Chapter 37: Years of Famine (II)

Li Kuo felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, filled with unbearable depression.
It was an era of prosperity under the Kaiyuan reign, with peace throughout the land. The Turks had been subdued, and Tubo had been pacified. The emperor excelled in both governance and military affairs—yet could he not even ensure that his people had enough food to eat? How fragile was this era! At the slightest sign of famine, the people were forced to wander in misery.
The young man felt utterly powerless. Was this Great Tang truly the glorious empire where all nations came to pay homage? Was Chang’an truly the radiant City of Gold in his heart?
“Big brother, I want to eat white rice!”
Er Ya stared at Li Kuo with her bright eyes and said timidly.
“Er Ya, I promise you, I’ll make sure you all have enough to eat!”
Li Kuo patted the girl’s head and comforted her gently.
Turning around, he ordered those around him, “Brother Dou, you and Xiao Chun stay here to maintain order. Remember, never let anyone go hungry.”
Dou Qing nodded. “General, rest assured. The brothers are also distressed by this damned situation. Sigh…”
“Yan Ji, let’s go.”
Without hesitation, Li Kuo turned and headed toward the city gates.
“Go? Hey, Brother Kuo, where are we going? We’re short of hands. I’ll stay and help distribute the porridge!”
Zhang Yan Ji called out as he rushed after him.
“I’m taking you into the city to discuss relief efforts. If the court doesn’t step in, how many people can you and I save?”
Li Kuo sighed and walked toward the north gate without looking back.
In the northern part of the city, in Pingkang Fang…
Li Linfu sipped his tea leisurely while tapping his fingers.
In the hall, General Gao Xiuyan of the Jinyiwei paced anxiously.
“Sigh, Prime Minister, please come up with a solution. The number of disaster victims outside Chang’an keeps growing. Soon they’ll set up shelters right next to the military camps. If the emperor sees this, he’ll skin me alive.”
Ever since he became the general of the Jinyiwei, Gao Xiuyan had had no luck. Not long ago, blind soldiers even bumped into the carriage of Prince Guangping, scaring him to death. One problem after another. Why did these damned disaster victims have to show up right under Chang’an? And not only that—they were all in tattered clothes, weak and pitiful. Wasn’t this a direct insult to the emperor? If the emperor saw this, it would lead to serious consequences. As the general of the Jinyiwei, he might not face other punishments, but at the very least, he’d be accused of failing to maintain order in the capital.
He had worked hard to reach such a high position and certainly didn’t want it ruined by a bunch of lowly commoners.

Li Linfu wasn’t in a hurry. He stroked his beard gently and said, “General Gao, there’s no need to rush. There’s famine in Hedong, and the victims have fled to Guanzhong—this isn’t your responsibility, is it?”
Gao Xiuyan was slightly stunned upon hearing this. “What do you mean, sir?”
“Yang Zhao was just appointed as the governor of Hedong, tasked with relieving the suffering of the victims. Yet instead of repaying the emperor’s grace, he’s caused chaos, leading to more refugees. You certainly don’t need to take on this responsibility.”
Li Linfu sipped his tea slowly as he spoke.
“You mean to shift the blame onto Yang Zhao?”
Gao Xiuyan was overjoyed. As long as Li Linfu agreed, everything else would be easy. Since Yang Zhao wasn’t in the capital, and the Yang family’s influence there wasn’t strong enough to protect him, with proper planning, it might be possible to take advantage of the situation to bring down the Yang family.
“The responsibility already lies with him; there’s no need to shift it.”
Li Linfu stared at Gao Xiuyan with a smile, emphasizing each word.
Feeling uneasy under Li Linfu’s gaze, Gao Xiuyan trembled and said, “Your Excellency is right. I’ll go arrange it right away.”
“Ah, you still can’t change your impulsive nature. I hear the military commander of Shule has been getting very close to the Yang family lately.”
Li Linfu stood up and walked to the window, lowering his head in thought.
“Yes. That damned kid is quite lucky. Last time in Tubo, if it weren’t for that idiot Li Zigu blocking my way, I would have…”
At the mention of Li Kuo, Gao Xiuyan felt furious. Unfortunately, the boy had been transferred out of Longyou and placed under Anxi’s jurisdiction. Otherwise, as the deputy military governor of Longyou, he could have found a hundred ways to have that boy killed through the enemy forces.
“As long as Your Excellency gives the order, I’ll act immediately…”
“No need to rush. Even if you don’t bother him, he’ll come after you anyway.”
Li Linfu cleared his throat lightly. “Don’t forget—he and I have a mortal enmity.”
Gao Xiuyan’s body trembled slightly as he suddenly remembered the words the young man had said when they met by chance.
“That was a family feud, but this time it’s a national hatred!”
Indeed, that boy was definitely no easy opponent… He had almost killed him. If he didn’t eliminate him completely, there would be trouble ahead.
“Xiuyan, how long have you been with me?”
Li Linfu suddenly changed the subject and stopped talking about Li Kuo.
“Uh, counting this year, it’s been five years.”
Gao Xiuyan thought for a moment before answering.
“Thanks to Your Excellency’s guidance, I’ve been able to rise to this position. Whatever orders you give, I will surely…”

