Chapter 321: Provoking the Emperor’s Wrath

“Good morning, Lord Feng!”
As soon as Feng Changqing arrived at the government office, a young civil official bowed to him. Feng Changqing nodded, inwardly smiling bitterly. Though he was the governor of Yin City, neither civil officials nor soldiers addressed him as “Governor” but instead as “Lord Feng,” as if he were the prefect. It wasn’t surprising, though—after all, none of his duties involved the military. Even the 3,000 troops stationed in Yin City were not under his control; they were directly under Li Qing’an’s command.
Fine, he would deal with that later. Feng Changqing nodded and asked, “Has the grain arrived?”
“Reporting to you, Lord Feng, it arrived last night at midnight—100,000 dan of grain. That’s why I came to inform you right away.”
“Finally!”
Feng Changqing was overjoyed. He had been worried about the lack of grain all this time. Now that it had arrived, he quickly ordered, “Go find some people to organize the laborers to transport it to the granaries.”
He was about to turn and check things himself when a servant rushed out of the office, shouting, “Lord Feng, wait!”
Feng Changqing paused. “What’s the matter?”
“Someone inside the office is looking for you. They’ve been waiting for a long time.”
“I understand.”
Feng Changqing turned to the young official and said, “You go and ask Colonel Liu and the others for help. Get the grain into the city as soon as possible. I’ll follow later.”
With that, Feng Changqing entered the office, asking as he walked, “Who is looking for me?”
“The messenger wouldn’t say. Only that they came from Chang’an.”
“Chang’an?” Feng Changqing was stunned. If it were someone from Jiannan, he could understand—it would be sent by Gao Xianzhi. But who from Chang’an would be looking for him?
Confused, he entered a side room, where he saw a tall young man sitting there, anxiously sipping tea. Feng Changqing cleared his throat and entered.
“I am Feng Changqing. Are you the one who sent for me?”
The young man quickly stood up, bowed to Feng Changqing, and took out a badge, saying, “I am Guo Sijun, the chief guard of the imperial palace. I come from the Daming Palace in Chang’an.”
So it was a palace guard. Feng Changqing became even more puzzled. Could it be the emperor himself who sent for him? He waved his hand and said, “Please sit.”
“No, I must hurry back.”
The guard named Guo Sijun took out a sealed letter from his bosom and said in a low voice, “This is an imperial secret order for you, General.”

Feng Changqing was shocked. The emperor had actually sent him a secret order. He immediately felt anxious, his hands trembling as he took the order. He turned around, opened the door, and looked around—seeing no one. The officials had all gone outside to transport grain. Only then did he feel relieved enough to close the door and return to his room, where he used a small knife to open the seal and take out the letter inside.

It was indeed an imperial letter, written in the emperor’s own hand. The content was simple: he was ordered to fully assist Prince Qing, with the promise that he would later be appointed as the military governor of Beiting.

Feng Changqing was a man who thought carefully. Despite just two short sentences, he understood the deeper meaning behind the letter—likely Emperor Li Longji intended to take action against Li Qing’an and replace him with Prince Qing, Li Cong. But… how had the emperor found him?

Feng Changqing was truly troubled. He knew the risks involved. Military governor of Beiting? He might even lose his life. Li Qing’an might not dare kill the prince, but killing him, Feng Changqing, would be easy. More importantly, he had no military power at all—how could he assist the prince? Unconsciously, a wry smile appeared on Feng Changqing’s face.

Guo Sijun, the messenger, noticed Feng Changqing’s hesitation. His expression darkened immediately, and he said unhappily, “What? General Feng doesn’t want to accept the emperor’s order?”

Although he was just a low-ranking official, he came from the palace, sent by the emperor of Tang. Even if it were just a minor military position, or even Li Qing’an himself, he would still act arrogantly.

Feng Changqing didn’t dare offend this man and quickly bowed, saying, “I dare not! I dare not! Please convey to the emperor that I will definitely follow his orders.”

