Chapter 283: Gao Weng’s Decision

Using the Yangtze River for grain transportation was not Yang Guozhong’s idea. Pei Zunqing had proposed this plan when he was in charge of grain transport, and it had indeed been tried on a small scale, but not widely implemented later. However, assigning princes to govern the Jianghuai region was indeed Yang Guozhong’s innovation. Historically, Li Longji had strict control over his sons, never allowing them to leave the capital. But after the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Li Longji sent his sons to various parts of the country. Yet it was still the 11th year of the Tianbao era, and at least in Li Longji’s mind, the Tang Dynasty still enjoyed the prosperity of the Kaiyuan era. Under such circumstances, Yang Guozhong’s suggestion to assign princes to govern the prosperous Jianghuai region indeed carried the risk of being rejected on the spot by Li Longji. If he had made such a suggestion a month earlier, he would have surely been rebuked angrily, but not now. Li Longji had just sent his eldest son to Anxi, setting a precedent for assigning princes to local positions, indicating that his principle of forbidding princes from leaving the capital had relaxed.

After pondering for a while, Li Longji said, “Then who do you think should be sent to govern Jianghuai?”

“Your servant recommends Prince Yong, Lin. Prince Yong is strict, upright, and meticulous. Your servant believes he is the most suitable for Jianghuai.”

This was Yang Guozhong’s goal. He wasn’t really concerned about whether there was enough grain in the capital. What he cared about was who would become the crown prince. Among the three most popular princes, the most favored, Prince Di, had already been imprisoned, followed by Prince Ying and Prince Yong. Yang Guozhong believed the new crown prince would surely come from these two, but it was still hard to tell which one. To find some clues, Yang Guozhong used the suggestion of assigning someone to govern the southeast to test Li Longji.

“Very well! I’m aware of this matter. I will consider it. If it’s feasible, I will agree.”

After saying that, Li Longji stood up, ignored Yang Guozhong, and left the imperial study. Yang Guozhong stood there in shock for a long time. Yu Chaoyen stepped forward and said, “Minister Yang, the Emperor has left. You should go back and rest too!”

He picked up the lantern and added with a smile, “Let me accompany Minister Yang.”

Yu Chaoyen led the way with the lantern, and Yang Guozhong followed him, deep in thought. When they were alone, Yu Chaoyen whispered, “The Emperor favors Concubine Mei again. It’s likely to be detrimental to Concubine Gui. Is there anything the minister needs me to do?”

Yang Guozhong snapped out of his thoughts and quickly said, “Ignore Concubine Mei. The key is to prevent that person from the Du Gu family from entering the palace. Remember, under no circumstances must she enter the palace.”

“Are there any other instructions?”

Yang Guozhong thought for a moment and added, “Also, regarding the heir to the crown prince—whom the Emperor will choose—is very important to me. You must find out.”

Yu Chaoen lacked Gao Lishi’s political insight and his understanding of Li Longji. He couldn’t fathom Li Longji’s thoughts, so he didn’t realize that Li Longji had already chosen the imperial heir. He quickly nodded and said, “Minister Yang, rest assured. I will pay close attention to this matter. But…” As he said “but,” Yu Chaoen’s smile turned ambiguous. Yang Guozhong understood what he meant and said, “Don’t worry! I will reward you generously. As usual, send someone trusted to my residence tomorrow!” “Thank you, Minister Yang! I still need to attend to the emperor, so I won’t see you off.” Pleased with himself, Yu Chaoen bid farewell to Yang Guozhong and left. Yang Guozhong watched his retreating figure and silently snorted. … At Gao Lishi’s residence, Gao Lishi walked slowly toward Li Qingan’s courtyard with his hands behind his back. The housekeeper in charge of Li Qingan’s daily needs quickly bowed and said, “My lord!” “Where is General Li? Has he rested?” “My lord, he is still bathing.” “Hmm! When he finishes bathing, ask him to come to my room. Tell him I have something to discuss with him.” After giving those instructions, Gao Lishi turned and left. The housekeeper stared at the tightly closed bathroom door and sighed inwardly. It had been almost half an hour—had they still not finished? Inside the steamy bathroom, Li Qingan was half-submerged in hot water in a large tub three zhang wide, with his eyes closed, enjoying the relaxation after passion. Beside him, Ru Hua and Ru Shi served him, one on each side. Through the mist, their snow-white, smooth skin could be faintly seen. “Big brother, what position do you think you’ll be appointed to tomorrow?” Ru Hua asked, pressing her beautiful body close to him. Li Qingan wrapped his arms around her waist and laughed, “What do you think I can be appointed to?” “I think you can be made a king—like the King of Lu or the King of Qi. Since you’ll be in charge of such a large area, at the very least you should be made the King of Anxi!” Li Qingan chuckled and then looked up at Ru Shi, asking, “What do you think, Ru Shi?” Ru Shi was combing his hair. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes still held the lingering passion. She cast a coquettish glance at her lover and said, “I’ve heard that the higher the position, the more suspicious the emperor becomes. I hope your position isn’t too high, so you can live safely.” Li Qingan laughed and said, “All men have ambitions. Everyone thinks their position is too low, and I’m no exception. In the court, one has no choice—either move forward or fall back. It’s like walking across a narrow bridge; if you make it, you’ll have a vast world ahead, but if not, you’ll fall into an abyss and be destroyed.”

