Chapter 33: Key Ministers (1)

Inside the Qinzheng Building of Xingqing Palace, Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty was furious. He had barely spent a few days in Furong Garden when he received a memorial from Pei Xingda, the governor of Taiyuan, reporting severe drought in Hedong and requesting imperial relief. (Note 1) “Worthless scum! I never thought I was raising nothing but good-for-nothing!”
Li Longji grabbed a pile of memorials on the imperial desk and threw them violently at the floor below.
“Your Majesty, calm down.”
Li Linfu picked up the scattered memorials and advised, “With prolonged drought in Hedong, famine is only natural. As long as the court provides timely relief, the crisis can be resolved quickly.”
Li Longji sneered, “It’s easy for the prime minister to say that. But what do I use to provide relief? The wars in Longyou have already consumed the grain stored in the imperial granaries for years. Not long ago, I had to purchase large amounts of millet at low prices from the powerful families in Guanlong to stabilize grain prices in Chang’an. Now tell me, what am I supposed to use for relief?”
Li Linfu sighed softly, “Your Majesty, Hedong is the birthplace of our dynasty, and Jinyang City is the northern capital. If the court fails to relieve the victims promptly, chaos may ensue.”
“Oh? Then tell me, how should I provide relief? Should I transfer the grain from the imperial treasury to Hedong and let Pei Xingda distribute it?”
Li Longji glared at Li Linfu angrily.
Li Linfu immediately knelt down, “I dare not, Your Majesty. I believe the situation isn’t yet at its worst. Perhaps we should first order Pei Xingda to open the granaries in Jinyang City and various counties in Hedong to release grain for emergency use.”
“No!”
Before Li Linfu could finish speaking, Li Longji sharply rejected his suggestion. “Doesn’t the prime minister know that Hedong is a key grain-producing region of our Tang Dynasty? Over the years, the salaries of court officials have been paid with grain supplied from there. As the new year approaches, if all the grain in the treasury is used to relieve the victims, what will our civil and military officials eat?”
Li Linfu shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “Your Majesty, providing relief now is like putting out a fire. For the court officials, cloth can be used as a substitute for grain until the grain from Jianghuai arrives in Chang’an next year.”
Li Longji pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “No. As the emperor, how can I fail to pay my officials’ salaries? If the barbarians hear of this, where will my reputation as the Son of Heaven stand?”
“Your Majesty!”

Li Linfu bowed to Li Longji and said, “The officials in the court and those in their homes all have some grain stored, so it should be no problem to get through until next spring. But the rice stores of the people in Hedong Province are already empty. If relief isn’t provided soon, I’m afraid—afraid—people will starve to death. With corpses lying everywhere, there’s a risk of plagues spreading!”
Having served Li Longji for over a decade, Li Linfu knew his master’s mindset all too well. Li Longji’s greatest flaw was his desire for glory and his sensitivity to face. If the consequences weren’t clearly explained to him, he likely wouldn’t agree to release grain to relieve the victims.
“This…”
Li Longji finally hesitated. He wasn’t particularly afraid of disasters or famine—given the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty, droughts would occur in some areas every year. If he worried about each one, he wouldn’t be able to serve as emperor; it would be better for him to become a monk and live a peaceful life. But plagues truly worried him. After a great disaster, there would surely be an epidemic, and if left unchecked, the affected areas wouldn’t be limited to Hedong alone.
“Your Majesty, please think carefully. Ordering Pei Xingda to release grain may provide temporary relief, but if we let the disaster worsen, serious consequences may arise!”
Li Linfu bowed again, earnestly begging Li Longji to issue the order.
But Li Longji suddenly remembered something and smiled coldly. “Prime Minister, I just realized that this Pei Xingda seems to be your student. Since you insist so strongly that I allow grain to be released, could it be that you’re trying to favor him and help him gain a reputation for kindness?”
“Your Majesty, I’m terrified! I’m truly terrified!”
Hearing this, Li Linfu immediately knelt on the ground, pressing his head against it. “I’ve always served the emperor and the court wholeheartedly, without any selfish motives. Pei Xingda is indeed my student, but I haven’t seen him in ages. I do all this for Your Majesty, for the Tang Dynasty!”
His back was drenched with sweat as he kept nodding and repeating his words.
After a long silence, Li Longji burst into laughter.
“Hehe, look how nervous the prime minister is. I was just joking with you.”
With that, Li Longji stepped down from the platform and went over to Li Linfu, helping him up. “You’re utterly loyal to me. How could I not know that? There’s no need to worry.”
Li Longji turned around, paused for a moment, then changed his tone.
“However, Pei Xingda has failed in governing Hedong, leading to famine. He certainly isn’t fit to handle relief efforts. After careful consideration, I think a high-ranking official from the court should be sent to Hedong to release grain. First, it will show my concern for the disaster, and second, it will allow oversight of Hedong to prevent officials from embezzling the relief supplies.”

