Chapter 441: The Trouble with the Carriages

It was still dark when the loud drumbeats resounded throughout Chang’an. The once quiet streets and alleys suddenly became bustling. Lanterns, like bright moons in the night, floated above the markets of Chang’an, while carriages and officials on horseback hurried through the darkness.

Today was the day the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty would ascend the throne. All officials ranked ninth or higher in the capital were required to attend an audience at the Daming Palace.

Li Qing’an was traveling from the military camp outside the city to the Daming Palace. He sat in a spacious carriage, neatly dressed in a three-beam Jinxian crown, a qilin-patterned purple robe, and a jade belt. He would attend the court meeting as the Right Chancellor of the Secretariat. As a precaution, he also wore fine armor underneath—crafted by the best armorsmiths in Anxi using Damascus steel. Thin yet dense, with two layers and weighing fifteen jin, it could withstand crossbows within ten paces and strong bows from forty paces away. Ordinary swords could hardly cut through it.

The previous day, he had talked for a long time with Wei Qingping. Wei Qingping advised him to follow Qin Zhidao’s example by building a Tang Straight Road connecting Anxi and the Central Plains to strengthen ties between the two regions. These suggestions kept Li Qing’an thinking all night. Not only was Wei Qingping’s advice to step back behind the scenes highly sensible, but building the Tang Straight Road also held practical value. Li Qing’an had seen Qin Zhidao’s road firsthand within the Guannei Route—it was so solid that not a single blade of grass grew there, making it a true ancient highway.

Generally, it took the Tang cavalry at least a month to travel from Beiting to Chang’an, largely due to poor roads and winding routes that prevented them from riding fast. If a straight and wide Tang Straight Road were built, the journey would take no more than half a month. If relay stations equipped with fine Arabian or Dayuan horses were established, messengers might even need only ten days to travel from Beiting to Guanzhong.

This suggestion greatly excited Li Qing’an. Manpower was not a problem. The previous night, he had sent letters to Suiye, ordering the Anxi Government Office to start road construction. He also instructed Feng Changqing to recruit 100,000 laborers from Xinde and mobilize thousands of elephants to assist in the work. Additionally, according to the agreement he had made with Li Heng, 300,000 immigrants would be relocated to Anxi from Longyou, Guannei Route, and Henan Route. Especially since Henan had suffered from drought this year, with famine everywhere, they could be employed to work on the roads as a form of relief.

Li Qing’an opened a ledger on the small table, which contained the results of Li Yu’s two months of inventory of the imperial family’s assets. The granaries across Guanzhong already held ten million dan of rice and wheat, while the treasury held six million guan in cash, along with large amounts of gold, silver, and jewels. This made Li Qing’an marvel at Li Yu’s determination in managing the land. Although Li Yu was dead, he had left enough resources for those who came after him. With such funds and supplies, building the Tang Straight Road should not be a problem.

At that moment, the carriage suddenly stopped. Looking out through the window, Li Qing’an saw that they had arrived at Mingde Gate. There seemed to be another group on the opposite side. A bodyguard whispered, “General, it’s Geshu Han.”

As soon as the words were spoken, Geshu Han’s laughter came from the other side. “Is it General Li?”

Li Qing’an pulled back the curtain and saw another carriage on the opposite side, with Geshu Han inside. It had been over two years since they last met, and Geshu Han appeared older, with less energy.

Li Qing’an bowed and smiled, “Brother Geshu, I hope you’re well.”

Geshu Han had rushed back overnight the previous day. He had indeed been in a bad mood these past couple of days. He had hoped that once Li Heng ascended the throne, he would be appointed as the military governor of Guannei Circuit, a promise Li Heng had made to him. But instead, Li Qing’an took control of Guannei Circuit. The promise Li Heng had given him turned out to be just giving him Hanzhong, without any title. This left Geshu Han very displeased. Especially after Li Qing’an killed Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi in public yesterday morning, and Li Heng showed no reaction. Moreover, he promptly transferred military power in Guanzhong to Wang Sili. What did this mean? It meant Li Heng and Li Qing’an were colluding.

In fact, to some extent, Geshu Han had misunderstood Li Heng. Li Heng betrayed Meng Yun because of Meng Yun’s habitual treachery. If Meng Yun betrayed Li Yu today, he would betray Li Heng tomorrow. Li Heng was using Li Qing’an to get rid of this threat.

But Geshu Han didn’t see it that way. In his eyes, Li Heng betrayed his own generals for personal gain. If he could betray Meng Yun today, might he betray him tomorrow? Geshu Han felt chilled—he saw through Li Heng’s true nature.

Geshu Han smiled at Li Qing’an and said, “General Li, I have a few words I’d like to say to you. Is it convenient?”

Li Qing’an laughed heartily. “Brother Geshu, why not come to my carriage? We can go to Daming Palace together.”

“Very well. I’ll obey respectfully.”

Geshu Han stepped into Li Qing’an’s carriage. The two armies joined forces, and together they headed toward Daming Palace in a grand procession.

Geshu Han glanced at the carriage and smiled. “It seems to be the same one I gave to you back then!”

