One of He Zhizhang's sons was inventorying medicinal materials. This was a wooden middle-aged man named He Dong. He was not He Zhizhang's natural son but an adopted one, who was merely a councillor in the Ministry of Mining. But He Dong had a very good reputation. After He Zhizhang's natural son, He Zeng, enlisted, he stayed in He Mansion, devotedly serving his adoptive father. Everybody praised him as a dutiful son.

He Dong recognized Li Bi. Unaware of the discord between his father and Li Bi, he walked forward and welcomed the visitor with hospitality. With a faintly embarra.s.sed look on his face, Li Bi asked He Dong about his father's condition. He Dong's face slightly changed, showing concern. He said that his father was basically conscious but still suffered from dizziness, that he was confined to bed and had difficulty speaking. Judging from He Dong's att.i.tude, He Zhizhang probably didn't tell his family members what happened in Jing'an Department.

"I have some pressing business. May I have an audience with Supervisor He?" After saying this, Li Bi added, "It's concerned with the Imperial Court."

After hesitating briefly, He Dong nodded and led the way. They walked to the doorway of He Zhizhang's bedroom. He Dong went inside first and asked his father. Then he walked out and invited Li Bi in.

Li Bi stepped into the bedroom, collected himself and then cupped his hands before his chest, bowing deeply, "Li Bi is honored to bow before Supervisor He." He was that the old man was leaning on a round gold-edged leather pillow, white eyebrows drooping. A sense of guilt involuntarily surged through him.

Eyes glazed, He Zhizhang feebly raised his hand and made a gesture. He Dong bowed and took his leave. Before leaving, he closed the inner door. When there were only two people in the room, He Zhizhang opened his mouth and uttered a string of vague sounds from his throat. Li Bi managed to distinguish his words:

"How's Changyuan?"

Suffering from dizziness, He Zhizhang had to make his remark as concise as possible. Li Bi hurriedly sketched out the situation. He Zhizhang quietly listened, making no comments. Li Bi didn't know what he was thinking about, so he walked to the bedside, "Supervisor He, the current situation is very disadvantageous. I'm afraid you'll have to go to negotiate with the Praetorian Guards Department to get Zhang Xiaojing out of prison, though you're probably not in the condition to do so. Otherwise there will be a disaster in Chang'an, and the Crown Prince won't be able to sleep at night."

He Zhizhang's eyes were concealed under layers of creases. Li Bi didn't even know whether he fell asleep or not. After quite a while, there was still no response. Li Bi stretched out his hand and shook his body. He Zhizhang slightly moved his lips and faintly uttered a couple of words, "Don't. The Right Prime Minister." Then he pressed his hand onto the edge of the bed.

Li Bi went anxious. This answer of He Zhizhang's was still in accordance with the strategy for partisan wrangles. He Zhizhang was afraid that saving Zhang Xiaojing would offer Li Linfu more pretext to launch attack, so he wanted the Jing'an Department to sever its relations.h.i.+p with this convict condemned to death. They turned full circle and came back to the original contradiction between them: Li Bi preferred to overcome all obstacles to get the job done, by hook or by crook, while He Zhizhang regarded defending against the enemies as the priority, always trying to formulate a perfect plan.

Outside the room, water was falling down into a barrel drop by drop. Li Bi involuntarily raised his voice, emphasizing that there was not much time left, that there were still a large number of Fierceflame Bombs unaccounted for, which meant Chang'an was at stake. However, He Zhizhang was indifferent and just kept tapping his palm on the edge of the bed again and again.

His opinion was very explicit: the job had to be done, but Zhang Xiaojing was not an option.

Li Bi had antic.i.p.ated that this issue wouldn't be easy to solve before he came. Without any hesitation, he held the lower front of his robe up and knelt down on one knee, "If that issue still rankles with Supervisor He, I'm willing to... bear the rod and take any punishment you mete out to me. But there's not much time left. I hope Supervisor He can... put the interests of the whole above everything else."

Taking advantage of the death of Jiao Sui, he had angered He Zhizhang into leaving the department. That was indeed his fault. In order to have He Zhizhang come back and offer help, Li Bi was willing to swallow his pride. He maintained a humble gesture of admitting his guilt, eyebrows furrowed, white face flus.h.i.+ng light red. Li Bi could barely breathe under the intense sense of humiliation, but he clenched his teeth and persisted.

