Chapter 386: Emergency Response

At this moment, Li Bi’s concern was not so much about how to deal with Li Qing’an, but rather the Emperor Emeritus interfering in politics. He had once served as Li Heng’s advisor and understood very well Li Heng’s desire for power. Logically, since his son Li Yu had already ascended the throne, as a father, Li Heng should step back and stop meddling in state affairs. Yet instead of retreating, Li Heng continued to interfere in government affairs under various pretexts, especially by seizing control over conscription—something that was even more troubling.

Of course, as a father, it was only natural for him to care about his son. But Li Bi felt that Li Heng’s interference went too far. Moreover, he disapproved of Li Heng’s strategy of targeting Anxi first; he suspected Li Heng had ulterior motives.

“What about Your Majesty’s thoughts?” Li Bi wasn’t in a hurry to oppose him; he wanted to hear Li Yu’s opinion.

“I indeed want to regain Hexi and confine Li Qing’an in Anxi.”

“But has Your Majesty considered this? Following the Emperor Emeritus’s strategy of reestablishing the Hexi military governorship and appointing Guo Ziyi as the governor, this would not only break faith with Li Qing’an—after all, it was Your Majesty who personally promised to assign the four provinces of Hexi to Anxi—but it would also disappoint the court officials and the entire realm. It would instead earn Li Qing’an the sympathy of everyone. Your Majesty, that would be unwise!”

“Then what method does the master have to help me regain Hexi without losing credibility?”

Li Bi was speechless. Li Yu had many good qualities—frugal, diligent, dedicated to governance, uninterested in women, and keeping his distance from eunuchs—making him a ruler capable of reviving the Tang Dynasty. Yet he had one flaw: he struggled to make decisions on matters of principle. They had originally decided to adopt a strategy of cultivating distant allies while attacking nearby enemies, winning over Li Qing’an first and then seizing Hedong and Jingzhou. But under his father’s urging, Li Yu changed his mind again, trying to weaken Li Qing’an and destroy the trust they had painstakingly built—a fatal weakness for Li Yu!

Li Bi wanted to persuade him further, but he knew that excessive persuasion might only make Li Yu distrust him. With such limited political experience, the only approach was to keep a distance rather than try to stop him outright.

“Is that really all Your Majesty wants—to regain Hexi?”

“Yes!” Li Yu replied firmly. “I indeed want to regain Hexi. I admit I made a mistake back then, but it was to appease Li Qing’an. But now that he has stationed troops in Hexi and made his Anxi silver coins the currency of the Tang Dynasty, I can’t sleep at night.”

Li Bi pondered for a long time before saying, “How about this: Your Majesty should use a flanking approach to seize real power in Hexi without changing the nominal system. Divide Hexi into Longyou and Anxi. Since Your Majesty has already given his orders, there’s no need to change them. Guo Ziyi need not remain the military governor of Hexi either; instead, he should be reassigned as the supervisor of the stables, in charge of horse affairs in Hexi. The troops stationed in Hexi originally came from Hedong and had not been loyal to Li Qing’an for long, so they still did not fully trust him. Moreover, Li Qing’an had not transferred them to Anxi, indicating his doubts about these troops and his reluctance to let them go there. Therefore, as long as Your Majesty offers them high positions and generous rewards, and relies on General Guo’s prestige, it is not impossible to regain control of the military in Hexi. This would also leave Li Qing’an in an awkward position without him being able to complain openly. Your Majesty, this is a safe and effective method.”

“Good! Brilliant!” Li Yu exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands in approval. “My master’s strategies are truly beyond ordinary people’s reach. We shall act according to your plan.”

Excited, Li Yu immediately took out a piece of paper to write a personal letter to Guo Ziyi. At that moment, Li Bi hesitated and said, “Your Majesty, I… have another suggestion.”

“Go ahead, master.”

“It concerns the Retired Emperor.”

“What’s wrong with the Retired Emperor?” Li Yu put down his pen.

Li Bi found it difficult to speak up, as this involved sowing discord between father and son. Yet he felt he had to say something, so he spoke in a subtle and indirect manner, “What I mean is that the Retired Emperor is advanced in age. Your Majesty should show filial piety by allowing him to enjoy his later years rather than rushing around recruiting troops. He can leave the task of recruiting and training troops to loyal generals like Changsun Quanxu and Wang Sili. Does Your Majesty understand what I mean?”

