Chapter 218: Yang Zhao’s Broken Arm

In the Prince Qing’s Mansion in Chang’an, since Crown Prince Li Hen was deposed, Prince Qing Li Cong seemed to have completely changed. The recruitment office, which had been almost closed before, was reopened and expanded. He treated scholars with respect, cared for the poor and the elderly, was generous, and was diligent in promoting education. After serving as a virtuous prince for over twenty days, he eagerly commissioned someone to compose a nursery rhyme.

“Great is the Tang Dynasty, vast its lands; the Eastern Palace lies empty, seeking a new king. Li, the surname; jade from the Western Sea—prosperity for descendants depends on their clan.”

This nursery rhyme concealed Prince Qing Li Cong’s intentions. He found another disheveled Taoist priest and offered him a large reward to spread this song throughout Chang’an. Yet Li Cong didn’t realize that his chief steward, who was in charge of managing his estates, habitually reserved 20,000 mu of farmland before the harvest in Songzhou, thereby causing him immense trouble.

That afternoon, Song Hun, the Chief Censor, rushed to the Prince Qing’s Mansion with devastating news. Li Qing’an, the governor of Henan Circuit, and Cui Lian, the prefect of Songzhou, had jointly submitted a complaint accusing Prince Qing of seizing 20,000 mu of land in Gushu County of Songzhou, using private punishment methods, and inciting the people to rebel. There was solid evidence, and 530 armed men brought from Prince Qing’s estates had already been captured. In his report, Li Qing’an also accused Prince Qing of harboring private troops with rebel intentions.

Shocked by this sudden news, Li Cong was stunned. He had no idea about this at all. He had only asked his chief steward to keep an eye out for cheap land, never expecting that this overreaching steward would cause him such serious trouble at such a critical time—especially when Li Qing’an had already seized evidence against him.

“Chief Censor Song, I… I had no idea about this at all. What should I do now?”

“Your Highness, Li Qing’an’s complaint has already reached the Censorate. It will reach the Emperor’s hands by tomorrow at the latest. The situation is urgent. Please think of a way to resolve this quickly!”

“Tomorrow!”

Li Cong trembled with fear. He grabbed Song Hun and pleaded, “Chief Censor Song, could you hold back the report? Please don’t send it to the palace. I beg you to help me!”

Song Hun shook his head and sighed, “If I could hold it back, I would have given it to you right now. Li Qing’an is the Chief Censor, and his reports go straight to the Emperor. I don’t even have the authority to review them. I violated regulations just to take a peek. Your Highness, I really can’t help you. There’s still half a day left—please find a solution on your own!”

At that moment, Li Qiu beside him suddenly asked, “Chief Censor Song, I heard that Li Qing’an also accused Cui Qiao the day before yesterday. Is there any update on that?”

“Not yet. But I heard the Emperor was furious and summoned Yang Guozhong to the palace that very night and scolded him harshly. It seems Cui Qiao’s chances are slim.”

Song Hun sighed and said again, “This time, Li Qing’an has launched repeated attacks, clearly targeting Prime Minister Yang and Prince Qing. Li Linfu and Zhang Yun have both submitted memorials detailing the harms of land consolidation, seemingly intent on adding insult to injury. I suggest Your Highness quickly discuss strategies with Prime Minister Yang and not act independently, so as not to be defeated one by one by Li Qing’an.”

“Li Qing’an!” Li Cong gritted his teeth in fury. “I must send someone to kill this scoundrel!”

Li Qiu beside him was shocked and quickly intervened, saying, “Your Majesty, absolutely not! Last time, when Li Qing’an was assassinated in Bianzhou, the Emperor suspected it was Your Majesty’s doing. Although there was insufficient evidence and the matter was dropped, the Emperor already suspects Your Majesty. If You Majesty sends someone to assassinate him again, it will confirm the charges. That would only benefit those trying to frame You Majesty. Please do not act impulsively now.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

Prince Qing was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. “Last time, Li Qing’an’s assassination was framed, and I was scolded by Father. Now that this land issue has arisen again, my position as crown prince is doomed.”

Li Qiu pondered for a moment before bowing to Song Hun and saying, “Thank you, Minister Song, for bringing this to my attention. Please do whatever it takes to delay Li Qing’an’s memorials until tomorrow. Your Majesty and I will surely reward you generously!”