Ru Shi froze for a moment, her movements slowing down. Li Qingan understood her concerns and reached out to pull her into his arms, saying softly to the sisters, “Don’t worry. Even if something happens to me, I’ll take care of you both. I’ll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your lives.”
“Elder brother, I don’t want money. I just want you to be safe!”
Ru Shi hugged him emotionally, anxiously saying, “Promise me you won’t get hurt. Please, say it quickly!”
“Elder brother, I don’t want anything to happen to you either!” Ru Hua added from beside them.
Looking at the identical twin sisters before him, Li Qingan thought to himself, ‘If anything happens to me, Ru Shi will definitely follow me, but Ru Hua might not. Though they look alike, their hearts are completely different.’
He gently patted their faces and smiled, “I was just joking. Nothing will happen to me. Even the emperor can’t touch me.”
Ru Shi sighed and gently pressed her face against his chest. After a long while, she said softly, “Elder brother, you’re about to get married. To be honest, we’re all a little scared.”
“I am too, elder brother!”
Ru Hua whispered in his ear, “I have a bad temper. I’m worried that Sister Mingyue won’t tolerate me in the future.”
“That’s too much of a worry. Mingyue is a lady of noble birth with a broad mind. Just look at how she broke off her engagement for Wu Yi—she’s not someone petty. As long as you respect her and treat her as your elder, she’ll treat you well. After all, you’re my concubines, and I’ll have my own household rules. Don’t worry!”
At that moment, the voice of the housekeeper came from outside, “General, the master says he needs to see you!”
“I know. That’s good!”
Li Qingan stretched lazily, then hugged the two girls again, stroking their chests and backs for a while before saying with a smile, “Alright, we can’t stay in the bath any longer. Let’s get washed up and leave.”
Ru Shi and Ru Hua quickly got up to comb his hair and wash him. In a short while, Li Qingan finished bathing and put on comfortable new clothes. He went outside, where the housekeeper rushed forward to report, “General, the master asks you to go to his room. He says he has something to discuss with you.”
Li Qingan nodded and turned to the sisters, “Go back to the room and get ready first! I have to attend the morning court tomorrow, so I need to get my court robes.”
The sisters agreed and went upstairs. Then Li Qingan headed to Gao Lishi’s room.
A few candles were lit in Gao Lishi’s room, casting bright light. He was sitting by the light reading a book when a maid said, “Master, General Li has arrived.”

