Chapter 357: The Collapse of the Hall of Power

The rain kept falling nonstop. According to locals, it had been years since such continuous heavy rain had occurred. Early the next morning, a massive mudslide suddenly struck Qinggang Mountain, flooding the roads leading over the mountain. The mudslide reached less than a hundred steps away from the military camp, destroying a watchtower and claiming the lives of over a dozen soldiers on patrol.

The army panicked and urgently retreated three li southward, moving away from Qinggang Mountain. Over the next five or six days, they did not set out to march toward Lingzhou. Li Longji had already learned that An Sishun had abandoned the city and fled. There was no need for the army to continue northward. Now, Li Longji’s focus was on An Sishun’s whereabouts. With twenty thousand troops at his disposal, where could An Sishun flee to?

His intuition told him that An Sishun was likely to head for the militarily weak Hexi region. If An Sishun succeeded in taking control of Hexi, it would be an extremely troublesome situation. Anxiously, Li Longji lay on his bed, extremely irritable. He had sent hundreds of scouts to search for An Sishun’s whereabouts. Every short while, he would ask for updates. If no news came in, his fury would prompt him to order beatings immediately. In just one day and night, hundreds of people had been severely beaten to the point of being unable to get out of bed. He then ordered Li Qian to lead ten thousand cavalry, accompanied by Changsun Quanxu, to head toward Huizhou to intercept An Sishun.

Li Longji’s illness had not yet recovered, and he was utterly exhausted. Yet the anger in his heart was like molten lava with nowhere to vent, boiling and burning intensely. He resembled an injured wild beast under threat, half-lying on his bed, his eyes bloodshot, emitting a terrifying gaze. He no longer possessed the calmness and composure of an emperor.

“Bring more medicine!” Li Longji ordered Wu Xianyi in a low voice, pointing at the wooden box.

Wu Xianyi was terrified. Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head and said, “Your Majesty, you must not take that medicine anymore!”

“Will you bring it or not?” Li Longji’s face twisted into a grotesque mask.

Wu Xianyi lifted the hem of her dress, knelt in front of Li Longji’s bed, and cried, “If Your Majesty neglects your own health, what will become of the people of the realm?”

Li Longji glared at her coldly, a murderous intent gathering in his heart. Suddenly, he threw a punch at Wu Xianyi, hitting her nose squarely. Wu Xianyi let out a cry of pain, covering her face as she fell to the ground. Blood seeped from between her fingers. The maids nearby were terrified—never had they seen the emperor lose control to the point of hitting someone himself. Wu Xianyi lay on the ground, crying in agony. The maids finally snapped out of their shock and rushed to help her up. Her hair was disheveled, her face covered in blood. She had never suffered any hardship in her life, yet today the emperor had broken her nose. Overcome with grief, she covered her face and cried away. The guards outside the tent were even more terrified—they knew that anyone who dared enter would surely die.

A sense of horror enveloped the tent. Just then, a group of soldiers rushed in from afar, the leading officer holding a wooden box, extremely excited.

“Hurry and report to the emperor—urgent military news!”

The two guards did not dare delay and immediately entered the tent to report, “Your Majesty, urgent military news!”

Li Longji was struggling to get up to fetch medicine from the box when he heard this and stopped again. “Call them in to report!”

A moment later, several messengers were brought into the tent by the guards. The leading officer knelt down, raised the wooden box high, and declared, “Your Majesty, General Guo Ziyi successfully intercepted An Sishun at the banks of the Xinquan River. All 20,000 troops from Shuofang surrendered to General Guo. An Sishun, with no way out, committed suicide. Here is his head, presented to Your Majesty as a tribute to his achievements!”

Hearing this news, Li Longji, who had been weak due to illness, suddenly stood up, filled with joy. “Did the Shuofang troops not go to Hexi?”

“No, they all surrendered to General Guo. An Sishun’s rebellion has been completely quelled.”

“Good! Good! Good!”

Li Longji repeated “good” three times. Suppressing his excitement, he took the wooden box with trembling hands. Unexpectedly, it was heavy, and he almost dropped it. A guard quickly caught it and placed it on the table, opening it carefully. Inside, atop some lime, was An Sishun’s head. His gray, lifeless eyes stared at him.

