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Li Shi rolled his eyes: "Not your family, but the imperial family—Chang Wei is well-versed in history, surely he has no doubts? How was Emperor Suzong when he was the Crown Prince? How was the current Emperor when he was the Crown Prince? I am not yet able to enter the Crown Prince's palace, how dare I not take precautions against any potential threats?" He paused, then continued: "Moreover, what I wish to avoid is not the sage, but..."
Suddenly his face darkened, his eyebrows shot up, and he said viciously, "That old eunuch is becoming more and more arrogant and domineering, and has no manners as a subject!"
It turns out that Li Yu had indeed been ill these past two days. His illness wasn't serious, but he was experiencing some dizziness, blurred vision, and a sore throat. He didn't plan to see the court officials and was reluctant to speak much.
To be honest, Li Yu was bound to fall ill. His health had never been particularly robust to begin with, and then came the successive deaths of his grandfather and father, compounded by the chaos within the palace, nearly costing him his life by his own brother. For most people, this would have at least triggered depression, if not a serious illness. Because of the political instability, Li Yu ascended the throne before the coffin, which was why he managed to stay upright; but once everything seemed to be back on track, he finally couldn't hold on any longer, thinking, "I'd better rest for a few days, otherwise the country might have to go through another period of national mourning."
So he summoned Li Fuguo and informed him that he was unwell and would be skipping morning court for a few days.
Li Fuguo immediately declared: "Everyone should remain within the palace walls; leave external affairs to this old servant."
Li Yu didn't react at the time, only nodding and ordering him to leave. But later, when Li Shi came to inquire, Li Yu, in a hoarse voice, deliberately repeated Li Fuguo's words to his son, which angered Li Shi on the spot.
Actually, if Li Fuguo was arrogant and domineering, it was only towards court officials. The old eunuch always had a clear understanding of his own position: I am just a dog of the imperial family. My wealth, honor, and disgrace are all dependent on the emperor. At least for now, I must keep my tail between my legs in front of the emperor. Therefore, his words at the time were not malicious.
It's like a leader feeling unwell, calling over their confidential secretary and saying, "I won't see anyone for the next couple of days, and I won't approve any official documents. Can you handle anything I need?" The secretary immediately replies, "Sir, you're new here, and you don't know many people in the department. It's indeed very tiring to get things done. Since you're not feeling well, you should rest in your office. I'll take care of everything outside for you."
The problem is that if you choose the wrong words, it can cause ambiguity, and others may not understand your true thoughts. If Li Fuguo had said, "Everyone should stay in the palace and leave external affairs to this old servant," Li Yu would certainly have been unmoved. Unfortunately, Li Fuguo had just encouraged the officials to submit a memorial, forcing the emperor to appoint him as prime minister. Once this man got carried away, he didn't know the gravity of his words.
The term "old servant," in particular, sounded like a coquettish tone to Li Heng, as if to say: I've been with you for a long time, and I'm not young anymore, so please be understanding if I'm not up to par. But the same word, to Li Yu, sounded like he was condescending, as if to say: I'm very senior; when I was serving the late emperor, you were still breastfeeding, so shouldn't you listen to my opinions more often?
Li Yu was very unhappy about this, and then he took it out on his son. After Li Shi left, he became increasingly angry, so he found an excuse to summon Li Ji, partly to vent his frustration and partly to devise a plan to deal with the situation.
"I will surely eliminate this old eunuch—Does Changwei have any good ideas?"
Li Ji nodded and said in a low voice, "First, the sage must establish a firm foothold; second, he must find a powerful ally—as for who that ally should be, I mentioned it to Your Highness the other day."
It turned out that as soon as Li Yu ascended the throne, due to Li Shi's advice, he not only recalled Li Mi, but also Liu Yan, and reinstated him as Vice Minister of Revenue and concurrently Prefect of Jingzhao, in charge of expenditures, transportation, salt and iron, and minting. Of course, such an important position had to be discussed with the prime ministers, and unexpectedly, it received Yuan Zai's approval.
