Chapter 17 A Shocking Turn of Events: Even Unplugging the Internet Can't Stop Me from Proposing to Her in Person...

This was a cold, austere city that Yang Guang loathed yet had to confront, far inferior to the light and warmth of Luoyang. Unpleasant memories of Daxing grew like moss in his heart; just as he managed to eradicate them, they would creep back into his gloomy soul, leaving him with no choice but to flee. On his first day in Daxing, Yang Guang began devising a new excuse for farewell.

When Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, returned to the capital to report, he successfully brought back the apparent submission and loyalty of Longyou to the emperor, acting as a link between the court and the powerful clans, in exchange for his son's freedom.

With so many malicious prophecies about "Li, the Mandate of Heaven," Yang Guang felt that perhaps he was indeed being paranoid. With the mediation of his son-in-law Yuwen Shi and Grand Master of the Palace Yu Shiji, Yang Guang finally magnanimously praised the Duke of Tang's loyalty, allowing him and his son to return home to await their new appointments.

The emperor now has more important matters to attend to, the most pressing of which is to execute Husi Zheng, who fled to Goguryeo and was subsequently captured and sent back, without sparing him any dignity. He must execute Husi Zheng in the most brutal and shocking way, and then punish his followers one by one according to the severity of their crimes, as a warning to others.

When Li Shimin signed his last letter in Luoyang, he received an imperial edict ordering him to return to Daxing (present-day Xi'an). This left him unsure whether the letter had been delivered to relatives and friends by his household servants by the time he arrived in Xi'an.

After the father and son expressed their gratitude, the boy exhaled a breath of stale air on Zhuque Street, bid farewell to his father, and hurried to Lizheng Lane, only to find that the Gao residence was deserted.

He disregarded his status and went with his servant to inquire around.

"Gao Zhililang was implicated in the Husizheng case, and his whole family moved away," a passing street official kindly reminded every visitor to Gao Shilian.

"Where did they move to?" Li Shimin's heart tightened. The street official shook his head and left with his guards.

A busybody said, "I heard from the servants who were dismissed from his household that Zhu Yuan was demoted because he associated with Hu Sizheng..."

"The red kite of Lingnan? The red kite of Jiaozhi?" He hoped that he was hallucinating or that the other person was slurring his words.

Not Zhu Yuan, not Zhu Yuan, even some place in Guizhou or Sichuan will do! Recalling the worries and fears in Changsun Qingjing's letter, Li Shimin began to regret why he hadn't tried to stay in Daxing.

"It's that Zhu Yuan, which is very far to the south! The Zhu Yuan that's very close to Lin Yi!" the other person said decisively. "By the way, it's the place where you can buy and sell Kunlun slaves! It's quite far from Da Xing!"

Li Shimin's head began to buzz, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, plummeted into another bottomless pit, and fear spread throughout his body.

"Where are Mr. Gao's mother and nephew? Did they go to Zhuyuan together?" He hoped the situation wasn't so bad.

When the residents near the Gao family's old residence in the neighborhood saw a young man dressed and speaking like a son of an official searching for Gao Shilian's family, they all gathered around.

"Who knows? All we know is that they sold the mansion in Lizhengfang, the villa at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, and the official land was taken back by the court. Most of the servants were dismissed. It all happened in the last few days."

"Mr. Gao has no son, and his female relatives will be bullied if they stay in Daxing."

“My nephew is not of the same surname, so logically he should not be on the list of those implicated or exiled.”

"What if the Dali Temple insists that this nephew is an adopted son?"

"What grudge do you, you poor, jealous fool, have against the Gao family? Why are you so eager to exile their entire family to Lingnan?"

"I'm just making a deduction based on convention. Have you forgotten the innocent people who were massacred by Fan Zigai after Yang Xuangan's rebellion? What did they do wrong, and what blood relation did they have with Yang Xuangan, that they were deemed Yang Xuangan's accomplices and killed!"

"That's different. Mr. Gao and Husi Zheng only had ordinary personal interactions, and he was unaware that Husi Zheng was colluding with Yang Xuangan in private. That was just a demotion! Do you understand what a demotion is?"

"Anyway, this is not much different from exile. The Gao family has sold their house; are they not planning to return to Daxing?"

"Can his family endure the miasma of Lingnan?"

"Young master, we're just guessing. Why don't you go to the Dali Temple and inquire?"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, but no one revealed any concrete information. However, Li Shimin was certain of one thing: at least everyone in the Gao family was safe and sound, and not in prison. But no one knew where this family that had vanished into thin air was now.