His white eyebrows drooping, He Zhizhang seemed to haven't heard his words at all. He just tapped his palm on the bed repeatedly, the sound of which resounded through the room. This was a gesture of forgiveness, but it was also a gesture of refusal. The old man wouldn't retaliate against him due to private grudge, but he didn't think Li Bi's suggestion was good enough, so he rejected it.

The corner of Li Bi's lips twitched as he saw this reply, his heart sinking. If it was about interests, he was willing to make compromises; if it was about private grudge, he was willing to give way. But He Zhizhang was making this decision purely for the greater good. It was just that they had different ideas. How was he supposed to make concessions under this circ.u.mstance?

"Slap!" He Zhizhang heavily slapped his palm on the wooden bed. This slap was very hard, suggesting that the old man had made up his mind, and that there was no room for maneuver.

Li Bi turned his head aside, took a glance at the darkening sky, and started panting. The path was right in front of him, but the stubbornness of this old man stood solidly in Li Bi's way like a giant rock.

He abruptly stood up. This issue mustn't be delayed for a single moment longer. He had to take decisive action right now!

There had always been only one path leading to the top of the Hua Mountain(A famous mountain in China.) Even if he might fall off and have his body smashed to pieces, he still had to keep walking uphill.

The office complex of the Praetorian Guards Department was located between Chengtian Gate and Rosefinch Gate in the imperial city, consisting of eighteen houses with overhanging gable roofs. The outer gates of the office complexes of other agencies in the imperial city were open to the public, but the Praetorian Guards Department was different. There was a circle of grayish red, pointy-ridged wall around the complex. Looking from outside, people could barely see the roofs and a couple of flags, which made this department rather mysterious.

This was because the Praetorian Guards Department was responsible for guarding all the south gates of the imperial city, so there were large numbers of Leopard Cavalrymen(The name of a kind of cavalry in feudal China). Soldiers were related with ferocity, so there had to be a wall to stop the killing aura from spreading outwards, lest it affect the harmonious atmosphere of the imperial city.

Tanqi stood beside the railings for tying horses in front of the gate of the Praetorian Guards Department, maintaining a graceful stance. She was wearing a hat with a curtain-hat with drooping silken veil around the brim, which covered her face. Yao Runeng, who was beside her, was very anxious, occasionally turning his head aside to look in the direction of somewhere outside the imperial city.

The had been here for a long time but had no intention of going inside, as if they were waiting for something.

The sun was setting. In two hours, the lantern show held during the Lantern Festival, which was the most uproarious event in Chang'an, would kick off. More than half of the staff members of many departments had come off work. Every now and then, a couple of officials, who had just handed over the duty to the next s.h.i.+ft, hurriedly walked out of the complex, worrying that they might miss the fun. Standing idly on the street, these two people looked very obtrusive.

Suddenly, a string of drumbeats came from the distance. Yao Runeng hastily bucked his spirit up and started reading the flag signal by afterglow. This time, the flag signal was short, conveying only one word. With a solemn look, Yao Runeng turned around and said to Tanqi, "B!"

The curtain-hat briefly quivered. This word meant that her master had failed in the Joy Plain, and that they had to resort to the backup plan.

Tanqi silently reviewed every detail of the plan and took a deep breath, her heart still pounding heavily. This was an audacious and dangerous plan with an endless flow of disastrous aftermath. Only when they were at the end of their rope would they choose to do so. If any of them made one mistake, they would all be doomed. But she didn't regret agreeing to do so, because this was her Master's request.

If her Master was willing to do anything for the Crown Prince, then she was willing to do anything for her Master, including sacrificing her own life.

"Miss Tanqi, shall we stick to the plan?" asked Yao Runeng.

"Think about it carefully again. Are you sure there's no omission?" Tanqi was a little uncertain. Li Bi was the one who agreed to this plan, but Yao Runeng was the one who formulated it in detail. Tanqi didn't have as much confidence in this reckless man as her Master did.

Yao Runeng slapped himself on the chest, indicating that there was nothing to worry about.

"Okay. Let's go," Tanqi subdued her restlessness and walked into the second gate of the Praetorian Guards Department, accompanied by Yao Runeng.

Having not expected that there would still be visitors coming at this time, the guard vigilantly tilted his spear. Yao Runeng took a step forward and raised his waist seal, "We're here for business." And then he tried to walk inside. The guard hurriedly stopped him with his spear, "The security regulation of our department is rigorous. Anybody without a fish-bag is not allowed to enter. Please pardon me." That waist seal was s.h.i.+ny. The guard didn't know the true ident.i.ty of its owner, so his tone was very polite.

