Chapter 206: The Calamity of the Witchcraft Curse

Last night, Gao Lishi happened to be unwell and not by Li Longji’s side. He was nearly seventy years old and would fall ill from time to time after winter set in. It wasn’t until dawn that he heard the news that something had happened in the Eastern Palace. Ignoring his own fatigue, Gao Lishi rushed to Xingqing Palace. Upon entering the Daxing Hall, he found Li Longji collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by anger.

Panicked, Gao Lishi realized this was the first time the emperor had fainted. He ordered the eunuchs to fetch the imperial physicians and, along with a few of them, helped lift Li Longji onto the bed in the inner room, laying him down gently and covering him with a blanket. Moments later, several imperial physicians arrived urgently to treat Li Longji. Gao Lishi stepped outside and noticed a small paper figure on the imperial desk. When he saw it clearly, he was terrified, feeling extreme fear—could this be the cause of the disaster in the Eastern Palace?

“Elder Gao, the emperor has woken up. Please go in.”

Gao Lishi quickly hid the paper figure and entered the room. On the bed, Li Longji had already woken up, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“Your Majesty, your servant is here!” Gao Lishi said softly.

Li Longji did not respond, still gazing at the ceiling. “Your Majesty!” Gao Lishi called out again.

“Everyone else, leave!”

Li Longji’s voice was deep and hoarse, filled with deep sorrow. The imperial physicians and officials who attended to him all left, leaving only Gao Lishi and Li Longji in the room.

“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!” Gao Lishi advised gently.

Li Longji sighed deeply. “Elder Gao, how could I have born so many unfilial sons?”

“Your Majesty!” Gao Lishi was at a loss, not knowing how to comfort him.

Li Longji asked again, “Have you taken away the thing on the desk outside?”

“Yes, your servant has taken care of it.”

“Keep this matter strictly secret. I’ve already instructed Wang Chengye not to reveal a word, and the same goes for you.”

“Your Majesty, rest assured. Your servant will never reveal it to anyone.”

A glimmer of hope arose in Gao Lishi’s heart. If the news was kept secret, did that mean the crown prince could escape this disaster?

Li Longji sighed again, tiredly. “General, I’m too old to endure more turmoil. After all, he is my son. I thought of Emperor Wu of Han’s suffering in his later years, and it broke my heart. That’s why I don’t want to depose the crown prince.”

Gao Lishi was overjoyed and quickly said, “Your Majesty, you’re wise!”

“Yet what he’s done is too extreme. I will punish him severely.”

“Your Majesty, that’s only right. He must remember this lesson.”

