Chapter 113: Li Bai, the Advisor

Three days later, Li Qiu led nearly 300 warriors, escorting over a hundred cargo ships loaded with wealth, leaving Jiangdu and returning to Chang’an. Meanwhile, Lu Huan, the governor of Yangzhou, captured the salt smuggler Du Boseng in Qu’a County of Runzhou. Additionally, gold, silver, and jewels worth over 200,000 guan were seized from a farm belonging to the Du family in Qu’a County. The conflict over salt smuggling in Yangzhou thus ended with Governor Lu Huan’s complete victory.

That morning, Li Qing’an returned to the military camp. As soon as he arrived, his attendant Wang Dalang came to complain.
“General, you should take a look! Your advisor, Mr. Li, is truly a headache.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Li Qing’an smiled as he entered Li Bai’s office. There was no one inside, and a strong smell of alcohol filled the room. The snow-white walls were covered with poems inspired by creativity, while the desk was cluttered with training records stacked up a foot high—all raw records yet to be organized.
“General, he hasn’t done anything for four whole days. Look at how messy these documents are. I always arrange them in order when I give them to him, but they end up in chaos here. It’s impossible to tell which ones are from three days ago and which ones are from today.”
“That’s not a big deal. Just organize them.”
Li Qing’an didn’t take it seriously. He glanced into the inner room, where there was also no one. Smiling, he asked, “Where is he? Where has he gone?”
“General, he gets drunk every day. Last night, he tried to bring two bottles of wine into the camp, but the soldiers wouldn’t let him. So he passed out at the camp gate and slept there overnight. When he came back this morning, I told him that the general might be returning and asked him to tidy things up quickly. But he cursed me and said many rude things.”
“What did he say?” Li Qing’an asked with great interest.
Wang Dalang retorted angrily, “He said that a man of status like a Hanlin scholar should not work as a mere clerk. He also said that a true man should die fighting with a three-foot sword, rather than bowing his head for a meager salary.”
Li Qing’an couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly. “Could it be that you gave him too little money, and he’s complaining?”

“General, for heaven’s sake! Isn’t the money he asks for already too much? On the first day, I gave him a hundred silver coins as settlement money as you ordered. The next day, he asked for thirty guan for wine, claiming he wanted to invite poets from Chang’an to drink. On the third day, he asked for another fifty guan, saying that a cup of cheap wine cost fifty thousand coins. You said to give him whatever he asked for, so I did. But this morning, he said he was out of money and asked for two hundred taels of silver, saying that without a hundred thousand guan, how could he live in Yangzhou? He left and hasn’t returned yet. General, the two clerks next door only earn two guan a month, yet this man doesn’t do anything and still mocks those who lack ambition. I really don’t know what to say about him.”
“Where does he drink then?”
“Who knows? He can be found in brothels and taverns alike.”
Just then, a soldier on duty at the gate rushed in and said, “General, there’s a brothel owner at the gate asking to see you. He says he’s here to collect money.”
“Damn it, lucky I wasn’t here these past few days.”
Li Qing’an cursed in amusement and hurried toward the gate. As soon as he stepped outside, he turned back and said to Wang Dalang, “Hand the training documents to those two clerks to organize. Give each of them an extra guan in their monthly salary so they can sort out the records from the past few days as soon as possible.”
After saying that, he strode toward the camp gate. Outside the camp, a middle-aged man stood there with a worried expression. Seeing Li Qing’an come out, he quickly stepped forward, bowing and smiling politely, “I’m the second manager of Lihua Tower. My surname is Jiang. I was wondering if there’s a scholar named Li Qinglian who is one of your subordinates?”
“That’s right. He’s my subordinate. What’s wrong with him?”
“General, he’s drunk and owes two guan for wine. He asked me to come to the camp to collect it.”
“Didn’t he have two hundred taels of silver on him?”
The manager sighed bitterly. “General, he gave those two hundred taels to the courtesan Feng Qi casually. He doesn’t have a single coin left now.”
Li Qing’an suddenly felt his head throbbing. Giving away two hundred taels so casually, only to end up unable to pay even two guan for wine.
“Alright! I’ll go see him.”
Li Qing’an mounted his horse, took a few attendants with him, and followed Manager Jiang.

