Chapter Fifty-Two: With a Turn of the Hand, Clouds Gather; With Another, Rain Falls

The warriors of the Wave Camp from the Washing Moon Academy bowed deeply. "We greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"

Li Shao wiped the blood from his treasured sword and smiled. "Rise, rise! I received a secret letter from Dean Chen not long ago, and he urged me to look after you all when I reached Xidu City. Who would have thought that you young heroes would be the ones to save my life?"

Nan Jiyun, the eldest among them, replied, "Your Highness, known as Lord at this time, is unmatched in bravery. The Heavenly Strategy Army is also the elite of the Great Tang. Even without our intervention, Your Highness would have been safe."

Li Shao shook his head. "The scarred, masked attacker was a master cultivator of the Enlightened Profound Lower Realm. He stooped to assassinate me. If it weren’t for you and another young brother intervening, I would likely have fallen to this disaster."

Several young leaders of the Heavenly Strategy Army dropped to one knee. "We failed in our duty, allowing Your Highness to be endangered."

Li Shao laughed and scolded, "What are you doing? I’m not blaming you. You are the cornerstone of the Great Tang, not merely my personal guards. If you stopped the enemy attack, that is not a dereliction. Now, who fired that last arrow? It was like a heavenly weapon descending! Step forward and claim your reward!"

The Wave Camp warriors were curious about the hero who could shoot through a master of the Enlightened Profound Lower Realm from a hundred paces away.

A tall officer in his early thirties emerged from the ranks, clasped his fists, and saluted. "Li Guangbi of the Left Guard greets Your Highness!"

"You’re unfamiliar to me. Not originally from the Heavenly Strategy Army, are you?"

"My father, Li Kailuo, was slain by the Tibetans. When I heard Your Highness was to campaign against Tibet, I joined the cause."

Li Shao nodded. "So you are the son of the Left Feathered Forest General, Marquis of Ji—loyal and brave."

He then turned and took a longbow from his saddle. "A treasured sword for a hero; I bestow this Sunset Bow upon you."

Li Guangbi thanked him repeatedly.

The Wave Camp warriors looked on with envy. This was a treasure of the Heavenly Origin tier, and the Crown Prince was so generous. Had they known, they would have fought harder for recognition.

Zhang Chengxing, bold as ever, spoke up. "We were brave too! How will Your Highness reward us?"

The other students broke out in nervous sweat. How could Zhang Chengxing speak so directly to the Crown Prince?

Li Shao fixed his gaze on Zhang Chengxing. "You’re Zhang Chengxing, the adopted son of Wang Zhongsi, aren’t you? I held you as a child. You used to call me 'Brother Heng.' Look at you now, all grown up."

Zhang Chengxing grinned. "Crown Prince brother, your memory is as sharp as ever!"

"Your rewards will be considered after this campaign," Li Shao said.

The attentive ones caught the nuance in Li Shao’s tone. It seemed Li Guangbi’s journey westward should end here; perhaps he would be dismissed from the Heavenly Strategy Army and sent back.

A general among them immediately knelt. "Your Highness, I admit my mistake. Li Guangbi only wanted revenge for his father; my compassion clouded my judgment..."

Li Shao’s brows rose sharply. "The Heavenly Strategy Army is the foundation of the Great Tang! How can you let compassion allow outsiders to slip in?"

The soldiers pleaded on behalf of their comrade.

The Wave Camp warriors fell silent. They hadn’t expected the Crown Prince, so genial before, to become so intimidating when angered.

"No more! This precedent cannot be set. Military law dictates: execution!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" With the order given, no one dared plead further.

Li Guangbi stepped forward boldly. "If someone must die, let it be me! Do not trouble Seventh Brother!"

Without hesitation, Li Guangbi raised his blade to strike his own neck.

What a steely, resolute man. Nan Jiyun regretted for this hero and even considered drawing his sword to intervene.

Li Shao stopped Li Guangbi. "Enough, Seventh Brother. Though you broke military law, your judgment of character is sound. Li Guangbi is a true man and a worthy addition to the Heavenly Strategy Army. Serve faithfully and make amends."

So the offending officer was called Seventh Brother; both he and Li Guangbi thanked Li Shao.

Li Guangbi tried to return the Sunset Bow, but Li Shao refused with a smile. "Reward is reward, punishment is punishment; they cannot be confused. Remember this when you lead troops in the future."

To accompany the prince is like accompanying a tiger—never was the saying more true. In just a few words, the Crown Prince changed faces several times, leaving everyone uncertain of his inner thoughts.

Yu Lang pondered quietly: Li Shao seemed gentle and approachable, but his actions were tempered with firmness and hidden patience. In this, he resembled his father, Li Longji, though Li Shao’s heart was broader and kinder. Just now, he merely tested Li Guangbi’s character and harbored no true intent to kill. Had Li Longji been at this age, he might well have executed both Li Guangbi and Seventh Brother on the spot, enforcing strict discipline and asserting absolute control over the Heavenly Strategy Army.

Such skill—turning clouds to rain with a flick of the hand.

Li Shao approached Yu Lang. "You were observing me?"

Yu Lang bowed. "I wouldn’t dare."

"Why call yourself a commoner? I remember you hold a nominal post as a Commandant of the Eighth Rank, do you not? Yu Lang, son of Yu Ziyou." Li Shao beamed.

"That was thanks to Lord Li Shangyin, former Grand Historian of Yangzhou, who took pity on my loss of my grandfather and my orphaned youth."

After stepping down, Li Shangyin went to Chang’an and became a guest of the Crown Prince, forming a close friendship. Mentioning him made Li Shao feel even warmer toward the young man.

"It's not pity. At fourteen, before your Qi channels were open, you took a single blade and avenged your grandfather by slaying three hundred bandits in Beigu Mountain. Such deeds inspire admiration, not pity." Li Shao circled Yu Lang, his smile softening. "I heard of your duel with Li Yu in Yangzhou, winning the grand contest at Washing Moon Academy and reaching the Heavenly Armor tier. Three years have passed, and the lonely youth who fought fate is now the soul of the Wave Camp, nearly at the Enlightened Profound threshold. Recently, you humbled the chief disciple of the Tibetan national preceptor, raising our nation’s prestige! Excellent! With young men like you, the Great Tang will surely thrive another century!"

The Crown Prince’s words placed Yu Lang in the highest esteem. If Yu Lang did not respond, it would be improper, so he quickly replied, "Your Highness is the foundation of our nation’s prosperity. We will surely assist you in extending the Tang Dynasty’s golden age!"

A flicker of sorrow crossed Li Shao’s face. Few knew that the emperor truly wished to make Prince Shou, Li Mao, the son of Lady Wu Hui, his successor. Li Shao himself was but a straw man, erected to shield Li Mao from danger and to attract enmity—a puppet. He believed that when the time was ripe, he would be toppled and Li Mao would be raised to the throne. To prevent that day, he had to continually strengthen himself and gather the heroes of the realm.

Yu Lang understood Li Shao’s thoughts. He found the matter of Li Mao strange: Yang Yuhuan was originally Li Mao’s wife, but the Emperor had taken a fancy to her, sent her to Washing Moon Academy for a few years to “purify” her status, and soon Yang Yuhuan would enter the palace as Imperial Consort.

Tsk tsk, Li Mao. How could that name sound so much like a cuckold?