Xue Rengui tilted his head back and glared at the sky.
It was October in Chang'an, but the sun was still acting like it was the middle of July. The heat was heavy, unforgiving, and showed zero signs of giving up.
Because of this ridiculous heatwave, Xue Rengui was perfectly fine in just a light, open-collared tunic. The thin fabric breathed well, and more importantly, it showed off his physique. The guy was built like a brick outhouse, packed with dense muscle from years of wrestling plows through farm fields and throwing fists at training dummies. He probably could have beaten a bear in an arm-wrestling contest.
Technically, capital etiquette said he needed an outer robe. Xue Rengui ignored this for two reasons. One: it was boiling. Two: his head was bare. No hair crown meant he was legally under twenty. Society forgave a lot of wardrobe sins when you were just a teenager trying not to pass out from heatstroke.
But there was one massive problem: walking past Pingkang Fang.
Pingkang Fang was Chang'an's premier entertainment district, packed with brothels, taverns, and courtesans who had the survival instincts of sharks and the boldness of... well, courtesans. For Xue Rengui, it was a nightmare.
He was the kind of guy who could stare down the Emperor and discuss the lethal aerodynamics of arrows without blinking. Put him in front of a charging cavalry formation, and he would probably yawn.
But put him in front of a swarming group of heavily perfumed, giggling women, and his brain completely short-circuited.
These girls were fearless. Some wore sheer, low-cut tops that defied both gravity and imperial law. They leaned over the wooden railings, flashing enough skin to make a monk question his vows. They called down to him in teasing voices, demanding his name, his hometown, his age, and whether he had a wife waiting for him at home. They laughed at his red face. They laughed at his attempts to look away. They laughed at everything.
The sheer volume of female attention terrified him so much his default response was to sprint away. He moved faster running from women than he ever did chasing enemies. He would be halfway across the district before his brain even caught up with his feet.
When he finally caught his breath and complained to Pei Xingjian, the young aristocrat was absolutely scandalized. His face twisted into an expression of pure horror, as if Xue Rengui had just described a crime against humanity.
"Those necklines!" Pei Xingjian gasped, his voice still carrying that high, unbroken pitch of youth. "Only princesses and royal noblewomen are legally allowed to wear those! It is a gross violation of sumptuary laws! Do they not know the consequences? Do they not care about the dignity of the empire? What if the Emperor himself walked past and saw such impropriety? What would the foreign envoys think? This is a complete breakdown of social order! They should all be arrested! Every single one of them! I will write a formal complaint! I will bring this to the attention of the Ministry of Rites! I will"
"Pei Xingjian," Su Dingfang interrupted, his voice flat.
" and furthermore, if such blatant disregard for imperial regulations goes unchecked, then what is the point of having laws at all? The entire foundation of our civilization rests on the proper distinction between classes and"
"Pei Xingjian."
" and I simply cannot stand by and watch such moral decay spread through the capital like a plague! It is an outrage! An absolute outrage!"
Su Dingfang, the grizzled veteran who had literally trampled an enemy Khan's tent under his horse's hooves, just snorted. He looked down at Pei Xingjian and mockingly measured the kid's height with his hand, holding it at his own shoulder and then dropping it down a full head lower.
"Give it a few years, squirt," Su Dingfang chuckled. "Once you grow up a bit, you will realize exactly how wonderful those girls are. You will understand that some laws are worth breaking."
Pei Xingjian puffed out his chest, his face burning even redder. "I am not foolish! I am simply principled! There is a difference! A very important difference! And I refuse to be mocked for upholding the values of our great empire!"
"Sure you are, kid." Su Dingfang patted him on the head like he was a puppy. "We will revisit this conversation when you are older. I look forward to your apology."
"I will not apologize! I will never apologize! I stand by everything I have said! Every single word! I will"
Su Dingfang gave Xue Rengui a look. See what I mean?