Song Hun realized that the father and son needed to discuss something privately and said, “It is an honor to serve Your Highness. I hope Your Highness can come up with a good strategy to turn adversity into fortune. I will do my best to assist!”

After saying that, he took his leave. Li Qiu saw him out of the mansion before returning to the study. Li Cong eagerly asked, “Has my son come up with a strategy yet?”

“Father, please be patient. Sit down and we’ll talk.”

Although Li Cong was extremely anxious, his son’s calmness forced him to restrain his impatience and sit down. Li Qiu sighed and said, “First, Father must understand why Li Qing’an is being so aggressive and what his goals are.”

Li Cong said resentfully, “I don’t understand why he does this. The crown prince’s faction has been destroyed—what’s the point of his actions? To retaliate against us?”

Li Qiu shook his head. “That’s exactly what I meant. Although the crown prince’s faction seems to have been wiped out, many still sympathize with the crown prince, especially the noble families and the royal clan. As I’ve heard, almost everyone believes the crown prince was unjustly deposed, and the accusations of witchcraft are far-fetched. It is because so many people sympathize with the crown prince that Li Qing’an suddenly turns his attention to Yang Guozhong and Father, thereby becoming a hero of the crown prince’s faction, its leader, gaining favor in the court and widespread praise among the people—killing two birds with one stone. That’s his goal. Does Father understand now?”

Li Cong gasped in shock. Only with his son’s explanation did he realize how cunning Li Qing’an actually was.
“But what does this have to do with resolving my crisis?”
“It’s highly relevant!”
Li Qiu smiled and said, “Father, if I can think of this, how could the Emperor not? Would he let Li Qing’an succeed in his schemes? No. Cui Qiao’s impeachment petition was submitted to the palace the day before yesterday. The Emperor is furious, yet nothing has been done yet. Doesn’t that seem strange to you, Father?”
Li Cong thought carefully and agreed—it was indeed strange. Since the Emperor was so angry, he should have punished Cui Qiao immediately, but since there was still no news, it was truly odd. He quickly asked, “Why is that?”
“I think perhaps the Emperor has already realized that there might be problems with the princes as well, so he’s waiting to see which issue is more serious before deciding who to punish.”
“You mean the Emperor will choose between punishing me or Cui Qiao?”
“That’s right!” Li Qiu nodded. “It must be that way. With the Prince’s faction just suppressed, the Emperor certainly won’t allow Li Qing’an to retaliate too fiercely. But not punishing him would be unacceptable to the people. So he’s waiting. Now that your problem has arisen, it comes down to choosing one over the other.”
“Then what do you suggest I do?”
“I think Father should take two approaches at once. First, punish the chief steward severely, even execute him, and immediately send people to Songzhou to resolve the situation and carry out relief efforts on a large scale, just like Prince Di did, to minimize the impact. Then, Father must go to the palace before the petition arrives to confess his faults. Secondly, he might as well strike Cui Qiao again, adding more charges against him.”
Li Cong truly admired his son—his thinking was flawless, and he had managed to resolve such a critical situation calmly. Li Cong’s worries eased a bit. He asked again, “Then what other weaknesses does Cui Qiao might have?”
Li Qiu smiled slightly and said, “Has Father forgotten? Before Cui Qiao became prime minister, the charge of having concubines hadn’t been overturned yet!”
……
Song Hun left the Prince Qing’s mansion and hurriedly went to see Yang Guozhong. He was Yang Guozhong’s confidant, but he also had his own interests, so he reported to the Prince Qing first before going to Yang Guozhong. Yang Guozhong’s office wasn’t in Daming Palace but in the Ministry of Personnel in the imperial city. Normally, the Minister of Personnel didn’t handle day-to-day affairs but only major issues, often participating in decision-making on state affairs.

But Yang Guozhong, the Minister of Personnel, was different. He interfered in everything, from minor matters to major ones—ranging from the promotion of a county magistrate to the transfer of a high-ranking official. Everything had to be reviewed or approved by him before it could be carried out. In effect, he had taken over the powers of the Deputy Minister of Personnel. The same was true in the Ministry of War; he handled everything, big or small. Put nicely, it was his style of being personally involved in everything; put harshly, it was an attempt to hoard power.

However, these days have been tough for Yang Guozhong. One of his key allies, Cui Qiao, the Minister of Rites, had fallen into serious trouble. Li Qing’an accused him of allowing his family to seize land, with solid evidence—even Cui Qiao’s own letters were seized. The emperor, furious, summoned him to the palace and scolded him severely, ordering him to come up with a plan to deal with Cui Qiao within three days.

