LFHYB -Chapter 103 Slowly Undermining a Mother’s Heart

Although Li Xuanba’s health had improved considerably, Lady Dou still worried about him, so she stayed in the next courtyard.

At the first sign of commotion outside, she immediately threw on her clothes to check.

Seeing Li Yuanji surrounded in the courtyard, her voice rose: “Fourth Son? Why are you here?”

Li Yuanji flailed at Han Gou’s wings, screaming: “Kill this feathered beast for me!”

Han Gou swooped down, delivering a double-sided strike.

Having trained under his master for so long, Han Gou had learned how to discipline the disobedient without causing real harm.

Li Xuanba also threw on his clothes, walking barefoot out the door.

Leaning against the doorframe, he coughed: “What… what happened… cough cough…”

Lady Dou immediately shifted her attention from Li Yuanji to Li Xuanba.

She hurried over: “Third Son, it’s so cold, why are you outside? Come back… why are you still barefoot?”

Li Xuanba said, “Mother, I heard Fourth Brother’s voice… cough cough, Han Gou, come back!”

Han Gou pressed his claws near Li Yuanji’s face, as if to poke his eyes.

Li Yuanji screamed and fell right back onto the ground.

Han Gou retracted his claws and settled at Li Xuanba’s feet, crouching and keeping Li Xuanba’s feet warm under his body.

Li Xuanba’s lips curved briefly into a smile, then immediately drooped, feigning confusion.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone in Third Son’s courtyard?” Li Yuan hurried over.

Li Yuan lived nearby, only slightly further than Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng hadn’t yet gone to bed, so he heard the commotion first. When Li Yuan arrived, Li Jiancheng ran over, holding his robe.

“Why is Fourth Brother in Third Brother’s courtyard… a knife?!” When Li Jiancheng helped Li Yuanji up, he saw something reflecting the torchlight under Li Yuanji’s feet. He picked it up and shouted, “Li Yuanji! Why did you bring a knife into Third Brother’s courtyard?!”

Li Yuan took the knife in hand: “Li Yuanji, explain why you brought a knife into Third Son’s courtyard.”

Li Yuanji looked confused: “It wasn’t me! I didn’t bring a knife!”

Li Yuan scrutinized the knife and frowned at Li Jiancheng: “This knife… why is it yours?”

Li Jiancheng was shocked.

The short sword had no sheath. He had only noticed it was a knife, not its details. When he saw the gem inlaid in the hilt, he recognized it as his own.

He hurriedly explained: “Father, please take a closer look… This knife is mine, but yesterday Fourth Brother said he liked it, so I gave it to him.”

Realization dawned on him. He turned sharply to glare at Li Yuanji: “Are you trying to frame me?!”

Li Yuanji panicked further: “N-no, I didn’t… I just…”

He stammered, unable to answer.

Lady Dou remained impassive, not participating in the questioning.

She wrapped her cloak around the thinly clad Li Xuanba: “Third Son, go back.”

Li Xuanba shook his head: “Mother, whatever Fourth Brother wants to do, this matter must not escalate. Han Gou, step aside.”

Han Gou tilted his head back. “Chirp!”

Li Xuanba lightly nudged Han Gou’s fluffy belly with the top of his foot. “Step aside.”

Han Gou sighed. “Chirp.”

It wobbled from side to side and moved away from Li Xuanba’s feet.

Li Xuanba turned to Lady Dou, who was blocking him. “Mother, please trust me.”

Lady Dou touched Li Xuanba’s face. The icy cold at her fingertips made her heart tighten.

She withdrew her hand. “Go. Finish what you need to do and come back quickly. And hurry up—bring Third Son’s shoes!”

The servants, who had been stunned, finally moved.

Li Xuanba didn’t wait for them. He stepped on the cold stone floor and approached the father and his two sons who were confronting each other.

“Father, please let the servants leave first. We can question Fourth Brother tomorrow,” Li Xuanba said, bowing to Li Yuan. “Right now, His Majesty is hesitating over what position to grant you. At such a critical moment, we cannot let any bad rumors spread, ahem.”

Li Yuan’s gaze fell on Li Xuanba.

Through the firelight, he studied his son’s eyes.

Li Xuanba’s expression was full of unmasked self-mockery and sorrow.

