Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 98

Li Ji casually asked, "Who is it?"

Qingluan handed over two name cards. Li Ji glanced at them and saw that one was left by Wei Hao and the other was signed by Li Qijun.

Wei Hao came mostly to express his gratitude, but as for his cousin Li Qijun... I'm always the one visiting him, why would he come to see me? I guess I'll have to make another trip next time I have a day off.

Chapter 41, The Upright Warrior

The next day, after returning home from his official duties, Wei Hao visited Li Ji again to express his gratitude for Li Ji's kindness. By this time, the list of successful candidates had been released, and Li Ji inquired about his future prospects. Wei Hao replied, "I have humbly ranked third on the second-best list."

Li Ji thought to himself, "The emperor is so stingy. He only gave me one ranking."

The Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations for the Jinshi degree were divided into four lists: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. However, there wasn't always a Jia list every year; the Yi list was often the most prestigious. The first-place candidate was called "Zhuangshou" or "Zhuangtou," and the second and third-place candidates were also highly respected. Theoretically, the most prestigious positions, such as Zhengzi and Jiaoshu, were only selected from the top three. Therefore, although Li Heng only promoted Wei Hao by one rank, it had a profound impact on his future.

Wei Hao was naturally unaware of the ins and outs, only knowing that Li Ji had rescued him from the Shence Army's private prison, so he came to express his gratitude. However, during their conversation, Li Ji discovered that what Wei Hao appreciated most was actually the stack of Li Bai's poems that Wei Hao had inadvertently taken away.

Li Ji asked Wei Hao, "I have already presented the poem manuscript to the sage. Would you be willing to return it to me?"

Wei Hao nodded: "It was because of this that I was granted an audience with His Majesty. His Majesty inquired in detail about my friendship with Mr. Taibai, and encouraged me to compile all of Mr. Taibai's poems and essays into a book. The manuscript is still in the Forbidden City, and His Majesty wants to make a copy first..."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Ji made a request: "Once the imperial edict returns the item, I also request to have it copied." Wei Hao readily agreed.

The next day, during his day off, Li Ji visited Li Qiyun's residence. Li Qiyun's eldest son, Li Laopeng, greeted him. Upon arriving at the main hall entrance, he saw Li Qiyun and Li Guayan standing side by side, waiting. Before Li Ji could bow, Li Qiyun smiled and said, "You quelled the rebellion in its infancy and rescued Wei Hao from imprisonment—Changwei, your prestige in the capital has now risen even higher!"

Li Ji said with a wry smile, "It's not what I wanted, but I'm afraid that 'the tallest tree in the forest will surely be felled by the wind'..."

Li Qijun immediately nodded and said seriously, "I was also afraid that you would become arrogant and complacent, and no longer guard against the schemes of villains. Since you have already been alerted, then I don't need to say anything more." He waved his hand to invite Li Ji to enter the hall.

Li Qijun had three sons in total. His eldest son, Li Laopeng, was born when he was young. His second son died young. Not long ago, he had a third son, who was only three years old. He had just been brought from his hometown and was brought out to meet Li Ji. Li Ji asked, "Have you given him a formal name yet?" Li Qijun replied, "Li Jifu."

Li Ji thought to himself, "You're really straightforward. The eldest son is named 'Lao Peng,' hoping for his longevity, and the youngest son is named 'Ji Fu,' hoping for his good fortune. I thought someone as learned as you would be more particular about naming your sons, perhaps picking words from some obscure corner of an old book. But they're all just common, vulgar words."

After the servants carried Li Jifu away, Li Ji thanked Li Qijun, saying, "It is all thanks to my uncles' memorial requesting a thorough investigation into the illegal activities of the Shence Army that His Majesty ordered Minister Guo and Vice Minister Lü to reorganize the Imperial Guards, and I was thus promoted."

Li Qiyun waved his hand: "This is not for you, but for the people of Chang'an." Although he had already said "no need to say more," he still couldn't help but remind Li Ji of a few things: "Although you have won the praise of the people, I'm afraid you will now discredit the Shence Army..."

Li Ji said you need not worry—"I have a long-standing friendship with the generals of the Shence Army, and we often visit each other after we were both guarding the palace. It's not like we'll fall out over this. Besides, those who were convicted and banished, I also wrote letters of recommendation for them a couple of days ago and sent them to serve in the staff of the Prince of Qi in Longyou."