“Five years, five years already. How many such periods of five years are there in a person’s life? You’ve followed me for five whole years yet remain so foolish—what am I supposed to say?” Li Linfu’s tone turned icy as he rebuked him.
“Your servant is foolish; I don’t understand what the Prime Minister means,” Gao Xiuyan asked in a trembling voice, puzzled by Li Linfu’s sudden change in attitude.
“You truly are foolish!” After a brief pause, Li Linfu shook his head in disappointment. “All this time, you’ve still been in contact with the Tubo people. If you can’t even manage the people in your own household, don’t come to me when trouble arises!”
Gao Xiuyan’s heart sank instantly. “Does the Prime Minister mean that someone in my household has told that wretch… that wretch…”
“I haven’t said anything!” Li Linfu snapped, his beard trembling with anger.
“I’ve been wise all my life—how did I end up taking in a good-for-nothing like you? Let me tell you the truth: your household manager has already revealed to that man your secret talks with the Tubo people.”
“What!” Gao Xiuyan exclaimed as if struck by lightning. “He already knows?”
“If I hadn’t discovered it early, you’d likely be in the prison of Jingzhao Prefecture within a few days!” Li Linfu glared fiercely at Gao Xiuyan. “You may be stupid in other matters, but you still make mistakes in such critical ones. Colluding with an enemy nation is a crime punishable by the destruction of nine generations of your family! You end up relying on me to solve your own problems!”
“Prime Minister, Prime Minister!” Gao Xiuyan immediately knelt on the ground. “Your servant is utterly loyal to you. I just didn’t expect that wretch to be so vicious, resorting to such despicable tactics… That Gao Dezhong—I treated him well, yet now I’ll go back and kill him!”
Li Linfu shook his head. “That manager is still useful. If I remember correctly, in the fourth year of Tianbao, the Emperor granted the Crown Prince a residence in Chongye Fang… As you know, the Crown Prince has always lived in the Eastern Palace, so that residence has been unused, with only a few servants to take care of it. Our Crown Prince is quite infatuated—if anything happens there in the dead of night…”
“Prime Minister, what do you mean?” Gao Xiuyan seemed to understand and slapped his own head. “You mean we should let that wretch find the Crown Prince’s private residence, and then we’ll intervene…”
“Ah, I didn’t mean anything of the sort. You’re the one coming up with these ideas,” Li Linfu said with a smile as he pushed his sleeves back.
“Yes, yes, I understand. That bastard likes to follow clues—let me make sure he gets a thorough investigation!” Gao Xiuyan smirked and clenched his fists.

People reveal many things in times of crisis; there are no good or bad people—just those struggling to survive…