Chapter 64: Heavenly Authority (II)

As Li Kuo had predicted, in the Prime Minister’s residence in Pingkang Fang at that moment, Li Xiu, the head of the Honglu Temple, was pale with anxiety.
“Lord Desi, please grant me two more days. I assure you I will give you a satisfactory answer!”
Li Xiu bowed to the Tibetan envoy Desi, forcing a smile as he tried to appease him. Why had the second prince of Tibet had to die just now, at a time when the two nations were trying to reconcile? It was clearly meant to cause trouble for him!
“Hmph! You make it sound so easy. It’s the prince of our Tibet who died. The Tang people are all cunning foxes. If I give you time, who will give time to me? The emperor of Tang promised me on his word that he would capture the culprit who assassinated the prince and give an explanation to our Zanpu. Several days have passed, yet there’s still no progress. Does the emperor of Tang’s word mean nothing in your eyes?”
The Tibetan envoy snapped his sleeves and mocked him mercilessly.
“That’s nonsense!”
Li Xiu was shocked into sweating profusely as Desi accused him unjustly of disrespecting the emperor. “Since His Majesty has issued an order, we subjects must carry it out wholeheartedly. But the death of Prince Lusanzhi is too suspicious. To bring the perpetrator to justice, we need to think things through carefully!”
“I don’t care about your complicated ways. I give you five days. If there’s still no result after five days, I’ll go to the emperor of Tang’s court and ask whether Tang still has any credibility.”
With that, Desi waved his sleeves and left.
Once the Tibetan envoy left, Li Xiu let out a sigh of relief and slumped in his seat. The position of head of the Honglu Temple was a prestigious but easy job, one his father had managed to secure for him. Over the years, he had strived to avoid mistakes rather than achieve great things. Though he hadn’t accomplished anything remarkable, he had also not brought shame to the reputation of the great Tang Empire. Whether it was accompanying a Persian prince to visit Qujiang or enjoying music with a princess from the Shi state, he had handled everything smoothly and properly. With a few more years of experience and his father’s influence in the court, it was possible he could take charge of government affairs. But now, with the assassination of the Tibetan prince, things had gone awry. Although he was only a nominal top official, he still bore some responsibility. The emperor valued face greatly, and failing to find the culprit in time could severely damage his reputation in the emperor’s eyes.
Thinking of this, Li Xiu felt an intense headache and began tapping his forehead lightly to relieve the pressure.
“Elder son! Your father wants you to go to the main hall!”

Li Quan, the personal attendant, rushed over quietly and gave a low warning.
“Hm? Father calls for me?”
Li Xiu rubbed his eyes and immediately sat up. Though he was the eldest son of the Li family, his father was known for his promiscuity and had fathered over twenty brothers. Although he was currently being groomed as the heir to the family head, it was uncertain whether his father might change his mind at any time. He needed to perform even better in front of his father to gain an advantage in the competition for the heirship.
“Hmm, I’ll be right there.”
Li Xiu adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror and, after confirming his appearance was in order, followed Li Quan to the main hall where his father was.
Prime Minister Li Linfu’s residence was located in Pingkang Fang and covered a vast area. Since the prime minister had many children, almost each of them was given their own small courtyard. Usually, the young masters and ladies stayed in their own residences, coming to the ancestral hall in the back yard only during important ceremonies and sacrifices, led by Li Linfu.
After leaving court each day, Li Linfu would rest in the main hall in the back yard. As he aged, he clearly felt his energy waning. In his earlier years, he could work through several nights handling government affairs without feeling tired, but now even slight exertion left him exhausted. Yet what worried him the most was not his health but the emperor’s attitude toward him. Ever since the imperial concubine gained favor, the Yang family had naturally risen to prominence. It was quite normal for a favored concubine to bring her relatives to power. But Li Linfu couldn’t figure out the emperor’s true intentions—was he using the Yang family’s strength to share some of his own power, or was he deliberately supporting them to replace him?
Over the past decade since he entered politics and became prime minister, he had been extremely cautious, never leaving any leverage in the hands of his opponents. But lately, the rise of the Yang family had left him puzzled. The representative of the Yang family in the political scene of Chang’an was undoubtedly Yang Zhao, the censor. Though of humble origin, he was extremely cunning and worldly. Having been given charge of financial affairs by the emperor, he managed the accounts impeccably, suggesting he would likely take control of the Ministry of Revenue in the future. In the past, such a person would either be brought under his control or suppressed fiercely. But now that he was getting old, he needed to leave a path for himself and the Li family. Making too many enemies wasn’t a good thing, especially enemies as powerful as the Yang family!
“Father, you called for me!”
Li Xiu lifted the sleeves of his robe and bowed to Li Linfu.
“Oh, sit down.”
Seeing Li Xiu in front of him, Li Linfu gently tapped him and opened his slightly closed eyes.