Li Qiyun nodded and said, "That would be best." He paused, then added, "However, because of your accusation, Dan Tingyao was dismissed from his post. I fear the eunuchs in the palace might hold a grudge against you..."

Li Ji remained silent. To be honest, he wasn't afraid of offending those eunuchs for the time being, because the most powerful eunuch, Li Fuguo, was currently a friend, not an enemy, while the second most powerful eunuch, Yu Chaoen... he wanted to kill him, so why would he have time to worry about other junior eunuchs?

Then Li Qiyun sighed deeply: "Nowadays, eunuchs not only wield power and dictate the government, but they are also gradually interfering in the military, which is truly worrying. It's one thing for Yu Chaoen and others to have been supervising the various armies in the field for so long, but even the Imperial Guards are entrusted to eunuchs by the Emperor. Moreover, Li Fuguo..." He turned his head and asked Li Ji: "Do you know that before Guo Situ reorganized the Imperial Guards, he went to see Li Fuguo first?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was taken aback: "I didn't know that."

Li Qijun smiled bitterly, "Half of the regional military governors are from Li Fuguo's faction, and the others all fawn over him with lavish gifts and flattery. Perhaps... only the Prince of Qi is not part of Li Fuguo's faction. How can the country prosper if things continue like this?"

Li Ji smiled and comforted Li Qijun, saying, "Uncle, do not worry. In the past, Emperor Ling of Han established the Western Garden Army and appointed eight colonels, with Jian Shuo as the most respected. However, after Emperor Ling passed away, Jian Shuo was beheaded in an instant, and Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others only obeyed the orders of General He Jin, which led to the Qing Suo Gate Incident. Li Fuguo has never fought in battle, so how can he truly win the hearts of the various commanders?"

Li Qijun paused for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "What Changwei said makes sense, but the military governors of the various regions are not all scholars." Of the "Eight Colonels of the Western Garden" in the Later Han Dynasty, apart from Jian Shuo, who was a eunuch, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Bao Hong, Zhao Rong, and others were all scholar-officials. Scholar-officials naturally understand righteousness and reason; but now, half of the military governors of the four regions are pure military men... such as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.

Li Ji thought to himself, "This is clearly a case of valuing literature over military affairs." Indeed, although Li Qiyun had also served in the inner court, his former master, Feng Changqing, was only a half-baked scholar. Ultimately, Li Qiyun was a scholar himself, from a prominent family, and his allegiance was obvious… Not intending to argue with Li Qiyun on this matter, he smiled and said, "Eunuchs have existed throughout history, but the ruler should not bestow such power and favor upon them, allowing them to fall to this state. Having punished them, the ringleader should be executed; a mere prison official is sufficient…"

—This is a quote from Wang Shen's "Book of Wei," in which Cao Cao opposed summoning outside troops to deal with the Ten Attendants.

Li Qiyun shook her head: "Changwei, you must not be too careless. I know you have a grudge against Yu Chaoen. If you do not take precautions, you may not escape his clutches..." Thinking that this topic was too heavy, she changed the subject: "It seems that Changwei has been reading a lot recently."

Li Ji thought to himself, "The Book of Wei? I read it thoroughly in my past life, unlike in your timeline where the Book of Wei is scattered and can only be found in fragments in Pei Songzhi's commentary on the Records of the Three Kingdoms..."

Then Li Qijun asked, "If I remember correctly, Changwei was born in the twenty-seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, so he should be twenty-two years old this year..."

Li Ji replied, "I haven't celebrated my birthday yet; I'm only twenty-one."

"You're not young anymore," Li Qiyun asked with a smile. "Regarding the marriage I mentioned to you the other day, I wonder if you've found a suitable match?"

Li Ji's facial muscles twitched slightly, and he hurriedly replied, "It's still early, it's still early..."

Li Qijun said, "It's getting late. Your elder brother Yuan got married at exactly twenty years old. And you've already taken a concubine, so how can your inner chambers remain empty for long?"

Li Ji casually asked, "I wonder at what age your uncle got married?"

Li Qiyun coughed, ignoring Li Ji's words, and said seriously, "There is a good marriage opportunity right now, if Changwei is interested..."

Although Li Ji had no intention of going on a blind date at all, he couldn't help but ask, "Whose family is it?" The one who could persuade you to propose to me, or the one you took the initiative to introduce to me, must be from a high-ranking official or noble family, right? Why don't you tell me whose daughter is it?