It was clear the emperor was shoving this problem onto him. How could he handle it? Remove Cui Qiao? Impossible. Doing so would be like cutting off one of his own arms—he didn’t have the resolve to make such a drastic move.

After pondering all night, Yang Guozhong finally came up with a plan, advised by Linghu Fei, his former aide and Deputy Minister of War. He demoted Cui Qiao to Deputy Minister of Rites, ordered his family to return the seized land, imposed a three-year salary cut, and required him to contribute 30,000 dan of rice for disaster relief. Yet Cui Qiao retained his position as one of the co-chancellors. This was Linghu Fei’s strategy: using severe financial penalties instead of positional ones. It seemed harsh but actually avoided the most serious consequences, preserving the most important position of chancellor while allowing the emperor to face the public with a satisfactory solution—a rather clever approach.

But news brought by Song Hun disrupted everything. Li Qing’an had accused the Prince of Qing as well, with equally solid evidence. This meant Cui Qiao and the Prince of Qing were now in similar straits—at least that’s what Yang Guozhong thought. The law didn’t punish everyone; Li Longji wouldn’t punish his own son severely, and it would be unreasonable to punish Cui Qiao heavily for this. To protect his son, Li Longji naturally wouldn’t punish Cui Qiao harshly. Yang Guozhong decided his original punishment for Cui Qiao had been too severe. He immediately revised it, keeping Cui Qiao’s position as Minister of Rites but lowering his rank from third-class official Jinzi Guanglu Dafu to third-class official Yinqing Guanglu Dafu, and removing his concurrent role as Right Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Actually, Yang Guozhong’s reasoning wasn’t entirely unfounded. Li Longji’s attitude toward land consolidation had always been more rhetoric than action. He issued several edicts banning land consolidation but failed to implement any real preventive measures. Eventually, he was forced to acknowledge the status quo of land consolidation by the elite, merely asking them to stop further consolidation in the future.

Under this mindset that valued profit over punishment, which of the powerful figures in Chang’an wouldn’t strive desperately to expand their estates and acquire more land? Now that Cui Qiao and Prince Qing had been impeached, although there was the factor of the Crown Prince’s faction fighting back, would Li Longji really punish them for land consolidation? With Prince Qing involved, Yang Guozhong downplayed the matter, believing there was no need to pay a high price for it. In the evening, Yang Guozhong submitted his proposal for dealing with Cui Qiao to the palace. Over the past month or so, Li Linfu had remained low-key. After Yang Guozhong took away the positions of Minister of Personnel and Deputy Minister of Personnel, his power was severely restricted. Coupled with years of exhaustion, he suddenly fell ill and lay in bed for twenty days. After recovering, he had lost a great deal of weight. Though deeply shaken, the cunning Li Linfu did not lose heart. On one hand, he strengthened his own power base to prevent Yang Guozhong from further encroaching, while on the other hand, he remained low-key and patient, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. Now, the opportunity had arrived. The impeachment documents sent by Li Qing’an from Songzhou were like timely rain, filling Li Linfu with joy. He immediately obtained the full contents of Li Qing’an’s documents from Wang Gong. One was Cui Qiao, and the other was Prince Qing. The impeachment against Prince Qing involved the struggle for power within the imperial palace, and he didn’t want to get involved for now. But Cui Qiao was related to changes in the court’s power structure. If Cui Qiao could be removed, there would be six prime ministers—two from each of the Prime Minister’s faction, Yang’s faction, and Zhang’s faction—creating a balance of power. This would curb Yang Guozhong’s expansionist momentum. If he could then ally with Zhang Yun to eliminate Yang Guozhong, Li Longji would eventually have to abandon him as well. With Cui Qiao impeached, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At dusk, Li Linfu’s carriage stopped in front of Zhang Yun’s residence. The gatekeeper rushed inside to report, and soon Zhang Yun came out, laughing loudly, “Prime Minister Li, tell me, how many years has it been since you last visited my house?” Li Linfu bowed and smiled, “I’ve been too busy with affairs. Not to mention Minister Zhang’s residence, I haven’t even visited my own estate in years.” “Then why do you have time to visit my humble abode today?” “If Minister Zhang doesn’t welcome me, I’ll leave right away!” “Never! Never! I can’t even invite Prime Minister Li here. Since you’re here today, you must have a drink or two.” Zhang Yun affectionately took Li Linfu’s arm and waved at his servants, ordering, “Hurry and prepare a feast!” Li Linfu and Zhang Yun walked into the residence laughing and chatting. Zhang Yun led him to a guest room, where a feast was already laid out. Without delay, Li Linfu sat down at the table.

