novelSusiti Chapter 25 Li Ji, our friendship is over!
Chapter 25 Li Ji, our friendship is over!
Li Lizhi returned from her father's palace looking worried, and the palace maids serving her were at a loss.
A moment later, Li Lizhi came to the bookshelf, took out a book, stared at it for a long time as if she had made a great decision, then sat down at the desk and began to read it carefully.
The palace maids seemed to see the sun rising in the west. If it weren't for the difference in their status, they would have stepped forward to ask the princess if she was possessed.
There's no such thing as being possessed by evil spirits. In a family like the Li family, where everyone is educated, wouldn't an uneducated person be ridiculed if she married into that family?
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Li Lizhi resolved to study diligently behind closed doors, determined to shed the label of being uneducated and to prevent Li Ji from being ridiculed by the clan because of her.
Li Lizhi secluded herself to study diligently, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Xuan and Li Ji had been in Jinling for several days. They first went to the liaison point set up in Jinling, but the liaison point had not received any news.
Waiting idly isn't a big deal. This time, on their way back to Jinling, they brought with them a batch of salt and a batch of furs and other specialties from the north, which they had acquired in Chuzhou.
Chuzhou is located at the crossroads of north and south among the nine provinces. Naturally, there are not many good furs there. The furs that can be sold in Chuzhou are all obtained by merchants from further north through trade with the Khitans in places like Youyun, and then resold to the border of the Yu Kingdom in the south.
Despite being located in the south, the winters of Yu are damp and bitterly cold. High-quality furs are an effective way to combat the damp cold, far better than stuffing clothes with cattail fluff. Therefore, furs from Chuzhou are highly sought after in Jinling, and many old connections come to try and get a larger share from each shipment.
Because there were too many customers, Li Xuan and Li Ji split up, having to finalize documents and invoices with each one, and transport the leather goods and salt to the designated warehouses. They were busy for ten days straight.
On this day, Li Xuan was exchanging furs at the place of his old friend, the son of a high-ranking official. Suddenly, news came that Li Ji had been arrested in the street.
Li Xuan was extremely anxious and wanted to go save Li Ji.
The Minister's son stopped him and questioned the man: "What exactly happened? Who kidnapped Brother Ji? Ziyu, don't panic. We should find out why Brother Ji was kidnapped before we try to rescue him. In Jinling, as long as it wasn't ordered by His Majesty himself, I can find connections to get him rescued."
Li Xuan calmed down and thanked her old friend.
The man replied, "He was arrested by the city's military command, who said that Brother Ji was smuggling goods. We saw Brother Ji being taken into the military command's office with our own eyes."
Li Xuan asked in surprise, "Could it be that someone is cheating us? That shouldn't be the case. I've been using the same old methods that have a good reputation over the years. We've been doing business together for so many years. Even though the goods are in high demand this time, we're still sharing the profits as usual. It's not like we'd fall out, is it?"
The young master paced back and forth, suddenly remembering something: "Brother Xuan, are you involved with Dou Qian, the Minister of Ceremonies?"
Li Xuan nodded: "The Grand Master of Ceremonies is in charge of the suburban altars, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the various imperial tombs, the Imperial Music Bureau, the Imperial Music Bureau, the Imperial Physicians, the Imperial Diviners, and the sacrificial animals. Although it's not a crucial department, it's very capable of overseeing the market. With the Grand Master of Ceremonies' cronies helping me, naturally no one will investigate the origins of the salt and other goods I transport into Jinling. Why do you ask about this, brother?"
The young master slapped his forehead: "Ah, perhaps that's the reason. Today, the Minister of Ceremonies was investigated for corruption. Did Brother Ji do business with them, and the Ministry of Justice followed the trail and found out?"
Li Xuan exclaimed in shock, "How could I be so unlucky? What should I do? Even Brother Ji has found out, I can't escape either."
