Chapter 150 "Meeting an Old Friend in a Distant Land"

Surrounded by Li Chuan, Li Xuan, Xue Sheng, and others, Li Fuguo sat tall in the saddle of a magnificent steed. With outriders clearing the path ahead and guards in gleaming armor protecting the rear, he advanced slowly with an imposing, majestic air and a full retinue, preparing to enter the city.

Though Li Fuguo was merely a eunuch, he wore the prestigious mantle of an imperial envoy and a favorite of the emperor. Even Prince Guo, Li Ju, could not afford to deny him a certain degree of respect. In truth, this was only because Li Ju was a member of the imperial Li clan of Tang; any other regional warlord would likely not have accorded him such courteous treatment.

Cunning beyond measure and unfathomably deep in his scheming, Li Fuguo had chosen to flee north of the Yangtze and seek refuge with Li Ju precisely because he recognized that Li Ju, as a scion of the imperial house, possessed a loyalty to the royal family far exceeding that of anyone else.

This alone demonstrated Li Fuguo's innate craftiness.

Li Ju sending his heir apparent to welcome him was, in Li Fuguo's eyes, an unexpected delight. It signified that he, the imperial envoy and favorite of the emperor, commanded sufficient importance in Li Ju's eyes. Consequently, by settling temporarily in Pengcheng and basking in the borrowed authority of the imperial banner, he felt he had secured various guarantees for his safety.

Squinting his small eyes, Li Fuguo proceeded at a leisurely pace, swaying gently in the saddle. Suddenly, the corner of his eye caught a familiar figure from behind. Turning his head suspiciously for a closer look, he immediately picked out Kong Sheng, Wu Xian, and Wu Xie from the crowd of onlookers, merchants, and travelers lining the official highway.

There are four great joys in life: "Sudden heavy rain after a long drought; meeting an old friend in a distant land; the wedding night in the bridal chamber; passing the imperial examinations." Although Kong Sheng could hardly be called an old friend of Li Fuguo, catching sight of him so suddenly in this unfamiliar city of Pengcheng filled Li Fuguo with boundless joy. Remembering the miserable trials of his flight from Jiangnan, he nearly wept tears of relief.

Li Fuguo reined in his horse, burst into loud laughter, pointed forward, and called out, "Kong Sheng! Young Master Kong! Do you still remember this humble servant?"

At Li Fuguo's sudden exclamation, Li Xuan followed the direction of his finger and caught sight of Kong Sheng standing gracefully against the wind like a jade tree in the breeze. A complex swirl of emotions—joy, astonishment, annoyance, and resentment—rushed over her.

Kong Sheng’s previous impoliteness and offenses had long since been forgiven by Li Xuan, especially after the incident outside Wangjia堡, where Kong Sheng had led fifty horsemen to risk their lives destroying the rebel siege engines and fought a fierce battle. However, her annoyance and frustration stemmed from her earnest attempts to recruit Kong Sheng into her father Prince Guo's service, only for him to repeatedly make excuses, decline, and ultimately stand her up outside Wangjia堡.

Composing himself and realizing he must not commit any breach of etiquette before such prominent figures of Pengcheng as Li Xuan and Li Chuan, Kong Sheng quickly handed his painted halibard and the Wind-Chasing Steed to Mu Changfeng. He stepped forward with long strides, bowed deeply before Li Fuguo’s horse, and said, "Kong Sheng pays his respects to the Imperial Envoy Lord Li!"

Wu Xian and Wu Xie also stepped forward reluctantly, bowing deeply and respectfully: "We, imperial guards Wu Xian and Wu Xie, pay our respects to Your Excellency the Envoy!"

***

Li Fuguo dismounted with a hearty laugh and warmly raised Kong Sheng to his feet before the gathered crowd. "Kong Sheng, are you on your way to assume your post in Henan?"

Kong Sheng nodded. "Indeed, I am."

Li Chuan, the Heir Apparent of Prince Guo, looked somewhat surprised. He swept his gaze over Kong Sheng and his companions, quickly exchanging a glance with Xue Sheng, the Prefect of Pengcheng. But almost immediately, he saw his own younger sister, Princess Fengyang Li Xuan, also dismount, take two steps forward, and stand motionless with an ambiguous, half-smiling expression directed at Kong Sheng.

Helpless, Kong Sheng had no choice but to bite the bullet, step forward, and bow. "Greetings, Princess Fengyang!"