After entering the Council of State Affairs, Yuan Gongfu quickly used his exceptional wisdom—or rather, cunning—to take control of the government. In particular, he sent the Chamberlain Miao Jinqing to be the envoy for Li Longji's mausoleum, and the Left Minister Pei Mian to be the envoy for Li Heng's mausoleum, thus completely controlling the court and becoming the most powerful person in the Council of State Affairs, second only to Li Fuguo. He felt that holding onto financial power would be too much of a burden, especially given the difficulty of managing the national finances in recent years; any mistakes could damage his reputation. Therefore, he agreed to let Liu Yan return to share the workload, while he himself would only serve as Minister of Revenue, overseeing the overall situation.
Li Fuguo initially disagreed, but Liu Shi'an had insisted on not yielding while he was alive, which was why he had devised a plan to drive him out of the capital. How could he be recalled so soon? Yuan Zai personally visited him and repeatedly persuaded him before Li Fuguo reluctantly agreed.
Li Ji saw through this and reminded Li Shi, "Prime Minister Yuan may not be willing to be subordinate to this old eunuch." Originally, he could only climb the ranks by clinging to Li Fuguo's coattails, but now that he himself is prime minister, is that coattail still useful? It might even become a stumbling block. Li Shi understood and said, "I will find an opportunity to secretly speak to the Emperor."
So today, Li Shi is determined to eliminate Li Fuguo, and Li Ji brings up the previous matter again—you'd better go and discuss it with Yuan Zai.
As prime minister, Yuan Zai became the target of court officials to curry favor and attach themselves to. His power grew day by day, and he was almost able to rival Li Fuguo. With the emperor's authority and the prime minister's assistance, it was hoped that the old eunuch could be removed in a short time.
Upon hearing this, Li Shi nodded slightly and said, "I have also been considering this matter, but unfortunately, the old eunuch's cronies are all over the capital, making it difficult to have a secret discussion with Yuan Zai." He beckoned Li Ji to come and sit on the couch with him, then lowered his voice even further: "Could it be that the guards are secretly observing Yuan Zai's movements, and have found out his daily schedule, where he lives, and where he goes, and have informed me of all that?"
Li Ji frowned: "Your Highness, is there no one you can use in your residence?" I am an official, not a true knight-errant, and my subordinates are all Imperial Guard officers, none of whom are suitable spies. Have you come to the wrong person for this matter?
Li Shi smiled slightly: "Don't we have capable people in the inner palace?"
Li Ji was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head: "Now that Cui has married and is my wife, how can I order her to do petty theft?"
"I don't need your wife to be a scoundrel or a petty thief, but she does know many extraordinary people and talents. Would Changwei be interested in that?"
Cui Guangyuan is almost dead. Do you think his two sons are capable of inheriting his spy ring? Don't you want to take control of this force yourself as his son-in-law?
Upon hearing these words, Li Ji stroked his beard and remained silent for a long time.
Cui Ju was nothing more than an arrogant and spoiled brat; and a few days ago, Cui Gou had also returned from Shu. Li Ji met with this brother-in-law and felt that he had only inherited Cui Guangyuan's outward appearance, but was completely unlike him in terms of shrewdness and intelligence. Li Ji even thought to himself, no wonder Cui Guangyuan was so eager to win him over, because he knew that neither of his sons was capable enough to support the family business, let alone revitalize it.
While others would be overjoyed to marry a woman from one of the five prominent families and thus attach themselves to a prestigious clan, Li Ji remained largely indifferent. Firstly, he had no intention of using marriage to gain political advantage; secondly, his ancestral home, the Zhao County Li clan, was one of the seven most prestigious clans, not much inferior to the Boling Cui clan. On the contrary, Li Ji worried about potentially becoming a burden on the third branch of the Boling Cui family—he couldn't very well ignore his two brothers-in-law if they needed anything; and judging by their character, they would inevitably come to him for help sooner or later…
—As for how much betrothal gift the Cui family gave, I'll accept it if you're willing to give it to me, and I won't care if you don't.
