Chapter 615: Family Matters and State Affairs

Not everyone agreed that Li Qing’an should lead troops personally to attack Jiangnan. One of his advisors, Yan Zhuang, was among those who opposed it. That evening, Yan Zhuang went to see Li Qing’an.
“You also want to persuade me to stay in the capital, right?”
In the study, Li Qing’an put down his pen and looked at Yan Zhuang with a smile. His calmness left Yan Zhuang somewhat at a loss for words.
“General, don’t you think it’s unwise for you to leave the capital for Jiangnan? I admit it’s winter now, and An Lushan has suffered heavy losses, staying hidden in Hebei. Taking advantage of this opportunity to seize Jiangnan is indeed a good chance. But the general doesn’t need to go in person. You can appoint Li Fei to lead troops south. With Li Lin’s weak army, it can be easily conquered. Why must the general go himself instead of staying in the capital to create opportunities to ascend the throne? Of course, I’m just a low-ranking advisor, without the influence of high-ranking officials, but after all, I’ve been with you for so many years. I hope the general will at least listen to me.”
Yan Zhuang seemed agitated and poured out all his dissatisfaction in one go. Li Qing’an could sense a hint of discontent in his tone.
Yan Zhuang was still Li Qing’an’s advisor, in charge of logistics and troop supplies. On the other hand, he remained a commoner without any official position in the court. Previously, he had avoided showing himself for fear that An Lushan would learn he wasn’t dead. But now that An Lushan had rebelled, there was no need for him to hide his identity anymore.
Yan Zhuang had also passed the imperial examinations during the Kaiyuan era but was rejected during the selection process due to his unsightly appearance. Yet this didn’t dampen his desire for fame and wealth. He joined An Lushan and, thanks to his talents, gained importance. Unfortunately, An Lushan betrayed him out of fear of offending the Yang family, nearly killing him and dealing him a severe blow. He had followed Li Qing’an for eight or nine years. As Li Qing’an grew more powerful, his ambition to enter politics rekindled. But Li Qing’an showed no intention of doing so. Now nearly fifty, with little time left, his desire to enter officialdom became even stronger.
Today, he came not only to persuade Li Qing’an not to leave Chang’an but also to take this opportunity to express his own ambition to serve in government.

Li Qing’an understood in his heart that Yan Zhuang was quite capable and skilled; over the years, he had handled supplies on his behalf, and large sums of money had passed through his hands, yet he had never coveted a single penny. Such a person, if appointed as a governor in a local area, would not oppress the common people. However, Yan Zhuang had one flaw—he was rather arrogant and looked down on his colleagues, and he had always had poor relations with officials in Anxi. To put it bluntly, he tended to bully others by exploiting his power. If placed in the imperial court, he would likely offend many people, but sending him to a local area seemed somewhat unfair to him.

So Li Qing’an had been unable to make up his mind. Since he now had an idea, why not ask Yan Zhuang what he planned?

Though he thought this way, Li Qing’an wasn’t in a hurry to get to the point. Instead, he first discussed the matter of going to Jiangnan. Smiling, he said, “I understand your advice. If we attack Jingxiang, I can send Li Fei Yuanli to lead the troops southward. But Jiangnan is different—it’s the economic lifeline of our Tang Dynasty, and it’s extremely important. I must go there in person. First, to protect Jiangnan from military disasters, and second, to take this opportunity to win over the local officials and gain their support. As for Chang’an, I’m not worried. With Zhang Yun as prime minister, he may not be ambitious, but he’s excellent at internal strife. I’ve already given him tasks that he won’t be able to finish in a short time, so I’m not concerned about Chang’an at all.”

“What about defense? With the general not in Chang’an, military strategies need to be thorough!”

Li Qing’an nodded. “I know. I’m only worried that Li Hen of Southern Tang might use the strategy of ‘encircling Wei to rescue Zhao’ to save Li Lin. That’s why Hanzhong is the most crucial. Cui Guangyuan lacks experience, so I plan to reassign him as the governor of Hanzhong, while An Baoyu, the former general of the Yulin Army, will take over as the military governor of Hanzhong. He has changed his name to Li Baoyu, and he will ensure Hanzhong remains safe. Additionally, to prevent Li Hen from taking risks in Longyou, I’ve ordered General Ma Sui to lead 20,000 troops to defend Wuzhou and Dangzhou. Of course, the greatest threat is An Lushan. To prevent him from launching a sudden attack, I’ve sent Li Siyeh with 80,000 troops to Hedong, to coordinate with Guo Ziyi in the north and south, making it difficult for An Lushan to break through the defenses of Hedong. Finally, I’ll lead 30,000 elite troops from Anxi to Xuzhou, to join forces with Li Fei Youyu’s 40,000 troops. With a total of 70,000 troops, we can easily conquer Jiangnan.”

All of Li Qing’an’s meticulous plans were carried out behind the scenes. No one in the imperial court knew about them, not even Yan Zhuang. He was stunned as he listened. It was only then that Yan Zhuang realized Li Qing’an’s decision to march on Jiangnan wasn’t impulsive but the result of long-term planning. The soaring prices in Chang’an were merely an excuse.

