Chapter 143: A Dark Scheme Against Li Yuan

News that Li Yuan had arrived outside the tent caught Li Dong off guard. His emotions were exceedingly complex—reverence outweighed wariness, and curiosity surpassed everything else. What did the future founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty look like? What set him apart from ordinary men?

Upon hearing that Li Yuan had arrived, a look of delight crossed Yang Guang’s face, and he hurriedly bade him enter.

The tent curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged, corpulent man clad in a purple official robe walked in. The moment he stepped inside, he dropped to his knees and performed the utmost kowtow to the Emperor of Sui.

"Rise! There are no outsiders in the tent; you need not stand on ceremony before Us." Yang Guang looked at Li Yuan with a smile, gesturing for him to stand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your boundless grace!" Li Yuan shifted his weight, finding it somewhat difficult to haul himself up from the ground due to his stout frame. Once upright, he cast a swift glance at everyone in the tent. When his gaze fell upon Li Dong, his expression noticeably froze for a brief moment, and his eyes carried a very peculiar look. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he resumed his composure, acting as though he had not seen Li Dong at all.

Yang Guang smiled calmly and said, "He is the newly appointed Commandant of the Guards, who rendered great service in yesterday's attack on Liaodong City. I rewarded him with a garment; Lord Shude need not give it a second thought." When speaking, Yang Guang used Li Yuan's courtesy name, indicating that he wished to avoid affairs of state and converse with Li Yuan in the tone of a family gathering.

"A youth producing such brilliance is the fortune of our Great Sui, the fortune of Your Majesty! Reporting to Your Majesty, all provisions have been safely escorted to the camp, and your humble servant has come to fulfill his duty. Furthermore, I would like to inquire if Your Majesty has any other commands?" Li Yuan offered high praise regarding the matter of the garment, then cleverly steered the conversation back to the business of his mission.

"Oh—Duke of Tang has worked hard! Is there anything else to report? If not, go and rest. After a journey of a thousand miles, both body and soul are weary; we shall speak again tomorrow!" Yang Guang ceased smiling, his tone turning indifferent.

Li Dong stood quietly to one side, understanding in his heart that Yang Guang held a subtle grievance against Li Yuan.

Yang Guang’s mood had originally been pleasant, but dealing with military campaigns and state affairs had left him vexed. He had wanted to chat with Li Yuan about household matters to steal a moment of relief from his busy burdens. Yet Li Yuan had rebuffed him with the official business of grain transport, leaving Yang Guang with no desire to converse further. He used fatigue as an excuse to dismiss Li Yuan, omitting his courtesy name of Shude and addressing him only by his official title, "Duke of Tang."

Escorting provisions was indeed arduous work, and perhaps Li Yuan was truly tired. But weary or not, Yang Guang had not permitted him to leave, and Li Yuan lacked the audacity to depart on his own. Yet whenever Li Yuan brought up affairs of state, Yang Guang grew annoyed, unable to lighten the weariness in his heart. Indeed, Yang Guang was genuinely exhausted.

"Guard Commander Dang, see the Duke of Tang out for Us!" Yang Guang commanded.

Li Dong lifted the tent flap, waiting for Li Yuan to depart.

Li Yuan offered another bow, took his leave of Yang Guang, and stepped outside the tent.

***

Looking out into the distance, garrison soldiers moved to and fro in an endless stream. Tents stretched across the earth, linking heaven and earth with boundaries beyond sight. The neighing of horses, the shouts of men, and the howling of the wind filled the air, leaving one's heart quite unsettled.

Li Yuan caught hold of Li Dong's arm, a slightly anxious and yet smiling expression on his face as he asked, "I have yet to ask the honorable surname and great name of the Commander, nor where your ancestral home might be."

Li Dong gave him his alias: "This humble subordinate's surname is Dang, given name Qian; I dare not accept the title of 'Great'. My home is in Qi Commandery."

At this moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Li Yuan, Li Dong had the opportunity to observe him closely at a distance. Li Yuan’s face was like a full moon, and his earlobes hung down, curved like bows, nearly reaching his shoulders. Li Dong noticed that Li Yuan’s eyes were profound, rugged, and distant, concealing a sharp glint that made it impossible to fathom what he was thinking.

In particular, Li Yuan’s prominent nose protruded forward significantly, concealing a small portion of his philtrum. Physiognomy deemed such a facial structure destined for great wealth and nobility, and his curled nose was even more pronounced than that of Andy Lau, marking a sign of gathering wealth.