Xue Rengui, caught somewhere between the two, watched the exchange in silence. He was old enough to feel the shame, but too young to know how to handle it. His face was still red, his heart was still pounding, and he was absolutely certain that he never wanted to walk past Pingkang Fang ever again. But watching Pei Xingjian keep going and going and going, he forgot his own embarrassment.
Then Su Dingfang turned to Xue Rengui, his eyes burning with intense curiosity.
"Rengui, my boy. Come here. Sit down. Tell your big brother everything."
Xue Rengui hesitated. "Everything about what, Brother Dingfang?"
"Do not play dumb with me. The courtesans. What were they wearing?"
Xue Rengui's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. "I... I did not really get a good look, Brother. I was focused on escaping."
"Escaping? Escaping from what? They were just young girls, Rengui. Beautiful, friendly young girls who wanted to talk to you. And you ran away. You disgrace all men in the world, Rengui."
"Yes, that is right. That is exactly what happened. I fear I cannot escape from that place. My hands and my feet feel weak when they see me, Brother."
Su Dingfang pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Just tell me this. Were their outfits... low-cut?"
Xue Rengui nodded weakly.
"How low?"
"Very low. You could see their skin, Brother."
"And the colors? What colors?"
"Red. Gold. Some green. Maybe purple? I was not really paying attention!"
"What a disgrace! How could you not pay attention? This is important intelligence!"
"It is not intelligence! It is scandalous!"
Su Dingfang leaned forward. "Describe the scandal to me. In detail. Leave nothing out."
Xue Rengui stammered through a halting, embarrassed description. His face burned brighter with every word. When he finished, Su Dingfang stared at him for a long moment, then slapped his own thigh in profound regret.
"Damn it all," Su Dingfang sighed wistfully. "If only they would demote me to a street sweeper right outside Zhangtai Street. That would be the dream. I would sweep that street every single day. Twice a day. Maybe three times. I would be the most dedicated street sweeper in the history of Chang'an. They would build a statue of me. The Sweeping General."
Xue Rengui stared at him, utterly baffled. "Brother Dingfang, you have personally led cavalry charges that broke the enemy's will. You have won battles that will be written about for centuries. And you want to be a street sweeper?"
Su Dingfang waved a dismissive hand. "Rengui, my boy, you are young. You do not understand yet. Some sights are worth more than any amount of military glory."
Xue Rengui opened his mouth to argue, but before he could form a single word, a high-pitched, indignant voice shattered the moment.
"Enough talk about young girls! This is not why we are here! Now you must take it back! Take back what you said about me! Right this instant!"
Both of them turned. Pei Xingjian had puffed out his chest like an angry rooster, grabbed Su Dingfang's sleeve, and yanked it so hard the veteran general nearly stumbled forward.
Su Dingfang blinked. "Take what back, squirt? I said a lot of things. You need to be more specific."
"The height comment! I am not short! I am perfectly average! Completely average! For my age! I am still growing! You have no idea how tall I will be when I am fully grown! I could surpass you! I could be taller than everyone in this room! You do not know!"
Su Dingfang raised an eyebrow. "You are barely taller than my belt buckle, kid."
"That is it! You have gone too far! You have crossed the line! I challenge you!"
"Challenge me to what? A fight? Because I am warning you, I have been fighting since before you could walk."
"A duel! A duel of calligraphy and classical literature! To prove my manhood! To defend my honor! To show everyone in this room that I am not just some short kid who can be pushed around!"
Su Dingfang stared at him. Then he threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Calligraphy? Literature? Kid, I have not picked up a calligraphy brush since I learned how to write my own name. And I am pretty sure I still spell it wrong sometimes."
"Then you will lose! You will be humiliated! You will have to publicly admit that I am a true man! A scholar! A warrior of the mind! A"
"Pei Xingjian." Su Dingfang cut him off.
" and furthermore, if I win, you will never mention my height again! Never! Not once! Not even as a joke! It will be forbidden! You will have to bow to me every time we meet!"
"Kid, you are exhausting."
"I am not exhausting! I am passionate! There is a difference! A very important difference!"