Gao Lishi’s heart suddenly relaxed. As long as the crown prince wasn’t deposed, any punishment could be accepted. At that moment, a report came from outside the door from eunuch Yu Chaoen: “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is waiting outside the palace.” “I don’t want to see him,” Li Longji replied. But then he added, “Wait a moment!” After pondering for a while, Li Longji said, “Tell him that from now on he is not allowed to see any ministers. He must spend a year in seclusion in the Eastern Palace, not stepping outside at all.” Although this punishment was severe, it was worlds apart from deposing the crown prince, and Gao Lishi’s anxious heart finally settled. “Your Majesty, let this old servant go talk to him.” “Go! Also, make a stop at the Guangping Prince’s mansion and tell the Guangping Prince that my concubine has interceded for him. I will spare Lady Shen this time, but she must fast and pray for a year as a form of punishment.” Gao Lishi didn’t know what had happened at the Guangping Prince’s mansion and didn’t dare ask further. He quickly left, leaving Li Longji alone in the study. At that moment, a murderous intent flashed in Li Longji’s eyes. He got up, rushed to the outer room, sat on the throne, and pulled a thin rope hidden beneath it. With a whoosh, a guard in black leaped in through the window—his personal bodyguard. Kneeling on one knee, the guard said, “Please give your orders, Your Majesty!” Li Longji ordered coldly, “Go to Jiujiang immediately and get rid of Wang Zhongsì!” …… It was already daylight, and the officials had long started their meetings. Despite strict secrecy in the palace, Li Linfu still managed to get some information from the guards he had stationed there. Last night, incidents had occurred at both the Guangping Prince’s mansion and the Eastern Palace. Large groups of Imperial Guards searched both places, but he didn’t know exactly what had happened. However, with his keen political sense, Li Linfu immediately realized that something serious must have happened last night. He no longer had the heart to deal with court affairs and immediately ordered his trusted subordinates to investigate what exactly had happened. Soon, his men found records from the Jingzhao Prefecture. In the middle of the night last night, Yang Guozhong, the governor of Jingzhao, personally led his officials to capture a witch named Wen Bobo and then entered the palace with Li Yan, the deputy governor. Li Linfu immediately summoned Li Yan. Before long, Li Yan arrived in a hurry. Although of royal descent, Li Yan was an honest and upright man deeply loved by the people of Chang’an. He fulfilled his duties loyally and never overstepped his authority. Yet last night, he felt uneasy—Yang Guozhong had forced him to enter the palace to see the emperor, which violated the court’s procedures. They were not allowed to meet the emperor directly; instead, they had to report to the prime minister, who would then go to see the emperor. At most, they could accompany the prime minister as witnesses.

He was uneasy. Suddenly, when Li Linfu summoned him, he knew things were bad. With Li Linfu’s sharpness, it would be difficult for them to hide this matter.
“Your humble servant greets the Prime Minister!”
Li Linfu glanced at him and said coldly, “Li Shaoyin, why did you bypass me last night and go straight to see the emperor?”
“Reporting to the Prime Minister, your humble servant didn’t intend to bypass you, but Minister Yang insisted on having me as a witness, so I had no choice but to go with him.”
“Hmph! You’re good at shifting blame.”
“Your humble servant wouldn’t dare. It’s truly as I said.”
“Then let me ask you—how did you capture that witch?”
“Reporting to the Prime Minister, that witch was instructed by Princess Shen of Guangping Palace to cast a spell on Concubine Cui, driving her mad. We discovered last night that it was this witch’s doing, and she confessed.”
“Oh? Where is that witch now?”
Li Yan sighed regretfully, “Early this morning, just as day broke, she committed suicide out of fear of punishment.”
Li Linfu was stunned. Suicide? How could that be? He pressed further, “If it’s related to Guangping Palace, then what does it have to do with the Eastern Palace?”
Li Yan was in trouble. He too had received orders not to speak about the Eastern Palace. He couldn’t say anything, but he also couldn’t stay silent. After hesitating for a long time, he finally replied vaguely, “While interrogating that witch, we learned that there’s a shop in the Eastern Market that bought the same type of witchcraft as Guangping Palace. We arrested the shopkeeper, only to find that he was actually Ma Yingjun, the former eunuch close to the crown prince.”
“Wait!” Li Linfu suddenly understood. “Are you saying the Eastern Palace also bought this kind of witchcraft?”
Li Yan gave a bitter smile. “That’s the Prime Minister’s guess. Your humble servant knows nothing and hasn’t said anything.”
Li Linfu nodded slowly and smiled. “Li Shaoyin, thank you. You may go.”
Li Yan left, but Li Linfu paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. He had figured it out—surely the crown prince had bought this witchcraft, which led to the search of the Eastern Palace. But whom was the crown prince using this witchcraft against? Yang Guozhong? Unlikely—he wouldn’t take such a risk for Yang Guozhong. It could only be one person.
Li Linfu was extremely nervous. He sensed that a political storm was approaching in the Tang Dynasty. He knew Li Longji well—to maintain his throne for as long as possible, he would replace the crown prince every few years, keeping them all in constant fear under his rule. To protect his own throne, he had even killed his own sons. In the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, he used false accusations by Concubine Wu Hui to force Crown Prince Li Ying, Prince E Li Yao, and Prince Guang Li Ju to commit suicide. Now, Li Heng wanted to seize the throne through witchcraft—how could Li Longji spare him?

