LFHYB -Chapter 170 Feared and Ignored

The Luoyang envoy broke through to deliver the decree. Since Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were leading troops outside, the brothers only saw the decree last.

Li Zhiyun, though the farthest away, was the first to receive it.

After reading it, he blinked at Li Zhao: “Third Sister, I’m Duke of Tang?”

Li Zhao could only laugh and cry: “Yes, Fifth Brother is now Duke of Tang.”

Li Zhiyun scratched his head: “I’m actually Duke of Tang?”

Those around them couldn’t help laughing.

Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui, who had been looking glum under logistical pressure, were briefly cheered.

The logic of Luoyang’s decision was sound.

Li Yuan had already rebelled, so naturally the Sui court would strip him of his Duke of Tang title.

The young emperor aimed to win over Li Shimin and Li Xuanba while driving a wedge between them and Li Yuan. Two county princes weren’t enough; granting Li Zhiyun, Li Yuan’s youngest son, the title Duke of Tang, not only slapped Li Yuan hard but also signaled to the other Li clan members that even if Li Yuan rebelled, the Duke of Tang’s line was not extinguished, and the court wouldn’t punish the rest.

With this decree, the young emperor also ordered the release of Li Yuan’s relatives imprisoned in Daxing.

These relatives were also kin to Prince of Longxi Li Shimin, Prince of Taiyuan Li Xuanba, and Duke of Tang Li Zhiyun. Since killing them wouldn’t stop Li Yuan’s rebellion, it was better to release them to show the court’s magnanimity.

If the court could still control the situation, killing would be better than releasing. How could rebels be deterred without harsh punishment?

But now the young emperor couldn’t even leave Luoyang. Even knowing it was a desperate measure, he had to take it.

Moreover, with chaos already widespread, any further rebellions would only occur in areas under rebel control. The more disorder, the longer the Luoyang court could survive. So even if more people rebelled, it no longer mattered much to the Sui.

Fang Qiao and the others could understand the thoughts of those in Luoyang, but seeing Li Zhiyun inexplicably become Duke of Tang still made them chuckle.

Li Zhiyun came back to his senses and laughed: “Haha, I’m the only one among the brothers who became Duke of Tang! I can boast about this for the rest of my life!”

Although his elder brothers had already been made princes of the commandery—and could still become emperor or kings in the future—doesn’t that mean they would never hold the position of Duke of Tang? Hahaha!

Li Zhiyun said proudly, “Too bad Second Brother and Third Brother aren’t here, or I’d have someone to show off to!”

Li Zhao ruffled the head of his now-grown youngest brother and indulged him: “Why not? Write a letter and show off.”

Li Zhiyun nodded vigorously: “Good!”

Longyou was immersed in a cheerful atmosphere, and the morale of the local strongmen and bandits—who had been tricked into surrendering—grew even stronger.

Fang Qiao, Du Ruhui: sweatdrop!

Li Yuan also received the news.

When he got the news, Xue Ju had already arrived in Taiyuan Commandery.

Li Jiancheng saw that Xue Ju had brought only a thousand cavalry, and his face flushed with anger. He was about to turn to his father to complain, but saw his father’s expression of surprise, and swallowed the words.

Li Yuan went to meet Xue Ju and praised him: “So these are Erlang’s (Erlang’s) Xuanjia troops? No wonder they can command such elite soldiers! How many Xuanjia troops does Erlang have?”

Xue Ju cupped his hands: “Fewer than three thousand. We lost nearly a thousand at the battlefield in Dunhuang.”

Li Yuan’s expression darkened: “Erlang, you’ve worked hard.”

Xue Ju didn’t respond to Li Yuan. He continued: “Now, many regions in Longyou are rebelling, and the Eastern and Western Turks are each supporting their own rebel leaders to attack Longyou. If the Champion Marquis (Li Shimin) leaves Longyou, all of Longyou will be lost. So the Champion Marquis sent me with half of the Xuanjia troops to assist.”

Li Jiancheng was displeased: “Why does Li Shimin still call himself by a Sui title?”

