Chapter 42: Expulsion from the City and Contemplation in Isolation (Part Two)

The second watch of the night. The long street was desolate, with a cold moon hanging like a hook.
Chang'an City was already under curfew, and the bustling city of the daytime appeared particularly gloomy and dreary at this moment. Outside the gates of various wards, red or white paper lanterns were hung, emitting dim light. The northern wind howled, causing the lanterns to sway back and forth beneath the eaves.

Aside from pairs of Imperial Insignia Guards patrolling against the night curfew, there were only occasional night watchmen passing by, carrying small lanterns and beating battered copper gongs or wooden clappers. Their shivering shadows would appear briefly before vanishing into the darkness, while the slow, listless sounds of their gongs and clappers gradually faded away in the wind.

Beneath the white jade stone balustrade in front of the Taiji Hall, several lanterns cast a faint halo of light, illuminating a group of young men dressed in brocade and fine furs kneeling in a row.

These scions, usually arrogant and unrestrained, were now all shivering in the biting cold wind. Not a single trace of their former swagger remained; they hung their heads despondently, sniffing and sneezing, their young faces paler than if they had been caked with powder.

That was not all. Stationed behind them was a squad of robust imperial guards wearing black helmets and white tassels, each holding a leather whip. If any youth's limbs grew numb and stiff from maintaining a single posture for too long, and he could not help but move slightly, a whip would lash fiercely across his spine. The blows made these habitually overbearing scions gasp in pain, yet none dared utter a harsh word, forced instead to endure it with bitter expressions.

Prince Wei, Li Tai, fared somewhat better. He wore a black bear-fur cloak sent to him by a palace eunuch, wrapping his plump body tightly, and held a small brass hand warmer in his hands, the soothing warmth driving away the piercing cold.

He was not kneeling either; instead, he stood on his feet, occasionally stretching his limbs, and no guard would come around to lash him with a whip.

Even so, Prince Wei Li Tai felt his face burning in waves amidst the biting cold wind.

How humiliating...

To think of him, Prince Wei Li Tai, who had always presented an image of intelligence and virtue, praised by the entire imperial court as "graceful and magnanimous, possessing the demeanor of a true sovereign, and moving with the posture of a dragon and tiger"—yet now, he was being punished to stand here like a naughty child alongside this bunch of brats. Passing officials all cast mocking glances at him, and many even barely suppressed their smiles. One could easily imagine that within a single night, this incident would spread throughout Chang'an, becoming idle chatter for bored gossips after their meals.

Li Tai felt an extreme depression in his heart, feeling not only deeply annoyed by the reckless Fang Jun, but also harboring slight grievances toward Emperor Taizong.

How big of a deal was it? A few scoldings would have sufficed; or at worst, shutting the door and giving them a couple of beatings was no big deal either. Was there any need to make such a grand, public fuss? Wasn't this openly stripping away a man's face?

With dissatisfaction in his heart, his expression naturally grew even gloomier.

Chai Lingwu saw this clearly from the side, gritted his teeth, and said hatefully, "For us to be so utterly humiliated is all the fault of that blockhead Fang Er! Your Highness, rest assured, I will never let him off!"

Li Tai gave him a speechless glance, saying nothing out loud, but his eyes clearly conveyed: *Who will you never let off? You were knocked flat to the ground in a single exchange; all you're good at is barking.*

That gaze, filled with utter contempt, instantly made Chai Lingwu flush red with embarrassment, causing him to harbor a deep, unyielding grudge against Fang Jun in his heart.

At this moment, several high-ranking officials hurried in from outside Chengtian Gate. Passing right by this group of scions, they didn't even spare them a glance, walking straight into the brightly lit Taiji Hall.

A wave of commotion instantly rippled through the group of youths.

Li Siwen shivered his shoulders and said with a bitter expression, "We're done for. My dad is here..."

Fang Jun was equally speechless. "My dad is here too."

Chai Lingwu spat onto the ground in vexation. His own father hadn't come, because he was already dead... The one who came was his eldest brother, Chai Zhewei, who had inherited the title of the Duke of Qiao. This eldest brother of his had a stern and rigid temperament, and ordinarily detested Chai Lingwu's frivolous and idle ways. Whenever he caught him in the wrong, he would lecture him endlessly—and if lecturing wasn't enough, he would often resort to physical beatings right then and there...

Therefore, Chai Lingwu held an immense dread for this eldest brother of his.

The rest of the scions also sighed one after another, wearing gloomy expressions. Today's affair was unlikely to end well; leaving aside how His Majesty would deal with them, a harsh family punishment awaited them the moment they got home.

Regardless of their respective factions, at this moment, every single one of them felt an intense, unanimous resentment toward Emperor Taizong—bringing in the parents over the slightest infraction was utterly detestable...

********

Inside the Taiji Hall, it was brilliantly lit. One-foot-tall tallow candles filled the bronze lamp trees, their flames burning brightly. In each of the four corners of the grand hall stood a bronze incense tripod, the fragrant charcoal inside burning intensely. A faint fragrance mixed with heat seeped out from the gaps in the beast-patterned tripod lids, banishing the lingering chill and making the hall as warm as spring.