"They just left like that, without telling me anything!" He thought for a moment. The trip to Luoyang and back was too rushed. Perhaps both sides missed the correspondence. Perhaps he was too weak to help and Wuji didn't want to add to his troubles. Perhaps the imperial edict was urgent and the Gao family had to move away immediately. Perhaps Gao Shilian was cautious and didn't want to implicate his relatives and friends.

But he simply couldn't understand it. Wuji was his sworn brother, and it was utterly incomprehensible that he would be so cautious as to not leave him a single word. This was a gross underestimation of Li Shimin. When they met, he was determined to give Wuji a good dressing down.

As for Changsun Qingjing, he truly was the one who failed her. He hadn't even made her any promises, so how could she dare rely on him during her most difficult time? How could he be so foolish as not to be honest with her on the day he left? She must have come to see him off that day, and the two of them had a very pleasant conversation. He wrote her several letters, but they were nothing but complaints and grievances—it was nothing more than childish affectation!

If he could reunite with her in Daxing City, he would surely beg his father to perform the six rites of marriage. He couldn't accept anyone else in his heart. His father would surely understand. As the Empress Wenxian's beloved nephew, hadn't his father also made a grand entrance at the Shenwu Duke's mansion to propose to the former emperor's adopted daughter? As for his mother, the intelligent and charming eldest grandson Qingjing was undoubtedly pleasing to her.

His parents will definitely support him.

If the Gao family has already left Chang'an, then he will catch up with them and explain. Mr. Gao has a family to support, so his movements will inevitably be slow. When they meet, he will first accuse Wuji of leaving without saying goodbye, and then ask Mr. Gao to allow him to marry Changsun Qingjing.

Changsun Qingjing must have initially resented his indifference towards her. The journey south was arduous, and she must have suffered greatly, filled with resentment towards him. Once her anger subsided, he would surely make amends and never leave her again so easily.

In his haste, a series of ideas about the future flooded his mind. They might not have been comprehensive, but they were all based on consideration for everyone involved. The most urgent task was to find out where the family had gone.

He wandered around Daxing City all day, visiting all his friends who knew him and the Gao family, but the answers were all vague, leaving him disappointed. He could only entrust a group of playboys who called themselves "Young Masters of the Five Mausoleums" to inquire about the news for him. This group spent their days cockfighting, dog racing, and indulging in chivalrous and unrestrained behavior, but they had a wide circle of friends.

For a fleeting moment, he even considered going to Yongxing Lane to find Changsun Anye. But he soon dismissed the idea; Changsun Anye would only scoff at the misfortunes of his stepmother and half-siblings, so there was no need for him to go.

The rumbling of the evening drum urged him home. He had made up his mind; the worst that could happen was that he would personally go to Zhu Yuan. He was still young; the miasma couldn't harm him. The burning sensation in his heart immediately lessened by half. At this moment, he was no longer wandering around like a headless fly. He absolutely had to find out about his close friend's safety and whereabouts; Changsun Qingjing's future should be under his protection.

I'll just confront my parents tonight.

Back at the residence, Li Yuan and Lady Dou seemed to be arguing again about whether or not to present the Turkic horses to the emperor.

"Young master, there's no need to fawn over His Majesty like Yuwen Shu and Yun Dingxing. Subtly catering to his preferences will also earn His Majesty's favor. Why not give it a try?"

"I won't send it! I don't even have enough for myself!" Li Yuan maintained the last bit of stubbornness of a warrior.

“Even if you don’t send any, I don’t have enough.” The son, who was passing by, jumped to his father’s side to chime in. He usually spoke up for his mother more often. However, since returning from Luoyang, he had come to understand his father’s frustration at being tested, intimidated, and threatened every time he met the emperor, and he began to side with his father.

"Fine, fine, you two are bullying me together. You chose this path yourselves, so don't regret it," Dou complained with a smile, then instructed the family to have dinner.

When Li Shimin asked about the whereabouts of his brothers, his half-sister, Li Longyue, said softly, "Father was afraid that things would be dangerous for us after we returned from Longyou, so he ordered my eldest brother to take my fourth brother back to our hometown in Hedong. That way, if the court made any moves, it would be easier for us to escape... Fortunately, you and Father have both returned safely."

Once the mourning period was over, Li Longyue and her daughter moved to her parents' home to take care of her mother, who was suffering from relapses of her illness from time to time.

