Chapter 270: Luring Them into the Trap

At the very moment Li Ao returned to report to Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong also received news: last night, the Jinyiwei had failed to capture the suspect, and Xing Xu had actually escaped into Li Qing’an’s camp. Not only that, but Li Qing’an had turned the tables, accusing the Jinyiwei of acting unilaterally and launching a night attack on the Anxi army’s camp.

Yang Guozhong was both angry and anxious. At this point, he no longer cared about Xing Xu; his top priority was to shift the blame away from himself. The order from Emperor Li Longji to summon him had already reached the Ministry of Personnel. Instead of going straight to Xingqing Palace, Yang Guozhong headed to the Ministry of War to see Linghu Fei. On the way, they met.

“Sir, what should we do about this?” Yang Guozhong asked anxiously as soon as Linghu Fei got into the carriage.

“Minister Yang, don’t rush. Stay calm.”

Linghu Fei had just learned of the situation as well. He hadn’t expected such an accident to occur in what should have been a flawless plan. He knew that using the Jinyiwei without authorization was a serious crime, but as long as they captured the suspect and explained things privately to Emperor Li Longji later, Yang Guozhong’s status as an imperial relative should suffice. But now, with Li Qing’an taking control of the situation and turning it into a major issue known throughout the court, coupled with the accusation of a night attack on the Anxi army, things had become extremely serious.

Linghu Fei’s mind raced as he tried to figure out how to salvage the situation. After pondering for a long time, he said to Yang Guozhong, “Our only option now is to insist that we were trying to capture Xing Xu and sought help from the Jinyiwei due to the urgency of the situation. In short, we must present this as an accidental incident. This way, not only can you clear your name, but you can also bring up the matter of Xing Xu.”

“Brilliant!” Yang Guozhong praised with a fist pump. Truly worthy of being his advisor—immediately finding a way forward. After thinking for a moment, he added, “But if the Emperor asks me why I didn’t report to him last night, how should I answer?”

Linghu Fei smiled faintly. “The Emperor won’t ask you. It will be Li Qing’an who asks you.”

Yang Guozhong was stunned. “What’s the difference?”

“The difference is huge!” Linghu Fei smiled ambiguously. “If Li Qing’an asks you, it’s to get you killed. But if the Emperor asks you, he just wants you to give him an out. So as long as you keep that in mind, you can get through this.”

Yang Guozhong didn’t quite understand. He scratched his head and said, “Sir, please be direct. How should I explain it?”

Seeing that he couldn’t even handle this, Linghu Fei sighed inwardly and said, “Just say you want to report your success to the emperor after capturing the assassin—you’re eager to take credit. Do you understand? Those four words, ‘eager to take credit,’ can cover up all your impulsiveness and mistakes. That’s your shield.”
Though the reason sounded good, Yang Guozhong was displeased. His face darkened as he said, “I’m a prime minister—how could I do such an impulsive thing?”
Linghu Fei felt heartbroken. With a bitter smile, he said, “My dear Minister Yang! Right now, face isn’t important. What matters is to downplay the situation. Let the emperor impose a symbolic punishment on you—it’s also a way to save face for him. Do you understand?”
Yang Guozhong was overwhelmed. Over the years, he had always lost in his battles with Li Qing’an—ranging from losing his position to losing his twin sisters. This time, he only wanted to give Li Qing’an a taste of his own medicine, but now even his brother-in-law was suffering. He was starting to fear this man and didn’t want to provoke him, but he kept haunting him. Heaven! He was truly his nemesis.
The carriage arrived at the entrance of Xingqing Palace. Yang Guozhong got off, but Linghu Fei couldn’t enter. He reminded Yang Guozhong once again, “Sir, remember—‘eager to take credit!’”
“I know!”
Yang Guozhong adjusted his clothes and was about to leave when suddenly someone shouted from afar, “Minister Yang!”
Yang Guozhong turned and saw a rider approaching—apparently an official from the Dali Temple. Before Yang Guozhong could react, Linghu Fei sensed trouble. He jumped off the carriage and shouted, “What’s happening?”
The official from the Dali Temple dismounted quickly and bowed, saying, “My lord sent me to report urgently that this morning, the governor of Jingzhao came to the Dali Temple to take back the prisoners captured yesterday.”
“Ah!” Linghu Fei cried out in shock. This sudden news reversed the situation—they were now at a disadvantage.
At that moment, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict urged Yang Guozhong, “Minister Yang, hurry! The emperor is already waiting impatiently.”
Yang Guozhong glanced at Linghu Fei and headed toward Xingqing Palace. Suddenly, Linghu Fei called out to him, “Sir, wait!”
“Do you still have something to say?”
“Sir, I’ll go in with you.”
The situation had changed abruptly. Linghu Fei knew Yang Guozhong couldn’t handle it, so he had no choice but to follow.
……
“Your servant Yang Guozhong pays his respects to Your Majesty!”
“Your servant Linghu Fei also pays his respects to Your Majesty!”

