Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 96

"The Shence Army's city patrols, though ostensibly for this year's spring imperial examinations, could very well become a regular practice. In that case, Shence will not only control the outer court but also the four cities, and will surely rise to the top of our Yingwu Army..."

—When facing Wang Jiahe, one naturally cannot easily bring up the struggle between the Empress and the Crown Prince; instead, one can only start with the power struggle and which of the Yingwu and Shence armies has the upper hand. Sure enough, Wang Jiahe agreed with this suggestion.

So he quickly ran to Li Heng, patted his chest, and pledged his loyalty, saying that since the country had a use for them, the Yingwu Army was not to be outdone. How could they let the Shence Army shoulder all the hard work? Besides, the Yingwu Army was ultimately evolved from the "Palace Archery" troops, and they had been protecting the emperor since Ding'an, ensuring his safe passage into Chang'an for three years. Many of the soldiers had settled down in the city, some even marrying Chang'an women, making them practically Chang'an locals. In contrast, the Shence Army soldiers had only been in Chang'an for a few days; how could they possibly be familiar with the streets and the people?

This task of helping with street patrols should be left to my valiant army.

While Li Heng's character certainly possessed a strong side—especially after securing his throne and facing his father and children—the weakness ingrained over decades could not be completely changed. He initially appointed Wang Jiahe to command the Yingwu Army simply because Wang was a former member of the Eastern Palace and seemed honest and reliable. However, after Wang Jiahe took office and gained the support of the Yingwu Army, he cultivated relationships with superiors and subordinates, recruited followers everywhere, gained a deeper understanding of Li Heng's preferences, and frequently flattered him, thus gaining even more of Li Heng's favor. Therefore, how could Li Heng ignore Wang Jiahe's persistent flattery today?

Furthermore, Li Heng was well aware that Dan Tingyao, the current military inspector of the Shence Army, was Empress Zhang's man, and therefore felt that the security of the entire capital could not be entrusted to the Shence Army...

Wang Jiahe's request was granted, and the Yingwu Army was permitted to patrol the wards east of Taiji Palace and north of Chunming Street—roughly equivalent to one-sixth of Chang'an City.

Li Ji immediately took on this task—it was much more interesting than spending all day holed up in the palace reviewing documents—so he divided the three hundred men into ten teams to patrol the neighborhood in shifts, and he himself would occasionally lead a team out of the palace for a stroll.

One day in late February, before the imperial examinations had even begun, Li Ji was leading a troop of soldiers out of the palace for an inspection. He stopped by home on the way, and then set off again, passing through Shengye Ward and onto Chunming Street.

Chunming Avenue was the main east-west thoroughfare in Chang'an City, starting from Jinguang Gate in the west and ending at Chunming Gate in the east. It passed south of Xingqing Palace in the South Inner Palace and Taiji Palace in the West Inner Palace, as well as north of the East and West Markets. The road was wide and bustling with people. Li Ji originally planned to make a detour and then turn north to return to Daming Palace to hand over his shift. However, as he was walking, he suddenly heard a commotion ahead, and then a man carrying a bundle in both hands came running towards him, stumbling and scrambling.

Although Li Ji was slightly nearsighted, his observation skills were still very sharp. He saw that the man was dressed as a commoner, and the quality of his clothes was not bad, but he had a shifty face and did not look like a kind person. Moreover, he looked flustered, so it was obvious that someone was chasing him. Upon closer inspection, he saw that most of the pursuers were Shence soldiers, but the one leading the way was dressed as a constable and carrying an iron ruler.

Why are the security personnel chasing this guy? He's most likely a thief or a criminal!

He immediately shouted, "Take it!"

A valiant soldier, receiving the order, stepped forward and swung his spear horizontally across the ground. The man, caught off guard, tripped and fell flat on his face, immediately being firmly pinned down. The man struggled, screaming repeatedly, "I'm innocent! I'm innocent... I've been wronged! I've been wronged!"