Zhang Yun picked up the wine pot and poured a cup of wine for Li Linfu personally, smiling as she said, “Prime Minister, to be honest, why did you come to my residence today? Is it because of the impeachment petition against Li Qing’an?”
Zhang Yun’s frankness took Li Linfu by surprise. He raised his cup, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, “Doesn’t Secretary Zhang care about it?”
Zhang Yun nodded and said, “I heard this afternoon that Prince Qing has also been impeached. I think this is a good thing—punish Prince Qing severely to make the imperial clan and nobles stop seizing land. I’ve been in the Ministry of Revenue for a long time, and the tax revenue and expenditure of the Tang Dynasty have been worsening year by year. In the first year of Tianbao, there were nearly nine million households, but now there are probably only six million left. Nearly half of the households have fled—this is already close to the situation at the end of the Han Dynasty. Prime Minister Li, our Tang Dynasty is in trouble!”
“Secretary Zhang is right. I came to see you precisely because of this. The land issue is becoming increasingly serious. Eight or nine out of ten soldiers in the military camps have fled. Last year, the training programs had to be stopped, and the military camps are now essentially non-functional. I originally wanted to train Huji cavalry to replace the regular troops, but I heard that the 120,000 Huji cavalry in the capital have also mostly fled. If we don’t stop land consolidation, there may soon be no soldiers left to protect our families. Secretary Zhang, since we are both powerful officials, we have an undeniable responsibility!”
The two drank another cup of wine. Li Linfu asked tentatively, “Secretary Zhang, this time I want to use the impeachment of Li Qing’an for land consolidation as an opportunity to persuade the emperor to re-examine this case and use it as a warning to those who seize land. I was wondering if you would be willing to share this heavy responsibility with me.”
Zhang Yun nodded and laughed, “I was also thinking whether to submit a petition alone or jointly with Prime Minister Li. I didn’t expect Prime Minister Li to come here first. It seems we share the same vision. Good! I’ll submit a petition together with Prime Minister Li to put an end to this evil practice of land consolidation.”
After saying that, the two exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly, and both smiled triumphantly like old foxes.
…
Half an hour later, the joint petition by Li Linfu and Zhang Yun was delivered to Daming Palace. At that time, Emperor Li Longji still didn’t know about Prince Qing’s misdeeds. Yet the petition by Li Linfu and Zhang Yun mentioned it, causing Li Longji to fly into a rage. He should have been the first to hear about the impeachment petition from the Censorate, but now he was the last to know. He immediately ordered that Li Qing’an’s petition be brought to him right away.

When the eunuchs returned from the Censorate and brought Li Qing’an’s memorial along with a whole box of evidence to the Daming Palace, Li Longji’s furious wrath first fell on the Censorate. Li Qing’an’s accusation had arrived the previous morning, and now it was already evening—meaning the memorial had been suppressed for two full days. Li Longji immediately ordered a thorough investigation. Wang Gong, the Censor-in-Chief, took the opportunity to accuse Song Hun of withholding the memorial on his own and leaking information to Prince Qing.

It was only fitting that Song Hun met misfortune. At the height of Li Longji’s anger, an eunuch reported that Prince Qing was seeking an audience outside the palace, confirming Song Hun’s crime of leaking information to Prince Qing.

Li Longji flew into a rage and ordered Song Hun to be removed from his position as Censor-in-Chief and imprisoned for further investigation.

When Li Longji’s fury subsided slightly, Prince Qing, Li Cong, was led into the imperial study by an eunuch, trembling with fear. Inside the study, Gao Lishi had already been reinstated. Without him, Li Longji’s life would be extremely inconvenient. After the incident involving the deposed crown prince settled down, Li Longji summoned him back, trusting him as before. However, Gao Lishi never mentioned the crown prince matter again, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Just as he reached the door, Prince Qing, Li Cong, camewelcominging him. Li Cong immediately asked in a low voice, “Uncle, I wonder if Father’s anger has subsided?”