"Grand Secretary Yang has a daughter, who is nearly sixteen years old..."

Li Ji frowned slightly, and Li Guayan, who was standing next to him, understood and interjected to explain: "What Uncle is talking about is Yang Wan, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, who is a year older than Uncle—he comes from a prestigious family in Hongnong!"

"Oh, Yang Wan—" Li Ji nodded, indicating that he understood.

As he guarded the palace, he often saw officials coming and going, and in his spare time, he also had a lot of knowledge about the general backgrounds of the court officials, as well as their anecdotes and elegant stories.

Yang Wan was born into the Hongnong Yang clan, Yuanwu branch. He passed the imperial examination during the Tianbao era and was appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor. Later, he passed the special imperial examination and was promoted to Right Remonstrator. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, he "cleared the brambles to find food" and followed Li Heng to Lingwu, where he was given important responsibilities and rose from Imperial Diarist to Imperial Secretary.

Although the position of Zhongshu Sheren was only a fifth-rank official, he held the power to draft imperial edicts within the province, which was equivalent to the secretary-general of a department. He was often regarded as the deputy prime minister. After Yang Gao took this position, he was respectfully called "Ge Lao" – "Ge" because the Zhongshu Province was once renamed "Fengge", and "Lao" because he was old and had a long service record.

According to unwritten rules, four-fifths of the public funds for miscellaneous expenses went to the "Grand Secretary," but Yang Wan believed that since they were all officials of equal rank, it was unreasonable for him to receive more money just because he was a few years older. Therefore, he distributed the funds fairly and won a good reputation for a time. Such elegant talk always spread the fastest.

Li Ji pondered to himself, was this Yang Wan's true intention, or Li Qijun's idea? After all, Yang Wan had served in the Qingliu faction and was destined to become prime minister, while Li Ji, from the prestigious Zhao County Li clan, had never passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom through a non-traditional path. Under normal circumstances, he would be looked down upon by Yang Wan and even the likes of Li Qijun. So what was Yang Wan's motive for actively courting him?

He had indeed met Yang Wan, but they had no prior contact. The only thing they had in common was that they were familiar with Li Qiyun... He immediately asked, "How could Grand Secretary Yang possibly think highly of my nephew?"

Li Qiyun smiled and said, "Your Excellency is a man of refined taste and lofty ideals, and has always been upright in his conduct. He often laments that many of those who have passed the imperial examinations in recent years are mediocre and sycophantic, unable to correct the emperor and safeguard the state. The other day, upon hearing that you exposed the illegal activities of the Shence Army, you exclaimed, 'I never imagined that among military men there could be such an upright man.' I reminded him, 'Li Ji is my nephew, and he is actually a civil official.' Your Excellency then said, 'Such a man would make an excellent son-in-law.'"

Hearing these words, Li Ji was deeply impressed by Yang Wan. However, while he had a good impression of her and hoped to get to know her better in the future, perhaps even becoming friends despite their age difference, he certainly didn't need her to become his father-in-law… especially since he still had other women on his mind. How could he possibly agree to Li Qijun's matchmaking proposal?

After racking his brains and exhausting his words, Li Ji finally managed to politely decline the offer. Once outside the Li residence, Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, thinking to himself: Old Cui, it's time you returned to Chang'an...

He had only just heard that Cui Guangyuan had quelled the rebellion in Jingxiang and was about to return to the capital.

Chapter 42, The Cowardly Father-in-Law

In fact, the suppression of the Jingxiang Rebellion was actually done at the end of last year, which was the third year of the Qianyuan era.

However, this cannot be attributed to Cui Guangyuan. Previously, upon arriving in Dengzhou, Cui Guangyuan heard that tens of thousands of rebel troops were besieging Xiangyang. He became cowardly and dared not advance, urgently summoning Wei Lun, the prefect of Shangzhou and commissioner of the Jingxiang Circuit, to come south to provide reinforcements. Wei Lun then stationed his troops at the border of Xiangyang and Dengzhou, waiting for the enemy to become slightly lax, before launching a surprise attack, killing Zhang Jiayan in one fell swoop and capturing Kang Chuyuan alive. He then escorted the "Overlord of Southern Chu" to Chang'an, where he was beheaded and his body displayed in the marketplace.

