Chapter 132: Debate in the Court

At dawn, before Chang’an’s gates were due to open, a group of cavalry rushed in from afar at full speed. They arrived at Hanguang Gate and shouted, “Urgent military news from Longyou! Open the gates!”

Moments later, the city gates creaked open. Only urgent military reports from the Longyou campaign could warrant such special treatment. The cavalry rushed into Chang’an and headed straight for Xingqing Palace.

Inside the lotus-petal tent, Yang Yuhuan’s hair resembled floating clouds, her hair disheveled. Her delicate breasts, as white as sheep-fat jade, were partially covered. Suddenly, she was awakened by low cries.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Yang Yuhuan opened her eyes groggily and said irritably, “Your Majesty is still sleeping! Didn’t we agree to skip the morning court?”

“Your Majesty, there’s urgent military news from Longyou.”

“I know. Go prepare to serve outside.”

Yang Yuhuan stretched out her arm, as delicate as snow lotus roots, and gently pushed Li Longji beside her. “Third Brother, wake up!”

Li Longji turned over and hugged her, still drowsy. “What’s the matter?”

“It seems there’s urgent news from Longyou.”

“What!” Li Longji sat up abruptly, then suddenly clutched his waist and cried out, “Ow!”

“Third Brother, what’s wrong?”

Li Longji waved his hand and smiled. “It’s nothing. I just got up too fast and strained my waist.”

“Look at you!” Yang Yuhuan scolded playfully. “I told you to rest properly these past few nights, but you didn’t listen. Now you’ve strained your waist.”

“I’m very strong! I can still be affectionate with my wife for another twenty years.”

Li Longji smiled, pinched Yang Yuhuan’s cheeks, and got up. “Get me dressed. I must go to Daxing Hall immediately.”

Half an hour later, dressed in casual clothes and wearing a black gauze hat, Li Longji arrived at Daxing Hall. By then, Li Linfu, Chen Xilie, and four other prime ministers had also arrived. The urgent report from Geshu Han had reached them as well. Soon, Crown Prince Li Heng also arrived upon hearing the news.

“Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty!”

Li Longji nodded and said to them, “Prime ministers, please sit.”

He sat down and casually opened the urgently delivered report from the golden tray beside him. It was written in Geshu Han’s own hand. Li Longji’s brows gradually furrowed. Two months earlier, he had been pleased to hear that Shenwei City had been successfully built and that Li Qing’an had set fire to the Tibetan army’s supplies in Haixi. But today’s urgent report told him that Shenwei City had been taken back by the Tibetans, and with heavy troops stationed in Xihai Commandery, it seemed impossible to attack from the north of Chiling Mountain again.

This news soured Li Longji’s mood. He had just put down the memorial, and the observant Li Linfu immediately said, “Your Majesty, there are more good news ahead.”
“Oh?” Li Longji opened the memorial again and continued reading. When he learned that Li Qingan had defeated 20,000 Tibetan troops with just 2,000 soldiers at Yinglong City, killing 5,000 enemies, he became so excited that he could no longer control himself. He slammed the desk hard and praised loudly, “Good! Excellent! Well done!”
His mood improved instantly, and he smiled at Li Linfu, saying, “I never thought this Li Qilang was such a talented general. I want to reward him generously. What do you think, Prime Minister?”
Li Linfu glanced at Li Heng out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Li Heng hesitated, he smiled faintly and said, “Your Majesty, the loss of Shenwei City during the stalemate indeed affected morale, but the great victory at Yinglong City reversed that decline. Li Qingan indeed deserves a reward. However, I believe the war isn’t over yet—the Battle of Hehuang still lies ahead. If we rush to reward him now, it might be premature.”
“Your words surprise me, Prime Minister!”
Li Heng stood up and bowed to Li Longji first. “Your son has something to say. Please grant him your permission, Father.”
“Heng, speak if you have something to say.”
“Thank you, Father!”
Li Heng slowly walked up to Li Linfu and said, “Prime Minister Li, I’ve long heard that the art of command lies in clear rewards and punishments—rewarding those who deserve it and punishing those who don’t. Last time, Li Qingan achieved a great victory by using a surprise tactic in Haixi, but you said the merits were hard to confirm. This time, he defeated the Tibetan army at Yinglong Fort, yet you say we shouldn’t rush to reward him. I don’t understand—what kind of extraordinary achievement does Li Qingan need to make you think a small reward is sufficient?”
“Heng!” Li Longji’s face darkened as he said displeasedly, “Do not be rude to the Prime Minister.”
“Your son would never dare!” Li Heng glared fiercely at Li Linfu before returning to his seat.
Li Linfu quickly stood up and said to Li Heng, somewhat anxiously, “Your Highness, I’m not saying we can’t reward Li Qingan, nor have I denied his merits. What I mean is that we should record his achievements first and reward him together after the Battle of Longyou ends. That way, granting him a high position will also be convincing.”

