Chapter 63: Saving Yang or Killing Him?

In the imperial study of Daming Palace, Li Longji listened as Li Linfu persuaded him regarding a complaint submitted by the Censorate. The complaint, filed by Censor-in-Chief Wang Gong, accused Yang Shenjin, the Deputy Minister of Revenue, of hiding a sorcerer named Shi Jingzhong and studying prophecies in his private residence, with servants and stablehands as witnesses.
For Li Longji, it was unforgivable for a high official to collude with sorcerers. He had initially planned to appoint Yang Shenjin as Minister of Works, but this incident left him both angry and puzzled.
“Is the Prime Minister so certain of this? Does he truly believe Yang Shenjin would collude with sorcerers?”
Li Longji stared intently at Li Linfu, ensuring not to miss any of his expressions or movements.
Li Linfu calmly bowed and said, “Your Majesty, Yang Shenjin is a descendant of the former emperor Yang. As for whether he has intentions to practice sorcery, I dare not speculate. But I know Wang Gong well—he is cautious in his duties and never abuses his authority as a censor. If he has filed such a complaint, there must be evidence. If Your Majesty still has doubts, send people to search his residence to see if there are any sorcerer-related texts; the truth will become clear.”
Li Longji walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. He knew Wang Gong wouldn’t make unfounded accusations—Yang Shenjin must have some flaw exposed. Yet he hesitated to order a search of Yang Shenjin’s residence. He was aware that once a search began, problems would surely arise, and things might become irreversible. Sighing, Li Longji said, “Prime Minister, let me think more about this. I’ll give you an answer later.”
“I dare not insist. Please reconsider, Your Majesty. I shall retire.”
Li Linfu slowly withdrew, and the study fell silent again. Li Longji remained deep in thought. He knew full well that Wang Gong’s accusation against Yang Shenjin was instigated by Li Linfu, as part of his effort to eliminate those who dared betray him.
To Li Longji, Yang Shenjin was not a serious concern. What really worried him was Li Linfu—his loyal dog who had helped him eliminate people around the crown prince over the years and might still be useful in the future. Allowing Li Linfu to bring Yang Shenjin down would be like giving him a bone as a reward.
Yet Yang Shenjin was a decent pawn. Killing him outright would be a shame. Li Longji was torn.
Suddenly, he looked up at Gao Lishi and asked, “General, what do you think? Should I protect Yang Shenjin or not?”
Gao Lishi replied respectfully, “Your Majesty, the state has its laws. If Yang Shenjin truly hides sorcerer texts, he must be punished severely. We cannot turn a blind eye just because of his talents.”

Gao Lishi’s statement undoubtedly added a significant weight to Li Longji’s undecided scale. He nodded and was about to write his reply on Wang Gong’s memorial when, at that moment, an eunuch came in and reported, “Yang Zhao, the Chief Censor, has urgent matters to discuss with Your Majesty.”

Li Longji suddenly changed his mind and put down his pen again.

……

Wang Gong’s actions were kept extremely secret, and Yang Zhao, who was also the Chief Censor, was completely unaware of them. When he discovered in the records of censors’ accusations that Wang Gong had accused Yang Shenjin, Li Linfu had already been summoned to the palace by the emperor to face charges. Yang Zhao was shocked. The strategy he discussed with An Lushan was to support Yang Shenjin to attack Li Linfu. If Yang Shenjin fell, who would dare to betray Li Linfu?

Without further time to consult An Lushan, Yang Zhao hurried to Li Longji’s imperial study.

“Your servant Yang Zhao pays his respects to Your Majesty!”

Yang Zhao knelt in front of the imperial desk and performed a grand bow—this was a characteristic of his. While other ministers would bow deeply when seeing the emperor, he did not. Every time he met Li Longji, he would kneel respectfully and perform a grand bow. In his words, having risen from humble origins to such a high position, he could only express his loyalty and gratitude to the emperor through such solemn gestures.