Gao Lishi put down his book and saw Li Qing’an walking in smiling. He bowed to him and said, “Elder Gao, did you call for me?”
“Come! Qilang, sit down.”
Gao Lishi invited Li Qing’an to sit and had a maid bring in two cups of tea. Smiling, he said, “Qilang, there’s a court meeting tomorrow. Do you have any thoughts?”
“I’m wondering how likely it is that I’ll be made a prince. A few days ago, Prime Minister Li told me I was very likely to be made a prince, but with what happened tonight, might he change his mind?”
“He won’t. I know him well. Although he has feelings for Mingyue, he won’t take it out on you. Women are important, but his empire is even more so. Do you understand, Qilang?”
Li Qing’an nodded and said, “Today, Geshu Han stopped me on the way and hoped I would cooperate with him in launching a campaign against Tubo. The emperor has already approved it. I think that’s probably the reason.”
“Hmph! Aggressive and unreformed!”
Gao Lishi let out a deep sigh and said to Li Qing’an, “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about the current emperor. He still thinks it’s the prosperous era of Kaiyuan, believing the country is wealthy. Yet the Tang Dynasty is already extremely weak. Yang Guozhong sold all the valuables from the treasuries across the country to amass wealth in the Left Treasury, creating an illusion of prosperity. In reality, the treasuries are empty. Especially in the Jianghuai region, there was heavy rain for over a month last year, leaving many areas with no harvest and heavy losses. The emperor is unaware of this and keeps forcing Jianghuai to supply grain, resulting in heavy taxes and widespread resentment among the people. Five or six out of ten people abandon their fields and flee. Instead of being frugal, the emperor becomes even more extravagant. He spent almost all the money in the Left Treasury on celebrating the concubine’s birthday. Last year, Gao Xianzhi’s campaign to quell the rebellion in Nanzhao was barely a victory—out of 200,000 soldiers, only 120,000 remained. The fertile lands of Bashu were also severely damaged by this war. The imperial granary, which once held 1.5 million dan of rice, was left with less than 400,000 dan. Even the rice allocated to officials was halved. Now he’s even more ambitious. Geshu Han proposed a war against Tubo, and he readily agreed, just to seize barren lands in Tubo. You should know that such a war will plunge the Tang Dynasty into utter ruin. Qilang, you’ve been in Anxi for a long time and may not know, but the Tang Dynasty is actually just an empty shell now.”
Gao Lishi was quite agitated. He vented all the resentment he had accumulated over the years in one go, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Li Qing’an remained silent for a moment before asking, “Has Elder Gao told the emperor these things?”
“Of course I have!”

Gao Lishi let out a long sigh and said, “It’s precisely because I spoke too much that he grew disgusted with me, accusing me of spreading fear. He only likes sycophantic scoundrels like Yu Chaoen and fully believes whatever Yang Guozhong says. He is no longer the diligent emperor who sought to revive the dynasty; he’s truly grown old and foolish, even indulging in lust by trying to seize the wives of high-ranking officials. How can this be the ruler of a great empire?”
Deeply distressed, Gao Lishi took a booklet from the table and said, “I’m utterly disheartened. I plan to retire and return to my hometown in Panzhou, Lingnan, once you’re married, as I no longer wish to stay in Chang’an.”
Hearing that Gao Lishi intended to leave, Li Qing’an felt somewhat sad and said, “If Master Gao goes, I’ll really have no one left in the court.”
Gao Lishi smiled slightly. “When I first met you, you were just a colonel who played polo for me, but now you’ve risen to the rank of prince. What’s there to worry about? You can just build your own power base in the court like An Lushan. Besides, you have Wang Gong as an ally—how can you say you have no one?”
Mentioning An Lushan reminded Li Qing’an, and he asked slowly, “I heard a rumor in Anxi that An Lushan has rebellious intentions. Is it true?”
This was what Li Qing’an cared most about. With so many historical details altered, could the An Lushan Rebellion still break out as before? According to the intelligence he’d received from Hebei, An Lushan had taken complete control of the military and political power there, minting coins and storing grain. Some even said his forces exceeded the designated numbers for Fanyang and Lulong—he had privately recruited at least 40,000 soldiers. Judging from the trends in the Tang Dynasty, rebellions always erupted when the people suffered greatly and resentment reached its peak, and the Tang society at that time was exactly on the brink of rebellion.
Li Qing’an’s question left Gao Lishi in a dilemma; he didn’t know how to answer. In fact, not only Li Qing’an but many people in the court shared this suspicion. The key issue was that An Lushan had controlled Fanyang for nearly twenty years. Under the Tang Dynasty’s system of rotating military governors, he should have been transferred after at most five years. Yet for some reason, he had remained in Fanyang so long. Gao Lishi remembered Zhang Jiuling once raising this issue with the emperor, who replied, “Only An Lushan can suppress the Khitans.”

Perhaps this is one reason why the Emperor could suspect Wang Zhongsì of rebellion but never those barbarians like An Lushan and Geshu Han. Perhaps he believed that only Han people would rebel—this is the second reason. Additionally, An Lushan was good at pleasing Li Longji, at showing loyalty, and at flattering Li Linfu at the height of his power. Of course, he was also good at pleasing himself. For various reasons, An Lushan’s position was as solid as rock; the Emperor didn’t even bother sending an inspector. On the contrary, Li Longji not only sent an inspector to Anxi but also a prince to oversee the region—just because Li Qing’an was Han.