What to do? What position should he take in this impending political storm? Li Linfu frowned deeply, pondering his stance. Just then, a clerk reported at the door, “Prime Minister, someone from the palace has arrived.”
“Bring them in immediately!”
A moment later, eunuch Yu Chaoen entered and bowed, “Prime Minister, the Emperor orders you to go to the imperial study at once.”
…
After a while, Li Linfu arrived at Xingqing Palace. He waited outside the imperial study for a while before an eunuch came out and said, “Prime Minister Li, the Emperor orders you to enter!”
Li Linfu entered the imperial study and saw Li Longji sitting behind the desk, reviewing memorials. He was taken aback—the Emperor hadn’t reviewed any memorials in nearly half a year. Why had he changed his mind today?
“Your servant Li Linfu pays his respects to the Emperor!”
“The Prime Minister has arrived.”
Li Longji put down his pen and smiled. “I’ve summoned you to discuss the matter of expanding the council.”
Li Linfu had been thinking about the crown prince’s faction the whole time. Now the Emperor wanted to talk to him about expanding the council. He was momentarily stunned and said after a pause, “Please go ahead, Your Majesty.”
“I’ve thought about this repeatedly these past few days. Currently, there are six prime ministers, and I plan to increase that number to nine, adding three more. I originally thought of An Lushan, but only he can keep the Khitans and Xis in check, so I won’t transfer him. As for An Sishun, whom you mentioned, I plan to appoint him as the military governor of Shuofang, but he still can’t become a prime minister. I’m considering selecting one from the aristocratic families, one from the imperial family, and one from local governors. What do you think?”
Li Linfu’s mind raced. One from the aristocratic families—he guessed it would be Cui Qiao. One from local governors—possibly Lu Huan, a member of the crown prince’s faction. As for one from the imperial family, he had no idea who it could be.
He forced a smile and said, “Please clarify, Your Majesty.”
Li Longji pondered for a moment before saying, “Cui Qiao is diligent and capable. Since becoming vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he has organized it efficiently. He is also the son-in-law of Prince Xian. Although his experience is somewhat lacking, I still want to promote him exceptionally by elevating him to vice minister under the emperor. Next is Lu Huan, the governor of Yangzhou, who has rich experience in governing local areas and sufficient qualifications. The council indeed lacks prime ministers with local experience, so I’m considering transferring him to be the tutor to the crown prince. Lastly, I’m thinking of selecting someone from the imperial family—either from the Changsun family or the Dugu family. However, the Changsun family lacks a bit of experience; Changsun Quanxu is merely a general of the Jinyiwei and has no local experience. Dugu Haoran, on the other hand, is quite suitable—he has served as the deputy governor of Yangzhou and as the transport commissioner of Jianghuai. Pei Yaoqing also became a prime minister from that position. I’m considering promoting him to left vice minister of the cabinet and then to prime minister. Do you agree with my plan?”

Li Linfu was utterly shocked—two out of the three prime ministers were part of the crown prince’s faction, and with Pei Kuan added, three members of the crown prince’s group held ministerial positions. With recent troubles in the Eastern Palace, the emperor’s decision was highly contradictory and baffling.

Seeing that Li Linfu remained silent for a long time, Li Longji smiled and asked, “What, do you disagree, Prime Minister?”

Li Linfu sighed inwardly. It had already been decided; what good was it to disagree? He could only bow and say, “Your Majesty may convene a council to have all six prime ministers discuss this together.”

“I know. But as the Right Prime Minister and head of all officials, I naturally need to consult you first. If you have no objections, then it’s settled.”

Li Linfu’s mind was in chaos, so he nodded and said, “I have no objections.”

