Chapter 99

"What a mess, I’ll know once I take a look!" Li Er reached out and slapped Li Kuan on the head, then took the brocade pouch from his hand. The pouch was sealed with fine silk threads, but that didn’t stop Li Er. He never lacked weapons, and at his waist hung the famous sword, Longyuan, which was later renamed Longquan after Li Yuan’s death. At this moment, the sword was still called Longyuan. In ancient times, it was common to change names after someone’s death to avoid taboos, just as Li Shiji had to change his name to Li Ji after Li Er’s death. In modern times, who cares about such things? After the death of the founding ancestor, those named after horses didn’t have to change their names to something else!

We’ve strayed a bit, let’s return to the Tang Dynasty, 1,400 years ago, in the imperial palace, the imperial garden. This place, usually off-limits to ministers, was now open to Li Er after his ascension to the throne. Normally, it was a forbidden area for the harem, a place for concubines and palace maids, with few guards, let alone ministers. Just like in this era, the backyards of any noble family were off-limits to visitors, a place they could not enter. Li Er now drew the Longyuan sword from his waist, slicing open the pouch. Inside was a scroll of paper, lightly folded several times.

Li Er sheathed the sword, then pulled out the paper scroll, unfolded it, and his expression changed dramatically.

"Tell me! About your uncle!" Li Er was shocked, as the contents of the scroll made his cold sweat pour. It only had ten words, but they felt like ten sharp knives piercing his heart. It read, "Jiali raises the sword, the White Horse is beheaded at the Wei River!" What did this mean? It was easy to understand that the Turks were about to invade, but the second part was more intriguing. What did "beheading the White Horse at the Wei River" mean? Could Jiali lead the Turks to the banks of the Wei River? If that were true, how far would the Tang Dynasty be from its downfall? Li Er didn’t believe the Tang soldiers would be so easily defeated, so he wanted to know more.

"What does Father want to know?" Li Kuan blinked innocently. He just wanted to remind Li Er. How did this get tied to his uncle? You know what’s going to happen, why not prepare instead of looking for some mysterious uncle?

"I want to know how much he knows and how reliable he is. Otherwise, moving troops is no game!" Li Er was very serious. Although he rarely smiled at Li Kuan, this time he seemed particularly solemn.

"Your son can’t say much!" Li Kuan didn’t know what to say, so he tried to dodge the question.

"Whatever you know, just say it!" Li Er placed his hands on Li Kuan’s shoulders and looked down at his face.

"Your son only knows that this uncle is surnamed Liu, named Ji, with the courtesy name Bo Wen. My teacher said he once studied divination in Daoism and secretly learned the so-called Buddha’s prophecy in Buddhism. He combined the best of both and added the dialectical thought of our scientists. Finally, he took a crucial step, using known conditions and major events to predict significant changes that would affect the world." Li Kuan racked his brain, thinking of the few famous figures from the future, and finally came up with one who fit the criteria. "Three kingdoms, Zhuge Liang; unifying the empire, Liu Bowen." This founding prime minister of the Ming Dynasty was the best fit, so Li Kuan brought him into the fold of the scientists.

"Liu Bowen?" Li Er pondered. Another name he hadn’t heard of, showing that the world was full of hidden talents. He wondered where the scientists found so many remarkable people, passed down through generations!

"How did your uncle know such confidential information? Does he really have the ability to predict the future?" Li Er asked.

"Father, this isn’t predicting the future; it’s making inferences based on current events," Li Kuan replied.

"Never mind, your sect is deeply hidden. I’ve tried to gather information for years, but found nothing. I just want to warn you, if they do anything to harm the Tang Dynasty, you’ll be the first to pay!" Li Er said helplessly. He found the scientists impossible to track down, hidden so well that no one had discovered them in a thousand years.

