Chapter 78 Expanding Strength

In the summer of the fifth year of Baodai, Li Jingsui, the Prince of Qi of the Great Tang, repeatedly submitted memorials expressing his desire to focus solely on his status as a prince and stay out of political affairs. However, upon receiving the resignation, Emperor Li Jing not only refused to approve it, but also entrusted the Prince of Qi with a major responsibility, appointing him as the Grand Marshal of the Multi-circuit Armed Forces—in other words, the Viceroy of all military forces under the heavens.

Apprehensive, Li Jingsui repeatedly declined, but Li Jing cited the heavy burden of state affairs, claiming he was unable to handle the multitude of administrative duties by himself, and insisted that Li Jingsui help him take charge of military affairs.

After declining several times, Li Jingsui ultimately could not prevail over Li Jing and had no choice but to accept the position.

Many unexpected events occurred during this summer. After the Khitans decided to return north, they were continually ambushed by the Central Plains Han people along their route. Meanwhile, Liu Zhiyuan seized the opportunity to march south, capturing Luoyang, Bianliang, and other territories. In Yang Lian’s view, once the situation in the Central Plains underwent such a drastic change, it would soon stabilize.

In the State of Wu and Yue, Qian Zuo, the sixth son of Qian Yuanguan, died of illness, and his younger brother Qian Zong succeeded him. The powerful minister Hu Jinshi wielded unrivaled influence over the court for a time, and under his advocacy, Li Renda was released and permitted to return to Fuzhou. Upon hearing the news, Yang Lian immediately felt that Fuzhou was about to descend into chaos once again.

Yang Lian held several secret discussions with Prince of Qi Li Jingsui in private, maintaining his firm belief that dispatching troops to the Central Plains at this moment still offered an opportunity to recover the region. Liu Zhiyuan’s foundation was unstable and he had not yet fully gained control of the Central Plains; various large and small vassal states in Hebei, Shandong, and Guanzhong nominally submitted while secretly building up their strength, waiting for any opportunity to rebel.

Several senior ministers in the court also perceived this opportunity and petitioned for a northern expedition. At that time, the Khitans had not yet completely withdrawn from the Central Plains; under the righteous banner of expelling the Khitans and restoring the Central Plains, launching an expedition would be entirely justified. Yet Emperor Li Jing of the Great Tang shelved the matter and ignored it, letting the final golden opportunity slip right through their hands.

Upon returning to Jinling, Yang Lian was granted a courtyard and fields by the Emperor. He went to inspect the courtyard and found that its location was indeed exceptionally favorable—situated close to the Imperial Academy and right beside the Qinhuai River, making it ideal for both studying and taking in the scenic charm of the Qinhuai River. However, upon stepping inside, Yang Lian discovered that the place had been abandoned for a long time. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, littered with garbage everywhere, and the ruined walls were shocking to behold. Catsized rats roamed about freely without the slightest fear of humans, presenting a truly desolate and bleak scene.

"This used to be the residence of the former dynasty's crown prince," Li Jingsui explained to Yang Lian.

Yang Lian was stunned. "Since it is the former crown prince's residence, why did Your Majesty bestow it upon me?" he asked, feeling deeply puzzled.

"The mind of the Son of Heaven is difficult to fathom; even I do not know," Li Jingsui replied, shaking his head. It was much like how he wanted to resign, yet the Emperor instead appointed him Viceroy of all military forces under heaven—truly an inscrutable decision.

"The location of this courtyard is indeed superb, but tidying it up will inevitably require a considerable amount of effort," Yang Lian sighed. He could not refuse the Emperor's good intentions, meaning he had no choice of declining it. Yet, how could he dare to easily move into the former crown prince's residence? Would he be letting the entire world know that he himself was the former crown prince? Even if he truly were the former crown prince, he absolutely could not admit to it at this time!

After pondering for a moment, an idea came to mind. Yang Lian smiled and said, "Your Highness, I already have an inn, and since I live alone, occupying such a large place would inevitably be a waste. The geographical environment here is quite good, close to the Imperial Academy, so I plan to renovate it and build a teahouse."