The young master calmly said, "You brothers don't live in Jinling; you only come here to deliver goods and sell things. Here's what I'll do: I'll send someone to the Military Command to instruct them to treat Brother Ji well. So many families in the city have dealings with your family, and no one wants anything to happen to you brothers. The people at the Military Command are very shrewd; as long as someone from our side goes to protect him, Brother Ji will definitely be treated well."
Li Xuan nodded: "I'm counting on you, brother. I'll pay whatever it takes, as long as the person can be released safely."
This young master was truly generous; he immediately sent a servant with his visiting card to the military headquarters to make arrangements. Furthermore, he didn't ask Li Xuan for any money; instead, he paid fifty strings of cash, which he then put into the pocket of the official in charge.
With money and influential connections, the officials in charge naturally dared not neglect Li Ji and transferred him to a high-class prison cell, where he was provided with wine and meat at every meal. At first, Li Ji thought it was his last meal before execution and felt only injustice and panic.
What's even more absurd is that the last meal kept being delivered, making Li Ji feel like the world was going a little crazy? How many times was he going to have his head chopped off?
Since Li Ji couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it, calmed down, and peacefully ate his last meal before his execution.
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Outside Li Xuan's liaison station, a little girl quietly approached with a letter in her hand, delivering a message from her mistress to a stranger. She thought her mistress must have gone mad.
Her master had shown her immense kindness and confided in her deeply. Although the little girl was illiterate, she understood the meaning of loyalty and righteousness and had long ago vowed to follow her master for life.
The liaison station was in complete chaos. Li Xuan hadn't returned yet, and the remaining members were debating a plan for a military rescue. After all, expecting these people to pull strings and use connections was simply beyond their capabilities.
Just then, the brother who was keeping watch outside brought a girl in. The girl called out as soon as she entered, "Who is Brother Chicken? My master has a letter for Brother Chicken."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, which made the little girl think she had gone to the wrong place. She started crying to the brother who was keeping watch: "You're lying, there's no Chicken Brother here."
One of the servants coughed and asked, "Is your mistress Miss Lychee?"
The little girl opened her eyes wide and nodded: "Yes, yes, are you Brother Chicken? No, my master said Brother Chicken is fair-skinned. You're so dark, don't try to fool me."
The guy who was called "dark-skinned" turned even darker. The others couldn't hold back and started squatting down or leaning against the wall, bursting into laughter.
The stern-faced man suppressed his anger and said, "I'm not Brother Ji. Brother Ji was arrested by the Military Command this afternoon for smuggling goods. We're trying to find a way to rescue him. Here's what we'll do: you leave this letter here, we'll keep it safe and give it to Brother Ji when he returns, or you can go back and tell your master if there's any way to rescue him."
The little girl was quite ruthless. She immediately borrowed a flint and steel, burned her master's letter, and said, "My master instructed me to deliver it to Brother Chicken. Brother Chicken isn't here, and I can't let the letter wander outside. You all go about your business; I'll go back and find my master to figure out a solution."
Seeing the little girl's decisive actions, everyone became even more curious about the lychee. What was her background?
The little girl said goodbye, went out, boarded the carriage, and left. An hour later, she appeared before Li Lizhi.
Upon hearing the little girl's report, Li Lizhi was shocked: "What? Brother Ji has been arrested? The Military Command has some nerve! Prepare the car, I'm going to the Military Command to demand his release."
The little girl stopped Li Lizhi and reminded her, "Your Highness, Brother Chicken was suddenly imprisoned for smuggling. The people in the Military Affairs Bureau are very lazy. It's better to go tomorrow. At this hour, the palace gates are already locked. Going out now will surely alarm His Majesty and give those people plenty of gossip to spread."
Li Lizhi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Ji Ge's family was just a supplier of lanterns to the palace, and their family didn't have enough resources in Jinling. Now, only she could save Ji Ge.
When Li Lizhi was trapped in the palace and unable to move.
Li Xuan had already arranged a meeting with the military command and the officials in charge, with the help of an intermediary.
