Chapter 324: Another Move

“I heard that Your Majesty is unwell, so I rushed here to visit. I truly don’t know what crime I’ve committed. Please make it clear to me!”
“Hmph!” Li Longji snorted heavily. “Still pretending to be ignorant in front of me? Then I’ll tell you plainly—Li Qing’an is the descendant of the former Crown Prince. What do you say to that? All these years, you’ve spoken highly of him in front of me, deceiving me. In the end, I was deceived by you and promoted him to Governor of Anxi. Gao Lishi, don’t you bear any responsibility?”
At this moment, Gao Lishi’s heart became calm instead. He said unhurriedly, “Your Majesty, please listen to me. Li Qing’an was promoted because of his outstanding performance in the battles of Xiaobolü and Shibao City. It has nothing to do with me. I truly didn’t know he was the descendant of the former Crown Prince. Back then, it was only because we became friends through playing polo together. If I had known, I would never have hidden it from Your Majesty. Even if he were indeed a descendant, it doesn’t matter much. It only proves he’s from the imperial family. The former Crown Prince was just that—a prince from a hundred years ago. Does that mean his descendants will surely cause trouble? As the saying goes, ‘The forest desires peace, but the wind keeps blowing.’ As long as Your Majesty takes it lightly, everything will be fine. In my opinion, whether Li Qing’an is a descendant or not isn’t important. What matters is that Your Majesty shouldn’t force him, otherwise he might be driven to rebellion. Please think carefully!”
Gao Lishi’s advice was quite rational, advising Li Longji not to escalate the situation and not to drive Li Qing’an to rebellion. But at this time, Li Longji’s heart was filled with murderous intent. He wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice. Gao Lishi’s persuasion only made him more annoyed. With a cold laugh, he said, “I intend to hold you accountable. Yet you dare to give me lessons? Do you still think you’re the old Gao Lishi? Bring him in!”
A few guards entered the room. Li Longji pointed at Gao Lishi and ordered, “Drag this slave down, beat him a hundred times, expel him from the Eastern Palace, and never hire him again!”
The guards grabbed Gao Lishi’s arms and pulled him outside. Gao Lishi struggled and cried, “Your Majesty, it would be quicker if you just killed me with a sword!”
“Drag him away!”
Li Longji was furious. He shouted at Gao Lishi. Yu Chaonan beside him was overjoyed. How could this old man withstand a hundred blows? This was his chance to kill that old fool.
Just then, Li Yu’s cries came from outside, “Grandfather, please spare Gao Gonggong’s life! He has served you for fifty years—though he may not have achieved anything, he has surely endured hardships!”
“Your Majesty, please spare Gao Gonggong’s life!”

All the maids and eunuchs outside knelt down and pleaded for Gao Lishi together. Li Longji finally calmed down slightly. He realized that if Gao Lishi were beaten with a hundred sticks, he would not survive. In that moment, he suddenly thought that Gao Lishi couldn’t die—after all, if Li Qing’an captured Guanzhong, he could still use Gao Lishi to negotiate with Li Qing’an. With this thought, he quickly changed his mind and said, “Very well! Out of respect for the Crown Prince, I’ll spare his life and order only thirty blows instead.” An eunuch rushed off to deliver the order, while Yu Chaonan gritted his teeth in frustration. He had finally waited for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, only for that old man to escape it. “Yu Chaonan,” Li Longji called him. Yu Chaonan hurried forward with a flattering smile, “Your servant is here!” “Go and persuade the Crown Prince to return to the Eastern Palace. Tell him I’m in a bad mood and don’t want to see anyone; I’ll summon him later.” “Yes! Your servant understands.” Just as Yu Chaonan was about to leave, Li Longji called him back, “After the Crown Prince leaves, go and bring Yang Guozhong to me.” After Yu Chaonan left, Li Longji closed his eyes again. Though he was old and foolish, his decades of political experience remained. He racked his brains, thinking about how to get rid of Li Qing’an as soon as possible. A moment later, Yang Guozhong arrived in a hurry. He hadn’t slept well the previous night, and his eyelids were slightly swollen. As soon as he entered, he bowed and said, “Your servant was worried and stayed up all night. Hearing that Your Majesty is recovering, I’m finally relieved.” It was true that he hadn’t slept at all, but he wasn’t worried about Li Longji—he was thinking about his own future. If Li Longji died and Li Yu ascended the throne, Yang Guozhong would be finished. What should he do if Li Longji really died? Li Yu surely wouldn’t spare him. It seemed too late to improve relations with Li Yu now. After pondering all night, Yang Guozhong still came up with no solution. His only hope was to pray to heaven for Li Longji’s long life. Seeing bloodshot eyes in him, Li Longji felt somewhat moved. Although Yang Guozhong wasn’t as capable as Li Linfu, he was utterly loyal to him—rare indeed! He nodded and said, “I want to ask about the Yinlong Society first. How’s your investigation going?” “Your Majesty, last night I ordered the governor of Jingzhao to search the Eastern Market. We captured Li Huichun, the leader of the Yinlong Society and owner of the Huichun Tea House. He’s a famous Han Chinese from Suiye. He was the successor of Li Zhongyuan, one of the eighteen generals of Jiancheng. Unfortunately, he committed suicide in prison last night. I’m incompetent and failed to extract any information about other members of the Yinlong Society from him.” “Dead?” Li Longji showed signs of disappointment. “Are there any other gains?” “Yes!”