Xue Ju glanced at Li Jiancheng, his gaze piercing like fire.

Li Jiancheng involuntarily stepped back, intimidated by Xue Ju’s aura.

Xue Ju withdrew his gaze and cupped his hands again toward Li Yuan: “The Champion Marquis has not rebelled, which is why he can hold Longyou in check. The border troops in Longyou are loyal because they respect the Champion Marquis and Li Dafu, who came a thousand miles to save the emperor, displaying utmost loyalty and patriotism—true heroes of the world.”

Li Jiancheng looked at Li Yuan again.

Li Yuan furrowed his brows but did not get angry.

He could see that Xue Ju’s resentment was heavy. This had been mentioned in Li Shimin’s previous letters.

Erlang and Sanlang (Second and Third Sons) could control Longyou in such a short time because of their status as loyal ministers and generals of the former Sui. While some opportunists among those they attracted cared little for Sui and were loyal only to the two, they were still too young, and such people were few. Most first aligned with Li Yuan before going to Erlang or Sanlang.

Everyone knew that if the Duke of Tang’s household succeeded in the future, Li Yuan would certainly be emperor. Even if they wanted to bet on the future heir, they would first make themselves known to Li Yuan.

So Li Yuan and Li Shimin had already discussed in their letters that after Yang Guang’s death, Li Yuan would raise troops under the pretext of “supporting the emperor” and “clearing treachery.”

They would first unite to capture Xijing, connecting Longyou, Guanzhong, and Shanxi into one, and once the situation stabilized, even if some loyalists of Sui remained around, it would not affect their overall plan.

Raising troops should neither be too early nor too late. Li Shimin’s battle against the Western Turks in Dunhuang was not yet over, and Shanxi was still troubled by bandits. They needed to consolidate their bases before contesting for the empire.

Unfortunately, Dalang (First Son) was too impatient and accidentally revealed their rebellion, forcing Erlang to raise troops hastily before his injuries healed and the base was secured. Li Yuan sighed inwardly at this.

Though Xue Ju’s expression revealed displeasure, he still fought bravely, helping Li Yuan defeat Liu Wuzhou and retake several counties in northern Taiyuan Commandery.

At the victory feast, Li Yuan instructed his close friend Pei Ji to get Xue Ju drunk to learn the true situation in Longyou.

It wasn’t that Li Yuan didn’t trust Li Shimin—he just didn’t trust Xue Ju.

After getting drunk, Xue Ju clutched a wine jar and wept uncontrollably.

“Our general eats and lives with us, our Xuanjia troops are like brothers, yet we’ve lost more than half in fighting each other!”

“No one believes the general is a rebel! We don’t believe he’s a rebel! We risked ourselves deep in the grasslands to save the emperor, burned the enemy camps, captured the Turkic khan! The general is utterly loyal to Sui, how could he be a rebel?”

“Our strategist was too ill to walk and went north in a wheelchair to save the emperor! He brought only a hundred men to the north to save the emperor! How could we be rebels?”

“Some question the general, some support him… everything is in chaos!”

“How could this be! How could this be! How could this be!!”

Xue Ju cried until he collapsed, drunk, hugging the wine jar.

Pei Ji had a physician carry Xue Ju back inside and sighed, stroking his beard.

Li Yuan came out from outside and sighed as well.

Pei Ji frowned: “It seems the situation in Longyou is very difficult. Should we have Li Erlang abandon Longyou and join forces with us to break the current deadlock?”

Li Yuan said: “They’ve managed Longyou for so long. If they leave, all their efforts will be wasted, and they might not even be able to take their troops with them.”

Pei Ji sighed: “Raising the banner of ‘fighting only the Turks’ was truly a last resort. Your Majesty, when I urged you to prepare for war before, you always refused. How could you now allow Dalang to act recklessly when it’s not the right time to raise troops?”

Pei Ji had always advised Li Yuan to prepare to raise troops early—but “preparing” isn’t just acting on impulse; it’s about preparation!