After leaving the imperial study, the matter concerning the Eastern Palace became even more confusing. What exactly had happened? If the crown prince had used witchcraft, Li Longji would never have promoted his supporters. If nothing had happened, then why did the Imperial Guards search the Eastern Palace? It was likely they found no evidence and used this as a way to appease the crown prince, but it still seemed like an overreaction.

Unable to figure it out, he hurriedly headed outside the palace. At that moment, Du Gu Hao Ran came toward him. Upon seeing Li Linfu, he quickly bowed and said, “Your humble servant greets the Prime Minister!”

Li Linfu smiled slightly in return. “I must congratulate you, dear Du Gu.”

Du Gu Hao Ran had been summoned by the emperor but didn’t know what was going on, feeling uneasy. For Li Linfu to congratulate him was truly puzzling.

“May I ask, Prime Minister, where does this joy come from?”

“You’ll find out when you go. I want you to treat me!” Li Linfu patted his shoulder and laughed as he walked away.

Du Gu Hao Ran became even more confused. He followed the eunuch into the imperial study, where Li Longji was smiling at him. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!”

“Rise, my dear minister. Please take a seat.”

An eunuch brought over a cushion, and Du Gu Hao Ran sat down hesitantly, waiting anxiously.

Li Longji flipped through his records and said with a smile, “Dear Du Gu, you’ve been an official for twenty-two years now?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I started as a staff officer in the Six Commanderies Bureau of the Eastern Palace in the 15th year of the Kaiyuan era, and it’s been twenty-two years since then.”

“Hmm! You’ve also served as a registrar in the Right Qianniu Guard, as the chief clerk of Xianyang County, as the magistrate of Ye County, as the magistrate of Jiangdu County, and as the chief secretary of Yangzhou. Your performance evaluations have been excellent—truly remarkable!”

Du Gu Hao Ran began to suspect what might happen, but he couldn’t believe it. Then Li Longji closed the documents and said with a smile, “Back then, Pei Yaoqing rose from being the transport commissioner of Jianghuai to become a prime minister, which was considered a fine example. So I’ve decided to promote you to Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat, sharing equal authority with the other prime ministers.”

Du Gu Hao Ran felt dizzy. At the most unexpected moment, he had reached the pinnacle of his life. His legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground, pounding it repeatedly and saying, “I thank Your Majesty for your grace! I truly thank you!”
Li Longji smiled slightly and took another imperial edict from the desk. “There is one more matter I wish to discuss with you.”
“Please give your orders, Your Majesty. I will obey them wholeheartedly!”
At this moment, no matter what Li Longji asked him to do, he would agree without hesitation.
“It’s rare to see a loyal subject speak so firmly of righteousness,” Li Longji said with emotion. He opened the imperial edict and continued, “The Gelaolu people have requested marriage to the Tang Dynasty, hoping to marry your eldest daughter. After much consideration, to ensure their loyalty in guarding the borders, I have decided to accept their request. Your eldest daughter will be granted the title of Princess Mingyue and married to the Gelaolu.”
……
When Du Gu Hao Ran returned to his residence, the Du family seemed to be in a state of extreme turmoil. Du Gu Hao Ran’s promotion to prime minister filled his brothers with joy, but Du Gu Mingyue’s selection for marriage to the Gelaolu brought sorrow to the family’s women.
Madam Pei waited outside the council hall, anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Her eldest daughter had been sent to marry the Khitans and died tragically. Now her daughter was to be married to the Gelaolu, filling her with grief and anger. She was determined to persuade her husband to cancel this marriage and spare Mingyue another sacrifice.
Yet the decision made by the Du family inside the council hall chilled her to the core. Two uncles, along with her husband’s three brothers and cousins—over a dozen people in total—had unanimously agreed to the marriage, insisting that the Du family’s position as prime ministers must not be ruined by it.
Furious, Madam Pei rushed into the meeting hall. The discussion was in full swing, with everyone extremely excited. Her sudden entrance silenced the room.
“You all agree to marry my daughter to the Gelaolu, is that right?” Madam Pei asked coldly.
Everyone was embarrassed. Then, Du Gu Hao Ran’s third uncle, Du Gu Yuan, stood up, forced a laugh, and said, “Actually, we don’t want to either, but it’s the emperor’s order. There’s nothing we can do. Besides, now that Hao Ran is prime minister, he holds great power. I doubt the Gelaolu would dare to mistreat his niece. Moreover, she is Princess Mingyue—her status is far higher. This is a happy event!”
“Yes! Sister-in-law, this is indeed a happy event. Our Du family is blessed with two joys,” the others chimed in.
“You!”
Madam Pei was furious. She struggled to control her anger and said to her husband, “Husband, come out for a moment. I need to speak to you.”
Du Gu Hao Ran, with a pained expression, followed his wife out of the council hall. He knew what she wanted to say and quickly interjected, “Wife, I really have no choice. The emperor forced me to agree, so I had no other option.”