So he had never even considered trying to extract anything from the Cui family through this marriage, except for Cui Cuo himself. Only today, after Li Shi's reminder, did he begin to think about it—if his brothers-in-law could use it, he absolutely couldn't ask for it; but things that you not only can't use, but might even be wasted, I could at least consider them.
So he made up his mind, bid farewell to Li Shi, and stopped going to work in the palace. Instead, he went directly to the Cui residence under the pretext of visiting the sick.
The Cui brothers welcomed them in, saying that their younger sister was attending to their father at his bedside, and they would then lead their brother-in-law there. Upon arriving at the bedside, they saw that Cui Guangyuan was still the same as the day before, his condition showing no improvement, but he also showed no signs of dying immediately.
Let's chat a bit and talk about matters of the court. Although Cui Guangyuan was bedridden with illness, he had heard about the major events such as the deaths of the two emperors and the coup in the palace, and he also knew that Li Ji had been promoted again—otherwise, this marriage would probably have been delayed further due to his second son's resistance. So he instructed Li Ji: "Your two brothers' futures will require your good son-in-law to pay close attention to them."
He turned around and scolded Cui Gou: "I may not die anytime soon, so why did you resign from your post to come to the provincial government? Are official positions easy to obtain these days? I'm afraid it's easy to resign but difficult to reinstate them!"
The Cui brothers exchanged glances, only able to manage a bitter smile. Cui Ju thought to himself, "You weren't like this just two months ago. You seemed about to die, even summoning Li Ji and ordering me to serve him—it was practically an entrustment of your son to someone else!" Cui Gou, on the other hand, thought, "I also hope you, Father, live a long and healthy life, but in your current state, even if you don't die immediately, how long can you last? Once you pass away, I'll have to abandon my official post and return to Chang'an for the funeral sooner or later. What's the harm in leaving a few months earlier?"
After speaking for a while, Li Ji lowered his voice slightly and said to Cui Guangyuan, "Although the current emperor has ascended the throne, the four directions are still not peaceful. Today, the Prince of Lu summoned my son-in-law to learn about governance. As you know, my son-in-law is still relatively inexperienced in leading troops and defending against enemies, but he is not very knowledgeable about political affairs. Therefore, I have come here specifically to seek your advice." As he spoke, he glanced sideways at his two brothers-in-law.
Cui Guangyuan understood, and waved his hand, ordering Cui Gou and his two siblings to all leave.
Once only the father-in-law and son-in-law remained in the room, Cui Guangyuan turned his questioning gaze to Li Ji, who then asked indirectly, "Taishan, I've heard that if a child carries a thousand pieces of gold through a bustling market, he will surely suffer misfortune—I wonder why?"
Cui Guangyuan was a shrewd man. Even though he was ill, his intelligence did not decline. He immediately asked in return, "When you say 'young son,' you must be referring to my two good-for-nothing sons. But what do you mean by 'a thousand pieces of gold'?"
You mean my Cui family's vast estate? No way! Although the Cui family of Boling has temporarily fallen from grace, its foundation is still very deep. As the saying goes, "An old tiger doesn't fall, so who would dare to seize the family fortune?" As for those two boys, although they are still young, carrying a thousand taels of gold through the bustling market means that most of the people in the market are acquaintances who would surely lend a helping hand in times of crisis. They are unlikely to really attract any disaster.
Li Ji replied, “With your eldest brother’s talent, becoming a prefect is not difficult; if your second brother can pass the imperial examination, he too can rise from a lowly post and be granted a red robe…” The implication was that without special opportunities, your two sons would likely only reach the very top of the social ladder after a lifetime of struggle—“While they may not be able to carry on the family’s ambitions and expand its influence, they can still maintain its prosperity. However…”
After a pause, he decided to cut to the chase and say it directly: "Mount Tai is good at nurturing extraordinary people from the martial world. These people can be worth a fortune, but they can also be compared to jackals and tigers. If the wrong person is involved, they will surely suffer a backlash—you must be careful!"