As they spoke, the constables and Shence soldiers caught up, panting. The constable in the lead looked up and saw a man on horseback. Judging from his robes, he was a civil servant, but two iron maces hung at his waist... These people, who had been in Chang'an for a long time, even if they had never seen Li Ji, had heard of Li Erlang, who wielded double maces. They immediately clasped their hands and bowed: "This humble official greets Military Advisor Li."

Li Ji did not dismount, but looked down at him and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am a lowly official in the Jingzhao Prefecture, my surname is Jia, and my given name is Mingguan. This thief was apprehended by me first, and I hope you will hand him over to me for further handling."

Li Ji nodded and then asked, "What crime?"

"Theft."

The man pinned to the ground shouted again, "I'm not a thief! This is slander! This is slander!"

Jia Mingguan kicked him, saying, "You were carrying gold and silk, and you ran away when you saw us. If you're not a thief, are you a decent person? Even these clothes of yours are probably stolen. Did you think you could get away with it?!"

When Li Ji first heard Jia Mingguan's words, he was somewhat convinced. But upon further listening—it was merely a suspicion, without any concrete evidence. Although the man pinned to the ground didn't seem like a kind person, he should still find out more before determining the other's guilt... Oh, determining guilt wasn't his responsibility; it had to be handed over to Jia Mingguan to be taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture for interrogation.

He then ordered his men: "Search his belongings."

The man clung tightly to the bundle, refusing to let go. The valiant soldier, enraged, grabbed a corner and ripped it open, spilling two strings of cash with a clatter. The man cried out, "This is my master's travel money! It's not stolen! Please investigate, sir!"

Li Ji thought to himself that two strings of cash didn't really prove anything, but such a large bundle couldn't possibly contain only that much money. If he also found some gold, pearls, or jewelry, the person was more likely to be a thief. Looking closely, he saw his subordinate reach into the bundle and rummage through it, only to find a thick stack of papers.

The man appeared extremely flustered, reaching out to snatch it, but was punched squarely in the face by Yingwu Bing, knocking him away. Li Ji glanced sideways at Jia Mingguan and saw that the other man frowned, seemingly somewhat stunned.

"I'll see in the future."

His subordinate presented the stack of papers, which Li Ji took and examined. They were densely packed with exquisite small regular script, the first page being:

"Traveling to Wusong Mountain with Chang Zanfu of Nanling—Anshi sailed on the vast sea, alone whistling in the long wind. His elegant spirit moved the sea, his lofty sentiments transcended the human world. His presence is comparable to the supernatural, serene and at ease with the world. I came to the foot of Wusong Mountain, set out wine and climbed to its fullest extent. Seeking out the ancient elders, I named it Wusong Mountain. How serene and secluded are the five pines, a beautiful and fertile place..."

Wow, this is a poem, and a pretty good one at that...

He immediately demanded of the man, "Who are you? Where did you steal this poem from?!"

While one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, in these days, those who can not only read but also compose poetry are mostly scholars. Why then dress like a commoner? Ordinary people, or those from wealthy families, have the leisure and money to read and write a poem or two—that's quite remarkable. Yet here's a thick stack, and after skimming through it, the quality is undeniably high—it's hard to believe this shifty-eyed fellow wrote it. It's most likely stolen!

The man initially struggled, but after being punched by Yingwu Jun, he collapsed, immediately prostrating himself and stammering, "This manuscript... was not stolen. It was written by my master when he visited Li Bai in Jiangdong. Master Li Bai allowed me to copy his old work. Although it was later lost... I obtained it from Jiang and entrusted it to me for safekeeping..."

Li Ji was taken aback upon hearing this and hurriedly rummaged through the poems in his hands. Sure enough, he found several familiar lines, such as: "A Farewell to Tianmu Mountain in a Dream", "Hearing the Flute on a Spring Night in Luoyang", "Preface to the Banquet for My Younger Cousin in the Peach Blossom Garden on a Spring Night", etc. He immediately waved his hand and said, "Help him up."

