Chapter 285: The Debate at the Morning Assembly (Part 2)

Li Longji sat on his lofty dragon throne. From the distance, viewed through the eyes of his court officials, he appeared majestic and dignified. Yet upon closer inspection, one could see a thin layer of makeup on his face. Despite his efforts to appear put-together, his visible fatigue was hard to conceal. It was no wonder—last night he had taken three love-inducing flowers in succession, staying up until midnight. Even now, his concubine Mei still couldn’t get out of bed.

These love-inducing flowers were highly effective but also had severe consequences. Li Longji was advanced in age, and his health was far from what it had been in his youth. After a night of indulgence, he was severely depleted of energy. Even with powerful tonics, only about two-thirds of his strength could be restored, leaving him dazed for another five to six days, during which time he could not engage in sexual activity.

At this moment, Li Longji’s head was extremely heavy. The thousands of court officials before him made him feel dizzy. Thinking of the complicated matters of the morning assembly, he felt immense annoyance. Yet he had to muster his strength to attend today’s assembly, as he planned to announce important matters.

“Let the morning assembly begin!” Li Longji ordered weakly.
“By the Emperor’s command, the morning assembly begins!”

Following the usual procedure, the Ministry of War would first announce honors. This assembly was mainly to honor the Jiannan Army for suppressing the rebellion in Nanzhao. Gao Xianzhi had captured Yaozhou last October, forcing Ge Luofeng to surrender his military power and treasury. The Tang army then entered Nanzhao’s capital in November, successfully quelling the rebellion. Normally, this should have been honored at the assembly on the fifth day of the first lunar month, but since Gao Xianzhi couldn’t return in time, it was postponed to today to be honored alongside the achievements of the Anxi Army. The victories of the Longyou Army against Tubo in September of the previous year had already been honored on the fifth day of the first month, so they would not be mentioned again today.

“Proceed in order,” Li Longji instructed indifferently before closing his eyes slightly and listening as the Ministry of War read aloud.

Cui Ping shouted, “By the Emperor’s command, let the Ministry of War begin!”

Ji Wen, the vice minister of the Ministry of War, stepped forward, holding two thick books of honors. According to the order, the Jiannan Army would be honored first, followed by the Anxi Army.

Standing before the jade steps, he cleared his throat gently, placed one of the books on a tray held by an eunuch, and began reading out the honors for the Jiannan Army.

“Nanzhao, a vassal state long blessed by the Emperor’s grace, failed to repay this kindness. It betrayed its trust, caused chaos in our Great Tang, leading to suffering for countless people and devastation in the southern regions. In June of the tenth year of Tianbao, 200,000 troops from the Great Tang’s heavenly army set out from Jiannan. After months of fierce battles, they finally put an end to the Nanzhao threat…”

The commendations mainly involved announcing merits; alone, those for Nanzhao covered tens of thousands of words. Ji Wen read them in a rhythmic tone at a very slow pace. It took half an hour just to read the commendations for the Jiannan Army, leaving many people drowsy. The standing officials were even more exhausted, constantly switching their weight from one foot to the other to relieve pressure on their legs.

At that moment, Yu Chaoen, standing behind Li Longji, suddenly noticed a critical issue: the Tang emperor, Li Longji, was sitting on the dragon throne, half slumped over, asleep and even snoring softly. It had never happened before in his memory that the emperor would fall asleep during a court session.

Panicked, he saw that Ji Wen was about to finish reading, and soon it would be the emperor’s turn to speak. If the ministers discovered the emperor was asleep, the situation would become serious.

“Five hundred thousand strings of coins and two hundred fifty thousand bolts of silk as rewards; all requests for promotions for the generals will be approved…”

Ji Wen was nearing the end, with only about twenty more words left. Yu Chaoen could wait no longer. He moved slightly behind Li Longji, gave him a gentle nudge on the shoulder, and whispered, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Ji Wen finished reading, and it was now Li Longji’s turn to speak, but he still hadn’t woken up. Yu Chaoen gritted his teeth and pinched him hard.

With a low cry, Li Longji finally woke up. Though his cry was soft, it was heard by some ministers in the front row. The high-ranking officials exchanged glances—they all realized the emperor had fallen asleep.