“Qilang, I really don’t know if An Lushan will rebel. Although there are some rumors now, there’s no solid evidence. However, the Tang Dynasty’s border forces are too strong while the central army is weak—this is indeed a great danger. The Tang Dynasty is surrounded by enemies, so it must station heavy troops for defense. Yet the former central army has been almost completely lost, and the court doesn’t have enough funds to recruit new troops to strengthen the central region. Ultimately, it’s due to excessive land consolidation.”

“Then does the Emperor think An Lushan will rebel?”

Gao Lishi laughed. “If the Emperor suspected him, he would have recalled him to Chang’an long ago. Qilang, the Emperor trusts him far more than he trusts you!”

Li Qing’an nodded silently and bowed. “If Grandpa Gao has nothing else, I’ll go now.”

“Go! I called you here to tell you that I’ve decided to retire to my hometown and no longer get involved in court affairs.”

Gao Lishi stood up and smiled. “Tomorrow’s morning court session might be my last. I’ve been in the palace for fifty years and once held great power. Having experienced such glory, my life was not in vain. Qilang, tomorrow, I wish you to take another step forward.”

…

The next day, before dawn, the loud drumbeats sounded. The city gates opened, and the court officials scattered across the districts came out, heading toward Daming Palace in the darkness. Along the way, it was a world of lanterns. High-ranking officials rode in carriages, while lower-ranking officials rode horses. Along the route, the sound of wheels and horse hooves echoed. This was the first court session after the New Year’s ceremony in the eleventh year of Tianbao, on the same scale as the grand ceremony, and all officials above the seventh rank in the capital were required to attend.

Gao Lishi and his son had already boarded the same carriage. He was attending the court session as a General of the Cavalry and a high-ranking official. Li Longji no longer needed him by his side.

Li Qing’an’s carriage was also parked at the entrance—it was the one Geshu Han had given him. He had returned directly in it last night. A hundred bodyguards surrounded the carriage, protecting him. By switching to a carriage, Li Qing’an also relieved them of a great deal of pressure.

Wuyi lived in the Dugu Mansion and was not here. The sisters like poetry and paintings saw Li Qing’an off at the gate. “Go to the Dugu Mansion to help today! I might go to the military camp tonight and won’t return here.” He gave the sisters a few instructions before getting into the carriage. The coachman whipped his whip, and the carriage set off toward the Daming Palace. The carriage was unusually large, covered with thick iron plates to protect it from arrows and spears. An orange-red lantern hung from the pole, with the words “Li, Governor of Anxi” written in bold black letters. Additionally, the carriage was adorned with the governor’s flag. A hundred elite guards, tall and imposing with a fierce aura, drew much attention. Candles illuminated the inside of the carriage, providing bright light. Li Qing’an sat in the spacious carriage, carefully reading his report. The report had already been submitted, and Emperor Li Longji had decided to adopt his plan to relocate people to Anxi. He also planned to build a direct road to shorten the journey from the Tang Dynasty to Anxi. Li Cong’s assignment to Anxi would also be officially announced today. But Li Qing’an was concerned about another detail: recruiting five hundred young scholars from the Imperial Academy and various schools in Guanzhong and Longyou to promote education in Anxi, and selecting another three hundred volunteers from local government offices in the Central Plains to serve there for three years, mainly responsible for establishing administrative structures and settling the immigrants. Emperor Li Longji had not mentioned these two points. After pondering for a while, Li Qing’an thought that since Geshu Han intended to launch battles on two fronts, Emperor Li Longji would surely want to talk to him alone, and that would be the right time to raise these requests. Many court officials lived in Yishan Fang. They almost all set out at the same time. When they reached the entrance of the district, the flow of carriages and horses formed a long queue. The court officials also saw Li Qing’an’s carriage but dared not approach him and followed from a distance. At that moment, a horse rushed up to the entrance, and a messenger on it shouted, “Where is the great general?” “What’s the matter?” Li Qing’an asked through the carriage curtain. “I report to the great general that the special envoy from the Persian prince has arrived in Xianyang!”