Not all generals have the opportunity to go to war right away. Li Youyu, with her special status, had an even harder time securing a chance to go to the battlefield.
She had dreamt of being a general since she was little, and she was naturally unwilling to stay in the rear. She diligently took on several logistical tasks, finally, during her third military campaign, finding an opportunity under the cover of darkness to lead a surprise attack, expertly turning the enemy’s granary into her own.
The person in charge of this campaign was Xue Rengui, who had once been a personal attendant in the East Palace (the residence of the Crown Prince). He was not only deeply loyal to Li Chengqian but also had a close relationship with Li Yuanying.
Because Li Youyu insisted that what she was doing was still logistics, Xue Rengui, who saw no fault in her logic, merely gave her a few words of advice. He noticed Li Youyu had a genuine talent for this; her judgment of the battle situation and her grasp of timing were no less impressive than many seasoned veterans in the army. With a little training, she would undoubtedly become a capable general.
Xue Rengui started to deliberately create opportunities for Li Youyu.
Li Youyu was very satisfied. She actively carried out her so-called “logistics work” all the way, successfully launching several surprise attacks. Throughout the campaign, she even earned significant merit.
The goal of this campaign was to conquer Goguryeo. Emperor Li had long wanted to attack, but Wei Zheng and others had always stopped him. This time, Yeon Gaesomun, the powerful Goguryeo minister, was seriously ill, and his sons had begun fighting among themselves. The King of Goguryeo felt his situation was precarious and sent envoys to seek aid from the Tang Dynasty. After more than a decade of rest and recovery, the imperial treasury had a slight surplus, and many ambitious young faces had emerged in the court. Finally, the entire court reached a consensus: attack!
Xue Rengui led his troops towards the capital of Goguryeo, and Li Youyu followed, gaining experience along the way. They did not encounter any particularly dangerous situations, and, by chance, Li Youyu even managed to capture Yeon Gaesomun’s youngest son.
By autumn, Goguryeo had surrendered.
When Yeon Gaesomun learned that the King of Goguryeo had secretly sent a letter to the Tang Dynasty seeking aid and that his sons had been captured, one by Xue Rengui and the other by Li Youyu, he spat out a mouthful of blood and cried out in despair: “Heaven is destroying my Goguryeo!”
Yeon Gaesomun passed away on a stormy night.
Previously, Li Youyu had mostly stayed in the rear, and her bow and arrows had never tasted blood. This time, Xue Rengui gave her many good opportunities, allowing her to truly experience the bloodshed of the battlefield.
Li Youyu was naturally bold and fearless. After all, she was the daughter of a prince, and she was not expected to charge into battle, only to arrange troops and strategize.
After Yeon Gaesomun’s death, the Goguryeo people had lost their will to resist. Li Youyu had made significant contributions to the victory and, without any arrogance, followed Xue Rengui back to the capital.
In the capital of Goguryeo, Li Youyu met Queen Seondeok of Silla.
Queen Seondeok had also assisted the Tang Dynasty in conquering Goguryeo from Silla. After the Tang Dynasty achieved a decisive victory, she personally traveled to meet with the Tang Dynasty’s commander.
Li Youyu curiously observed the seemingly young queen. After the banquet, she invited Queen Seondeok to meet again. The queen told Li Youyu many stories about her time studying in the Tang Dynasty, mainly about Li Yuanying, stories of him dominating the Imperial Academy, of his large-scale development of Huxian County, each one filled with drama.
Li Youyu’s eyes sparkled with curiosity: “So, Little Yuanyuan was already so capable then?”
Queen Seondeok was also pleased to hear that Li Yuanying was still the same unruly little prince.
The following spring, Li Chengqian issued an edict to establish the Andong Protectorate in the capital of Goguryeo, dividing the Goguryeo territory into nine prefectures and 42 counties and relocating Goguryeo people to various places for settlement.
After this campaign, Li Youyu gradually gained a foothold in the army. Li Chengqian personally conferred upon her the title of Junzhu (Princess). This title was originally reserved for the daughters of the Crown Prince, but Li Chengqian declared that, in the future, outstanding women in the Imperial clan could also be conferred the title of Junzhu, enjoying the same stipend.
