The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 227 Zoroastrianism
The two men were released from prison.

Zhang Guangsheng couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, Ji Wen privately interrogated him, which is against the law. Are you going to let him go just like that?"

"It can only be done this way." Li Heng sighed, "This is Chang'an. Father knows everything Ji Wen did. Even if I go to him, it won't have any impact on him. So why don't I give in and he gives in."

After hearing this, Zhang Guangsheng began to have some opinions about Li Longji.

He had heard before that Li Longji neglected state affairs and appointed treacherous ministers, but he was far away in the frontier and could not empathize with these things. After witnessing them with his own eyes in the past two days, he felt deeply touched.

Zhang Guangsheng was silent for a while, then muttered in a low voice: "If it was in Qixi, Your Highness would make such evil and cruel officials pay the price. Although Chang'an is extremely prosperous, it is not as comfortable as being in Qixi."

Li Ying didn't pay attention to what Zhang Guangsheng said because he saw a group of Sogdians wearing pure white clothes.

The Sogdians wore pure white clothes, representing that they were pure believers of Zoroastrianism.

Previously, Li Heng asked Zhang Guangsheng to investigate which Sogdians in Anxi Beiting had donated money to An Lushan. Among those found, there was a noble family from Gaochang who was involved in embezzling grain and participating in the assassination of him.

Therefore, he had a feud with some Zoroastrians.

Li Ying looked at a few of the Zoroastrians and asked Zhang Guangsheng, "They look so dusty and tired, it seems they came from far away."

Zhang Guangsheng nodded and looked around the streets.

The Dali Temple was located in Yiningfang, the western corner of the imperial city. They came out of the north gate of Yiningfang and looked west to see Kaiyuan Gate, which was one of the passages from the Western Regions to Chang'an.

Zhang Guangsheng speculated: "These people should have come from Hexi and Longyou. The Qianqiu Festival is approaching, the whole country is celebrating, and all nations are coming to pay tribute. Countless people are pouring into Chang'an."

"Yeah." Li Heng responded casually, paused, and said, "An Lushan also came to Beijing."

Zhang Guangsheng said, "These Zoroastrians are likely to go to see An Lushan. Your Highness, do you want to send someone to keep an eye on them?"

"Not for now. The Right Prime Minister will handle it. Let's take care of ourselves first," Li Heng thought, "I am more worried about He Jin at the moment."

He Jin is also a Sogdian and is now his major financial backer. If An Lushan has any evil intentions and uses religion to trick He Jin, it will be a great blow to him.

Thinking of this, Li Heng returned home immediately.

When I arrived at the mansion, I didn't see Aqisi and He Jin.

Li Ying asked the guard captain Shi Shouyi at the door, "Where are Aqisi and He Jin?"

Shi Shouyi replied, "Your Highness, the Zoroastrian wizard came to see He Jin and asked her to participate in the sacrifice. Princess Aqisi went with her."

"Did they say where to go for the sacrifice?" Li Ying asked hurriedly.

Shi Shouyi said: "I don't know."

Li Ying asked, "Which direction did they go?"

Shi Shouyi said: "South."

Zhang Guangsheng said, "If you go to the south, it is most likely Huaiyuanfang. Zoroastrians usually live in Huaiyuanfang."

Li Ying said, "Let's go to Huaiyuanfang."

To go to Huaiyuanfang, one had to pass through Xishi. When Li Ying and his party arrived at Xishi, they found that the road was blocked.

At this moment, the West Market was packed with people, blocking the roads.

The reason these people gathered together was because Xu Hezi, the number one female singer in the Tang Dynasty, was performing here.

Li Heng had no choice but to take a detour.

Go back to Zhuque Street, go south along Zhuque Street, then west, and enter from the west gate of Huaiyuanfang.

Li Ying found the Zoroastrian priest in Huaiyuanfang to inquire about the news, but the priest said that he had not sent anyone to invite He Jin.

Li Heng realized that something was wrong, but Chang'an was so big that he didn't know where to start.

Zhang Guangsheng said: "Your Highness, Princess Aqisi is a veteran. With her accompanying He Jin, nothing should go wrong." "Yes!" Li Ying reacted.

Aqi has led troops to fight for many years, and He Jin is not stupid either. With their IQ, they will not be easily deceived.

Thinking of this, Li Heng ran out of Huaiyuanfang, walked around Huaiyuanfang, and saw a string of familiar words under the stone pillar at the west gate of Huaiyuanfang.

This string of words was almost identical to the one Ayis left in the sand beside the Cher River. The only difference was that there was an extra direction.

Li Heng followed the directions and walked out of Yanping Gate.

Outside the Yanping Gate was a cemetery. It was in this cemetery that Li Siye and Hong Yue had previously trapped the remnants of the rebels with hidden fire bombs.

It was already night when Li Ying and his companions arrived at the cemetery.

The bright moonlight shines through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled pale light on the numerous graves. The autumn wind in early August is slightly chilly, and the cries of crows can be heard from time to time in the distance.

Zhang Guangsheng asked doubtfully, "Your Highness, are you sure Aqisi and He Jin would come to a place like this?"

"I think so." Li Heng's tone was not very sure, but he did not stop moving forward.

The group continued walking in the cemetery for less than half an hour when they suddenly heard the sound of fighting coming from the front.

"There really is someone here!" Zhang Guangsheng drew his weapon and guarded Li Ying.

Shi Shouyi and his guards quickly ran towards the fighting scene.

A moment later, Li Ying arrived at the scene.

In the moonlight, Li Heng saw more than a dozen corpses lying on the ground.

Most of these corpses were Zoroastrians in pure white robes, and the remaining three were guards of Aqi and He Jin.

On the side of the corpse, Aqisi protected He Jin behind her.

Shi Shouyi stepped forward and reported: "Your Highness, this is what it looked like when we arrived."

"Yeah." Li Ying responded and walked straight to Aqisi. Just as he was about to question Aqisi, he saw blood on her right breast, staining her clothes red.

Li Heng softened his tone and said, "Didn't I tell you to go back home and wait for me? Why did you come here?"

"Your Highness, are you worried about me?" Aqisi smiled at Li Ying, put down the knife, took out a bottle of golden wound medicine from her arms, and prepared to sprinkle it on the wound.

Li Heng said, "If you sprinkle it like this, the wound will easily get infected. You have to clean the wound first."

"Uh..." Aqisi was stunned for a moment, and said, "Let's stop the bleeding first and talk about it after we enter the city tomorrow."

"That's fine, but you can wash it with clean water first." Li Ying asked Zhang Guangsheng to bring a kettle and handed it to Aqisi, saying, "The water I drink is all boiled."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Aqisi took the kettle, handed it to He Jin, and said, "Miss He, please help me."

He Jin shrank back and said apologetically, "I...I faint at the sight of blood."

Upon hearing this, Aqisi and Li Ying looked at He Jin and saw that her face was extremely pale, which really looked like she was fainting from blood.

Aqisi turned to Li Ying and said with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you, Your Highness."

Li Ying hesitated and said, "Men and women should not touch each other."

Aqisi said: "We are all military personnel, we don't care about these things. Besides, the wedding date between Your Highness and I has been set. Does Your Highness want others to help me?"

When Aqisi said the word "others", Zhang Guangsheng, Shi Shouyi and others quickly turned around and retreated automatically.

Li Heng looked at Aqisi's wound again. Not wanting to waste time arguing with Aqisi, he had no choice but to agree.

(End of this chapter)