The two bowed before Emperor Li Longji. Linghu Fei’s arrival displeased Li Longji, as he knew that Linghu Fei, the Deputy Minister of War, was Yang Guozhong’s military advisor. It disappointed Li Longji that Yang Guozhong, as the prime minister, still needed Linghu Fei to handle such a minor matter.
“Minister Linghu, what brings you here?”
“Your Majesty, it was my idea for Minister Yang to request the assistance of the Jinguwei to capture fugitives yesterday. I dare not hide this and have come to take responsibility!”
“Hmph!” Li Qing’an beside him snorted lightly and said, “Minister Linghu is well-informed. I just reported this matter to the Emperor, and yet Minister Linghu already knows. Could it be he has supernatural hearing and vision?”
Li Qing’an implied that someone in Xingqing Palace was passing information. His words frightened the eunuchs in the hall, who became extremely nervous. Linghu Fei immediately replied, “General, your words are inappropriate. I came here precisely to take responsibility before Your Majesty. If General Deng of the Jinguwei entered Xingqing Palace, how could I not know what’s going on?”
“Enough! There’s no need to argue further!”
Li Longji interrupted their dispute and turned to question Yang Guozhong, “Which fugitive do you need to capture? Is capturing fugitives part of your duties?”
Yang Guozhong quickly knelt and kowtowed once, saying, “Your Majesty, yesterday afternoon, I accidentally learned that the accomplices in the attempt to assassinate Prince Di were hiding in Chongsheng Temple. I immediately informed Cui Guangyuan, the magistrate of Chang’an County. But later, worried that the criminals were skilled in martial arts and the county officials wouldn’t be able to handle them—having once served as the magistrate of Chang’an County and having deep affection for them—I sought help from the Jinguwei at Minister Linghu’s suggestion. That’s how it happened.”
Li Longji found his explanation reasonable and nodded, saying, “Then why didn’t you inform the governor of Jingzhao? Why did you act on your own? Don’t you know I’ve already assigned the governor full responsibility for this matter?”
Yang Guozhong kowtowed twice more and said, “Your Majesty, I am guilty. I was overly eager for credit and wanted to claim the merit for myself. I was selfish.”
So far, Yang Guozhong’s responses had satisfied Li Longji. He glanced at Linghu Fei again, knowing that it must be this man who had advised Yang Guozhong along the way, enabling him to use such clever tactics to avoid blame.
Li Longji then smiled at Li Qing’an and said, “General, now you understand! There is indeed a reason behind this. Although Minister Yang acted out of selfish motives, it’s human nature. After all, his intentions were good. It seems the Jinguwei isn’t targeting the Anxi Army. Of course, I will still punish those responsible to give the Anxi Army an explanation.”

At this point, it could be considered giving Li Qing’an some face—everyone could save face, and the matter could be dropped. But the problem was that Yang Guozhong had already brought up the case of the Prince of Di’s assassination. If Li Qing’an reconciled with him, what would happen to that case? Once he agreed, he would be out of the game.

Li Qing’an glanced at Linghu Fei, who happened to be looking at him as well. Their eyes met, and Linghu Fei’s gaze was filled with a sneer, as if to say, “What can you, Li Qing’an, do?”

Li Qing’an understood Linghu Fei’s meaning. As long as he nodded, Linghu Fei would immediately resume the case, but it would have nothing to do with him anymore.

It was like a duel between masters—Linghu Fei using retreat as a tactic to advance, hiding deadly intent. If Li Qing’an only saw his opponent’s retreat and failed to notice the hidden danger, he would fall into the trap. Li Qing’an couldn’t help but admire Linghu Fei—he truly was Yang Guozhong’s strategist, having found a way for Yang to escape in such a short time, all while concealing his true intentions.