Then Jia Mingguan said from the side, "This scoundrel is talking nonsense. Military Advisor Li, do not believe him..."

Li Ji waved the manuscript in his hand at him: "When you were chasing after him, did you know that this person's bundle contained poems and essays?"

Jia Mingguan was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

He said, "I already knew?" That man was carrying a stack of poems and essays along the main street. That's not a reason to be suspicious. Even if they weren't his own—as mentioned earlier, they were entrusted to him by his master for safekeeping—or perhaps they were borrowed or given away. So where does your suspicion come from? Unless there's a victim involved, then show them to me first. And if you say I don't know... then why are you chasing after this man?

Li Ji then shook the manuscript in his hand and said, "It's rare to find so many of Mr. Li Bai's poems and essays..." If one is not familiar with Li Bai, given the level of information dissemination in those days, it would probably take five or ten years to collect such a complete collection. Li Shi has always loved Li Bai's poems and essays, and I have borrowed and read all of his collections over the years, but it is still less than half of what is here. Li Ji then believed seven-tenths of the confession of the person that Jia Mingguan was chasing.

So he asked, "Tell me the truth—who is your master? Why are you carrying these poems and essays around, and why are you being chased by the officials?"

The man, flanked by two soldiers, was lifted up and, trembling, replied with his hands clasped, "My master is a scholar from Liaocheng, surnamed Wei, given name Hao..."

Jia Mingguan interrupted and scolded, "They are clearly traitors' spies..."

Suddenly, Li Ji shouted, "Shut up!" His voice was like thunder, startling Jia Mingguan so much that he took a step back, and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

Li Ji then gently inquired of the captured man, "Ignore the others and tell me in detail why you, as the servant of the scholar, were chased by the arresting officials."

The man glanced sideways at Jia Mingguan, then looked up at Li Ji, and boldly said in one breath, “My master went to the capital to take the imperial examination and stayed at an inn in the southeast alley of Wubenfang. Suddenly, soldiers came and falsely accused my master of being a traitor and spy, and arrested him. They also came to steal my master’s treasured manuscript of Li Bai’s poems. In a moment of panic, I fled with the manuscript in my arms… My master is definitely not a spy! If he were a spy, how could he have passed the Ministry of Rites’ review and entered the imperial examination? I implore you, sir, to investigate!”

Li Ji slowly shifted his gaze to Jia Mingguan. Jia Mingguan's eyes darted around, and he quickly clasped his hands and bowed: "Military Advisor, do not listen to his sophistry. His master comes from Liaocheng, and is most likely with the rebels..."

"But you just said it was theft?"

"Ah, well... actually, I didn't know he was Wei Hao's servant. When I saw him fleeing with Wei Hao's bundle, I assumed he was stealing it in the chaos..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Isn't this ridiculous? In broad daylight, a constable from the Jingzhao Prefecture leading a bunch of Shence soldiers to arrest someone—what kind of crazy thief would dare to take advantage of this opportunity to steal? Think about your own nonsense; is there even a shred of credibility in it?"

Where is Wei Hao?

"This one……"

Jia Mingguan was a constable in the Jingzhao Prefecture, so theoretically, anyone he arrested should be taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture for imprisonment and interrogation. Li Ji asked, "Where is Wei Hao?" intending to inquire whether the traitorous spy he claimed was still detained in his original location—the Wubenfang inn—or had already been taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture, and when the interrogation was planned. Unexpectedly, Jia Mingguan stammered and couldn't answer immediately. This deepened Li Ji's suspicions, so he stepped past Jia Mingguan and asked the Shence soldiers behind him, "Do you know who I am?"

Several Shence soldiers crossed their hands and replied, "Although we have never met you, we do know Li Canjun..." "Who in the Shence Army does not know the name of Li Canjun?"

Li Ji then asked, "Whose subordinates are you?"

