Volume Three: The Turmoil at Xuanwu Gate Chapter 107: The Banquet at Hongmen

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The wine cup in Li Yuanji’s hand was a five-colored glass goblet, brilliant with variegated hues and crystalline clarity. It was a treasured relic from the former Sui imperial palace, worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Li Yuanji usually delighted in admiring it and cherished it as dearly as a priceless treasure. But at this moment, he used it as a signal and cast it to the floor without the slightest hesitation.

His heart was aflame with excitement. So what if it was a treasure beyond compare? So what if it was worth a thousand pieces of gold? Compared with the three words “Imperial Heir,” it was utterly insignificant.

As the wine cup fell, Li Yuanji’s heart pounded wildly.

The instant the cup struck the ground, the ambushers would spring forth. Blades and spears would descend together, and Li Shimin would be unable to escape even if he had wings. Then everything would be settled!

Once Li Shimin was dead, Li Jiancheng would have no rival left. His ascension to the throne would be within reach.

And then Li Yuanji would become heir to the throne. He would find an opportunity to force their father to abdicate, seize the chance to kill Li Jiancheng, and become the third emperor of the Great Tang Empire!

Li Yuanji had already fallen deep into his daydreams. He could almost see himself dressed in imperial robes, seated high upon the throne, commanding the world while the assembled ministers bowed below and envoys from every nation came to pay homage.

Unfortunately, reality had other plans. The wine cup had only traveled halfway to the ground when a figure shot forward at incredible speed. A hand darted out, and the cup was caught firmly.

Immediately afterward, a teasing voice rang out. “Fourth Uncle, have you had too much to drink? This five-colored glass goblet is worth a fortune. What a pity it would be to break it. You had better hold on to it properly.”

With that, he set the cup securely before Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji took a close look. The speaker was none other than Li Mingyu.

A moment earlier, Mingyu had noticed that something was wrong with Li Yuanji’s expression, so he had remained on full alert. In secret, he had prepared to draw his saber and rush straight at Li Yuanji the moment anything went awry.

When Li Yuanji began acting strangely and dropped the wine cup, Mingyu had instantly burst into motion and flashed forward. At first, he had intended to seize Li Yuanji and use him as a hostage.

But halfway there, he changed his mind. They were in the enemy’s lair, surrounded by enemies and outnumbered. It would be wiser not to tear away the mask between them too soon, leaving both sides some room to retreat.

That was why Mingyu had caught the wine cup instead, offering Li Yuanji a warning while giving him a way to save face.

Li Yuanji was startled as well. He secretly marveled at the young man’s speed. A moment ago, he had been more than ten feet away. How had he arrived in the blink of an eye?

“Ah… Your Fourth Uncle is simply too happy today and has had more wine than he can handle. My hand slipped just now and I failed to catch it. Heh heh—my hand slipped.”

Li Yuanji gave an awkward laugh as he explained. Inwardly, however, he cursed furiously. You little bastard! You’ve ruined my great plan! If you ever fall into my hands, I’ll skin you alive and tear you limb from limb to vent the hatred in my heart!

Li Yuanji did not merely hate Mingyu. In his mind, he cursed every one of Yuwen Bao’s ancestors as well. Damn that Yuwen Bao—what a useless wretch! Could he not keep watch on my expression and act accordingly? The moment I moved to drop the cup, he should have rushed out! A complete good-for-nothing! All of them were useless!

When Li Yuanji saw that Mingyu did not return to his seat but instead took up a position beside him, his eyes fixed intently upon him, panic seized his heart. He forced a dry laugh.

“Why haven’t you returned to your seat, Mingyu? What are you doing standing beside your Fourth Uncle?”

Mingyu rested one hand upon the hilt of his saber. He was only a single step from Li Yuanji. With a faintly mocking smile, he replied, “It is nothing. I am merely worried that you have had too much to drink and cannot hold things steadily. It would be unfortunate if you began smashing plates and bowls all over the place.”

“This…”

Cold sweat poured from Li Yuanji’s forehead. Could this boy have seen through his intentions? Was he standing here because he meant to keep him under control?

Just then, Yuchi Jingde suddenly sprang to his feet and roared, “What kind of rat skulks about over there? Show yourself!”

He kicked over the table and snatched up a bronze crane lamp from the hall, gripping it in his hands.

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The bronze crane lamp stood nearly as tall as a man. It was one of a pair: one crane had its neck bent and head lowered, while the other held its head high with wings spread wide. Both were made entirely of bronze, and each must have weighed close to a hundred pounds.

