Chapter 658: The Anti-Qing Group

Hu Peiyun took out a volume of files from the cabinet and placed it in front of Li Qingan. “General, please take a look at this!”
Li Qingan took the files and glanced at them. The bag was labeled “Qi Xun, Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple.” He frowned slightly and asked, “Is there such a person in the Dali Temple?”
“General, this person only served as Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple for two months, two years ago. Due to the short duration, many people are not familiar with him. He is now the Minister of the Dali Temple in Southern Tang.”
Li Qingan opened the files and spilled out a pile of documents, most of which were annual evaluations from the Ministry of Personnel. Uninterested in these, he found a small booklet bound with red thread—known in the Anxi Army as a “red thread book”—which contained investigation records of important figures, including their backgrounds, factions, and secret weaknesses. This was what was most valuable to the intelligence department.
Li Qingan opened the red thread book and flipped through a few pages. It clearly stated that Wang Gong’s second son had married his daughter. This man was Wang Gong’s confidant. Recalling what had been said earlier—that Wang Gong was behind the series of actions targeting him—Li Qingan seemed to understand something.
He closed the booklet and asked, “Is this the person who replaced Yang Zhongyi?”
“The General is absolutely right. The ‘Anti-Qing’ operation planned by Li Heng was carried out under his full responsibility. The series of auspicious omens that have appeared recently were all orchestrated by him. He is currently in Chang’an, actively contacting many important officials.”
Hu Peiyun took another large sheet of paper and unrolled it in front of Li Qingan. It showed a diagram with Qi Xun’s name in the center, surrounded by a circle filled with numerous small squares. Most squares were empty, but three contained names. Li Qingan examined them carefully: one was Li Kaifu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works; another was Zhang Bingguo, Inspector of Water Resources; and the third was Shao Yi, Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple. What did this mean?
Hu Peiyun explained, “Based on our deductions, Qi Xun must have been in contact with at least twenty court officials over these two months. This afternoon, he visited three officials, staying at each of their residences for over half an hour. I have some suspicions…”
“What suspicions?” Li Qingan asked, staring into Hu Peiyun’s eyes.
“I merely have suspicions and dare not draw a conclusion yet.”
“That’s fine. Tell me what you suspect.”
“I suspect that these series of auspicious events are not entirely the work of people from Southern Tang. I think court officials are involved.”

“Is your suspicion based on anything?” Li Qing’an asked him again.
“A little!”
Hu Peiyun pointed to Zhang Bingguo’s name on the drawing and said, “I got an idea from this person’s name. He is the left envoy of the Water Resources Supervision Bureau. The night before the white jade stele was buried in Gaoling County, someone saw a boat moored in the Zhongbai Canal not far from the stele. It stayed there all night. I assigned one of my subordinates to investigate this boat. This afternoon, he reported back that the boat belonged to the Water Resources Supervision Bureau’s canal survey team. I then checked their survey records, and they hadn’t sent any boats to the Zhongbai Canal for surveys in the past month. So I suspect Zhang Bingguo privately dispatched that boat to transport the white jade stele. Since it was an official boat, it could pass unchecked, which was very convenient. I even suspect the thousand-year turtle was also brought by that boat. If my inference is correct, then Zhang Bingguo is involved in this operation to create auspicious signs.”
Li Qing’an also thought Hu Peiyun made sense. These six consecutive auspicious events were extremely well-planned and concealed. It was likely impossible for the people of Southern Tang alone to pull off such things; they must have had the help of court officials. If Zhang Bingguo was involved, it wasn’t just him—other officials must also be involved, meaning a bureaucratic group opposed to Li Qing’an had emerged.
What concerned Li Qing’an most now was to find out what the highest-ranking official among those contacted by Qi Xun was—whether it was as high as Li Kaifu, the vice minister of the Ministry of Works, or even higher.
At that moment, Hu Peiyun said again, “General, since Yang Zhongyi has been captured, I’m worried that Qi Xun might get wind of it and flee. I want to arrest him. Do you approve?”
Li Qing’an pondered for a while before shaking his head. “It’s better to stretch our net a bit wider. Don’t rush to arrest him. You might as well talk to Yang Zhongyi and ask him to work for us. Also, it’s necessary to arrest Zhang Bingguo and question him to see if he’s really involved. If he is, then there are definitely more officials involved.”
“I understand, sir. But how should we arrest Zhang Bingguo without alerting Qi Xun?”
Li Qing’an smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. I have my ways.”
……
After leaving the Intelligence Hall, Li Qing’an went straight home. His family was overjoyed and happy. They had dinner at home, and Li Qing’an spent some time playing with his children before returning to his study. Shortly after he sat down, his wife Mingyue brought in a cup of ginseng tea.
She placed the tea on the table and asked with a smile, “Where’s Wu Niang? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