Li Longji slowly opened his eyes, still somewhat dazed, seemingly not yet fully awake. Suddenly, thunderous snoring sounds came from among the ministers. Everyone turned to look and saw An Lushan lying sprawled on the ground, snoring loudly.

“General An! General An!” Several ministers tried desperately to shake him. The hall was immediately filled with whispers. Some covered their mouths and laughed secretly, but most were outraged. This was a solemn court session discussing important military matters, and An Lushan sleeping was outright disrespect toward the emperor.

Taking advantage of the ministers’ attention being drawn to An Lushan, Yu Chaoen whispered to Li Longji, “Your Majesty, the commendations for the Jiannan Army have been read. We await your statement now.”

Li Longji nodded slightly. He knew he had lost control, but it seemed someone had covered for him. He glanced downward, eager to know who had been so considerate.

“Your Majesty, I am guilty!”

An Lushan had already woken up. He scrambled to his feet and rushed toward the center of the hall. Kneeling on the ground, he kept kowtowing and saying, “Your servant is too fat and fell asleep, disgracing the court. Please punish me, Your Majesty!”
Li Longji replied slowly, “The Ministry of War’s report was indeed lengthy, but as a veteran minister, how could you behave improperly in court? I will deduct one year’s salary as a warning.”
The officials were immediately in an uproar. An Lushan was punished with a year’s salary deduction just for improper behavior in court—this seemed far too harsh, and discussions erupted everywhere.
Li Qing’an couldn’t help but admire him in secret. No wonder An Lushan was so favored by Li Longji—he was truly extraordinary. He could take the blame for Li Longji at critical moments, as evident from this small detail. Sitting next to An Lushan, Li Qing’an saw clearly that An Lushan hadn’t been asleep at all. It was only when Li Longji spoke softly that he pretended to fall asleep and start snoring loudly, clearly acting to cover for Li Longji. Although he was fined a year’s salary, the gains he would reap far exceeded that amount.
“Your servant thanks Your Majesty for your leniency!”
An Lushan kowtowed once more and slowly returned to his seat. With a wry smile, he said to Li Qing’an, “General Li, you don’t know how difficult it is for people like us who are fat to control ourselves. Alas! We lost face in front of everyone—how shameful!”
Li laughed and said, “Though you lost face, you gained something valuable. General An isn’t a loser after all.”
The two exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. An Lushan narrowed his eyes and chuckled.
By then, Li Longji had slept a bit and felt better. He nodded and said, “Approve the Ministry of War’s proposal and issue it immediately!”
Ji Wen took another petition, unfolded it, and read aloud, “Since the Arabs invaded from the east, the Nine States of Zhaowu have been lost to the Tang Dynasty for a long time. Suiye is gone, and the areas west of the mountains are shrouded in mist…”
Gao Xianzhi and Geshu Han sat together. Gao Xianzhi tried several times to speak to Geshu Han, but Geshu Han remained gloomy and silent. Gao Xianzhi was extremely frustrated. He couldn’t understand why Geshu Han had become so cold. When An Lushan stepped forward to confess his fault, Gao Xianzhi whispered to Geshu Han, “General Geshu, this An Lushan chose quite the timely moment to fall asleep.”
“Hmph! He’s just a petty clown. What else does he know besides these tricks?”
Although Geshu Han felt somewhat uncomfortable around Gao Xianzhi, his jealousy toward Gao Xianzhi paled in comparison to his anger toward An Lushan.
Seeing Geshu Han speak, Gao Xianzhi smiled again and said, “General Geshu, you’re about to be promoted to a prince today. Why are you so unhappy?”
“General Gao must be mistaken! Being promoted to a prince—that’s for you guys. When will it be my turn, Geshu Han?”

Gao Xianzhi was stunned. He had heard from Zhang Yun that Geshu Han would also be promoted to a prince at the same time—how could things have changed? He couldn’t help but look at Zhang Yun, who happened to be looking his way as well, smiling and nodding in support.

