LFHYB -Chapter 143 The Origins of the Crown Prince’s Posthumous Child

On the way to Zhangye, Xue Yuanjing encountered Li Shimin, who was stationed in Xiping Commandery.

The He–You region, i.e., the Hexi Corridor, begins at Wuwei Commandery. Xiping Commandery lies south of Wuwei; it was formerly a key military post for the Sui defending against the Tuyuhun.

The He–You region had already been largely brought under control by Li Shimin and Li Xuanba before they returned to Taiyuan. During their absence, Fang Qiao and others had seized half of Xiping Commandery, effectively cutting off the He–You region from the Central Plains.

Now, Li Shimin, as Pacification Commissioner of Longyou, had jurisdiction over the area from the Long Mountains and Liupan Mountains westward to Qinghai Lake, including much of what would later be Eastern Xinjiang. Xiping Commandery was also under his command.

This time, Li Shimin personally led troops to consolidate his newly acquired territory.

Jincheng Commandery (later Lanzhou) also fell under Li Shimin’s jurisdiction as Pacification Commissioner of Longyou. After resting in Xiping Commandery, he would move on to Jincheng.

Counties west of Jincheng, originally controlled by remnants of the Tuyuhun, had all submitted to Li Shimin after he supported King Tianzhu to become Khan. With Xiping Commandery now under his control, Jincheng was easily within reach.

However, Jincheng had the powerful Xue family. Local power was largely in their hands, and even officials appointed by the Sui relied on the Xue clan. Li Shimin was therefore considering how to bring them under control.

The frontier was different from the Central Plains: strength was law. There was no need to reason with local gentry; simply demonstrate your ability to crush them, and they would submit.

The emperor is far away; even if you fight them, they cannot complain.

The Longyou Circuit was vast but sparsely populated. As the Central Plains slipped out of control, the Sui had effectively lost the ability to manage the frontier. This was why Yang Guang could confidently entrust Longyou to Li Shimin.

The Sui could no longer provide any support for the frontier. Since Li Shimin was handling Zhangye well, he was left in charge.

“Upon hearing that you are of the Hedong Xue family, he followed along?” Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, a thought of his younger brother flashing in his mind.

The reputation of these aristocratic families was truly well-deserved. No wonder that, in order to consolidate imperial power, it was necessary to weaken the prestige of the great families.

However, now that Xue Yuanjing had used the prestige of the Hedong Xue clan to recruit Xue Ju—a powerful local magnate from Jincheng Commandery—Li Shimin had no reason to be wary of the Xue family at this point.

He warmly welcomed Xue Ju, who had come to pledge allegiance, and had Qin Qiong spar with Xue Ju in martial skills, while he himself tested his archery against Xue Ju.

“Our people on the frontier aren’t as subtle or intricate as those from the Central Plains. Making friends here is all about showing your skills,” Li Shimin said, wiping his bow, smiling at Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin. “On the frontier, there’s not only wind and sand and wild beasts, but also barbarian scum in human skin. If you don’t display your valor, you won’t survive here.”

Xue Yuanjing asked worriedly, “Do I need to show my valor too?”

Xue Deyin glanced at him speechlessly.

Li Shimin said, “You don’t need to. As long as I, the pacifying envoy, can demonstrate convincing courage, that’s enough.”

Xue Yuanjing exhaled in relief. While he wasn’t a weak scholar incapable of defending himself, there was no need to compete in martial prowess with frontier warriors.

Xue Yuanjing asked, “Li Erlang sparring with Xue Ju—is that to intimidate him?”

Li Shimin nodded. “I had heard of Xue Ju’s bravery long ago. When the aides scouted Jincheng Commandery earlier, Xue Ju wouldn’t be easily brought under someone else’s control. Thanks to you all.”

Xue Yuanjing smiled and cupped his hands. “I’m glad to help. I was worried that other colleagues might arrive in Longyou before me, leaving no chance to show my skills.”

Li Shimin sighed. “When Xue Bapao arrives, he’ll probably be quite frustrated. Any news of him yet?”

Xue Yuanjing rubbed his forehead. “I’m worried he might have gone rogue at sea. I really don’t know what he’s doing.”