Yao Runeng said, "We had an appointment with Staff Officer Zhao. It's about an urgent issue."

"May I have your name?"

"Ju Pingkang."

The guard turned around to check those pieces of bamboo recording scheduled appointments, which hung under the eaves of the porch . After going through all those appointment plates, he responded, "There's no information of your appointment here, my honored guest." Yao Runeng appeared confused, "That can't be true. I did make an appointment with Staff Officer Zhao. Would you mind checking again?" The guard patiently ran through them again but found nothing.

Yao Runeng's face went sullen, "This issue is very important. How could you not prepare an appointment plate in advance? You're such an incompetent!" The guard was somewhat nervous, "We're only responsible for security. The Provisions Division is charge of appointment plates." Yao Runeng thundered, "I don't care how Praetorian Guards Department divides your work. Stop wasting my time!" After saying this, he tried to intrude in.

The several guards instantly went nervous, trying to stop him with their spears and sabers. Tanqi suddenly said, "Don't be so impulsive." Yao Runeng reluctantly stopped, drew back out of the gateway and threw a name plate to them, "Okay, okay. We won't get in. Ask Staff Officer Zhao to come here."

Those guards were secretly relieved. They definitely didn't want to take the blame for a mistake of the Provisions Division. The visitor's willingness to compromise was the best they could hope for. They believed that they should deliver the message as soon as possible to spare themselves any potential trouble. So a guard picked up the name plate and ran inside to report. After a while, a fat official in cyan hurried out.

His face full of perplexity, this official had no idea where these two visitors came from, but after sizing them up at the second gate, he hurriedly made a bow with hands folded in front, looking very courteous.

This young bodyguard was common, but the woman behind him was wearing a curtain-hat with drooping veil and a broad, black brocade robe. Given the current weather, it was somewhat weird to wear such a thick brocade robe, but this outfit must have cost a fortune.

Staff Officer Zhao knew very well that people who were eligible to set foot in the imperial city were either rich or n.o.ble; one who dared to stand at the gateway of the Praetorian Guards Department requesting a Staff Officer to come out was definitely to be reckoned with. As merely a eighth-grade official, he certainly couldn't afford to offend any dignitaries.

"The lantern show is about to start. May I ask what I can do for you, my honored guests?"

Tanqi didn't open the veil but directly pa.s.sed a jade plate over. At first Staff Officer Zhao was stunned, and then he hurriedly took it. The jade plate was about the size of a palm, carved into the shape of a cl.u.s.ter of plum blossom. The white of plum blossom and the transparency of white jade was combined together in a utterly natural way, displaying exceptional craftsmans.h.i.+p and beauty.

The jade was premium, but the workmans.h.i.+p was of a more exceptional rarity. Holding the plum-blossom jade plate, Staff Officer Zhao was at a nonplus. Tanqi said, "The Seventh Son of Zhao Family, my master sent me here to pick up a person."

Surprised that this young woman knew the birth order information in his family, Staff Officer Zhao lowered his head and looked at the plum-blossom jade plate as well as the name plate carved "Ju Pingkang". Suddenly, the look in his eyes became excited, "Your Excellency... is from Pingkang Fang?" the thin veil of the curtain-hat quivered, but the one behind it said nothing. Staff Officer Zhao immediately took the hint. He returned the jade and then welcomed the two people into the department in a highly respectful manner.

A guard was just about to pa.s.s over an appointment plate to register when Staff Officer Zhao gave a wide wave of his arm to have the guard draw back.

They went through a long corridor and arrived at a quiet guest room. Staff Officer Zhao closed the door carefully, turned around and smiled, "I never expected that my cheap name would have the honor to be remembered by His Lords.h.i.+p."

"Heh-heh, master once said that your book Shadbush displayed strength of character, that what made it precious was the author's modesty."

Staff Officer Zhao was overwhelmed with joy. As an attempt to pose as a lover of culture, he once arranged his poems into a collection, but only sent copies to some of his relatives. Unexpectedly, that dignitary had read it. Feeling both honored and flattered, he hurriedly gathered himself, "May I ask what the Right Prime Minister-"

"Um?"

Behind the veil, Tanqi gave a discontented nasal sound. Staff Officer Zhao hastily changed the form of address, "I mean your n.o.ble master... May I ask whom your n.o.ble master sent Your Excellency here to pick up?" Tanqi answered, "Zhang Xiaojing." Staff Officer Zhao was stunned. Yao Runeng added, "The man you caught an hour ago."