LFHYB -Chapter 123 Guests Flock In Before the Wedding

Although Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had settled on this wicked little plan, Liu Ji was from Jiangling in Jingzhou. His great-grandfather had been an official of the Southern Liang, and Liu Ji himself had originally defected to Xiao Xian, who rose in rebellion in the thirteenth year of Daye (617). His whole family was in the south, and with no prominent background, he was actually quite hard to find now.

So the two of them temporarily shelved the plan and decided to deal with Liu Ji when they eventually met him.

Even if, in the future, Li Shimin felt too embarrassed to beat Liu Ji, Li Xuanba could still carry out the plan together with Xiao Wu. There was no rush.

They wrote this plan into their shared little “scheme notebook” and leaned together whispering and snickering.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were once again on good terms.

Li Yuan and Lady Dou were not worried at all about the brothers’ earlier “cold war.”

They were used to it—these two had always been like this since childhood.

When Li Jiancheng returned with Li Yuanji, Li Yuan even complained to him: “I thought after being tempered on the frontier for so long, Daxiong and Dade would be more mature. Who knew they’d still be so mischievous?”

Li Jiancheng saw that although his father spoke with disdain, his face was full of proud smiles. He echoed him aloud, but his heart was bitter.

As he grew older and received Li Yuan’s personal instruction, Li Jiancheng’s immaturity and arrogance had faded a great deal. His thinking and conduct had grown much more mature, and his horizons had widened.

At the very least, with the realm on the brink of chaos and his father harboring ambitions against the Sui, Li Jiancheng—who was with his father day and night—could see it clearly.

If the Sui were still strong, then after becoming more mature, seeing the abilities of his second and third brothers would only reassure him. He would no longer feel jealous as he once had—because the more capable his second and third brothers were, the less they would threaten his inheritance of the title Duke of Tang.

But now that the Great Sui was in decline, the value of the title “Duke of Tang” had greatly diminished.

Li Jiancheng had studied the histories from childhood and knew that in times of chaos, only real strength mattered.

Li Xuanba was a sickly weakling and not worth fearing.

Li Shimin… sigh.

Li Jiancheng now deeply regretted things.

Li Shimin had always been lively and cheerful, the sort who won people’s affection easily, and Li Jiancheng had once believed their relationship was quite good. Li Xuanba, on the other hand, had been frail and gloomy since childhood and always liked to cling to him. Li Jiancheng disliked both his personality and the trouble of taking care of him, so he had never liked Li Xuanba.

Looking back now, he realized he had been completely wrong.

If, when Li Xuanba had actively tried to get close to him, he had shown him a bit more warmth, then Li Xuanba would surely have become his greatest support.

Now that Li Yuanji had “turned over a new leaf,” he was very close to and trusting of Li Jiancheng. But Li Yuanji’s abilities were far inferior to Li Xuanba’s.

If both Li Yuanji and Li Xuanba stood on his side, then even if Li Shimin were outstanding, and with his own status as the legitimate eldest son, he would have the confidence to stand toe-to-toe with Li Shimin.

Fortunately, his relationship with Li Xuanba was still fairly good, and the family had not yet committed itself to the path of contending for the throne. Perhaps there was still time to make amends.

Li Jiancheng decided that while Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were back for their weddings, he must put on the image of a truly good elder brother.

After Li Jiancheng respectfully took his leave, Li Yuan’s smile faded, and he let out a long sigh.

“This trip to Hedong has dealt Bishamen a heavy blow,” Li Yuan said, rubbing his temple. “What a headache.”

In the past, although Second and Third had also been outstanding, Eldest Son had never thought himself inferior to them. He had merely taken a different path; if given the same opportunities, he believed he would certainly not lose to the young Second and Third.

Li Yuan had once thought so too.

After all, he had raised Eldest Son with his own hands, and the boy was nine years older than Second and Third. He should have been very capable—he just hadn’t had the chance to show it.

But when Li Yuan handed him the authority of Hedong’s Pacification Commissioner and let him act on his behalf in Hedong, Eldest Son achieved nothing. Compared with Second and Third, who had almost started from nothing, there was simply no excuse to be made.