But all of this was within Li Qing’an’s expectations. He had spent the entire night discussing it with Li Mi, considering all possible scenarios and identifying Linghu Fei’s flaw. The flaw lay in the fact that Linghu Fei hadn’t sought help from the Jinyiwei and Longwu Army on the spot but had planned it in advance. If he had asked for help suddenly, they wouldn’t have had time to arrive by the time Cui Guangyuan captured Ren Haichuan. But revealing this flaw too early might allow Linghu Fei to fix it, so he needed to approach it indirectly first, then lure Linghu Fei into his trap step by step, seizing the right moment.

Of course, Li Qing’an’s real goal wasn’t to harm Yang Guozhong. Li Mi had advised him that if Yang Guozhong really fell, it would disrupt the balance in the court, and Li Qing’an wouldn’t be able to stay in Anxi. Moreover, Li Qing’an knew that Li Longji wouldn’t touch Yang Guozhong for now. His real goal was to get involved in this case, aligning himself with Wang Gong to form an alliance against Yang Guozhong.

Li Qing’an bowed to Li Longji and said, “I am deeply grateful to Your Majesty for upholding justice for me. I understand Minister Yang’s urgency in addressing the country’s troubles. Since it’s a misunderstanding, I don’t wish to pursue this matter further. But there is one thing I must clear my name on. Deng Wei claims that I’m hiding a fugitive from the court. Why does he assume it’s me? This matters to my reputation. I don’t want the whole of the Tang Dynasty to think I’m colluding with bandits. Please understand my feelings, Your Majesty.”

After saying that, he glanced at Linghu Fei again and gave a similarly cold smile. He performed a Tai Chi move, bringing the conversation back to its original topic—trying to get him eliminated? No way! Linghu Fei also inwardly sighed at Li Qing’an’s cleverness. This was indeed what he wanted to say, but Li Qing’an had said it first. The same matter sounded completely different when spoken by him versus Li Qing’an; their starting points were different. It was like the same peacock spreading its tail feathers—he would describe the beauty and grace of the feathers directly, while Li Qing’an would reveal the ugliness of the peacock’s backside. He would gradually guide Li Longji to believe that it was Wang Gong who had instructed Xing Si to plot the assassination of Prince Di. Whether Xing Si was involved or not didn’t matter; what mattered was that Li Longji believed it was Xing Si’s doing, though he had now fled out of fear of punishment. Then, by pointing out Xing Si’s relationship with the Wang brothers, he would achieve his goal. On the other hand, Li Qing’an made Li Longji first doubt whether Xing Si really existed. If the person didn’t exist in the first place, how could one be sure he had committed a crime? It was like the same peacock spreading its tail feathers—people standing in front or behind would come to different conclusions. Sure enough, Li Longji was led by Li Qing’an. He had just said he wanted to give an explanation to the Anxi Army, so he turned to Deng Wei and said coldly, “Did you hear the general’s question? You insist that the general is hiding a fugitive—what evidence do you have?” Li Qing’an also pressed him, “You yourself said you didn’t see him enter my camp with your own eyes, yet you insist that this person entered my camp. Produce your evidence!” “Your servant followed the tracks, and the tracks indeed disappeared in front of the Anxi Army’s camp.” “What if he realized he couldn’t enter my camp and ran along it?” “Well…” Deng Wei was speechless. Suddenly, he knocked his head twice and cried, “Your servant is guilty! I shouldn’t have framed General Li. Because of a long-standing grudge with General Li, I insisted on his guilt. Please punish your servant!” At this moment, Linghu Fei was so anxious he stamped his feet. Things were going wrong. He desperately signaled Yang Guozhong to stop Li Longji from punishing Deng Wei and save him. In his plan, once Chang An’s current commander was removed from office, this Deng Wei was supposed to be promoted to take his place, thereby gaining control over the Imperial Guards. But Yang Guozhong remained silent at this critical moment. Finally, Li Longji spoke up, “Very well! Since you admit you framed General Li, then I must punish you. Pass my order: effective immediately, remove Deng Wei from his position as General of the Jinyu Guard and demote him to a commoner.”