Initially, Gao Xianzhi had relied on Li Linfu for support, but after he was transferred away from Anxi, Li Linfu himself faced strong challenges from Yang Guozhong. Moreover, Gao Xianzhi was appointed as the military governor of Jiannan under Yang Guozhong’s rule. At the beginning of his tenure, Xianyu Zhongtong was defeated by the Nanzhao forces, leaving the Jiannan army with less than 20,000 soldiers. Emperor Li Longji ordered him to recruit more troops locally, but he failed to gain the support of local officials in Shu, making recruitment extremely difficult. He sought help from Li Linfu several times with no success. In desperation, Gao Xianzhi turned to Zhang Yun, the Minister of Revenue. With Zhang Yun’s support, not only did Yang Guozhong change his attitude, but Emperor Li Longji also ordered 100,000 troops from Guanzhong to be sent to Jiannan. This allowed Gao Xianzhi to recruit 80,000 troops in Shu, along with 100,000 troops from Guanzhong and the remaining 20,000 from Jiannan, totaling 200,000 troops. Gao Xianzhi fought fiercely against the combined forces of Nanzhao and Tubo for nearly five months, eventually defeating them at the Battle of Anrong City. He killed the Tubo commander of Shenchuan, recaptured the strategically important city of Anrong, forced the Tubo forces to retreat to Shenchuan, and inflicted heavy losses on the Nanzhao forces. Ge Luofeng was left with no choice but to surrender to the Tang army.

It could be said that it was Zhang Yun who provided crucial assistance to Gao Xianzhi at a critical moment, enabling him to achieve a decisive victory and solidify his position in Jiannan. Gao Xianzhi was deeply grateful to Zhang Yun, who also tried to win him over further. As the Prime Minister’s faction was on the verge of splitting, Gao Xianzhi gradually aligned himself with Zhang Yun.

Gao Xianzhi was filled with confusion. Zhang Yun had clearly told him that Geshu Han would also be made a prince—so why the change? Geshu Han’s tone didn’t seem like a joke either. What exactly was going on?

Perhaps learning from the lessons of the previous announcement, Ji Wen sped up significantly when reading out the rewards for the Anxi army. He finished in less than fifteen minutes, but the entire court was amazed by the rewards given to Anxi. “Eight hundred thousand strings of coins and three hundred thousand bolts of silk!” Those were secondary; what mattered most were the promotions for the soldiers who had served well in Anxi. There were 415 middle generals and 1,200 lower-ranking generals. Li Shiyu, Li Fei Yuanli, Li Siyeh, and Duan Xiushi were even appointed as deputy military governors. Since the mid-Tang period, no army had seen such large-scale promotions.

An Lushan was also greatly surprised. He had been focusing on Li Qingan’s rewards but hadn’t paid attention to those for the Anxi Army. In his imagination, it would merely involve giving them more money, and even that amount was limited, ultimately still to be covered by Anxi itself. He never expected that the officers of the Anxi Army could be promoted so extensively, which filled him with jealousy. If he had known earlier, he would have tried his best to obstruct it. After all, he was the top military governor of the Tang Dynasty—how could he allow Li Qingan to surpass him?

But it was already too late. The Anxi Army had received tremendous honors, leaving An Lushan feeling extremely uncomfortable, his expression dark as clouds, without even the slightest words of congratulations.

After the Ministry of War read out the awards, the hall was filled with murmurs as everyone discussed the honors bestowed upon the Anxi Army. Then, Cui Ping, the palace supervisor, shouted, “Silence in the hall!”

The hall immediately fell quiet. It was time to award rewards to the commanders—Gao Xianzhi, the commander of the Jiannan Army, and Li Qingan, the commander of the Anxi Army. Both were to be personally honored by Emperor Li Longji.

Li Longji glanced at the list of awards in his hand and said, “Gao Xianzhi!”

“By the emperor’s decree, Gao Xianzhi is granted his title!”

Gao Xianzhi quickly stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed, saying, “Your servant Gao Xianzhi pays his respects to Your Majesty!”

Li Longji nodded slightly and said, “Gao, you have been loyal and brave for the country, quelling the rebellion in Nanzhao and recovering Yunnan, thus contributing greatly to the state. You are already the military governor of Jiannan, the governor of Yaozhou, and the protector of Annam. I now appoint you as the Prince of Annam, with the rank equivalent to that of a high-ranking minister, and you shall also serve as an inspector of the Ministry of Works, with a fief of five hundred households.”

