This year is the twenty-second year of the Zhenguan era, and also the twenty-second year since Emperor Li ascended the throne. There are fewer and fewer veteran officials in the court, fewer and fewer people who dare to tell him the truth, and even fewer who dare to be angry with him. All under heaven is the king’s land, and all within its borders are his subjects. He merely asked Li Yuanying for a personal attendant, and yet Li Yuanying dared to be angry with him?
If it were anyone else, Emperor Li would have thought they were getting impatient. But with Li Yuanying, Emperor Li found it quite normal. This kid had been spoiled rotten since he was little, thinking everything belonged to him, and it was also normal that he wouldn’t want to give anyone to the court.
Emperor Li wasn’t truly trying to take away Dai Ting.
He simply wanted to see if, even with the offer of abundant benefits and a high position, Dai Ting would still be willing to stay by Li Yuanying’s side as an attendant.
If Dai Ting chose to remain, then it meant he held some loyalty towards Li Yuanying, and it would be fine to let him stay. However, if Dai Ting chose fame and fortune, then he shouldn’t be kept, as he had no family ties or loyalties to speak of, a man without roots. Letting such a person hold a high position would leave him unchecked.
Keeping someone like that was simply too dangerous.
Not to mention Gaochang, but the events in Goguryeo, Japan, and Champa all proved that if he wanted to, he could easily stir up trouble.
The court needed talent, but it did not need talent that could not be used by the court.
Li Yuanying remained silent, and Emperor Li didn’t get angry. He picked up his cup and drank two sips of wine, waiting for Dai Ting to arrive.
Dai Ting had come to the separate palace with Li Yuanying. Upon hearing Emperor Li’s summons, he hurried over to pay his respects. As soon as he entered, Dai Ting immediately noticed the tense atmosphere between Emperor Li and Li Yuanying. Li Yuanying was sitting there with a sullen expression, looking like he didn’t want to speak to Emperor Li anymore. Dai Ting lowered his gaze and bowed respectfully to Emperor Li.
Emperor Li, seated in the upper position, spoke with a detached tone, explaining why he had summoned Dai Ting. The court needed to manage the Western Regions. Last year, Wang Xuance went to Tianzhu to learn about sugar-making, but the embassy was attacked by the Tianzhu people, a provocation against the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, after conquering Kucha this year, the court would consider taking various measures to restrain Tianzhu. The court was in dire need of talent, and someone like him was precisely what they needed!
Li Yuanying had been sulking, but after hearing Emperor Li’s explanation, his anger subsided considerably. He leaned closer to Emperor Li and spoke, “Brother, why didn’t you say so earlier? If you had, I would have definitely sent Dai Ting. Those Tianzhu people dared to disrespect the Tang embassy, it’s outrageous! We need to teach them a lesson!”
Emperor Li glared at him.
Li Yuanying obediently shut his mouth.
Emperor Li looked at Dai Ting and offered him a position, granting him the authority to act as he saw fit, and asked if he was willing to go to Tianzhu for the court.
Dai Ting listened attentively, his demeanor always respectful. Only when Emperor Li asked him if he was willing did he answer without hesitation, “Your servant is unwilling.”
Emperor Li’s expression remained unchanged, but Li Yuanying became anxious on his behalf. “This is such a perfect job for you! I think you should go!”
Emperor Li glanced at Li Yuanying and then asked Dai Ting again, “If Nascent Soul orders you to go, will you still refuse?”
Dai Ting answered earnestly, “If Your Highness orders your servant to go, your servant will go.”
But he didn’t want to do anything under the banner of the court.
Once he entered the court, things would become complicated. He didn’t want to be entangled in any power struggles.
His family had abandoned him and sold him into the palace to be a eunuch for the rest of his life. He had no memory of them and felt no affection for them. He didn’t need to shoulder the responsibility of bringing glory to his ancestors. Fame and fortune, power and wealth, none of it held any meaning to him.
His entire life was dedicated to serving Li Yuanying.
If Li Yuanying wanted him to serve the court, he would naturally go.
Emperor Li looked at Li Yuanying. Now was the time for him to make a decision.
Li Yuanying had indeed wanted Dai Ting to manage the Western Regions, but Dai Ting had already expressed his unwillingness, and he couldn’t ignore Dai Ting’s wishes.