"The lowest rank belongs to the Fourth Brigade of the Left Wing of the Shence Army, under the command of Commander Xu."

Li Ji nodded: "It's Xu Yu, I know him..." He was the low-ranking officer who had asked Li Ji to carry his double maces to test their weight when he first invited guests to Lu Miaozhen's house. Li Ji had a deep impression of him. "Quickly summon him to see me."

Jia Mingguan hurriedly advised, "Commander Xu is still patrolling Zhuque Street. Going back and forth will only waste time. There's no need to call him here, Military Advisor... Even if this person is not a thief, he is a servant of a traitor's spy... The case is not serious. I implore you, Military Advisor, to hand him over to me. I will escort him back to the Jingzhao Prefecture."

Li Ji glared at him: "If he really is a traitorous spy, how can you say the case isn't big?!"

Jia Mingguan shrank back, but still stubbornly argued, "This man was expelled from Wubenfang by us; that area is under the jurisdiction of the Shence Army..."

"The Divine Strategy hasn't even spoken yet, how dare a mere constable obstruct me?!" Li Jiyue found Jia Mingguan increasingly suspicious and immediately ordered, "Take this man down first!"

The valiant soldiers rushed forward and firmly pinned Jia Mingguan down. Jia Mingguan shouted at the top of his lungs, "This humble official is innocent! Why has the military advisor arrested me?"

Li Ji sneered, "I'm not arresting you, I just find you too noisy." He ordered, "Hold him down, don't let him move, and gag his filthy mouth!" He then turned to the Shence soldiers and angrily shouted, "Why aren't you going to find your Commander Xu? Do I have to utter a 'please' from him?!"

Li Ji was renowned, and after several months of banquets, most of the Shence soldiers knew that this Military Advisor Li had close relationships with many of their generals. Therefore, they dared not disobey orders. Two of them immediately bowed and then ran away in a flash.

Before long, Xu Yu was brought over. Commander Xu, accompanied by a dozen or so soldiers, rode up. Upon approaching, he glanced around, understanding the situation. He dismounted, first bowing respectfully to Li Ji, then reaching out to tug at Li Ji's reins, and said in a low voice, "Second Brother, may I speak with you in private..."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Fighting in the Forbidden City

Xu Yu led Li Ji's horse aside. Li Ji casually tucked the Li Bai poems he had just been reading into his pocket, then leaned down slightly and asked him in a low voice, "You should know what happened here. What's the inside story? We're all friends, we can't deceive each other."

Xu Yu nodded and said in a low voice, "Of course I wouldn't dare to deceive you, Erlang... May I ask, Erlang, are the supplies for the Yingwu Army sufficient?"

Li Ji was taken aback by the other party's counter-question, especially given the sudden leap in focus. He frowned in surprise. Considering that both armies were guarding the palace, practically next to each other, and many things couldn't be hidden from each other, he honestly replied, "It's not quite enough..."

In fact, compared to the foreign armies, the supplies for the Northern Imperial Guards were much more plentiful. However, due to the empty imperial treasury and soaring prices in Chang'an, many lower-ranking officers and soldiers still couldn't receive their full salaries on time, or even if they did, it might not be enough to cover their expenses in the capital. The situation in the Shence Army was likely worse than that of the Yingwu Army—because of their larger numbers. Otherwise, the money Li Ji secretly allocated to the Shence soldiers each month, when distributed to each individual, would amount to very little, and they might not have been willing to accept it.

Upon hearing Li Ji's reply, Xu Yu couldn't help but smile wryly, saying, "Most officials in the court, except for a few truly impoverished government offices, have subordinates or receive tributes from prefectures and counties. We, the Northern Army, are confined to the Forbidden City, our salaries are insufficient, and we have no other source of income. Although Erlang has given us... that nobleman's reward, rice is still expensive in the capital, and it's not easy to live here. It's a rare opportunity to assist the prefectures and counties of Jingzhao in inspecting the streets of the capital..."