Lihua Tower was a famous brothel in Jiangdu City, covering a large area and consisting of five elegant three-story buildings. Inside, there were geishas who played music and sang, as well as literati women who could compose poems. Of course, there were also famous courtesans as beautiful as flowers, skilled at winning men’s hearts, dressed in red brocades and green silk skirts, their fragrance filling the air. Li Qing’an followed the owner upstairs. As soon as they reached the top of the stairs, he heard Li Bai sighing deeply to the sky, “Think of how glorious I, Li Hanlin, used to be—living in golden towers and imperial palaces, wearing brocaded robes and purple dragon-patterned garments. Yet now I’ve reduced to being a mere fourth-rank military clerk. How sad!”
Li Qing’an could only force a bitter smile. This Li Taibai!
“Brother Taibai, since your talents are wasted in such a humble position, why not give up this job and come with me to Jinling?” Another voice spoke nearby.
Li Qing’an was startled. Was there someone else? He looked at the owner in confusion. One of the servants said, “This person also just arrived. His surname is Cui. It is said to be your poet friend from Chang’an.”
He walked up the stairs and saw two men sitting by the window drinking wine, each accompanied by a courtesan. Li Bai was already quite drunk but still refused to put down his cup. He put his arm around the literati woman’s shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, “Speaking of Jinling, it reminds me of Cui Hao. He wrote, ‘Only the Yellow Crane Tower remains in this place; white clouds drift on for thousands of years.’ It’s truly a masterpiece through the ages. I must go to Jinling to pay homage to the past and write a poem that can compare to his. That way, when we meet again in Chang’an, I can stand tall before him.”
The man across from him was overjoyed. “Brother Taibai, will you come with me to Jinling?”
“Of course. Once I’m in Jinling, I also want to go to Kuaiji to pay my respects to He Zhizhang and experience the charm of the women from Wu and Yue.”
“Brother Taibai, are you planning to resign from me?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile as he walked over.
Li Bai turned around and was stunned. The man across from him quickly stood up and bowed, saying, “I am Cui Chengfu. It’s an honor to meet General Li.”
“Hehe! Is Brother Cui a poet friend of Brother Taibai?”
“That’s right. I’ve come all the way from Shandong to finally find him. I plan to invite Brother Taibai to Jinling. I hope General Li will let him go.”
“There’s no need to ask! I am an eagle of the heavens and earth, free to roam the world as I please. No one can stop me from going wherever I want—even the emperor himself can’t.”
Li Bai was already heavily drunk. He poured a cup of wine for Li Qing’an and said with a smile, “General Li, this cup of wine is from me to you. Thank you for taking care of me these days.”
Li Qing’an took out a gold ingot from his leather bag and placed it on the table. “This is fifty taels of gold. It’s my contribution for Brother Taibai’s journey. Wishing Brother Taibai a smooth trip.”