Li Yu was intelligent; how could he not grasp Li Bi’s implied meaning? This was indeed a difficult situation for him. He had recruited 100,000 troops, but they were ultimately under his father’s control. The original 100,000 troops in Guanzhong were also under his father’s command. He himself only had 20,000 troops seized from Li Qing’an, which made him somewhat uncomfortable. But after all, it was his father, so Li Yu had to endure it. Now that Li Bi brought this up again, he didn’t know what to do and could only sigh, “I understand. Let’s discuss this later.”

Li Bi didn’t dare say more and changed the subject with a smile, “Your Majesty, allow me to explain the new policy on salt monopolies!”

……

In Anxi, Li Qing’an was on his way back, but one unfavorable message after another had already reached Suiye through messenger pigeons, leaving the officials stationed there extremely anxious.

At dawn, Yan Zhuang hurriedly left in a carriage. His status remained that of Li Qingan’s advisor, but everyone in Anxi knew that Yan Zhuang held real power—perhaps even more than Wang Changling, who was in charge. These days, Yan Zhuang had been extremely frustrated. A series of recent events in the court targeting Anxi had caught him off guard, putting him in a passive position step by step. There were also voices of dissatisfaction toward him in Anxi’s official circles. Wang Changling publicly accused him of inciting Li Qingan to launch a southern campaign, resulting in Anxi’s current state of leadership vacuum. In fact, Yan Zhuang had his own difficulties explaining this situation. He had privately advised Li Qingan that Xinde was too far away and suggested sending a deputy general instead of leading the campaign himself. But Li Qingan insisted on going personally to Xinde. Considering this was part of the tradition of the Anxi military governor, Yan Zhuang expressed his support for Li Qingan’s decision. Now that things had gone wrong, he bore the responsibility.

Moreover, there had been rumors recently targeting him, claiming he was jealous of talent and sought to monopolize the position of advisor in Anxi. These rumors had some basis. Last year, Li Qingan established a talent recruitment center in Kucha to attract talents from all over, with Yan Zhuang in charge. Yet, in the end, only a few hundred skilled craftsmen were recruited, with not a single strategist. Li Qingan was constantly busy outside and had no time to oversee the matter, but many Anxi officials kept this in mind. When Wang Changling publicly accused him, these voices of dissatisfaction erupted, leaving Yan Zhuang in a desperate situation.

If Wang Changling’s accusations were somewhat unfair, then the failure of the talent recruitment center was indeed his fault. Yan Zhuang did have some selfish motives, which had shown up even when he was Li Ling’s advisor. Back then, he and Gao Shang competed secretly, both trying to eliminate each other. Eventually, due to two failed strategies, Yan Zhuang caused An Lushan to lose to Li Qingan, leading to his dismissal by An Lushan. Later, he was rehired by Li Qingan and became his top advisor. Over time, his jealous and envious side gradually surfaced again. When Li Mi left Li Qingan, he breathed a sigh of relief. Yan Kai, a former advisor of Prince Qing, wrote several letters offering to serve Li Qingan, but Yan Zhuang hid the letters and did not inform Li Qingan.

With the crisis in Anxi, many voices of dissatisfaction against him emerged, including Wang Changling’s public accusations, which were also a way of venting their discontent.

Yan Zhuang felt both aggrieved and angry. He dared not go to the Anxi Government Office—once there, the hot-tempered Wang Changling would beat him on the table and benches, and the Anxi officials would backstab him. Wang Changling was always eager to implement various reforms; why didn’t they target him instead? It was all because he had cut back on salary increases for the Anxi officials last year, and those guys still held grudges.

To this day, Yan Zhuang still believed that the Anxi officials were actually avenging himself for cutting those salary increases last year.

Yan Zhuang had no choice but to turn to Princess Mingyue. The crisis in Hexi was worsening. Guo Ziyi had been appointed as the supervisor of horse affairs in Hexi and was said to have left Lingzhou to take up his post in Ganzhou. Now, the only way to minimize Anxi’s losses was to do so as much as possible, and only Princess Mingyue could accomplish this.

The carriage rushed toward the ZhaoMansion. The ZhaoMansion was the residence of the later generations after it was built, and it was also Lady Luo’s home. In a sense, it was also Li Qing’an’s home. So it was only natural for Li Qing’an’s family to move into this large, unused mansion, which was then renamed the ZhaoMansion.

“Hurry up!” Yan Zhuang kept urging the coachman. Just then, the coachman suddenly stopped.

“Master, someone is blocking the carriage.”