“An Sishun, I could have made you a governor or even a prime minister, but you chose to defy my orders. So, death was your only fate. This is not my fault.”

At this moment, Li Longji was filled with joy. The transition of military power in the northern regions had finally been resolved successfully. Despite numerous setbacks, as long as he intervened personally, problems could always be solved, which proved that his authority remained unshakable. With the issue of the northern officers resolved, his army now numbered 200,000. By dealing with the next military governor, he would have even greater strength. Guo Ziyi was a talented and loyal man; although older, he could be entrusted to the imperial grandson to stabilize the realm. But what was most needed now was to boost morale.

Thinking of this, he pointed at An Sishun’s head and ordered, “Hang it on a high pole so that all soldiers—no! Everyone in the world can see what happens to those who defy my orders!”

The men took An Sishun’s head and left. Li Longji was in high spirits. Realizing he could walk again, he slowly approached the chest, opened it, and took out a small sandalwood box. Inside were red pills. His hand reached out hesitantly before he took out four pills—twice his usual dose. Staring at them, his eyes took on that eerie glow from a few days ago. The pills tempted him strongly. He rushed them into his mouth, chewed them, and swallowed them, then picked up his teacup and took two sips.

He returned to his bed and lay down. Moments later, a fierce desire surged from his lower abdomen—a desire he hadn’t felt in years. He wanted a hundred women right away.

“Go! Call Hua Rui and Si Jiao here.”

Soon, two girls from Qingzhou were brought before Li Longji. One was surnamed Lu and the other Yu; both were daughters of wealthy families in Qingzhou, extremely beautiful, and served Li Longji well. He had already appointed them as concubines. They knelt and bowed, “Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty!”

The maids had drawn the curtains, and the male guards had left the tent. Li Longji narrowed his eyes, examining their chests and abdomens, and ordered, “Take off your clothes!”

……

The rain gradually weakened. In Yang Guozhong’s tent, he paced back and forth anxiously with his hands behind his back. He had just received urgent news from Yang Guanghui, the governor of Taiyuan. An Lushan, under the pretext of intercepting An Sishun, had sent troops to Hedong. Zhao Yaguang, the defender of Jingxing, fled at the first sign of trouble. A hundred thousand troops split into two groups: Shi Siming led 70,000 troops southward, while Tian Qianzhen led 30,000 troops northward, seizing passes and fortresses with unstoppable momentum.

At this moment, Yang Guozhong felt utterly overwhelmed. He never expected An Lushan to send troops to Hedong. Just a few days ago, he had sworn before Li Longji that An Lushan would never have any rebellious intentions, but now… Yang Guozhong felt an extreme bitterness in his heart. The gold sent by An Lushan had once seemed so dazzlingly yellow and tempting, but now it seemed unbearably heavy.

“Prime Minister Yang seems quite relaxed!” A voice suddenly came from behind him. Yang Guozhong turned and saw Chen Xili standing at the door with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a half-smile.

“How could I be relaxed? Minister Chen, you’re joking!” Yang Guozhong laughed awkwardly. He really disliked Chen Xili coming to see him at such a time. Frowning, he asked, “What does Minister Chen want?”

Chen Xili stepped in and, without waiting for Yang Guozhong’s invitation, sat down directly on the couch. With a sinister smile, he said, “Actually, Prime Minister Yang should be very nervous, right?”

Yang Guozhong’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced at him warily. Did he also know? Impossible. Who would reveal such news to him? Pretending to be confused, he said, “I don’t understand what Minister Chen is talking about. If you have nothing else, I need to rest. Please leave.”

Seeing that he was being dismissed, Chen Xili stood up and laughed, “What a pity! What a pity!” He repeated this twice before walking away.

