Li Zhi’s demeanor

While Li Shimin was presiding over the investigation, Li Zhi was also analyzing the case with Fang Xuanling and the others. They had already concluded that the group behind the assassination attempt was composed of forces that once clustered around the temples. They even suspected that officials from the court might have been involved, for Li Zhi’s movements had been tracked with uncanny precision. The perpetrators were able to lay their plans in advance, even for Li Zhi’s departure from the palace to the marketplace, indicating that someone was stationed between the imperial city and the palace—an area forbidden to ordinary citizens.

Next, they analyzed who might be most likely to leak information. It did not take long for them to unanimously agree that the most probable suspects were the palace guards on duty that day. With this conclusion, the rest became much simpler: they needed only to identify who was stationed at each post at the time, and could then dig deeper.

Having set their initial target, they decided at once to relay this information to Li Shimin. After all, every lead increased their chances of exposing the mastermind. The task of reporting to Li Shimin naturally fell to Fang Xuanling and his colleagues, while Li Zhi himself spent the entire night beside the grievously wounded guard.

The man’s injuries were dire; Li Zhi was uncertain whether the alcohol he used for disinfecting would prove effective. For the first half of the night, the guard’s vital signs remained stable, allowing Li Zhi’s taut nerves to relax slightly. He believed the surgery had been a complete success.

Liu An, who had refused to rest, stood nearby and urged, “Your Highness, it’s late. Yang Gang’s wounds seem to be out of danger. You should rest a while.” Li Zhi shook his head. “I’m not sleepy yet. You should rest first.” Seeing that his persuasion failed, Liu An simply shook his head and stayed as well.

As the night wore on, sleepiness began to assail them both, and they yawned incessantly. Liu An was about to urge Li Zhi again when he suddenly noticed Yang Gang, on the sickbed, shaking his head violently and muttering deliriously. At this, Li Zhi’s drowsiness vanished. He quickly reached out to touch Yang Gang’s forehead, and his expression changed at once—Yang Gang was burning with fever.

Li Zhi wasted not a moment. He dashed out to call for a basin of well water and swiftly fetched a block of saltpeter to make ice. The herbal medicine, already prepared, was reheated and administered with the help of a guard. Li Zhi crushed the ice, wrapped it in cotton cloth, and repeatedly wiped Yang Gang’s body, the best cooling method available under the circumstances.

With only one good hand, Liu An could do little to help, and watched anxiously from the side. Li Zhi alternated between wiping and checking Yang Gang’s temperature, occasionally replacing the ice. Throughout the second half of the night, Yang Gang’s condition showed little improvement; in desperation, Li Zhi forced another bowl of herbal medicine down his throat.

By dawn, Duan Shizi and the wounded Chai Long arrived at the surgery room. When they saw Li Zhi had personally kept vigil over Yang Gang all night, they exchanged a look of satisfaction. For men steeped in the ways of the Jianghu, death itself was not frightening; what they feared more was following a leader of questionable character, wasting their loyalty in vain. Seeing Li Zhi’s dedication, they believed he would treat them with the same care.

At that moment, Duan Shizi finally resolved to remain by Li Zhi’s side alongside Chai Long. Li Zhi, unaware that his actions had moved Duan Shizi, was carefully grinding a salve with anti-inflammatory properties, preparing to change Yang Gang’s dressing once more—the last method he could think of, for he had no means to produce antibiotics.

Heaven rewards the diligent. After Li Zhi’s efforts, Yang Gang’s temperature finally returned to normal, and Li Zhi, tense through the night, could finally relax. Soon sleep overtook him without warning.

Duan Shizi silently observed Li Zhi. From the attack the previous day to this moment, Li Zhi had shown none of the anxiety or panic expected of a child. He calmly managed the aftermath and tended to the wounded, discussed the case with ministers, and vigilantly guarded Yang Gang through the night. Duan Shizi could not fathom how Li Zhi was capable of all this.

Yet he knew that few adults in the realm could have done as much. Duan Shizi carried the sleeping Li Zhi back to his chamber, then gazed deeply at the boy, feeling a measure of admiration.

Li Zhi did not know how long he slept. He was roused by the sound of suppressed weeping. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Empress Zhangsun seated beside him, quietly sobbing. Li Zhi scrambled up from the bed and called, “Mother.”

Empress Zhangsun, seeing him awake, embraced him tightly, unable to contain her tears any longer. The previous day, after arranging everything, she had wanted to come to him but feared interfering with the investigation, so she waited anxiously in the palace for news. Only after Li Shimin returned at midnight to explain the situation did she manage a brief rest. Early that morning, she rushed over, only to learn that Li Zhi had been busy all night and had just fallen asleep.

Li Zhi slept the entire day, and Empress Zhangsun wept several times by his side. After half a day, Li Zhi finally soothed her and shared breakfast with her. During the meal, he wished to check on Yang Gang but was informed by Liu An that Sun Simiao and Sun Huipu had already attended to him.

Even so, after bidding farewell to Empress Zhangsun, Li Zhi returned to the surgery room and found Sun Simiao and Sun Huipu still present. He greeted them respectfully and, somewhat anxious, asked, “How is Yang Gang? Is his life still in danger?”

To his surprise, both men bowed deeply to him. Sun Simiao explained, “Your Highness’s method of treating external wounds is truly wondrous. Countless soldiers and citizens of our Tang will owe their lives to it.” Sun Huipu continued, “Yang Gang’s survival has fully attested to the efficacy of this method. The Imperial Academy of Medicine will henceforth establish a specialized department for traumatic injuries.”

Hearing this, Li Zhi could not help but smile in relief.