Within the Inner Garden, Li Shimin watched the youth Xue Li standing there with his head lowered, and quickly came to an understanding.
Xue Li was only sixteen years old. How could he already have a zi (courtesy name)?
Among princes and the imperial clan, it was customary to bestow a courtesy name before coming of age. But Xue Li's biological father had died when he was still young. With his family fortunes having declined, there would have been no elder to oversee such matters. A courtesy name before adulthood would have had neither a source nor a need.
Seen this way, Xue Rengui's life before meeting me must truly have been difficult. A divine general of his caliber, driven by circumstances to study geomancy and fengshui just to survive.
But now—
Not only would I have him focus on military formations, I would have him master both civil and martial arts.
As for those theories of fengshui—he must stay as far away from them as possible.
These thoughts passed through Li Shimin's mind alone. No one else was aware of them.
As a result, the Inner Garden fell into a strange silence.
Xue Li kept his head lowered, still puzzling over why this "Rengui" was not speaking. He had wanted to see the man's archery, after all.
Then he felt the young eunuch tugging at his sleeve.
"Xue-langjun, His Majesty is calling you. Why do you not respond?"
The attendants nearby all felt a sharp pang of envy.
Why didn't His Majesty ask them instead?
Was the Emperor's archery even in doubt? A few well-placed compliments—piercing the willow at a hundred paces, every shot finds its mark, never loosing in vain—say a few pleasing words, make His Majesty happy, and wouldn't one's future be secured?
At this moment, Xue Li's heart jolted again and again.
His Majesty?
He had met the Emperor just like this?
That Qin Prince Li Shimin?
With no further hesitation, Xue Li honestly clasped his hands and said,
"Your Majesty, this commoner's surname is Xue, given name Li. I do not know the origin of the name Rengui."
Li Shimin replied simply,
"Only by valuing ren (benevolence) does one rise above the beasts, and only thus does one possess li (propriety)."
"Since your given name is Li, you must know the value of ren. Therefore, I bestow upon you the courtesy name Rengui."
This time, no eunuch needed to remind him. Xue Rengui immediately clasped his hands and gave thanks. To receive a courtesy name bestowed by the Emperor was no ordinary honor.
Questions filled Xue Rengui's heart, but Li Shimin once more asked that same question:
"Rengui, what do you think of this archery?"
To everyone's surprise, faced with this simple question, Xue Rengui requested permission, and upon receiving it stepped forward. He touched the shield, pulled out an arrow to weigh it in his hand, even reached out to feel Li Shimin's powerful bow, and only then replied,
"Very strong."
"I could do it as well."
In an instant, the surrounding attendants felt themselves tragically unrecognized talents.
Why did His Majesty not ask us?
All those phrases—a hundred paces through the willow, a hundred shots, a hundred hits, string never loosed in vain, arrow never misses—were already spinning in their minds. Even the names of legendary archers—Ji Chang, Yang Youji, Zhangsun Sheng, Li Guang—were ready on their tongues.
And this Xue Rengui, who had just been granted a courtesy name, dared to block His Majesty like this?
Then they saw the Emperor laugh heartily and hand over the treasured bow.
"Rengui, come and try."
Xue Rengui licked his lips, hastily clasped his hands in thanks, and eagerly took the bow.
Beside him stood a fulu arrow quiver (a ceremonial quiver), arrowheads exposed, each shaft gleaming coldly.
Xue Rengui felt even more satisfied. With a casual reach, he plucked out an arrow. Drawing the bow and setting the arrow flowed in one seamless motion. With just a single glance—
The arrow shot forth like thunder.
Just as with Li Shimin's shot, most of the shaft buried itself into the shield—indeed, it surpassed the Emperor's earlier arrow.
During this process, Li Shimin fixed the surrounding Jinwu Guards with a stern gaze, forcing back the faintly encircling formation.
From the way their hands rested on the ceremonial sabers at their waists, it was clear that with a single order from the Son of Heaven, they would have swarmed forward and chopped this audacious youth into mincemeat.
After ordering the guards back with only his eyes, Li Shimin saw the pride on Xue Rengui's face and could not help but smile.
So he was still a boy at heart—gain a little success, and he wanted to show it to everyone.
But that kind of mindset was precisely what made things more interesting to temper.
Li Shimin immediately ordered,
"Bring forth my Heavenly Strategy General bow and arrows."
What finally appeared before Xue Rengui was a massive set of bow and arrows, at least thirty percent larger than the treasured bow just used.
The arrows were likewise thicker and longer, with four fletchings at the tail. Each arrow bore the four lacquered characters: Tiance Shangjiang (Heavenly Strategy General—Li Shimin's former supreme military title).
Truly imposing.
Xue Rengui marveled inwardly.
This time, Li Shimin stood aside with courteous ease, gesturing for Xue Rengui to act freely.
The sixteen-year-old youth almost could not wait to lift the enormous bow.
Yet the moment he held it, he realized the difficulty. The bow was immense, the force required unfamiliar; both bow and arrow were heavier, demanding far greater strength.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled with all his might, barely managing to aim. When he finally released, he staggered a step, then quickly looked up—
The giant arrow had pierced clean through the shield.
"Not bad," Li Shimin said lightly.
"Still far from me."
He returned Xue Rengui's earlier evaluation verbatim.
Faced with the young man's unconvinced expression, the Emperor laughed loudly. Taking the massive bow, he signaled the Jinwu Guards to stack three shields together, placing them ten paces behind the one Xue Rengui had pierced.
With practiced ease, he braced the bow at his waist and drew.
The giant arrow became a streaking meteor, effortlessly piercing all three shields, its momentum unspent as it pinned itself deep into the wall beyond.
