Chapter 664: The Leopard Skin Incident

It was already noon when they returned from Bashi. The three thousand cavalry stopped outside the city, and Li Qing’an switched to a carriage, traveling simply toward the city. It happened to be a temple fair day, with a large market right outside Chunming Gate. Stalls covered most of the main road, and the crowd was bustling with people coming to the market. Li Qing’an’s personal guards did not try to disperse them—after all, their lord needed to gain reputation at this time, and since there was nothing particularly urgent, there was no need to disturb the market.

The group slowed down their horses, protecting the carriage as they moved slowly along the narrow road. They were not far from the city gates now. Sitting inside the carriage, Li Qing’an looked out the window with interest at the lively market. Temple fairs were organized spontaneously by the people, and to some extent, they served as a barometer of the economy. Such fairs only appeared when ordinary people had surplus items—similar to flea markets in later times—and the more surplus goods they had, the more prosperous the market became.

In war-torn counties like those in Hebei, markets would never reappear. Yet the market before them stretched for miles, with a sea of people. There were various agricultural products, rare delicacies, handmade crafts, farming tools, rice sellers, meat sellers, vegetables and fruits, buns and steamed buns, as well as handwoven cloth. Even many shops in the Western Market set up stalls—almost everything was available. It attracted not only people from the surrounding villages but also those from within Chang’an City, who came to buy fresh game or rare items. Families traveled together, as if it were a festival.

“Stop!” Li Qing’an shouted. The carriage came to a halt. His personal guard captain stepped forward and said, “General, please give your orders.”

Li Qing’an pointed to a stall about ten steps away and ordered the captain, “Take what’s in that stall and show it to me.”

Dozens of guards immediately rushed over. The stall was small and not located near the road, tucked among several rows of stalls, making it hard to spot. The owner, likely aware of this, had built a simple wooden frame to display high-quality furs. From his vantage point in the carriage, Li Qing’an immediately saw something familiar on the frame.

Perhaps because the furs in his stall were precious, several merchants had already discovered this treasure and were haggling with him.

“Move aside! Move aside!” Dozens of burly soldiers rushed over, scaring the merchants into retreating quickly.

After a moment, the soldier led the vendor and his goods to the carriage. The vendor, around thirty years old, was stocky and had an honest-looking face. He was pulled over by the soldier, trembling with fear, yet tightly clutched several of his most valuable furs in his arms.

Li Qing’an had sharp eyes; he had immediately noticed a black leopard skin on the vendor’s rack, which made him doubt his own sight. Could it be a mistake? Was it not leopard skin? Now, that black fur was in the vendor’s arms, held tightly by him. Li Qing’an examined it carefully. Though not entirely sure, he sensed it was indeed leopard skin. Without opening the carriage window, he asked through the curtain, “Is the black fur in your arms black leopard skin?”

The vendor trembled with fear and couldn’t speak. The soldier pushed him, “I’m asking you! Why don’t you answer?”
“It’s… it’s black leopard skin.”
“Show it to me.”
The vendor stepped back in fear, still clutching the fur tightly, but the soldier snatched it from his arms. When the vendor tried to reclaim it, the soldier held him down firmly.

Li Qing’an took the black leopard skin and laid it flat on the small table. At a glance, he saw the scars on the skin—caused by arrows fired by Gao Wu years ago, repaired later but leaving indelible marks. There was only one such leopard skin in the world with arrow holes; he, Li Qing’an, had hunted it in Ling Mountain ten years ago. After several changes of hands, it eventually ended up in Li Linfu’s possession. After Li Linfu’s house was raided, the leopard skin went to the palace, and it was said later to have been given to the imperial family by Li Longji.

How could it now be in the hands of a peasant? He found it utterly puzzling. If this leopard skin had appeared in a shop in the Eastern Market, it would have made sense, but for a rather ordinary peasant to hang it on a rack and sell it at a market during a temple fair was baffling. The other furs in his arms were also quite precious.

“How much do you want for this black leopard skin? I’ll buy it.”
“I want… a hundred silver coins.”

He wanted to sell such an invaluable black leopard skin for just a hundred silver coins! Back then, Gao Wu had offered 150 silver taels and still hadn’t sold it. This bastard was only asking a hundred silver coins.

Li Qing’an immediately realized this black leopard skin likely had an uncertain origin. He wanted to question the man further, but seeing that many passersby had gathered and traffic was getting congested, he ordered, “Take this man to the city tower to question him.”

The carriage set off, taking the mysterious vendor toward the city gates. Moments later, it entered the city. Li Qing’an went straight to the city tower and sat down on a brick.