The Military Command was only assisting under orders. After Li Xuan presented two hundred strings of cash, the Military Command commander generously said that there was no problem. Even if Li Ji was convicted later, he could release him and find someone else to take the blame in prison. He was very skilled at this and there was no need to worry.
The official in charge came from Jiangning County and had a unique surname, so he was known as Hai Gong.
When Hai Gong met Li Xuan, they exchanged names and said:
"Smuggling is a serious crime, but since you were able to come here, you must have some connections, and I don't want to push things too far. How about this, this case actually stems from the case of Dou Taichang. His followers' ledger only records a few transactions with your brother. It doesn't specify whether the goods came from smuggling. How about this, you prepare five hundred strings of cash as a fine, and we'll drop the matter."
Li Xuan readily agreed, taking out a box from his pocket containing a row of small gold bars. "These gold bars are not enough for five hundred strings of cash. Please grant me the request for one more day, and I will surely bring the remaining three hundred strings of cash to ransom the person tomorrow."
Hai Gong smiled and said, "I've already received fifty strings of cash during the day. It was to take care of your younger brother and prevent him from suffering. This is the rule in the county government, and I can't stop you. This box of gold is worth at least four hundred strings of cash. If I accept it as two hundred strings, it would be a bribe. Either you take this box with you and bring five hundred strings of cash to the county government tomorrow to complete the formalities, or you bring one hundred strings of cash tomorrow."
This was the first time Li Xuan had encountered an official who didn't want money, and he was uneasy. Did the official not want to do anything if he didn't accept money?
Seeing Li Xuan's suspicious gaze, Hai Gong said with a wry smile, "Li Ji, Li Xuan, Li Jue. You're all from the same family, aren't you?"
Li Xuan gasped, a vague suspicion forming in his mind.
Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Hai Gong knew his guess was correct. He simply said, "Our Hai family migrated to Jinling at the end of the Former Yu dynasty. In the second year of Tianbao, we were granted official positions by the court as descendants of meritorious officials of the Great Yu. At that time, Brother Hehuang and I hit it off immediately and vowed to work together to support the nation. Now, do you understand, my virtuous brother?"
Oh, that explains it. This Hai family son is a descendant of Hai Xueshi, a famous minister of the Great Yu Dynasty. He was recruited by the Yu State for the same reason, and met Li Jue because of the same recruitment.
Also because their ancestors served in the same court during the Great Yu Dynasty, and now belong to a marginalized faction in the Yu State's officialdom, they simply formed a defensive alliance.
This reason is much more plausible than encountering a righteous and upright official!
Li Xuan immediately acknowledged it, affectionately addressed Hai as Brother, and took off a jade pendant from his body to present it to him;
"Since Brother Hai is of such high moral character and as pure as a spring, how could I possibly sully your eyes with such a trivial matter? However, Hehuang is Hehuang, and I am me. I cannot let Hehuang bear the burden of my brothers' affairs. I implore Brother Hai to do me the honor of fulfilling the bond between our brothers."
Hai Gong chuckled and took off his jade pendant, saying, "Since you've put it this way, brother, I can only respectfully accept your offer. This is my jade pendant; it's not particularly high-end, but I'm offering it as a token of my gratitude. Please don't laugh at me. May I ask its name?"
Li Xuan replied, "I am grateful that you have not rejected me, Master. I have written my name as Ziyu. Hehuang and I were classmates and graduated in the same year. However, due to my limited talents, I have not been able to obtain any official position."
Hai Gong laughed and said, "Given the way Ziyu has made this request today, obtaining an official position will be a piece of cake. Why not give it a try?"
Li Xuan replied, "We're just waiting for the east wind."
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The next day, the sky was dark, with dense clouds but no rain, and faint rumbles of thunder could be heard above the clouds.
A carriage stopped outside the military headquarters. Li Lizhi led her entourage into the government office and rescued Li Ji.
