Chapter 7: Du Yu (II)

The choice between life and death is always so simple. Even ants crave survival—let alone His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yong, who rules over vast lands stretching for thousands of miles. Now that Jiangling has become an independent region, it is only natural for the current emperor to suspect the Prince of Yong of treason and plot rebellion. But if it were the Prince of Yong, faced with such suspicion from his own brother, the emperor, even the most patient person would surely erupt in anger and retaliate.

The relationships within the royal family can sometimes be as ambiguous as wine mixed with milky white milk—blood red with a hint of sweetish bitterness. That is the scent of blood: bitter yet rich.

At this moment, Li Bai finally understood what Li Lin intended to do. Though he had no interest in power struggles, it was now clear he could no longer stay out of it.

“What does Your Highness plan to do?”
“I have already recruited tens of thousands of loyal fighters in Jiangling and used local officials to secure my position. As for the taxes from the Jianghuai region, I kept them all for myself, sending none to Lingwu or Shu.”

Li Lin’s expression returned to its usual calm as he spoke these words, as if discussing ordinary matters.

“But that’s not enough.”
“What do you think is still missing?” Li Bai asked, puzzled.

“I need a proper reason.”

The Prince of Yong sighed. “Even though he is unfit, he is still the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If I handle things carelessly, our entire family could face death at any moment. The emperor’s wrath can lead to millions of deaths—even that man is no exception.”

At this point, there were no secrets between him and Li Heng. Both knew that only one of them could survive in the end.

It was a cruel game, yet not merciless.

“What kind of reason does Your Highness need?”
“To punish the rebels and restore order!” Li Lin said, flinging his sleeves aside, emphasizing each word. …

The northern tribes in the Three Rivers region are in chaos, while people from the south flee like in the Yongjia era. But with Xie Anshi from Dongshan, the emperor can laugh it off and cleanse the land of invaders.

Thunderous drums resound in Wuchang, and banners flutter as troops pass by Xunyang. The people of the Three Wu regions rejoice without any harm, while in spring, they gaze afar at the colorful lights.

The imperial capital lies where dragons coil and tigers crouch. The prince visits his old graves in Jinling. The spring breeze warms the Zhaoyang Palace, and the moon shines over the Feique Tower.

Both emperors have not returned from their tours, and the pines and cypresses in the Five Mausoleums evoke sorrow. The feudal lords refuse to help defend the lands south of the Yellow River, only to welcome a wise prince from afar.

The emperor favors this wise prince as he enters Chu, clearing the Jianghan region before returning. First, he establishes his palace in Yunmeng, then takes Jinling as his secondary residence.

He borrows the emperor’s jade horse whip to command the invaders at a splendid banquet. A strong wind sweeps away the dust of the barbarians, leading him westward to Chang’an. (Note 1) In December of the first year of Zhide, the Prince of Yong, Li Lin, was ordered by the retired emperor to lead an army of over ten thousand on an eastern tour.

For a moment, Lingwu was in turmoil, and the emperor was terrified….
In the city of Lingwu in the northern regions, Emperor Li Hen of the Tang Dynasty was enjoying a rare moment of comfort in a hot spring bath. Pei Mian was indeed capable—within just three months, he had built this hot spring resort.
Although the water here wasn’t as warm as that in Huaqing Palace on Lishan Mountain, it was still enough to ward off the cold and provide relief, solving his immediate problem. Though it seemed hopeless to recapture Chang’an and Luoyang, the rebels’ advance had also slowed down. People in various provinces and counties were rising up, leaving the rebels unable to focus their efforts on both fronts—a great advantage for him.
One thing, however, troubled him: the aggressive eastward campaign led by Prince Yong, Li Lin. He had originally planned to appoint Gao Shi as the governor of Huainan, Ji Guangchen as that of Huaxi, and Wei She as that of Jiangdong, hoping to contain his cousin to some extent. But to his surprise, Li Lin stubbornly continued his eastward march, appointing Ji Guangchen, Hun Weiming, and Gao Xianqi as generals, repeatedly testing his patience!
Damn it!
At these thoughts, Li Hen’s anger remained unrelieved as he threw a punch into the water, creating ripples.
“Your Majesty, Pei Mian, the Chief Censor, requests an audience!”
A court attendant had quietly approached Li Hen and whispered in his ear.
“Hmm, change my clothes for me!”
Li Hen exhaled deeply, shaking his hand in resignation….
“Your Majesty, Prince Yong has now become so powerful that he poses a threat to the court no less than An Lushan!”
Pei Mian knelt on the ground, earnestly urging the emperor.
Li Hen waved his hand dismissively, slightly annoyed: “What are you talking about, Pei? Prince Yong is my brother, a prince of the Tang Dynasty. How could he rebel like that traitor An?”
Though he was actually overjoyed, he had to pretend to trust Prince Yong fully to play the role of a brother respecting his sibling. Only in the end, when he ordered troops to suppress the rebellion, would he act out of necessity, putting righteousness first.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider! Not long ago, Li Xiyan, the governor of Wu Commandery and inspector of Eastern Jiangnan, sent a peace decree to Prince Yong. He took it as an insult from a subordinate official and angrily rebuked Lord Li. On the surface, he claimed to be acting to uphold the imperial dignity, but in reality, it was an act of disrespect, a challenge to war. Moreover, Prince Yong ordered his fake general Hun Weiming to attack Lord Li Xiyan. Lord Li sent messengers to Pengyuan and ordered General Yuan Jingyao and Yan Jingzhi, the governor of Danyang Commandery, to lead troops in resistance, barely managing to stop Prince Yong’s advance. Yet recent reports state that Yan Jingzhi was defeated and killed, General Yuan Jingyao and Li Chengqing surrendered, with only General Li Xiyan escaping death and joining Liu Yan, the minister of finance, to defend Yuhang. If the court takes no action now, it’s only a matter of time before Prince Yong does something extreme.”