Xue Rengui sat in the corner, watching the exchange with a thoroughly confused expression. He leaned over and whispered to Pei Xingjian, "Did you not just tell me last week that General Su was the greatest cavalry commander of the era? You said you admired his tactical brilliance and wanted to study under him."
Pei Xingjian's face turned the color of a beet. "That was... that was before he started mocking my height! I can respect his military achievements and still think he is an insufferable old man who has no appreciation for the literary arts! I can separate my personal feelings from my professional admiration! That is what mature people do! Which I am! Very mature! For my age!"
"I am barely older than you!" Su Dingfang shouted.
"You are ancient! You have scars older than me! You probably fought battles before my parents even met! You are basically a walking historical relic!"
"I earned those scars fighting for the empire! You earned your scars falling out of bed!"
"I have never fallen out of bed! That is a lie! A complete fabrication! You are slandering my good name!"
"You probably have to climb up with a ladder!"
"That does not even make sense! Ladders are for climbing up walls, not beds! You are just saying nonsense now because you cannot win the argument!"
Xue Rengui shook his head. He could not understand it. One moment they were praising each other, the next they were fighting like stray cats over a fish. It was exhausting just watching them.
Shaking his head, Xue Rengui tuned them out and turned the page of the military manual on his lap.
The book was supposedly handwritten by Li Jing, the Duke of Wei and the empire's supreme military god. The text was mind-blowing. It was packed with strange, unfamiliar tactical concepts Xue Rengui had never seen in any traditional military scroll. It talked about the total annihilation of enemy forces, breaking armies into "living forces," and calculating combat effectiveness based on something called a "technological gap." Xue Rengui had no idea where these ideas came from. He had never heard anything like them. He read the same passage three times and still was not sure he understood it. His brain felt like it was trying to chew something too big to swallow.
His mind kept drifting back to those aggressive, overly friendly girls at Pingkang Fang. Which naturally led him to think about a specific girl back home. Miss Liu. The one who had given him the silver ring. He remembered the way she had looked at him when she placed it in his hand, her fingers lingering just a moment longer than necessary. He remembered her voice, soft and warm, telling him to be careful. He remembered everything.
"Maybe I should find a leather cord, string the ring through it, and wear it around my neck," Xue Rengui mumbled to himself, staring blankly at the wall with a goofy, lovestruck smile plastered across his face. He was completely lost in the memory, oblivious to the chaos around him
The room was a chaotic mess of contrasting energies. Pei Xingjian and Su Dingfang were relentlessly roasting each other. Meanwhile, Xue Rengui sat in the corner, clutching a legendary military manual while grinning like an absolute idiot.
This was the exact scene Li Jing walked into.
Pei Xingjian was sharp. He spotted the Duke stepping through the doorway and immediately snapped to attention, cutting off his argument mid-sentence.
"Greetings, Master!" Pei Xingjian shouted respectfully.
Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui were half a beat slower, scrambling to their feet and offering hasty bows.
Xue Rengui instantly noticed the shift in the room. Li Jing was famous for his unshakable composure. He usually moved with the calm, terrifying grace of a sleeping tiger. Today, however, the wrinkles on his forehead were deep.
He looked physically exhausted, and there was an undeniable urgency burning in his eyes.
A split second later, Xue Rengui heard Su Dingfang's breathing hitch. The veteran's chest began rising and falling rapidly. He knew exactly what was coming.
Li Jing didn't waste time on small talk. He looked at the three of them and delivered his orders with efficiency.
"All of you will go home immediately and pack your gear," Li Jing commanded, his voice completely flat. "Report to the Kaiyuan Gate tomorrow morning at first light. You are coming with me to Liangzhou on official state business."
Without waiting for a response, Li Jing gave a curt nod, spun on his heel, and marched right back out the door to hunt down the Prime Minister, Fang Xuanling.
The moment the door closed, Su Dingfang unleashed a muffled roar of triumph. He threw three vicious punches into the empty air, venting a massive spike of pure adrenaline.