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Virtues of a Gentleman
Li Ji and Cui Guangyuan had a long private conversation before Li Ji took his leave. He stood in the courtyard and called Cui Cuo over. The couple then whispered to each other side by side.
As for his wife, there was no need for any beating around the bush. He simply told her, "The martial arts masters raised by Mount Tai are now in your care. Go and do something for me."
Cui Cuo frowned slightly: "How can I inherit it? Besides, he hasn't even..."
Li Ji interrupted her and explained, "Such a powerful weapon should be passed down to sons, not daughters. But are those two capable of wielding it? If they possess it, they will inevitably attract covetous eyes; if they were to use it carelessly, they would only harm themselves. It is better to entrust it to you, so that you can protect those two in times of emergency, and only then can Taishan be at ease."
Cui Cuo nodded: "I thought I brought enough dowry, but I didn't expect my husband to still be so greedy..."
Li Ji was used to his wife's sharp and sarcastic remarks, so he immediately put on a serious face and said, "What are you saying? I'm doing this for the good of the old man and his two silly sons!" He paused, then added, "Whether you are his daughter or not, since you have his name, you must bear the consequences. I will never refuse—you wouldn't think so, would you?"
Cui Cuo sighed softly, "That makes sense." Then he asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Li Ji whispered, "Don't do it yourself. Tell someone else to do it—find out everything about Yuan Gongfu's household situation, his daily activities, hobbies, and so on, and then hand it over to me."
Cui Cuo glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions, simply replying, "Yes."
Li Ji hadn't expected that Cui Cuo, or rather the Cui family's secret meeting group, would act so quickly. Just two days later, an extremely detailed intelligence report concerning Yuan Zai was delivered to him. He couldn't help but suspect that Cui Guangyuan couldn't possibly be supporting so many martial arts experts for nothing. Even without his orders to Cui Cuo, he figured that information on high-ranking officials like Yuan Zai would probably have already begun to be collected comprehensively.
Li Ji carefully reviewed the intelligence report and felt that Yuan Zai's recent actions were highly unusual—he seemed to be recruiting followers on a large scale to strengthen his own power.
It seems this Prime Minister Yuan is quite ambitious and certainly not a gentleman—but the latter is evident from his shameless embrace of Li Fuguo's coattails—perhaps he's trying to keep a tiger out the front door only to let a wolf in the back…
Upon further consideration, he realized that with the situation urgent, he should prioritize eliminating Li Fuguo first. Besides, Yuan Zhen had ultimately failed to seize military power, and being a traditional scholar-official, he was still easily overthrown if he harbored rebellious intentions. Therefore, he secretly passed this intelligence to Li Shi through an old gatekeeper.
The specifics of how Li Shi orchestrated the events and how he negotiated with Yuan Zai are unknown. However, just over a month later, on the day of Jiwei in June, when Li Yu summoned the prime minister, he suddenly and without prior notice issued an order to relieve Li Fuguo of his posts as military commander and minister of war, and to transfer the military commander position to Cheng Yuanzhen. Immediately afterward, citing Li Fuguo's advanced age, he was ordered to relocate outside the palace.
Li Fuguo had a private residence outside the palace and kept more than a dozen wives and concubines. However, he himself spent about twenty days a month in the palace, serving the emperor at all times. This was partly because he was still a eunuch, and partly because he was worried that if he became estranged from the emperor, he would lose his power and position.
Li Fuguo understood his own position; he was nothing more than a royal dog, his honor and disgrace tied to the emperor alone. If the emperor disliked him, punishing a eunuch was just a matter of a word. Therefore, he used to do everything he could to accumulate official positions and recruit followers, so that the emperor would be less likely to deal with him due to concerns about political instability.
However, this time Li Yu bypassed Li Fuguo and issued an edict directly to the prime ministers. The ministers, led by Yuan Zai, not only did not object, but before Li Fuguo could react, they directly transformed the imperial edict into a court decree. Li Fuguo understood that he had been betrayed by his good "brother-in-law" Yuan Zai, but he was helpless.