"Your son guarantees that our sect will never harm the Tang Dynasty. They need things that are currently useless to the Tang!" Li Kuan answered confidently. In this era of low productivity, oil and coal had little use. Li Kuan never thought of using them to accelerate the Tang’s development. The gray skies and polluted air of the future had already made him suffer, especially after mastering the Heart Intent Fist, which made his senses more acute. He didn’t want to breathe that dusty air again. In the Tang Dynasty, the sky was blue, the water was clear, and the vegetables were free of pesticides. This was perfect for Li Kuan, who had a simple, contented mindset. He just wanted to improve his diet and make his life more comfortable. As for other things, he hadn’t thought much about them. He was mainly testing the historical correction ability, fearing that one day he might be crushed by the wheels of history.

"Can your guarantee represent your sect?" Li Er didn’t believe his son’s promise. In this world, anything could be done for enough benefit. Even a sage could become a bandit, as Zhuangzi said, "As long as the sage lives, the great bandit will not cease." The scientists didn’t target the Tang Dynasty because there was no conflict of interest. If that changed, a small figure like Li Kuan couldn’t stop it. On one side was a powerful empire, on the other, a mysterious sect. Being caught in the middle wouldn’t be easy.

Li Er didn’t know that Li Kuan believed the sect had incredible power, able to deliver things to his son without his knowledge. This sect was likely more powerful than the noble families, so Li Er never gave up trying to control the scientists. If he had a way, Li Kuan would have been under house arrest until the sect was under his control.

Li Er didn’t ask further, but dismissed Li Kuan. The other princes then began to present their gifts. Li Ke, the third prince, who often clashed with Li Chenggan, presented a pair of fresh bear paws, which he had captured in the royal hunting grounds. This showed the rivalry between the two young princes, using lions, tigers, and bears as their stakes. Li Ke, with the blood of two royal families, was destined to be a side character, as the empire belonged to the Li family. If Yang Guang’s grandson became the ruler, the Li family would lose a lot. So, Li Ke was destined to never be emperor, but as a child, he couldn’t see this. He just wanted to compete with the eldest, showing his presence and gaining his father’s attention. Yang Fei, though not weak, was limited by her position, so she used her son to attract the emperor’s attention. Despite her beauty, which was the best among Li Er’s many women, even surpassing Changsun in appearance, Changsun’s strong and delicate character far exceeded Yang Fei’s, though Yang Fei was also remarkable.

Next were the two future troublemakers, who presented gold and silver. Li Er found these gifts tiresome. He didn’t lack such wealth, and the items they presented were clearly from the gifts he had given their mothers. Presenting them now was embarrassing, so Li Er just nodded and accepted them without comment.

Then came the princesses. Li Er’s favorite daughter, Li Lizhi, now the Princess Chang乐, stood at the front. Her gift was a map, which she had embroidered herself. On a two-foot square piece of silk, she depicted the landscapes of the Tang Dynasty, the Yellow River curving into the sea, Mount Tai for the imperial sacrifices, and the Kunlun Mountains, the ancestral home of the Chinese. Li Er laughed heartily, though the work wasn’t perfect, it was impressive for an eight-year-old.

The eldest princess, Xiangcheng, was fourteen and of marriageable age. Li Er had arranged a preliminary engagement for her with Xiao Rui, the eldest son of the Duke of Song, Xiao Yu. Xiao Rui was gentle and had excellent calligraphy, especially in clerical script. They planned to prepare for the wedding the following year. The second princess to present her gift was Xiangcheng, who offered a cloak she had made herself. The dark black cloak was made of fine silk, with a faint cloud dragon embroidered in gold thread, showing her excellent needlework.

Next, the Princesses Nanping and Suanan presented their gifts, followed by the youngest, Li Nianwei, also known as Yuzhang. The little girl, with her short legs, struggled to climb the high steps, but her serious expression made Li Er happy. He loved this little one, not because of her mother, but because Changsun had adopted her, and they had grown close over time.

The steps were high, especially for a child under three. After climbing a few, she ran out of energy, resting her small hands on her knees, mimicking Li Kuan’s breathing, and wiping her forehead with her left hand, though there was no sweat.

"So tiring! Huh, huh..." she muttered, then continued climbing. Presenting a gift was a big deal, and the little one was excited to give her first gift. Even the high stone steps couldn’t stop her fiery enthusiasm. She was determined to give her father a carefully prepared gift, a true desire in her heart. (To be continued...)