Li Shimin said, “Right now we’re stuck in the Western Regions and cannot search by sea. Once I’ve secured a foothold here, I’ll send people to Goryeo to find traces of him. The southern end of Goryeo faces Wa across the sea; there should be news of Xue Bapao.”

Xue Yuanjing said, “Then I’ll leave it to you, Li Erlang. Qingzhi, why haven’t you said a word?”

Although Xue Deyin was Xue Yuanjing’s paternal uncle, they usually addressed each other by courtesy names, interacting like peers.

Xue Deyin said, “You’ve said everything, what more can I add?”

Xue Yuanjing laughed. “Right, Li Erlang, Qingzhi brought along a newborn infant this time to Zhangye. You’ll need to find a good place for him.”

Xue Deyin’s eyes flickered but he said nothing.

Li Shimin looked at Xue Deyin and asked, “In private?”

Xue Deyin was surprised.

Xue Yuanjing frowned. “Is the child really… a problem?”

Xue Deyin glanced at Xue Yuanjing.

Xue Yuanjing retorted in a vexed tone, “I know you well. That woman isn’t behaving like your usual concubine at all. Xue Qingzhi, don’t cause trouble for Li Erlang. You…”

Li Shimin interrupted, “It’s safe here. Whatever you do won’t cause trouble for me. Shall we talk alone?”

Xue Deyin lowered his head. “Zi Cheng already guessed it. Let’s say it here. That child is the posthumous son of the Crown Prince.”

Though Xue Yuanjing had vaguely suspected the infant’s true identity, he still felt a pang in his chest.

Uncle! You’re risking your entire family for your loyalty!

Li Shimin asked, “The child’s mother… is she Lady Yuan?”

Xue Yuanjing, choked with disbelief, almost coughed up his own spit. “Cough, cough, cough—what?! Lady Yuan?! Which widow could that be?!”

Xue Deyin was extremely surprised. “You could guess that?!”

Li Shimin sighed. “When my second cousin visited Taiyuan, he mentioned wanting to pay respects to old acquaintances before doing anything major. I suspect that was when he… well…”

Before Xue Deyin could gather his words, Li Shimin explained why he could quickly deduce that the infant Xue Deyin brought was Yang Xian’s posthumous son.

After arriving at Zhuo County, Li Shimin learned that, although Empress Xiao requested Yang Guang not to investigate the women related to Yang Xian, Yang Guang never spared anyone when it came to eradicating potential threats. Yang Xian’s female relatives all perished after his death, including his daughters.

After Yang Xian’s consort passed away early, even though he was Crown Prince for many years, Yang Guang never allowed him to choose another crown princess. The concubines in his household were all of low birth. Therefore, Yang Guang’s order for Yang Xian’s women to die brought no stir.

Li Xuanba had once privately complained to Li Shimin that Yang Guang had long been wary of Yang Xian, which was why he never allowed him to choose a new crown princess—fearing that Yang Xian might have backing from a powerful family.

“Though Yang Guang monitored my second cousin’s household strictly, he had almost no informants within his ministers’ homes. Everything relied on betrayal from servants or family,” Li Shimin said with a hint of sarcasm. Yang Guang was obsessive, yet utterly inept. “My second cousin probably met secretly at Lady Yuan’s house.”

Li Shimin then recalled his brother’s own complaints.

When Yang Xian secretly met with Lady Yuan, her husband had consented.

Lady Yuan’s husband, a decadent son who rose through family connections but achieved nothing, indulged in all manner of pleasures. He had no strict moral boundaries, and both he and his wife pursued their own entertainments, sometimes even together.

Li Xuanba had joked that, when Lady Yuan met with the second cousin at home, her husband might have had designs on him too, but could only indulge his eyes due to the cousin’s high status. That cousin’s face… truly a bane to men.

The young Li Shimin had been utterly shocked, traumatized, and immediately told his brother to stop speaking of such sordid matters.

Now grown, Li Shimin calmly shared the gossip he had heard from his brother with Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin. Both men’s expressions mirrored the shock and hurt of the young Li Shimin.

Li Shimin sighed, “When I was in Zhuo County, I heard that after my second cousin’s military admonishment, many households severed ties. Lady Yuan ‘passed away’ quickly, her body already buried. I never expected that the Yuans had hidden a child for him—I almost believed Xuanba’s wild stories.”

