Chapter 212: Imperial Envoy

In the 21st year of the Kaiyuan era, the country was divided into fifteen circuits, each with an inspector-general, commonly known as an inspection envoy, responsible for overseeing criminal cases and monitoring local officials. To some extent, this position was not considered an official rank, nor was it listed in the Tang Dynasty’s official hierarchy. Similar to the frontier military governors, these inspection envoys were imperial emissaries sent by the Tang emperor to various regions.

The headquarters for the Henan Circuit was located in Bianzhou, which is today’s Kaifeng. Situated at a strategic crossroads of water and land, it connected to Weihe in the north, the Jianghuai region in the east, and Jingchu in the south, serving as the core of the Tang Dynasty’s grain transport system. The roads from Chang’an and Luoyang to the east passed through Bianzhou. With its large population and well-developed grain transport, Bianzhou had long been a key city in the Central Plains. Dynasties throughout history competed for control of this area, and its fertile land and advanced agriculture gave it great significance within the Tang Dynasty.

However, starting from the beginning of the 9th year of the Tianbao era, seven provinces in the Henan Circuit—Bian, Song, Pu, Chen, Xu, Hua, and Cao—suffered from no rain for four months. Riverbeds dried up, and winter wheat withered, signaling the onset of disasters. The imperial court ordered all provinces and counties to open their granaries to distribute grain. But this measure led to further problems: a month earlier, in Gushu County of Songzhou, the most severely affected area, hungry people stormed grain stores and killed the county magistrate. Three thousand starving people, led by Yang Zhi from Song City, fled to Moshan south of Songzhou and took control of the mountain. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of porters at Bianzhou’s grain transport docks, having no work for three months, began to riot. The office of the transport supervisor was destroyed, and the unrest among the porters started spreading to other areas.

An elderly retired official could no longer bear it and submitted a petition to the imperial court, accusing some officials of embezzling relief grain. In late April, Emperor Li Longji finally issued an order appointing Li Qing’an, former military governor of Beiting, as the inspection envoy for the Henan Circuit to investigate the situation.

At night, in Kaifeng County, where the Bianzhou government was located, the streets were deserted. Groups of court officials patrolled the streets, but their routes always circled around several brothels. The night watchmen lazily struck bamboo tubes, their faint sounds adding to the nightmares of those asleep.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Be careful with fire… Close the doors and windows!”

At that moment, a carriage rushed over and stopped in front of the back gate of the government office. An official got off the carriage and knocked on the door. After a while, the door was slightly opened. “Who are you looking for?” asked a local resident.

“Please convey a message to Governor Wu: Yang Runing, the magistrate of Songzhou, wishes to see him.”

“Oh! It’s Magistrate Yang. Please come in!”

The official slipped inside and asked, “I’m sorry to disturb you at such a late hour. Has Governor Wu gone to bed?”
“Not yet! He’s reading in his study. Please wait here, Minister Yang. I’ll go inform him.”
The governor of Bianzhou was surnamed Wu, named Wu Qing, in his fifties. He had passed the imperial examinations in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era and had served as an official for nearly thirty years. He had held positions such as Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Censor-in-Chief, and Governor of Songzhou. He became the governor of Bianzhou in the fourth year of the Tianbao era and had held that position for almost five years now.
Wu Qing came from a poor family, but he was very adept at navigating the political landscape. His wife was the sister of Zhang Yun, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. With the Zhang family’s support, Wu Qing’s career progressed smoothly. At the end of last year, when the imperial court expanded its cabinet, he was nominated by Zhang Yun as a candidate. Although he didn’t succeed in the end, he managed to avoid the purge by the crown prince’s faction, for which he felt fortunate.
However, the drought in the Henan region once again brought him to the forefront of attention in the Tang Dynasty. A few days ago, he received a urgent message from Zhang Yun, informing him that the emperor had decided to appoint Li Qing’an, the military governor of Beiting, as the inspector for Henan, urging him to be cautious.
At that moment, Wu Qing wasn’t reading but was thinking about how to deal with Li Qing’an’s possible inspections. Li Qing’an was the only survivor of the crown prince’s faction. The crown prince had been deposed, his faction had been purged, and his patron, Gao Lishi, had also been dismissed. In other words, Li Qing’an had lost all his backing, while Wu Qing had Zhang Yun as his support. In terms of strength, Wu Qing had an advantage. Moreover, in the second year of the Tianbao era, the emperor issued an order prohibiting inspectors from interfering in local governance, giving Wu Qing even more means to deal with him.
“Sir, Minister Yang from Songzhou requests an audience, saying he’s here on Governor Cui’s orders to deliver a letter!” came the steward’s report from outside.
Wu Qing immediately thought of Governor Cui Lian of Songzhou. He used to be part of the prime minister’s faction, but no longer was. His brother, Cui Qiao, had joined the Yang faction, and Cui Lian had also switched sides.
“It’s a common saying among local officials that some people in the court prefer to hold official positions,” Wu Qing thought. “That’s why they strive to gain the support of high-ranking officials in the court. Some fathers seek marriages for their sons, some mothers seek wives for their daughters, or they try to become students of these officials, or indirectly connect them with their fathers’ former classmates or mothers’ sewing friends. In short, they use whatever means they can think of.”
A governor was also considered a high-ranking official. A governor of a higher-level province was of the third rank, while one of a middle-level province was of the fourth rank. Sometimes, even these high-ranking officials of the third and fourth ranks would seek the support of a fourth-rank vice minister. After all, there were over 600 governors across the country, but only a dozen vice ministers.
Wu Qing had wandered too far in his thoughts. He brought himself back to reality and smiled, “Please let him in!”
A moment later, Yang Runing stepped in quickly, bowed, and said with a smile, “I just arrived. I’m sorry to disturb you, Governor Wu.”
“Please, don’t mention it. Please sit down, Minister Yang!”