He advised Li Yuan to remove dissidents in Taiyuan, recruit more soldiers under the pretense of suppressing bandits and resisting Turks, send letters to relatives and friends to give them excuses to converge in Taiyuan, and coordinate with Li Shimin and Li Xuanba to be ready for the uprising.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had forces roughly equal to Taiyuan—about half of the Duke of Tang’s army. Li Yuan’s hasty uprising meant splitting the troops: one side acting rashly, the other without orders. Even someone inexperienced in military affairs like Pei Ji could see that such a battle couldn’t be fought.

Li Yuan frowned tightly: “I’m not indulging him, I’m just recovering from my injuries. While I was healing, Dalang handled all matters… sigh. If Erlang were by my side, things wouldn’t have come to this. Dalang still lacks experience, which is why he was swayed by the Zheng family.”

Pei Ji said, “Speaking of Eldest Son, Your Majesty should consider this matter carefully. Are you really going to give the position of heir to Eldest Brother? Although he is the eldest legitimate son, Erlang is the one who has contributed the most to the struggle for the realm. His prestige is definitely far greater than Dalang’s.”

Li Yuan replied, “I have already made up my mind. The principle of eldest-son succession cannot be changed, or disputes over the throne will inevitably arise in the future. The world is so vast; I will grant Erlang a proper fief and make him a vassal lord. The Zhou dynasty lasted eight hundred years in total, the Han dynasty only four hundred, and the Han also had kings with fiefs. Dalnag will remain at the center, while Second, Third, and Fifth Sons will guard around him. Only then can the Tang dynasty endure.”

Pei Ji: “…Grant fiefs to vassals?!”

Li Yuan nodded.

After some thought, Pei Ji said uncertainly, “I suppose that could work.”

But he was unsure whether Li Erlang, once made a vassal lord, might rebel after Li Yuan, his closest friend, passed away.

Pei Ji trusted that Li Yuan had thought this through as well. Yet from what he knew of Li Yuan, his friend must have realized that conflicts between brothers were unavoidable. He was likely just postponing the confrontation until a day when he would not live to see it, sparing himself the grief.

Li Yuan’s heart was that of a compassionate father. Even if his decision was meant to evade trouble, Pei Ji could not press him further on the matter.

Pei Ji said, “Erlang must be having a hard time now. He cannot offer you much help, nor can he openly oppose the Sui. You shouldn’t blame him.”

Li Yuan gave a wry smile. “How could I ever blame them? I still worry that they might blame me.”

Pei Ji said, “You’ve taken up arms despite your injuries, adding new wounds to old ones. Their letters are all filled with concern for you. How could they possibly blame you?”

They would only grow more resentful of Li Jiancheng, Pei Ji added in his heart.

Li Jiancheng was currying favor with Pei Ji.

The Zheng family had left some relatives in Xingyang to guard their houses and fields, while the main branch had mostly fled to Taiyuan.

The bandit leader of Wagang Village had great ambitions, only levying taxes on the local elite without seizing their estates. Therefore, the Zheng family did not need to relocate entirely.

The main branch brought considerable wealth, which Li Jiancheng used under Li Yuan’s command to expand his influence.

Pei Ji did not know whether Li Yuan acted out of fatherly compassion or for the sake of governance, but in any case, he tacitly allowed this, so that the powers of Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin could remain balanced.

As Li Yuan’s close friend and confidant, Pei Ji naturally received a generous gift from Li Jiancheng.

Pei Ji accepted the wealth to reassure Li Jiancheng but still harbored grievances against him.

Power struggles had begun before the realm was secured. Li Jiancheng’s ambitions were simply unworthy of a ruler.

In fact, after Li Yuan became emperor, Dalang’s status as eldest legitimate son would not have greatly constrained Li Shimin. While the emperor might appoint the eldest son as heir, he could also appoint a virtuous son if the heir proved incapable. In any case, it was always the emperor’s decision.

But Li Shimin’s own following was so strong that it rivaled, even exceeded, Li Yuan’s as Duke of Tang.

Pei Ji knew that this was precisely why Li Yuan would never allow Li Shimin to become crown prince.

