Li Yuanshan came from a prominent family in Longyou. His father, Li Luan, inherited the title of Founding Duke and was promoted to Duke of the State due to his outstanding military achievements. As the eldest son, he inherited the title of Duke of Tang after Li Luan's death. Among the prominent families in Longyou, the Li family was the most powerful, followed by the Liu family, and then the Yu family. Longyou was located in the Hexi Circuit of the Sui Dynasty, 3,700 li away from the Shandong Circuit.
Although the Sui Dynasty primarily used the imperial examination system for selecting officials, it was undeniable that those who truly held power were from prominent families. Eight or nine out of ten officials of the Ministry of Personnel, the Chancellery, the Secretariat, and the Six Ministries, especially those of the fourth rank or above, came from prominent families. Of the twenty-four circuits and twenty-four governors-general of the Sui Dynasty, only Yuan Chongwu, the governor-general of Hebei Circuit, came from a humble background.
Although the Grand Generals of the Sixteen Guards were of lower rank than the Governors-General of the various circuits, military and political affairs were separated. The Governors-General, though high-ranking officials of the second rank, had no authority to command the soldiers of the Sixteen Guards; their troops were only the prefectural and county troops. However, in terms of combat effectiveness, prefectural and county troops were incomparable to regular troops.
The Grand Generals of the Sixteen Guards were all His Majesty's most trusted men, and almost all held the prestigious title of Duke. The Governors-General of the various circuits had to bow to these Grand Generals. The previous dynasty determined rank by official rank, while the Sui dynasty determined rank by noble title. For example, in the previous dynasty, a Duke holding only a fifth-rank official position would have to bow deeply to a sixth-rank official. In the Sui dynasty, noble title was higher than official rank.
None of the twenty-four regional governors held a noble title higher than a county marquis.
These Grand Generals of the Sixteen Guards, apart from the Tiger Tally of the Ministry of War and the Emperor's decree, could not be mobilized even by high-ranking officials of the three ministries—the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Ministry of Personnel. Besides the regular soldiers, the next strongest force in the Sui Dynasty's army consisted of the gate guards stationed in the territories of the various princes. These princes were practically emperors within their domains, and their soldiers' equipment and supplies came not from the court, but from their own treasuries. These gate guards were essentially the princes' undead armed forces, so they were naturally well-equipped.
The county troops in various regions received half their equipment and supplies from the court and the other half from the local governments. However, most of the taxes and grain collected by local governments had to be handed over to the national treasury, leaving little for themselves. If corrupt officials were involved, there would be even less money to equip the county troops, making their fighting strength far inferior to that of the regular and gate guards.
There were sixteen military guards, ten of which were stationed in various regions. Two guards protected the eastern capital, and four guarded the four cardinal directions of Chang'an.
Li Yuanshan, stationed in the northwest of the Sui Dynasty, held less power than Yang Shanchen, the governor of Shandong Province, but even Yang Shanchen treated him with great respect. Therefore, even if Wu Peisheng, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Study, was favored in the palace, he would never dare to be presumptuous in front of Li Yuanshan. He was a clever man and understood one thing: no matter how good the emperor was to him, if he offended Li Yuanshan, the emperor would never side with him. If Li Yuanshan killed him in a fit of anger, the emperor would at most issue a reprimand.
Eunuchs of the Sui Dynasty had no real power; being favored was useless.
Especially the governors-general and generals of the various circuits—these people were not to be trifled with.
In the army camp at Woxian Mountain, a pavilion was built under a large locust tree halfway up the mountain. The pavilion's location was perfectly chosen, built on a protruding spot on the mountainside. The giant rock extending from the mountainside possessed exquisite beauty; from a distance, this place resembled the nose of a reclining immortal at Woxian Mountain.
However, this time of year was not suitable for sitting in this place.
It was only a short time after the New Year, and Hedong Road was the coldest place in the northwest of the Great Sui Dynasty. This protruding spot halfway up the mountain was even more bitterly cold. The pavilion was drafty and offered no shelter; the mountain winds whipping up from the slopes cut like knives on his face, stinging painfully.
