Chapter 458: Complicated Circumstances

“Are you Wang Wei, the poet who wrote ‘The moon shines among the pines, and the clear stream flows over the rocks’?”

Li Qing’an sized up this middle-aged man with dark skin and a slender build. He found it hard to believe—in his mind, Wang Wei should have been a dashing and elegant man. Even in middle age, he ought to possess a refined and dignified appearance with a long beard and fair complexion. How could he be so dark and thin, with an unattractive look?

Li Qing’an wasn’t judging by appearance, but the stark difference between Wang Wei’s actual appearance and his imagination made it hard for him to accept.

Wang Wei had offended Yang Guozhong, and since the 11th year of the Tianbao era, he had lived in a state of semi-retirement and semi-official duty. He had tried several times to resign and retire completely, but he couldn’t bear to leave the bureaucratic world he had endured for nearly twenty years. He was well-versed in Buddhist teachings and regarded them as a form of scholarship, but he wasn’t the kind of person who despised the world and saw through its illusions.

To a large extent, it was because he had failed in his official career. Now that Yang Guozhong had gone south and reformists like Pei Min and Li Yan had taken control, Wang Wei felt a renewed desire to return to officialdom and make another impact. So he wrote to Lu Huan, who was on very good terms with him, hoping to return to office and pursue his ambitions.

Today, Lu Huan had brought him to Pei Kuan’s birthday celebration. He wanted to find a quiet place, but unexpectedly ran into Li Qing’an. Although Li Qing’an didn’t recognize Wang Wei, Wang Wei recognized Li Qing’an—he had seen him in the Hanyuan Hall as early as the 8th year of the Tianbao era.

Every poet in the Tang Dynasty had a dream of the Western Regions, and Wang Wei was no exception. In the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, when Zhang Jiuling was demoted, Wang Wei was also dismissed and appointed as an assistant to the military governor of Liangzhou in the Hexi region. He spent two years there, writing numerous famous poems such as “A solitary wisp of smoke rises in the desert; the sun sets round over the long river.”

His time in the border regions gave him a unique affection for the Western Regions. When he encountered Li Qing’an by chance, it stirred up his memories of that place, adding another layer of emotion to his heart.

Of course, he understood that Li Qing’an had special arrangements in this courtyard, so he bowed and said, “I truly didn’t know the general was here. I’m sorry for the disturbance. I must take my leave!”

“Won’t you come in and sit for a while, Mr. Wang?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.

“No, I’ll go somewhere else.”

Wang Wei bowed respectfully to Li Qing’an, then turned and left. Li Qing’an watched his retreating figure with deep emotion. Among the famous poets of the Tang Dynasty—Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei, Wang Changling, Cen Shen, and Gao Shi—he had met all of them except Du Fu. In the tenth year of the Tianbao era, Du Fu was appointed as a military officer in the Right Guard Command. After Li Yu ascended the throne, he was further appointed by the Ministry of Personnel as an official in Suicheng County, Yizhou Prefecture, in Hebei Province.

Yet at that time, Du Fu could not compare to renowned poets like Li Bai and Wang Wei; he was still just an obscure second-rate poet. Without the An Lushan Rebellion, would Du Fu still be the same person?

Lost in thought, Li Qing’an heard the bells from the Pei family’s residence, signaling that it was time for guests to enter the main hall. Seeing that it was almost time, he did not return to the courtyard but headed straight to the main hall.

……

In the afternoon, almost all the powerful officials and nobles of Chang’an gathered at the Pei family’s residence. The city’s security forces were concentrated in the Jingshan District, especially the Jinwu Guards from Wannian County, who were stationed throughout Jingshan District, while those from other districts were significantly reduced in number.

The weather remained hot. In the afternoon, few people were seen on the streets, and Qinglong District was eerily quiet. At that moment, a carriage left Wei Jiansu’s residence. It appeared quite ordinary, no different from the common hire cars on Chang’an’s streets, but it moved at great speed, heading south as soon as it left the estate.

Just as it left, a figure emerged from a side alley opposite Wei Jiansu’s house. He mounted a horse and sped after the carriage.

Soon, the carriage reached the gates of the estate. The soldiers guarding the city stopped it for a routine inspection.

“Stop!”

A few soldiers rushed over. Normally, inspections were not necessary, but after many officials fled south, Chang’an had tightened checks on vehicles, especially carriages, which were almost always stopped for questioning.