Wu Qing invited Yang Runing to sit down and ordered a cup of tea from the maid before smiling and asking, “I heard that Minister Yang has a message for me?”
Yang Runing quickly smiled and said, “It’s actually just a verbal message. Our governor, Cui, sent me to deliver a message to Governor Wu.”
“Oh! What message is it?” Wu Qing picked up his tea, casting a subtle glance at him.
“Governor Wu, we have already identified the person who reported you to the emperor. You see…”
As he spoke, Yang Runing observed Wu Qing’s reaction. If Wu Qing were shocked, he could use that to discuss strategies with him. But seeing Wu Qing calmly sipping his tea without blinking or trembling, he felt disappointed.
“Governor Wu, do you already know who it is?”
Wu Qing smiled disdainfully. Not only did he know the informant, but he also knew the contents of the report. He understood why Cui Lian had sent Yang Runing to see him—there was a serious famine rebellion in Songzhou, and Cui Lian, fearing for his life, wanted to form an alliance with him to deal with Li Qing’an together. If they were both part of the Zhang faction, there might still be room for negotiation. But since they were part of the Yang faction, they shared different principles and couldn’t work together. Even if cooperation was needed, it should be between Zhang Yun and Yang Guozhong. This governor Cui was still a bit naive!
Wu Qing couldn’t outright refuse, so he smiled slightly and said, “I just received news that Li Qing’an has already entered Xuzhou. He will reach Bianzhou at the latest the day after tomorrow. Minister Yang, you’d better go back quickly and urge Governor Cui to prepare thoroughly!”
In other words, there was no longer any time for them to cooperate. Yang Runing understood Wu Qing’s indirect refusal and felt very disheartened. He got up and said, “Very well! I hope we’ll have another chance to work together.”
After Yang Runing left, Wu Qing took a sip of tea and continued thinking. Li Qing’an having arrived in Xuzhou reminded him that time was running out.
…
Dust billowed along the official road. It hadn’t rained in months, and the trees on both sides had turned yellow from the dust, with no trace of green left. The rivers by the road had dried up, and the soil was cracked to a finger’s width. The road served as the boundary between two counties: Xuchang County to the east and Changge County to the west.
Not far along the road on the Changge County side, there was a Dragon King Temple. In front of the temple, hundreds of farmers were holding a rain-praying ceremony. Sacrificial animals and fruits were placed on the altar, and an old man with white hair was praying to the heavens with incense in hand. Behind him, hundreds of farmers knelt on the ground, bowing devoutly.

That afternoon, a group of people approached from afar along the official road—about three hundred strong young men. Their clothing was distinctive: all wore black robes, with leather belts around their waists, swords slung across their bodies, and arrows on their backs. They were all tall and imposing in stature. These were Li Qing’an and his personal guards, coming from Xiangyang.

Although Li Qing’an knew his strategic plan for the Western Regions would be effective, he never expected to be sent as an inspector to Henan. Perhaps this reflected Li Longji’s dilemma—he wanted to reinstate him but felt the timing was wrong, so he sent him to Henan for inspection.

What to investigate? Li Longji’s imperial edict made it clear: to check whether there was a shortage of grain supplied by officials and whether local officials were acting unjustly. Could it be that Li Longji removed him from his position as Censor-in-Chief just for this purpose?