Li Yuan said he was testing Xue Ju because he did not trust him, but Pei Ji knew Li Yuan too well. Even if Li Yuan understood Erlang’s circumstances, did he truly not fear him?

Pei Ji, after all, remained on Li Yuan’s side. His sighs were nothing more than sighs.

He would not side with Li Jiancheng, nor would he join Li Shimin. At most, he would remain neutral until the dust settled, then take a position.

The physician gave a few injections to the drunken Xue Ju, brewed a sobering medicine, and forced it down his throat before instructing the servants to take care of him and leaving.

Once the room was empty, Xue Ju opened his eyes and snorted disdainfully.

No wonder the master and the strategist were wary of Duke Tang. Duke Tang was truly not benevolent toward them at all.

Xue Ju had exceptionally keen hearing. Li Yuan and Pei Ji assumed he was drunk and did not lower their voices—but he had heard everything.

Li Yuan and Pei Ji cared about their master and knew how formidable he was.

Yet in their conversation, they did not even mention Fifth Lord, let alone the strategist.

Xue Ju realized that Li Yuan had not forgotten his son entirely; rather, both Li Yuan and Pei Ji still underestimated the ailing strategist.

After the Wei and Jin periods, the position of “strategist” had been monopolized by the aristocracy and could hardly serve any real purpose, so the role of “adviser” was weakened as well.

Now, people said Li Mi was Yang Xuangan’s strategist, but Li Mi was also a general. Thus, a true “high-level strategist” was both planner and warrior.

The Sui inherited this from the Northern dynasties, whose nobility was a mix of Hu and Han. They valued martial ability highly. Someone weak who tried to give orders to generals would only be scorned.

Xue Ju had originally thought the “strategist” around Li Shimin was at most a logistics officer, gaining reputation by association.

Now he had reflected many times.

The strategist might not fight personally, but training and leading troops was perfectly within his ability.

Just look at the battle in Yanmen Commandery—it was dazzling. His master boasted about it to everyone, and Xue Ju’s ears were almost calloused from hearing it.

But in Li Yuan’s eyes and those of his subordinates, they likely still held prejudices toward the strategist, as before.

Recalling the strategist’s instructions, Xue Ju’s disdain turned into mockery.

No wonder the strategist told him not to be mentioned, to minimize his presence. Even if Fifth Lord were brought up, they must avoid speaking of him. If anyone at Duke Tang’s mansion asked, Xue Ju would say he was a front-line warrior, unfamiliar with the strategist.

Xue Ju knew Li Xuanba well—he had always followed the army, guarding the rear.

“They will certainly fear and guard against my master, but they will not guard against the strategist. By that alone, they are doomed to fail.”

Xue Ju stretched and finally slept comfortably.

He stayed in Taiyuan for several days, and just as he was about to leave, Luoyang sent an envoy to meet Li Yuan in Taiyuan and strip him of his title.

Xue Ju blended in with Li Yuan’s generals, watching Li Yuan’s face darken like water and Li Jiancheng rage. He almost laughed aloud.

How could the young emperor suddenly think of granting princely titles to master and strategist? Clearly, it was the strategist’s handiwork.

Xue Ju was very smart. Observant and insightful, after spending some time with Li Xuanba, he had completely understood Li Xuanba’s style.

The lord (Li Yuan) always acted openly and honorably—even when engaging in intrigue, it appeared straightforward and aboveboard. (Li Xuanba: Clearly, it’s crude and relies on brute force.) But the strategist (Li Xuanba) was cunning in secret. Sometimes he even did things that harmed others without benefiting himself; as long as the other side suffered more than he did, it was considered a win. He didn’t care at all about the prestige of nobles.

This move was obviously the strategist’s style. Even if the conferral of a princely title failed, the Sui court would certainly remember this matter—they hadn’t even revoked Li Yuan’s noble rank yet.

When two armies clashed, most of the time they would execute emissaries, showing no courtesy to the other side. But Li Yuan, after all, was a distinguished noble of the Sui, and many of his subordinates were too. So even when angry, he could only show some respect to the envoy from Luoyang, driving him out of Taiyuan rather than harming him.