When the rebellion broke out, the rebel army looted everywhere, seizing two million strings of cash in taxes from Jingzhou and Xiangyang, all of which fell into Wei Lun's hands. Wei Lun suggested distributing it to the suffering people, but Cui Guangyuan resolutely refused and ordered it to be sent directly to Chang'an. Li Heng was overjoyed and transferred Cui Guangyuan to the position of Prefect of Fengxiang and Military Governor of Fengxiang that same year.

Cui Guangyuan returned to Chang'an in March of that year to express his gratitude. Upon hearing the news, Li Ji went to Cui's residence to deliver a visiting card.

He had always kept the little girl Cui Qi in his heart, but he had no reason to go and find her.

Li Ji himself couldn't figure out when he had become interested in that little girl. To be honest, based on Li Ji's usual aesthetic standards, Cui Qi was definitely not a suitable girlfriend in terms of appearance alone. She should at least be ranked after Qing Luan. Li Ji himself was tall and strong, and if he stood next to Cui Qi, it would be like an eagle and a sparrow... Oh, that sounds disrespectful. Let's change it to a turkey and a chick. In short, he himself felt that they were not a good match.

Comparatively speaking, Li Ji still prefers tall and slender young women who are a little bit plump... the key is that they have to have breasts!

However, liking someone isn't just about their appearance or physique. Li Ji's feelings for Cui Qi gradually evolved from pleasing to the eye to appreciation, and then to love, after several encounters. Only when the night was deep and no one was around, recalling Cui Qi's voice and smile—of course, he couldn't think about it when he was holding Qingluan, nor dared to—he asked himself honestly, perhaps it was when he angrily left the Tang camp in Heyang, his spirits plummeting to rock bottom, that he felt comforted by Cui Qi's presence, and that's how he overcame the last hurdle in his heart.

The development of a relationship often requires a certain opportunity.

Li Ji once swore an oath that he would marry Cui Qi—what, you say, that our statuses are not a good match? Then I'll go and beg Cui Guangyuan to take you in as my adopted daughter, won't that solve the problem? Although these words were not spoken without thinking, upon reflection, they may not have been entirely well thought out.

The key issue is that Cui Guangyuan comes from a prestigious family—the Cui of Boling is even more prestigious than the Li of Zhao County, and Cui Guangyuan's third branch is considered the main branch of the Boling Cui, while Li Ji's Liaodong branch is a separate lineage of the Li of Zhao County—and Cui Guangyuan holds a second-rank official position. How could Li Ji possibly climb up to him? While Cui Guangyuan had previously expressed interest in befriending him, Li Ji figured that if he approached him and asked to betroth Cui Guangyuan, there was a chance Cui Guangyuan might agree. But how could Cui Guangyuan possibly agree to take in a goddaughter and then marry her to him, making him a son-in-law of the Boling Cui family?!

Putting aside the matter of a marriage alliance, godparents are not someone to be casually recognized. Taking a maid as an adopted daughter would certainly damage the reputation of a prestigious family. Even if Cui Guangyuan were willing, his sons would definitely object.

Oh dear, this is really difficult. Why won't you become my concubine, little girl?

However, on the other hand, "Even if she were a servant or even the wife of a beggar, she would not be a minor star to a high-ranking official." If it weren't for this insistence, Li Ji wouldn't have appreciated Cui Qi so much, and thus wouldn't have fallen in love with her.

Li Ji longed to see Cui Qi again, to discuss with her whether they could take a roundabout approach to achieve their goal. He suggested that she come to his house as a concubine first, and then he could make her his wife after some time. Although taking a concubine as a wife violated the law, there were various ways to circumvent it—for example, he could ask someone of lower status to adopt her as their daughter, even if it was Kang Laohu. However, he could not find a way to see her.

Cui Qi is, after all, a maid of the Cui family. You can't just barge in and say, "I want to see your maid..." Besides, since Cui Guangyuan has been sent to Jingzhou and Xiangyang, as Cui Qi said, the person in charge of the household now is the third young master, Cui Ju. Li Ji has no connection with that guy, and Cui Ju has been studying hard but hasn't been appointed to an official position. He can't find any connections in the officialdom to ask for help or introductions... What reason do you have to visit him?