When Hai Gong saw that it was actually the Sixth Princess who had come to protect Li Ji, he was filled with countless "Holy crap!" thoughts. "You should have said so earlier if you had such powerful connections!"
It's just a minor economic case, isn't it? Over the years, the total amount involved is less than three thousand strings of cash. Is it really necessary for Princess Xingguo to come forward to demand the arrest? Alright, no need to wait any longer. Hai Gong concluded in Li Ji's case closure document that it was a wrongful arrest.
After a while, Li Xuan arrived in a hurry with the money.
Unexpectedly, before Li Xuan could hand over his money, Hai Gong returned yesterday's gold. "Ziyu, count it; not a single gold bar is missing. Why didn't you say so earlier that you had connections in the palace?"
Li Xuan was dumbfounded and said, "Our connections in the palace aren't close enough. Our small business can't even afford to pay them to speak on our behalf."
Hai Gong scoffed, "What do you mean 'not close enough'? The Sixth Princess herself came today to bail out my brother, and I've already signed the documents for his wrongful arrest. If you'd said you knew the Sixth Princess earlier, why bother with all that trouble?"
Li Xuan was still bewildered, but then she seemed to realize something and hurriedly asked, "So where is my younger brother now?"
Hai Gong said, "Naturally, she was taken away by the Sixth Princess."
On the other hand
Inside the spacious carriage, Li Ji, who had been away for a month, was in a state of shock. A beautiful woman in palace attire introduced herself as his Lychee Girl, also the current sixth princess, with the title of Princess Xingguo.
Upon seeing Li Ji again, Li Lizhi was overjoyed, proud, and a little shy, and playfully scolded, "What? It's only been a short time, and Brother Ji doesn't recognize me?"
Li Ji asked, dumbfounded, "Am I dreaming? How could it be you who rescued me?"
Li Lizhi laughed and said, "What? Only great heroes are allowed to save damsels in distress, but ordinary women aren't allowed to save great heroes? What kind of logic is that?"
Li Ji snapped out of his daze and laughed, "The lychees look absolutely stunning today. My brother and I have been waiting for you in Jinling for over ten days, and I never imagined that our reunion would be in such an embarrassing state."
Li Lizhi asked knowingly, "Why did you come to Jinling to wait for me?"
Li Ji said bluntly, "Of course I'm inquiring about your family background so my brother can come and propose marriage."
Li Lizhi covered her mouth and laughed, her eyebrows and eyes curving into crescents.
As happy as we are, now that things have come to this, many things need to be clarified: "Brother Ji comes from a family of farmers and scholars, but we don't know exactly which family?"
Li Ji replied, "My family is from Guangling, and I come from the Li clan of Guangling. Naturally, we cannot compare to your family's wealth. However, I have some wealth in Guangling, and I will never let you suffer. I will definitely protect you for life. I just don't know where Lizhi's parents are. My elder brother has already come with generous gifts, and he will definitely not let you be the subject of gossip."
Li Lizhi was both happy and touched. She said, "Don't let my brother go to so much trouble. My family may have high standards, but my father is a reasonable man. Besides, I'm not the eldest daughter, so I don't have to be so particular. But, but Ji-ge must enter officialdom."
Li Ji asked curiously, "Entering officialdom isn't difficult. Whether in Guangling, Haizhou, or Chuzhou, my brothers and I have opportunities to enter officialdom at any time. We won't force you to marry into a merchant or farming family. After all this talk, I still don't know the social standing of the Lizhi family?"
Li Lizhi coughed lightly: "Brother Ji, sit still, don't be so frightened that you fall out. I am Li Lizhi, the sixth daughter of the current Emperor of Yu, with the title of Princess Xingguo."
Li Ji shuddered in fright: "Lizhi, you're not kidding? You're really the Sixth Princess? I...I...I..."
Li Lizhi thought he was frightened, so she quickly comforted him;
"Brother Ji, I will always be myself. Titles and princesses are not worth it. You and Brother Xuan should go back and work on getting official positions before you come back to propose marriage."