“If the Emperor weren’t so incompetent, no matter how dazzling Second is, it wouldn’t matter. The Great Sui could accommodate more than one ducal house. But… sigh.” Li Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

He hadn’t even decided whether to rise in rebellion yet, so why was he already thinking about succession to the throne? How arrogant of him.

Still, even knowing the future was uncertain—perhaps he would never meet the right moment to rebel—Li Yuan hoped Li Xuanba and Li Jiancheng could become closer.

Li Xuanba had wanted to play with his eldest brother since childhood, but Li Jiancheng had disliked how young and frail he was and had been unwilling to take him along.

If Eldest Son and Third Son improved their relationship, Third Son would surely be happy too, Li Yuan thought.

And besides, Second Son was already so outstanding that he could stand on his own even without Third’s help. Every child was dear to him; seeing his disappointed eldest son left Li Yuan with a heavy heart, and he hoped Third could lend Eldest a hand.

As a father, he naturally wanted every child to be exceptional. Li Yuan was no different.

After returning, Li Jiancheng soon invited Li Shimin and Li Xuanba to a small private gathering.

Li Yuanji and Li Zhiyun, the two little “tails” who followed their elder brothers, were also present.

Li Yuanji seemed like a completely different person. He behaved with extreme politeness and respect; even his expression was stiff and proper, almost wooden.

He apologized to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba for what he had done before, as if he had completely forgotten about Li Xuanba’s “scheming.”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba also returned his courtesy with polite warmth.

Li Zhiyun continued to be his usual invisible self.

The brothers’ private dinner was so harmonious that it greatly comforted Li Yuan.

But as soon as they returned to their small courtyard, Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Zhiyun squeezed onto one bed, their heads together, whispering urgently.

Li Zhiyun rubbed his arms. “Heavens, I’ve got goosebumps all over. That was terrifying!”

Li Shimin said seriously, “A-Xuan, Fifth Brother, I think Li Yuanji’s mental state is even more dangerous than before. You both must be careful.”

Li Xuanba looked thoughtful.

Li Shimin knocked him on the head. “Did you hear me? Be careful! It’s not that I don’t trust him—I’ve seen too many people like this on the battlefield. This isn’t him getting better, he’s just suppressing it!”

Li Xuanba said, “The more something is suppressed, the more terrifying it is when it erupts. I know. I’m just wondering—haven’t Father and Mother noticed?”

Li Shimin replied, “Father probably just thinks Li Yuanji has reformed. As for Mother… I’ll go ask her.”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “You shouldn’t. I will.”

Li Shimin then told Li Zhiyun, “Your martial arts are better than Third Brother’s. Once we go to Hedong, you must protect him. Stay away from Li Yuanji.”

Li Zhiyun said proudly, “Don’t worry, Second Brother. No matter how bad Li Yuanji is, I’ve been tempered on the frontier. He can’t compare to me, hmph!”

Li Shimin patted Li Zhiyun’s head. “I’m counting on you. I’m leaving A-Xuan in your care.”

Li Xuanba sighed helplessly. “It’s just Li Yuanji. There’s no need to be this nervous. My guards won’t leave my side.”

Li Shimin still warned him, “Better safe than sorry.”

Li Shimin’s instincts were sharp. The moment he saw Li Yuanji, every fiber of his body felt uncomfortable. That man was definitely hiding something sinister.

In truth, Li Xuanba felt the same. This time, seeing Li Yuanji made him even more uneasy than before.

He wondered if Li Yuanji’s new wooden demeanor meant he had really been subjected to excessively harsh discipline and ground down into someone even more psychologically twisted.

People in ancient times mostly knew nothing about proper education and often believed harsh discipline meant nothing more than beatings. Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou had been like that, brutally strict, and had ended up turning his crown prince into a psychopath.

Li Xuanba had engineered things so Li Yuanji would reveal his true nature, hoping their parents would discipline him properly. But both parents knew the lesson of Emperor Tianyuan, so they shouldn’t have repeated that mistake.