The soldiers blocked the carriage, and a duty officer stepped forward and asked the driver, “Who are you? Where are you going?”

A slit was opened in the carriage window, and a plump middle-aged man handed out a silver plaque—a temporary pass that allowed exemption from inspection, reserved only for officials of rank four or higher. Upon seeing it, the officer immediately showed respect and waved his hand, saying, “Let it pass!”

A dozen soldiers stepped aside. The coachman waved his long whip, and the carriage passed through the city gate, speeding toward the outskirts. After traveling about a mile, a dozen knights in black chased after it. The soldiers guarding the city were about to approach and question them when the lead knight flashed the token in his hand—a token belonging to a high-ranking officer of the Guanzhong army. Frightened, the soldiers dared not ask further and quickly stepped back.

Seeing that the carriage was indeed heading south, the lead knight whispered an order to his men, “Notify the troops ahead!”

A pigeon took off and flew south. The dozen soldiers spurred their horses again and chased after the carriage.

Once outside Chang’an, the carriage accelerated further, racing south along the official road. After about an hour, it entered the road leading to the Ziwu Valley. The road became bumpy, so the coachman slowed down.

“Steward Liu, the horses can’t keep going at this pace. We need to let them rest.”

The plump middle-aged man inside the carriage, worried by the dense forests on both sides, ordered, “Quickly leave these forests. Stop and rest once we’re out of them.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a gong sounded, and a large number of cavalry rushed out from the forests on all sides, surrounding the carriage completely. Armed with spears and arrows, they looked fierce—over a thousand of them, all from the Guanzhong army. The coachman trembled so much that his whip fell to the ground.

“What do you want?” he asked in a trembling voice. “This is the carriage of Minister Wei’s residence!”

A lieutenant general spurred his horse forward and said coldly, “It’s precisely because it’s Minister Wei’s carriage that we’re stopping it.”

The window was pulled open, and the plump middle-aged man poked his head out with a smile. “There must be a misunderstanding. My master is indeed Minister Wei of the Ministry of War. He’s still at Lord Pei’s banquet!”

With that, he handed a silver plaque to the lieutenant general and added, “We’re all on the same side. Just look at this silver plaque.”

The lieutenant general wasn’t moved at all. Without even glancing at the plaque, he said, “We’ve been ordered to search all carriages heading south. Everyone must be inspected. Get out of the carriage!”

The plump man’s face changed, and he shouted, “How dare you! Even Minister Wei’s carriage?”

The lieutenant general turned and waved his hand. “Search it! Anyone who resists will be killed on the spot!”

Hundreds of fierce soldiers rushed forward. They pulled the coachman off the carriage, forced open the doors, and rushed in. The steward didn’t dare resist. With a muffled cry, he was knocked down by the soldiers, tied up, and thrown out of the carriage. After a brief search, a soldier inside the carriage shouted, “We’ve found suspicious items!”

Several soldiers carried a heavy wooden box down from the carriage and placed it on the main road. The lieutenant general pointed with his sword and ordered, “Open it!” One of the soldiers used a knife to pry open the box, revealing that it was filled entirely with documents. The lieutenant general took one and flipped through it—these documents were actually records of the Guanzhong army, including troop numbers, equipment, training status, and records of each soldier kept in the military department. All officers above the rank of captain were included, with detailed information about their hometowns, family sizes, and backgrounds. In other words, with these documents, it would be easy to turn any officer against their side. At that moment, another soldier found a letter and handed it to the lieutenant general. After taking a look, he sneered and said, “It’s one thing for the honorable Wei Shilang to consider defecting, but to betray the Guanzhong army as well? There’s solid evidence—let’s see how he explains this.” The fat steward shouted loudly, “We didn’t intend to defect! We just wanted to take these documents to our estate.” “Nonsense! Here’s Wei Jiansu’s own letter, and your carriage is on the road leading to the Ziwu Valley—still trying to deny it?” The lieutenant general snapped, “Take them away!” The soldiers tied the fat steward and the coachman up tightly, covered their mouths, threw them into the carriage, and drove it toward Chang’an. …… By now, the birthday banquet at the Pei family’s residence had been going on for over two hours and was reaching its climax. The main hall was bustling with activity. In the open space in the center, a group of hired Hu dancers performed lively and passionate dances to the music. Dozens of dancers in bright red dresses spun around to the rhythm of the drums, their skirts fluttering like blooming flowers. Generally, after sending out invitations, the Pei family didn’t know the exact number of guests, nor whether they would bring wives and daughters or only sons—so it was difficult to arrange seating. They could only estimate the total number. As a result, aside from some important guests who had fixed seats, most others sat randomly. There was no strict separation between men and women; guests could sit with their families or with acquaintances. Because of the mixed seating, the atmosphere was especially lively, filled with laughter and chatter. The men discussed amusing topics, making the noblewomen giggle constantly. Many young men and women took this opportunity to exchange glances and look for their ideal partners.