Wu Peisheng tightened his heavy cloak, but the cold wind still easily seeped into his clothes. He couldn't even sit still in this place. In summer, this pavilion would be a perfect place to escape the heat. But at this time, staying there for too long could freeze a person to death.
"My Lord Duke, how did you choose such a good place?"
Wu Peisheng, his nose running from the cold, paced back and forth in the pavilion.
Li Yuanshan, sitting on a stone bench, smiled at Wu Peisheng and said apologetically, "You know, although this place is a bit cold, it has one advantage."
"What advantage could this place have?"
Wu Peisheng stamped his feet, asking curiously.
"Everyone can see that I'm inviting you to drink here. But no one can hear what we're saying. I arranged to meet you here, so you must have already guessed I had something to say. Otherwise… how could you be so popular with His Majesty?"
Li Yuanshan was still wearing his somewhat thin ducal robes, but his expression remained unchanged. The mountain wind was so strong that even Yin Poshan, the most skilled of the Seven Tiger Generals of the Right Valiant Guard, dared not linger in this place at this time of year. Although his martial arts skills made him invulnerable to swords and spears, the power of the cold wind was far beyond what ordinary swords could withstand.
Hearing this, Wu Peisheng's expression changed slightly.
"Lord Tang, this time, with the people from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of War on inspection, only my family was idle…"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuanshan waved his hand to interrupt him.
Li Yuanshan opened the food box in front of him, smiling as he said, "Aren't you curious, Father-in-law, what can I possibly offer you in this frigid place? The wine can be warmed, but the dishes will freeze as soon as they're served."
"Curious," Wu Peisheng nodded.
"Just this one dish. I hope you won't think I'm being stingy."
Li Yuanshan pushed the food box towards Wu Peisheng, who bent down to look inside and his eyes widened immediately. There was only one piece of paper inside, but it was very unusual paper.
"I know you're from Jiangdu County in Jianghuai Province. A few years ago, I bought a five-courtyard house in Jiangdu City, hoping to enjoy the scenery of Jiangnan in my leisure time, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to. The house has been uninhabited and is almost abandoned. I'm stationed in the Northwest and cannot move without His Majesty's decree, so I'm afraid I won't have the chance to go to the Jiangdu waterfront. You are honest and incorruptible, never accepting gold or silver. You have no relatives, and it will be difficult to find a place to retire after leaving the palace…"
"Absolutely not!"
Wu Peisheng quickly declined, "If His Majesty finds out, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"
"His Majesty will know?"
Li Yuanshan smiled and said, "Even if His Majesty knows, he will pretend not to. His Majesty is always soft-hearted towards his trusted confidants. Besides, rest assured, I have nothing to ask of you that would disobey His Majesty."
"Really?"
"Really."
Wu Peisheng looked down the mountain; the people in the camp looked like ants. He smiled, carefully put away the deed, and then, shivering, bowed and thanked him, saying, "Then we thank Master Tang for his generosity."
...
Fang Jie didn't even know how he got home. He lived in a secluded courtyard behind Jin Yuan Fang. When he regained consciousness for the second time, he was already lying on his comfortable bed. Upon waking a second time, not only did his lower abdomen still feel like it was on fire, but his head also throbbed violently. His entire body was swollen, even his eyelids were swollen; his normally large eyes were almost completely sealed shut, only able to open a tiny sl*t.
His vision was extremely blurry, and his throat burned so badly he could barely make a sound.
He struggled to sit up, but found he couldn't move at all. Every part of his body ached. Because his throat was so dry, he could only manage a dry, hoarse groan when he tried to speak.
But he knew very well that this was his own room, because he smelled a familiar scent. That scent came from Mu Xiaoyao. She was a woman with a unique, pleasant fragrance that was invigorating. With her in the room, countless amounts of sandalwood were saved.
And this fragrance emanating from a woman far surpassed that of sandalwood.
"You're here?"
He managed to squeeze out those two words with great effort.
"Manager, you're awake."
The voice wasn't Mu Xiaoyao's, and she wouldn't address herself as Manager. Although Fang Jie's head throbbed as if it were about to split open, his mind was perfectly clear. Judging from the voice, it was Jin Feng, one of the four top dealers at the Jin Yuan Fang casino. The name might sound common, but Jin Feng was undeniably beautiful.