Don't worry about the low rank; my father prefers to promote trustworthy people from humble backgrounds. Your family has a distinguished tradition of learning and connections, and you brothers are talented. Previously, you were forced to wander the wilderness due to a lack of official connections. Once you come to propose marriage, you will be able to meet my father, and then there will be no obstacles left."
A troubled look flashed across Li Ji's eyes, which Li Lizhi noticed, and her heart skipped a beat. She asked, "Brother Ji, are you... are you having some kind of trouble?"
Li Ji took a deep breath and said, "I am very willing to marry Lizhi and spend my life with her. But, but she cannot be my son-in-law."
Li Lizhi, thinking he was afraid of being bullied by the princess, chuckled and said, "What are you thinking, Brother Ji? I'm not one of those princesses who like to bully people. I just want to be with you, you catch fish, I clean them, and we cook fish soup together. Isn't that a good life?"
Li Ji cried, sobbing, "It's not like that. How could I not know what a wonderful young lady Lizhi is? If I didn't think you were the best, why would I shamelessly come all the way to Jinling to find you? But, but why are you a princess?"
Li Lizhi was shocked. Could it be that the princess had done something wrong?
Li Ji frankly said, "I have already made up my mind that even if I enter the service of the Yu Kingdom, I will only be a minor official near Guangling, and will not enter the officialdom of Jinling."
Li Lizhi quickly asked the reason.
Li Ji said, "Look at the palaces in the city, how magnificent they are. And the mansions bestowed upon the princes and princesses when they get married, how lavish their expenses are! The world is not yet unified, and the country is not yet stable."
Even though the power of the regional military governors has not been brought under Jinling's control, His Majesty is already acting as if he is enjoying a peaceful life. All systems have been abandoned and the standards of the Great Yu Dynasty at its peak have been fully restored. He is definitely not the kind of person who can unify the world.
If I become the imperial son-in-law, I will be bound to the royal family, and I will represent my branch of the Guangling Li clan, who are tied to the royal family. If the royal family fails, then my clan…”
Li Lizhi was stunned; she never imagined that Li Ji's resistance stemmed from this. She asked blankly, "Really, really, there's no way? I don't want anything. We won't be officials; how about we just live in Guangling?"
Li Ji said, "Would Your Majesty agree? I only want to grow old with Lizhi. I don't want any of that nonsense as a consort."
Of course, she wouldn't agree. Li Lizhi knew in her heart that even if Li Ji didn't say it aloud, her father would understand the problem. Having already embarrassed her so much, how could she allow Li Ji to become her son-in-law?
Li Lizhi suddenly asked, "If you only want to be a minor official, do you need to study military books so diligently? Do you need to train your troops so hard? Let me ask you, if someone emerges who can unify the world, would you leave the State of Yu to serve him?"
Li Ji was dejected and speechless.
Silence is an attitude!
Li Lizhi looked desperate. This damned world had drawn one insurmountable barrier after another between the two lovers.
For the sake of his family, Li Ji could not marry a royal princess. For the sake of her family, Li Lizhi could not marry a prince consort who did not want to share the glory and disgrace of the royal family.
Marriage unites two families, forging an alliance. The Li family of Guangling had no intention of a deep alliance, and Li Lizhi wasn't prone to being blinded by love. At this point, the atmosphere in the car seemed to have reached a freezing point.
Li Lizhi remained silent for a long time before looking up at Li Ji and saying, "Since Brother Ji cannot stand with Father, how can I, as his daughter, abandon him? No matter how many faults he has, he is still my father."
Whether his country is destroyed, his family perishes, or his clan is wiped out, he will still be my father. I... I... We are destined to meet but not to be together. Farewell. If one day you defect to the enemy, then Lizhi and Jige will sever all ties and never see each other again!
Amidst rolling thunder and torrential rain, spirits from the heavens stormed into the ancient stone city of Jinling with unstoppable force, and without hesitation, carried away the tears of the city's wandering sons and daughters.