Chapter Thirty-Two: First Meeting with Li Jiancheng (Part One)

Su Hu’s expression was wooden, betraying neither joy nor anger. If he truly lacked all cunning or learning, he would never have reached his current station; after all, being a magistrate in the imperial capital was a precarious role. In Wannian County, where the streets teemed with nobles and marquises, to hold the post of magistrate was proof enough that Su Hu was no fool.

“I really underestimated that traitorous servant,” he mused. “Who would have thought, after barely a month apart, he’s already become General Ningyuan of the fifth rank—two grades higher than me!”

Huangfu Jingyuan said, “Has Chen Ying really become the consort of Princess Pingyang? I heard she nearly quarreled with the Crown Prince over recommending Chen Ying for the rank of Commandant of the Second Meritorious Guard. My lord, if I may be so bold, this matter deserves careful thought.”

Su Hu shook his head. “If it were Princess Gaomi, perhaps. But Princess Pingyang? Impossible!” Seeing Huangfu Jingwen’s look of confusion, he explained, “Think about what kind of person Princess Pingyang is. How could she fancy Chen Ying? The so-called Firewood Groom is no less handsome than Chen Ying, and his family background is a thousand times better. In terms of talent and martial skill, Chen Ying is not his match. What could Princess Pingyang possibly see in him? In Chang’an, nothing stays secret; rumors of Princess Gaomi are everywhere, but when have you ever heard of any gossip about Princess Pingyang?”

“If there’s nothing between him and the princess, then it’s simple,” Huangfu Jingyuan replied.

“That’s precisely what makes things most difficult,” Su Hu frowned. “Princess Pingyang would never recommend someone without reason. Everyone she’s ever put forward is extraordinary. I must admit, I truly misjudged him.”

“So are we to let him act so arrogantly, trampling the rules?” Huangfu Jingyuan said coldly.

“What else can we do? Do you really think I can touch a General Ningwu of the fifth rank?” Su Hu said with a bitter laugh. “Jingyuan, you’re underestimating the situation. Prince Qin was routed at Qianshuiyuan, while that traitorous servant Chen Ying, by a twist of fate, held Jinyang against the odds and even managed to kill the Western Qin’s King Yixing, Zong Luo Hou, securing a great victory. That general’s post was earned with his life. Now that the Ministry of Personnel has just conferred the title, to move against him would be impossible—not just because of Princess Pingyang, but even His Majesty would not tolerate it.”

“These are turbulent times for the Tang. That treacherous servant has a ruthless streak—fifty men held off more than three thousand Western Qin soldiers, slew their general, and routed their army. A man like that is a treasure for the Tang. Just wait: the Crown Prince’s court and Prince Qin’s household will surely compete to win him over.”

“So we’re to stand by while that lackey breaks all the rules?” Huangfu Jingyuan frowned.

To put it politely, Chen Ying was just a scribe’s page; to speak plainly, he was little better than a kept boy. Now to see him promoted to General Ningyuan of the fifth rank was as nauseating to Huangfu Jingyuan as swallowing a fly.

And it wasn’t just him; Su Hu too was filled with resentment.

“Not necessarily,” Su Hu replied with a cold laugh. “Just because I can’t act doesn’t mean others can’t.”

“My lord is planning to borrow another’s blade for the kill?”

“That traitorous servant is too blind to his own limits,” Su Hu said. “If he seeks his own death, no one else is to blame.”

……

The Tang empire was in a season of upheaval, and even the Crown Prince felt overwhelmed by the storm that raged at court. The rout at Qianshuiyuan demanded someone of sufficient weight to bear responsibility, and though Liu Wenjing had not been the main culprit, he had maneuvered to keep his office by goading Li Shimin into launching a counterattack against Western Qin.

The timing was just right—Xue Ju was gravely ill and unable to govern. The Minister of Guards of Western Qin, Hao Yuan, held a longstanding grudge against the Crown Prince Xue Ringuo and, fearing retribution if Xue Ringuo ascended, goaded Xue Ju into naming his second son, Xue Renyue, as heir instead. At that moment, Xue Ringuo gathered his forces and surrounded Lanzhou, the capital, bringing Western Qin to the brink of civil war.

But things were no better for Tang: in the east, Wang Shichong eyed Tongguan with tens of thousands of troops, and the defeat at Qianshuiyuan had sapped their strength.

It seemed fate favored Li Shimin, for just as he sought his father’s permission to strike at Western Qin, the former Sui governor of Hechi, Xiao Yu, defected to Tang, bringing nearly thirty thousand soldiers. Together with the remnants rallied after the defeat, Li Shimin now commanded sixty thousand men—enough to launch a counteroffensive.

Yet what truly troubled Li Jiancheng was Liu Wenjing, who had repeatedly urged Emperor Gaozu in public to depose him and install Li Shimin as Crown Prince. Should Li Shimin crush Western Qin and seize five prefectures, Li Jiancheng’s place as heir would be in grave danger.

“I must win merit,” Li Jiancheng thought to himself.

The fact that Xue Ringuo dared to surround Lanzhou suggested either Xue Ju had died or was too ill to lead; otherwise, Xue Ringuo would never have dared such an act. Without Xue Ju, Western Qin was a toothless tiger, and the reckless Xue Ringuo a fat sheep.

But how could he win merit now?

The Six Guards of the Eastern Palace were little more than an empty shell; they could barely maintain order, let alone fight.

In a foul mood, Li Jiancheng wandered Chang’an in a carriage with Wei Ting. Unknowingly, they came upon the main camp of the First Meritorious Guard. Within, soldiers drank, gambled, quarreled, and boasted—making the camp resemble a bustling marketplace, with not a trace of military discipline.

Li Jiancheng’s face darkened with rage at the sight.

Wei Ting cursed, “This rabble…”

But Li Jiancheng was too dispirited even to be angry. After the defeat at Qianshuiyuan, the Six Guards had suffered most. If even he had lost hope, what could be expected of ordinary soldiers?

“Let’s go back.”

The Crown Prince’s carriage turned to leave, but as they passed the neighboring camp of the Second Meritorious Guard, Li Jiancheng was surprised.

Though only three hundred men remained in the Second Guard, every officer and soldier was running laps around the parade ground—fully armed, led by Chen Ying, each man drenched in sweat.

Chen Ying shouted as he ran, “Run faster, damn it! If you can’t even run, you’ll just be cannon fodder on the battlefield!”

Exhausted though they were, not one of the Second Guard dared slacken. The screams of Yin Yuan and the others from the solitary cell still echoed in their ears; they feared that lightless prison far more than any punishment. They would rather face the rod than spend a night in that dark hole.

Li Jiancheng’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Who is that?”

Wei Ting hesitated, “That is the newly appointed Commandant of the Second Meritorious Guard, Chen Ying…”