The next day, Li Xuanba went to Lady Dou and carefully asked how she had been instructing Li Yuanji.

Lady Dou sighed. “So you noticed?”

Li Xuanba played dumb. “Noticed what?”

Lady Dou tapped his forehead. “Li Yuanji now looks obedient and well-behaved, as if he’s become a good child. But I fear not only has his nature not changed—he probably harbors hatred toward you, toward me, and even toward the entire Duke of Tang’s household.”

Li Xuanba hadn’t expected his mother to answer so frankly, and for a moment he didn’t know what to say.

Lady Dou continued, “I knew this wouldn’t work. But your father insisted on handing Li Yuanji over to a teacher famous for being harsh, saying that we’re too soft-hearted. Sigh… can you really teach a child well just by being cruel? My cousin once—forget it, I won’t go into that. Just be careful.”

“Yes, Mother. Please don’t worry,” Li Xuanba replied.

Lady Dou smiled. “I know you’re capable, so you should be fine. Originally, seeing that your wedding is approaching, you looked rather tense, so I wanted to let you rest quietly for a while. Now that you have the leisure to ask about Li Yuanji, it seems you also have the leisure to deal with serious matters. I have something to discuss with you about the charity estate.”

Li Xuanba gave a bitter smile. “Mother, don’t tease me. I’m not nervous. If you want to talk to me, you can ask anytime—why wait?”

Lady Dou smiled again and tapped his forehead. “You’re my child. Do you think I can’t tell whether you’re nervous or not?”

Li Xuanba didn’t dare say anything. He was afraid the more he argued, the more his mother would tease him.

Knowing that Li Xuanba was thinner-skinned with close family than with outsiders, Lady Dou stopped teasing him.

Mother and son leaned closer and quietly went through the affairs of the charity estate one by one.

Lady Dou had used her own dowry to expand the estate. By now, a fortified manor had been built, with farmland and craftsmen inside, ensuring that even if bandits laid siege to it, it could remain self-sufficient for a time.

The manor was also linked with the surrounding villages. The villages now built their defenses around the fortified estate, reorganized farmland, and organized local militias to patrol.

They formed the outer defensive line, while the manor was their fallback.

This model of joint defense between fortified manors and villages was extremely common in the Central Plains from the late Eastern Han through the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Even now, great Shandong clans like the Zhengs of Xingyang still had the fortified manors of their ancestral homes intact.

The Sui dynasty had ruled for only thirty-three years; most people had not yet shed the mindset of living in chaotic times and were still prepared for turmoil.

Although Lady Dou had grown up in the deep palace and never personally experienced an age of chaos, whether from the teachings of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou and her parents, or from her many years as the Duchess of Tang, she handled these matters with ease.

“Now anyone with even a little local power is building fortified manors and raising private troops, as if we’ve returned to an age of chaos,” Lady Dou sighed softly. “My uncle reformed the fubing system with great difficulty to take military power out of the hands of the great families, but now it’s all slipping back again.”

Li Xuanba nodded in agreement and couldn’t help sighing too.

In later generations, when Emperor Yang of Sui was ranked among the ‘Ten Philosophers of the Temple,’ there was once a theory that sounded reasonable at first glance: that his three campaigns against Tuyuhun and three against Goguryeo were meant to wear down the power of the aristocratic families, which was why those families rebelled.

This showed a complete misunderstanding of the Sui military system.

The Sui inherited the Northern Zhou’s fubing system, which converted the private armies of powerful clans into troops directly under the central government. After repeated reforms by Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou and Emperor Wen of Sui, most soldiers came from well-to-do self-cultivating farmers and small landowners—the backbone of the Sui’s taxpayers and conscripts.

After Yang Guang took the throne, he kept increasing the number of Yingyang Commands while weakening the authority and status of the Yingyang Commanders, all in order to make local forces more obedient to central control.

Later, however, as the realm fell into chaos and the central government lost its grip, most Yingyang Commands became entangled with local great families and still rebelled.