The one Yuchi Jingde had seized was the crane with its neck bent and head lowered. His tiger eyes bulged wide, veins standing out upon his forehead. Grabbing the crane’s neck with one hand and its body with the other, he strained his arms and wrenched them apart.

With a thunderous shout from Yuchi Jingde, the crane’s neck—thick as a duck egg—gave a grating screech before he straightened it after only a few twists.

The crane was made entirely of bronze, and its beak was sharp and pointed. Once Yuchi Jingde had bent it straight, the object in his hands resembled a heavy armor-piercing spike.

Gripping the crane by both legs and pointing its beak forward, he aimed it toward the side hall on the left and bellowed, “You rats! Stop skulking in the shadows! Come out at once! Otherwise, I’ll be coming in after you!”

His thunderous roars were like sudden peals of thunder across a clear plain, shaking the great hall until echoes hummed from every wall.

Yuchi Jingde was tall and powerfully built, nearly seven feet in height, with the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear, broad shoulders and a thick middle. Clad in helmet and armor, he stood like half of an iron tower, radiating an overwhelming presence.

His dark face, glaring round eyes, and explosive steel-colored beard only added to his fearsome might. He looked like one of the guardian spirits from a temple, and his roar, like the cry of a dragon and the bellow of a lion, struck the heart with terror before the battle had even begun.

“Wait! Hold your hand! Do not attack! I’m coming out!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the door of the side hall creaked open. A moment later, a white-faced, beardless military officer clad in armor emerged. Waving both hands repeatedly, he called out, “It’s a misunderstanding! All of this is a misunderstanding! Do not attack! Do not attack!”

Although Yuchi Jingde had been seated some distance away and had not seen Li Yuanji drop the cup as a signal, Mingyu had already warned him to remain alert, and he had kept careful watch.

The instant he saw Mingyu suddenly flash toward Li Yuanji, he had prepared himself to fight his way through a river of blood. The only thing he regretted was that, having accompanied the Prince of Qin here, he had been bound by the strict rules of the prince’s household and had brought none of his usual weapons.

As luck would have it, he had heard the faint sound of armor shifting within the side hall. A great general needed eyes in every direction and ears attuned to the slightest movement; besides, Yuchi Jingde had come from the military ranks. The clattering of armor plates against one another could never have escaped him.

Just as Mingyu had predicted, Li Yuanji was harboring treacherous intentions! Yuchi Jingde laughed coldly to himself.

That was why he had sprung up and shouted. With no suitable weapon at hand, he had been forced to improvise and use the bronze crane lamp instead.

“Who are you? Why are you skulking in the rear hall?” Yuchi Jingde stared intently at the newcomer. The man was fully armed, with a saber at his side. He certainly did not look as though he meant well.

At the sight of him, some of the tension left Li Yuanji’s face. He shifted his body, clearly intending to leave his seat.

But Mingyu had no intention of letting him get away. He stepped half a pace closer to Li Yuanji and shouted, “Fourth Uncle, be careful! There is an assassin!”

As he spoke, he slapped the scabbard of his saber. The Hongming Blade sprang out more than half a foot.

“Fourth Uncle, rest assured. With me here, I will guarantee your safety! But you would be wise to remain seated and watch the show. You know how sharp my Hongming Blade is. If a fight breaks out and I happen to injure you by mistake, that would be rather unfortunate.”

His words were courteous enough, but the threat beneath them was unmistakable.

Li Yuanji’s expression stiffened. He cursed furiously in his heart, but Mingyu’s tone was clearly no joke. He did not dare move recklessly.

The newcomer was nervous as well. He hurriedly explained, “I am Yuwen Bao, Commander of the Guard in the Prince of Qin’s household.”

“Commander of the Guard? Then why were you hiding in the rear hall? Speak!”

Yuchi Jingde strode forward several paces and demanded an answer. The crane’s beak in his hand was less than half a foot from Yuwen Bao’s throat. If he thrust forward even slightly, it would pierce straight through the man’s neck.

Staring at the weapon so close to his face, Yuwen Bao swallowed hard.

“As for why I was hiding in the rear hall… well…”

As he spoke, he glanced uneasily toward Li Yuanji, seated in the place of honor.

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Li Yuanji’s face was dark, his eyes glittering with cold light. It seemed that if Yuwen Bao misspoke even once, the black-faced demon before him would not even need to act; the Prince of Qi would later have him hacked into pieces.