Xue Rengui's mouth fell open.
Li Shimin appeared relaxed and unhurried as he said,
"When I campaigned against Liu Heita, there was a fierce Turkic general under him. At Feixiang, he charged straight at me. With this bow and arrow, I slew him with a single shot."
"The Turk bandit fell the instant the string thrummed, his body pierced clean through by the arrow."
"And then?" Xue Rengui asked instinctively. To him, battlefield formations were still a foreign concept.
"And then?" Li Shimin smiled faintly.
"His troops refused to submit. Three generals charged together, thinking to take advantage of my lack of a spear."
"I loosed three arrows in succession. The bandits fell one after another. Terrified by the might of the arrows, they dared not advance again."
Xue Rengui's face was filled with admiration.
"It was not the arrows they feared, but Your Majesty's might."
Li Shimin burst into laughter. This little divine general knew how to flatter, after all.
After a moment's thought, Li Shimin spoke bluntly,
"Next year there will be an opportunity to strike the bandits. Would Rengui be willing to campaign with me?"
Though he had never imagined it before, Xue Rengui instantly understood what he needed to say. He immediately knelt.
"Li is willing to serve as the foremost soldier, to drive back the enemies of Great Tang!"
Li Shimin laughed heartily and pulled him up with one hand.
"More than merely repelling enemies, I wish for Rengui to expand Tang's borders and raise our might across foreign lands!"
A quarter-hour later, Xue Rengui left the palace gates with the treasured bow in his arms.
Turning back to look at the towering gates, his head felt dizzy.
All the thoughts he had carried from Hedong—of restoring the Xue family's glory—had completely faded from memory.
Now, as Xue Rengui touched the treasured bow in his arms and then the matching fulu arrow quiver hanging at his waist, there was only one thought in his mind:
I truly want to give my life in service to His Majesty.
When Xue Rengui returned to the relay station, the station clerk told him,
"You are already a student of the Guozijian (Imperial Academy). Hurry and move over there."
Xue Rengui knew this must have been His Majesty's arrangement, and his gratitude deepened.
His luggage and funds were pitifully meager. One could even say the only valuable possessions he had were the imperially bestowed bow and arrows—
And that little horse.
The horse itself was not particularly valuable, but having taken it across the Yellow River and the Wei River once, it had already eaten up nearly half his travel funds. No matter what, Xue Rengui was bringing it with him.
Since night had already fallen, he asked if he could stay one more night and go to the Guozijian the next day.
The clerk readily agreed. After all, there was a night curfew. If this Xue-langjun ran into trouble, it would be a headache.
That night, lying on his bed, Xue Rengui tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The day's experiences were more bizarre than the entirety of his previous sixteen years.
Family decline, summoned to the capital, audience with the Son of Heaven, bestowed a courtesy name, contest of archery, promise of military service, offering his life to Tang.
When the excitement faded, unease crept in. In the quiet of night, voices carried especially clearly.
Xue Rengui quietly got up, crouched by the door, and listened with held breath.
"What background does this Xue-langjun have, to be summoned by His Majesty?"
"Could it be…?"
"Impossible! How could His Majesty's offspring be left in Hedong?"
"Hey—careful what you say. I didn't say anything."
"What? Weren't you implying—"
"I meant, perhaps Xue-langjun's family once rendered great service to His Majesty."
"Hmph!"
The idle chatter outside ended on a sour note. Xue Rengui silently returned to his bed.
His father had rendered great service to His Majesty?
The idea was absurd.
Yet thinking back on today's events, it somehow did not seem entirely absurd after all.
That night, Xue Rengui was accompanied by winding, fantastical dreams.
The next morning, after a simple packing of his belongings, Xue Rengui asked the clerk for directions and headed straight for the Guozijian.
Along the roads of Chang'an at dawn, the aroma of breakfast foods filled the air. His growling stomach and his equally empty coin purse fought three hundred rounds.
In the end, his stomach won.
After asking the price, Xue Rengui cautiously sat down.
A dog leg, two meat balls, and a large bowl of steamed-bun soup. He ate until sweat beaded on his forehead, calling it immensely satisfying.
When it came time to pay, that satisfaction turned into a sharp pang of pain.
Belching contentedly, Xue Rengui arrived at the Guozijian to find it bustling with activity.
"Master Craftsman Yan is coming to lecture on the methods of glassmaking!"
Someone ran through the crowd shouting,
"Transparent glass is a fine achievement of Great Tang! Master Yan says it can benefit a thousand years—only one method is lacking. Whoever solves it will have their name recorded for eternity!"
At once, students surged in that direction.
After considerable effort, Xue Rengui finally stopped one person, presented his credentials, and asked where he was supposed to go.
It was a very large room. Surprisingly, there were not many students inside. Only one boy, much shorter than himself, was bent over, studying the massive sand table in the center.
It was only Xue Rengui's second day in Chang'an. He intended to listen more and speak less, so he simply focused on examining the sand table. Before long, he understood—it depicted the terrain of Longyou.
In the lower right corner was a strikingly marked Chang'an.
West of Longyou—
Xue Rengui searched his memory. He recalled that there were barbarians in that region as well. Their name seemed to be… Tuyuhun?
Could this be where military merit lay?
As he did not speak, the boy studying the sand table noticed him and immediately chirped out an introduction.
"I thought I'd be the only one in this newly opened military course at the Guozijian. Didn't expect to have a classmate!"
"May I ask your name, brother? Your bow is really fine-looking. It's a pity I'm not skilled in that art. I have some ability in calligraphy instead—do you know calligraphy?"
"Oh, right. My name is Pei Xingjian."