“Lord Yan, I have something to say. Please stop for a moment.”

The voice sounded familiar. Yan Zhuang pulled back the curtain and saw a disheveled middle-aged scholar standing in front of the carriage. He was described as disheveled because he was still wearing a tattered single-layer shirt—a summer garment—while it was already late autumn and cold in the mornings and evenings, with everyone wearing padded jackets.

Yan Zhuang immediately recognized him—it was Yan Kai, a former aide of Prince Qing. He wondered how Yan Kai had ended up in such a miserable state, unable to even afford proper clothing.

Prince Qing was now under house arrest in the State of Shi, and Yan Kai had long left him. He had written several letters to Li Qing’an, offering his services, but his letters went unanswered. After wandering around Anxi for half a year, unable to do physical labor or start a business, and unwilling to work as an accountant, he ended up teaching at a school in Suiye, scraping by with a little food and money. In reality, his situation wasn’t that dire, but to arouse sympathy and vent his resentment, he deliberately dressed in rags and came to Li Qing’an’s mansion every day, hoping to run into him when he returned. Today, he happened to see Yan Zhuang and couldn’t help but stop him.

Scholars often looked down on each other. Yan Zhuang had always disdained Yan Kai and had even advised Li Qing’an not to employ such a traitor. But seeing him in such a pitiful state, Yan Zhuang felt a hint of sympathy for him.

“It turns out to be Mr. Yan.”
Yan Zhuang got off the carriage, bowed, and smiled, saying, “It’s been a long time. I thought Mr. Yan had returned to the Central Plains. I see you’re still in Anxi.”
Yan Kai was in a miserable state, and even the slightest trace of a scholar’s pride had vanished from him. He bowed deeply to Yan Zhuang and asked, “Lord Yan, I wonder when Prince Zhao will return?”
“Well… I’m not entirely sure, but it should be soon!”
At that moment, Yan Zhuang’s eyes sparkled with an idea. Once Li Qing’an returned, the officials in Anxi would surely report to him about the Recruitment Hall. It would be better to recruit Yan Kai first to silence those officials and have something to show for it. Moreover, he knew Li Qing’an didn’t like this man and he wouldn’t pose a threat to his position.
He immediately frowned, stepped forward, and pulled Yan Kai affectionately, reproaching him slightly, “Why didn’t you come to see me? I’ve been searching everywhere for you. Finally, I’ve found you.”
Just moments ago, Yan Zhuang had been cold and indifferent, but now he suddenly became extremely enthusiastic, which was hard for Yan Kai to accept. Still, enthusiasm was better than indifference, and his heart warmed up as well. He regretted not having come to Yan Zhuang earlier, so he wouldn’t have been teased by those brats all the time.
“Lord Yan, you don’t know. I’ve been waiting for Prince Zhao.”
“You mean the General? I’ll recommend you to the General. But not today. You might as well go back first. Come to see me early tomorrow, and I’ll arrange a position for you. Once the General returns, I’ll recommend you right away.”
Yan Kai left, expressing his deepest gratitude. Yan Zhuang watched him go, feeling somewhat reassured. Seeing that they were not far from Prince Zhao’s mansion, he adjusted his clothes and hurried toward it.
…
Many things never happen when we hope for them, but they keep coming one after another when we stop thinking about them. Li Qing’an’s children were a typical example. Now, not only was Shi Shi eight months pregnant, but Mingyue was also pregnant, about four or five months along.
The mansion now had more than a dozen maids and servants. The original living space was already a bit small. Then, an imperial decree arrived, officially naming Li Qing’an as Prince Zhao and Du Gu Mingyue as the Princess of Zhao. Taking this opportunity, the Anxi Government Hall renovated this 30-mu estate and officially designated it as Prince Zhao’s mansion.
One morning, while Mingyue was writing a letter to her mother, a maid came to report that Mr. Yan had arrived with an urgent matter to see the princess.
“Ask him to wait in the guest hall. I’ll be there right away.”
Mingyue put on an outer robe and, with the help of a maid, slowly walked toward the outer courtyard. Entering the guest hall, she saw Yan Zhuang sitting there, drinking tea, looking deeply preoccupied.