General Wang Chengye of the Jinguwei also stepped forward. “Your Majesty, Deng Wei launched troops without following military orders, seriously violating military regulations. As the general of the Jinguwei, I must also impose severe punishment on him.”
Li Longji nodded. “Agreed!”
Wang Chengye pointed at Deng Wei and said, “For launching troops without authorization, according to military rules, he should be executed. But considering that he was acting to capture a fugitive criminal rather than for personal reasons, I will spare his life. He will be flogged 100 times with military whips, stripped of all military ranks, and demoted to an ordinary soldier.”
Seeing that Yang Guozhong had not interceded for him from beginning to end, Deng Wei became utterly disheartened. With tears in his eyes, he kowtowed and said, “I thank Your Majesty for sparing my life and the general for his leniency.”
He stood up, never looking at Yang Guozhong again, and followed several guards to receive his punishment. At that moment, Linghu Fei could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and kowtowed, saying, “Your Majesty, why don’t you ask who this Xing Xu is and why he tried to assassinate Prince Di?”
Li Qingan also spoke up, “Your Majesty, I’m also curious. Who is this Xing Xu? Since Minister Yang caught him in the temple, why did he let him escape?”
Li Qingan turned to Yang Guozhong and said with a smile, “Minister Yang, could you explain?”
Just then, shouts from the outer hall came: “Prime Minister Li requests an audience!”
Li Linfu arrived. Li Longji nodded and smiled, “It’s good that the prime minister has come. Let him listen too! Please invite him in.”
“Your Majesty orders Prime Minister Li to enter the hall!”
A moment later, Li Linfu’s gaunt figure appeared in front of the hall. He struggled to walk forward and bowed, saying, “Your servant Li Linfu pays his respects to Your Majesty!”
Seeing that Li Linfu looked very unwell, Li Longji asked concerningly, “Since the prime minister is not in good health, he should rest at home.”
“I’m used to being busy and always think of sharing the burdens with Your Majesty.”
Li Longji nodded and quickly ordered, “Go and bring a reclining chair for the prime minister to sit on!”
A eunuch brought a reclining chair, and Li Linfu sat down. He smiled at Li Qingan and said, “General, it’s been a long time.”
Li Qingan quickly bowed and said, “I haven’t visited the prime minister since returning. I’m extremely rude. Please forgive me, Prime Minister.”
Li Linfu waved his hand and smiled, “It’s fine! Prioritize official matters over personal ones. General, please continue with the official business.”
Li Qingan understood immediately. Li Linfu had come to support him. Though he wouldn’t say much, his presence alone changed the power balance in the hall, enhancing Li Qingan’s persuasiveness and intimidating Yang Guozhong. He was like a strategic weapon.
Li Qingan then smiled at Li Longji and said, “Your Majesty, since the prime minister has just arrived, may I briefly explain the situation?”
“Sure!”

Li Qing’an briefly recounted what had happened earlier to Li Linfu, then said with a smile, “I’m really curious now. Just now, Minister Yang said that he clearly captured the criminal at the temple, but somehow that person escaped and even made the joke of sneaking into our camp. I truly can’t understand it, so I’d like to ask Minister Yang for his insight.”

Li Linfu inwardly praised, “Brilliant!” Without mentioning Xing Zhi first, he brought up Ren Haichuan. If there was insufficient evidence that Ren Haichuan was acting under Xing Zhi’s orders, then there was also insufficient evidence that Xing Zhi was the mastermind. So why involve the Wang brothers?

This was Li Qing’an’s tactic of luring them into a trap—first diverting Deng Wei, then gradually exposing the timing flaws in the arrest of Ren Haichuan the previous day. If they had to seek help from the Jinwu Guard last minute, how could they have made it in time? Early that morning, he had already secretly sent people to investigate where Deng Wei had been the previous afternoon.

Yang Guozhong was in a difficult situation. The sudden changes caught him off guard, and with Li Linfu present, he felt uneasy. Yang Guozhong was also a cunning man. Though not as strategic or perceptive as Linghu Fei, he had his strengths—his ability to learn and summarize. Just now, Linghu Fei had advised him to avoid the main issues and shift responsibility, and he immediately put that advice into practice. Yang Guozhong forced a laugh and said, “Actually, this was a clue discovered by Vice Minister Linghu. He’s giving the credit to me—how ashamed I am! I can’t make the same mistake again. Let Vice Minister Linghu speak instead!”