The title of “general” brought a slight warmth to Guo Sijun’s face, but it wasn’t enough to relieve his fatigue. He slowly took a sip of tea and said, “General Feng, I rushed from Chang’an to Yincheng, sleeping in the open all the way. My money is already gone. Please lend me some.”

Feng Changqing had never encountered such an open demand for bribes before. He was stunned for a moment before reacting and quickly called out, “Luo Ping!”

Footsteps sounded, and a servant rushed in, bowing and asking, “Did you call me, sir?”

“Go to the treasury and get five guan!”

“Pfft!”

Guo Sijun spat out his tea all over the floor. He slammed the teacup on the table and said angrily, “If General Feng treats me like a beggar, then I’ll just go back begging. Goodbye!”

Seeing that he thought it was too little, Feng Changqing felt embarrassed and said, “General Guo, my salary is indeed not high, and I can’t give more. This is just a small token of my goodwill. Please don’t think it’s insufficient.”
Guo Sijun gave him a strange look, as if examining a monster, before finally saying sarcastically, “I have no idea where this place is. I heard it’s called Yincheng, a place in Anxi that produces silver. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of silver are in General Feng’s hands each year. I dare not ask for a specific amount. As long as General Feng can scrape together a little for me, it will be enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”
Hearing that he was aiming for Yincheng’s silver, Feng Changqing grew slightly angry and said, “All the silver produced in Yincheng belongs to the people of Anxi, not my personal property. How dare I take it at will?”
“Very well! Then I’ll take my leave. I’ll speak well of General Feng to the emperor to show his selflessness.”
Guo Sijun said coldly before turning and leaving. Feng Changqing’s face turned purple with anger. With a sigh, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine! I agree to it.”
Guo Sijun quickly turned back, sat down again, and smiled, “Good! Good! Then I’ll have another cup of tea.”
“Wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”
Feng Changqing despised this man deeply but had no choice but to leave in a hurry. Moments later, he returned with a silver rod and handed it to him, “Here, take this!”
Guo Sijun weighed the silver rod—it weighed at least twenty pounds and was worth three to four hundred guan. He immediately smiled broadly and said, “Then I’m sorry to trouble you, General Feng. Thank you. I’ll definitely speak well of you to the emperor when I return.”
Without staying any longer, he took the silver rod and left. He mounted his horse and soon rode away. Feng Changqing returned to his room, his brows furrowed. He read Li Longji’s imperial edict over and over again, not knowing where to start. After much thought, he decided to contact Prince Qing first. He wrote a short message and called out, “Luo Ping! Luo Ping!”
Soon, the messenger rushed in. He was Feng Changqing’s personal attendant, having followed him for over a decade. While other attendants had become officials, his remained a mere messenger.
“Sir, please give your orders!”
“Go to Dunhuang and deliver this letter to Prince Qing. Remember, hand it to him personally. If that’s not possible, destroy the letter—don’t let it fall into other hands.”
“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll make sure it’s done properly!”
The attendant took the letter and left. Feng Changqing sat down, overwhelmed with anxiety, and even forgot about checking on the grain supplies outside the city.

These days, a major incident occurred in Kucha. Rumors were circulating everywhere, claiming that Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty had passed away. Before his death, he had removed Li Qingan from his position as the governor of Anxi and appointed Feng Changqing to take over. The rumors grew more intense, becoming known throughout the city and causing widespread panic. No one knew whether the news was true or false. At first, Li Qingan paid no attention to it, but as the rumors spread further and affected the military, similar rumors also appeared in the barracks.

Only then did Li Qingan become furious. He ordered a city-wide curfew and ordered the arrest of those spreading false rumors. Soldiers patrolled the streets, and investigators went from house to house to trace the origin of the rumors. They also explained to the people that the generals in Anxi had implemented slavery abolition, which infringed on certain people’s interests, leading them to spread false accusations. As for the emperor, he was in good health, and there was no such thing as his death.

Subsequently, investigators began to debunk the rumors within the military. They issued announcements and had talks with soldiers and lower-ranking officers, explaining that the rumors stemmed from the generals’ strict punishment of Pugu Huaien for selling official positions, which angered those who made money from such practices. After several days of investigation, the rumors were finally exposed. Four people who spread the rumors were captured and, after a public trial, confessed to spreading the lies out of resentment over Li Qingan’s abolition of slavery.