Li Youyu instantly became the most talked-about woman in Chang’an. Many people thought it was inappropriate for a woman to go to war. Others discussed how Li Youyu was already over eighteen and still unmarried, and they wondered who would dare to marry her.
Even when Li Chengqian held a palace banquet to entertain the Imperial clan, some people were insensitive enough to make a snide remark.
Li Yuanying erupted in anger. He said, “If our Youyu wants to marry, she will have countless suitors to choose from. If she doesn’t want to marry, I can support her for a lifetime! Some people may have been born men, but they haven’t even contributed a single drop of merit to the Tang Dynasty!”
With Li Yuanying’s words, no one dared to speak up again. Everyone knew that the current Emperor had once been inseparable from Li Yuanying, and now, he still didn’t doubt him at all, readily accepting his recommendations and suggestions.
Li Yuanying was a strange character. Promotion was the last thing he wanted. Even though there were countless “Teng Wang (Prince Tang) faction” members in the court, he never formed alliances with any of them. He disliked attending court meetings and always tried to avoid them, and in recent years, he even skipped the meetings whenever he could.
Many people believed that their mutual trust and lack of greed were the reasons for their peaceful co-existence for so many years. Many veteran officials had thus become more tolerant of Li Yuanying.
Most notably, whenever other members of the Imperial clan did something out of line, the censorate would immediately condemn them. However, Li Yuanying was free to roam around and cause trouble.
The Imperial clan had only one opinion about Li Yuanying, who was close to both the Taishang Huang (Retired Emperor) and the new Emperor and was also of high seniority: don’t provoke him, don’t provoke him.
Li Tai, his father, was so angry he felt like his liver was about to burst when he heard Li Yuanying’s words: “My daughter needs your support? Whether my daughter marries or not is your business?!”
Li Tai drank alone, drowning his sorrows in wine.
Li Yuanying didn’t feel like he had stolen his father’s job at all. He was overjoyed all night, raising his cup to toast one person after another, even happier than when his son passed the imperial examination.
This Junzhu and young general, Li Youyu, were no less difficult to achieve than becoming a top scholar. Both earned their titles through real merit.
In this era, even men were unwilling to leave their homes and endure the hardships of travel, so Li Youyu, a woman, was truly an anomaly.
But ancient tales like the Ballad of Mulan, about a woman who disguised herself as a man to join the army, had been widely circulated for centuries. If a woman truly had the talent, why would she be inferior to a man? After all, geniuses, regardless of gender, were rare. Of course, they had to give her a chance to prove herself.
Li Yuanying, drunk from too much wine, was overjoyed when he went home. He gushed to Wei Jiu for a long time. Even though they didn’t have a daughter, they could still have a granddaughter in the future. Or, failing that, his great-nieces were all very lovely. He had watched them grow up.
Wei Jiu listened to Li Yuanying’s incoherent praises of his great-nieces, gently patting his back to get him to sleep.
She wouldn’t mind having another child, but she was afraid that another child would also be a boy, which would only sadden Li Yuanying further. After all, it was a strange phenomenon that both the Retired Emperor and the current Emperor dreamt of him at the same time, and if he truly had eighteen sons, Li Yuanying would probably cry his eyes out.
Wei Jiu leaned closer, kissed Li Yuanying on the forehead, and fell asleep, holding his hand.
Li Yuanying’s joy was short-lived. A book titled The Secret History of the Retired Emperor quietly went on sale.
It must be said that the book was exquisitely produced and sold through the library, which gave people a sense of quality assurance. Everyone bought it to appreciate it, quickly making The Secret History of the Retired Emperor the best-selling book in Chang’an that year.
As for whether buying the book would be considered treason, well, the bookstore openly sold it, and the library had it on display. How could it be treason? Didn’t the Retired Emperor personally write the inscription for the library’s plaque? The first issue of the library’s newsletter even mentioned the current Emperor’s name!
Now, many people were willing to pay a hefty price for the first issue of the newsletter. The price was being driven up rapidly!