Li Heng frowned and said, “Pei Qing, your words make sense. But Prince Yong is on an eastern tour by order of the Retired Emperor. If it were me…”

“Your Majesty, I speak these words at great risk. It is you who are now the emperor of the Tang Dynasty!”

Seeing that Li Heng was still hesitating, Pei Mian immediately knelt down and cried out desperately.

“Dare you!” Li Heng snapped in anger. “The Retired Emperor is still alive, yet you speak such words. Do you intend to sow discord between father and son?”

“I dare not!” Pei Mian was so terrified that cold sweat poured down his body. He struck his head against the ground, leaving bloodstains.

“Enough. I know you are loyal. Get up.”

Li Heng sighed deeply and waved his hand.

“Your Majesty, this matter cannot wait. For the sake of the Tang Dynasty, you must not be too lenient at this time!”

But Pei Mian refused to give up and insisted, “Moreover, the Tang Dynasty is already in turmoil and cannot afford any further mistakes.”

After hearing Pei Mian’s words, Li Heng also felt uneasy and repeatedly asked, “Then, according to you, what should I do?”

Pei Mian was right. Currently, An Lushan and Shi Siming had already seized the two capitals. The Tang Dynasty could still resist them because, first, it held the legitimate authority to rally the people against the invaders, and second, it had ample grain supplies from Sichuan, Central China, and the Jianghuai region. If Prince Yong suddenly declared independence in Jianghuai at this time, it would be a disaster for the small Lingwu court.

With generals like Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi achieving successive victories, and the Chang family largely distracting the rebels, Li Heng absolutely could not allow any other complications—under no circumstances!

“Your Majesty might as well send Gao Shi, the governor of Huainan, Lai Chen, the governor of Huaxi, and Wei She, the governor of Jiangdong, to lead their troops to Anlu together to suppress the Prince of Yong!”
Pei Mian’s gaze was sharp and incisive, hitting right at the weak point of the Prince of Yong and his rebels.
If he wanted to continue his eastern and northern tours, he would inevitably pass through Anlu. By laying hidden troops there, they could surely block his path.
“Only, I have always gotten along well with my younger brother. With this plan, I’m afraid… sigh!”
At the thought of dealing with the Prince of Yong, Li Hen couldn’t help but pound his foot and sigh deeply, losing some of his imperial dignity and showing more brotherly sentiment.
“Your Majesty must put the greater good first!”
Pei Mian said, “With the current situation, if Your Majesty is safe, then the whole country will be safe. As for people like the Prince of Yong, even if they are innocent, they can be sacrificed for the greater good. Moreover, he indeed had rebellious intentions.”
“Enough, enough. I’ll follow your advice, Pei Qing!”
Li Hen seemed helpless, waving his hand tiredly. “But please treat his family kindly.”
Pei Mian was overjoyed. “Your Majesty is wise—this is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty and for the realm!”
“You!”
Li Hen shook his head with a bitter smile, saying nothing more.
“By the way, Your Majesty, I have another matter to report!”
Pei Mian suddenly remembered something else and bowed to Li Hen.
“What is it?”
Li Hen frowned and asked in a deep voice.
“Li Kuo, the commander of the Jianghuai troops, after receiving Your Majesty’s edict, did not march toward Lingwu but instead headed east to Ningling.”
Pei Mian leaned in slightly and whispered.
“Is that so?”
Li Hen raised his eyebrows, his tone carrying a hint of murderous intent.
If he still felt some brotherly affection for the Prince of Yong, then what about this Li Kuo, who dared to defy orders?
“That’s indeed the case. But I’ve already ordered someone to draft an edict, waiting for Your Majesty’s approval.”
With that, Pei Mian carefully took out a scroll from his sleeve and respectfully handed it to Li Hen.
Li Hen slowly unfolded the scroll. After reading it, he sneered and said, “Since this Li Kuo has disloyal intentions, it’s no wonder I must be ruthless. Pei Qing, take care of this matter. Make sure to handle it thoroughly, leaving no trace.”
“I shall obey!”
Pei Mian knelt down again to accept the order and express his gratitude.
“Hmm, you may retire for now. I’m tired and want to rest alone.”
A faint smile appeared on Li Hen’s sickly cheeks as he waved his hand gently.
“Take care, Your Majesty. I’ll withdraw!”
Pei Mian bowed and stepped back out of the palace.
“The Prince of Yong, Li Kuo, An Lushan, Yang Guozhong—you all want to fight against me. But you don’t realize that crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant!”

Li Heng picked up a jade cup from the table and poured the bright red Kucha wine into his mouth. It was slightly chilly at first, but the more he tasted it, the sweeter it became; the flavor of this precious wine was astonishingly similar to that of fresh blood.
Note 1: This poem was written by Li Bai.