The Sui’s campaigns were fought by its own fubing troops. First, a batch of central troops died; then newly conscripted troops died; and after the disastrous Goguryeo campaigns, desertion became rampant. To protect himself, Yang Guang formed a mercenary force—the Xiaoguo Army—which now took over the task of guarding the emperor from the Twelve Guards.

Yang Guang wrecked the Sui’s military system, allowing the great families to seize the chance to recruit scattered soldiers and rebuild the private armies that Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou and Emperor Wen of Sui had dismantled.

When the central army collapses, local warlords rise—this is basic common sense. Yang Guang was, in effect, feeding meat to the great clans.

The fortified manors springing up everywhere at the end of the Sui were the first step in the rise of local warlords. Only because the Tang dynasty was founded so quickly were these separatist forces crushed while still in their infancy.

Lady Dou’s worries now were born from watching, with her own eyes, the approach of another age of chaos, as powerful families once again schemed to expand their military strength.

After sighing, Li Xuanba comforted her. “Mother, please trust Second Brother. They won’t be able to stir up trouble.”

Lady Dou reached out and pinched Li Xuanba’s cheek.

Li Xuanba stared in shock and covered his face, not understanding why his mother suddenly did that.

Lady Dou smiled. “I trust him, and I trust you. I also trust Qijian, and that future general’s daughter you always talk about.”

Li Xuanba covered his face. “Mm…” For some reason, he felt a little embarrassed.

When the topic turned to Third Sister and her husband, Lady Dou sighed.

When Li Shimin and Li Xuanba returned to Daxing, Third Sister and her husband were not at home; they had only left gifts behind before departing.

Now, from his mother’s words, Li Xuanba learned that his brother-in-law’s mother was gravely ill, so the couple had returned to their rural ancestral home, allowing the old woman to spend the last stretch of her life quietly before her husband’s recently built grave.

In his previous life, when Li Xuanba had read the biography of Princess Pingyang, he had once wondered: she and her husband Chai Shao clearly had a good relationship, so why did their eldest son—according to scholarly research—seem to have been born only after Li Yuan rose in rebellion?

Princess Pingyang’s death was very likely due to the short interval between two pregnancies. Given that her childbearing age was already considered late in that era, she probably died of postpartum complications.

Now he guessed that although Third Sister and her husband had married early, when they finally reached the age when they could consummate the marriage, his parents-in-law died in succession. Not only did that limit the time they could be together, but Third Sister’s body may also have been weakened by prolonged mourning. Instead, after the uprising began, her health improved and she was able to conceive.

But the underlying damage to her body remained, and consecutive pregnancies finally broke her down.

Fortunately, Zhuniang had already noticed the hidden weakness in Third Sister’s health. He would remind his brother-in-law that after they had their eldest son, they should pay attention to contraception—then Third Sister’s future in this life should be different.

Lady Dou noticed Li Xuanba’s distraction and asked, “Are you worried about Third Girl? Is something going to happen to her in the future?”

Li Xuanba came back to his senses and said, “I’m just worried that Third Sister hasn’t had any children yet. If she starts having them later in life and gives birth too frequently, it might harm her body.”

Lady Dou laughed. “You, ah—you’ve been paying attention to women’s matters like this since you were little. How strange.”

Li Xuanba: “……”

Lady Dou smiled again. “Still, Mother is happy that you care about me and about Third Sister.”

She pulled Li Xuanba into her arms and rubbed his hair the way she did when he was little.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to remind Third Sister properly. She’ll become a princess in the future—she doesn’t need to care about producing heirs. Chai Shao wouldn’t dare mistreat her.”

Li Xuanba said, “With Second Brother and me around, none of our sisters will be bullied.”

Lady Dou touched his head again. “That’s right.”

She thought about how, when Li Xuanba was still very young, he had somehow noticed when she was uncomfortable during her monthly period, and now he was worrying about Third Sister’s difficulties with childbirth. Her feelings were very complicated.

Lady Dou knew that men weren’t supposed to know about these women’s matters—but seeing Li Xuanba like this made her very happy.