Li Ji even considered climbing over the wall. But climbing over such a grand mansion during the day was definitely out of the question, and there was a curfew at night… Forget the whole "poor scholar meets noble lady in the back garden" nonsense; in such a large household, even if you climbed over the wall, you'd need to be able to find a maidservant. Besides, that maidservant might not even be in the mansion; she might have been sent out on some secret mission…

Therefore, all we can do is hope that Cui Guangyuan will return to Chang'an as soon as possible.

However, given Li Ji's status, even if Cui Guangyuan returned to Chang'an to express his gratitude and planned to pack up before heading to Fengxiang, it would be inconvenient for him to visit him in person. He could only send a name card and wait for the other party to summon him.

He was hoping that Cui Qi would come to invite him again in men's clothing, but after waiting for two days, it was Kang Lao Hu's subordinates who finally came to the door. On the one hand, they brought wine (money), and on the other hand, they informed him: "I heard that Erlang is on a day off tomorrow, so the head of the family has prepared a banquet in the West Market and earnestly invites Erlang to attend."

The next day, Li Ji went to the West Market in high spirits and entered the restaurant where Kang Qian had treated him the previous two times. However, Cui Guangyuan was not present at the banquet. In addition to Kang Qian, only Yan Zhuang was there.

After a few words of small talk and a few drinks, Kang Qian excused himself from the table, and Li Ji then inquired about Cui Guangyuan. Yan Zhuang replied, "What urgent matter brings you here to present your visiting card? But Lord Cui is too busy to see you..."

Li Ji frowned: "Is Lord Cui still so busy during his transfer?"

Yan Zhuang smiled and said, "Lord Cui had an audience with the Emperor yesterday and left the capital to take up his post today. He may have already left Jin Guang Gate by now... He is not in a hurry, but he has to travel quickly."

It turned out that no sooner had Cui Guangyuan left Jingxiang than the court ordered Shi Hui to take over as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit. However, as soon as Shi Hui entered Xiangzhou, he was coerced into rebellion by the local generals Zhang Weijin and Cao Jie. When Shi Hui refused, he was killed.

Previously, Cui Guangyuan had been scheming everywhere, hoping to be appointed as a military governor and gain control of military and political power. He finally got the opportunity and excitedly arrived in Dengzhou, only to be terrified by Kang Chuyuan's tens of thousands of rebel troops and dared not advance an inch. He spent several months in Shannan East Circuit, deeply feeling that the Chu people were fierce and difficult to govern… Therefore, he feared that Li Heng would issue an edict saying: "You, Cui Qing, quelled the Jingxiang rebellion quite well before; why don't you skip Fengxiang and go to Xiangyang instead?"

Having received news of the renewed unrest in Jingzhou and Xiangyang, Cui Guangyuan hastily left the capital to avoid this calamity. He had even planned his escape route: if he received another imperial decree en route, he would recommend Wei Lun to succeed him as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit—"Last time the rebellion was quelled, it was mainly Wei Lun who fought well; actually, my contribution was not that great..."

Li Ji was speechless upon hearing Yan Zhuang's words.

In his memory, Cui Guangyuan should be quite capable, not only skilled at nurturing extraordinary individuals from the martial arts world, but also having instigated internal strife within the rebel army in Chang'an and taken the opportunity to escape the city to seek refuge with Li Heng in Lingwu. He never expected the guy to be so cowardly, turning tail and running at the first sign of trouble… His scheming and flattery skills are maxed out, but his troop deployment is lacking; surely he should at least have the ambition to take on responsibilities?

Could it be that the defeat at Weizhou in the past completely extinguished his last bit of courage?

While she herself was currently completely devoted to Cui Qi and even harbored the delusion that Cui Guangyuan would adopt her as his daughter… in terms of future father-in-law, Cui Guangyuan was worlds apart from Yang Wan! It was said that love was merely a matter between two people, without needing to consider their families, but in this era, marriage was ultimately a matter of great importance, involving both families and requiring utmost consideration…

Li Ji was still lamenting Cui Guangyuan's incompetence when Yan Zhuang asked again, "What important matter do you have to report to Lord Cui?" He stammered and couldn't speak.

Because he didn't actually want to see Cui Guangyuan, but only hoped to use Cui Guangyuan to get to know Cui Qi again, using sweet words to try and make the young girl understand his feelings more clearly, so that she would be willing to temporarily enter the family as a concubine. But he couldn't say this to Yan Zhuang. After all, Yan Zhuang was just a crony of Cui Guangyuan, not his family or clansman. He could help relay matters related to the court, and even help Cui Guangyuan make decisions, but he certainly couldn't interfere in the private affairs of the Cui family!

