Chapter Ninety: Bestowal of Honors

The next day at noon, ten li east of the eastern gate of Chang'an, at the long pavilion.

Li Chengqian stood outside the pavilion with a host of palace attendants, beaming with delight. Wine had already been prepared within, waiting only for Li Kong's return so that they might drink together and bring this campaign to a perfect close.

The sound of hoofbeats rang out, and a swift horse came galloping up. When it had drawn to within less than a hundred meters of Li Chengqian, the soldier on its back leaped down in one fluid motion and called out loudly, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, General Li has returned!”

As if answering the soldier's words, a rolling cloud of dust rose in the distance, and at its head, a lone figure surged forward at thunderous speed.

Li Chengqian laughed aloud and strode a few steps forward, calling out, “Strike up the music! Welcome the soul of our army!”

For a swift horse, several thousand meters were but the blink of an eye. Soon Li Chengqian saw Li Kong on horseback, and a warm smile spread across his face.

Toward Li Kong, Li Chengqian felt both gratitude and respect. If not for Li Kong, he did not know whether his own fate would have changed, but it was certain that his life would not be as comfortable as it was now. Not only were father and son affectionate and the household harmonious, but he also no longer had to weigh every action with such caution; compared with the past, things were better by who knew how many times.

And Li Kong would become his brother-in-law as well? The thought made Li Chengqian smile. Because of their age, he had always called him brother. After Li Kong and Changle were married, would Li Kong call him elder brother? The idea was genuinely something to look forward to.

Of course, Li Chengqian had also seen plenty of tales of hounds cooked after the hare is slain, but he had never thought such a thing would apply to Li Kong. Let alone in the reign of Zhenguan, even if he truly ascended the throne in the future, so long as Li Kong was willing to remain at his side, he would absolutely never do anything that betrayed him. Unless Li Kong committed some heinous and unforgivable crime—but was that possible?

Li Chengqian sneered at the thought.

Li Kong had also seen Li Chengqian by now, and a faint smile appeared on his face as well. With a forceful push, he sprang from his horse and landed steadily on the ground.

“It is I who should feel ashamed for troubling Your Highness to come out and greet me,” he said.

“Haha! Brother Kong has displayed his might over Liaodong, crushed the enemy's spirit, and shown those barbarians the glory of Great Tang's military power. It is only right that I should come to welcome you myself. Come now, I have already prepared wine. Let us empty this cup together, then enter the city to see Father Emperor!”

Li Chengqian was somewhat excited for a moment. Especially when he looked upon the more than ten thousand bound captives, his admiration for Li Kong only grew. He took Li Kong by the hand and led him toward the pavilion.

Beside him, an attendant glanced at the imperial edict in his hands, opened his mouth, then swallowed the words back helplessly. Yes, this sort of matter would be better left for the Crown Prince to handle himself. If he were to step forward now, the consequences would likely be unpleasant.

Li Kong noticed the attendant's movement and said with a wry smile, “Your Highness, there is an edict?”

Li Chengqian froze, then turned back to look at the attendant and slapped his own forehead. “Look at me. Hurry and bring the edict over.”

The attendant was overjoyed and quickly handed the edict to Li Chengqian. But Li Chengqian did not read it. Instead, he directly stuffed it into Li Kong's hands and said, “This is Father's reward—some for Brother Kong, some for the soldiers. Take it home later and look through it slowly. We'll drink first!”

Li Kong's expression darkened. Then he stepped back two paces and returned the edict to Li Chengqian, saying solemnly, “Your Highness, ritual must not be discarded.”

As he spoke, Li Kong even gave Li Chengqian a subtle wink. Li Chengqian instantly understood. If there were only the two of them here, anything would do; even if they tore up the edict, no one would say a thing.

But now there were not fewer than several thousand palace attendants and imperial guards present. Who could guarantee that all of them would keep their mouths shut? If this matter spread, it would be a tremendous blow to Li Chengqian's reputation, and even the impression Li Shimin had recently changed of him would suffer a considerable decline.

Li Chengqian shivered violently, cold sweat beading across his back. He clutched the edict tightly, looked up, and drew several deep breaths before finally calming himself once more. Then he turned toward the attendants and guards.

To his disappointment, however, when they met his gaze, those attendants and guards merely lowered their heads; not one gave him any reassurance.

At that moment, Li Kong suddenly stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “What just happened never occurred. If I learn that this matter has been spread abroad, this general will make you understand that my spear can not only slay foreign foes, but can also send you down to the Yellow Springs forever!”

“We understand. Everything the Crown Prince has just done was entirely in accordance with propriety!”

“...”

Under the gazes of Zhou Han and the others, and seeing the soldiers around them growing restless, the attendants immediately wilted.

As for the imperial guards, there was no need to worry about them. After all, they would not involve themselves in state affairs, and they already admired Li Kong beyond measure. Naturally, they would not offend him over such a trivial matter.

Li Chengqian let out a breath of relief and cupped his hands toward Li Kong. “Many thanks, Brother Kong.”

“We are brothers; why be so formal? Still, the edict must be proclaimed.” Li Kong respectfully stepped back several paces and knelt on one knee. Behind him, Zhou Han and the others also knelt in succession, and even Gao Huizhen and the bound captives knelt in neat unison.

Li Chengqian nodded, then opened the edict and said loudly, “By Heaven's command, it is decreed: Li Kong, vice commander of the Eagle-Soaring Guard... as you have campaigned with skill and defended the mountains and rivers of Great Tang, your merit lies with the realm and the state. You are hereby specially ennobled as Viscount of Changle County and promoted to deputy commander of the Left Might Guard. The rest shall all receive rewards.

“Further: I have heard that Gao Huizhen, the only son of the Nangnosa of Goguryeo, has abandoned darkness and chosen the light. He is hereby specially appointed as a guard officer of the Left Might Guard, and all the others shall be permitted to settle within Great Tang.

“By this order, pardon granted!”

When the edict had been proclaimed, Gao Huizhen awoke as if from a dream and looked at Li Chengqian before him with excitement written all over his face. As the son of the Southern Nangnosa, he knew the military ranks of Great Tang very well. A guard officer was someone capable of independently commanding troops. Just like Li Kong—he was already a guard officer, able to lead up to ten companies in battle, that is, five thousand men.

Above the guard officer rank were the deputy commander, general, and grand general. In Goguryeo before, he had been nothing more than a commoner. Others had called him General Gao out of courtesy, but everyone knew what that meant.

But now, he could loudly tell everyone that he was a general in earnest. Who would dare deny it? They could first ask whether the Emperor of Great Tang agreed.

The Goguryeo soldiers who had followed Gao Huizhen were also overjoyed. From now on, they would be people of Great Tang? Some even pinched themselves in disbelief, and only when the bone-deep pain reached their minds did they realize that it was all true. Many shed tears because of it, causing the nearby soldiers of Great Tang to look on with proud satisfaction.

As for Li Kong, he was a little dazed. Viscount of Changle County? Had he completely taken over Li Lizhi's fiefdom? What exactly was Li Shimin doing?