She kept Li Xuanba with her, fussing over him for a long while. By the time he finally went back, it was as if his mother had drained all his energy—he collapsed onto the table without moving.

Li Shimin poked at Li Xuanba’s messy hair bun. “What’s wrong?”

Li Xuanba replied weakly, “Mother still treats me like a child.”

Li Shimin laughed. “Even if you’re seventy or eighty, you’ll still be Mother’s child.”

Li Xuanba said, “I need to think of a way to divert Mother’s attention.”

So he handed over the idle Han Gou and Wu Di to his mother.

Lady Dou’s attention was immediately captured by these two “grandson falcons,” and she stopped pulling Li Xuanba close.

Han Gou and Wu Di folded their wings and wobbled along behind Lady Dou as she strolled about, becoming a unique sight in the Duke of Tang’s residence.

Li Yuan had originally been quite envious of the clever golden eagles, but once he saw them turn into glorified walking chickens, he lost interest.

He still preferred mighty, fierce eagles that could hunt.

Another half month passed, and the guests gradually arrived in full. The auspicious wedding day of Li Shimin and Li Xuanba was drawing near.

Li Yuan discussed the matter with the in-laws. Since Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were twins, they might as well marry on the same day and perform the wedding rites together—this would also become a fine tale.

The in-laws all thought it was interesting and agreed.

As for the fortune-tellers, they were very tactful and knew how to satisfy their clients.

So the charlatan pinched his fingers and declared: “Twins are destined to marry together—this is a great blessing!”

Once the news spread in Taiyuan, the common people prepared new clothes as if it were New Year, eager to come and join the excitement.

The famous twin sons of the Duke of Tang getting married together—just hearing it sounded auspicious, even more novel than welcoming a Buddha statue.

People of this era were no different from modern netizens forwarding lucky koi images: whenever something auspicious happened, everyone wanted to get a piece of the good fortune.

After all, it cost nothing—and who knew, they might even get some wedding money!

Li Yuan had not planned to hold a grand ceremony and had invited only a limited number of guests.

But as the wedding drew closer, the situation made it impossible not to expand the scale.

Perhaps Li Shimin and Li Xuanba’s reputations were simply too great—many guests whom he hadn’t even invited began showing up on their own.

For example, the prominent families of Hedong and Shandong, which gave him the biggest headaches, all sent people. Not only the Xue family of Xue Daoheng and Xue Shou, who already had ties to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, but even the Five Great Clans of Shandong came to offer congratulations. Even the aloof Cui clan—the foremost aristocratic family in the realm—came politely as guests, more courteous than they had been when Yang Su married into the Cui clan back in the day.

Li Yuan was stunned.

A representative of the Cui clan smiled and said, “Second Young Master Li and Third Young Master Li are rare talents in the world. It’s a pity we didn’t get to know them earlier. Now that they’re celebrating such happy occasions, how could we not come to congratulate them?”

After hearing this, Li Yuan went home and beat his chest before Lady Dou. “If we’d arranged Second and Third Son’s engagements a bit later, maybe we could have married into the Cui clan!”

The Cui of Qinghe!

Lady Dou said sternly, “My lord, you must never say such things. If word got out, what would our sons’ in-laws think? Besides, we already have a daughter-in-law from the Zheng clan of Xingyang. We cannot take another bride from the great Shandong clans.”

Li Yuan said awkwardly, “I know, I was just saying it.”

That was the Cui of Qinghe! The very clan that Yang Su had shamelessly begged for a marriage alliance and still got snubbed by!

Lady Dou was speechless.

So what if they were the Cui of Qinghe? How could they compare to her two capable sons? They were just relying on ancestral prestige.

She ignored her husband and went back to continuing the wedding preparations for her sons.

Even before Li Shimin and Li Xuanba returned to the Central Plains, Lady Dou had already started making arrangements.

While Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were quite idle before their weddings, Lady Dou was so busy her feet barely touched the ground.

Now that more and more guests of high status were arriving, many originally planned parts of the ceremony had to be changed. Lady Dou was extremely exhausted—but very happy.