It was a stark contrast to the freezing world of ice and snow outside.

Because formal morning court sessions were not being held, two rows of low tables had been placed on both sides of the main hall where officials usually stood during audiences. Wine pots sat upon the tables, accompanied by several delicate pastries.

Emperor Taizong sat squarely upon the imperial throne. He was not wearing formal court attire, but rather a plain cyan brocade robe. His tiger-like eyes swept across the officials before him, his expression as heavy as water, emanating an unangered majesty.

"Regarding today's matter, how do you all think it should be handled?"

The Emperor's tone was calm, yet his voice contained a simmering anger.

A bunch of imperial relatives, nobles, and descendants of meritorious officials had actually started a massive brawl in the tranquil sanctuary of the Buddhists, making a chaotic and scandalous mess of the place—what kind of decorum was this! Although Emperor Taizong was not particularly fond of Buddhism either, it was still a public place, and the fallout from this incident was extremely bad!

A silence fell over the great hall, and all the officials felt rather awkward.

They had already finished dinner at their respective manors, washed up, and were just waiting to embrace their wives or concubines in their chambers to discuss the grand principles of human relations and experience the profound joys of intimacy, only to be summoned into the palace one by one by the Emperor and learn of the incident at Qingyuan Temple.

Having one's own child cause trouble and get publicly named and criticized by the boss was somewhat embarrassing...

Nobody knew what to say.

After a moment of silence, Fang Xuanling had no choice but to step forward and report, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the state has its laws and the family has its rules; naturally, they should be punished according to the legal code."

Holding the actual power of a prime minister as the Vice-Director of the Secretariat and standing at the head of the civil officials, he had no choice but to step out first and state his position.

Once he took the lead, the others chimed in one after another, stating that the offenders should indeed be dealt with according to the law without any complaints.

Complaints? Far from it!

At this moment, these officials wished they could rush out there themselves and beat their own good-for-nothing sons half to death. Bringing shame upon them in front of the Emperor—they deserved a beating!

Yet Emperor Taizong merely sneered.

Punish them according to the law?

Gathering mobs to cause trouble, fighting, and disturbing the peace—if judged strictly by the *Tang Code*, it meant public flogging with a heavy stick followed by exile to the military frontiers.

If they were truly punished in such a manner, rumors would inevitably spread among the city wards accusing him of "treating the descendants of meritorious officials harshly."

Such a foolish thing Emperor Taizong would certainly not do. He kicked the ball right back.

"Jiejie, you will oversee this matter jointly with the Chang'an County magistrate. Flog those who deserve a flogging, and exile those who deserve exile."

Cheng Zhijie was dozing off with half-closed eyes. Hearing this, he gave a start and frantically shook his head like a rattling drum. "No, no! A few days ago, my stomach was bloated and dry, and my bowels wouldn't move, so I drank jar after jar of honey water. But it backfired, and now things are moving a bit *too* well—I have to go to the outhouse a dozen times a day... Oh, here it comes again! Your Majesty, let this subject retire to the latrine first..."

Emperor Taizong's face turned completely dark. This old ruffian... Yet there was nothing he could do with him. He could only wave his hand in disgust as Cheng Zhijie clutched his stomach and scurried out of the hall like a puff of smoke.

The officials were long accustomed to Cheng Zhijie's shameless behavior and didn't mind it much, but in their hearts, they understood that the Emperor was genuinely angry now, making them somewhat apprehensive.

Seeing that the Emperor's expression was growing worse by the moment, everyone knew that passing the buck no longer worked. Exchanging glances, Li Ji finally stepped forward.

Li Ji was forty-two years old, with fair skin touched by the dust of the road, a slightly pointed chin that gave him a lean look, and a sparse, neat beard. His demeanor was refined and clear, making him look more like a scholar well-read in poetry and books rather than a renowned general skilled in archery and cavalry who could lead charges at the vanguard. However, his pair of sword-like brows, prominent cheekbones, and broad forehead carried a calm and resolute expression.

He stepped forward, bowed to Emperor Taizong, and said, "Though this matter is not a major affair, it is far-reaching and has an extremely bad influence, which will surely stir up endless gossip in the streets. Yet if they are punished too severely, I fear it might damage the pristine reputation of Prince Wei... In this subject's view, why not order each household to confine the individuals involved to their estates for a few months? Once time passes and the situation cools, the impact will naturally fade away..."

Emperor Taizong sighed inwardly. This Li Ji was truly quick-witted and had already guessed his intentions.

He *did* intend to punish them severely; if these scoundrels weren't taught a lesson, there was no telling how lawless they might become in the future.

Yet if he punished them harshly, it would inevitably hurt the prestige of Prince Wei Li Tai.

For this son, Emperor Taizong held high hopes, and naturally, he was unwilling to clip his wings so easily.

After a brief contemplation, Emperor Taizong said, "Since that is the case, banish these scoundrels to their respective family manors outside the city. For the space of one month, they are not permitted to return!"