Li Qingan personally sentenced the four to death for spreading false rumors, having them publicly executed as a warning. He also spread the news among the people of Anxi and the troops to serve as a deterrent.

More than a month after the rumor that Li Qingan had been removed from his position spread widely, it was debunked by Li Qingan through force. This incident had a significant impact in Anxi, serving as a reminder that the war against the Uyghurs was not over, and the conflicts with the Arabs still raged. Under such circumstances, the imperial court would not easily remove Li Qingan. Soon, another rumor incident in Jinman County proved that such rumors no longer had any effect.

The rumor incident in Jinman County was similar to the case of spreading false rumors in Kucha, also claiming that Li Qingan had been removed by the court. However, this rumor never spread at all, just like shouting “the wolf is coming”—when the same thing is repeated too often, people no longer believe it. When someone mentioned it in an inn, others would immediately mock him, asking, “Is it because you’ve run out of slaves?”

Soon, rumors also spread that Li Qing’an was to be removed from his position, but their impact was even weaker—no one believed them at all. As soon as someone mentioned this in a restaurant, they were immediately reported. A reward of twenty guan was offered for reporting those who spread false rumors, while the rumor-mongers were publicly beaten, fined fifty guan, and the reporter received twenty guan as a reward. This is what it means when rumors stop at the wise—faced with physical pain and severe punishment, no one dared to talk about it anymore. Only the couple would discuss it in bed at night, but if they talked too much, the wife would slap them, saying, “It wasn’t easy for me to save some money—don’t go around spreading nonsense and ruining our family.” Through repeated manipulation by certain people, the phrase “Li Qing’an has been removed” became a common expression in Anxi, meaning either financial ruin or unexpected wealth. Had you been affected by “Li Qing’an has been removed”? It referred to both meanings. As for whether Li Qing’an was actually removed, no one believed it anymore, nor did anyone care.

…

Over these two months, Li Longji’s spirits had improved greatly compared to before. He was no longer as listless as before, and his sexual stamina had also increased significantly. He could engage in sexual activity every night. Although he would be exhausted after each session, taking the love-enhancing flower tea promptly would quickly relieve that exhaustion, allowing him to be full of energy the next day. All this was thanks to the second type of love-enhancing flower tea presented by An Lushan, which seemed to make Li Longji twenty years younger. However, this flower tea had its downsides—Li Longji became completely dependent on it, needing to take it daily. At first, he tried to stop for two days, only to feel as if he were dying, in extreme pain. But once he resumed taking it, the pain disappeared. Li Longji’s dependence on this flower tea grew deeper, and he vaguely sensed something was wrong, but he was already unable to stop. Taking it every day and engaging in sex every day, he was like a machine out of control—no one knew how it would stop. One day, Li Longji finally received a reply from his eldest son, Li Cong. The letter was secretly delivered by a Hu person from Anxi, who claimed to be the personal attendant of Prince Qing. Whether this messenger was genuine or not didn’t matter; what mattered was that the letter was real, written by Yan Kai, one of Prince Qing’s advisors, with the prince’s seal and Li Cong’s signature at the end. In the Linde Hall, Li Longji carefully read his eldest son’s letter.

“I have firmly engraved His Majesty’s teachings in my heart. I will faithfully carry out His Majesty’s plans and am confident in succeeding in seizing power. Li Qing’an’s control over Anxi is not as strong as rumors suggest. The Puguh Huai’en incident left many generals disappointed in him, and the slave-abolition decree further angered those whose interests were harmed. I am not in Dunhuang for pleasure. During the war against Tubo, Li Qing’an was unfair in his treatment of people, causing discontent among the Anxi troops. At Li Qing’an’s request, I went to Dunhuang to calm the generals on his behalf. After Li Qing’an set out on a campaign, I supervised logistics, with countless people coming to my camp daily to complain. I comforted each one of them. I have already established some authority among the troops and can relieve His Majesty’s worries…”

Reading this, Li Longji felt greatly encouraged. Anxi was far from Chang’an, and he was unaware of the situation there. He had only heard that internal strife was intense among the Anxi troops during Gao Xianzhi’s rule, and it turned out to be true. It was even more pleasing that his eldest son was involved in military affairs, which excited him. He continued reading.