Li Yuanying took Emperor Li’s hand and said, “Brother, let Dai Ting stay in Tengzhou. He’s never been to the Western Regions, he might mess things up for the court. Besides, didn’t Wang Xuance do a pretty good job? It wouldn’t be right for Dai Ting to go there now and steal his credit.” He didn’t know much about the situation in the Western Regions, but Emperor Li had mentioned that Wang Xuance had won several brilliant victories in the Western Regions using Tubo and Nepal’s troops, which showed that the envoy was also very capable.
There were so many talented people in the world. There was no need to force Dai Ting to go if he didn’t want to.
Emperor Li was accustomed to Li Yuanying’s boldness in speaking, and he didn’t get angry at his response. He glanced at Dai Ting, who was still kneeling respectfully on the ground, and waved his hand. “Fine, take your people and go back. Stop complaining that I even steal your attendants from you.”
Li Yuanying quickly left with Dai Ting.
Once they were out of the separate palace, Li Yuanying whispered to Dai Ting, “What was my brother up to? I really can’t figure it out.” If his brother truly wanted to offer Dai Ting a high position and riches and make him serve the court, then why did he ask a few questions and dismiss them? The emperor’s mind is truly unfathomable!
Dai Ting shook his head.
He couldn’t guess, and he didn’t want to guess.
No matter the emperor’s thoughts, they didn’t have much bearing on him.
Li Yuanying pondered for a while and decided there was no point in thinking about it. As long as his brother didn’t plot against Dai Ting, that was all that mattered. Neither he nor Dai Ting had ever thought about rebelling, an effort that would bring no benefit. They would rather spend their time thinking about something fun!
Since they were alone, Li Yuanying said to Dai Ting, “Being the emperor is too tiring. Even if it was offered to me, I wouldn’t take it.” His thoughts began to wander. “My nephew and Xiang’er will definitely have a hard time in the future. I should invite them over to play sometime. I think we should train the court officials well and let them do all the work, then our lives would be much more comfortable!”
Dai Ting said, “Not everyone can think like that.” Those who have tasted power rarely want to let go. Li Yuanying only had no desire for the position because he had been pampered and protected since he was young, never experiencing any constraints.
Li Yuanying didn’t respond. He walked back, bathed in the moonlight.
As they left the separate palace, the noise of Tengzhou city enveloped them once again. Even at night, Tengzhou was still bustling and prosperous, with many people passing by and merchants hawking their wares. Most of them knew Li Yuanying, and upon seeing him, they warmly greeted him, asking if he wanted to eat or drink something.
Li Yuanying immediately forgot his previous worries and happily replied, “I’m full, I’m full, I’m not thirsty, I’m not thirsty.” He walked back to the Teng Wang Fu, lively and full of cheer, and told Dai Ting to go ahead. He wanted to go find Wei Jiu for a kiss and a hug.
Li Yuanying hugged his wife until he had his fill, and then he told her about Emperor Li trying to take Dai Ting. It was a worry when the people under you were too capable. He had prepared himself for this with Dai Ting, Wu Mei, and Di Renjie. If the court needed them and the court could offer them a better path, he wouldn’t hold them back. But the prerequisite was that they were willing to go. If they weren’t, he wouldn’t force them.
Li Yuanying said, “My brother is getting harder to understand. I don’t even know if he’s angry.” If the court truly needed Dai Ting, and he insisted on keeping Dai Ting and wouldn’t let him serve the court, then it would indeed be wrong of him. If he were Emperor Li, he would definitely be angry.
The two of them had gotten married, and Li Yuanying didn’t hide anything anymore. He told Wei Jiu about his suspicions that Emperor Li had once plotted against Dai Ting.
Li Yuanying didn’t want to guess what Emperor Li was thinking, but he wasn’t alone anymore. To protect the people around him, he needed to think things through and understand them clearly, not just blunder through blindly. The last time he sent Dai Ting out to sea to avoid trouble, Emperor Li should have noticed his intentions. This time, Emperor Li suddenly proposed taking Dai Ting into the court before returning to the capital. Li Yuanying felt that Emperor Li wasn’t truly looking for talent, but rather testing him.
As for what Emperor Li was testing, he couldn’t understand.
He also didn’t understand if the answers he and Dai Ting gave had satisfied Emperor Li.