Li Linfu was quite satisfied with his eldest son. Although Xiur wasn’t as capable or outstanding as the eldest sons of other families, he was rare for his maturity and composure. Though he lacked initiative, he was more than enough to safeguard the foundation Li Linfu had built. Still, he was somewhat inexperienced in handling certain matters, and Li Linfu needed to guide him to prevent him from falling into others’ traps without even realizing it!

“I heard the emperor is pressing hard on the case of the Tubo prince’s assassination recently?”

Li Linfu picked up a cup of floral tea and sipped it slowly.

“Yes, Father. I’m extremely anxious right now.”

Seeing his father bring up the matter, Li Xiur was overjoyed and quickly replied.

“What do you think of this case?”

Li Linfu took a sip of tea and smiled faintly.

Li Xiur bowed respectfully and replied, “In my humble opinion, this case likely involves many parties. Since the two countries are currently negotiating peace, it might be best not to get involved too much!”

“Foolish!”

Li Linfu threw the teacup aside, his beard trembling with anger.

“How have I trained you all these years, yet you end up with such a dull mind? Is the emperor afraid this matter will escalate? The bigger it gets, the better—it shows how serious the Tang Dynasty takes the Tubo prince’s assassination. If we simply brush this matter under the rug, not to mention the Tubo people won’t know what to do, where will the emperor’s face go?”

“I’m foolish. Please teach me, Father!”

Frightened by his father’s outburst, Li Xiur turned pale and nodded repeatedly.

“Sigh!”

Li Linfu let out a long sigh. Only then did he realize the huge gap between himself and his son. Though not fatal, this gap was quite alarming. To stand firm in the treacherous court, his son still had much to learn.

“I heard there’s some unrest in the east recently?”

Li Linfu tapped his fingers casually, and an idea struck him.

“Huh?”

Li Xiur was shocked but quickly understood what his father meant. “Father means to tie this matter to the Crown Prince?”

“Didn’t Prince Guangping compete in horse racing with the Tubo prince some time ago? It’s quite normal for there to be minor conflicts between two young people,” Li Linfu said with a sly smile.

“I understand now!” Li Xiur bowed to Li Linfu and agreed repeatedly. “Father truly thinks ahead!”

Li Xiur sincerely admired his father’s quick wits and praised him earnestly.

“Don’t rush.”

Li Linfu put down his teacup and gestured for his son to calm down.

“I heard that Li Shizhi’s son has now become a regimental commander?”

Li Linfu’s eyes gradually narrowed into a line, emitting a fierce and cold glare.
“It’s that kid named Li Kuo, right?”
Li Xiu replied disdainfully in a low voice. In his view, this kid was nothing but a rootless tree with no potential to achieve anything. If even his grandfather had been overthrown by his father, what impact could this young fool possibly have?
“Sigh. Eradicating evil completely—indeed, that’s true. It seems I was careless back then. But don’t forget, he’s also part of the Eastern Palace.”
Li Linfu cleared his throat and gazed wistfully into the distance.
Note 1: According to “Research on the Neighborhoods of the Two Capitals in the Tang Dynasty,” Prime Minister Li Linfu’s residence was built in Pingkang Fang, a bustling area, and covered a vast expanse of land.