“Since His Majesty has appointed me as the governor of Anxi, I am confident in seizing military power. However, given the seriousness of the matter, I must proceed carefully, gradually winning over and disuniting the Anxi generals, especially those old generals who were demoted by Li Qing’an to the Shiguo region in Lingxi and have long harbored resentment. Generals like Li Siyeh, Feng Changqing, Xi Yuanqing, and Heba Yurun are all outstanding figures from Anxi who have achieved great feats and enjoy high prestige among the troops. Yet, Li Qing’an transferred them to Lingxi and failed to utilize them properly. Li Siyeh trained troops in Shiguo, Feng Changqing mined in Yincheng, while Xi Yuanqing and Heba Yurun were stationed in Hezhong. Puguh Huai’en was forced to flee. Those who gained important positions are all Li Qing’an’s confidants, not people like the Li Fei brothers. Unknown individuals like Cui Qianyou were able to hold high-ranking positions without any merits. Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and his personal guards were all promoted to important positions and in charge of the Anxi troops. After much deliberation, I concluded that since the troops in Lingdong are all Li Qing’an’s loyalists, there is no opportunity to act there. The only way is to go to Lingxi and contact the old Anxi generals like Li Siyeh, Feng Changqing, Xi Yuanqing, and Heba Yurun to gain their support, which will enable us to achieve our goal. But Li Qing’an is very cunning. Acting hastily might result in harm to us. Moreover, if he uses this as an excuse to amass troops and declare himself emperor, it will only cause military troubles, which is not what His Majesty desires. I will gradually weaken him and seize power while he is on campaigns against the Uyghurs in the north and the Arabs in the west. Either in half a year or a year, I will surely take control of Anxi, force Li Qing’an to surrender, and send back the moon to comfort His Majesty. Additionally, I have no reliable people around me. I will keep Eunuch Xia and the guards with me for now and use them to contact the generals. I bow and earnestly wish His Majesty a long life and eternal prosperity for our Li dynasty.”

After reading the letter, Li Longji let out a long sigh of relief. The letter was well-reasoned and meticulously planned, identifying the key to overthrowing Li Qing’an—using the old generals from Anxi to seize power while Li Qing’an was away on military campaigns. Li Longji also believed that only by leveraging these old generals could Li Qing’an be brought down, which was why he sent a secret order to Feng Changqing.

Of course, he knew his son didn’t have such sharp intelligence; it must have been his advisor Yan Kai’s suggestion. What pleased him most was that his son had followed his advisor’s advice. His greatest concern had been that his eldest son wouldn’t be a match for Li Qing’an, but now it seemed his son was stronger than he had imagined.

However, what slightly troubled Li Longji was the long time required—at least half a year. Thinking of Du Gu Mingyue’s stunning beauty, his desire burned intensely, and he could hardly wait. Yet he understood that seizing Li Qing’an’s military power wasn’t easy. If things turned hostile, he feared Li Qing’an might rebel and establish his own rule. Anxi was too far away for the imperial court to suppress him easily. He was especially worried that Li Qing’an’s rebellion might spread to other border generals like Ge Shu Han and An Si Shun, who also wanted to seize power. Therefore, he could only resort to secret means to take control, which naturally took time. If he could seize power in half a year, that would already be quite good.

He sighed softly and carefully put away his son’s letter. At that moment, Yu Chaoneng saw that he had finished reading the letter and said obsequiously, “Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has sent someone to urge you. She longs for your presence and can hardly wait.”

“I’ll go right away!”

