Chapter 288: Old Ginger and Tender Scallions
“Reporting to the Imperial Grandfather, my father is not in good health, so I have been visiting him frequently these days,” Li Yu replied cautiously. In fact, he and his father had discussed this issue dozens of times. The emperor asking this question forced them to think of how to respond. One option was to say they hadn’t seen each other in nearly a year, that they missed their father, and that they dared not visit without imperial permission—this would be the best answer. Yet it might not fool the eunuchs stationed in the palace. Yu Chaoen, the new head of the eunuchs, would not help them conceal the truth, so the risk was too great. Thus, Li Heng and his son opted for a less risky approach, playing the card of affection by first mentioning their father’s poor health and then using the vague term “frequently,” which made it hard to determine whether it meant every day, every three days, once a month, or even once a quarter. This left room for ambiguity. When Li Yu gave this answer, he saw a gentle expression in Li Longji’s eyes and knew his response was correct, sighing in relief inwardly.
Li Longji nodded. He no longer valued Li Heng much; he had decided to abandon him. Now, Li Heng was just an ordinary prince, his son. After the incident involving Prince Di, Li Longji placed even greater emphasis on the honesty of his descendants toward him. So it no longer mattered whether Changsun visited his former crown prince—what mattered was whether Changsun would lie to him as well. He had already obtained firsthand information from the eunuchs: over the past month, the crown prince had visited his father almost every day. Though he didn’t know what they talked about, each visit lasted over fifteen minutes. He was worried that the crown prince he trusted might also be lying to him. Fortunately, he wasn’t. The crown prince had visited once a month for the past year, only starting to go every day in the last month, and indeed, Li Heng’s health had been poor during that time.
This answer satisfied Li Longji greatly. Changsun Li Chu placed filial piety first, while his honesty and steadiness pleased him even more—he was indeed the most qualified heir to the throne. Li Longji’s decision to let Changsun Li Chu succeed to the throne was not arbitrary; he had observed him for two years. Initially, he favored Prince Ying, but after half a year of observation, he noticed that Prince Ying had the weakness of acting impulsively in crises, a trait unworthy of an emperor, so he abandoned him. Next came Prince Di, the fourth son, who, in terms of seniority, seemed a suitable candidate. However, after a drought in Henan led to land consolidation, Li Qingan accused Prince Qing and Cui Qiao. Li Longji immediately sent trusted eunuchs to investigate secretly, only to discover that Prince Di had also acquired nearly 50,000 mu of land in Chenliu and Xingyang. This enraged Li Longji greatly. Prince Qing’s greed was obvious at first glance, but Prince Di’s was hidden more deeply. Such a person was dangerously cunning. If he could remain on the throne for another ten years, could he tolerate it?
It was precisely because of Prince Di’s cunning that Li Longji finally decided to abandon his sons and turn his attention to his grandchildren. The advantages of having grandchildren inherit the throne were self-evident. First and foremost, it would allow Li Longji to remain on the throne safely—a major concern that had plagued him for decades. He had been on the throne for forty years and wanted to stay another twenty. By then, his sons would be nearly sixty years old—which one of them could tolerate that? Li Longji understood this well, which was why he changed the crown prince every ten-odd years. First, in the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, he removed the impatient Crown Prince Ying, and again, after a decade or so, he deposed Crown Prince Heng. Yet Li Longji was aware of the consequences of such frequent changes, so making his grandchildren the heirs would resolve the conflicts that had troubled him for decades.
When deciding on whom to make the crown prince among his grandchildren, Li Longji’s first thought was Changsun Li Chu, his favorite grandson. To a large extent, it was for this reason that he made his third son, Heng, who had mediocre qualifications, the crown prince, so that the Tang throne could eventually fall into Changsun’s hands. Now that he was no longer considering his sons, Li Longji’s attention naturally focused on Changsun. Moreover, the reason he had deposed the previous crown princes now seemed like a miscarriage of justice—his eldest son, Cong, and his mistress, Lady Guo, had plotted against them. Thus, he also felt guilty toward his third son, Heng, and making him the crown prince was a way to compensate him.
After considering all these factors, Li Longji finally decided on the plan of having his eldest grandson inherit the throne. This morning, he suddenly announced this plan in the grand court.