Having sat for too long, Li Longji was also tired. Impatiently, he waved his hand and said, “Vice Minister Linghu, go ahead and speak!”

Linghu Fei sighed inwardly. What more could he say? He had originally planned to guide Li Longji step by step along his line of thought; even without Xing Zhi, it would have worked. But Li Qing’an had stolen the initiative, sidelining Xing Zhi. Mentioning Ren Haichuan seemed pointless—without Xing Zhi, everything was just one-sided. Besides, Ren Haichuan was now in Wang Gong’s hands—how could he not change his story?

But he couldn’t stay silent either. Yang Guozhong had removed his ladder; staying silent would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. Linghu Fei inwardly cursed Yang Guozhong for his stupidity and reluctantly said, “Your Majesty, Prime Minister Li, General Li—I also happened to learn that the accomplices of the assassin were hiding at Chongsheng Temple…”

He hadn’t finished speaking when Li Qing’an interrupted him. Li Qing’an smiled and said, “Vice Minister Linghu, could you be more specific? How exactly did you find out that the assassin’s accomplices were hiding at Chongsheng Temple?”

Linghu Fei cursed inwardly. It was he who arranged for them to hide there—how could he not know? He changed his mind and said, “One of my family members went to Chongsheng Temple to pray and heard a monk mention this matter.”

Li Qing’an laughed again and said, “This assassin really does have a compassionate heart and the ambition to sacrifice himself for eagles. Knowing that a huge reward is offered for capturing him, he revealed himself so quickly to let others profit from it.”

When speaking in front of the emperor, it was not allowed to interrupt easily—such behavior was considered rude. As a high-ranking official of the court, how could Li Qing’an not know this? Yet he insisted on interrupting, and his remarks hit every subtle flaw, making Linghu Fei break into a cold sweat. He suddenly realized that Li Qing’an had been prepared all along. Linghu Fei’s mind raced—these were minor flaws that could still be explained, but what about the bigger ones?

At that moment, he suddenly remembered something: Cui Guangyuan left the Ministry of Personnel and then went to Chongsheng Temple to arrest someone, with less than half an hour in between. At that time, Deng Wei led his troops near Mingde Gate, while General Ma Xiujun led his troops near Chunming Gate. This was to prevent their superiors from interfering. He deliberately sent them away first, but in the end, they both appeared at Chongsheng Temple at the same time. If Yang Guozhong asked for their help last minute, how could they make it in time with all the traveling? It could only mean they had planned it in advance. If they continued to examine the details, this major flaw would surely be exposed.

Had Li Qing’an already discovered this flaw? Linghu Fei glanced at Li Qing’an, who was looking at him coldly, with a hint of mocking laughter in his eyes, as if inviting him into a trap. hadn’t Yang Guozhong said he was only worried later that the officials wouldn’t be able to handle the assassin? If he had to ask the Jinyiwei and Longwu Army for help last minute, how could they make it in time?

Thinking of this flaw, Linghu Fei broke into a cold sweat. Li Qing’an had come to cause trouble early on, claiming that the Jinyiwei had acted without authorization—wasn’t that to expose this flaw?

By then, Li Longji also gradually realized what was going on. If they continued, Yang Guozhong would likely be put on the defensive. He glanced at Yang Guozhong, wanting to hear Yang Guozhong’s explanation alone. Li Longji yawned twice, pretending to have no patience left, and said unhappily, “I’m getting tired. Let’s discuss this another day!”

Yang Guozhong felt relieved and quickly bowed, saying, “We dare not disturb Your Majesty. We shall retire!”

Li Qing’an also smiled and said, “Your Majesty, since this assassin escaped near my camp, I request permission to participate in capturing him. Please grant my request!”

Li Longji shook his head and said, “This case is entirely under the responsibility of the governor of Jingzhao. The great general should not get involved to avoid further misunderstandings.” What Li Longji meant was to warn Yang Guozhong not to be so eager for credit—he couldn’t defeat Li Qingan. Yang Guozhong didning understand, but Linghu Fei did. He let out a long sigh of relief, yet couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, “The plan he spent months carefully devising! It’s all ruined now.” Suddenly, he remembered another critical issue—Ren Haichuan had been taken away by Wang Gong. Would he turn around and testify against him?