Xue Rengui connected the dots instantly. Liangzhou was the gateway to the northwest. For the past month, their private tutoring had focused almost exclusively on the geography of the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions.
If the supreme commander of the Tang military was personally deploying to Liangzhou, there was only one logical target on the map.
The Tuyuhun Kingdom.
Xue Rengui clenched his massive fists. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat. The opportunity he had dreamed of his entire life was finally here. The chance to earn military merit and restore his fallen family name was sitting right in front of him. At the same time, the terrifying, icy reality of his first real war sent a wave of intense anxiety washing over his nerves.
His internal panic must have been plainly visible.
Su Dingfang laughed out loud, stepped forward, and threw a heavy arm around Xue Rengui's broad shoulders.
"We ride for Liangzhou tomorrow, kid," Su Dingfang said, his tone casual but carrying a heavy undertone. "Who knows how many years it will be before we see the streets of Chang'an again. Hell, who knows if we will even come back with all our limbs attached."
Su Dingfang wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Since tomorrow is never promised, how about your big brother takes you down to Pingkang Ward tonight?" Su Dingfang offered with a wicked grin. "Let me expand your horizons before you die in the desert. You should experience life before you lose it."
Xue Rengui's face instantly ignited, turning a violently bright shade of red that spread all the way to the tips of his ears. He looked like a tomato that had just been told a very embarrassing secret.
Su Dingfang threw his head back and roared with laughter. He patted the rookie firmly on the shoulder, dropping the joke.
"A true military commander must practice self-discipline," Su Dingfang stated smoothly, switching into mentor mode. "Avoiding places of vice and endless gossip is a very wise choice. A man who cannot control his desires cannot control an army."
Su Dingfang paused and licked his lips. "However, I happen to know a place. If we head east from Pingkang Fang, right past the East Market, we will hit Daozheng Fang. The taverns over there sell the absolute finest liquor in the entire capital."
"Good wine is mandatory for a proper send-off," Su Dingfang declared. "You and I are going drinking. No arguments."
It was a flawless proposal. Xue Rengui had absolutely no reason to decline. Hearing Su Dingfang talk so casually about the very real possibility of dying in battle had added a heavy weight to his heart. A strong drink sounded perfect. He nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Xue Rengui was on board, Su Dingfang turned around and ruffled Pei Xingjian's neatly combed hair, messing it up completely. The young aristocrat's perfectly arranged locks were now a disaster.
"You are too young for the tavern, kid," Su Dingfang teased. "Go home and say goodbye to your wet nurse. Just tell her you are taking a little vacation to Liangzhou. Do not give the poor woman a heart attack by mentioning the war. She will probably faint."
Pei Xingjian had never traveled far from the capital. The sudden deployment had left him feeling genuinely solemn. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He simply nodded, ignored the wet nurse insult, and walked away to pack.
The Imperial Academy, the Guozijian, was located inside Wuben Fang. Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang walked out the main gates and took a shortcut around the back of the complex.
As they turned the corner, they spotted a courtesan standing near an alleyway.
She was blessed with an incredibly generous figure, and her outfit was aggressively low-cut.
She was giggling loudly, waving a silk handkerchief, and aggressively flirting with every young scholar walking past. She was a professional.
Su Dingfang stopped dead in his tracks and let out a tragic sigh.
"I had no idea such magnificent scenery existed so close to the academy," Su Dingfang muttered, his eyes glued to the woman. "I have been blind. I have wasted my entire life not knowing this was here."
Xue Rengui saw the veteran general's eyes locking onto the courtesan's exposed cleavage.
Su Dingfang looked like he had completely forgotten his own name, let alone the route to the tavern.
Xue Rengui decided to serve his mentor's own words right back to him.
"Brother Dingfang," Xue Rengui said flatly. "A true military commander must practice self-discipline."
Su Dingfang nodded vigorously, never breaking eye contact with the woman.
"You are absolutely right," Su Dingfang whispered. "A commander must have discipline. Absolute discipline. Unshakeable discipline."