Li Qing’an picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled, saying, “She recruited a thousand female soldiers in Taiyuan and is busy training them, so she doesn’t have time to come back for now.”
“Then what should I call her now?”
A smile couldn’t be hidden in Mingyue’s eyes. “Should I call her sister?”
Li Qing’an shook his head. “No! You should call her General Gao.”
“Did you two… not…”
“Not… what?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“Nothing!”
Mingyue changed the subject. She said with a smile, “This morning I summoned Hu Peiyun, and unexpectedly, Qin Haiyang came along too. You’re not angry with me for this, are you?”
“Why was she summoned? Is it related to the auspicious omen?” Li Qing’an asked with a slight smile.
“Yes. This matter has serious consequences and causes great harm to your reputation. I wouldn’t interfere in your affairs unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Hmm! I’ve already heard about this from Hu Peiyun. You did the right thing, but I don’t want similar things to become the norm.”
Li Qing’an’s conversation with his wife also carried a military tone. He made it very clear that she had done the right thing this time, but he didn’t want her to do it frequently because of that. In other words, he was reminding her not to interfere too much in military and political matters.
Mingyue nodded silently. She understood her husband’s attitude. It wasn’t blame, but protection. In the Tang Dynasty, concubines who interfered too much in politics rarely ended well—Wu Zetian, the Wei family, Princess Taiping, and so on. After the mid-Tang period, the court could no longer tolerate women in politics. Besides, Mingyue herself wanted to be the second to Empress Zhangsun, not the second to Wu Zetian.
Seeing that his wife understood, Li Qing’an took her hand and smiled, saying, “Tell me about some interesting things about the kids! Last time, Tan’er gave me a painting. I really liked it, but I don’t understand why he drew my eyes so big, like copper bells—seemingly fierce and evil.”
Mingyue smiled faintly and said, “That’s because once he saw a portrait of Zhong Kui. He said my father’s eyes looked just like those in the painting. So when he painted you last time, he specifically took out Zhong Kui’s portrait to compare it with.”
“That little rascal!”
Li Qing’an burst into laughter. He touched his chin and said, “Do I look like Zhong Kui?”

Moonlight also smiled. “Of course, my husband isn’t like Zhong Kui. Zhong Kui hunts evil ghosts, while my husband hunts evil men—people like An Lushan and Shi Siming. My husband defeated the rebel forces in Luzhou, and the whole city of Chang’an celebrated. Thousands of elders came to our mansion’s gate to kneel in worship. Do you know? At that moment, we were truly moved; I couldn’t even hold back my tears.”
Her eyes moistened as she spoke. Li Qing’an gently patted her hand. “I fought bravely on the front lines not only to protect the people but also to protect you and the children. I did it for all under heaven, as well as to protect my own wife and children. In such a high position, I must be extremely cautious. One wrong step could not only cost me my life but also plunge you all into dire trouble. You know, I’m under great pressure.”
Moonlight took her husband’s hand and pressed it to her face. Softly, she said, “I understand the pressure you’re under. I’ll do my best to ease your burden, raise the children well, and strive to be a model wife so as to bring you pride.”
Touched, Li Qing’an remembered something and said to his wife, “In a few days, many of the generals from Anxi will come to live in Chang’an. The court will arrange residences for them, but I hope you can comfort them on my behalf, ask about any difficulties they face, and help them settle down in Chang’an peacefully.”
Moonlight nodded. “I had a good relationship with them during my time in Anxi. Don’t worry! I’ll take care of them.”
Seeing it was getting late, Moonlight stood up. “Then I won’t disturb you any longer. Please finish your tasks early and get some rest.”
“Alright! We can talk more at night.”
Moonlight understood the unspoken message in her husband’s words. She nodded shyly and left.
The room fell quiet, and Li Qing’an’s thoughts returned to the events of the day. Although the omens had caused some damage to his reputation, they also brought him great benefits. Thanks to the competence of people like Hu Peiyun, a group of officials who opposed him gradually came to light—exactly what he wanted to do: eliminate rivals and clear the way for his ascension. Moreover, there were solid charges of colluding with Southern Tang.
Li Qing’an slowly walked to the window. He opened it and, with his hands behind his back, gazed at the dark night outside, pondering his next move. With An Lushan’s rebellion no longer a threat, it was time to consider his own ascension. He needed to remove all obstacles—both in Chang’an and from Southern Tang. This incident with the omens was his best opportunity. Why not seize it? Opportunity was fleeting; he must act immediately.

Thinking of this, he turned around and ordered, “Someone!”
A personal guard entered and bowed, “Please give your orders, General!”
“Go to the Prime Minister’s residence and bring Prime Minister Zhang here. Tell him I have urgent business with him.”