Li Ji was a shrewd man. Before Xu Yu could even finish speaking, he immediately understood—so you've come here to make some extra money! Using inspections as a pretext, you're actually extorting merchants and wealthy households, robbing them of their money. You must have done this kind of thing quite a few times, haven't you? Truly despicable!

His face hardened immediately, interrupting Xu Yu, and he demanded, "Is this your own doing, or are you trying to curry favor with the military?"

Xu Yu looked ashamed and stammered, "We... our soldiers are indeed living a very frugal life, but within Chang'an City, under the Emperor's nose, how dare we act on our own? This is the suggestion of the Commander-in-Chief to offer military honors..."

Li Ji interrupted him, pointing to the side with his whip: "Just talk about today's events, aren't you falsely accusing people of being traitors and spies?"

Xu Yu was taken aback upon hearing this, but immediately waved his hand and said, "How dare I? Being a traitor or spy is a serious crime. We are just using our intelligence to capture people and extort a little money... Those we capture are all wealthy people, and they can easily produce a small amount of valuables."

Li Ji sneered, "As if you all have little courage... But Wei Hao is a candidate for the imperial examination this spring, and you actually dare to arrest and extort him?!"

Xu Yu was shocked upon hearing this: "Are they scholars? This humble general truly has no idea... How would we know who has money? They're all constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture, like that..." He glanced sideways at Jia Mingguan, who was being held by the arm and gagged beside him—"...Jia, they identified him, we arrested him, and handed him over to the Commander for questioning..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was shocked again: "Surpassing the Jingzhao Prefecture and handing him directly over to Liu Xixian? Where will he be imprisoned?!"

"Within the Forbidden City's government offices, set aside a cell specifically for imprisoning these people..."

Li Ji was furious.

He knew that military discipline was generally poor in those days, especially when finances were tight and military supplies were insufficient. Often, not only rebels would plunder, but government troops would also forcibly seize civilian property. Even Lei Wanchun had said that the rebels obtained their military supplies through roadside looting, "unlike us, who are government troops, even if we plunder civilian food, we wouldn't dare to exhaust our resources..."

Even though Li Ji himself was quite strict with his subordinates' discipline, he believed that during his patrols, as long as he turned his face away and couldn't see them, the valiant soldiers would inevitably rob people of their meager possessions, eating cakes and drinking soup without paying. Therefore, it was entirely within his expectations that the Shence Army would do even more shameless things.

The saying goes, "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish," especially in someone else's pond... Originally, Li Ji didn't intend to investigate this matter further; at most, he would order Xu Yu to release the people—if I hadn't seen them, I would have let it go, but since I'd stumbled upon them, I couldn't ignore it—and issue a few warnings, telling them not to go too far, and that would have been it. But who would have thought that the Shence Army would not only target the candidates taking the exams this time, but would even abduct them and imprison them in the Forbidden City, setting up a private jail!

Liu Xixian, you've got some nerve!

If it were merely a matter of intimidation, a feigned arrest, and extortion, that would be one thing; or if they actually took the person to the Jingzhao Prefecture to fabricate charges, Li Ji wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But now, not only are people being arrested, but they're being brought into the palace, harming the common people, jeopardizing the country, and damaging the reputation of the Northern Imperial Guards. How could Li Ji possibly tolerate this?!

He was almost trembling with anger, but he forced himself to remain calm and ordered Xu Yu, "Take me to the place where the prisoners are held."

Xu Yu hurriedly said, "Since the scholar was wrongly arrested, I will go back and have them released. It is not advisable for you to go in person, Erlang..."