He puffed out his chest and adjusted his belt. "I serve as a General of the Left Guard. I cannot simply ignore my civic duties. I must share the Emperor's burdens. It is my sacred duty."
Su Dingfang pointed a righteous finger at the giggling woman. "That outfit is a blatant violation of imperial dress codes! As an officer of the law, it is my sworn duty to go over there and strictly interrogate her about her wardrobe choices! For the good of the empire!"
Su Dingfang's grand attempt at law enforcement failed miserably.
He simply didn't have the physical strength to overcome Xue Rengui. The young giant grabbed the general by the collar of his shirt and dragged him down the street by brute force. Su Dingfang complained the entire time, looking back over his shoulder with deep longing.
"Rengui! Let me go! I am performing a civic duty! This is for the empire! RENGUI!"
He was ignored.
They eventually left the entertainment district behind and entered the bustling East Market.
Xue Rengui looked around at the absolute sea of humanity crowding the streets and frowned.
"There are way more people in Chang'an right now compared to when I first arrived," Xue Rengui noted, dodging a merchant carrying a basket of squawking chickens. The noise was overwhelming.
Su Dingfang had already forgotten the busty courtesan. The East Market was packed with stalls selling daily necessities, exotic spices, and strange trinkets. He stopped to admire a sparkling glass cup on a merchant's table, shook his head at the price, and kept walking.
"Did you forget, Rengui?" Su Dingfang asked. "The imperial examinations are about to begin."
Half a year ago, the imperial court had issued a nationwide decree reviving and expanding the civil service exams.
The final date was set for mid-October.
Thousands of scholars from across the empire had flooded into the capital to compete. They were everywhere, clutching scrolls and looking nervous.
Because of this timeline, the aftermath of the magical light screen viewing earlier this month had turned the imperial court into a chaotic madhouse.
The officials were currently juggling five massive, empire-altering projects at the exact same time: the civil service exams, military mobilization, founding a naval department, expanding the Directorate of Works, and integrating modern mathematics into the curriculum.
It was administrative madness.
Managing just one of those projects would normally consume the entire bandwidth of the government.
Trying to do all five simultaneously was pushing the bureaucracy to its absolute breaking point. The officials probably weren't sleeping anymore.
Su Dingfang knew the upcoming exams were just the opening skirmish in a much larger political war.
The current system favored the sons of wealthy aristocrats who got official positions through family connections. By forcing everyone to take a standardized test, the Emperor was declaring war on the established nobility. It was a political earthquake waiting to happen.
But none of that mattered to him right now. If the military could deliver a crushing victory against the Tuyuhun, they would hand the Emperor the ultimate political leverage.
Su Dingfang glanced sideways at Xue Rengui, feeling a deep sense of reassurance. With monsters like this kid on their side, victory was practically guaranteed.
Thinking about the upcoming war made Xue Rengui's blood run hot. He felt restless and wired. He wanted to march into a military camp right this second and test out every tactical theory he had memorized.
He couldn't hold it in any longer. The burning question spilled out of his mouth.
"Brother Dingfang, regarding this Tuyuhun campaign..." Xue Rengui began, his voice booming over the crowd noise.
They were standing in the dead center of the East Market. The street was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with screaming vendors and wandering foreigners.
Before Xue Rengui could finish, Su Dingfang snapped his head around and shot the rookie a look of pure, murderous rage.
His eyes carried a silent, terrifying warning.
Xue Rengui's mouth snapped shut. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He realized his catastrophic mistake immediately.
The East Market was crawling with foreign merchants. There was a highly probable chance that Tuyuhun spies were standing less than ten feet away, buying silk and listening to the local gossip.
Shouting about a classified military invasion in the middle of a public bazaar was a treasonous offense.
Xue Rengui bowed his head in deep shame, offering a silent apology.
They didn't speak another word. They moved through the crowd in total silence, exited the market, and crossed into the quiet, wealthy streets of Daozheng Ward. The rich, intoxicating scent of fermented grain drifted over the brick walls.
Only then did Su Dingfang finally relax his posture and offer a sharp whisper of advice.