"This place is vast; wouldn't it be too large for just a teahouse? Besides, you are now a Commander of the lower fifth rank; how can you still live in a place like an inn? It is not safe either," Li Jingsui smiled, then added, "If you are short of people, just draw a batch of servants and guards from my estate."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I am still accustomed to living alone," Yang Lian smiled.

"That simply won't do. Don't you wish to start a family and establish a career? Although a man's ambitions should lie across the four seas, he must also have a normal household. The court is full of distinguished nobles; if you take a fancy to any maiden, just let me know, and I will send someone to sound out the sentiment," the Prince of Qi said with deep concern. After all, although he held the authority to oversee the military forces of the realm, he had few trusted aides, especially after Gao Shensi's retirement, which had drastically reduced his influence within the military. Therefore, he had turned to supporting the rising star in the military, Yang Lian.

Yang Lian shook his head. "Your Highness, I have no such thoughts at the moment." In his mind, however, the figures of a few women drifted past—some beautiful, some gentle, some willful. Who knew which one would be his ultimate destination?

Knowing he could not persuade him, the Prince of Qi shook his head while secretly pondering. He needed to find a well-read and virtuous woman worthy of Yang Lian.

Anything could be easily handled as long as there was money. Yang Lian had Xiao Erhei gather a group of laborers in the marketplace, offering generous wages. Many men and women from impoverished families applied to help. As the saying goes, many hands make light work; in just over ten days, the weeds in the courtyard were cleared away and the trash was cleaned up, leaving the grounds looking much neater.

The Prince of Qi also invited several master craftsmen from the palace to design the layout for Yang Lian. Yang Lian had already decided that a portion would be used as a teahouse. Following the middle of the Tang Dynasty, tea had gradually become a mainstream dietary staple, and the Huai-Nan region of Southern Tang was an excellent tea-producing area. The common people had a long history of drinking tea, and the residents of Jinling all loved it. Putting a few storytellers in the teahouse should yield good results.

Yang Lian planned to use another section to set up a gambling den. The sources of general information were none other than places with high traffic and relatively dense populations, such as restaurants, brothels, gambling dens, and inns. Yang Lian intended to gradually build up his intelligence network. Gambling dens were legal in Jinling; after giving a polite notice to the Magistrate of Jinling, Yang Lian easily obtained a permit. This was due in part to his own growing prestige, but even more so to the influence of the Prince of Qi.

For the remaining space in the courtyard, Yang Lian planned to construct lodging and dining facilities for the convenience of the gamblers. His preparations could be considered quite thorough.

The master craftsmen were highly capable. Within two days, they drew up the blueprints and personally presented them to Yang Lian for review. Yang Lian was no expert in such matters, but a quick glance showed that the planning was quite reasonable: the teahouse was on the eastern side, the gambling den on the western side, and the southern side reserved an open space of about fifty paces square for accommodations. The master craftsman had even built living quarters for the workers of the gambling den and the tavern. This way, they could not only rest on-site but also guard against theft, serving two purposes at once.

Yang Lian instructed the master craftsmen to proceed boldly, initially investing about a hundred strings of gold. With the Emperor's rewards and the income from the inn and restaurant, he was finally able to sustain such massive expenses.

Every day, he continued to go to the Shenwu Army to drill the troops. Ever since the great victory over the Black-Armored Cavalry, Yang Lian’s prestige as a commander had grown even higher among his subordinates, and his orders were executed without compromise. He maintained his daily weighted workouts to build physical strength, followed by various combat drills back at the camp, with lances and bows forming his mandatory daily routines.

Yang Lian placed special emphasis on archery. In the era of cold weapons, arrows possessed immense destructive power and could often produce miraculous results. They allowed for long-range strikes against the enemy, and if one were fortunate enough to kill the opposing commander, it could very well end the battle prematurely.

