gnovel Chapter 69 How to Save Li Jun's Life
Chapter 69 How to Save Li Jun's Life
After returning from the palace, Li Shoujie used the excuse of not wanting to cause trouble to stay at Wang Lu's residence. However, he remained restless and brooding ever since his return. It was late at night, and he had even drunk some wine after returning from the palace.
Knock, knock, knock—a knocking sound came from outside the door.
"Come in."
As soon as the door opened, Xiao Tao was standing outside holding a plate of things. She said in a clear voice, "Young Master Li, this is a hangover soup that my master asked me to bring you."
As she spoke, Xiao Tao came in by herself, put down the hangover soup, and immediately closed the door. She then hurriedly hugged Li Shoujie and said, "Young Master, I think I've been exposed."
"Were we exposed?"
"The matriarch of the Wang residence has a very sharp eye and has already become suspicious of me. This day, after making inquiries from various sources, I confirmed that she has sent someone to bring over the prostitute who vouched for me in the brothel that day. What should we do? Young master, when are we going back to Luzhou?"
"this……"
Li Shoujie frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I will set off back to Luzhou tomorrow, but you stay here."
"Me? But, but I'll be exposed! Besides, now that you've gone back, what's the point of me staying here?"
When they first came to infiltrate, they never thought it would be a long-term mission. They originally planned to stay with Wang Lu for only a few days and take him back after Li Shoujie returned to Luzhou.
This was Li Shoujie's personal maid, who was very valuable even to him. His original intention was to gather information, so he did things rather carelessly. If he had investigated, he would have at least found something amiss.
"It's alright. I'll take the initiative to find him before I leave, apologize, and explain your situation. Consider the alum and coal as compensation."
"Ah? This...why is that? If the young master were to be completely honest with him, what use would I be if I stayed by his side? How could I possibly gather any information?"
"I'm not trying to gather information." Li Shoujie shook his head and said, "Xiao Tao, my father is very likely to rebel again. This time, I'm even more certain that Zhao Kuangyin has won the hearts of the people and has the potential to be a wise ruler. If our family really rebels, we might face the confiscation of our property and the extermination of our entire clan."
"If you come back with me, you might also become a victim of the sword. On the other hand, Lord Wang Lu is the sworn brother of the Third King and has the ability to turn stones into gold. He is sure to have a bright future. If you stay by his side..."
"What are you saying, young master? I am a member of the Li family, and I have long been yours. If the entire Li family is exterminated, how can I possibly survive? I am willing to live and die with you, young master. Please do not abandon me."
"You... well, never mind. But the reason I let you stay by Lu Ge'er's side isn't just because of this."
"Why is that?"
"I... This time I returned to Luzhou, naturally I will try my best to persuade my father not to raise an army. But if I cannot dissuade him and he insists on going his own way, I heard that if the court is indeed going to conquer Luzhou, Lu Ge'er will follow the Third King and join the army."
"Young master asked me to gather military intelligence?"
"No, I mean... I want you to stay in his army for liaison purposes. If my father really rebels, for the sake of my entire Li family of over forty people, and for the sake of the people of Luzhou, I must do something."
"You are my personal maid, and many generals in the Zhaoyi Army know you. You are the most suitable person to do this. He is the sworn brother of the Third King and I also know him. You are the best choice for us to surrender to the Song Dynasty."
Xiao Tao's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"Xiao Tao, the lives of all forty-two members of the Li family now rest on your shoulders. We can't let my father ruin them all on his own."
Zhao Kuangyin possesses the qualities of a wise and virtuous ruler. With Qin Gui's coal and iron smelting underway, the good days for the people of Hedong and indeed the entire world are not far off. This is the mandate of Heaven, do you understand?
"Xiao Tao doesn't understand anything, but as long as it's something you want to do, I'll risk my life and never let you down."
"Okay, okay, okay, is Lu-ge'er asleep?"
"Not yet."
"Then let's go find him now."
Immediately, the two of them took the initiative to find Wang Lu and confessed everything to him.
Wang Lu's expression wasn't particularly surprised. He nodded in realization and said, "So that's how it is. So Xiao Tao is actually the personal maid of the young marshal of the Zhaoyi Army. No wonder she's so outstanding. Hahaha, it's not surprising now."
"Did Brother Lu have already guessed this?"
Wang Lu laughed and said, "I have some doubts, mainly because your accents are too similar, and you both have a bit of a Taiyuan accent. It's just that we didn't know each other when I asked for Xiao Tao, so I can hardly believe that Brother Li would be so willing to part with her."
Li Shoujie could only smile wryly: "Brother Lu, please forgive my foolishness. I will offer you a batch of alum as an apology."
Wang Lu waved his hand: "If you're still alive two months from now, it's not too late to apologize. It's rare that you're so understanding. The question now is, if you really can't persuade your father, what do you plan to do?"
"I... to be honest, I haven't thought it through yet. Has Brother Lu given me any advice?"
Wang Lu thought for a moment and said, "Brother Li, we are friends, and if there is an opportunity, I hope to cooperate with you in the long term. I really hope to pay you back for the alum and coal you gave me on credit."
If your father were to rebel, he would certainly lead his army to attack Zezhou. Brother Li, are you confident that you can become the garrison commander of Luzhou?
"Yes, does Brother Lu want me to surrender Luzhou? That's no problem."
Wang Lu shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "If it's just surrendering Luzhou City, at most it can only be considered as making amends for your crimes and saving your family from death. It's not a merit, and your father, Li Jun, is definitely going to die."
Li Shoujie smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "It's already difficult enough to save the lives of my whole family, how dare I ask for anything else?"
As for my father, if he were to truly rebel against the Song Dynasty, for his own personal ambition, he would be plunging the entire Zhaoyi Army, and even the entire Hedong region, into injustice.
If Your Majesty could execute him for only one day and spare the rest of my family, that would already be a great act of benevolence. I dare not even dream of anything else.
"Foolish!" Wang Lu scolded, "Grand Commandant Li is your own father. You abandoned him, surrendered the city, and ultimately caused his death and execution. How can you live with yourself? This is unfilial, do you know that?"
"Huh?" Li Shoujie was taken aback, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Brother Lu, do you perhaps have some better plan to save my father's life? But if my father has already rebelled, how can he possibly save his life?"
"Your father raised an army, but is the Zhaoyi Army alone enough? Doesn't he need to collude with the Northern Han? Brother Li, you need to broaden your thinking. Who said your father was truly plotting a rebellion? Why can't he have feigned rebellion to deceive Liu Jun?"