“Why did Mr. Yan think of coming here today?” Mingyue stepped out smiling.
Yan Zhuang quickly stood up and bowed, saying, “Your humble servant pays his respects to the Princess!”
Like Li Qing’an, Mingyue didn’t like others to call her Princess, but it was customary in Anxi to refer to Li Qing’an as the Great General. As for Mingyue, everyone called her Princess without exception—no one used the title “Madam” anymore.
Mingyue waved her hand and said with a smile, “There’s no need for such formalities, please sit!”
Yan Zhuang sat down and said respectfully, “I apologize for disturbing the Princess’s rest. I am at fault, but the situation is urgent, so I had no choice but to come.”
Mingyue smiled slightly and asked, “You’re being too modest. What happened?”
“The Princess may not be aware, but last night I received urgent news that the Emperor has appointed Guo Ziyi, the governor of Shuofang, as the commander of the troops in Hexi. It’s clear that Guo Ziyi intends to seize control of those troops. The Great General is still far away in Xinde, so I had no other choice but to come to see you.”
Mingyue was stunned. After a long pause, she said, “Although I am the Princess, I never interfere in military or political matters. I think you should consult with Wang Changshi and General Duan. Coming to me might disappoint you.”
“The Princess doesn’t realize the urgency. The top priority now is to recall the troops in Hexi to Anxi to prevent Guo Ziyi from taking control. The authority to deploy troops lies with the Great General. Neither Wang Changling nor Duan Xiushi can move those troops, let alone I. Only the Princess can issue orders on behalf of the Great General to temporarily recall them to Anxi. Perhaps the troops will obey the Princess’s orders. Given the urgency, I implore you to step in and handle this matter.”
Mingyue was in a difficult position. When she came to Anxi with Li Qing’an, he had made it clear that she must not interfere in Anxi’s military or political affairs. Especially since her mother was a legitimate daughter of the prestigious Pei family in the Tang Dynasty, and she herself was a descendant of the Du Gu family, such backgrounds made her even more cautious about getting involved in Anxi’s affairs. Now Yan Zhuang was asking her to act on behalf of her husband—how could that be possible? Yet she also knew the situation was urgent. After thinking for a while, she said, “Here’s what we can do: You can discuss this with Wang Changshi and General Duan. Together, you can propose the recall of the troops in Hexi. I can sign my name behind yours as proof. If I were to issue orders alone, I might not be able to do it. Please understand.”
Yan Zhuang pondered for a long time. Indeed, this was the only option. Though he didn’t want to see Wang Changling, the situation was urgent. He immediately stood up and said, “Very well! I’ll go discuss this with them right away.”
……

Yan Zhuang returned to the government hall. As soon as he entered the main gate, he immediately felt the dissatisfied looks cast at him by the officials there. Those cold gazes were like sticks, striking his spine. It was truly uncomfortable to offend everyone in this way.
“Just a clerk, yet so jealous and envious—what a wretch!”
“Hmph! I think he’s not only lame in body but also in heart.”
Amidst the murmurs, Yan Zhuang forced himself to approach Wang Changling’s office. Wang Changling’s official position was the chief secretary of the Anxi Military Governorship, with the title of Silver Green Light and Glory Grand Master, ranking third in the official hierarchy. He was in charge of Anxi’s administrative affairs and could be considered the highest administrative official there. Meanwhile, Yan Zhuang had no official position; he was merely Li Qing’an’s clerk, yet he held real power—such as controlling grain distribution, land allocation, and the promotion of military officers. These were originally Li Qing’an’s responsibilities, but since he had no time to deal with them, he delegated them to Yan Zhuang. This was in line with the Tang Dynasty system, where clerks often acted on behalf of their masters.
Thus, to some extent, there was a power conflict between Yan Zhuang and Wang Changling. Moreover, Wang Changling was an extremely upright person who never hid his dissatisfaction. Last October, Wang Changling wanted to increase the monthly grain subsidy for each family in Anxi by five dou. Li Qing’an agreed verbally, but when the official order reached Yan Zhuang, he reduced it to three dou per family, claiming that military supplies should take priority. Over this matter, Wang Changling had already argued fiercely with Yan Zhuang three times.
This time, during a government meeting three days ago, in front of hundreds of officials, Wang Changling publicly accused Yan Zhuang of having unqualified clerks who not only failed to dissuade the general from launching a southern campaign but instead encouraged him—calling it the act of a fool who showed no mercy at all. Wang Changling’s public criticism filled Yan Zhuang with hatred.
If it weren’t for the urgency of the situation, Yan Zhuang would never have come to see Wang Changling.