Seeing Li Yuan remain silent, he continued, “Father, I’m fine. Let’s leave this matter be. Fourth Brother is still young; he was merely caught sneaking out at night.”

Li Yuan slammed his short knife onto the ground, then turned to the servants. “Are you dead? Where are the shoes?”

He draped his own cloak over Li Xuanba.

“It’s freezing. Why are you out? What if you fall ill again?” Li Yuan lowered his head and lifted Li Xuanba in his arms.

Li Xuanba jumped in surprise. “F-Father, I’ve grown up!”

Li Yuan said, “You haven’t grown up yet. You’re so light… lighter than Fourth… lighter than Fifth Son.”

He carried the stunned Li Xuanba back to his bedroom, letting the servants fetch hot water for him to soak his feet.

“Lock Li Yuanji in the ancestral hall, and put all his attendants in the woodshed,” Li Yuan commanded in a low voice. “The servants were negligent, letting Fourth Son sneak out and get into danger. Lady, you take care of Third Son. I will handle the rest.”

Lady Dou replied, “Yes, my lord.”

Li Yuan said, “Eldest Son, go back and rest well. This has nothing to do with you; do not worry.”

Li Jiancheng breathed a sigh of relief. He glared fiercely at Li Yuanji and bowed. “Yes, Father. Third Brother, rest well. I will come see you tomorrow.”

Sitting with his feet in the hot water, Li Xuanba bowed to Li Jiancheng. “Brother, take care… cough, cough…”

Having caught a chill, his coughing wouldn’t stop.

Li Yuan went to instruct the surrounding servants and guards and handle the attendants near Li Yuanji. Lady Dou had Li Xuanba’s usual cough-relieving medicinal tea prepared. Seeing that he still coughed after drinking it, she immediately summoned the attending physician.

The doctor treated Li Xuanba through the night, concluding that he was “frightened and chilled,” and prescribed medicine.

Only after taking the medicine did Li Xuanba fall into a deep sleep.

Lady Dou stroked Li Xuanba’s face, her eyes full of confusion and worry.

Knowing her Third Son, who was so clever, she believed he wouldn’t easily let Li Yuanji sneak into the courtyard. But even if Third Son had intentionally given Li Yuanji a chance, wasn’t it still Li Yuanji’s own desire to come and scare—or even harm—Third Son?

“What kind of karma have I brought upon myself to have such a son?” Lady Dou whispered, choking back tears.

…

After taking the medicine, Li Xuanba slept until noon the next day.

When he woke, the physician was wiping his sweat. Apparently, he had a slight fever again while asleep.

Li Xuanba felt a bit guilty.

Though a minor chill and illness had been within his plans, he had overestimated his own resilience. He had thought the fever was long gone and that a little exposure to the cold wind wouldn’t be a problem—yet he had caught another fever.

From now on, he would need to be even more careful about his health.

Upon learning of Li Xuanba’s renewed fever, both Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng grew more genuinely worried than before.

After drinking meat porridge, Li Xuanba would sleep deeply, wake to drink bitter medicine, and then sleep again.

This repeated for another day until his cough finally eased.

Seeing Li Xuanba’s pale cheeks again, Li Yuan and Lady Dou were extremely distressed.

Li Yuan stayed in the adjacent courtyard with Lady Dou.

Sitting on the bed, his tone heavy, he said, “I now believe Li Yuanji truly provoked Eldest Son.”

Lady Dou remained silent.

Li Yuan continued, “I carefully questioned Eldest Son and Li Yuanji, and interrogated Li Yuanji’s servants. Li Yuanji deliberately instigated Eldest Son. And Eldest Son was actually influenced by a nine-year-old child!”

Lady Dou sighed softly.

Li Yuan stood and bowed to Lady Dou. “It was my fault to suspect you, being deceived by Li Yuanji’s apparent cleverness. I apologize.”

Lady Dou shook her head, holding his hand. “We are husband and wife; what is there to apologize for? Even I could not have believed that Li Yuanji, at such a young age, could be so malicious.”

She sighed again. “As long as Erlang and Sanlang are outstanding enough, they have no real conflict of interest with Eldest Son. Eldest Son will inherit the Duke of Tang title, while Erlang and Sanlang can establish their own line, just like your uncle. But in Li Yuanji’s eyes, he does not want Erlang and Sanlang to excel too much. I thought he was too young to see this, but this child… is truly clever.”