Li Qing’an was originally seated next to Pei Kuan’s main seat, but he firmly gave his place to a senior Pei family member who had come from Hedong. His seat was then moved to the guest area, where he sat with several prime ministers. Zhang Gao, who had come alone, ended up sitting at the same table as Li Qing’an.

Zhang Gao drank a few more cups of wine and seemed in high spirits. Holding his cup, he said to Li Qing’an, “I have a suggestion for the Great General. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to mention it.”

Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “What’s there not to say over wine? Go ahead, Minister Zhang.”

Zhang Gao pondered for a moment before saying, “What I want to talk about is An Lushan. I’ve been in Taiyuan for many years and know this man very well. Anyone who has been to Youzhou says that An Lushan will definitely rebel. He sells ironware and grain to the Uyghurs and Khitans in exchange for warhorses, using those horses to recruit troops. Now, aside from the hundreds of thousands already under his command, he has secretly recruited at least another hundred thousand. Since he took control of Hedong, his ambition to rebel has become obvious. Although the Great General defeated him this time, his base remains strong. He’s like a vicious wolf with its claws retracted. If the court ignores him and allows him to recover, he will surely invade Hedong again. By then, he will raise the banner of rebellion, and the people of Hedong and Hebei will suffer greatly.”

Li Qing’an nodded and said, “I also know An Lushan’s treacherous intentions. That’s why I plan to deploy heavy troops in northern Hedong for defense. At least half of the troops recruited in Guanzhong and Guannei Dao should be stationed in Hedong. I’ll also assign some of the elite troops I brought from Anxi there to prevent An Lushan from invading Hedong again.”

“I’ve heard that the Great General will deploy troops in Hedong, but I think that’s not enough. I suggest the Great General train civilian militias and hide troops among the people. If An Lushan launches a full-scale invasion, the people can organize themselves to resist. What I mean is to temporarily lift control over weapons in Hedong and allow civilians to use military crossbows and long weapons.”

“I think lifting control over weapons among the people is not appropriate!”

Wang Gong, who was sitting nearby, suddenly interjected. He had been eavesdropping on Li Qing’an and Zhang Gao’s conversation and finally couldn’t hold back. “If control over weapons is lifted in Hedong, what about Guanzhong, Guannei, Henan, and Longyou? I dare say that within half a year, all regions of the Tang Dynasty will follow suit. If that happens, if the people rebel, it will be difficult for the troops to suppress them, and even if they succeed, the cost will be high. In recent years, there have been uprisings by landless peasants in various places, which have already caused trouble for the court. If weapons control is further relaxed, it will be hard to control the people!”

Zhang Gao frowned and opposed him, saying, “Prime Minister Wang, that view is putting the cart before the horse. Since ancient times, people have rebelled only out of desperation, when they had no other choice but to rise up. If the court treats the people well, reduces taxes, strictly controls land annexation, and gives them a way to survive, even if they are faced with countless weapons, they won’t rebel. On the contrary, those powerful landlords who want to rebel will still hide weapons regardless of restrictions. It has nothing to do with controlling weapons. If the people have the ability to defend themselves, then whether it’s invasions by barbarians or rebellions by bandits, they can resist on their own and won’t be slaughtered like sheep.”

Li Qing’an nodded in agreement. “Hiding weapons among the people”—what Zhang Gao said was exactly the long-standing practice in Anxi, which suddenly reminded him that it could also be adopted in the Central Plains.

Li Qing’an then said with a smile, “Let me talk about Anxi! Three years ago, Anxi lifted restrictions on civilian weapons, especially for Han immigrants. There, every household was required to have a spear and a set of armor. If there were two able-bodied men in the family, they also had to have a crossbow and a warhorse. They had to undergo monthly training sessions every three months. This is Anxi’s militia system, and I think it could be implemented in the Central Plains.”

