Preparing for the arrest

As the case of Li Zhi’s assassination shifted to a covert investigation, the two assassins who had been captured alive were soon announced to have died by suicide. In addition, Li Shimin deliberately ordered a grand investigation into Jingye Temple. After all, a proper show required the full performance. Since the adversaries sought to direct suspicion toward the temple, it was only fitting to play along and show them what they wished to see.

From then on, aside from a team personally overseen by Li Shimin, almost no one else knew of the investigation’s true progress. Even at Jingye Temple, after a cursory inspection of the personnel, the matter seemed to dissipate into nothing. To the citizens of Chang’an, it was as though they had only experienced a brief false alarm. Life within the city quickly returned to its former rhythm. Some officials, ignorant of the truth, even assumed that Li Zhi was not as important in the emperor’s heart as they had believed. Even Zhangsun Shunde, the Grand General of the Right Prow Guard, after some discreet inquiries, concluded that the incident had already blown over.

Yet, only two days later, Xing Tao anxiously summoned the group once more to the Cui family’s villa. The reason was that the man he had assigned to contact the assassins had disappeared. Upon hearing the news, Cui Yan asked nervously, “Was it not said that the court had ceased its investigation? How could this happen so suddenly?”

Zhangsun Shunde replied, “I have already sounded out my nephew, Zhangsun Wuji, and at present the court is indeed taking no action.” His words immediately eased much of the group’s anxiety. If Zhangsun Shunde’s connection to the Li family was not the closest, then Zhangsun Wuji certainly had the deepest access to the truth of the matter. Any news from his lips was far more credible.

Zheng De asked, “If so, how could such an important person vanish without warning?”

Xing Tao, leader of the Hidden Dragon Society, replied in a muffled tone, “There was no sign at all. I only discovered it when I tried to contact him.”

Someone interjected, “Leader Xing, do you know when exactly he disappeared?”

Xing Tao shook his head. “I’m not sure of the exact date. I only realized it when I tried to reach him.”

Upon receiving this news, anxiety spread among them. They hastily began to discuss preparations for what might come next—and how to escape if necessary.

Little did they know that several imperial agents were already lurking in the vicinity of the villa. The main individuals under surveillance were Zhangsun Shunde and Xing Tao. Li Shimin had found a breakthrough from the confessions of one of the assassins. Though the assassin did not know the ultimate mastermind, he recognized the man who had contacted them. This was essential, since after the deed, they would need to seek him out for their final payment.

The man in question bore the surname Lai, and as the third child in his family, he was called Lai Xiaosan. His family had been poor, and he never had the chance for an education. Since childhood, he drifted through the streets of Chang’an, and in time, joined the Hidden Dragon Society. Though he had no great abilities, he was adept at ingratiating himself with others. Thanks to his glib tongue, he soon found a place by Xing Tao’s side. He held little status, but with his sharp eyes, he handled many matters for Xing Tao—among them, the task of contacting the killers.

Aware of the gravity of the matter, Lai Xiaosan had not used his real identity when reaching out to the assassins. With funds provided by Xing Tao, he set up a small shop selling sacrificial goods, and used his guise as a shopkeeper to approach the killers. He believed this subterfuge sufficient to obscure his true identity, but he underestimated the caution of the assassins. After all, how could an ordinary shopkeeper so easily locate their contacts within Chang’an? A little investigation sufficed for them to uncover Lai Xiaosan’s background.

Once the imperial agents had identified Lai Xiaosan, it was not long before their attention shifted to Xing Tao. Through interrogating Lai Xiaosan, they also uncovered traces pointing toward the Right Prow Guard. On the day of the incident, there had been a small anomaly within the Right Prow Guard.

Investigating the duty roster for the city’s defenses was a simple matter: compare the deployment schedules with the day’s attendance records. Once Li Shimin did so, he discovered that two squads had swapped their shifts at the last minute. One team, originally assigned to the evening watch, was shifted to the next, and vice versa, on the grounds of a member’s request for leave.

Though such occurrences were not frequent, they were not unheard of. Zhangsun Shunde’s arrangements appeared entirely proper, for regulations required that if any member of a squad could not attend his post, the whole team should rotate. However, once the man on leave was linked to Lai Xiaosan, the matter took on a far more sinister aspect.

Li Zhi had left the palace just after the guards had switched shifts. During this interval, the guard who had taken leave met with Lai Xiaosan outside the palace. According to Lai Xiaosan’s confession, the plan had been meticulously laid. Besides the one guard, several others within the Right Prow Guard were involved, each on duty at different times and dates. Should Li Zhi leave the palace, word would immediately be sent out.

In other words, unless Li Zhi remained perpetually within the confines of the imperial city and palace, his life was in danger the moment he ventured into the outer city. Upon learning this, Li Shimin immediately suspected Zhangsun Shunde’s involvement, for only he could so freely orchestrate the deployment of the Right Prow Guard.

Li Shimin’s first impulse was to have Zhangsun Shunde and all the others arrested on the spot. Fortunately, Zhang Anan intervened, advising, “Your Majesty, there may yet be deeper machinations at play. It would be wise to observe a few days longer before acting.”

Thanks to this counsel, Li Shimin soon regained his composure. The surveillance over the following two days allowed the imperial agents to discover this secret gathering of Zhangsun Shunde and his associates. Upon receiving the report, Li Shimin resolved to arrest them immediately. He would personally interrogate Zhangsun Shunde.

When the villa was suddenly surrounded by imperial troops, the faces of Zhangsun Shunde and his companions blanched. Their guilty consciences led them to realize at once that their deeds had been exposed. This certainty was only confirmed when Li Shimin himself entered the villa—and Zhangsun Shunde fell to his knees the moment he beheld the emperor.