Li Yuanying had never spoken about these things to Wei Jiu before. Wei Jiu didn’t know that Dai Ting had gone to Champa to avoid trouble earlier.
Usually, Li Yuanying seemed very unrestrained in front of Emperor Li, and he was also quite bold in their correspondence. Wei Jiu always thought that Li Yuanying was audacious and carefree. Now, hearing him talk about these hidden currents, her heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, a bit painful, a bit sad.
Even someone as carefree as Li Yuanying, born into the royal family, couldn’t escape such worries.
Wei Jiu took Li Yuanying’s hand and said, “We have no other intentions. We’re not afraid of being tested.”
Li Yuanying shared everything he had hidden in his heart with Wei Jiu, and his mood brightened. He hugged her and kissed her cheek, saying, “My brother is still good to me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come all the way to Tengzhou to watch us get married. But he is the emperor after all, and he has many things to consider. As long as we don’t make him think we’re interested in that position or that we threaten it, we’ll be fine.” Li Yuanying hummed, “If he really can’t stand us, we’ll just sail away and go as far as we can. We’ll never come back!”
The couple talked for a while, gradually losing their worries. Worrying was useless anyway. If Emperor Li really became suspicious, their best course of action was to sail away, not really rebel. Such a laborious task, who wants to do that?!
Since there was nothing they could do about it, they might as well not think about it!
The next day, Li Yuanying went to see Emperor Li off, riding his horse far out of the city. He only stopped when they were almost at the edge of the Tengzhou territory. He bid Emperor Li farewell, saying earnestly, “Brother, after you return to the capital, make sure you write back more often. Don’t let me write ten letters and only receive one back from you. I get so heartbroken every time I don’t receive a letter from you!”
Emperor Li scolded him, “What’s there to reply to in your letters? You think everyone has as much free time as you?”
Li Yuanying changed his approach and earnestly urged Emperor Li to take care of himself, not to work too hard, and to let the old men Fang and Wei, whose health still seemed good, take on more responsibility. If not, there were also promising young men like Chu Sui-liang, Cen Wen-ben, and Ma Zhou, who could handle the work. He saw that the court was full of talented individuals, all pillars of the nation!
Emperor Li always felt that Li Yuanying’s eyes lit up when he mentioned talent, as if he wanted to ask for more. He resolutely urged Li Yuanying to go back, to stop bothering him.
But Li Yuanying had been so courteous as to see him off this far, and Emperor Li didn’t want him to leave without any benefits. He assigned Li Jun-xian to stay in Tengzhou to help Li Yuanying train his troops.
Emperor Li had told Li Yuanying to recruit two thousand soldiers for his own protection, but Li Yuanying had dispersed them to maintain order throughout Tengzhou. He still didn’t have any decent troops. Li De-jian and Du He had been assigned to the navy, and Emperor Li couldn’t stand it anymore. He left Li Jun-xian to train the Prince’s personal guard.
If in the future, he grew too senile to tolerate his brother, at least he would be able to find someone to help Li Yuanying escape. Then, when his anger subsided, he could get him back, rather than just regretting it in front of a cold grave.
Li Yuanying didn’t expect Emperor Li to leave Li Jun-xian behind. This time, Li Jun-xian had been able to escort Emperor Li to Mount Tai for the sacrifice to Heaven, which showed that Emperor Li trusted him greatly. Now, Emperor Li was leaving Li Jun-xian in Tengzhou to help him train the Prince’s guards. His eyes reddened, and he dismounted, grabbing Emperor Li’s hand and calling out, “Brother.”
Emperor Li said, “Do whatever you want, just make sure you create a Tengzhou that’s different. Let me see what kind of Tengzhou you can make.” He looked at Li Yuanying’s red eyes, disapprovingly. “You’re already married, stop crying all the time. It’s embarrassing. Go back now.”
Li Yuanying obediently got back on his horse and watched as the imperial procession continued onward.
Soon, the two groups of people parted ways on the official road, one heading east, the other west, each returning to their own duties, beginning a new round of busy work.
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: My mood has been all over the place today!
Update!
Diligent!
Today! My mom said! I found out it was my birthday! Apparently, people still celebrate birthdays according to the lunar calendar these days! If it weren’t for my mom, I wouldn’t have remembered! (.)
So, the sweet spring of my birthday has worked so hard to write all these words, shouldn’t you reward me with some nutrient solution!!!
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