Li Yuan ground his teeth. “Clever? That’s nothing but malicious cunning.”

Li Yuanji’s methods were not sophisticated; he merely relied on his youth, knowing his parents wouldn’t suspect him.

This was similar to how Li Xuanba once behaved—but Li Xuanba was subtler, acting through indirect means. Li Yuanji, however, acted personally.

When suspicion fell on Li Xuanba, no one could trace it back to him. With Li Yuanji, once suspicion arises, the truth is quickly uncovered.

After interrogating Li Yuanji’s servants, Li Yuan identified several people who had given him bad advice.

Servants all wanted to climb higher, to win their master’s favor. A master of a certain type would inevitably be surrounded by a large group of sycophantic, morally dubious attendants.

When facing death, these people could not keep their mouths shut. In moments of panic, they often exaggerated things even further.

Some things Li Yuanji had actually done; others he hadn’t, or hadn’t done intentionally. But in the servants’ mouths, all of it became evil deeds that Li Yuanji had actively committed.

According to them, Li Yuanji was so cunning and cruel that he didn’t even sound like a nine-year-old child.

Li Yuan, at first, should have been confused. But thinking back to how he had inherited the title of Duke at seven, and how Erlang and Sanlang had already secured official positions through their own intelligence by the age of nine, it wasn’t entirely shocking that Li Yuanji would be this perceptive at nine.

The difference lay in how they used their intelligence: Erlang and Sanlang used it for proper purposes, while Li Yuanji used it to commit misdeeds.

As for Li Jiancheng, though he was innocent in this matter, Li Yuan’s opinion of him dropped slightly in his mind.

After all the careful nurturing by him and the Old Lady Dugu over the years, how could Li Jiancheng be manipulated like a tool by a nine-year-old child!

“If it weren’t for Hangu protecting his master, who knows what would have happened,” Li Yuan said angrily. “Li Yuanji claimed he only meant to scare the third son with a stone, not use a knife. The knife was just carried with him and was blocked by Hangu. But even if it had just been a stone… ugh!”

Li Yuan couldn’t continue speaking.

After all, Li Yuanji was his son, the youngest legitimate child he had once doted on. Suddenly realizing that Li Yuanji could be a wicked child—even seeing it with his own eyes—he still found it hard to believe.

Lady Dou said, “This matter must not be made public. If it spreads, His Majesty might blame us again. The lord is only a few steps away from being appointed a general; we cannot let this incident hinder that.”

Li Yuan sighed. “Fortunately, the third son intervened in time. At that moment, I really wanted to ignore everything and just beat Li Yuanji up!”

Lady Dou said, “The third son has already entered office; he understands His Majesty very well.”

Li Yuan sighed again. “Yes… in discerning His Majesty’s intentions, I am far behind him. I wonder why the third son is so perceptive.”

Lady Dou smiled wryly. “Why do you ask? Since childhood, the third son was weak and kind-hearted. He didn’t want to worry his family, so he constantly observed us, pretending nothing was wrong to reassure us. Now he uses the skills he developed in childhood—only directed toward His Majesty.”

Li Yuan recalled how Li Xuanba had been as a child and nodded. “Even when he was young, he was particularly patient, unwilling to make us worry. The second son would often act spoiled in my arms, and he would quietly watch beside us.”

Lady Dou thought that didn’t seem entirely related to not wanting to worry.

Still, she said in agreement, “Indeed.”

Li Yuan patted Lady Dou’s arm. “Fortunately, we have Erlang and Sanlang. Sigh… although the fifth son is not your child, you must still nurture him well. As for Li Yuanji… I’ll try again.”

After speaking, Li Yuan smiled bitterly. “Being a parent isn’t something you can just give up on. He’s only nine; perhaps there’s still hope.”

Lady Dou said, “Yes, young lord.”

After instructing Lady Dou regarding Li Yuanji, Li Yuan moved Li Zhiyun closer to Lady Dou’s courtyard.

Lady Wan felt a deep bitterness.

Yet she still prepared everything for Li Zhiyun, smiling as she said, “This is a good thing. You must obey the madam well.”