The thing Chen Xili regretted the most in his life was having sided with Yang Guozhong. Back then, Yang Guozhong’s power was at its peak while Li Linfu was declining. Envious of Yang Guozhong’s influence, he left the Prime Minister’s faction and joined Yang Guozhong’s camp. Unexpectedly, Li Longji wouldn’t allow Yang’s faction to dominate alone, so he removed Chen Xili from his position as Left Prime Minister and appointed him Minister of Punishments instead, giving the Left Prime Minister position to Wang Gong. That was one thing, but who could have predicted that the Imperial Concubine would suddenly lose favor and Wu Xianyi would take control of the harem? Yang Guozhong’s backing collapsed instantly. Everyone could see that he wouldn’t be Prime Minister for long. Not only did he lack backing, but his abilities were also poor. More importantly, once the Imperial Prince ascended the throne, Yang Guozhong would be finished. Many officials who had planned to support Yang Guozhong switched sides, and many lower-ranking officials who had already supported him joined the Wang faction or the Eastern Palace faction.

Chen Xili found himself in a very awkward situation. By betraying the Prime Minister’s faction, he had already earned a reputation for disloyalty. If he left Yang Guozhong now, his reputation would be completely ruined.

Chen Xilié’s pent-up anger had nowhere to vent, so it naturally turned toward Yang Guozhong. He hated himself for being so blind, but he hated Yang Guozhong even more for dragging him down. Today, he learned from a messenger that An Lushan was marching toward Hedong. This news was like a knife—Chen Xilié realized it could be used to severely hurt Yang Guozhong. Just a few days ago, Yang Guozhong had praised An Lushan’s loyalty in front of him. How could he explain this now?

He had come to Yang Guozhong intending to mock him harshly first, then watch his panicked reaction, before going to Emperor Li Longji to complain. Unexpectedly, Yang Guozhong treated him so coldly, which only strengthened his resolve to expose him.

Leaving the main tent, he immediately braved the rain and rushed toward Emperor Li Longji’s tent. The sky was overcast with rain, and in no time, Chen Xilié was drenched. He ran to Emperor Li Longji’s tent, but several guards stopped him. “Minister Chen, please wait!”

Chen Xilié quickly bowed and said, “I have urgent matters to report to the Emperor!”

The guards replied awkwardly, “Minister Chen, the Emperor is unwell right now and not in a position to receive visitors.”

Chen Xilié glanced back and saw Yang Guozhong approaching quickly, clearly trying to stop him. Panicked, he said, “It’s truly an emergency that affects the fate of the Tang Dynasty. Please allow me to report outside the tent.”

Seeing Chen Xilié’s soaked clothes, his desperate expression, and the urgency in his eyes, along with his claim that it was a matter of state, the guards dared not stop him anymore. “Prime Minister Chen, you may report outside the tent.”

“I don’t need that!” Chen Xilié rushed to the tent.

Inside the tent, there were heavy breathing sounds and gasps. Emperor Li Longji was panting heavily, pressing his hands against two pink buttocks that were thrusting back and forth frantically. His face was red as if burned, his eyes bloodshot—resembling an iron furnace heated to 1,000 degrees, on the verge of exploding.

His lust was indeed about to consume him. He had been ill for some time and had indulged himself, severely depleting his energy. Just now, he had taken four pills of the aphrodisiac flower at once—a dosage he had never used before. These pills were extremely potent; one pill could drain his energy for an entire night. By taking four times the usual dose while already extremely weak, he could no longer control himself. His body seemed to be controlled by a demon, no longer his own.

At that moment, Chen Xilié’s urgent voice came from outside the tent, “Your Majesty, I have urgent matters to report!”