At this moment, Chen Xilie also stood up and said with a smile, “I support Prime Minister Li’s idea. Soldiers have their own ways of warfare, and generals have their own strategies. The rewards for Li Qing’an’s military achievements should be proposed by the commander, Ge Shuhan. If we award him rewards directly without going through Ge Shuhan, it would not only show disrespect to Ge Shuhan but also result in overlooking other meritorious soldiers, leading to uneven rewards and thus affecting morale. Therefore, my suggestion is that Your Majesty give him verbal praise first and address his merits in detail after the war is over.”

Li Longji nodded and asked the other ministers, “Do any of you have any objections?”

Yang Shenjin and Zhang Yun replied together, “We have no objections!”

Seeing that Pei Kuan remained silent, Li Longji asked with a smile, “Minister Pei, do you think it’s inappropriate?”

Although Pei Kuan felt that not rewarding Li Qing’an immediately was unfair, he agreed with Chen Xilie’s point—that Ge Shuhan must be involved, and any rewards should come through his formal request. He also nodded and said, “Your Majesty, I agree with Prime Minister Chen’s words. We indeed cannot bypass Ge Shuhan.”

“Very well. Since all of you agree, I will adopt this approach. Verbal praise can be given first.”

With that, Li Longji said worriedly, “It’s almost the end of the year, yet the Battle of Hehuang shows no progress. I’m very concerned that by the time this battle is over, the Tang Dynasty’s treasury will be depleted. Prime Minister Li, I heard that the price of rice in Chang’an is 120 coins per dou. Is that true?”

Li Linfu sighed and said, “120 coins is just the average price. The best rice from Huzhou already costs 140 coins. If the court doesn’t regulate the rice prices, they might exceed 200 coins per dou by the New Year, at which point there could be riots over rice.”

200 coins per dou was something Li Longji couldn’t even imagine. In the early days of the Tianbao era, it was only 10 coins per dou. In just a few years, it had risen to 200 coins. After pondering for a moment, he asked Zhang Yun, “Minister Zhang, how much rice is left in the imperial granaries?”

Zhang Yun took out a roll from his sleeve and said, “Your Majesty, there are still 800,000 dan of rice in the granaries. I went there in person yesterday, and 300,000 dan of it is moldy and unusable. In reality, only 500,000 dan remain. Your Majesty, even these 500,000 dan won’t last three months for the Battle of Longyou. Yesterday, the Ministry of War sent a request to allocate another 800,000 dan of rice to Longyou. How can I possibly send more grain there?”

“What about the rice stored in Shanzhou? Can some of it be transferred?”

“Your Majesty, there have been severe disasters in Hedong and Henan, and the rice from Shanzhou has already been sent to those areas.”

Li Longji’s brows furrowed deeply into an invertedinverted eightinverted eight shape shape. How could things have become so desperate? At that moment, Pei Kuan stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I have a plan that can secure one million dan of rice immediately.” Li Longji was overjoyed and urged, “Minister Pei, please go on.” “Your Majesty, there is no shortage of rice in Guanzhong. The problem is that it’s stored in the private granaries of the powerful families in Chang’an. If Your Majesty issues an order restricting these families from hoarding rice, and then the court purchases it at a fair price, then there will be no need to worry about a shortage of rice in the capital.” After Pei Kuan finished speaking, silence filled the Daxiong Hall. Requiring the powerful families in Chang’an to release their rice—what was the difference from the land-restriction orders of previous years? Who would agree to this? The atmosphere in the hall became awkward. Li Linfu forced a laugh and said, “Minister Pei’s plan is good, but it’s not very practical. I’m afraid it won’t work.” “How could it not work?” Pei Kuan replied coldly. “Private granaries are everywhere in Guanzhong. Alone in Xianyang County, there are 250 of them, each storing over a thousand dan of rice. Who owns these granaries? Prime Minister Li must know better than I do. Now that the battle in Longyou has reached a critical stage, we can’t afford to lose because of a lack of military provisions. Moreover, as the New Year approaches, rumors abound that rice prices in Chang’an will soar. The Zhang family’s rice shop in the Western Market was raided by starving people from Hedong the day before yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, the price of coarse rice in the Western Market already exceeded 140 wen. By the New Year, will 200 wen be enough to control prices? Surely Prime Minister Li knows this better than I do?” Hearing Pei Kuan expose his fabricated excuses, Li Linfu’s face turned red. He said, “I’m not saying we can’t buy rice from those families. But buying rice requires money. Right now, the Left Treasury only has 500,000 guan. We need to pay salaries by the end of the year, and there’s also the New Year festival next month—all of which require spending. Where will the money come from to buy rice?” “Buying rice is just a pretext. If there’s not enough money, we can borrow it temporarily. The battle in Longyou affects the safety of Guanzhong. If one’s lips are lost, one’s teeth will feel the cold. Can’t those powerful families understand such a simple truth?” “Enough!” Li Longji interrupted their argument unhappily. How could he possibly demand rice from those powerful families? He scowled at Li Linfu and said, “We must ensure there’s enough military provisions for Longyou, and rice prices in Chang’an must drop. I don’t care what methods you use—by the New Year, rice prices in Chang’an must not exceed 200 wen. Otherwise, I will hold you accountable.” Li Linfu had no choice but to say with a grim face, “I shall obey your orders!” After a pause, Li Longji added, “Pass my orders to Longyou. Tell Ge Shu Han that I won’t delay any longer. Within three months, he must capture Shibao City. Otherwise, Wang Zhongsi will meet the same fate!” …

