Chapter Seventy-Six: Eastern Capital Luoyang—A First Meeting with My Parents

There were quite a few guards, several hundred in fact, surrounding Li Wei to ensure his safety.

But truth be told, even without these guards, there would have been peace; the people hadn’t reached the point of being driven to rebellion. Any rare misfortune that did occur was born of desperation, just the need for a meal. Everyone knew that if they could endure this year of disaster, there would once again be a path to survival.

The Crown Prince was known for his benevolence, and even the most daring among the populace would not dare to harm him.

In the beginning, the situation was grim. The capital itself was oblivious, but in the outlying areas, the network of ditches and canals was extensive. Though the hardship was severe, it had not yet reached horrifying proportions. However, the farther they traveled, the more wretched the scene became—some fields, parched for want of rain, were cracked open like a tortoise's shell.

Yet, after passing through Huazhou, the outlook gradually improved. In many fields, barley and wheat were turning from green to gold, much like the poem Li Xin had written: “In the fourth month, the southern wind yellows the barley, while jujube flowers still cling and parasol leaves grow long.”

Grain prices were different too; separated only by the Weishui River, the price in Chang’an, regulated by the authorities, had crept up to nearly sixty coins per dou, while in Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, it was just over thirty. The disparity was more than just price: in one city, a large measure was used, in the other, a small one.

Only at this point did Li Wei allow the procession to slow ever so slightly.

At the outset, the pace had been swift, with all the pomp and ceremony that an imperial journey demanded. When Li Zhi and Empress Wu traveled, their carriage was even slower. The journey from Chang’an to Luoyang was only eight hundred li, but even at a good pace, it would take close to twenty days; if they took their time, it could stretch to a month. On ordinary occasions, this would not matter, but now, subsisting on provisions along the route would place a burden on the localities.

Thus, Li Wei pressed them onward. In just six days, they had passed through Yongzhou, Huazhou, and Guazhou, reaching Shanzhou. Even so, they did not slow much, and in another four days, they arrived in Luoyang.

The carriage entered the Dingding Gate. From there to the Tianjin Bridge stretched the busiest street in Luoyang.

The former Crown Prince had visited Luoyang before, but this time, after all that had transpired in Chang’an, crowds of citizens stopped to watch. The Crown Prince was still regarded as a good man; he had suffered injustice recently, and, moreover, had plowed the fields outside Luoyang, earning the praise of local farmers, even if the city’s aristocrats didn’t quite understand. As the procession passed, sighs could be heard from the crowd.

Inside the largest carriage, Li Lingyue watched as Shangguan Wan’er read her book. Her elder brother was reading as well, but she was becoming restless.

She felt she’d been tricked once again; the journey had been rushed, leaving her to eat dust along the way, and there had been nothing fun about it. She’d seen plenty of obsequious officials come and go, but if that was what she wanted, Chang’an had more than enough to offer!

She asked, “Shangguan Wan’er, can you understand the Book of Documents now?”

Shangguan Wan’er set aside the book and replied, “I don’t understand it yet. But if I keep thinking and rereading, I’ll make sense of it eventually.”

“‘Keep thinking,’ indeed,” Li Wei said affectionately, patting her head. A little girl like this—no matter whose hands she was in, even if she wasn’t one’s own sister or daughter—who wouldn’t be fond of her?

Li Lingyue, in truth, bore no ill will toward Shangguan Wan’er. They were close in age, and on the road, she only sought out Wan’er as a playmate. Not only did they play together, but she would even drag Wan’er into Li Wei’s carriage, which was hardly proper etiquette. But when it came to Li Lingyue, who would bother with etiquette? Even the prime ministers of Chang’an deferred to her, let alone this entourage.

Yet, she couldn’t stand how much Li Wei doted on Shangguan Wan’er.

Tilting her head, she snatched the book from Wan’er and pointed at a passage. “How do you read this line?”

Wan’er looked at the line and read aloud, “Whenever the people commit crimes, robbers, traitors, murderers for gain—none shall escape punishment.”

The reason she pointed at this line was because there were a couple of characters she didn’t recognize.

After hearing it, Li Lingyue turned to Li Wei. He nodded, “You read it correctly.”

She pressed on, “So what does it mean?”

Shangguan Wan’er tilted her head and thought for a long while. The Book of Documents was truly a challenge for someone her age. At last, she said, “It means that when commoners commit crimes—robbery, murder, theft—such people must be put to death.”

“Big brother, is she right?”

“Close enough.”

“Fine, let’s say you’re right. But you still can’t compare to my big brother. Cao Zhi composed a poem in seven steps, but my brother, standing at the East Market gate, hadn’t even taken a single step before he’d written five poems. Will you ever accomplish that one day?”

Bi’er couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

Li Wei, however, wiped his brow and said, “Little sister, don’t go around saying such things. I came up with those poems after much thought in the Eastern Palace. I don’t have Cao Zhi’s talent.”

If he hadn’t simply transcribed the poems stored in his mind, he could walk seventy steps and not produce a single decent verse.