Li Ji said coldly, “Are you all truly out of your minds? You’re still oblivious to the fact that a candidate was wrongly arrested today. How do you know there weren’t any wrongly arrested the day before yesterday? How do you know there won’t be any wrongly arrested the day after tomorrow? When the Ministry of Rites releases the list of successful candidates tomorrow or the day after, if you are on the list but can’t find the person, or if the person has already made it to an official position and has the help of friends and relatives to report to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, how will you face yourselves? Will Dan Tingyao and Liu Xixian admit it? Wouldn’t all the blame fall on your heads?!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yu turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Only by thoroughly investigating this matter and obtaining concrete evidence, forcing Dan Tingyao and Liu Xixian to stop, will you have a glimmer of hope! Do you think I want to go to your Shence Army headquarters? I'm only doing this to save your lives because we're friends!"

In fact, Li Ji was just lying. Given Dan Tingyao's and Liu Xixian's taste and power, they would most likely still have a chance to clear themselves of the blame, but they would shift all the blame onto their subordinates. He might not really be able to save the unlucky Xu Yu who was caught red-handed.

However, having witnessed such a heinous act, Li Ji could not ignore it. He feared that Xu Yu might release Wei Hao quietly today, but would continue his reckless behavior in the future. If this matter was not brought to light and brought to court, who knew how much more suffering the people of the capital or the scholars from afar would endure!

Xu Yu was still hesitating when Li Ji snorted coldly, "If you don't consider me a friend, then so be it." He whipped Xu Yu's hand away and spurred his horse, making a move to leave. Xu Yu then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, fine. Whenever Erlang invites me to banquets, he doesn't consider us lowly. If he considers us friends, then I'll go to great lengths for him! I'll take Erlang with me now."

Li Ji ordered half of his men to temporarily detain Wei Hao's servant and Jia Mingguan, while he led the rest of his men back to the palace with Xu Yu. They dismounted at Mingfeng Gate, entered the palace, turned right, and went straight to the Shence Army headquarters. Xu Yu first asked the guards, "Where is the Commander?"

The reply was: "He has already left for his shift."

Xu Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then asked the soldiers to wait at the gate, and led Li Ji inside alone. The Shence Army headquarters wasn't large; after passing the main hall, they arrived at a secluded courtyard. There, two Shence soldiers were guarding a room, and from afar, cries of injustice could be heard rising and falling from within. Xu Yu hurried a few steps and stood at the door, asking, "Is there a scholar named Wei Hao inside?"

Li Ji reached out and shoved Xu Yu aside. Then he took a big step forward, kicked the door hard, and with a "crack," the latch broke.

He heard groans mixed in with the shouts from inside the room, indicating that it wasn't just confinement, but most likely torture! His anger flared even more, and he immediately kicked open the door and strode inside.

Inside the small room, six or seven people were crammed into wooden cages. The dozen or so people in the cages were dressed in seemingly decent quality clothes, but most were tattered and filthy, covered in blood and whip marks. Two were even lying on the ground, barely alive…

Then a scholar, unharmed, reached out from the wooden cage and shouted, "I am Wei Hao, I am innocent! I only have that money, nothing else. You have already taken the money, why are you still detaining me?"

Outside the wooden cage stood two Shence soldiers, both shirtless, revealing bulging, dark, and greasy muscles, each carrying a bloodstained whip. Startled by Li Ji kicking the door open, they quickly bowed in greeting. One of them, still somewhat bewildered, immediately turned and berated Wei Hao: "How can you say there's nothing? What your servant stole wasn't valuables? If you can capture him, perhaps you can be released!"

Without saying a word, Li Ji suddenly raised his right foot and struck the soldier squarely in the chest with a loud thud, sending him flying three or four steps away. The soldier crashed into the wall, dust falling in a flurry, and the whole room trembled.

Both inside and outside the cage, everyone was shocked, and the shouts ceased, leaving only a few groans.

Immediately, Li Ji took out his mace from his waist and smashed all the cage doors to pieces with a few loud cracks. He then ordered, "Come out, all of you—carry out those two lying down too!"

Wei Hao and the others trembled with fear, but none of them moved. Li Ji sneered, "If you want to die, stay here; if you want to live, come with me." He turned around and added, "I am Li Erlang of Jingzhao, and I have come here to rescue you."