Moreover, after a year of rigorous training under Fang Jie's tutelage, her dice-rolling skills were not to be underestimated; in the past two years, no customer had been able to beat her. Of course, this was because dice didn't exist before Fang Jie.
Jin Feng was a seventeen-year-old girl, petite in stature. Her most striking feature was her small, extremely sensual mouth. This girl was an orphan from Fangu City. Her father, a border soldier, was once surrounded and mauled to death by wild dogs while on patrol, leaving not a single bone behind. Her mother fell ill and died within two years.
Jin Feng had a good figure; although not as voluptuous as Mu Xiaoyao, she was still a rare beauty, petite and pleasing to the eye. Her hands were extremely skillful; otherwise, she wouldn't have become one of the four top croupiers at Jin Yuan Fang so quickly.
It was on the opening day of Jin Yuan Fang that her mother passed away, and Fang Jie took her in as a croupier, carefully training her until she became an indispensable member of Jin Yuan Fang.
"My eyesight isn't good, but I still know you're here."
Fang Jie would never blush when lying. Besides, even if he did blush now, it wouldn't be noticeable.
After drinking the water Jin Feng handed him, Fang Jie felt a little better and asked softly, "How did I get back?"
Jin Feng helped Fang Jie lie down more comfortably and covered him with a blanket. "The border guards patrolling the city found you. You were lying naked in the street, and your body looked like you'd been beaten. The border guard on patrol happened to be Li Gandang, who immediately brought you back. The second manager quickly called a doctor to examine you, but he couldn't figure out how you got your injuries. General Li came by personally just now. You weren't awake, so he sat for a while and then left, specifically instructing me to take good care of you."
As she said this, Jin Feng couldn't help but shed tears of heartache.
"Who was so despicable and vicious as to beat you up like this?"
"Uh..."
Fang Jie was still confused. He preferred to believe he'd been beaten: "It was dark, I couldn't see clearly, someone covered my head and beat me until I passed out. I don't know who it was."
"General Li said to investigate thoroughly. The border troops have dispatched two teams to search the city."
"It's alright... don't worry."
Fang Jie gave a bitter smile. He now understood that it wasn't Du Hongxian who had done anything to him. Perhaps it was that man in the blue robe. But why would he have done this to him when they had no grudge against each other? Back at Hongxiuzhao, he felt that the man in the blue robe's gaze was unusual. Later, at Yunji Dog Meat Shop, he was slightly drunk and had lost his vigilance, but that man in the blue robe didn't seem like a bad person. "How can I be at ease, Manager... is it still in pain?"
Jin Feng, tears streaming down her face, asked with heartache, looking at Fang Jie's face swollen like a pig's head.
"It'll be fine in a few days."
Fang Jie sighed, then suddenly realized something. Thinking of this, his expression immediately changed. Noticing his unusual expression, Jin Feng quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is it very painful? I'll go get the doctor right away."
"No... it's just that something seems wrong."
Fang Jie was in pain, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Everywhere I go hurts, but why... why is that one place completely numb? Jin Feng, tell me... was that area damaged?"
Jin Feng blushed, and couldn't help but shake her head: "No... I helped you lie down. You were naked then, so I saw it clearly. That... that place is fine, it's just..." "...It just...looks much bigger."
"But why can't I feel anything?"
Fang Jie asked worriedly, "What if it's broken..."
Jin Feng gently pulled back Fang Jie's blanket, peeking at him and blushing even more. "It's still erect, it looks kind of scary."
"I can't move it, can you move it for me, let me see if I can feel it?"
"Oh..."
Jin Feng blushed and responded, wanting to touch it with her hand but hesitant, afraid of hurting Fang Jie. Her hands were nimble and gentle, but she was still worried. Finally, she bit her lip, bent down, and opened her mouth to take it in.
Fang Jie felt the pain in his head instantly lessen, and couldn't help but feel relieved: "Thank goodness, thank goodness, this thing still feels normal. Try again, open your mouth wider."
Jin Feng blushed, sticking out her small tongue and gently licking it, circling it back and forth like a massage, then opening her mouth wide to swallow it. After trying several times, she finally sat up in frustration: "Manager...it's too swollen...I...I can't take it in."