But Shangguan Wan’er, with utmost seriousness, said, “Princess, no matter how much I study, I’ll never be as good as His Highness. Even if you were my age, you wouldn’t be as good as you are now.”

“You’re just flattering me,” Li Lingyue retorted. She couldn’t be fooled that easily; even if she studied another year, she wouldn’t have Wan’er’s abilities. As for the latter claim, pride prevented her from saying more.

Li Wei, meanwhile, was inwardly pleased. The two of them were like little rivals. Though there should be no danger for Wan’er upon entering Luoyang, a mother’s heart was not so easy to predict. With Li Lingyue around, Wan’er would be safer than Mount Tai itself.

The carriage creaked and groaned as it neared the Tianjin Bridge. Li Lingyue, curious, pointed toward the Hui Tong Bridge. “Big brother, look at all those boats!”

The drought was in the region within the passes; Luoyang’s drought was not as severe, and river traffic on the Luo was unimpeded. At this moment, thousands of boats gathered at Hui Tong Bridge—a magnificent sight. Larger vessels were docked at the Yellow River wharf, though these could not be seen from here.

Watching countless people loading and unloading goods—though the distance made it hard to see clearly—was somehow all the more awe-inspiring.

“A Tang dynasty like a dream,” Li Wei murmured, gazing at the distant tiers of pavilions, but without his mother, what would it be worth…

But there was no escape; he would have to face it soon.

Li Lingyue’s eyes shifted again. “Big brother, look—those white birds are huge.”

On the sandbank beneath Tianjin Bridge, lush trees and flowers grew, and at the water’s edge, tall, verdant reeds. The passing carriages startled a pair of egrets from the reeds. They burst forth, tracing a brilliant path across the Luo River.

A eunuch came forward to greet them, leading them to the Eastern Palace.

It wasn’t just the former Crown Prince who had come to Luoyang before; Bi’er had been here once too. From a distance, the eunuch called out to Bi’er, “Congratulations, Lady Jiang.”

The emperor had issued a decree, summoning her to the Eastern Capital. The little girl had finally made her way up in the world—even Bi’er herself barely dared to respond.

“I don’t deserve it, Eunuch Jin. I hope you’ve been well.”

“Thanks to Lady Jiang’s blessing, I’ve been well indeed,” he said, bowing to Li Wei. “Your Highness, this humble servant has missed you dearly.”

Li Wei’s eyes were blank; he had no recollection at all.

Bi’er whispered in his ear, “Your Highness, Eunuch Jin—you really don’t remember?”

Li Wei shook his head.

“Your Highness, every time you visited the Eastern Capital, Eunuch Jin attended you. He was always very good to you.”

That was no small thing. The former Crown Prince had suffered from constant coughing, and in an age that dreaded tuberculosis, most people kept their distance, unwilling to get too close.

But there was a trace of worry in the eunuch’s eyes.

Li Wei understood her meaning; he patted her head. “I’ve forgotten some things and will remember them slowly, there’s no rush.”

He thought to himself, forgetting is just as well; if he remembered, it would mean the old Crown Prince had returned to reclaim his body—that would not be good. If he did return, he might not appreciate their care.

He stepped forward and said kindly, “Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Jin.”

“How could I dare? When I heard your health has improved with each passing day in the Western Capital, I was overjoyed. I prayed daily to the Bodhisattva for a miracle, and now the Bodhisattva has answered. Seeing Your Highness so well restores my very soul,” he said, sniffling and wiping away tears.

Whether genuine or not, he had surely treated the former Crown Prince well.

“Eunuch Jiang, you can talk more later. The Crown Prince is tired from the journey and needs to rest.”

“I deserve punishment; seeing His Highness so well, I forgot myself,” he replied, ordering the servants to carry Li Wei’s luggage. There was quite a lot—most of it unnecessary, but the ceremonial display of the times made it unavoidable.

They were led into the residential quarters.

Compared to the Eastern Palace in Daxing Palace, Luoyang’s Eastern Palace was somewhat smaller, but not by much.

Li Lingyue exclaimed happily, “Big brother, I’ll stay here!”

“That won’t do,” Li Wei refused at once. The Crown Prince had his own quarters, while the princess and princes had theirs—such things could not be taken lightly. Besides, the Eastern Palace was on the city’s eastern side, while the princess’s residence was in the northwest.

Just then, a eunuch approached with an imperial summons: “The Crown Prince, Princess, and Lady Jiang Bi’er are to present themselves before Their Majesties in the Martial Achievement Hall.”

So soon.

As they headed toward the palace, Jiang Bi’er trembled in fear. “Your Highness, I’m so scared.”

“Don’t be afraid. Father and Mother only summoned you to the Eastern Capital because they like you,” Li Wei comforted her.

But he was uneasy himself. He had been in the Tang dynasty for some time, learning more and more, but this was his first time meeting Li Zhi and Wu Zetian together—and not in a study or private chamber, but in the Martial Achievement Hall, the very place where the emperor held court.

Why did they want to meet him there?

As the Martial Achievement Hall loomed ahead, Li Wei’s heart beat anxiously.

After all, he was an impostor Crown Prince—would his parents see through him? Especially his mother, who was rumored to be a veritable monster…