Within half a month, almost everyone in Chang’an had a copy of The Secret History of the Retired Emperor. Li Yuanying bought a copy too. He found it familiar, but the author had clearly added their own artistic touch. It was the same story, but it was now more entertaining. Li Yuanying was engrossed in the book, completely oblivious to the fact that he was the source of the original story.
Emperor Li initially didn’t know about this book, but he noticed that Wei Zheng and the others were looking at him with odd expressions. Then he realized that everyone in Chang’an had a copy of a gossip book about him. After reading a few pages, he felt a sense of familiarity: Wasn’t this Li Yuanying’s style?!
Emperor Li immediately ordered someone to call Li Yuanying, and he chased after him, wielding his walking stick.
Li Yuanying only then realized that he had been the one boasting about many of those things in the book.
Li Yuanying was scolded by Emperor Li and, upon returning home, immediately gathered his three sons to find out who was responsible.
They had to find out who was to blame!
His eldest son said that he had just passed the imperial examination and was too busy to even read The Secret History of the Retired Emperor, let alone write it.
His second son said that he was dedicated to self-improvement, determined to make a contribution to the Tang Dynasty like his niece Youyu. He had no time for such things. He also hated reading and had no talent for writing books.
Only his youngest son admitted honestly: “Father, it was me.” He blushed. “This was the first time I wrote anything, and I didn’t think anyone would read it, so I didn’t tell anyone.”
Li Yuanying looked at his handsome, shy youngest son and started to worry. To write such a daringly scandalous book on his first attempt… what would he do when he grew up?
Li Yuanying could only give his youngest son some advice: “In the future, when you write such books, you need to blend fact and fiction. Don’t let anyone catch you writing about this.”
His youngest son humbly accepted his father’s advice.
Li Yuanying, who was surprised to discover that his son had a knack for storytelling, decided to hand over his carefully cultivated team of storytellers to his youngest son and let him enter the industry. He hoped his son would eventually take over the entire entertainment industry, from writing books to writing scripts.
After all, good books were rare, and Li Yuanying wanted his son to produce more, to satisfy his love of listening to stories.
Li Yuanying immediately gave his youngest son a small assignment: to interview his niece Youyu about her campaign in Goguryeo and turn it into a captivating biography of a female general. The plot should be exciting, the process should be legendary, and the story should be full of suspense, leaving the reader wanting more with each page. If he wrote it well, they could adapt it into a play and stage it at Fengtai Tower, so the whole world could know about their Tang Dynasty’s little female warrior.
His youngest son thought he was going to be scolded, but he was surprised and delighted to find his father so supportive. He immediately pledged to complete the task to his father’s satisfaction.
Li Yuanying, happy and excited, gave his youngest son some detailed instructions, telling him which parts of The Secret History of the Retired Emperor were well-written and which parts needed improvement.
The eldest and second sons, seeing their father and youngest brother whispering together, felt a pang of jealousy.
Although the eldest son was also a talented writer, he had no talent for storytelling. He was better at writing policy papers.
As for the second son, he had no talent for literary pursuits whatsoever. He couldn’t match his brother’s literary skills or his niece Youyu’s martial prowess. It was infuriating!
He also wanted his father to be proud of him for his achievements.
*Author’s Note:*
The pampered little prince doesn’t know about his two older sons’ sadness!
*Second Update√*
Today, the little prince worked hard all day, finally reaching 20,000 nutrient solutions. Then, when he was just a few bottles short of surpassing the one in front of him, the one that hadn’t gained even a single bottle all day (screenshots from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), not a single bottle, suddenly gained 5,000 bottles, a round number, well, 5,001 bottles, maybe that extra one was a bonus, it gained 5,000 bottles perfectly, and then remained still: ) So angry! That’s how it was when we were writing Wang Xiaopang, and it’s the same for this one, the little prince’s.
Please give me some nutrient solutions again, qaq We’re gaining one bottle at a time, so it’s hard to surpass people who gain five thousand at a time, but we still want to try our best! Second update! Please water me! Ying ying ying! It’s so hard to write a second update this close to finishing! If you have any nutrient solutions left, please give them to the little prince! A man must have his pride, qaq
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