Was there anything happier than seeing one’s children become successful?

After sighing and lamenting for a while, Li Yuan also put those thoughts aside and went back to receiving guests.

He smiled bitterly to himself: he was supposed to be the one providing connections for his sons, so why did it feel like his sons were the ones bringing connections to him? Having sons who were too capable really put a lot of pressure on a father.

Still, like Lady Dou, despite the pressure, Li Yuan was delighted by his sons’ success.

However, when even the Eastern and Western Turks sent envoys to offer congratulations, Li Yuan was no longer happy—he was terrified.

He dragged Li Shimin and Li Xuanba over. “Why do you two even have dealings with the Eastern Turks?”

Li Shimin scratched his head. “We don’t.”

Li Xuanba said, “If you insist, it’s only because we’re preparing to join the Western Turks to attack the Eastern Turks.”

Li Yuan was baffled. “Then why did the Eastern Turkic Khagan send people here?”

Li Shimin said, “Father, you’ve always been wary of the Eastern Turks. Maybe the Khagan is coming out of respect for you?”

Li Xuanba nodded. “Maybe Second Brother is right.”

Li Yuan scratched his head. Was that really true? Why didn’t he feel confident about it? Well, let’s just assume it was true.

He quickly pulled Changsun Sheng along to receive the Turkic envoys, afraid that something might go wrong.

“His Majesty is still personally campaigning against Goguryeo. We mustn’t let His Majesty misunderstand,” Li Yuan said, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Changsun Sheng smiled. “The Turks are just here to drink a cup of wedding wine. You’re overthinking it—His Majesty won’t care. We can simply report it to His Majesty, saying that the Turks came, taking advantage of Li Erlang and Li Sanlang’s wedding, to show goodwill toward the Great Sui by asking you to pass along gifts to the Emperor. That will do, won’t it?”

(Better if he does care—then Li Yuan will be pushed to rebel sooner.)

Li Yuan laughed. “You really are clever. We’ll do it that way.”

After Li Yuan sent off a memorial full of anxious deference and received a reply of praise from Yang Guang, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then an unexpected visitor made his heart leap into his throat again.

The Crown Prince Yang Xian—who had been sidelined by the Emperor—actually came in person, holding an imperial edict congratulating Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, to attend their wedding.

Li Yuan knew that relations between the Emperor and the Crown Prince had grown increasingly tense; the Emperor had even gone so far as to mutter paranoid things about whether Yang Xuangan’s rebellion had been coordinated with the Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince had come to attend his sons’ wedding, wouldn’t the Emperor suspect that he and the Crown Prince were in league with each other?

Although Yang Xian’s authority had already been largely stripped away by the Emperor, he was still the Crown Prince. No matter how worried Li Yuan was, he could only put on a look of flattered gratitude and receive this heavyweight guest with the utmost respect.

The people of Taiyuan, unaware of the rift between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, were thrilled to see that the Second and Third Young Masters of the Duke of Tang could even get the Crown Prince himself to attend their wedding. They held their heads high, proud by association.

Yang Xian declined special arrangements and stayed at the Duke of Tang’s residence. That night, just as he had done back in Luoyang, he once again climbed over the wall into Li Shimin and Li Xuanba’s quarters.

Carrying a wine jar, he laughed. “The Duke of Tang doesn’t welcome me—what about you two?”

Li Shimin replied irritably, “If you didn’t come, A-Xuan and I would be unhappy.”

Li Xuanba nodded. “Tonight, we won’t go home sober.”

Yang Xian exchanged a look with Li Shimin, then the two of them pushed Li Xuanba aside to drink water while they started drinking against each other.

Yang Xian said, “You’re a three-cups-and-you’re-down type—what are you even drinking for?”

Li Shimin retorted, “Oh please. If you get drunk, how will you chat with Second Cousin? Go on, go on.”

Li Xuanba: “……”

This time he had truly wanted to get drunk with Second Cousin. Didn’t Second Cousin always complain before that he wouldn’t drink with him and was closer to Second Brother instead? Why was he being sidelined now?