His reputation certainly carried weight. Hearing this, the prisoners stumbled out of their cages, even carrying the two half-dead men on the ground, and followed behind Li Ji. Just as Li Ji stepped out of the room, Xu Yu came over with a mournful face, reaching out to stop him: "Second Brother, there's no need to make such a fuss..." Li Ji glared at him fiercely, and Xu Yu, frightened, could only step aside.

Many Shence soldiers also came upon hearing the news, but Li Ji simply held his double maces horizontally to his chest and said, "Those who want to test their maces, then come on!"

Although they belonged to different departments, Li Ji was ultimately a seventh-rank civil official with a well-known reputation for bravery, so who among the Shence soldiers would dare to stop him? Some rushed to report to their commanders, who, upon hearing that Li Ji had come to their office to cause trouble, all frowned and ordered, "Quickly inform the Commander-in-Chief... As for me, I have not heard of this matter!"

And so, Li Ji led the prisoners out of the Shence Army headquarters without incident. A Shence soldier pleaded from behind, "Commander, we won't be able to explain this to our superiors..." Li Ji coldly replied, "Just have Liu Xixian come to the Yingwu Army headquarters to talk to me."

He planned to take all these people to the Yingwu Army headquarters to find out the details of the matter, and preferably get them to write confessions so he could use them to blackmail Dan Tingyao and Liu Xixian. In fact, Li Ji was well aware that the capital was currently vulnerable; the Southern Army and the former Northern Army were merely empty shells. Only the Shence and Yingwu armies, numbering six thousand, were combat-ready. Therefore, to maintain stability, the court would likely be reluctant to punish them severely… This weak court, truly a case of the upper beam being crooked and the lower beam crooked!

Even so, Dan Tingyao and Liu Xixian probably wouldn't want things to escalate too much; they'd most likely come to the Yingwu Army to negotiate. By fabricating charges against them, they could at least force the Shence Army to stop their evil deeds.

So they continued westward, and had just passed the Left Jinwu Guard's quarters when they suddenly heard a loud shout from behind: "Li Ji, you've gone too far!"

Turning around, Li Ji saw Liu Xixian striding after him, a long spear in his right hand and his robe hem lifted with his left. Li Ji ordered his valiant soldiers to take the men back to the yamen, then turned around himself, his double maces crossed over his chest, and shouted, "Liu, the Commander-in-Chief, you are blinded by greed, you have turned innocent people into thieves, and you have oppressed the people of Chang'an. Do you still have the nerve to oppose me?!"

Liu Xixian ran up to Li Ji and stopped abruptly when they were about ten feet apart. He glanced at the double maces in Li Ji's hand and then at the spear in his own hand, and swallowed hard.

He was consumed by rage and impulsiveness, so he grabbed a spear and ran after Li Ji. Unexpectedly, Li Ji completely disregarded social hierarchy and immediately adopted a fighting stance. Liu Xixian thought to himself, "I've heard of those maces; they weigh about thirty pounds, quite heavy… And I'm not wielding a suitable weapon; I probably won't be able to defeat him…"

He immediately roared, "Everyone else fears you, Li Ji, but I am not! It is not appropriate to use weapons in the Forbidden City. Do you dare to put down your mace and fight me?"

Li Ji sneered, "What's there to be afraid of?" He had a soldier left beside him, so he handed over the double maces, then lifted the hem of his robe and tucked it into his waistband. He clenched his fist and struck a pose, then beckoned to Liu Xixian, "Come here, come here."

At this moment, many Shence soldiers had also caught up. Liu Xixian handed his spear to his subordinates and ordered them to retreat. Then he tied up his clothes, rolled up his sleeves, and rushed straight towards Li Ji.

Li Ji threw a punch at Liu Xixian's face. Liu Xixian dodged slightly and grabbed Li Ji's wrist. Li Ji wasn't about to let him grab him; he immediately sidestepped and used his left hand to press down on Liu Xixian's shoulder.