Li Zhiyun’s mood was low. “Yes, Auntie.”

Hearing him call her “Auntie” made Lady Wan’s eyes sting with tears.

She held Li Zhiyun in her arms. “Good child, continue to grow close to your second and third brothers.”

Li Zhiyun said, “I understand.”

Lady Wan continued, “Although you should be close to them, don’t try to curry favor. They are very perceptive. The way you get along now is good; sincerity begets sincerity. If they are genuinely kind to you, you must also respect them sincerely.”

Li Zhiyun said, “I understand, Auntie. Don’t worry.”

Lady Wan released him, patting his hair. “Good child. If you suffer any grievance, tell me. Even the lord and madam will give me some face.”

Li Zhiyun forced a smile. “I am clever; I won’t be wronged.”

Lady Wan smiled as well. “Mm, I believe in you, fifth son.”

When Lady Wan sent Li Zhiyun off, Lady Dou came to sit in Lady Wan’s courtyard for a while.

Lady Dou said, “I had always wanted Li Yuanji and the fifth son to be closer, hoping the fifth son could help Li Yuanji grow close to Erlang and Sanlang.”

Lady Wan lowered her head. “Madam, the fourth son is Erlang and Sanlang’ full brother; your actions are appropriate.”

Lady Dou sighed. “After hearing this, the second son said, if the fourth son is to be assigned to him, then the third son should take the fifth son, and he alone will take the fourth son.”

Lady Wan looked up in astonishment.

Lady Dou held Lady Wan’s hand. “Erlang and Sanlang truly care for the fifth son. Rest assured, with them around, even if the fourth son resents him, nothing will happen. Although the fifth son has moved out of your courtyard, I will ensure he comes to visit you often.”

Tears fell from Lady Wan’s eyes, chokingly she said, “Thank you, madam. You’ve worked hard.”

Lady Dou said, “Which parent doesn’t work hard? You should also go visit the third son more often. I have to manage the whole household and cannot always accompany him. Keep an eye on those around him; don’t let him catch a chill again.”

Lady Wan hurriedly replied, “Yes, I will take good care of the third son.”

Lady Dou smiled. “The fifth son has two mothers; Erlang and Sanlang are no different.”

Warmth filled Lady Wan’s heart.

After comforting Lady Wan, Lady Dou stood amidst the falling snow and let out a long sigh.

The harmonious sibling relationships and family peace she desired… it seemed she could never achieve them.

She could not expect Erlang and Sanlang to always be oppressed, never fighting back.

Lady Dou brushed the fine snow from her head and shoulders and returned to Li Xuanba’s small courtyard.

Li Xuanba was leaning against Hangu, holding a warming stove, flipping through a book of poetry.

Lady Dou, concerned, said, “Third son, your illness hasn’t fully healed yet; don’t overexert yourself.”

Li Xuanba looked up. “Just reading poetry doesn’t take much effort. Mother, may I whisper a few words to you?”

Lady Dou chuckled. “You’re already so grown up—how can there still be whispers?”

She turned and instructed, “You all go downstairs, and make sure the doors are properly closed.”

The servants withdrew, securing the doors and windows.

Granny Zhang stayed at the doorway, keeping a watchful eye and preventing anyone from approaching.

Li Xuanba said, “Mother, I had Hangu guard the place because I knew Li Yuanji would come.”

Lady Dou patted Hangu’s birdlike head. “Your mother guessed as much.”

Li Xuanba continued, “Someone like Li Yuanji respects power but not virtue. Only by hurting him will he stop acting up.”

Lady Dou took a deep breath. “Yes…”

Li Xuanba added, “Mother, when Second Brother and I were suppressing bandits in Qinghe Commandery, we personally witnessed a terrible tragedy. Someone poisoned the village well, killing dozens of villagers.”

Lady Dou frowned. “So vicious? What kind of grudge could there have been?”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “No grudge—it was just a seven-year-old child acting on a whim.”

Lady Dou’s eyes widened in surprise.

Li Xuanba explained, “I heard that as a toddler, the child liked to pull the wings off butterflies. A little older, he would strangle chickens and ducks with his own hands. By six or seven, he often bullied children younger than himself. His parents were honest folk and scolded him several times. This time, he poisoned the well because he had been scolded again.”