Wang Gong disagreed, saying, “Anxi may work, but it might not work in the Central Plains. Keeping tigers around can harm people, but they can also turn on their owners. Although hiding weapons among the people sounds good, if An Lushan exploits it, the militias we’ve painstakingly trained could become weapons for him to attack the court. By then, even the great general won’t be able to do anything.”

Li Qing’an snorted and declared loudly, “Prime Minister Wang, you underestimate the people of our Great Tang. The people know better than us what’s right and wrong, what’s just and unjust. If the people support An Lushan and are willing to help him overthrow the court, it means our oppressive rule has made them suffer beyond endurance. As the saying goes, harsh governance is worse than tigers! So if An Lushan overthrows the court, it’s our own fault.”

Wang Gong was speechless, turning his face pale and away. Zhang Gao, however, secretly gave a thumbs up and praised in a low voice, “The great general is right. Harsh governance is worse than tigers. I, Zhang Gao, have learned much from this.”

Inside, Li Qing’an felt a slight stir. Since Zhang Gao had always been loyal to Li Hen, he had never paid much attention to him. But from today’s interaction, it seemed Zhang Gao matched his own temperament well—someone worth considering as an ally.

At that moment, applause erupted in the hall. Li Qing’an turned around and then noticed Pei Kuan coming out from the back hall, dressed in a bright red robe with paint on his face, looking vibrant. Yet, being thin and frail, he walked unsteadily. His two granddaughters, Pei Yu and Pei Wan’er, supported him from either side, carefully guiding him to the main seat before standing behind him.

The music and dancing stopped, and the dancers withdrew. Today’s host was Pei Yi. He stood up, smiling, and said loudly, “Today is my father’s 75th birthday. I thank everyone who has come to Pei’s residence to celebrate for him. Although the Emperor and the Regent were unable to attend for some reason, they have sent gifts and blessings. On behalf of my father and the Pei family, I express our deep gratitude. I also want to thank Prime Minister Wang, Minister Li, Minister Fang, Minister Cui…”

Pei Yi was thanking the members of the government council except for Li Qing’an and Pei Min. These people were sitting together, and everyone’s gaze was directed their way. At that moment, Li Qing’an glanced over and happened to see Pei Wan’er standing behind Pei Kuan. Her eyes, like autumn waters, were fixed on him. Li Qing’an smiled at her slightly, and a blush appeared on Pei Wan’er’s porcelain-like face. She quickly turned her head away and began whispering to Pei Yu.

“Besides thanking these prime ministers, I also want to thank all the distinguished guests who have come to this birthday celebration. This first drink represents the Pei family’s respect to everyone.”

But Li Qing’an picked up his wine cup, stood up, and said with a smile, “This first drink should be offered to our honored birthday guest. Come! Let’s all drink together to wish Elder Pei longevity as vast as the East Sea and as enduring as the Southern Mountains!”

Everyone stood up, raised their cups, and said with smiles, “Wish Elder Pei a long life!”

Pei Kuan’s eyes narrowed in a smile. He tried to stand up to say a few words of thanks but couldn’t. He could only pick up his small wine cup and drink with everyone else.

As everyone sat down, a steward rushed into the hall in a hurry, looking panicked. He stumbled on the steps and almost fell. “Master, something terrible has happened!”

Thousands of people in the hall turned their gaze toward him instantly. Pei Zunqing said irritably, “What is it?”

“Master, soldiers have arrived!”

As soon as the steward finished speaking, more than 300 fully armed soldiers from Guanzhong appeared outside the hall. Leading them was Lin Jian, the fourth-in-command of the Guanzhong army. With fierce expressions, they tried to storm into the hall, but over 60 of Li Qing’an’s personal guards blocked their way.

Captain Yang Yunfeng drew his sword and shouted, “This is Elder Pei’s birthday celebration. You dare not be rude!”

“We are here by order of the Regent to arrest the enemy spies. Here is the Regent’s order. Please step aside and do not interfere with military operations, or else we will kill you without hesitation!”
Lin Jian’s voice was loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear clearly. All of them showed great surprise. This was the Pei family’s celebration hall, and yet they had stormed in fully armed, intending to arrest people right in front of thousands of guests. This was clearly an act of showing disrespect to the Pei family. Li Qing’an was also astonished. Only then did he realize that Wang Sili and Chen Xuanli hadn’t arrived, nor had Li Heng. Glancing around, he saw a triumphant expression on Wang Gong’s face, and he quickly understood—they had come prepared!
Li Qing’an slowly stood up and said coldly, “Who do you think you can kill without consequence?”
……