Xue Yuanjing’s beard wasn’t long enough to pull; he could only tug at the unruly strands of hair at his temples, making a nest of mess on his head. His lips trembled, and he was speechless for a long moment.

Xue Deyin also wore a complicated expression.

Although he knew that the woman who bore the crown prince’s posthumous child was Lady Yuan’s, Wei, he couldn’t help but think: the crown prince still had lingering feelings for Lady Yuan, so why involve the young master of the Yuan family?

Xue Deyin wanted to argue, but after hearing Li Shimin’s little-known tidbits, it was hard not to be convinced.

Without the cover of the young master of the Yuan family, it would have been impossible for the news of Lady Yuan’s pregnancy to remain secret. Moreover, the young master of the Yuan family had even gone so far as to fake Lady Yuan’s “death from illness,” and somehow obtained a female corpse to bury in the ancestral tomb.

Lady Yuan was from the Jingzhao Wei clan. The Jingzhao Wei clan tacitly allowed the young master of the Yuan family to declare a clan woman deceased for self-preservation, but the status of the matriarch still had to be preserved, so she was buried in the ancestral tomb.

Precisely because Lady Yuan was buried there, no one suspected that the deceased wasn’t actually Lady Yuan.

This was the ancestral tomb, after all!

Xue Deyin took several deep breaths, covered his downward-facing face with both hands, and let out a long sigh: “It’s simply that the young master of the Yuan family had a sense of chivalry and loyalty to His Highness the Crown Prince, that’s all… just that.”

Xue Yuanjing’s mouth twitched. Uncle, do you really believe what you’re saying?!

Li Shimin drifted off in thought. He considered that this must be what A-Xuan meant when he said there were too many points to complain about—he didn’t even know where to start.

Seeing Xue Deyin on the verge of a breakdown, Li Shimin shifted the topic: “Lady Yuan took her own life, probably worried that someone would discover she was still alive and thereby guess that the second cousin had a posthumous child. She really was devoted to him. When I was chatting with the second cousin in prison, he didn’t even know Lady Yuan was carrying his child, and he lamented that having no heirs was actually a good thing—Yang Guang wouldn’t go so far as to harm his granddaughter. Did Yu Yanglian keep it secret?”

Yang Xian’s daughter posed no threat to Yang Guang. Yang Xian thought Yang Guang valued appearances and would act mercifully, so he wouldn’t harm a young granddaughter. He really had never understood his father from beginning to end.

Xue Deyin lowered his hands and answered wearily: “Yes. His Highness the Crown Prince is very sentimental and not good at hiding things, so Yu Yanglian didn’t let him know. While meeting secretly with Lady Yuan… she even tricked him into taking contraceptives.”

Li Shimin’s lips twitched: “Where on earth would there be contraceptives back then? The second cousin really is easy to deceive.”

Li Xuanba had nagged Li Shimin about contraceptives many times, leaving a deep impression.

Xue Yuanjing sighed: “To leave His Highness the Crown Prince a posthumous child, Yu Yanglian and the Yuan couple really put in painstaking effort.”

Li Xuanba muttered: [All this just makes the second cousin look even more like a clueless fool. Even though he has become a competent crown prince, he’s still the same naïve guy.]

Li Shimin agreed in his heart but still scolded aloud: “Don’t speak like that about the second cousin.”

Xue Yuanjing asked in confusion: “What do you mean, ‘don’t speak like that’?”

Xue Deyin also looked at Li Shimin, puzzled.

Li Shimin’s expression blanked for a moment, then he recovered quickly: “Nothing, you must have misheard. I meant… the second cousin is truly honest and kind.”

Xue Yuanjing: “……”

Xue Deyin: “……”

The uncle and nephew spoke in unison: “Even so… don’t speak like that about His Highness the Crown Prince!”

Li Shimin touched his nose and chuckled: “Alright, I won’t. Qingzhi, for now, raise this child as your illegitimate son. Don’t worry, I will restore his surname and continue the second cousin’s lineage in the future. Has the child been named?”

Xue Deyin’s expression darkened: “His mother named him… Yang Min—‘Min’ as in ‘sorrow’.”