Overall, Li Longji was quite satisfied with this brother-in-law. Although his experience in government affairs was somewhat lacking—due to his short time in office—Yang Zhao was very intelligent, eager to learn, adaptable, and understanding. Given time, he would surely become a capable right-hand man.

Li Longji smiled slightly and said, “Chief Censor Yang, what urgent matter brings you to see me?”

“Your Majesty, I have come to protect Vice Minister Yang!”

Yang Zhao kowtowed heavily and added, “I just learned that someone has accused Vice Minister Yang of hiding books containing prophecies from evil spirits. I believe such accusations are utterly inappropriate.”

“What’s wrong with them?” Li Longji asked calmly.

“Your Majesty, only those who bring disaster upon the country and its people can be called evil spirits. Ordinary monks and Taoists cannot be considered such. Every family has good and bad omens; it’s normal to have monks or Taoists in the household.”

Li Longji didn’t quite understand his point, so he smiled and said, “I didn’t say ordinary monks and Taoists are evil spirits! If they’re just ordinary monks and Taoists, I certainly won’t pursue the matter.”

“But Your Majesty, once someone ends up in the prison of the Dali Temple, even ordinary monks and Taoists become evil spirits. I am well aware of Chief Censor Wang’s methods.”

Tears in his eyes, Yang Zhao kowtowed twice more and said, “As for those prophecies—just a small book. It’s easy to destroy, but equally easy to obtain. If those evil priests confess, then even without the books, it seems as though there are prophecies. Does Your Majesty understand?”

Li Longji understood Yang Zhao’s meaning—he was referring to forcing confessions through torture and then framing someone. Li Longji also knew well that as long as he agreed to Wang Gong’s accusation, Yang Shenjin would surely end up like this. This was the power struggle in the bureaucracy; the crime was merely an excuse for murder, and Li Longji didn’t need the truth—he wanted only a balance of power.

Looking at Yang Zhao’s pained expression, he couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. His own brother-in-law had truly improved, daring to challenge Li Linfu.

Suddenly, Li Longji’s expression turned stern as he rebuked him, “Don’t I know Wang Zhongcheng’s character? He is cautious in his duties, always fair and strict. Is he the kind of person who frames others? How long have you been an official, and already you’re jealous of the talented and reckless in your conduct? You’ve disappointed me greatly. I won’t tolerate your arrogance today. Someone!”

“Here!”

A few burly guards appeared nearby. Li Longji pointed at Yang Zhao and ordered, “Drag this man down and flog him thirty times in front of Danfeng Gate. Remove him from all his positions, demote him to the magistrate of Wannian County, and make his crimes public!”

Yang Zhao’s eyes widened in shock. He cried out repeatedly, “Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty, I’ve been framed!”

The guards dragged Yang Zhao away. Li Longji let out a soft hum, threw Wang Gong’s accusation report onto the table, and said, “I’m tired. I’m going back to the palace to rest.”

He stood up, flicked his robe sleeves, and strode away.

…

At Danfeng Gate, Yang Zhao was pinned down by a dozen guards and beaten severely. The thirty blows were administered slowly—every five blows, a messenger would read out Yang Zhao’s crimes. Yang Zhao shouted loudly, “I refuse to accept this! I was merely pleading for my colleagues—what crime have I committed?”

It happened to be the time when the court dispersed, and Danfeng Gate was crowded with officials watching. They discussed among themselves, unsure why Yang Zhao was being beaten. Only after hearing the crimes read out did they realize that Yang Zhao had defied orders for Yang Shenjin’s sake and falsely accused Wang Gong of framing officials. As a result, he was stripped of all his positions and demoted to the magistrate of Wannian County.

Yang Zhao was usually known for his reckless behavior and was despised by the other officials. Yet after this beating, many felt some sympathy for him. It was true that Wang Gong was good at framing officials.

At that moment, Yang Shenyu, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Works who was passing by Danfeng Gate, heard the news and was shocked. He quickly rushed back to his brother Yang Shenjin’s residence in his carriage.