Li Xuan gave a cold hum. "Kong Sheng, Magistrate Kong, you have repeatedly toyed with this Princess and even took your leave without a word at Wangjia堡. You certainly have a great deal of nerve!"

Knowing he could not admit to any of this—otherwise, the trouble would be immense—Kong Sheng immediately straightened his expression and replied, "Replying to Your Highness, Kong Sheng was summoned to take office in Henan. Mindful of the national crisis and anxious to reach my post, if there were any lapses in etiquette, I beg Your Highness to forgive me!"

Li Xuan was just about to issue another reprimand when she noticed her older brother, Heir Apparent Li Chuan, studying Kong Sheng from horseback. Startled, she instantly swept away her displeasure, her expression turning calm and serene. "Kong Sheng, since your journey to your post takes you past Pengcheng, you will accompany this Princess into the city. I still have questions to ask you."

With that, Li Xuan walked back to her mount and leaped lightly and fluidly into the saddle.

After exchanging a few brief, polite pleasantries with Kong Sheng, Li Fuguo also remounted and turned to Li Chuan and Xue Sheng with a smile. "Your Highness, Lord Xue, this young man is the Jiangnan scholar Kong Sheng, whose poetry and prose are renowned throughout the realm. Have you ever heard his name?"

Li Chuan looked startled. "So he is Kong Sheng! I have indeed caught wind of a few of his poems and essays."

Li Chuan cast another deep, searching glance at Kong Sheng, then looked toward Li Xuan, thinking to himself that this young man was actually the famous Kong Sheng of Jiangnan, originating from Jiangning. Calling him the foremost talent of Jiangnan was surely an exaggeration, yet his appearance was indeed refined and striking. But how on earth did his younger sister come to know him?

Talented though Kong Sheng might be, in the eyes of Prince Guo's heir apparent, he was at best a scholarly youth worthy of a second glance—nothing more. Li Chuan did not pay him much mind; what concerned him was how Li Xuan had come to be acquainted with Kong Sheng, as the situation seemed rather unusual.

***

Xue Sheng smiled and said, "This official has read his *Song of Everlasting Regret*. For such a youthful scholar to possess such brimming talent is indeed extraordinary."

Li Fuguo laughed heartily, "His Majesty has already bestowed upon him the title of Imperial Student and officially decreed him Magistrate of Songcheng County, Suiyang Prefecture, in Henan Circuit, with an eighth-rank official post. Considering his ardent desire to serve the imperial court, this humble servant even dispatched two palace guards to escort him all the way. Meeting him here outside Pengcheng as he travels to his post in Henan can only be described as destiny."

Li Chuan and Xue Sheng let out simultaneous exclamations of understanding, though neither glanced at Kong Sheng again. Instead, they merely offered polite smiles and escorted Li Fuguo into the city.

A minor eighth-rank magistrate, and one assigned to the war-torn Suiyang Prefecture in Henan Circuit at that, was even less worthy of attention.

Li Xuan, however, secretly instructed her attendants to bring Kong Sheng and his three companions into the city afterward, intending to make her own arrangements for them.

In truth, Kong Sheng had deliberately raised his head and squared his shoulders to make himself conspicuous enough for Li Fuguo to recognize him. Though he originally wished to avoid entering Pengcheng and entangling himself with Prince Guo's faction, the crisis facing Yang Qi and the Yang family prompted him to temporarily decide to meet with Li Fuguo at an opportune moment and sound out the eunuch's reaction.

Taking the painted halberd from Mu Changfeng, Kong Sheng mounted the Wind-Chasing Steed and fell in closely behind Li Xuan’s retinue. Glancing back, Li Xuan caught sight of him carrying an oversized, heavy-looking painted halberd and thought to herself: *Where on earth did this fellow acquire such a long halberd? Still, given his physical strength, wielding a weapon like that does suit him well.*

Wu Xian and Wu Xie felt a mixture of complex emotions upon encountering their "former master" Li Fuguo here. As for Mu Changfeng, his actions followed Kong Sheng's lead above all else; since Kong Sheng had chosen to voluntarily expose himself, Mu Changfeng cared even less.

Following the group into the city, the four men were about to look for an inn when they were unceremoniously directed by Li Xuan’s men into a courtyard estate in the northern part of the city. Judging by the appearance of the place, it seemed to be the personal property of Princess Fengyang.

In reality, Pengcheng was Li Xuan’s fiefdom, and she possessed no small amount of private property within its walls. To put it bluntly, her father Li Ju owed his very ability to establish a foothold in Pengcheng in the first place entirely to the reflected glory of his daughter.