Having served this wise emperor for over a decade, Li Linfu naturally knew his character well. The emperor was extremely suspicious and never trusted anyone to handle local affairs alone. The Pei family was originally a prominent clan in Hedong, and Pei Xingda had reached the high position of governor of Taiyuan, so it was indeed not appropriate for them to stand out further. Otherwise, the people of Hedong might truly come to regard only the Pei family as important, ignoring the existence of the Tang Dynasty.

“Your Majesty is truly wise—a blessing for the realm and for the people of Hedong.”

Li Linfu let out a sigh and subtly flattered Li Longji.

“As for the candidate, does the prime minister have any suggestions?”

Li Longji glanced at Li Linfu and said indifferently, “I dare not. Your Majesty is wise and mighty; you can make decisions on your own.”

At this critical moment, Li Linfu didn’t want to risk offending him, as Li Longji had a strong desire to control power and would never allow anyone to act against his will.

“Hmm.”

Li Longji nodded in satisfaction. “I think Yang Zhao, the censor-in-chief, is skilled in planning and quite loyal to me. How about sending him to Hedong?”

“This…”

Li Linfu never expected Li Longji to choose Yang Zhao and was momentarily at a loss. Yang Zhao had already risen to the position of censor-in-chief and was just one step away from entering the government hall. If sent to Hedong at this time to relieve the victims of disasters and gain widespread popularity, it might greatly strengthen the influence of the Yang family in the capital. “What? Does the prime minister think there’s something wrong with my arrangement?”

Li Longji glared at Li Linfu unhappily, his voice suddenly turning cold. “I dare not. I believe Lord Yang possesses both virtue and talent and is the perfect candidate to be sent to Hedong to relieve the disaster victims.”

With no choice left, despite his reluctance, Li Linfu had to accept Yang Zhao’s appointment as an envoy.

“Then draft an imperial edict.”

Li Longji waved his hand emotionlessly and returned to his desk.

Yan Can’e, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, picked up his pen and ink to draft the edict. “Hedong has suffered from a prolonged drought, with no rain from May until July in autumn. Due to the drought, it is ordered that the prime minister, as well as officials from various departments and local governments, release prisoners. Those sentenced to death shall be given corporal punishment or exiled, while those with lighter sentences shall be exempted. Additionally, Yang Zhao, the censor-in-chief, is appointed as the governor of Hedong to relieve the disaster victims within three days, as a demonstration of my intentions.”

After writing the last character, Yan Can’e handed the draft to Li Longji for review. After checking it and confirming there were no errors, Li Longji nodded and said, “Have the Ministry of State review it.”

“Prime minister, I’m also quite tired. You may retire now.”

Feeling weary, Li Longji waved his hand impatiently at Li Linfu. “Please take care of your health, your servant retires.”

Li Linfu bowed to Li Longji once more, sighed inwardly, and then left the Hall of Government Affairs with a trembling posture.
Note 1: Governor of Taiyuan: The administrative structure of the Tang Dynasty was extremely complex. During the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods, the official in charge of Taiyuan Prefecture was called a “Yin,” who served as the acting governor in the emperor’s absence.
Note 2: Only the three top officials of the government (Changshu Ling, Shizhong, and the Left and Right Shangshu Puye) who attended meetings in the Hall of Government Affairs were considered the current prime ministers.
Note 3: Military Governor of Hedong: This was another nominal position. It was established in important surrounding regions in the second year of the Zhenguan era (628) and was often held concurrently by military governors, usually for inspection purposes.