Contents
Chapter Twenty: Ten Thousand Reasons
Overview
After solitary, Li Shimin returns shaken and initially hostile, but Gao Yizhi confronts him and demands he sober up for Wu Zetian’s sake. In a tense standoff, Yizhi even seizes Li Shimin’s leash, forcing a choice. Li Shimin softens, acknowledging new reasons to change, while Yizhi pledges support.
Summary
Soldiers release Li Shimin from solitary; he looks worse than after battle, jittery and asking for a drink. Wu Zetian, bruised from the prior night’s assault, and Gao Yizhi, black-eyed from intervening, meet him with Sima Yi. When Sima Yi explains what happened, Li Shimin erupts, but Sima Yi reins him in and introduces Yizhi as Zetian’s protector.
Li Shimin awkwardly thanks Yizhi. Yizhi, nervous yet determined, pivots to strategy: he proposes helping Li Shimin detox, arguing their success depends on a sober pilot. Li Shimin shuts down and tries to leave.
Yizhi blocks him, asserting that spirit pressure reflects willpower and that Li Shimin has “ten thousand reasons” to try. When Li Shimin resists, Yizhi grabs his leash, triggering a charged face-off as soldiers ready their guns. Yizhi’s focus hardens; he insists that refusing to sober up would waste both Li Shimin’s and Wu Zetian’s power and be unfair to her.
Pressed, Yizhi appeals to Li Shimin’s longing for a true match, implying Zetian could be that partner. The plea lands: after a long silence, Li Shimin concedes, “It’s eighteen thousand reasons now,” signaling a shift in resolve. Yizhi declares he will help Li Shimin quit and become the best partner possible.
The moment ends with uneasy emotions for Zetian—gratitude, tension, and the promise of a complicated alliance among the three as they move toward a sober, stronger partnership.
Who Appears
- Gao YizhiConfronts Li Shimin, seizes his leash, and urges detox for Zetian’s sake; pledges ongoing support.
- Li ShiminReturns from solitary shaken and defensive; wavers under Yizhi’s appeal and acknowledges reasons to sober up.
- Wu ZetianBruised but present; observes the standoff and becomes the moral impetus for Li Shimin’s potential change.
- Sima YiMediator who restrains Li Shimin, vouches for Yizhi, and urges avoiding further trouble.