He could only offer a perfunctory reply, then seized the opportunity to change the subject, asking Yan Zhuang: "Now, Minister Li is defending against the bandits in Henan, and Prince Qi is guarding against the barbarians in Longyou. Carriages and horses are constantly being transported. However, the granaries in the Central Plains are gradually emptying, and the people of Western Shu and Eastern Wu are separated by thousands of miles. The people are suffering from hunger on the road, and the soldiers are still starving... Lord Yan, you are in charge of finances, do you have any good solutions to save the world?"

Yan Zhuang smiled bitterly and said, "I am merely temporarily carrying the purse for the Emperor. How can I be in charge of finances? Besides, the Emperor always sends eunuchs to supervise the granaries and government offices. I have virtually no say in the matter. The national finances should be handled by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Transport."

Li Ji asked, "Now that the fifth one has been dismissed, the Emperor has summoned Liu Yan to serve as Vice Minister of Revenue. I wonder what good strategies he may have?"

A few days ago, he learned that the unfamiliar civil official who had reprimanded him and Liu Xixian inside Mingfeng Gate was none other than Liu Yan, also known as Liu Shi'an, who had just been transferred back to the capital from his post as Prefect of Henan to serve as Vice Minister of Revenue, concurrently serving as Censor-in-Chief, and in charge of the three mints of finance, minting, and salt and iron, thus taking charge of the national treasury.

Liu Yan was originally the governor of Longzhou, and later transferred to be the governor of Huazhou. After the defeat at Xiangzhou, Cui Yuan, the garrison commander of Dongjing (Kaifeng), and Su Zhen, the prefect of Henan, abandoned their cities upon hearing the news and fled south to Xiang and Deng. They were severely reprimanded by the court, with Cui Yuan stripped of his rank and title, and Su Zhen demoted to the position of chief secretary of the Prince of Ji's court, and stripped of his silver-blue rank. Zhang Xun was then appointed to temporarily support the garrison commander of Dongjing, and Liu Yan was appointed the prefect of Henan.

Previously, Liu Yan assisted Zhang Xun in relocating officials and people from Luoyang to various places, and then changed the administrative center to Changshui County. After Wu Qi left office, the court repeatedly discussed and sought a capable person to take over the financial affairs, and finally chose Liu Yan.

Liu Yan arrived in Chang'an in February and was subsequently summoned to the palace several times to report to Li Heng on his overall plan for fiscal and tax issues. However, on his first visit to the inner court, he saw two officials, one in a green robe and the other in a red robe, fighting inside the Mingfeng Gate, next to the Jinwu Guard Hall…

Chapter 43, Weeping at the Palace Gate

Li Ji had often heard Li Shi mention Liu Yan (Liu Shi'an) before, saying he was a man of great talent and strategic mind. Therefore, during the banquet, he changed the subject and inquired about Liu Yan's background in detail. Yan Zhuang replied, "I know Liu Shi'an. He was hailed as a child prodigy at the age of seven, and his name was known throughout the capital. I even met him once before. But now, with this mess, I'm afraid he can't handle it..."

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh softly: "If the country's finances were sufficient, an army of 100,000 could be assembled in an instant, and annihilating Shi Siming would not be difficult. Even if we can only maintain the status quo, we must first abolish Wu Qi's monetary system, otherwise it will greatly harm the people's livelihood and have endless negative consequences..."

He hit the nail on the head. Liu Yan reorganized the national finances and gradually reformed them. The first policy he introduced was to change the currency system.

Liu Yan did not touch the Qian Yuan Zhong Bao, but he increased the value of the Kai Yuan coins, which were generally worth ten times the value of the Zhong Bao – and prices had indeed increased tenfold compared to the peak of the Kai Yuan era. As for the Zhong Lun coins, their value was reduced from one to fifty to one to thirty.

This is also a form of currency devaluation, but it can somewhat curb illegal counterfeiting and slow down the rate of price increases. Given the general shortage of goods, it is virtually impossible for Liu Yan, no matter how capable, to lower or even stabilize prices.

Meanwhile, Shi Siming minted large coins within his jurisdiction, each worth a hundred coins, causing prices in Hebei and Youyan regions to skyrocket, even more so than within the Tang Dynasty itself. Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but sigh: "You're all just competing to see who's worse off; it's the common people who suffer!" Fortunately, he had never held much hope for Shi Siming's governing abilities anyway.