Pei Ji comforted him: “Your Majesty has already declared yourself emperor; why care about the Duke of Tang’s title? The Sui puppet emperor is merely trying to sow discord between Your Majesty and Erlang. You mustn’t fall for it.”

Li Yuan smiled broadly: “I’m just pretending. I’m thrilled already. Hahaha! Now Erlang’s dilemma is resolved! Longyou will certainly not be lost!”

Pei Ji was momentarily stunned, then laughed: “Your Majesty intentionally let Luoyang think the discord succeeded?”

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow: “Of course. Now the Sui emperor can only hold Luoyang. Once Luoyang falls, the western capital will certainly surrender. He thinks that issuing an edict to make someone a prince could make Erlang fight the world for him? Even if he made Erlang a prince, Erlang wouldn’t deign to care!”

Pei Ji said: “Indeed… I overthought it.”

Li Yuan clenched his fists, spun in place a few times in excitement, his face flushed with exhilaration—the first time he had felt such satisfaction since raising his army: “Once the Longyou predicament is resolved, Erlang can focus on capturing the western capital. When Yang Xuangang and the Sui emperor wear each other down, I will march south to take Luoyang. The whole world will be in my hands!”

Pei Ji clasped his hands and bowed: “Your servant congratulates Your Majesty in advance!”

Li Yuan helped Pei Ji up and laughed heartily.

In the rear courtyard, Lady Wan first sighed deeply. After a while, she couldn’t help but laugh, then covered her mouth and sighed again.

Dou Huiming put down her embroidery helplessly: “Are you sighing or happy?”

Lady Wan covered her mouth: “The Sui is gone, yet Erlang and Sanlang still make sure Qijian has a Duke in the former Sui. How could I not be happy? I just worry that my husband will dislike Qijian.”

Dou Huiming said: “He won’t mind. He’ll be glad that the Sui emperor’s blunder allows Erlang and Sanlang to quickly stabilize Longyou, which had been thrown into chaos by the hasty uprising. As for Dalang… sigh.”

Lady Wan lowered her hands and pouted.

Dou Huiming hurriedly said: “Don’t be angry; I won’t mention it.”

Lady Wan said seriously: “Madam, forgive my bluntness, but Dalang doesn’t care even for the husband who has always doted on him. Forcing the husband, who is recovering from wounds, to rush into raising an army—he will care even less about you.”

Dou Huiming said: “I know. I’ve resigned myself, just saddened. Dalang never intended to rule the world himself. He wants the husband, Second, Third, and Fifth Lords to fight for him, yet treats them all unkindly. Truly hopeless.”

Lady Wan murmured: “Hopeless long ago.”

Dou Huiming said: “I am even more sorrowful for my husband. His delay in deciding the heir apparent shows he does not intend to make Erlang the crown prince, but rather to give him a false hope, letting Erlang believe he could be crown prince.”

Dou Huiming understood her spouse very well. If Li Yuan truly intended for Li Shimin to become crown prince, he would have issued the edict as soon as he became emperor.

Compared with Li Shimin, Li Jiancheng’s reputation and connections were negligible. If he secretly let Li Jiancheng appear to yield the crown prince position to Li Shimin, then formally decreed Li Shimin as crown prince, Li Jiancheng would have no choice but to comply.

This show of yielding would allow Li Shimin to bypass disputes over “eldest son of the main wife” and be unassailable in terms of ritual law.

Since this had so many benefits and no drawbacks, yet wasn’t done, it meant Li Yuan simply didn’t want to do it.

Now that Li Yuan was besieged in Taiyuan and had to rely on Li Shimin for aid, and still wouldn’t act, would he suddenly change his mind once he took the throne?

Dou Huiming’s only hope to preserve her eldest son’s life had been shattered.

Lady Wan wanted to speak but hesitated, ultimately sighing deeply.

Though she loathed Li Jiancheng, as a mother she could understand Dou Huiming’s pain.