Fortunately, Yuwen Bao possessed a measure of quick wit. He hurriedly said, “Ah, it is… it is like this! I am a martial artist myself, and I have always been devoted to the study of combat. I heard that the renowned General Yuchi, who once seized a spear at Hulao Pass with a single whip, was here in the residence. I have long admired the general and wished to seek his instruction, perhaps learn a move or two. But I feared that the Prince of Qi would punish me for abandoning my post, so I could only hide in the side hall. I never expected the general to misunderstand…”

Even after he finished speaking, Yuwen Bao knew that his excuse made no sense whatsoever. But in his desperation, he had been unable to think of anything better. Beads of sweat the size of beans streamed down his forehead.

He stole another glance at the Prince of Qi. Li Yuanji’s face remained expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he thought.

Yuwen Bao groaned inwardly. This was disastrous. Who knew how the Prince of Qi would deal with him afterward?

The plan had seemed foolproof. How had it turned into this?

He had been hiding in the side hall, watching the Prince of Qi in secret. When he saw Li Yuanji about to drop the cup, he had been filled with excitement and prepared to rush out and act.

Who could have imagined that before he even made it outside, some young fellow would interfere? Not only had the boy caught the wine cup, he had also planted himself beside the Prince of Qi and refused to move even an inch. His hand remained on the hilt of his saber, his gaze never leaving Li Yuanji’s neck and the back of his head, as if he were measuring the best place to strike.

It appeared that the Prince of Qi had been taken hostage by the boy. How could Yuwen Bao dare act rashly?

He had hurriedly restrained the men who were about to rush out. In doing so, he had made too much movement, causing their armor to rattle and drawing Yuchi Jingde’s attention.

When Yuchi Jingde shouted, Yuwen Bao knew that he had been discovered and could no longer remain hidden. Yet he could not expose the ambushers. That would not only ruin the Prince of Qi’s great plan but also place the prince in grave danger.

With no other choice, he ordered his men to remain concealed and stand ready. Then he walked out himself, hoping to muddle through and find an opportunity to rescue the Prince of Qi.

“Rubbish! Do you take me for a three-year-old child? You are fully armed, with a sharp blade hanging at your waist, and you were hiding in the side hall. It is perfectly obvious that you intended to do something treacherous!”

Yuchi Jingde was no fool. He could tell that Yuwen Bao was stammering and spinning one outrageous lie after another. He did not believe a single word.

As Yuchi Jingde’s voice fell, the situation instantly reached an impasse.

Seeing the reactions of Mingyu and Yuchi Jingde, Li Shimin immediately understood what had happened. His gaze turned cold as he stared fixedly at Li Yuanji, his mind racing for a way out.

At this point, there was no meaning in investigating why Li Yuanji had betrayed him. The urgent matter was finding a way to escape safely from the Prince of Qi’s residence, this den of dragons and tigers. Everything else would have to wait until they were out of danger.

Fortunately, Mingyu had, intentionally or otherwise, “taken” Li Yuanji hostage, leaving the ambushers wary of acting rashly.

For the moment, although both sides understood the truth, neither had openly torn away the mask. A final shred of dignity remained between them.

To break the stalemate, Mingyu absolutely could not move. The instant Li Yuanji escaped his control, the ambushers would have no more scruples. They would rush out at once. No matter how skilled the few men might be, two fists could not withstand four hands, and even the greatest hero could not overcome sheer numbers. The Prince of Qi’s vast residence housed seven or eight hundred guards. If the two sides truly fell out and all restraint vanished, with everyone charging forward at once, then even if the Hegemon King himself returned to life, Xiang Yu reborn would still face nothing but death.

Li Shimin’s thoughts raced. Suddenly, he threw back his head and laughed.

“Jingde, you are being far too tense! I believe General Yuwen Bao is telling the truth. We are all martial artists, and when we encounter a true expert, it is only natural to feel the urge to exchange a few moves. Come, come! Why not invite General Yuwen to sit down and drink with us while we discuss the martial arts?”

Li Shimin’s laughter loosened the frozen atmosphere.

Li Yuanji understood immediately as well. He gave two dry laughs, clapped his hands, and echoed, “Exactly, exactly. My Commander of the Guard, Yuwen Bao, is a true martial arts fanatic. He loves nothing more than comparing his skills with others. Second Brother, why not let Yuwen Bao and General Yuchi have a friendly match right here in the Dewdrop Hall? It would certainly add to the enjoyment of our wine.”