Li Longji stood up smiling. He was in particularly good spirits today. His thoughts of Du Gu Mingyue earlier had kindled his desire, and now he wanted to go to the harem. It had been a long time since he had been with the Imperial Concubine. Today was a good chance to spend the night with her. She must also be longing for him. Li Longji felt a sense of satisfaction after getting revenge—the Imperial Concubine always tried to monopolize him, which annoyed him greatly. So he had deliberately neglected her for a long time. Now that she had invited him herself, didn’t that mean she was showing weakness to him?

In high spirits, Li Longji rode in a soft sedan chair, surrounded by hundreds of eunuchs and maids, and made his way to the inner palace. The Imperial Concubine had also moved to Daming Palace two months ago. She resided in Lingqi Hall, the most magnificent and splendid complex in the harem of Daming Palace, fitting her status as the foremost among the concubines. Although she held a high position, these past few months, Li Longji had mostly been at Penglai Pavilion and Tingmei Garden, favoring Wu Xianyi and Mei Fei, and rarely visited Lingqi Hall.

Today, Li Longji was in high spirits. As he enjoyed the scenery along the way, his mind was filled with images of Yang Guifei begging for his mercy, tears streaming down as she clung to him, pleading for his favor. Li Longji was so pleased he could almost laugh out loud.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

An eunuch shouted. Li Longji’s sedan arrived at the steps of the Lingqi Hall. Two eunuchs helped him out of the sedan. Li Longji stepped up the steps quickly but suddenly froze.

There, dressed in the official robes of a first-rank consort, Yang Guifei knelt before him solemnly.

“My beloved, what are you doing?” Li Longji asked in confusion.

Yang Guifei declared loudly, “I earnestly implore Your Majesty to consider the interests of the Tang Dynasty and not force Li Qing’an of Anxi to rebel.”

“What did you say?”

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over Li Longji’s heart; his passion was extinguished. So she had come to him to plead for Li Qing’an. Instantly, he became furious and ashamed.

As if unaware of his anger, Yang Guifei continued to argue logically, “Li Qing’an has served as the governor of Anxi, leading campaigns against the Arabs in the west, the Tibetans in the south, and the Uyghurs in the north, securing vast lands for the Tang Dynasty. He is a pillar of the empire, with outstanding achievements and no faults. Yet, for personal gain, Your Majesty wants to condemn him to death, destroying your own strength. What will the world say of Your Majesty? How will future historians judge you…”

“Silence!”

Furious, Li Longji trembled all over. Pointing at Yang Guifei, he roared, “Do you dare interfere in my affairs? You overestimate yourself.”

Tears streamed from Yang Guifei’s eyes. She kowtowed and said through sobs, “A husband and wife share affection for a hundred days. I have been with Your Majesty for years—when have I ever interfered in state affairs? It’s only because these past months You Majesty have neglected your health, indulging in pleasure. Consider Your Majesty’s advanced age—how can you indulge in pleasure night after night? My heart burns with worry, yet I have no solution. Seeing You Majesty about to commit another foolish act, I have no choice but to follow the advice of Empress Zhangsun and implore You Majesty to wake up.”

At that moment, all the palace servants knelt down. They could tell that the Consort would suffer today. “Your Majesty, please spare her!”

Li Longji was consumed by rage, nearly losing his sanity. He took a deep breath and pointed at Yang Guifei, “You are no Empress Zhangsun, and I am not Emperor Taizong. Out of respect for the Prime Minister, I will give you one last chance to reflect. If you remain stubborn, do not blame me for forgetting our past kindness.”

With that, he turned and entered his sedan, ordering, “Take me to Penglai Pavilion!”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Yang Guifei called out three times, but Li Longji left without looking back. Suddenly, she cried out in grief, “Sanlang!”

The sedan chair suddenly stopped, but was quickly lifted again and moved away at high speed toward the Penglai Pavilion. Yang Guifei felt a sudden, piercing pain of complete heartbreak, so intense that she could barely straighten her back. She slowly pulled out a pair of scissors from her sleeve, causing the palace ladies around her to shout, “Your Majesty, don’t be foolish!”
Yang Guifei shook her head and said in a low voice, “I won’t commit suicide. Don’t worry!”
With a snap, she cut off a lock of hair at the back of her head.
……