Li Qing’an nodded at Cui Chengfu, drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, threw the cup aside, and laughed as he walked down the stairs. From afar, his loud voice could be heard reciting, “I laugh heartily as I leave—how could we be mere commoners?”
…
Li Qing’an was genuinely annoyed. He knew Li Bai would leave sooner or later, and no one could hold him back. Yet Li Bai was dissatisfied with serving as his, a fourth-rank lieutenant general’s, aide, which left him deeply frustrated.
He rode toward the military camp. From a distance, he saw Mingzhu, dressed in a red dress, wandering back and forth in front of the camp gate, looking quite depressed. Li Qing’an dismounted, walked over, and said with a smile, “Why so unhappy? Who bullied you?”
“Dad ordered me to return to Chang’an tomorrow. I came to say goodbye to you,” Mingzhu muttered, pouting.
“Returning to Chang’an is a good thing! Why be unhappy? I’ll go back in a few months too. I’ll treat you to a drink then.”
“Really? Will you keep your word?”
“I’m a high-ranking fourth-rank lieutenant general—would I lie to you, a little girl?”
Li Qing’an patted her face and laughed, “Go back to Chang’an obediently. Don’t run around anymore.”
“Mm! By the way, Dad asked me to invite you for a meal.”
“When?”
“Right now. For lunch.”
Li Qing’an glanced at the sky—it was nearly noon. He smiled gladly and said, “Alright! I’ll go with you right away.”
Instead of entering the military camp, Li Qing’an turned around and went back into the city. Du Gu Haoran’s residence wasn’t far from the government office. It was a government-owned property covering about ten acres, meant for Du Gu Haoran’s living.
Du Gu Haoran’s wife and daughters were in Chang’an, but in Yangzhou, he had a concubine who took care of his daily needs. This reflected the underlying logic of the concubine culture: officials were not allowed to marry locally; their wives had to stay in their hometowns to serve their in-laws. Since men needed someone to take care of them, a woman was necessary. To avoid upsetting their wives back home, this woman’s status had to be far lower than that of the legal wife, thus giving rise to the concept of “concubine.”
Du Gu Haoran was the chief administrator of Yangzhou, handling various trivial matters there, so his workload was extremely heavy. During the busy spring plowing season, he spent almost every day in the fields. It wasn’t until these past few days that he finally had a breather. Thanks to him handling government affairs, Lu Huan could focus entirely on the salt case.
Today was the day his younger daughter Mingzhu returned to Chang’an. He specially invited Li Qing’an to his home for a drink as a way to see his daughter off.
“General Li, thank you for taking care of my daughter these days. Here! I toast to you.”

Dugu Haoran raised his wine cup and smiled at Li Qingan. He wasn’t foolish; the slight attachment in his daughter’s eyes toward Li Qingan made it clear to him. This Li Qingan was quite good—clever and capable. In just over a month in Yangzhou, he had successfully resolved the salt case, which earned Dugu Haoran some goodwill toward him as well.

Li Qingan quickly replied, “I dare not! It should be me who toasts Uncle Dugu.”

Next to them, Mingzhu frowned and said, “Dad, you don’t need to have me toast you. I’ll toast you instead. Isn’t it better to drink heartily? It’s making people uncomfortable.”

“Hehe! Mingzhu is right. Let’s drink heartily without so much formality.”

The two drank their drinks in one gulp. Dugu Haoran then asked, “General Li, where is your hometown?”

“My hometown is Luoyang. My parents passed away early, and I grew up in the Western Regions with my grandfather, traveling everywhere. I’ve long forgotten everything about my hometown.”

“Oh! I see. Then I wonder if General Li is married?”

“Dad, why are you asking him that?” Mingzhu blushed deeply, feeling embarrassed.

“You little girl, what does it have to do with you? Why are you so upset?”

Li Qingan quickly smiled and said, “I’m not married yet. With frequent wars on the borders, I haven’t had time to think about marriage.”

“I was just asking casually. Come, let’s drink.”

The two drank another cup. Dugu Haoran pondered for a moment before saying, “This morning, I received a quick message from Mingzhu’s grandfather. It says I might be appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai. What do you think, young man? Is this news true?”

Li Qingan was stunned. Lu Huan’s impeachment report had only been submitted six days ago—it was impossible for the court to make a decision so quickly. Then he realized it must be Li Linfu’s doing. To protect Prince Qing, he was using Liu Changyun as a sacrifice. Dugu Haoran had once served as a court official under the crown prince, and his daughter had died for Li Longji. Thus, it would be easy for him to gain Li Longji’s favor. In this way, the crown prince’s faction would achieve a great victory in Yangzhou, indirectly boosting their own achievements.

Thinking of this, Li Qingan smiled slightly and said, “Liu Changyun is involved in Du Bosheng’s salt case, with solid evidence. It’s likely he won’t be able to keep his position. Uncle, since you’re familiar with the situation in Yangzhou, if you’re appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai, the news must be true. If I’m not mistaken, the official appointment will be issued within a month at the latest. Congratulations, Uncle Dugu!”

Dugu Haoran was overjoyed. Li Qingan knew the details of the salt case well. If he said so, it must be true. The Transport Commissioner was usually a high-ranking official of the third rank. If he were promoted to this position, he might even have a chance to become a prime minister in the future.

“Come! Let me toast General Li again. Mingzhu, you should also toast General Li for me.”