Lady Dou asked in confusion, “A child… where did he get poison strong enough to kill a whole village?”

Li Xuanba hesitated. “…” Oh no—he forgot this wasn’t the modern era.

The story was real—but in modern times.

Li Xuanba said seriously, “In that household, the child’s family were hunters and had recently acquired poison for wild boars. This poison, if the boar doesn’t eat its innards, won’t taint the meat. Farmers often use it to protect themselves when wild boars descend from the mountains.”

Lady Dou nodded. “I see… he stole poison meant for hunting wild animals.”

Raised within the inner court, Lady Dou wasn’t very familiar with the outside world. Hearing Li Xuanba’s explanation, she believed him.

She sighed. “There really can be such cruel children.”

She had roughly guessed what Li Xuanba was trying to persuade her about.

As she expected, Li Xuanba continued, “A sage once said, man is inherently good. Another sage said, man is inherently evil. From what I see, people are born with both good and evil, or as a chaotic mix, requiring guidance to distinguish right from wrong.”

Lady Dou forced a smile. “Third Son, are you saying Li Silang was born evil?”

Li Xuanba said, “Mother, when you abandoned Li Yuanji, I was the one who brought him back.”

Lady Dou’s face went pale.

Abandoning a child had burdened her with guilt—a lifelong pain in her heart.

Li Xuanba said, “Mother shows great love to all children. Even if they aren’t your own, you treat them equally. But why were you fearful of Li Yuanji alone? I once tried to befriend him and, this time, I did my best to guide him. When I failed, I couldn’t help but wonder: when you abandoned Li Yuanji, was it an instinctive act of self-preservation—like an animal facing a predator?”

He gave a bitter smile. “Even if I hadn’t taken him in, the servants would have. I had wanted to keep it from you, so you wouldn’t bear the burden. Who knew Grandmother Dugu would spread it for her own gain. I should have been more careful.”

Li Xuanba had personally rescued Li Yuanji. Beyond trying to befriend him and isolating Li Jiancheng and Li Yuan within the brothers’ clique, he also wanted to suppress the matter to protect his mother’s reputation. Yet Grandmother Dugu had publicized it to seize power, ignoring the family’s face.

Normally, family scandals like this should remain private.

Lady Dou’s thoughts drifted.

She didn’t hear the rest of Li Xuanba’s words.

The question, “Why were you fearful of Li Yuanji alone?”, kept echoing in her mind.

Indeed, why was she close to the other children, yet fearful of Li Yuanji?

Though Lady Dou was a good person, she was also human, with vulnerabilities. When faced with a moral burden that had tormented her for years, it was natural to look for excuses:

Maybe it wasn’t entirely my fault… maybe he also had faults…

Especially those prone to bullying often cling to such excuses. Li Xuanba hadn’t originally intended to persuade his mother this way.

His mother upheld a high moral standard, and he didn’t want to tempt her into moral compromise.

But seeing her suffering, Li Xuanba changed his approach.

If strict morality would cause her pain, perhaps it was better for her not to be morally perfect.

He didn’t know if his words could shatter her moral defenses, but he planted a seed. When Li Yuanji caused her pain again, this seed might allow her to break free from the thorny cage built by “maternal love” and “morality.”

Li Xuanba knew it wasn’t yet time. With her extremely high moral sense, she wouldn’t abandon her principles because of a single excuse.

To prevent her from justifying herself with morality, Li Xuanba shifted the topic again.

“Mother, look at this poetry collection,” he said. “These are poems sung by the peasants who rose in rebellion.”

In her distracted state, Lady Dou found a poetry collection pressed into her hands.

Reflexively, she lowered her head and opened it.

The collection had been recompiled by the leaders and strategists of the peasant uprising, and the first poem was the brutally tragic Lament of the Peasants.

Being naturally empathetic, Lady Dou trembled and shed tears after just reading the introduction to Lament of the Peasants, completely forgetting her own troubles, her mind consumed only by the blood-stained words on the page.

A short poem, yet Lady Dou took a long time to finish reading it.

With every line, she hesitated, unable to tear her gaze away, pausing slowly to compose herself before continuing.