It can also be considered a matter of social etiquette. Wang Changling firmly promoted the abolition of slavery and prohibited wealthy families from keeping too many servants. He also openly criticized his subordinates without any leniency. Logically, these actions should have offended many people, yet the officials in Anxi did not hold grudges against him. The reason was that he was honest and upright, without any selfish motives, acting always for the public good and for the prosperity of Anxi. Moreover, he led by example himself—his family consisted only of him and his elderly wife, with no servants, and he owned no land in Anxi. Those who wanted to impeach him would secretly go to his hometown in Taiyuan, Hedong, to investigate. They expected him to live a luxurious life with large fields and fine houses, but instead, his son lived in a few dilapidated houses, and their family owned only ten acres of poor-quality land, which he had purchased using his salary from Anxi. His son and daughter-in-law even worked the fields themselves. This moved those who wanted to impeach him, and they returned to defend and promote him instead. Thus, although Wang Changling was direct and unyielding, doing many things that offended others, his character won the great respect of the officials.

On the contrary, Yan Zhuang truly offended the officials in Anxi, especially the lower-ranking ones, who hated him deeply. Last year, Li Qing’an planned to raise the officials’ salaries by 30%, but Yan Zhuang firmly opposed it, arguing that the salaries of Anxi officials were already much higher than those of court officials, who had not even received their salaries for three years. A further significant raise would make the court officials jealous of Anxi and try to hinder it at every turn. His reasoning was sound, so Li Qing’an agreed and ended up raising the salaries by 15% instead.

The problem was that Yan Zhuang himself wanted a 50% raise. He insisted that he was just an advisor and that it was Li Qing’an who should pay for it out of his own pocket, so he was not subject to the salary increase rules. It was unfair of him to demand what he himself did not want. How could people not hate him?

Yan Zhuang walked up to Wang Changling’s office door just as Wang Changling rushed out in a hurry, and the two almost collided.

“It’s you!”

Seeing it was Yan Zhuang, Wang Changling’s face immediately showed anger. He glared at him and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Yan Zhuang was so filled with hatred that he wanted to scold him harshly, but doing so would really doom the military in Hexi. He strongly suppressed his dissatisfaction and said with a gloomy face, “I’m here on official business. Please distinguish between personal and official matters.”

Wang Changling’s style was to focus on people rather than matters. If he disliked someone, he would never hide his feelings. But when it came to official business, no matter how much he disliked the person, he would handle things professionally and not let personal emotions affect his duties.

“Then come in and talk!”

Wang Changling turned and entered the court room, sitting down right away. Yan Zhuang knew Wang Changling’s habits—he would never serve tea to anyone except Li Qing’an, nor invite them to sit; they could sit if they wanted or stand if not. So as soon as he entered, he sat down without ceremony.

“You must already know about Guo Ziyi being appointed as the supervisor of the stables!”

Wang Changling nodded. “I just found out this morning. There were rumors that Guo Ziyi would be made the governor of Hexi. Now it seems he’s in charge of horse affairs instead. It’s really hard to understand the emperor’s intentions.”

“That’s because you don’t understand.”

Yan Zhuang sneered. “I understand very well. It’s a clever strategy.”

“What strategy?”

Unconsciously, Wang Changling had forgotten his resentment toward Yan Zhuang. He asked anxiously, “Please tell me, what strategy is it?”

“Abolish the position of governor of Hexi and divide it into two. This is an imperial edict that everyone knows about. If he suddenly revokes that edict and appoints Guo Ziyi as governor again, it will surely undermine his credibility. So he uses the position of supervisor of the stables to allow Guo Ziyi to go to Hexi openly. At the same time, he secretly gains the support of high-ranking officials in the Hexi army. He can’t win over Li Zhiyou, but people like Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi aren’t part of the Anxi faction. If the emperor grants them the title of general and high ranks, do you think they’ll still remain loyal to Anxi? With Guo Ziyi’s prestige as well, the Hexi army will be lost.”

Yan Zhuang’s analysis sent chills down Wang Changling’s spine. He said urgently, “But if the general isn’t in Anxi, we have no authority to command the Hexi army. What should we do?”

“That’s why I came to discuss this with the chief secretary.”

Seeing that Wang Changling seemed to have completely forgotten offending him, Yan Zhuang said irritably, “I already spoke to the princess. Only she can issue an order for the Hexi army to withdraw to Anxi. But she refuses to issue the order alone. We need General Duan to join us, so that the three of us can issue the order together, with her signing off in support behind the scenes…”

Before he could finish, Wang Changling jumped up. “Then what are we waiting for? I’ll go find Duan Xiushi!”