A few soldiers brought the stall owner up. The owner already knew a little about Li Qing’an’s identity and, terrified, knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, “My lord… please spare my life!”
The man appeared to be an honest farmer, but Li Qing’an saw a hint of cunning in his eyes. Li Qing’an pointed at the leopard skin and asked, “I won’t kill you. Just tell me the truth—where did you get this leopard skin?”
The man replied nervously, “This leopard skin… it’s been in our family for generations!”
Li Qing’an’s expression darkened. “Beat him twenty times!”
A few bodyguards grabbed the man and began beating him with sticks. The blows rained down like rain, causing the man to cry out in pain. Soon, after twenty blows, the man was covered in wounds and lay motionless on the ground.
Li Qing’an said coldly, “I’ll give you one last chance. If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll execute you on the spot for theft!”
The man was terrified, his face pale as clay. He finally confessed, “These items belong to my brother. He hid them with me, but he ran away without a trace. My family wanted to build a house, so I thought of selling these furs to get some money.”
“What does your brother do?”
“My brother… my brother…”
The man stammered, refusing to speak. The bodyguards prodded his wounds with their sticks, demanding, “Speak!”
The man grimaced in pain, almost fainting.
Li Qing’an waved his hand, ordering the bodyguards not to hurt him for now. He said to the man, “If you tell me the truth, even if your brother committed a crime, I won’t hold you accountable. I’ll give you money to treat your wounds, but only if you speak the truth. Otherwise, once I find out the truth, I’ll have you arrested to take the blame for your brother.”
The man no longer dared to hide anything and began to confess honestly. “My name is Hong Dabao. I’m from Baqiao, outside the eastern city. My father was a tenant farmer for the Prince of Qi. After the Prince of Qi died, our family became tenant farmers for his successor. I have a brother named Hong Sanlang, who used to be a servant in the Prince of Qi’s household. After the Prince and his family fled to Chengdu, my brother and a few other servants were left to guard the old house in Chang’an. Last year, my brother stole some items from the Prince’s household, including these furs. Afraid of being caught by the authorities, he ran away. Before leaving, he gave me these furs and asked me to raise his son. He said that if he didn’t return within a year, the furs would belong to me. It’s been over a year now, and these furs are of no use to me, so I wanted to sell them for some money. I just set up my stall when the lord saw me. I beg the lord to spare my life.”

After saying that, he kowtowed repeatedly. Li Qing’an nodded in approval—this was much better. Stealing it from the Prince Siqi’s mansion made the story more plausible.
“Since all these furs are stolen goods, they’re not yours. According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, hiding stolen goods is a crime that warrants imprisonment. But since I’ve promised not to pursue you, I’ll spare you this time—though the stolen goods must be confiscated.”
Li Qing’an ordered his guards, “Give him twenty silver coins to heal his wounds and let him go!”
A few soldiers carried the man away. Li Qing’an gently stroked the soft black panther skin, feeling a sense of nostalgia, as if he had returned to his days guarding the fortress ten years ago.
Seeing that Li Qing’an seemed particularly fond of the black panther skin, the nearby guard captain joked, “If the general likes it, he might as well keep it.”
Li Qing’an shook his head and said to the guards around him, “This black panther skin was originally mine. Back then, I hunted in Ling Mountain to make money and almost died at the hands of this black panther.”
Noticing the guards’ astonished expressions, he stood up and said, “I’ll keep the panther skin. Now I’m returning to the mansion.”
He then ordered the guard captain, “Go to the imperial city and bring me the Minister of the Imperial Clan Registry.”
…
The Minister of the Imperial Clan Registry, Li Yi, was the same “beggar ancestor of the clan” that Li Qing’an had met at the Temple of Ancestors in Luoyang last year. He had lived in poverty, but thanks to Li Qing’an’s accidental visit to the temple, his life changed completely. He was not only made Prince of Sijiang but also promoted to Minister of the Imperial Clan Registry, becoming a high-ranking official in the court.
Li Yi was extremely grateful to Li Qing’an, but he was even more afraid that Li Qing’an might have raised him out of mere whim, turning his newly acquired high status into nothing. To preserve his position and wealth, he spent his days trying to figure out Li Qing’an’s intentions.
In fact, Li Qing’an’s intentions were clear to everyone. The key was why Li Qing’an had chosen him. After much thought, Li Yi came to three conclusions: First, he was the oldest among the existing Li clan members. Even Li Longji had to address him as “uncle.” This high status gave him considerable influence within the clan. Second, he was not a descendant of Li Shimin. His grandfather, Prince Jiang Li Yuanxiang, was Li Shimin’s younger brother, while Li Qing’an was a descendant of Li Jiancheng—this was very important. Third, he had done something that shocked the entire clan at the Temple of Ancestors. In front of Li Qing’an, he replaced Li Shimin’s spirit tablet with that of Li Jiancheng.
It was these three reasons that allowed him to rise from obscurity to become Minister of the Imperial Clan Registry. But Li Yi was sharper than anyone else. Li Qing’an didn’t want him to be a mere figurehead; he wanted him to play a role at critical moments.

Li Yi also didn’t know what to do. A few days ago, during the incident with the auspicious sign, he nearly lost his head and created another one in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Fortunately, before he could carry it out, people were already being arrested, which made him secretly relieved. This also made Li Yi realize a truth: he shouldn’t act on his own. When Li Qing’an needed him to do something, he would naturally come to find him, just like now. Upon being summoned by Li Qing’an, Li Yi rushed over like the wind.