If it were her, she wouldn’t have been like Dou Huiming—suffering yet calmly helping Erlang and Sanlang dig pits and pile soil.

Both Dou Huiming and Lady Wan knew the Battle of Dunhuang was staged; Li Shimin’s influence in Longyou did not come from being a “loyalist of the Sui.” Even his core subordinates knew from the start that Li Shimin aimed for the world.

When fighting the Turks and rescuing the emperor, Li Shimin explained to his subordinates that he did it for prestige and titles, and simply to beat back the restless Turks so they would not meddle in the Central Plains.

Although Li Yuan raised his army hastily, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba genuinely did not know the details—but not knowing did not mean unprepared.

In fact, “forcing father to hastily raise his army so he cannot leave Taiyuan smoothly” was Li Xuanba’s request to Dou Huiming.

Though Dou Huiming didn’t act directly, when Li Jiancheng moved, she turned a blind eye and did not stop him.

As Lady of the Duke of Tang, Dou Huiming had to manage Taiyuan affairs while Li Yuan was convalescing. Even if Li Yuan usually distrusted women, at this moment he trusted his wife. Therefore, Dou Huiming could have easily stopped Li Jiancheng from spreading rumors.

But she didn’t; she even helped Li Jiancheng spread them, quietly letting Vice-Governor Wang Wei and Tiger-Tooth Officer Gao Junya escape Taiyuan, successfully delivering news to the Hedong prefect Yao Junsu, forcing Li Yuan to raise his army.

Li Yuan didn’t know any of this. Li Jiancheng didn’t know either. Even Li Yuan’s subordinates and Li Jiancheng’s staff didn’t notice.

Dou Huiming lamented that when Li Jiancheng disregarded Li Yuan’s safety, he failed to realize that her actions didn’t spare Li Yuan the pain of raising the army while injured.

Pain is better—just go back to Taiyuan and stay put, don’t cause more trouble for Erlang and Sanlang.

After Li Yuan raised his army, he no longer delegated authority to Dou Huiming. There was little she could do. She could only occasionally sigh by Li Yuan’s side over how closely Li Jiancheng and the Zheng family were aligned, and how the Zheng family interfered excessively in their household, preventing Li Yuan from placing them in key positions.

“Really envious of Third Lady.” After a moment of pain, Dou Huiming sighed, “Zhao’er must be having a great time in Longyou.”

When Xue Ju arrived, he naturally handed Dou Huiming and Lady Wan the letters from the four Li siblings. Both Dou Huiming and Lady Wan already knew that Li Zhao had gone to Longyou to serve as a general.

Lady Wan said bitterly, “Exactly. Too bad I don’t have a daughter, or I’d have let Erlang or Sanlang give her a chance to be a female general.”

Dou Huiming teased, “You don’t have a general’s daughter, but you have a son who’s the Duke of Tang! My Erlang and Sanlang could never become Dukes of Tang.”

Lady Wan laughed heartily, “Pfft… Hahaha, that’s right, that’s right! My son is the Duke of Tang! Hahaha!”

She covered her mouth again, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

As a daughter of a noble family, she had been forced to serve as a concubine for the Duke of Tang. The wedding ceremony and everything else had been nothing but illusions, and she had never dared to think of the title of “Duke of Tang.”

Who could have imagined that her son could actually become the Duke of Tang?

Even though she knew her fifth son was destined to become a prince in the future, in Lady Wan’s heart, her son becoming the “Duke of Tang” brought her more joy than him becoming a prince.

Dou Huiming patted Lady Wan’s back as she cried and laughed at the same time, letting out a soft sigh.

She had suffered, but Lady Wan had suffered even more.

Fortunately, the hard times were almost over.

“The Zheng family has no ability to intervene in the court and only let the eldest son influence the Young Master from the rear courtyard. There’s still a lot we can do, so now isn’t the time for you to cry.”

“I’m not crying, I’m happy. Hmph, don’t think that just because I’m older and less attractive, a few beauties in the rear courtyard could influence the Young Master. The rear courtyard isn’t about favor!”

“Yes, yes, Lady Wan is the best. No one can compare.”