Judging from this, the rebels' food and supplies are not enough. How long can they maintain an army of nearly 100,000 in the Henan region? Perhaps if the weather is good this year, and supplies are more plentiful in the autumn, the Tang army will be able to launch a full-scale counterattack.

Thinking of Zhang Xun, Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun and others suffering in the Luoyang Palace, wondering if they could even last another six months, while I am in Chang'an, not exactly living a life of luxury, but going to Pingkangfang for drinks every few days... even if it's official business, I still feel ashamed.

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In early May, Li Ji fell seriously ill. Qingluan invited a doctor to her home to treat him, who diagnosed it as an epidemic and prescribed a remedy.

To be honest, Li Ji didn't really believe in traditional Chinese medicine these days... It must be admitted that as a traditional empirical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine is definitely much better than that of Europe and Arabia at the same time, but unfortunately there is no national-level teaching and certification—after all, even monks and Taoist priests need to take an ordination certificate—who knows if the doctor they invited is reliable or not.

But there was nothing else to do. After all, this "epidemic" was not a common cold that one could overcome simply by being physically strong and having a strong immune system. One couldn't just ignore the illness and refuse to take any medicine. Forced to grit his teeth and drink the herbal decoction for half a month, his condition gradually improved.

During the medication period, according to the doctor's orders, his diet had to be light, and he often ate vegetables cooked in meat broth, porridge, or noodles. Li Ji felt that life was boring... But when his illness improved slightly, Qingluan gradually added some meat to his diet, or learned a few new dishes from the neighbors and served them to him, but he still had no appetite.

Qingluan grew anxious and kept asking Li Ji, "What does my lord want to eat? I don't care how much it costs, I'll go to the market and buy it for you..." Li Ji was somewhat moved—look, Qingluan, who is so good at managing the household, even a little stingy, doesn't care about the price for my appetite and health; at the same time, he thought to himself, "I want to eat Sichuan lychees, North American durians, American chili peppers, Heilongjiang salmon... Even a tycoon like Kang Laohu wouldn't be able to get any of that!"

Occasionally, I'd casually reply, "I want to eat stir-fried dishes."

Qingluan asked in surprise, "What kind of stir-fried dish is this? What season is it available?"

Li Ji frowned: "Is there no stir-fry in Chang'an?"

Looking back on my time travel, I've never actually seen stir-frying. The Tang people had a wide variety of cooking methods, including stewing, boiling, steaming, roasting, braising, frying, slicing, deep-frying, pickling, and so on—more than a dozen in total. But there was no stir-frying method at all—that doesn't make sense.

Li Ji once borrowed a remarkable book from Li Qijun, namely *Qimin Yaoshu*, written by Jia Sixie, an agronomist of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The book not only summarized a wealth of agricultural and pastoral knowledge but also covered food processing, brewing, storage, and even cooking techniques. Li Ji recalled that the book mentioned two dishes: "Stir-fried Chicken Eggs" and "Fried Duck," both requiring stir-frying—you see, stir-frying had already been invented long ago!

Unless the meaning of the text differs between ancient and modern times, the "stir-fry" that Jia Sixie refers to is not the same as the "stir-fry" that Li Ji understands. However, the former clearly states that the food is "stir-fried with sesame oil, which is very fragrant and delicious," and the latter also says that it is "stir-fried until very cooked, then served with minced pepper and ginger." If it is not "stir-frying" that involves heating oil in a pan and turning the food to cook it, what else could it be?

It doesn't make sense that stir-frying existed two hundred years ago, but has been lost two hundred years later.

Intrigued, Li Ji immediately launched a detailed investigation into the matter. He first inquired with acquaintances from different regions, as well as with Lü Miaozhen and others, asking if they knew about this cooking method. All who heard him were clueless, until finally, only Kang Laohu provided a clue—

"Is it a technique that cooks food in oil, but uses less oil than frying? I think someone in my family's business network has mentioned this method, but I can't remember exactly where it came from..."

Stir-frying is a unique cooking method in China—at least in the China Li Ji came from before—but due to limitations in related technologies, it wasn't passed down continuously from the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Li Ji analyzed that there are three main factors that led to the development of stir-frying: first, a stove with strong and stable heat; second, the technology of extracting vegetable oil; and third, a concave iron wok.