"State business is discussed behind closed doors," Su Dingfang hissed. "Drinking business is discussed out here."
Daozheng Fang was famous for its high-end liquor shops, but Su Dingfang was a cautious veteran. He did not want to risk another slip-up in a public booth. He bought two heavy clay jugs of the good stuff and told Xue Rengui they were going to drink in the absolute privacy of his own heavily guarded military estate.
They grabbed the booze and traced their steps back. They walked past Pingkang Fang one more time, forcing Su Dingfang to purposefully ignore his civic duties yet again. Just as they reached the gates of the Guozijian, a royal eunuch stepped out from the shadows and blocked their path.
"The Emperor summons you," the eunuch announced, pointing directly at Xue Rengui.
Su Dingfang gave the young warrior a look of profound pity. It was the look of a man who had been there before and knew exactly what was coming.
Xue Rengui handed over his jug of wine, offered an apologetic bow to his commanding officer, and followed the eunuch into the towering depths of the imperial palace. His heart was pounding again, but this time for a completely different reason.
Today, Emperor Li Shimin was not in a friendly mood.
The moment Xue Rengui stepped into the grand hall and knelt on the polished floorboards, the Emperor bypassed all pleasantries and dropped a massive, heavy truth bomb on his head.
"I had to personally guarantee your competence with my own reputation just to get you into this army," Li Shimin stated coldly, staring down from his desk. "That was the only reason the Duke of Wei agreed to take you."
Pei Xingjian was tagging along purely for the educational experience. He was too young to fight, so Li Jing was going to leave him safely behind the walls of Liangzhou to organize paperwork.
Xue Rengui's situation was entirely different. The supreme ruler of the empire was explicitly telling him that he was being sent directly into the meat grinder. He was expected to draw blood.
The knot of anxiety in Xue Rengui's chest instantly vanished, replaced by a massive, overwhelming surge of gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Xue Rengui started, his voice thick with emotion.
He didn't even get to finish his sentence before the Emperor launched his second attack.
"I received an interesting report today," Li Shimin interrupted, leaning forward with a dark scowl. "I heard that you and Su Dingfang went to the brothels to drink with the courtesans."
Xue Rengui's face flushed so red it looked like it was going to catch fire. Absolute panic seized his heart. He started waving his hands defensively, stammering out a frantic, desperate explanation.
"Uh, ehmm, this... Your Majesty, it is like this, Your Majesty. I swear on my life, I am already in love with Miss Liu from my hometown, right! We are secretly engaged! I would never betray her! I would never even look at another woman!"
He was practically tripping over his own words. "We only went to Daozheng Fang to buy wine! For a send-off toast! We barely even looked at Pingkang Fang! I swear, I kept my eyes on the ground the whole time!"
Li Shimin listened to the panicked, rambling defense. Slowly, the dark scowl faded, replaced by a look of mild amusement. He leaned back slightly.
"Good. But stay far away from Zhangtai Street," he said, his tone softening into something resembling a stern father. "However, drinking a toast to prepare for battle is a warrior's tradition. I find no fault in that."
He reached for a jade cup on his desk, turning it idly in his fingers.
"I will hold a jar of my finest royal vintage here in the palace for you. When you return victorious, we will crack it open together. I promise you, victory makes the wine taste infinitely sweeter."
Xue Rengui let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding. He bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will return victorious. I swear it."
With the disciplinary portion of the meeting over, Li Shimin's mood improved drastically. He stood up from his desk and gestured for the young soldier to follow him.
The Emperor of the Great Tang took Xue Rengui on a casual stroll through the winding garden paths of the inner palace.
As they strolled through the winding garden paths, Li Shimin spoke without looking back, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"The Tuyuhun are like stray dogs, Rengui," the Emperor said. "They wag their tails and beg for bones when you're looking, but the moment your back is turned, they're already sniffing around the Tibetan border for a better meal."
Xue Rengui frowned, processing the analogy. "So our strategy is to... kick them before they have the chance to bite, Your Majesty?"