—If there is even one person who can absorb some of the old eunuch's cronies and hold a position in the court to make decisions, then the brilliance of Li Fuguo as a court official will be dimmed, thus giving the emperor an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Li Fuguo then felt frightened and submitted a memorial to resign, saying, "I am old and can no longer assist the emperor in governing the country. I humbly request to retire." In fact, this was also a way of retreating to advance and testing the emperor's mind. Unexpectedly, Li Yu received the memorial and immediately dismissed Li Fuguo from his concurrent post as Chancellor.
However, to everyone's surprise, Li Yu actually bestowed upon Li Fuguo a prestigious title—promoting him to the rank of Prince of Bolu.
There were many princes of different surnames in the Tang Dynasty, the most recent one being Guo Ziyi, the Prince of Fenyang. However, it was not only unique for a eunuch to be granted a princeship, but also the only other instance in history where only Zong Ai of the Northern Wei Dynasty had done so. The officials were in uproar and submitted memorials pleading with the emperor to rescind the decree, but Li Yu ignored them all.
Li Fuguo entered the court to express his gratitude, and knelt before Li Yu with tears in his eyes, saying, "This old servant can no longer serve my lord. Please return to the underworld to attend to the late emperor!" Li Yu comforted him for a long time before resolutely letting him leave.
Around the time Li Fuguo went to live elsewhere and before and after being enfeoffed as a prince, Li Ji happened to be away from the court, having taken a long leave. This was because Cui Guangyuan had finished all his affairs and finally passed away, and as his son-in-law, Li Ji had to assist in the funeral arrangements. During the funeral process, it finally became clear that Cui Gou's haste to return to Chang'an was the right thing to do. After all, he had served as an official in Shu—the Prefect of Hanzhou—and had accumulated some practical experience, unlike his younger brother Cui Ju, who was basically just running around like a headless fly.
Friends and relatives from Chang'an all came to offer their condolences. On the third day of the mourning period, news suddenly came that His Highness Prince Lu had arrived. Li Ji hurriedly followed the Cui brothers to greet him at the mansion. Li Shi then expressed his condolences before the coffin, comforted the two Cui brothers, and before leaving, called Li Ji aside for a private conversation.
Li Ji understood immediately—although Cui Guangyuan was the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, it was merely a sinecure and he was not a high-ranking official in the court. In theory, he could not persuade His Highness Prince Lu to come down to him. Li Shi had come to see me specifically.
Li Shi asked Li Ji in a low voice, "Have you heard about Li Fuguo's matter?"
Li Ji nodded: "I've heard quite a bit about it..." This is a major event in the court; who in and out of Chang'an isn't talking about it? Of course, most of them are congratulating each other on the road, praising the emperor's wisdom—"I know the emperor's intentions, which is why Li Fuguo served the late emperor for many years and has rendered meritorious service in protecting him, so I can't bear to kill him. However, dismissing him is enough; why grant him a princely title?"
Li Shi sneered, "Eunuchs becoming kings? Only Zong Ai has done so before. What was Zong Ai's fate?"
Li Ji was taken aback upon hearing this and hurriedly asked, "Does the Sage truly intend to kill him?"
Zong Ai first murdered Emperor Taiwu of Wei, Tuoba Tao, and installed Tuoba Yu, the Prince of Wu. However, just a few months later, he killed Tuoba Yu as well. Therefore, after Emperor Wencheng, Tuoba Jun, ascended the throne, he executed Zong Ai, subjecting him to the five punishments and exterminating his three clans.