“Lord, look over there!”
A few guards pointed smilingly at the crowd praying for rain at the Dragon King Temple. Everyone was in high spirits—they didn’t have to go to Liuzhou anymore, and their lord’s position had been restored. The frustration accumulated over the past month was completely gone.

Li Qing’an watched the rain-praying ceremony in front of the Dragon King Temple with interest. It was the first time he had seen people pray for rain. In the Anxi Northwest Frontier Region, they relied on meltwater from ice mountains, not rain, so there were no Dragon King Temples. Yet as he traveled, he hadn’t noticed the drought to be that severe. Especially in Xuchang County, he hardly saw any starving refugees, and not all rivers had dried up. Although the Ying River was too shallow for boats, it still had some water, enough to provide drinking water for the people along the way. This was completely different from the scene of bones stretching for miles and corpses everywhere he had imagined.

“Zhang Yongqing!”
He called out behind him, and immediately a young guard with thick eyebrows rushed over. “Lord, I’m here!”
“Isn’t your hometown Xuchang? Let me ask you—was this year’s drought the worst you’ve ever seen?”
“Reporting to the lord, the drought isn’t yet severe. My father said the great drought in the 15th year of the Kaiyuan era was truly terrible—people dug up grass roots, stripped tree bark, ate nitrate soil, and many starved to death. Everyone fled to Xiangyang, with many dying from disease or starvation along the way. But look now—the tree bark along the way is still intact. Actually…”
At this point, Zhang Yongqing suddenly stopped. “Actually what?” the surrounding guards asked in unison.
Zhang Yongqing sighed and said, “Actually, natural disasters aren’t scary. What’s scary are man-made disasters.”
“How can man-made disasters be scary? Tell me,” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.

“My grandfather said that during a drought, the imperial court ordered the granaries to be opened to distribute grain. Yet in each dou of rice, there were at least three sheng of sand—the officials stole 30% of it. That was still considered fortunate, as at least we had rice to eat. Another time was during the severe drought in the 15th year of the Kaiyuan era. My father led our family to Xiangyang. When we returned, our ten mu of land had been sold cheaply by the county to some prince, under the pretext that it was unclaimed land. When we tried to argue, we were told we had to buy it back at market price. Our family had no money, so my father took us to Anxi to make a living. Alas!”

All the bodyguards were indignant and each recounted their own experiences of injustice. At that moment, Li Qing’an suddenly noticed a patch of green in the distance, a few miles ahead. His eyes lit up, and he immediately spurred his horse forward. The others, not knowing what was happening, hurried after him.

After riding for about five or six li, Li Qing’an stopped his horse. On the side of the official road near Xuchang County, there indeed was a vast expanse of lush young bean sprouts—several hundred mu in size. A few officials were working in the fields. Seeing a large group of people in strange clothing approaching, they shouted into the bean fields, “County magistrate, there’s something strange over here.”

Moments later, a middle-aged man wearing a conical hat emerged from among the bean plants. He was dressed in a seventh-rank official robe, tied around his waist, with his pants rolled up high. He was barefoot, wearing straw sandals, his hands covered in mud, and holding a bamboo pole.

Xuchang was a county, and its magistrate was of the seventh rank. This man must be the magistrate of Xuchang. His surname was Han. He stepped out and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Look at the official road.”

County Magistrate Han glanced at the road and saw hundreds of people on horseback, looking down from a high place like dark clouds pressing down on the city. He felt uneasy and rushed toward the road, with several officials following behind, knives hanging from their hips.

“Where are you from? What bring you to Xuchang?”

Li Qing’an had been traveling for two days, surrounded by barren, yellow landscapes that made his eyes sore. Seeing this lush greenery suddenly was a delight to his eyes; it felt like he had arrived in a place with beautiful scenery.

He dismounted and walked over, smiling as he asked, “Are you the magistrate of Xuchang?”

County Magistrate Han was stunned. Who was this person to ask him such a question? Then, recalling a rumor he had heard recently, he stammered, “Could it be that you are…”

Li Qing’an laughed and said, “I am the newly appointed inspector of Henan Province.”

Frightened, County Magistrate Han quickly bowed and said, “I am Han Yue, the magistrate of Xuchang. I pay my respects to Inspector Li.”

“No need for formalities.”