Li Shimin chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "Precisely. You don't negotiate with a dog that has already decided your leg looks delicious."
The Emperor's eyes took on a nostalgic, slightly boastful glint. "It reminds me of my first real campaign. I was barely older than you. I led three hundred cavalry against a force that outnumbered us ten to one."
Xue Rengui's eyes went wide. "Ten to one? Your Majesty, with all due respect, that sounds less like a battle plan and more like a suicide note."
"It would have been," Li Shimin agreed smoothly, "if I had fought like a traditional general. But traditional generals die young, and they leave behind very boring history books. I didn't attack their front line."
"What did you do, then?"
"I waited until dawn," Li Shimin said, his voice dropping into a rhythmic, storytelling cadence. "Their horses were cold and stiff. Their night guards were half-asleep. Their commander was probably still dreaming about his morning tea. And then, we hit their flanks like a thunderclap."
Xue Rengui nodded furiously, mentally taking notes. "Exploit their fatigue. Shatter their command structure before they can even form a defensive line."
"Exactly," Li Shimin said, tapping his temple. "You break the formation, you break their spirit. Once they are running, the rest is just cleaning up the mess. That is how you win a war before the enemy even realizes it has started."
They walked in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, the weight of those words settling in Xue Rengui's mind.
Eventually, Li Shimin stopped walking. He stood at the edge of the palace lotus pond, his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out over the water, signaling that the history lesson was over.
Xue Rengui knew he had to leave, but there was one question eating away at his soul.
He had to know.
"Your Majesty," Xue Rengui asked softly, bowing his head. "I am a nobody. I consider myself incredibly blessed to be here. But why have you placed such immense trust and expectation upon my shoulders?"
Li Shimin had been waiting for this exact question.
He turned around, walked up to the towering young warrior, and placed a firm, heavy hand on Xue Rengui's shoulder.
"A little over a month ago, a divine being visited me in a dream," Li Shimin lied smoothly, his voice carrying the absolute authority of heaven.
"This deity told me that you are the Divine General of my Great Tang. The spirit swore that you possess the power to crush the Western Regions and pacify the frozen lands of Liaodong."
Li Shimin squeezed Xue Rengui's shoulder tight and stared directly into his soul.
"Tell me, Rengui," Li Shimin whispered. "Are you the Divine General of my Tang Dynasty?"
By the time Xue Rengui stumbled out of the grand doors of the Taiji Palace, he felt completely intoxicated.
He wasn't walking; he was floating. The solid stone paving tiles beneath his boots felt as soft as clouds.
Two massive words echoed relentlessly inside his skull, drowning out all other thoughts.
Divine General.
I, Xue Rengui, will dedicate every drop of blood in my body to the Great Tang! he screamed in his own mind. I will shatter the enemy chiefs! I will slaughter the bandits! I will forge a legend that rivals General Li Jing!
He was so utterly consumed by his own explosive hype that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going.
As he rounded a sharp corner in the palace corridor, he nearly crashed straight into a small group of people.
Xue Rengui snapped out of his trance and hit the brakes.
He looked down and saw a young boy wearing incredibly luxurious, intricately embroidered silk robes. A single glance told Xue Rengui the boy was probably eleven or twelve years old.
The kid had the exact same youthful, arrogant baby face as Pei Xingjian. The kind of face that had never known hunger or fear.
Right behind this boy stood another teenager, equally well-dressed and equally baby-faced. This second boy was currently struggling to hold a squirming toddler in his arms.
The toddler had a string of snot hanging precariously from his nose. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
A few steps behind them, a group of palace maids hovered nervously, looking absolutely terrified. They clearly knew what was about to happen.
Xue Rengui realized his reckless daydreaming had almost caused a major accident. He quickly took a large step back and bowed deeply.
"Please forgive this lowly one's clumsiness," Xue Rengui apologized quickly. "I did not mean to startle you, young masters."
The lead boy didn't seem to care at all. He just gave Xue Rengui a distracted nod and started to walk past. His mind was clearly elsewhere.