Upon hearing Li Dong’s reply, a look of disbelief crossed Li Yuan’s face, and he asked with puzzled doubt, "Are you certain you are a native of Qi Commandery, surnamed Dang?"

This took Li Dong by great surprise. When ordinary people heard the name Dang Qian, they usually found only the surname Dang unusual. Could Li Yuan have made some important discovery? Why was he also interested in where his home was? Since this was their first meeting, why did he ask such strange questions?

"Duke of Tang, this subordinate does not understand why Your Grace has such doubts. I ask that Your Grace make it clear." Li Dong countered him with a question of his own.

"It is nothing, truly nothing. I am merely surprised. You bear an uncanny resemblance to someone I know well. In such a vast world, anything can happen; today I have truly opened my eyes." Although Li Yuan claimed it was nothing, the matter was clearly significant. Yet he refused to directly reveal who it was that Li Dong resembled.

This made Li Dong even more perplexed. Desperate to know the truth, he asked, "Who is that person? Where is his home?"

"It is nothing, truly nothing. It was just a passing thought of mine. I am tired, and I must go and rest. Take care of each other, until we meet again." Li Yuan offered repeated evasions, hurrying off into the distance as if hard-pressed by an urgent call of nature. To the very end, he did not explicitly state whom Li Dong resembled.

Li Dong was left fuming and stifled with frustration. He loathed people who only told half the story—whetting your appetite without revealing the truth, driving you mad enough to keep you awake all night!

Following the retreating figure of Li Yuan, Li Dong caught sight of Dou Jiande and Liu Heita, accompanied by Qin Qiong and Zhang Jinzheng standing nearby. Suppressing the profound perplexity brought upon him by Li Yuan, Li Dong walked briskly toward the three brothers.

"Hah! Younger Brother Li Dong, you've risen high! It is far too difficult to catch a glimpse of you nowadays. We came early this morning, but with no one to announce our presence, we had no choice but to wait idly here, hoping for the moment you would emerge. And indeed, here you are!" Liu Heita spoke with swift and unreserved candor, venting his dissatisfaction over how arduous it was to see Li Dong.

***

Dou Jiande secretly kicked him from the side, preventing him from uttering anything even more inappropriate.

Qin Qiong and Zhang Jinzheng also hurriedly stepped forward. The five brothers gathered close, arms linked, gazing into one another's eyes with a thousand unspoken tears.

Li Dong had now ascended to the rank of a third-rank Guard Commandant, attending closely upon the Emperor with matchless glory. Though Qin Qiong harbored the ambition to achieve military merit, he had yet to find a suitable opportunity to display his prowess and remained a mere blacksmith. Dou Jiande and Liu Heita had just been released, still bearing the stigma of inciting the army's morale, making them tremble as if walking on thin ice. Zhang Jinzheng likewise seemed unremarkable, his performance entirely ordinary.

Li Dong smiled and said, "Meeting each other again as brothers feels like a lifetime apart. Now that I have achieved a modest measure of success, I look forward to accomplishing great undertakings together with all of you brothers."

Dou Jiande, Liu Heita, and the others were filled with a multitude of emotions. Desperate to make something of themselves and rise above the rest, the twists of fate had instead cast them into imprisonment. A humble blacksmith, without vying for advancement, had stumbled by sheer coincidence into rapid promotion. Life was like a play, fraught with unknowable twists and turns.

Now they had to rely upon Li Dong’s shade to fulfill their ambitions, and consequently, they followed his every instruction, treating him as the commander and backbone among them. Li Dong also patted his chest in assurance, promising that after the campaign against Goguryeo, he would undoubtedly secure official ranks and honors for them. The prerequisite was that they must fight fiercely on the battlefield and achieve abundant military merits, making it easier to petition the Emperor for military posts in the future.

With the brothers in agreement, Li Dong returned to the imperial tent to report to the Emperor of Sui, Yang Guang, stating that Li Yuan had been safely delivered to his destination.

Yang Guang sat in silent contemplation for a long while before suddenly raising his head and saying coldly, "Dang Qian, I am giving you a bitter task, yet a great one. Do you dare to investigate Li Yuan and see if he harbors any hidden ambitions?"

A great shock rippled through Li Dong’s heart. *Li Yuan is, after all, Yang Guang’s maternal cousin,* he thought. *Is Yang Guang really going to strike him down so viciously just because of that trivial matter from earlier?* (To be continued...)