Li Longji looked at his vibrant grandson and felt deeply relieved. Subconsciously, he realized he no longer had the strength to address the issue of land consolidation, so it was only right to let his young and capable grandson take over to solve it.
“Grandson, today your grandfather has declared you the heir apparent in the imperial court. Though I didn’t discuss this with you beforehand, I hope you won’t panic or become overconfident. I want you to remain calm and approach this matter rationally.”
Li Longji’s tone was gentle, completely different from how he spoke to his sons. He truly loved and trusted his grandson and didn’t want to scare him with his strictness. At this moment, he resembled a kind grandfather sitting under a big tree, telling stories to his grandson.
“Grandson won’t become overconfident. I only feel a heavy burden on my shoulders. I will study harder to be worthy of your trust and the great responsibility you’ve placed on me.”
Li Longji nodded and said, “Studying is necessary, but you can’t focus solely on books. I will gradually delegate some power to you so you can handle government affairs earlier and hone your skills. Moreover, I won’t restrict you as I did your father before. You can make friends among officials and build your own influence to prepare for your future succession.”
This was indeed an unprecedented decision on Li Longji’s part. He had imposed strict restrictions on his two previous heirs, fearing they might gain too much power and threaten his throne. But with his grandson, he had no such concerns. He could fully trust him to take action, and even if mistakes were made, he could fix them. Perhaps this was the advantage of intergenerational succession—fathers and sons are natural rivals, but grandparents and grandchildren are not. On another hand, Li Longji also had personal motives. He was tired of handling government affairs but wasn’t confident in Yang Guozhong’s abilities. By having his grandson take on these responsibilities, he could share the burden and prevent Yang Guozhong’s faction from becoming too powerful.
As he spoke, Li Longji watched Li Yu’s expression closely. He had called Li Yu here for a long talk precisely to avoid placing too much burden on him. Seeing a hint of deep concern in his grandson’s eyes, he asked, “What concerns do you have? You can speak up!”
Li Yu’s lips moved slightly before he suddenly knelt down and said, “Grandfather, I’m truly worried about land consolidation. Over the past few months, I’ve visited Guanzhong several times and found that the problem is extremely serious—70% of farmers no longer have any land. If decisive measures aren’t taken to stop this, I fear our Tang Dynasty will be in danger!”
This was not Li Yu’s impulsive decision. Years earlier, he had already realized that the land issue had become a cancerous problem for the Tang Dynasty, one that was worsening by the day. Many nobles and high-ranking officials were seizing land; those with great power refused to pay taxes, while those with less power passed on the burdens to tenant farmers. The high rents left many farmers in increasingly dire poverty, and even minor disasters would lead to tragic scenes of people selling their children and families falling apart. If land consolidation was not curbed, large-scale peasant uprisings would surely erupt, threatening the Li family’s rule. Deeply concerned, Li Yu took this opportunity to express his thoughts, hoping to gain his grandfather’s support to take effective measures to stop land consolidation.
Li Longji continued to sip his ginseng tea calmly. He was well aware of the severity of the land issue. He had issued several edicts banning land consolidation, but to no avail. Land consolidation involved the interests of almost all the nobles in the Tang Dynasty. Even he, Li Longji, owned tens of thousands of acres of imperial lands. He dared not touch this issue, as it would affect everything. He could only hope that his successor would resolve it. It was reassuring that Li Yu, his grandson, had proposed addressing the crisis of land consolidation. Yet Li Longji did not approve of Li Yu’s approach—he was too hasty and even reckless, failing to realize the complexity of the issue. Of course, this was because his grandson was energetic and youthful, but it was his responsibility to make him understand his situation.
Li Longji set down his teacup and said slowly, “I understand your desire to solve the problem of land consolidation, and I support you. But I must also tell you that if you start addressing it now, you may not be able to hold onto your throne in the future. Do you understand?”
Li Yu hadn’t expected his grandfather to respond in this way. He fell silent for a moment. Li Longji sighed and said, “Do you think I don’t want to solve the land problem? But it’s difficult! This isn’t just about a few corrupt officials seizing land. If it were just that, it would be easy—just execute them and that’s it. But all the nobles in the Tang Dynasty are involved in land consolidation, even high-ranking military officials. Who can you execute? And who can you really kill? Even with my long reign, I’ve been cautious. Do you expect to solve this right after taking over the Eastern Palace? If you threaten their interests, will they allow you to ascend the throne?”