Although the rice price in Chang’an was high, no one associated it with the battle in Longyou. Not only Chang’an but the entire Tang Dynasty was focused on this largest battle since the Tianbao era. Decades of struggle over Shibao City, with it changing hands three times, would all be resolved in this great war between Tang and Tibet.

As dawn broke, the latest battle reports from the Tang forces in Longyou spread rapidly through Chang’an within just half a day. On every street and corner, in taverns and teahouses, people were discussing the latest developments in the Tang-Tibet war.

At noon, the Taibai Wine House was bustling. At a table on the second floor, a dozen scholars preparing to take the imperial examinations in the eighth year of Tianbao were gathered, loudly discussing the battle in Qinghai.

“That Anxi native, Li Qing’an, reportedly achieved another remarkable feat—defeating the Tibetan army on Longju Island in Qinghai, killing five thousand enemies while suffering only minor injuries himself. It’s unbelievable!”

“Brother Yao, I don’t believe it. Killing three thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own! How could there be no casualties among your soldiers? It must be a rumor.”

“It’s not a rumor; it’s true. I have the latest news.”

A scholar walked over with a smile. Everyone quickly pulled him to sit down and asked eagerly, “Brother Wang, tell us what’s really going on!”

The scholar surnamed Wang took a sip of wine and a bite of food before saying with a smile, “Your information is too simplified. My uncle works in the Ministry of War. Two battle reports were sent from Longyou this time—one a brief summary for the emperor, and the other a detailed report for the Ministry of War. I just saw my uncle.”

“What did your uncle say?”

“My uncle said that Li Qing’an achieved two great feats in Longyou this time. He led a thousand men to capture Fusi City, killing three thousand enemies, killing the Tibetan general Shang Xidezan with arrows, and setting fire to three hundred thousand stones of military provisions belonging to the Tibetans. Then, on Longju Island, he set up fire and thunder traps to burn the Tibetan army, annihilating over five thousand enemies in one fell swoop, with only fifteen of his own men lightly injured.”

The scholars all looked at each other in admiration. After a while, one of them sighed thoughtfully, “Ah! If only the heroic general from Longcheng were still here, preventing the barbarian horses from crossing the Yin Mountains. That’s what a true man should do.”

While the scholars were discussing Li Qing’an, at a small table by the window, two handsome young men sat. Though dressed as men, it was obvious to anyone who paid attention that they were actually two girls disguised as men.

“Girl, did you hear? Many people are talking about Li Qing’an!”

“Just eat your food! Don’t keep your ears so perked.”

“But Li Qing’an is related to you, right?”

These two women were Wu Yi and her maid Yu Nu. Since the Li family had relaxed their control over Wu Yi, she often went out to play and no longer stayed confined to the mansion. Today, they went to the market to repair a zither and happened to overhear the drunkards discussing Li Qingan. Seeing that Yu Nu’s remarks became increasingly explicit, Wu Yi grew displeased and said, “What does he have to do with me? Your words are getting stranger by the moment. Enough, stop talking. Let’s pick up the zither and go after we finish eating.”
Yu Nu dared not say anything more, but after a while, she couldn’t help whispering, “But miss, before leaving for Anxi, he gave his six-string zither to you. Isn’t that his way of showing his feelings for you? With war breaking out in Longyou, he had no choice but to go back. Why should you blame him?”
Wu Yi fell silent. She turned her head toward the window, a hint of undisguised melancholy flashing in her eyes. After a long while, she said softly, “Yu Nu, stop talking. Never mention this again.”
Yu Nu sighed inwardly. Li Qingan had gone to Anxi, and it was uncertain when he would return. The vast distance and the indefinite wait were enough to extinguish the faint hope that had just arisen in the girl’s heart. Thinking of this, she too felt sad. Wu Yi noticed this and smiled faintly, saying, “Yu Nu, what do you think Du Lady will look like when I agree to perform again on the New Year’s Eve?”
“Do we even need to ask? If the Zither Immortal returns, it will surely cause a sensation in Chang’an!”
……