When she finally finished, Lady Dou lifted her head, crying uncontrollably. “Is this… real? Is everything written in the poem true?”

Li Xuanba replied calmly, “Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the people have been conscripted year after year. Last year, floods; this year, drought. And still, His Majesty refuses to stop the campaign against Goguryeo. The people are already suffering immensely. This is the truth. Your eldest son originally stayed with Father in Zhuo Prefecture, but later returned due to illness because he could not bear to see such misery. Even around Zhuo Prefecture it is this dire; the situation in the disaster-stricken regions of Shandong is even worse.”

Lady Dou ran her fingers over the pages of the poem. “The common people are already this destitute?”

She felt a deep sorrow. Unfortunately, as a woman, all she could do was pity them—there was nothing else she could do.

Li Xuanba asked, “Mother, when you were young, didn’t you once say, ‘I only regret that I am not a man and cannot save my maternal family from danger’?”

Lady Dou’s expression changed drastically. “Dade! Where did you hear that? Do not speak recklessly!”

Li Xuanba said, “Then it must be true.”

Lady Dou panicked. “No, Mother never…”

Li Xuanba said, “Mother, look at the Sui Dynasty. Do you not see the signs of its imminent fall?”

Lady Dou’s attempt at protest died on her lips.

The mother and son remained silent for a long time. The room was so quiet that even the beating of their hearts sounded like thunder.

Lady Dou counted her heartbeat, her hands trembling for a long while before she suddenly clenched them into fists.

“Third Son, you and Second Son…” Lady Dou’s voice was hoarse. “Do not act recklessly.”

Li Xuanba said, “Brother and I will not act recklessly. We are only accumulating strength. I see Father has ambitions, and many of the court’s nobles do as well. A chaotic era is approaching. Mother, you must take care of yourself. If you torment yourself for people who do not care about you, when the day comes that our great vengeance is realized, you may not be there to see it—would that not be a regret?”

Lady Dou’s face flickered with changing expressions. Uncle, aunt, cousins, father, mother, elder brother… the faces she had tried so hard to forget now all resurfaced in her mind.

Her uncle’s entire family was exterminated, her parents and elder brother all gone, leaving her alone in the world.

She seemed to smile, to cry, and to scold all at once, then reached out and yanked her third son’s cheek.

Li Xuanba winced in pain. “Ouch!”

Han Gou immediately propped himself up with his wings.

Lady Dou looked at Han Gou. “What, do you want to protect Dade?”

Han Gou glanced at Mom, then at Mom’s Mom, folded his wings, plopped back down, and turned his head elsewhere.

Lady Dou laughed. “He’s truly spirited now.”

She released her grip on Li Xuanba’s face. “Dade, do you know what you’re saying? Why are you telling me all this?”

Li Xuanba covered his face. “I just want Mother to lift her gaze from the backyard to the entire realm. You lament being a woman and your limited abilities, but if our family rebels, Mother’s backyard will extend to the whole empire. Then, there will be much you can do. Mother, think of a bright future.”

“A bright future…” Lady Dou could only laugh and cry at the same time. The empire is in chaos, the Tang Duke’s house is plotting rebellion, and you call that bright?

Lady Dou had never known anyone who could reason with others like this.

Mother, don’t be angry at Fourth Son, because the empire is about to descend into chaos, and our family is about to rebel.

Can someone really reason this way?!

Lady Dou realized she might not know this son as well as she thought.

“Burn this poetry collection. Leave no trace, and do not show it to your father,” Lady Dou said seriously. “When His Majesty learns of the poems in this collection, he will surely fly into a rage. Anyone who privately keeps a poetry collection will be punished.”

Li Xuanba replied, “Yes, Mother.” Of course, he knew, but today he had risked it all for her sake.

Lady Dou hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice. “Although you say Father already has rebellious thoughts, I see he hasn’t considered it that far yet. Do not let him know of the plans between you and Second Son. If he becomes confused, he might report you.”

Li Xuanba said, “Yes. We will be careful.”

Lady Dou hesitated again, then gritted her teeth. “I will find a way for you and Second Son to take Fifth Son with you. Teach him well. Fifth Son is clever; he will one day become your right-hand man.”

Li Xuanba was taken aback.

Mother’s change of heart was far too sudden!