“Hmph! The emperor forced you to agree,” Lady Pei sneered. “If you refused to become the prime minister, would he force you?”
“Well…” Dugu Haoran was speechless. He sighed and said, “Actually, I’ve thought about it too. The Göktürks are weaker and not as fierce as the Khitans. Mingyue should be fine marrying into their family.”
“Sir, what am I supposed to say? Even if you don’t think of me, think of our child! Those barbaric Göktürks know nothing of etiquette or morality. Our lovely Mingyue, as pure and beautiful as a flower, could be ruined if she marries into their family. How can we even suggest such a thing to her?”
Dugu Haoran lowered his head. After a long while, he murmured, “Actually, I’ve already talked to Mingyue.”
“What?” Lady Pei was stunned.
Dugu Haoran sighed again. “Mingyue agreed. She said she won’t put me or our family in trouble.”
“You… you…”
Tears welled up in Lady Pei’s eyes as she said sadly, “You’re too selfish.”
She turned and ran inside the mansion. Dugu Haoran shook his head and muttered to himself, “My wife, don’t blame me. I really don’t want to do this either, but there’s really no other way.”
In the room, Mingyue was calmer than ever. She was neatly dressed, staring silently out the window. She no longer felt sad. Her father’s words had blocked all her paths back and made her resolve firmly—no matter what, she would never burden the Dugu family.
Mingzhu, on the other hand, was so anxious that her eyes turned red. “Sis, let’s run away! I’ll go with you. It’s the only way out. If you run, they’ll have to choose someone else.”
Mingyue just smiled and shook her head. Mingzhu stamped her foot in frustration. “Sis, you have the courage to commit suicide but not the courage to run away? Run! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.”
“Mingyue!” Lady Pei rushed in.
“Mother!” Mingyue stood up.
Lady Pei hugged her daughter tenderly, tears in her eyes. “Child, go! I agree to your marriage to Li Qing’an. Go to Beiting and be with him!”
“Yes! Sis, Mother has agreed.”
Mingyue’s eyes reddened, tears filling her eyes, but she stubbornly shook her head. “I’m the eldest daughter of the Dugu family. I can’t burden our family, nor can I burden Father. Grandfather spent his whole life hoping to become prime minister, and now that Father has achieved his lifelong wish, as his daughter, how can I fail to show some filial piety?”
“But sis, they’re barbarians!”
“Sister, stop talking.”

The bright moon picked up scissors and resolutely cut a lock of her black hair, handing it to Mingzhu. “Sister, I beg you to go to Beiting and give this to Lord Li. If he still remembers me, I believe he will surely intercede with the emperor. If he refuses, then it is my fate.” Lady Pei pondered for a moment before nodding and saying to Mingzhu, “Mingzhu, your mother agrees to let you go. I’ll arrange everything for you right away; you should set off at night.”