If we were to create a list of powerful eunuchs throughout history, ranking them by their misdeeds, Zong Ai would be on par with Zhao Gao at the top (although some argue that Zhao Gao wasn't actually a eunuch). In comparison, Li Fuguo might not even crack the top ten. The Western Han Dynasty had Hong Gong and Shi Xian, who slandered the imperial tutor Xiao Wangzhi; the Eastern Han Dynasty had Hou Lan, Cao Jie, and Wang Fu, who instigated the "Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions," and Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, who plotted to assassinate General He Jin. In contrast, what about Li Fuguo? Although he manipulated power and acted arrogantly, he merely banished Chancellors Li Xian and Xiao Hua, as well as Vice Minister of Revenue Liu Yan, from the capital to remote areas; he didn't shed a drop of blood on his hands.
Of course, his establishment of the "Investigation Hall" to secretly investigate the private affairs of officials and commoners, fabricating charges, and indeed harmed many people, causing countless families to be ruined and lives lost—like the old eunuch Kang Qian, whose crimes were deemed unworthy of execution—but many of these actions were not necessarily directly instigated by the old eunuch. Although he was infamous, that was only in comparison to other treacherous officials and evil eunuchs of his time. If compared longitudinally to his historical "predecessors," such as Zong Ai, he was utterly insignificant.
Li Fuguo has rendered meritorious service, but his merits are not unparalleled, so why should he be made a king? He has committed crimes, but his crimes are not heinous, so why should he be executed?
Li Ji himself naturally loathed Li Fuguo. Firstly, Li Fuguo had plotted to murder Li Tan, and secondly, Li Bi's resignation and seclusion may have been motivated by his fear of Li Fuguo. As Li Tan's friend and Li Bi's cousin, Li Ji must have been on the opposite side of the old eunuch. He had only pretended to be compliant with the situation before.
The temporary alliance was formed to counter Empress Zhang, but now that she has been deposed, the alliance must end. Previously, Li Yu intended to summon Li Bi to the capital, but Li Fuguo had tried to obstruct this. Furthermore, his scheme to control the Imperial Guards was exposed by Li Ji, and he is likely to frame Li Ji next. Li Ji cannot simply wait for the enemy to come to him; his personality leans towards proactive action, so he must strike first and eliminate this old eunuch.
Especially without removing the old eunuch, it would be difficult for the court to get back on track. Li Fuguo was indeed quite talented and resourceful, but unfortunately, he used all his strengths for power struggles, which did nothing to benefit the country. Moreover, although Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen had their disagreements, they were fundamentally mutually supportive. Therefore, as long as Li Fuguo didn't fall, Yu Chaoen couldn't be removed either—with Yu Chaoen controlling the foreign armies, could the world truly be at peace?
Since Li Ji had boarded the sinking ship of the Tang Dynasty because of Li Bi, unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want the ship to sink immediately. So, seeing that the person in charge was disorganized and acted recklessly, what he wanted to do most was to kick that guy overboard.
Even if Li Fuguo were to govern well, Li Ji would still have to remove him to make way for Li Bi. Firstly, he was convinced that Li Bi's talent surpassed that of the old eunuch, and secondly, he was certain that with Li Fuguo in the lead, Li Bi would not be able to fully utilize his abilities.
However, Li Fuguo was not an easy target to kill. Although the old eunuch had committed crimes such as eliminating dissidents and framing loyal officials, he also had merits in quelling rebellions and supporting the emperor, which could offset these crimes. Therefore, although Li Ji hoped that Li Yu would be ruthless and publicly declare Li Fuguo's crimes, executing him to deter others, merely removing him from his post and sending him out of the palace to live in seclusion was theoretically justifiable and emotionally acceptable.
However, directly bestowing the title of king upon the old eunuch was unacceptable; in Li Ji's view, it was not the right way to do so while simultaneously plotting to kill him.
However, in response to Li Ji's question, Li Shi said, "The sage is benevolent and kind; in truth, he cannot bear to do it." He paused, looked at Li Ji, and asked in return, "But doesn't Chang Wei want to get rid of him as soon as possible?"
Li Ji shook his head slightly: "Since he has been stripped of his real post and banished from the palace, the old eunuch is nothing more than a stray dog. What is there to worry about?"