Cui Ping repeated Li Longji’s appointment aloud. Although it was within many people’s expectations, Gao Xianzhi’s official appointment as Prince of Annam still caused a low murmur of surprise in the Hanyuan Hall. Ge Shu Han was even more jealous, his eyes blazing and his fists clenched tightly—this was a profound insult to him.

An Lushan also felt uneasy. Although he had been made Prince of Dongping, he had not received the rank of “equivalent to a high-ranking minister.” Generally, when a title or official position was granted, a corresponding civil or military rank would also be assigned. A prince of the first rank should be matched with a rank equivalent to “equivalent to a high-ranking minister” or even “General of the Cavalry.” An Lushan had been made General of the Cavalry, while Gao Xianzhi had been given the rank of “equivalent to a high-ranking minister.” According to the convention that civil ranks were higher than military ranks, Gao Xianzhi was slightly superior to him, An Lushan.

Li Qing’an also felt a slight sense of nervousness. Although he claimed not to care about being a prince, in reality he did care greatly. His current status was that of a descendant of Li Jiancheng, and the title of prince was extremely important to him. To some extent, this title meant he was considered part of the Li family’s imperial clan. It was a subtle form of recognition—An Lushan and Gao Xianzhi could only be called princes of other surnames. So what should Li Qing’an be called? A prince of the same surname? Such a title did not exist. Since his surname was Li, it could only be assumed that he was part of the Li family’s imperial clan. Otherwise, how could there be two princes of the Li family? Of course, perhaps Li Longji himself had not realized this.

Gao Xianzhi was so moved that tears welled in his eyes. When he left Anxi, he had left with a sad heart, thinking that his career would end after his defeat at the Battle of Turfan. But unexpectedly, he was now made a prince. In the early Tang dynasty, so many famous generals who helped found the dynasty had not received such an honor, yet Gao Xianzhi had.

He knelt down and choked out, “I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!”

At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to Li Qing’an. It was his turn next. The court was completely silent.

Li Longji glanced at Li Qing’an from afar and said indifferently, “The meeting has lasted too long. Take a fifteen-minute break. By my order, the prime ministers shall meet in Qifeng Pavilion.”

“Your Majesty orders a fifteen-minute break. The prime ministers shall meet in Qifeng Pavilion!”

……

The ministers gradually left Hanyuan Hall. Outside, it was already bright, and the fresh air invigorated everyone, driving away the drowsiness in the hall.

Li Qing’an also slowly stepped out of the hall. Li Longji’s sudden decision to pause made him uneasy. Normally, even if a break was needed, it should happen after one agenda item was completed. But the reward discussion stopped just before it came to him, giving Li Qing’an the faint feeling that Li Longji’s emergency meeting of prime ministers was aimed at him.

“General! General!”

Someone called out twice behind him, but Li Qing’an remained confused, still lost in thought.

“General Li!”

This time he heard it. He turned around and saw a Hu general calling him. The man was about fifty years old, tall and thin, with eagle-like eyes. Li Qing’an found him somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall where he had met him.

“General Li, have you forgotten? We met together during the Battle of Shibao City.”

Li Qing’an suddenly remembered. This was Abu Si, the deputy commander of the Shuofang army. He had fought on behalf of the Shuofang army in that battle.