Gao Lishi sighed and said, “Prince Qing, please listen to this old servant. Acknowledge your fault, accept any punishment, or else I don’t know what consequences will follow.”

Li Cong was deeply grateful. “Thank you, Uncle!”

“Go quickly! Don’t keep His Majesty waiting.”

Li Cong entered the imperial study, filled with anxiety. He immediately knelt down, kowtowed twice, and said in a trembling voice, “Your servant is guilty! Please punish me, Father.”

Li Longji’s face turned pale. After a long silence, he said coldly, “How do you know you’ve been accused?”

Li Cong already knew that Song Hun had been imprisoned. If he didn’t tell the truth now, it would be suicide. He immediately replied, “Your Majesty, this afternoon, Censor Song came to my residence and told me. Your servant is filled with fear.”

“Fear?” Li Longji snorted. “What is there to fear? Haven’t you always been bold?”

Li Cong didn’t understand what his father meant, and he became even more terrified. He kowtowed twice again and said, “Father, please listen to your servant.”

“Speak!”

“Father, this year, I truly had no intention of seizing land. It was my chief steward who acted on his own, without my knowledge at all. Please understand, Your Majesty. Even if I were stupid, I wouldn’t do anything to harm my own reputation now.”

Li Longji believed Li Cong’s last words to be true. During this time, Li Cong had been striving to earn a reputation as a virtuous person; it was impossible for him to do something that would harm his own reputation at such a moment. Li Longji stared at him and slowly said, “Then tell me, how do you plan to make amends for your mistakes?” His tone had softened—after all, it was his own son. Gaining a little more land wasn’t a big deal as long as he could admit his faults and make up for them, thereby reversing the negative impact. He could forgive him then. Hearing his father’s tone soften, Li Cong was overjoyed and immediately said, “Your Majesty, I have already ordered the officials to rush to Songzhou to return all the land and compensate the farmers for their losses. Additionally, I am willing to donate 200,000 dan of rice in Your Majesty’s name to relieve the drought. Though I am foolish, I understand that the state depends on its people. I am willing to share the burden with you!” Li Longji nodded slightly—his son’s response satisfied him to some extent. “You are my eldest son and must set an example. You should focus on the welfare of the state and share the burdens with me. Do you understand?” Li Cong kowtowed twice firmly and cried, “Your Majesty, I understand! I will surely share the burdens with you.” “Very well! This incident serves as a lesson. Go and handle matters in Songzhou promptly so that the censors can’t use this against you again.” At that moment, Li Longji suddenly remembered something else and asked, “Was it you who ordered the assassination of Li Qing’an in Bianzhou?” Li Cong raised his right hand solemnly and said, “I swear to heaven that although my relationship with Li Qing’an was poor, I never intended to assassinate him. Someone has framed me. Please, Your Majesty, believe me.” “Very well! I’ll believe you this once. It wasn’t you, but you still need to pay attention to this matter. Find out who did it so that your name can be cleared.” After saying that, Li Longji waved his hand, ordering him to leave. He was quite troubled and picked up again the joint letter from Li Linfu and Zhang Yun, in which they urged strict action against those who acquired land through unjust means. Li Longji certainly understood their true intentions—they were using the issue of land consolidation to undermine the power of the Yang faction. He also recalled Yang Guozhong’s decision to reduce Cui Qiao’s rank by just one level. His brows furrowed—this was too lenient. How could he explain this to the people? Angrily, he threw Yang Guozhong’s memorial on the imperial desk and cursed under his breath, “This ungrateful wretch!”

He paced slowly around the room with his hands behind his back, reflecting on some of his recent decisions. He realized he had pushed Yang Guozhong too quickly to power, allowing him to rise instantly without any gradual process, unlike Li Linfu, who took over as prime minister and gradually built authority over more than a decade. Now, Li Linfu had even allied with Zhang Yun to oppose Yang Guozhong, which could lead to turmoil in the court.

Li Longji sighed secretly. He indeed needed to take measures to slow down Yang Guozhong’s rise and strike at him—this seemed necessary at the moment. With this in mind, he picked up Li Qingan’s impeachment petition again. Cui Qiao had used his position to protect his family from land seizures; this was not the behavior of a prime minister. Li Longji also felt disappointed.

He picked up his pen and wrote in response to Li Qingan’s petition: “Remove Cui Qiao from his position as Minister of Rites, revoke his status as co-chancellor, and demote him to governor of Huazhou!”