As the trio shuffled by, Xue Rengui overheard the older boy whispering furiously to the toddler.
"Listen to me, Zhi," the teenager hissed. "When we get inside, you keep your mouth completely shut. You just run forward, wrap your arms around Father's leg, and start crying as loud as you can. Do you understand?"
The toddler blinked innocently, the snot bubbling from his nose. He had no idea what was happening.
"I have absolutely no idea what you did to make Father so angry," the teenager continued, sounding incredibly stressed. "But he loves you. If you cry, it will break his heart, and he won't beat us. Just cry. Cry like your life depends on it."
The teenager paused and looked at the toddler's face with deep disgust. "Oh, and for the love of heaven, do not wipe your nose on Father's pants this time! Where is your handkerchief? Hold still, let me clean your face before we go in."
Father is in the palace.
Even a guy as socially oblivious as Xue Rengui could do that basic math. These were the imperial princes.
He had almost trampled the royal bloodline. He broke out in a fresh wave of cold sweat, silently thanking the heavens that he hadn't actually bumped into them.
That would have been a disaster.
Suddenly, the lead boy stopped walking. He turned around and walked back toward Xue Rengui. The young prince tilted his head back, staring up at the massive, crownless warrior with intense curiosity.
"I have never seen you around the palace before," the young prince said. "Who are you?"
Xue Rengui was a giant of a man. Standing at full attention, he was only a head shorter than Emperor Li Shimin. Because of this massive height difference, even though Xue Rengui was bowing respectfully, the young prince still had to crank his neck all the way back just to see his face. It was almost comical.
"Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince," Xue Rengui said respectfully, guessing the boy's identity based on his leading position. "This lowly one is named Xue Rengui."
Li Chengqian's eyes lit up with sudden, joyful recognition.
"Oh! I know you!" Li Chengqian exclaimed. "Father was just talking about you the other day. He said you are the legendary hero who is destined to secure the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows!"
Xue Rengui felt a literal waterfall of sweat pour down his back.
Just how high were the Emperor's expectations? he thought. Three arrows? Secure the Tianshan Mountains? With three arrows? I am going to fail so hard and embarrass myself in front of the entire empire.
The pressure was physically crushing him.
It was like the entire Tang Dynasty had just placed their hopes on his shoulders.
Before Xue Rengui could formulate a humble response, Li Tai finished aggressively scrubbing the toddler's nose. He turned around in a panic.
"Big brother, we need to go right now!" Li Tai urged, adjusting his grip on the squirming Li Zhi. "If we don't go grovel to Father immediately, we are going to run out of time! He is going to get busy with other matters and we will lose our chance!"
Li Chengqian nodded seriously.
He reached out, fully intending to pat Xue Rengui on the shoulder in a show of royal favor. Unfortunately, his arms were too short, and Xue Rengui was far too tall.
Settling for second best, the Crown Prince awkwardly patted Xue Rengui on the forearm.
"I wish you great fortune and endless victories in your martial endeavors, Rengui," Li Chengqian said formally. "May your arrows always find their mark."
The Crown Prince knew how to maintain royal boundaries.
He didn't linger for small talk.
He turned around and led his two younger brothers on their terrifying march toward the Taiji Palace to face their father's wrath.
As they walked away, the wind carried Li Tai's whining voice down the hallway.
"Walk faster, Brother! If you drag your feet, I am going to have to wipe Zhi's nose again before we reach the doors! And I really do not want to do that!"
Xue Rengui stood perfectly still by the side of the corridor, his hands clasped respectfully in front of him. He watched the panicked princes and their trailing entourage of nervous palace maids hurry past. They looked like a group of ducks being chased by a fox.
As the group disappeared around the corner, Xue Rengui's sharp eyes caught a fleeting detail. Hidden among the adult maids was a very young, very small girl dressed in fine silks. She was barely visible behind the taller women.
Xue Rengui pulled his gaze away quickly, not wanting to stare.
But a brief spark of curiosity flickered in his mind.
Which little princess was that?