but the Ministry failed to find any records of them in Luoyang’s civil registers. He secretly informed Li Qingan of this issue, and soon Li Qingan produced another resume stating that his grandfather had moved to Suiye in the third year of the Jinglong era. Later, Han people from Suiye provided a certificate, which he knew was fake, but he didn’t take it seriously. Yet Gao Lishi never expected that Li Qingan could actually be a descendant of Li Jiancheng.

He knew very well what this meant. Later, Li Jiancheng was made the Crown Prince in name only; it was merely Li Shimin’s pretentious act. In fact, all of Li Shimin’s descendants have been troubled by the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which has always been a source of distress for them. Now that Jiancheng had a son, and it was none other than Li Qing’an, how could this not drive Li Longji to fury?

Gao Lishi was even more worried about himself. He had long acted as Li Qing’an’s backer, which would make Li Longji suspect him of knowing about it but failing to report it.

Anxiously, Gao Lishi knelt down and said, “Your humble servant, Gao Lishi, pays his respects to Your Majesty.”

“Gao Lishi, how do you plan to explain this to me?”