Chapter Eighteen: The Crown Prince's Invitation

In the bedchamber of the Prince of Qin’s residence within the Great Wall City, Li Shimin lay on a soft couch, his eyes half closed. A court physician, over fifty with graying hair and beard, was cautiously feeling his pulse.

The physician alternately shook and nodded his head, at times furrowing his brows in worry.

Nearby, Princess Consort Changsun Wugou anxiously inquired, “Physician Chen, how is the Prince’s illness? Is he improving?”

A look of delight flashed across the physician’s face as he enthusiastically replied, “Your Highness, the Prince’s pulse is steady and strong. There is no longer any danger.”

Suddenly, Li Shimin opened his eyes and barked, “Nonsense!”

Though Changsun Wugou was no expert in medicine, she could tell from Li Shimin’s energetic tone that he hardly seemed like an ill man.

Realizing he might have lost his composure, Li Shimin theatrically pressed his head and groaned, “Why is it that I, your lord, feel weakness in my limbs, have lost my appetite for days, and am plagued by restless sleep?”

Out of the corner of his eye, the physician glanced at Li Shimin’s flushed face, utterly unconvinced by his claim of poor appetite—especially since a lamb bone lay conspicuously beneath the small table at the head of the bed. Trembling, the physician stammered, “Well…”

Though Changsun Wugou did not understand why Li Shimin was feigning illness, she knew that with his temperament, he would only make matters worse. Rising to her feet, she retrieved a pure gold longevity lock from her dressing box and handed it to the physician.

“I’ve heard your eldest grandson’s hundred-day celebration is approaching. I am unable to attend in person, but accept this small token of regard.”

“How could I possibly accept?” Though the physician protested, he took the gold lock without the faintest trace of reluctance.

Watching him pocket the lock, Changsun Wugou said, “Physician Qin, you know what to say now, don’t you?”

“Yes, yes, of course!” the physician replied quickly. “His Highness has been invaded by an evil wind and must remain in bed for some days for proper rest…”

After the physician left, Changsun Wugou pouted in displeasure. “Second Brother, why must you pretend to be ill and frighten me so? Do you have any idea what I’ve endured these days? I’ve neither eaten nor slept properly.”

“Guanyin, you’ve suffered on my account,” Li Shimin sighed helplessly. “But I have no other choice. After the crushing defeat at Qianshuiyuan, someone must step forward to bear the blame.”

Changsun Wugou replied, “Didn’t Father already rebuke Liu Wenjing? I heard he’s even to be stripped of his office! How could this responsibility fall on you?”

“There’s something you don’t know,” Li Shimin explained. “Though many at court grumble about the defeat at Qianshuiyuan, that is not the true issue. The real problem is the mounting calls, both within the court and without, for a campaign to retaliate against Xiqin and Xue Ju.”

Changsun Wugou, astute as she was, instantly grasped the real reason behind Li Shimin’s feigned illness. He had been so shaken by Xue Ju’s attack that he dared not take the field again as commander against Xiqin.

Just then, Lei Yongji’s voice sounded from outside the door. “Your servant has urgent news to report!”

“Come in at once!” Li Shimin called.

Changsun Wugou, about to withdraw with her maids, was stopped by Li Shimin. “There’s no harm in you hearing this. We’re all family.”

“Is there news from Jingyang?” Li Shimin asked Lei Yongji eagerly. “Has word come from Jingyang?”

“Your Highness, news has arrived!” Lei Yongji reported. “Our men who accompanied Princess Pingyang to Jingyang have sent word—the city has held.”

“It held?” Li Shimin exclaimed in astonishment. “How is that possible? With only fifty defeated and wounded soldiers, how could Jingyang be defended? Does Guan Yingyue truly possess such skill?”