Seeing that his grandson was about to speak, Li Longji waved his hand and said, “Do not speak yet. Listen to what I have to say. It is precisely because I am aware of the severity of the land issue that I express support for you in addressing land consolidation. However, I do not approve of your methods. I hope that once you are firmly established on the throne, you will take gradual action to address it—this is the safer approach, rather than acting now. Your top priority now is to quickly build your own power base. Only then, after you succeed me, can you firmly hold the throne, and people will listen to your commands and carry out your orders, ensuring that your will reaches every province and county in the Tang Dynasty.”
The grandfather’s earnest advice deeply moved Li Yu, but the urgency of the land issue made him feel time was running out. He believed there was no need to settle old land disputes; it was sufficient to halt further consolidation, which was not difficult—handling a few of the most powerful and unpopular officials would serve as a warning. Yet even such a simple task was resisted by his grandfather. Last time, Li Qing’an had uncovered the case of Prince Qing seizing land, and his grandfather could have used this to set an example by executing him. But in the end, he chose to overlook it, clearly showing a lack of sincerity. Perhaps, as he himself said, he wanted to shift all accumulated risks onto himself.
Li Yu sighed inwardly and remained silent. Li Longji could see that he was not convinced. This grandson was like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers—no wonder. He seemed to be a stubborn young man who would also be a ruler prone to offending others. Well, being an emperor meant offending people anyway. If he refused to offend the powerful, then let his grandson take on the role of the villain! Allowing him to experience the hardships of governance might not be a bad thing. But he still had to protect his grandson’s position as heir, ensuring he wasn’t dismissed because of it.
Li Longji couldn’t help but think of his plans for today. These plans were actually made to secure his grandson’s position as crown prince—a strategy he had considered for a long time. He promoted Li Xian, who was highly capable and honest in his duties. As a member of the imperial family and part of the former Eastern Palace faction, Li Xian was meant to gain the support of the imperial clan for Li Yu. Next, he promoted Wei Huan and Pei Min—not only because they were part of the Eastern Palace faction but also because they represented the two most prominent families of the Tang Dynasty, the Wei and Pei families, so as to secure the support of these powerful families for Li Yu. Since the Cui family was too close to Yang Guozhong, he did not consider Cui Qiao. Then there was the promotion of Li Qing’an to prime minister. While this was indeed to ensure Li Yu had military support, the more important reason was that Li Qing’an had always been someone he intended to keep as a pillar for the crown prince. Initially, he had planned to assign Wang Zhongsi to Li Hen, but Wang Zhongsi’s power grew too rapidly. Before he could be ready, Wang Zhongsi had already matured, and delaying further would only lead to trouble—evident from his willingness to defy imperial orders and refuse to attack Shibao City.
When it came to military power, he wouldn’t tolerate any interference. This was why he eliminated Wang Zhongsi. Li Qing’an, then, became the pillar he chose for his successor after Wang Zhongsi, especially Changsun. The two were of similar age and shared similar views. Moreover, Li Qing’an’s loyalty to the former crown prince had always impressed him. He needed such a powerful local governor to protect his grandson. First, he would let Li Qing’an build strength in Anxi, and before Changsun ascended the throne, he could transfer him to Longyou and Hexi to use a strong army to protect the new emperor’s reforms.
This was the plan Li Longji had been considering for two whole years. He didn’t want to tell his grandson right away; instead, he wanted him to understand it gradually—this was how he would progress. He needed to learn slowly how to use imperial tactics to solve problems.
Thinking of this, Li Longji smiled slightly and said, “There’s still time. We can discuss it slowly later. Also, I’ll send Gao Lishi to the Eastern Palace. He is my loyal servant; he will teach you how to handle government affairs.”
Li Yu knelt down again and kowtowed twice before Li Longji, saying, “Your grandson thanks his grandfather for his teachings!”
…
Li Yu left. Li Longji felt tired. Just as he was about to order a return to the palace, Yu Chaoyen, who had been waiting nearby, whispered, “Your Majesty, Master Gao says he has urgent matters to discuss with you.”