Li Qing’an smiled and said, “I was on my way to the county when I didn’t expect to meet the county magistrate here.”
County Magistrate Han wiped the sweat from his back with the back of his hand and said, “I was unaware of your arrival and failed to greet you properly.”
“These bean fields are the best welcome you could have given me.”
In high spirits, Li Qing’an rushed down the official road and squatted in front of the bean fields to examine the seedlings closely. Each one was tender and green, like little green spirits.
County Magistrate Han fetched a bucket of water, scooped some with a spoon, and watered the plants cluster by cluster at the roots. He said to Li Qing’an, “This is the government-owned land in our county. We have a total of 800 mu of such land, which used to be wheat fields but all withered away. A month ago, we replanted them with beans, and now they’ve sprouted.”
“And where does the water come from?” Li Qing’an asked curiously, turning around.
County Magistrate Han pointed to a spot not far away and said, “We dug a deep well over there.”
Li Qing’an walked through a section of the bean fields and indeed saw a well in a low-lying area. He went over, lifted the wooden lid, and saw that the well was probably four or five zhang deep, with faint glimmers of water below.
“Don’t underestimate this well. The bean seedlings in these over 200 mu of land depend on it for nourishment.”
“Good! Very good!” Li Qing’an nodded in approval and said to County Magistrate Han, “The key is that with you taking the lead, I believe the people of Xuchang County must have been mobilized as well!”
“The deputy county magistrate and the clerk have been going to the villages these past few days, mobilizing them one by one. Many farmers have come to see our bean fields, and the results have been excellent.”
County Magistrate Han said with some emotion, “In fact, the key to combating drought lies in four words: ‘find new sources and cut expenses.’ We must find ways to obtain water. If there’s no river water, we dig wells. Once we have water, we must use it sparingly, watering each plant at the roots, just like using manure water. Additionally, we need to save food and reduce expenses. If we can achieve these points, we can basically get through the drought.”
Li Qing’an nodded repeatedly after hearing County Magistrate Han’s words. This man was indeed practical and capable. For Henan Province to overcome the drought, officials like him were needed.
Just then, a large group of farmers—several hundred of them—came along the official road. They were riding donkeys or driving carts. Everyone got off and rushed toward the bean fields. A few officials hurried to greet them.
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Qing’an said with a smile, “County Magistrate Han, you must be busy! I won’t disturb you any longer.”
“No! No! Let me take you into the county town to rest, and I’ll arrange accommodation for you.”
County Magistrate Han was flustered. How could he fail to receive the inspector from Henan Province? Otherwise, what use would his official position be?

Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and smiled, “There’s really no need. We’re not even going into the county town. We can just find a forest somewhere to spend the night. We’re used to this. As long as you handle the drought relief in Xuchang County well, I’ll petition for your promotion.” With that, he strode back to the official road, mounted his horse, waved his hand, and the entire group rushed off after him. County Magistrate Han stared blankly at Li Qing’an’s retreating figure, feeling as if he were dreaming. “Promotion?” He perked up, grabbed his water bucket, and ran after the farmers who had come to inspect the area.
…
Night fell, and the stars covered the sky. Li Qing’an and his group had left Xuchang County and entered the territory of Bianzhou. This was the area under the jurisdiction of Weishi County, with the county town located about fifty li to the northeast. The landscape here was hilly, with seven ridges running north-south for dozens of li, resembling seven giant dragons lying across the plain.
The ridges were covered with dense forests that hadn’t been severely affected by the drought. The official road stretched north along one of these ridges. There were no villages or inns in the vicinity. Seeing that everyone was tired, Li Qing’an looked around. His sharp eyes spotted a faint light on the summit of a hill to the northeast. Pointing at it, he said with a smile, “It seems there’s a household over there. Let’s go take a look.”
The group rallied their spirits, turned their horses, and rushed toward the northeast with Li Qing’an. Once they reached the ridge, they discovered a temple hidden in the dense forest—quite large at that. There was a plaque hanging in front of the temple. In the dim light of the stars, the words “Baolin Temple” could be faintly seen.
At that moment, a dozen monks came out of the temple. Seeing a large group of men in black, all armed, they grew uneasy. The temple abbot quickly stepped forward and bowed to Li Qing’an, saying, “I am Hui Neng, the abbot of Baolin Temple. May I ask if you are passing by or planning to stay?”
“We’ll stay for the night. We’ll give you money when we leave tomorrow morning.”
“Amitabha! If you plan to stay, feel free. We dare not accept payment.”
Li Qing’an smiled and turned to the group, saying, “Everyone, go inside the temple and rest!”
The 300 men led their horses into the temple, and it soon became lively. Just then, several dark figures rushed swiftly through the dense forest not far from the temple.