“It wasn’t Guan Yingyue,” Lei Yongji replied. “That coward fled at the first sight of Zong Luo Hou’s army and was beheaded by Zong Luo Hou himself. In a single clash, forty-three of our fifty Tang soldiers fell. But then a recruit named Chen Ying, hiding a broken arrow, feigned surrender to get close to Zong Luo Hou, seized him unawares, and forced the Xiqin troops to lay down their arms. Once disarmed, Chen Ying rallied the people of Jingyang, and together they annihilated more than three thousand of Zong Luo Hou’s men—over twenty-five hundred heads were taken!”

“Truly, Heaven protects Great Tang,” Changsun Wugou thought in awe.

Li Shimin said, “Even with Zong Luo Hou slain, Xiqin still commands over a hundred thousand troops. They will not take this lightly. Did Third Sister really hold Jingyang with just five hundred soldiers?”

Lei Yongji explained, “A day later, the Xiqin crown prince Xue Renguo arrived at Jingyang with thirteen thousand troops. Chen Ying, using the captured Xiqin armor, formed a militia of over fifteen hundred local braves. Declaring himself Commander of Jingyang, he led these braves and Princess Pingyang in a desperate defense. This Chen Ying is truly cunning—he sent an envoy pretending to surrender to Xue Renguo, but the ruse was so clumsy that Xue Renguo saw through it immediately and ordered his general Yao Damu to attack. But Chen Ying’s real plan was to lure the Xiqin troops into the city. He had dug traps and used quicklime to blind them. In less than half an hour, he wiped out over three thousand of Yao Damu’s Qiang wolf-soldiers.”

“This Chen Ying is quite a talent!” Li Shimin exclaimed.

“Indeed!” Lei Yongji agreed. “Not only is he formidable in battle, his cunning is remarkable. After Xue Renguo lost half his men attacking Jingyang and was forced to retreat, Chen Ying deduced that something catastrophic had happened in Xiqin—either Xue Ju was gravely ill or already dead. As it turns out, news has just come: Xue Ju died suddenly in a fit of madness, and Xue Renguo has declared himself King of Xiqin!”

“Such a talent must not go unclaimed,” Li Shimin declared. “Xue Ju’s death is a blessing—without him, Xiqin is no longer a threat. Lei Yongji, make ready the carriage. I am going to the palace!”

...

Chen Ying and his companions arrived a full day after Princess Pingyang, reaching the Jingyao Gate on the west side of Chang’an just as the city gates were about to close.

Before Chen Ying’s carriage could approach the checkpoint, a man in a blue robe came forward and asked, “Are you General Chen Ying?”

“I am he,” Chen Ying replied, leaping from the carriage and bowing. “May I know your name?”

The man responded, “I am Wei Ting from the Eastern Palace. By order of the Crown Prince, I have come to welcome you.”

Li Shimin had recognized Chen Ying’s abilities, and so had Li Jiancheng. In fact, it was Wei Ting’s strategy that saw Xue Wan Che transferred from his post as Captain of the Right Guard in the Eastern Palace to Military Commandant of Zhechong in Jingzhou.

Wei Ting valued Chen Ying’s abilities even more highly—here was a genius who could turn a rabble into fierce warriors and hold his own against Xue Ju of Xiqin. Such a man was not only a talent; if Chen Ying became an ally of the Eastern Palace, it would deal a heavy blow to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin, after all, had led one hundred and fifty thousand of Tang’s elite troops and suffered a disastrous defeat, losing a hundred thousand men. Meanwhile, the Eastern Palace, with a handful of troops, had defended Jingyang against overwhelming odds. The comparison between the two would be glaring.

Chen Ying, of course, was unaware of the rivalry between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin. He was simply grateful to find a place to stay. The guards from the residences of Princess Pingyang, Prince Zhao, and Prince Qin would all return to report, but he, Zhang Huaiwei, and You Ziying had nowhere to go.

Half-dazed, Chen Ying followed Wei Ting into the city and asked, “Master Wei, where are we going?”

“We are going to your own residence, General Chen.”