Yu Chaoen was originally a eunuch tasked with grinding ink for Li Longji. Intelligent and perceptive, he won the favor of the chief eunuch Gao Lishi, who gradually promoted him to head the imperial study. Yu Chaoen had served Li Longji in handling state affairs for over a decade without ever making a mistake, earning the emperor’s recognition. However, after the Eastern Palace incident two years ago, when the crown prince was deposed, Gao Lishi did not support Li Longji but instead defended Li Hen vehemently. This caused cracks in their strong trust relationship, and Li Longji began to distance himself from Gao Lishi—first stripping him of the power to review memorials, then removing his authority over the eunuchs in charge of supervising the troops, and eventually stopping using him even for personal services. Yu Chaoen seized this opportunity to rise to prominence, gradually replacing Gao Lishi as the top eunuch at Li Longji’s side. The only flaw was that Yu Chaoen lacked legitimate authority; Gao Lishi remained the head of the eunuch supervisors, while Yu Chaoen was nothing but a mere eunuch. Thus, the only way for him to truly replace Gao Lishi was if Gao Lishi left. Today, Yu Chaoen finally saw his chance. Just now, Gao Lishi came to ask the emperor for permission to retire home—a dream Yu Chaoen had longed for. So, despite being exhausted, Li Longji still allowed Gao Lishi to meet with him, fearing that if he missed this opportunity, Gao Lishi might change his mind.
Li Longji also wanted to see Gao Lishi, so he nodded and said, “Let him in!”
Yu Chaoen was overjoyed and hurriedly went to inform Gao Lishi. Moments later, Gao Lishi entered the imperial study. He had come to retire home, thinking he would finally be able to leave the emperor he had served for nearly fifty years. Feeling emotional, he slowly knelt down and said, “Your humble servant pays his respects to the emperor!”
Gao Lishi could be considered Li Longji’s most trusted person. Though they were master and servant in name, they were like brothers in reality. Li Longji had granted him great favors, and Gao Lishi had shown him utmost loyalty. But over the matter of the deposed crown prince, they eventually clashed, and that conflict made it impossible for them to get along. A phrase Gao Lishi once said had deeply hurt Li Longji: “If Your Majesty deposes the crown prince in his old age, it will surely lead to brothers turning against each other and family bonds being destroyed.”
Now, that phrase had unfortunately come true. His sons were at odds over the throne, with the Prince of Di even going so far as to fabricate a false plot to assassinate the emperor. Looking at Gao Lishi now, Li Longji felt immense guilt. He smiled and said, “Does the great general still need to report when coming to see me? Why are you becoming more and more distant?”
Gao Lishi was heartbroken and said in a trembling voice, “There are rules in the palace. If an old servant does not accompany the emperor, he must first report before seeing him.”
“The rules are made by people, so I will change this rule—except for the Great General from now on.”
Gao Lishi sighed secretly. Was there still a ‘from now on’? He took out his petition to retire and handed it to Li Longji, saying, “This is a petition I have submitted to Your Majesty, begging for Your grace!”
Li Longji glanced at the word ‘retire’ on the petition, then turned it over and covered it with his teacup, smiling and saying, “Today, I have appointed Changsun as the crown prince. What does the Great General think?”
“That is a wise decision by Your Majesty. I support it.”
Hearing him say he supported it, Li Longji felt suddenly relieved. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. Gao Lishi had always opposed his decision regarding the crown prince, but now he finally approved of it. Li Longji’s anxious heart settled down, and he couldn’t help but lean back on the dragon throne and laugh heartily, feeling extremely pleased.
“Now that Your Majesty has appointed a crown prince, my concerns are resolved. I humbly ask for Your grace to allow me to retire to my hometown.”
“No!” Li Longji refused firmly, causing Yu Chaoyen beside him to become anxious. Before Gao Lishi could say anything else, Li Longji spoke first, “I understand the Great General’s feelings, but the person I trust most is the Great General himself. I earnestly ask the Great General to teach Changsun, assist him in handling state affairs, and instruct him in the ways of being a ruler. Great General, for the sake of our fifty years of friendship, please help me again!”
Tears suddenly welled up in Gao Lishi’s eyes. Fifty years of friendship—had the emperor finally recognized him? For these words, at this moment, Gao Lishi was willing to die for Li Longji. With tears streaming down his face, he bowed deeply and said sorrowfully, “I shall obey Your orders!”