During the Five Dynasties period, single combats between military generals were a frequent occurrence—which seemed rather unbelievable, for in Yang Lian’s view, unless a person's martial prowess reached an absurdly unimaginable level, they were likely to be defeated. This was especially true when a scholarly general encountered a martial general; if a duel could decide victory or defeat, why bother fighting a war at all? They might as well just settle it with a single duel.

Yet, such was the reality. The Five Dynasties inherited the legacy of the Li Tang, and in the late Tang period, as ethnic minorities gradually migrated south, while adopting Han culture, they did not diminish their fierce and belligerent spirit. This fostered a prevailing culture of generals dueling one another. The Later Tang, the Later Jin, and Liu Zhiyuan, who was then establishing himself in the Central Plains, were all Shatuo people, which greatly fueled this custom. How could Yang Lian afford not to train diligently?

In nearly a year's time, Yang Lian had relatively thoroughly integrated himself into this era, and indeed, he had no choice but to integrate.

By late summer, the teahouse and the gambling den had been built one after the other, having practically exhausted all of Yang Lian's savings. Fortunately, Lin Renzhao had saved up a sum of money and contributed it to support the venture. Chen Tie had no money to spare, so whenever he returned from the Shenwu Army, he would go over every day to help out.

Before Yang Lian even opened for business and while he was still drawing up the list of people to invite to the grand opening ceremony, an invitation card was delivered to him. Xiao Erhei personally brought the invitation. Quick-witted and eloquent, Xiao Erhei had grown increasingly adept at handling people and well-versed in business after more than a year of training. Yang Lian intended to let him take charge of the gambling den and teahouse businesses, while leaving the restaurant and inn in the hands of Wang Hu and Zhao Peng for the time being.

When Xiao Erhei delivered the invitation, a smile hung on his face, wearing the expression of someone whose master was immensely formidable. Busy with his tasks at the time, Yang Lian did not understand the meaning behind it. But when he picked up the invitation and took a look, he could not help but freeze in surprise.

It was from Zeng Yiling of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Zeng Yiling’s name had almost faded from Yang Lian’s memory. Aside from that single accidental occasion when she made her debut and he left behind two musical compositions, the two of them had had no further contact. For her to send someone with an invitation at this moment—what could her intentions be?

Upon reading the invitation closely, Yang Lian could not help but laugh. Zeng Yiling bitterly reproached Yang Lian for not having gone to see her in so long; was she truly that unappealing to the eye? Yang Lian gave a wry smile, thinking that if Zeng Yiling could be considered ugly, there were no beauties left in the entire world. It was simply that he had zero interest in a woman from a brothel.

Tossing the invitation aside, Yang Lian went back to his busy work. To his surprise, however, by afternoon, Xiao Erhei arrived again, bearing another invitation—still from Zeng Yiling, and this time written in an even more tactful and aggrieved tone, resembling a wronged young bride.

Yang Lian could not help but chuckle dumbly. This Zeng Yiling was truly interesting. Yet he still felt no interest. Although business matters were being managed by Xiao Erhei, Wang Hu, Zhao Peng, and the others, he was the actual owner and had to keep a close eye on things at all times. Furthermore, the gambling den and teahouse were about to open; how could he afford not to pay close attention?

However, Yang Lian had underestimated Zeng Yiling’s determination. She seemed entirely unwearying, sending someone with an invitation every morning and afternoon. This posture made Yang Lian feel that unless she secured his presence, she would not let the matter rest. Yang Lian instructed Xiao Erhei to refuse the invitations—out of sight, out of mind. Yet he still underestimated Zeng Yiling: she even stationed people to intercept Yang Lian on the road, handing him a letter stating that if he did not read it, he would surely regret it.

When Yang Lian opened and read it, he was left torn between laughter and tears. Zeng Yiling actually claimed that if Yang Lian did not visit the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, she would send people to spread word in the marketplace that Yang Lian was a heartless scoundrel who loved and abandoned women. After hesitating slightly, Yang Lian had no choice but to yield to Zeng Yiling’s demand.

Women are truly formidable creatures, Yang Lian reflected to himself.