Emperor Li Longji was startled, but his body wouldn’t stop.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, out of breath and with a trembling voice.
“Your Majesty, An Lushan’s hundred-thousand-strong army has suddenly attacked Hedong—he’s rebelled!”
The news was like icy water poured into a red-hot furnace; the dark energy accumulated over years finally erupted completely. Li Longji felt as though his spine had been broken by a blow, the pain piercing to the bone. With a scream, he collapsed weakly to the ground.
…
On April 20th of the 12th year of Tianbao, Li Longji’s old illness flared up again in the military camp. The illness, built up over years, struck with the force of an avalanche. This time, he could not escape. The imperial physicians tried to save him all night long, barely keeping his life force alive, but he could never wake up again. The physicians told Yang Guozhong that the emperor could no longer handle state affairs and that it was uncertain when he would regain consciousness.
…
In the military camp, Yang Guozhong was frantic, as if insane. If Li Longji died, it would be the end of his own days. He immediately ordered the guards to seal off the news, preventing anyone from spreading it, and forced several imperial physicians and two talented young men present to drink poisoned wine to death. He also ordered Chen Xilie to be imprisoned to prevent him from taking drastic actions and fleeing to the capital.
Yang Guozhong had originally supported Prince Li Yan of the Di clan, but Li Yan was imprisoned in Yinggoufang with no future ahead. At that time, Prince Li Mao of the Shou clan quietly approached Yang Guozhong and aligned with him, so Yang Guozhong switched his support to Prince Li Mao.
However, Prince Li Mao was far away in Xiangyang, and time was running out. Yang Guozhong was extremely anxious. Although he knew Li Longji was very weak, he didn’t expect him to collapse at this moment, falling into a deep coma with no hope of waking up. What should he do now? If Li Yu learned of this, he would seize the opportunity to ascend the throne, and that would mean Yang Guozhong’s death.
Under no circumstances could Li Yu get this news. Besides Li Yu, Yang Guozhong was also worried that Li Qiu and Li Qi, his brothers, might find out. Their mother, Wu Xianyi, was an enemy of Yang Guifei. If she gained power, it would also be harmful to him.
After much thought, only Prince Li Wan of the Rong clan remained. His relationship with Yang Guozhong was fairly good. Although it wasn’t as strong as the alliance with Li Mao, at least there was no enmity between them, and they could use each other. Moreover, Li Wan could command troops. Yang Guozhong was very worried that these two hundred thousand troops might get out of control, and he might die in the chaos. He just couldn’t find a trustworthy general.
He urgently needed Prince Li Wan to return and take control of those two hundred thousand troops. If Prince Li Wan could ascend the throne, Yang Guozhong would have the merit of supporting him. With this in mind, he immediately wrote a letter and ordered it to be sent urgently to Li Wan.

After finishing this task, he turned to address the gaps remaining. It was then that he suddenly remembered he still hadn’t taken control of Wu Xianyi. He immediately ordered a few trusted subordinates, “Go to Wu Xianyi’s tent right away, detain her, and prevent her from having any contact with the outside world.”

The subordinates left to carry out the order. Yang Guozhong sat down exhausted, gently pressing his temples as he wondered if there were any gaps left unaddressed. His mind was in chaos, like a mess of paste, leaving him utterly confused. After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t recall anything, only feeling as though he had sealed all the gaps.

Although Yang Guozhong had considered every detail possible to suppress news, he still made a mistake in his haste. A palace maid present fainted from shock after Li Longji collapsed. She was dragged to the back tent, and in the chaos, she was overlooked.

This maid was Wu Xianyi’s confidant. Every time Wu Xianyi and Li Longji’s intimate encounter ended, she would clean Wu Xianyi up. Left outside the tent, she woke up quickly and learned the truth from the conversations of the guards. Taking advantage of the chaos, she sneaked out of the tent and informed Wu Xianyi before Yang Guozhong could control her.

Wu Xianyi, with her nose broken, was hiding in another tent. Hearing this news, she was terrified and frantically grabbed the maid, crying, “Are you sure the emperor really didn’t go there?”

The maid trembled with fear and replied in a shaky voice, “Your Majesty, the emperor indeed hasn’t died, but he has been unconscious all night. He can drink herbal soup, but he just won’t wake up. Prime Minister Yang has suppressed the news. I heard he even killed the imperial physician and two concubines.”

“What should I do? What should I do?”

Wu Xianyi was frantic, pacing back and forth. Then the maid suggested, “Your Majesty, why not tell the two young princes?”

Suddenly reminded, Wu Xianyi realized—yes! She could tell her two sons and let them decide what to do. She immediately wrote two short secret letters: “The emperor is critically ill! Come to the camp immediately!” She sealed them with her seal and sent two trusted eunuchs to deliver them to her sons. As soon as the eunuchs left, Yang Guozhong’s men arrived.

“Your Majesty, the prime minister has ordered that you should not leave the tent unless necessary. If you need to contact anyone outside, you can go through us.”