“That’s right! This carriage is quite good; I really like it. Thank you, Brother Geshu.”
“It’s no trouble at all. You don’t have to be polite.”
Geshu Han waved his hand and smiled again, “It’s just that there are no women in the carriage, which takes away a lot of fun. If the General doesn’t bring any women, how about I send you a few? I guarantee you’ll like them.”
“I appreciate Brother Geshu’s kindness, but I have a concubine with me who will arrive in a few days. Too many women would only give me a headache.”
Geshu Han laughed heartily, “Then the General will miss out on a lot of pleasures in life. I really don’t envy you.”
Li Qing’an also smiled and said, “My pleasures, I’m sure Brother Geshu wouldn’t like either.”
After chatting a bit more, Geshu Han gradually brought the conversation back to the main topic. “Is the General still paying attention to Tubo?”
Li Qing’an shook his head and said, “To be honest with Brother Geshu, these past few years I’ve been focusing on fighting against the Arabs. I don’t know much about Tubo. It seems they’ve been quiet for a long time.”
“The General may not understand Tubo, but I do. There’s only one explanation for their silence—they’re gathering strength. As early as a few years ago, Trisong Detsen began to take control. Though young, he knows how to use people wisely. He appointed Shangxi Dongzan as the chief administrator and Dazhalugong as the military commander to carry out comprehensive reforms in Tubo, preparing their forces. Now they’re regaining their strength. I estimate that in another year or two, the Tubo will invade the Tang Dynasty again.”
At this, Geshu Han sighed and said, “But the troops in Longyou are not fully equipped, lack supplies, and have low morale. If the Tubo army attacks, I really don’t know how to defend against them.”
Li Qing’an understood what Geshu Han meant—he wanted the court to provide funds, food, and military supplies. He smiled faintly and said, “I’ve understood General Geshu’s request. But defending against Tubo isn’t just the responsibility of Longyou; Anxi and Jiannan also need to be considered. I’ll raise this issue at the government meeting and find a reliable solution.”
Li Qing’an’s indifferent attitude left Geshu Han frustrated. Geshu Han forced a smile and said, “Then I’ll leave it to the General.”
Li Qing’an smiled and changed the topic, discussing with Geshu Han his experiences in dealing with Tubo’s army, a subject that also interested Geshu Han.

Unnoticed, the two men’s horse caravans arrived at the Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace. It was crowded with ministers preparing to enter the palace. It was not yet fully light, and the ministers began to disembark from their carriages, ready to enter one after another. Wang Gong arrived a bit later and was discussing today’s ceremony with Wei Jiansu. Wei Jiansu had been dismissed from his position as Minister of Works over a month earlier due to the Yang Guozhong affair, but was soon appointed as Deputy Minister of War by Li Yu. This reflected Li Yu’s indecisiveness, his tendency to lack thoroughness in handling matters.

As they talked, the main gate ahead cleared up, and they could enter the palace. Suddenly, Wei Jiansu nudged Wang Gong with his arm and gave him a subtle signal with his eyes. Wang Gong turned around and saw Li Qingan and Geshu Han getting off a carriage. The two were chatting cheerfully, looking very close. Wang Gong was momentarily stunned. At a time when factions were clearly defined, when had Geshu Han become close to Li Qingan? What did this mean?

Wang Gong sneered and entered the Danfeng Gate directly. The square inside the gate was already filled with thousands of officials. Today was the ceremony for the new emperor’s ascension, and all officials in Chang’an ranked ninth or higher were required to attend, including those from other regions in the capital, officials with honorary titles who were not in active service, and some retired officials. In other words, almost all civil officials receiving salaries from the court had to be present—over ten thousand people in total.

The Danfeng Square was vast, so even another ten thousand people would not make it seem crowded. Thousands of officials were gathered in groups, chatting. Generally, those in the central area near Longwei Road were high-ranking ministers, while lower-ranking officials below the fifth rank would stand to the side.

In front of Longwei Road, Li Hen was discussing today’s ceremony with several key ministers. The ceremony would be entirely handled by the Ministry of Rites, but due to the tight schedule, many rituals had to be omitted. After the crown prince Li Shi accepted the officials’ bows, he would appoint officials for the Political Affairs Hall and then go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray to the ancestors, thus completing the ascension ceremony.

Since Li Shi was a young emperor, although the ceremony was somewhat incomplete, the ministers were not too concerned. What mattered to them was the power distribution that would arise after his ascension.

At that moment, Wang Gong walked over quickly. Everyone bowed to him, and Wang Gong smiled and returned their greetings. He gave Li Hen a subtle signal, which Li Hen understood. He followed Wang Gong a few steps away from the crowd and asked in a low voice, “What’s the matter?”

“I just saw Geshu Han and Li Qingan riding in the same carriage. When they got off, they seemed very close, their relationship clearly unusual.”

A hint of displeasure flashed in Li Heng’s eyes as he frowned and said, “Perhaps they just met on the road, chatted, and shared a carriage.”
“I think so too. But Geshu Han knew today was an important ceremony yet still shared a carriage with Li Qing’an. Ignoring the implications and the gazes of the officials, this could lead to misunderstandings and put the Regent in a very difficult position. I believe it’s necessary for the Regent to remind Geshu Han.”
Li Heng was suspicious by nature. Although he claimed not to care about Geshu Han and Li Qing’an sharing a carriage, he was actually extremely displeased. What did Geshu Han mean by this?
Suddenly, he remembered the condition Geshu Han had proposed: to become the military governor of Guannei Circuit and also oversee Longyou. It was because he couldn’t fulfill this condition that he tried to ingratiate himself with Li Qing’an, wasn’t it?
Thinking of this, Li Heng snorted heavily. Needless to say, it must be the case.
At that moment, the bells in front of Hanyuan Hall rang—signaling that the ceremony was about to begin. Officials in Dafengmen Square hurried toward their seats.