But he also felt a bit disappointed. In the past, Li Qing’an would inform him in advance about these major military deployments and plans and discuss them with him. But now, Li Qing’an no longer consulted him, which was why he had come to persuade Li Qing’an not to lead the campaign personally.
“Since the general has made thorough arrangements, I have nothing more to say. I’ll go back now to prepare provisions to assist the general in achieving victory right from the start!”
Yan Zhuang sighed. Just as he was about to take his leave, Li Qing’an smiled and asked, “How are your legs now? It seems you can walk freely again?”
“Thank you for your concern, general. I’ve been working hard on my recovery over the years. I can walk normally now. From the outside, it doesn’t seem unusual, but I still can’t walk too much. A longer distance is too much for me; I get too tired.”
Li Qing’an nodded and smiled again. “How many years have you been with me, Mr. Yan?”
Yan Zhuang’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly replied, “I officially followed the general since the seventh year of Tianbao. It’s been eight years now.”
“Over these eight years, you have remained loyal to me, putting in great effort to help me reach where I am today. I remember all that. Several times, I wanted to assign you to a local position, but I felt I couldn’t do without you, and I was conflicted…”
“I also don’t want to leave the general.”
“Though that’s true, you are also a man with ambitions. I should give you a chance. I want you to go to Taiyuan and serve as the deputy governor there. What do you think?”
The governor of Taiyuan was concurrently held by Guo Ziyi, who did not handle government affairs. If Yan Zhuang became the deputy governor, he would essentially be in charge of all government affairs in Taiyuan. Yan Zhuang understood Li Qing’an’s good intentions—he didn’t want to face criticism from the court for favoritism, nor did he want to sacrifice himself. Moved, Yan Zhuang knelt down and wept, saying, “I will always remember the general’s kindness!”
Li Qing’an helped him up and smiled. “I’ll set out on the campaign in about three days. Prepare provisions for me one last time, and then go to Taiyuan to take up your post! I’ll take care of everything regarding the government affairs.”
“Thank you, general!”
Yan Zhuang took his leave. Li Qing’an sat in the soft rattan chair and began to think about the details of his journey to the south. Originally, he planned to go straight from Luoyang to the south, but Pei Zunqing’s assassination forced him to return to deal with the chaos in the court. Now that the situation in the court had stabilized, An Lushan was trapped in Hebei due to burned fodder. This was the perfect time for him to go to the south. He wanted to return before spring, when the armies would have finished resting, new recruits would have completed training, and Guo Ziyi’s forces would have regained their strength—perfect time to start competing for control of the Central Plains.

Li Qing’an was lost in thought, silent. At that moment, the door to the study opened, and his beloved concubine, Rushi, entered carrying a cup of ginseng tea. She gently placed the cup in front of him and said, “Husband, have some ginseng tea. Don’t stay up late—go to bed early!”
The only thing Li Qing’an regretted about going to the south was his family. He hardly had time to spend quality time with them. This time, he could only be with them for five days, yet they never complained and continued to support him as always.
Li Qing’an took Rushi’s hand and pulled her onto his lap. She tried to stand up, but he held her fast, preventing her from moving. She then said, “Husband, the midwife visited Eldest Sister today.”
“How is she? What’s her condition?” Li Qing’an asked anxiously.
“The midwife said Eldest Sister isn’t in any serious trouble, but the fetus is quite large. She advised Eldest Sister to stay as still as possible, lie down more, and avoid sexual intercourse to prevent abnormal fetal positioning.”
Li Qing’an had planned to comfort his wife that night, but after hearing this, he abandoned that idea and smiled. He whispered in Rushi’s ear, “Then I’ll have sex with you tonight.”
Although Rushi had been married to Li Qing’an for many years, she still blushed like a young girl when it came to this matter. She nodded shyly, wanting to say something but failing to speak.
“What do you want to say?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“I… I want to give you another child.”
“I want that too. Let’s try our best tonight!”
“Mm!”
Rushi nodded, her face red, and then asked, “When are you leaving, husband?”
“In three days. The day we leave happens to be Duoduo’s birthday, so we’ll celebrate it a day early.”
“Husband, she’s still too young. Let’s wait until next year. Celebrate her birthday when she’s three.”
Li Qing’an knew Rushi wasn’t unwilling to celebrate their daughter’s birthday; she was worried that he might miss his son’s birthday and celebrate Duoduo’s instead, fearing that Mingyue would be upset. Li Qing’an sighed inwardly. This was why he loved Rushi the most—she always considered others, willing to endure hardship herself to maintain family harmony. And though he doted on her the most, she never became arrogant and remained humble.
After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, “Well, I probably won’t be back in time for Tan’er’s birthday. Let him and Duoduo celebrate together.”
“And Siyue,” Rushi reminded him. “Her birthday is also in December. Why not celebrate them together?”
“Alright! You’re really thoughtful. Discuss this with Mingyue. Let Ruhua and Mingzhu go run errands—they’ll be happy to do it.”

Rushi stood up with a smile and said, “Okay, I’ll go discuss this with my elder sister right away. Dalang, you go ahead and get busy. I’ll heat water to wash your feet in a bit.”
Li Qing’an laughed. “You’re trying to rush me to go to bed early, aren’t you?”
“You’re thinking too much!”
Rushi gave him a light tap on the head, sent him a flirtatious glance, then quickly left the study. Li Qing’an slowly leaned back in the rattan chair, thinking of his wives. Although, according to tradition, he could marry more women, doing so would turn him into a mere breeding tool, like a stallion. It was said that many emperors had no choice but to sleep with whoever the eunuchs arranged for them each night, a miserable fate. If he did that, aside from satisfying his curiosity for a while, he would never again experience the heartfelt tenderness and care from someone like Rushi. He didn’t want to lose too much.
Suddenly, he thought of Yang Yuhuan. She was left alone in Luoyang. He wondered how she was now. He must go see her when he passed through Luoyang this time.