Li Yuan hesitated before telling his family, “Husi Zheng was dismembered, killed like livestock in a sacrificial ritual in December. Just a few hours ago, I was dragged to the Golden Gate, and amidst the deafening shouts of killing, I, along with the sycophantic courtiers, shot an arrow at the corpse. It was the worst shot I ever made, barely enough to be considered an act of loyalty to the emperor. Then the executioners began to cut the body into pieces. The Yuwen father and son were also near the execution ground. I suspect they were ordered to take the official register and record the names of those who ate raw human flesh and those who refused to eat it, and then secretly reported this to His Majesty…”

He had to speak his mind, but the timing was terribly inappropriate. His wife and children put down their knives and chopsticks. Everyone stared at the food box with strange looks.

“You could have said it later,” his wife, Dou, complained. “Don’t frighten your granddaughter.”

“She was busy eating roasted mutton, she wasn’t listening! Even if she were listening, she wouldn’t understand,” Li Shimin said to his mother with a smile.

"I don't know if Husi Zheng was ultimately roasted or boiled... I made an excuse and left before the meat was divided. To be honest, when I was on the battlefield, even when both sides were badly wounded, I never flinched. But one-sided slaughter is truly disgusting and makes everyone feel insecure. Today they detain the sons of ministers to test loyalty, tomorrow they divide the flesh of traitors to test loyalty. Loyalty will be exhausted sooner or later. I've had enough of these tricks of the emperor." Li Yuan said to himself.

The family fell silent again, and even the meat in front of them felt a little nauseous.

Li Shimin kept looking for an opportunity to talk about his marriage, but his family members were all talking about matters of life and death, making it almost impossible for him to get a word in edgewise.

Li Longyue instructed her daughter to eat less mutton and more flatbread, then turned to her younger brother and said, "The food at home can't compare to that in Luoyang's Ziwei City, can it? Are you not used to it? How was your trip to Luoyang?"

"Boring." Fourth Sister's words stirred up unpleasant memories for her younger brother. "Luoyang is magnificent, but the Ziwei City is stifling."

"I heard you got into a fight in Luoyang. Was it because you were feeling frustrated?" Li Yuan asked, his tone teasing rather than stern.

Dou said in surprise, "Shude, how many things are you and Vidyaraja hiding from me? You child, you lie to me every time you write a letter!"

"Although this isn't exactly a matter of pride, Erlang at least won, so it's not worth mentioning. If he had lost, hmph..." Li Yuan ordered the maid to take away the mutton that had been tempting him and replace it with Gu Louzi, then took a few big bites.

Li Shimin retorted, "Father, Sima Dekan is utterly defeated, yet he goes around gossiping about me like a long-tongued woman. He was the one who wanted to compete in riding and archery! Isn't it a matter of honoring the bet? How dare he even talk to you like that!"

Li Yuan's expression hardened: "What did you say? You only beat up that little bastard Yuwen Xiao? How come I didn't know you also defeated the Tiger General? Haha, Your Majesty, did you get angry when you saw your favorite minister lose to a child? Tell me the details later. I will definitely reward you with a Turkic horse."

As a subject, he feared the wrath of the emperor; as Yang Guang's cousin, he sometimes looked forward to his cousin making a fool of himself like a mischievous child.

Dou was quite disapproving of her husband's childlike behavior in front of their son, and frowned as she asked, "Shude, what trouble has our son gotten into in Luoyang? You and your son aren't hiding something from me, are you? Is it serious?"

“I refuse! The daughters of the Yang family, aside from Princess Nanyang, are either of questionable character or of questionable status. I've heard that Prince Qi Jian also has a secret illegitimate daughter hidden among the common people. These imperial daughters and princesses are simply too high a bar for our Li family. Let the Pei and Yuwen families fight tooth and nail for them.” Dou Shi felt a surge of anger at being slighted. “Shude, you haven't sold your son again, have you? He's only sixteen! I won't allow you to ruin his future!”

Dou snorted, "I admire Empress Xiao's character and talent, it's a pity she didn't have a second daughter." She then asked, "So how did you tactfully refuse the Empress?"

Li Longyue burst out laughing.

Dou laughed, equally annoyed: "Where am I 'fierce'! It's all baseless accusation!"

"Madam, I have done my utmost to protect our family from disaster, why don't you even praise my husband's wisdom?"

Li Longyue ran to her younger brother with a smile and said to her parents, "Father, Mother, you two should say less. Look how scared this second brother is, he hasn't said a word the whole time." She shook Li Shimin's shoulder, "Alright, alright, it was just a false alarm."

Li Shimin, who had been silent and uninvolved, suddenly looked up, straightened his clothes, walked towards his parents, and solemnly knelt down, saying, "Father, Mother, please write me a marriage certificate. I have someone I love."

A note from the author:

Do you think we'll meet in the next chapter?

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