Chapter 25: Information Leaked

Fu Menglingcha flipped through the register expressionlessly, checking each entry carefully. Cheng Qianli beside him remained smiling, as if he had already known that Li Qing’an was fully prepared.
“Slam!” Fu Menglingcha closed the register and handed it to Judge Wang Tao beside him. “Go investigate thoroughly—every entry must be verified.”
“Yes! I’ll go right away.” Wang Tao took the register and left in a hurry. Fu Menglingcha’s expression softened slightly, and he said to Li Qing’an, “Lieutenant Li, our Anxi Army was founded on military merit, and we value clear rewards and punishments. General Gao entrusted you with distributing land as a sign of great trust. But if you commit any acts that violate military regulations, don’t blame me for imposing severe punishment.”
“I am willing to accept whatever punishment the general decides!”
Fu Menglingcha nodded. “Good! I will judge fairly. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll clear your name; if not, I’ll execute you to sacrifice to the flag.”
He glanced at Gao Xianzhi again and said, “General Gao, this matter concerns the regulations of our Anxi Army. I’ll handle it entirely. Are you agreeable?”
Gao Xianzhi quickly bowed and said, “That is the general’s authority. He may handle it according to military law.”
Fu Menglingcha’s gaze shifted. He suddenly noticed Cheng Qianli giving him a wink and said to Gao Xianzhi, “It won’t take just one or two days to investigate this thoroughly. You may go back first. I’ll summon General Gao to discuss the results later. Lieutenant Li, you too, go and wait for news.”
Gao Xianzhi and Li Qing’an both took their leave. Only then did Fu Menglingcha turn to Cheng Qianli and say, “Commander Cheng, I think your information is incorrect! This Li Qing’an isn’t the corrupt official you described.”
Cheng Qianli quickly bowed and said, “General, actually, Li Qing’an is just a minor figure. He keeps all the records of military achievements by himself, so if there are problems, he can make them seem fine. He’s not a threat. What worries me is Deputy General Gao—his actions are the real threat to our Anxi Army.”
“It’s a feint—his real aim is General Pei.” Dealing with Gao Xianzhi was Cheng Qianli’s true goal. Li Qing’an was merely an appetizer he used before the feast to test Fu Menglingcha’s attitude toward Gao Xianzhi. Now that he knew Fu Menglingcha was deeply wary of Gao Xianzhi—someone he wouldn’t spare even as a minor lieutenant—he surely wouldn’t forgive Gao Xianzhi’s serious offenses easily.
“General, there’s an important matter I must report to you.”
Fu Menglingcha looked at him skeptically and asked, “What important matter? Speak!”

Cheng Qianli lowered his voice and whispered in Fu Menglingcha’s ear, “I have a relative who is a court official in the Ministry of War. I received a letter from him yesterday. He said that Gao Xianzhi submitted two petitions to the imperial court last half of last year, asking to launch a war against the Small Bule. The commander-in-chief hasn’t heard about this, has he?”
“What?” Fu Menglingcha was shocked. “Is this true?”
“I swear on my life—there isn’t a single lie in it.”
Fu Menglingcha flew into a rage. He slammed the table and cursed, “That Goryeo scoundrel dares to submit petitions on his own without my permission!”
“That’s right! He’s grown too bold and wants to take my place.”
“Hmph! I’m going to see just how bold he really is.” A fierce killing intent flashed in Fu Menglingcha’s bulging eyes.
……
After leaving the governor’s residence, Li Qing’an didn’t rush back to the camp. Instead, he followed Gao Xianzhi back to his residence. As soon as they entered the room, Li Qing’an asked, “Commander, did you send the leopard skin I asked you to give to the right chancellor last time?”
“I already sent someone to deliver it.” Gao Xianzhi hesitated for a moment before asking, “Why? Have you discovered something?”
Li Qing’an smiled bitterly. “Can’t Commander see? Cheng Qianli isn’t trying to deal with me—he’s targeting you!”
“I know that. By causing trouble for you, he’s showing me disrespect. He wants to use you as a warning to me.”
Gao Xianzhi said indifferently. Seeing Li Qing’an still shaking his head, he was surprised and asked, “Am I wrong?”
Li Qing’an sighed. “I underestimated Cheng Qianli. I thought he was unwise for revealing the information first. But in fact, he doesn’t intend to deal with me at all. He knows he can’t use this to catch me in a mistake. He’s just using it as a bait to test Fu Menglingcha’s attitude toward you. If I’m not mistaken, he must have another trump card.”
“A trump card? What could that be?” Gao Xianzhi asked doubtfully.
“I suspect he already knows about your secret petition to the imperial court regarding the war against the Small Bule.”
Gao Xianzhi fell silent. He knew this would cause problems, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. After a long while, he sighed and said to Li Qing’an, “I understand now. You may leave.”
Li Qing’an wanted to say more, but seeing that Gao Xianzhi had no interest in listening, he shook his head and left. As soon as Li Qing’an left, anxiety flashed in Gao Xianzhi’s eyes. It had been almost half a year—why wasn’t there any news from the imperial court? And what about the gift he sent to Chancellor Li? Had it been delivered?

At the East Upper Pavilion Gate of the Daming Palace, several high-ranking officials hurried along the long corridor toward the Zichen Hall. At the forefront was Li Linfu, the Right Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty. Around sixty years old, he had seized control of the prime ministerial power since Zhang Jiuling was removed from office in the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, and it had been nearly ten years since then. Li Linfu was tall and fat, with long narrow eyes and a huge nose that occupied nearly half of his face. He always wore a fixed smile on his face.

Power is a sweet poison that makes those who taste it unable to give it up. Having held power for ten years, Li Linfu was not only not tired but also loved this power, as exquisite as dragon liver or phoenix marrow, more than ever. Power could never be shared. Over the past ten years, he had eliminated his political rivals one after another—Zhang Jiuling, Niu Xianke, Li Shizhi, Wei Jian—while carefully reading the subtle moods of Emperor Li Longji, ensuring his position remained unshakable.

For example, today the emperor suddenly wanted to summon the prime minister to the Zichen Hall to discuss state affairs. To others, this was sudden, but for Li Linfu, it was expected. A few days earlier, he had received a black panther skin urgently sent by Gao Xianzhi. Though rare, the black panther skin signaled Gao Xianzhi’s willingness to ally with him. Gao Xianzhi was the Grand Protector of Anxi, but in reality, he wasn’t very concerned about Anxi’s affairs. On one hand, it was too distant, and on the other hand, the emperor had already appointed an imperial supervisor there, so he didn’t feel the need to ask too many questions. Li Linfu decided to wait and see before deciding whether to accept Gao Xianzhi’s allegiance.

However, this incident reminded Li Linfu that no one in the court understood Anxi. If even he didn’t understand it, wouldn’t he be failing in his duties as Grand Protector if the emperor asked questions? In any case, he had the authority to intervene in Anxi’s affairs. Half a year ago, two memorials from Gao Xianzhi reached the capital, requesting a campaign against the Small Buleh to eliminate Tubo’s strongholds in Turfan. The emperor had spent half a year considering this, but just last night, a secret letter from the imperial supervisor of Anxi, Bian Lingcheng, arrived, prompting the emperor to hold this emergency meeting. Li Linfu immediately guessed that, needless to say, the emperor had made up his mind.