Li Shi was quite surprised by this answer, and after a long pause, he smiled slightly: "I didn't expect that even Changwei would have such a womanly sentimentality..."
Li Ji said solemnly, “This is not the benevolence of a woman, but the virtue of a gentleman. In the past, when Duke Xiang of Song was defeated at Hongshui, he said, ‘A gentleman does not inflict further injury, nor does he capture the elderly.’ People laughed at him. However, if one says, ‘After winning a battle, one should not kill the wounded enemy or the elderly, even if one has captured them,’ then that is the quality of a hegemon.”
The implication was that since the old eunuch was no longer a threat, there was no need to exterminate him completely.
Li Shi gently patted Li Ji's back and whispered a reminder: "Changwei, things are unpredictable. If the emperor has the heart to be compassionate and yet he has overruled the objections of the masses to make the old eunuch a king, then who knows if he will not be able to return to power in the future? If he does return, we will be doomed!"
The fact that Li Fuguo framed Li Tan but protected Li Yu shows that the old eunuch wanted to install a ruler he could control—although he underestimated Li Yu. Now that Li Yu had ascended the throne, would he approve of Li Shi, who had been secretly stirring up trouble? It was for this reason that Li Shi was more eager than Li Ji to bring down the old eunuch.
At that time, Li Fuguo was in the open while Li Shi was in the shadows, which enabled them to conspire and succeed in one fell swoop. However, once Li Fuguo left the central government, Li Shi would be in the open while Li Fuguo remained in the shadows. If he were to launch another conspiracy, it would be difficult to prevent. If, in a few years, the old eunuch had the opportunity to make a comeback, the first person he would definitely target would be Li Shi, and the second might be Li Ji or Li Bi.
Therefore, Li Shi decided to go all the way and kill Li Fuguo—only the dead are truly no longer a threat!
Hearing Li Shi's words, Li Ji couldn't help but hesitate. Although he felt that at Li Fuguo's age, once he stumbled, the possibility of a comeback was extremely slim, but... the political situation was unpredictable and treacherous; who knew what strange things might happen in the future? For example, Li Heng's foolish actions back then caused a great situation to collapse instantly. If he hadn't been in the thick of it, Li Ji would never have believed it!
If this were written as a novel, readers would definitely criticize it for making important characters seem less intelligent, since it's completely illogical. But history is often more absurd than fiction...
Therefore, he suggested to Li Shi: "In that case, Your Highness can secretly collect evidence of the old eunuch's crimes in order to persuade the Emperor to execute him."
Li Shi smiled slightly: "Changwei once told me that if we wanted to deal with the crimes of eunuchs, 'one jailer would be enough,' so why bother with more effort?"
Li Ji had initially presented Li Shi with a quote from Cao Cao in the *Wei Shu*, cited in the *Records of the Three Kingdoms*: "The office of eunuchs has existed throughout history, but rulers should not bestow power and favor upon them, allowing them to fall to this state. Having punished their crimes, the ringleader should be executed; a mere jailer is sufficient..." He later mentioned this to Li Qiyun as well. Now, thinking back... it seems he had violated the taboos of both "worldly" and "governing" (世、治). Fortunately, those who listened did not correct him or report him...
Li Ji couldn't help but smile bitterly: "What kind of prison guard dares to offend the Prince?" Li Fuguo is no longer an ordinary disgraced eunuch or a retired official. He wears the crown of the Prince of Bolu. Without solid evidence and without the emperor's order, who can easily touch him?
Li Shi sneered, "If they are officials from the underworld, then it's acceptable."
Li Ji then understood why Li Shi had come all this way to discuss Li Fuguo's fate with him.
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Sneaky Thieves
Li Shi's thinking was simple and direct—Li Fuguo was not easy to overthrow while he was still in power, but now that he had stepped down, leaving only the empty title of Prince, there was no need for prison officials to take action; an assassin would suffice.
That's why he rushed to find Li Ji, hoping to use the martial arts masters left behind by Cui Guangyuan to infiltrate Li Fuguo's country and kill the old eunuch.
Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned slightly, thinking to himself: "I didn't realize the little guy was so ruthless... He's been scheming and plotting lately, which has gradually warped his personality. He's become so ruthless, only caring about the outcome, regardless of the legitimacy of the process. While it's true that neither military strategy nor governance can always follow the righteous path and must involve conspiracies and schemes, as the prince most likely to inherit the throne, and potentially ascend to the throne himself, maintaining this mindset will certainly be detrimental to the country and its people."
Therefore, he solemnly advised, "Your Highness, the law is the foundation of the state. If the imperial family first disregards the law and sends assassins to kill dissidents, what about you, sir? Moreover, in times of turmoil, ministers rebel against their rulers and soldiers kill their generals. As the eldest son of the sage, how can Your Highness set such an example? Since ancient times, has there ever been a monarch who did not follow the righteous path but instead took the wrong path and was still able to bring peace and stability to the country?"
Li Ji knew that Li Shi loved hearing his hints that he was destined for the throne, so he deliberately used the high standards he would apply to a monarch to demand more from him.
Unexpectedly, Li Shi didn't take it seriously and even curled his lip, saying, "Did Emperor Taizong practice the righteous path, which prompted Emperor Gaozu to change the heir? This is what is meant by 'taking what is contrary to the truth and maintaining what is right, using both civil and military means.'"
Li Ji couldn't help but think to himself: Li Shimin, look what a fine example you've set for future generations!
He knew Li Shi was determined to use assassins. Even if he firmly refused, the young man might go to someone else. If it turned out that a prince was secretly raising assassins, the trouble would be immense. Therefore, after a moment's thought, he replied perfunctorily to Li Shi, "This matter is of great importance and must be carefully considered before action. Moreover, the old eunuch is the target of everyone's criticism and will surely be on guard. Your Highness, please do not rush. Allow me to proceed slowly."
Li Shi said, "Alright, then I'll entrust this matter to you, Changwei. Don't make me wait too long. When autumn comes, I will lead my troops on an expedition, and Changwei also requests to lead an army himself to fight on the battlefield. If neither of us is in Chang'an, and the old eunuch has any more treacherous schemes, it will be difficult to guard against."
Li Ji thought to himself, "Fine, you've got me covered here." — This is a trap. Li Shi won't be at ease until Li Fuguo is killed, and he'll still be sending me to lead troops to an outer garrison.
Several days later, Cui Guangyuan was buried—he did not intend to be buried in the ancestral cemetery in Boling, but had already prepared a good burial site for himself in the suburbs of Chang'an—Cui Gou and Cui Ju built a hut in front of the grave to guard it.
According to the rules of etiquette, one must observe a 27-month mourning period for one's father, during which time one cannot remove mourning clothes, take office, marry, or even engage in sexual relations, listen to music, or laugh. Although this was formally written into the law, with violators subject to caning or imprisonment (up to three years), the vast majority of normal people simply cannot comply. Especially since the mourning period for one's mother is the same as for one's father, nearly three years, how many three-year periods does one have in their prime?
As scholars, Cui Gou and his brothers could not be released from mourning early, nor could they seek reinstatement or take the imperial examinations within twenty-seven months—it would be best if they did not openly marry wives and concubines, and did not cause any deaths during this period.
As a married woman, Cui Cuo was required to wear mourning clothes of equal severity during her father's death, which meant she had to wear mourning attire for a full year. However, unlike her brothers, she was not required to stay at the grave or at her parents' home for that entire year; she could return to her husband's home after the burial. Therefore, when she returned to the Li residence in Pingkang Ward, Li Ji privately explained Li Shi's request and his own concerns to his wife.
Cui Cuo did not respond to Li Ji's words at first, but said, "I was just about to discuss this with you, sir. Now that my father has passed away, the strange people he raised in the Jianghu can no longer live in the Cui residence, but should move to my house."
Li Ji asked her, "Were they originally all in the Cui family's residence?"