“It turns out to be General Abusi. How come you’re also in Chang’an?” Li Qing’an said with a smile as he bowed.
Abusi stepped forward and bowed as well. “I’m here on official business in the capital. The imperial court requires all officials above the seventh rank to attend, so I’ve come too. First, I’d like to congratulate General Li.”
“What’s there to congratulate?”
Abusi smiled. “The meeting is temporarily suspended for now. In fifteen minutes, it will be General’s turn, so I’m here to offer my congratulations first.”
Just as Li Qing’an was about to humble himself, he suddenly saw Geshu Han coming out, so he quickly said, “I have matters to attend to. Let’s talk another day.”
“Sure! I’ll come to invite the General for a drink tomorrow. Would you be so kind as to come?”
Seeing Geshu Han about to step down the steps, Li Qing’an nodded. “No problem. I’ll be leaving first then.”
“Please, General, go ahead!”
Li Qing’an apologized briefly and hurried after Geshu Han. Abusi watched his retreating figure with a hint of concern in his eyes. When he turned around, he saw An Lushan and Prince Qing, Li Cong, coming out. Startled, he quickly bowed his head and hurried away.
Geshu Han was extremely frustrated. If it weren’t for today’s imperial court meeting, he would have left long ago. He didn’t want to come out in the first place, but Gao Xianzhi was surrounded by people congratulating him, which made him even angrier. He strode out, ignoring those who called out to him along the way.
“Brother Geshu, please wait!”
Someone was calling after him, and he stopped. It was Li Qing’an. He sighed, turned around, and said, “I’d like to congratulate my worthy brother.”
Since Li Qing’an hadn’t yet been granted a title, Geshu Han’s tone became much gentler. Though they didn’t share the same plight, at least things seemed a bit more bearable for him.
“Brother Geshu, did Yang Guozhong talk to you this morning?”
Li Qing’an didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point as soon as they met. While Ji Wen was giving the long speech earlier, Li Qing’an had been thinking about Geshu Han’s situation. He gradually realized that Emperor Li Longji was likely trying to create discord between him and Geshu Han to prevent them from allying due to having to fight on two fronts, which was why Yang Guozhong was sent to inform him.
Geshu Han nodded silently. “Yang Guozhong conveyed the Emperor’s message to me. I won’t be granted a title at today’s meeting.”
This was within Li Qing’an’s expectations, but he had thought further. “Do you think Yang Guozhong would convey the Emperor’s message completely without omitting anything?”
Geshu Han was also stunned. After a while, he said, “Does the General mean the Emperor has other intentions?”
“Sure! Did Yang Guozhong tell you why the Emperor isn’t granting you a title?”

“This…” Ge Shu Han also remembered. At that time, Yang Guozhong only told him that two people would be granted titles that day and he wasn’t among them. He indeed hadn’t been informed whether he was eligible or not. In his moment of anger, he had forgotten to ask.
“He didn’t say.”
“That’s right!” Li Qing’an sneered. “Why wouldn’t Yang Guozhong say? He just wants to take this opportunity to sow discord between us. That’s why he deliberately hid the emperor’s more important words. Think about it, Ge Shu—what’s wrong with granting one more prince a title? What impact could it have? Could it be that you’re not qualified enough? But if even you aren’t qualified, then An Lushan is even less so. How could it be my turn or Gao Xianzhi’s? The greatest threat to the Tang Dynasty is Tubo. When would it be the turn of Nanzhao and Khitan? If the emperor doesn’t confer a title on you, there must be his reasons.”
Li Qing’an’s words greatly relieved Ge Shu Han, and his slight dissatisfaction toward him vanished instantly.
“Can you guess what the reason might be?”
Li Qing’an smiled faintly. “If I’m not mistaken, the emperor is waiting!”
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for good news from your battles on two fronts, brother Ge Shu.”
Ge Shu Han suddenly understood. The confusion in his heart dissipated immediately. He patted Li Qing’an’s shoulder and said, “Thank you, brother, for enlightening me. I will verify this with the emperor. Yang Guozhong has ulterior motives, and I won’t let him off.”
……
Qifeng Pavilion was an extension built next to Hanyuan Hall. The pavilion opposite it to the east was called Xiangluan Pavilion, connected by covered corridors.
At that moment, an emergency council meeting was being held in Qifeng Pavilion, presided over personally by Li Longji. Six prime ministers were seated in order: Li Linfu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Minister of War; Chen Xilie, the Chief of the Privy Council and Minister of Punishments; Yang Guozhong, Minister of Personnel and Minister of Works; Zhang Yun, Minister of Revenue; Yang Shenjin, Minister of Rites; and Wei Jiansu, Vice Minister of Personnel.
Li Longji suddenly halted the awarding of titles and called an emergency council meeting, leaving all the prime ministers puzzled. This had never happened before. They all guessed that something significant was about to take place.
Then, Li Longji cleared his throat and slowly said to them, “I have summoned you here today to announce three major matters at the imperial court. As prime ministers, I want to make things clear to you in advance. First, I have decided to expand the number of prime ministers.”