Yang Guozhong took out a long list and said with a smile, “I found 80,000 strings of coins from the funds of the Yinlong Society at the Huichun Tea House. I immediately seized the Juhai Bank as well. According to the tea house staff, the manager of that bank was Li Huichun’s son. Although he managed to escape, I found 500,000 strings of coins and 30,000 taels of silver in the bank’s secret treasury.”
“Is all this money from the Yinlong Society?”
“Part of it is, and part isn’t. I plan to sort out the accounts before reporting formally to the Emperor.”
Li Longji thought for a moment before saying, “I have two suggestions. First, the Juhai Bank was established by the Anxi Army, and many of their soldiers have money deposited there. So aside from the money belonging to the Yinlong Society, no other money may be touched, and the bank must continue operating. Second, launch a full-scale search for members of the Yinlong Society and the Hantang Society. It’s better to arrest a hundred innocents than let one escape. Do you understand?”
“I shall obey your orders!”
Seeing that Li Longji had decided to spare the Juhai Bank, Yang Guozhong felt somewhat disappointed. But as the prime minister, he understood the nuances. Since the Juhai Bank was run by the Anxi Army and many generals had their money there, closing it would offend the entire Anxi Army, which would effectively help Li Qingan.
At that moment, Li Longji continued slowly, “I’ve thought this over carefully. Initially, I planned to use Feng Changqing to take away Li Qingan’s power, but Feng Changqing lacks the experience needed to gain the trust of other Anxi generals. So I’ve thought of someone who has more experience and is better suited to carry out this important task.”
Yang Guozhong suddenly realized what he meant and exclaimed in delight, “Could it be that Your Majesty is referring to…”
“Yes! I’m talking about Fu Menglingcha.”
But Yang Guozhong had thought of Gao Xianzhi instead. He quickly said, “Your Majesty, why not use Gao Xianzhi? Transfer him from Jiannan to Anxi. When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. I believe this approach will be more effective.”
Yang Guozhong’s suggestion was indeed ruthless. It could not only remove Gao Xianzhi’s control over Jiannan and bring it back under his own control but also send Gao Xianzhi to deal with Li Qingan—a clever two-pronged strategy. This plan was actually suggested to Yang Guozhong by Linghu Fei, and he seized this opportunity to put it forward.

But Li Longji shook his head. “Though this plan is good, I’m worried that if the issue in Anxi isn’t resolved, trouble will arise in Jiannan again. You must remember that Gao Xianzhi is no easy opponent—he’s the Prince of Annan. What’s the point of sending him to Anxi? What if he refuses to obey orders? Could he disrupt the peaceful situation in Jiannan? I need to consider all these factors. Moreover, if Gao Xianzhi gets rid of Li Qing’an, how will we get rid of Gao Xianzhi himself? It might even lead to more problems. So I’ve decided to use Fumeng Lingcha instead. He’s a former governor of Anxi and is more suitable than Gao Xianzhi. Go find him; I want to talk to him in person.”

“Your Majesty is truly far-sighted. I am far from your level. I’ll go find Fumeng Lingcha right away.”

Yang Guozhong, fully convinced, flattered him and hurried off.

After Yang Guozhong left, Li Longji slowly sat down at his desk and wrote down the names of Gao Xianzhi and Fumeng Lingcha on a piece of paper. He studied them for a long time, then drew a large circle around Fumeng Lingcha’s name. After thinking for a while, he drew a small circle around Gao Xianzhi’s name. Yang Guozhong’s suggestion wasn’t entirely unreasonable, but the risks were too high—it could only be used as a last resort. As long as there was any alternative, he wouldn’t adopt this method, though it could serve as a backup plan.

After a while, a eunuch reported from outside, “Your Majesty, Fumeng Lingcha has arrived!”

“Summon him for an audience.”

Fumeng Lingcha had been waiting outside Daming Palace since last night. Although exposing Li Qing’an had somewhat alleviated his jealousy, what he truly hoped for was to gain something from this situation. Though he was old and approaching retirement age, his desire for power had never faded. He had always hoped to return to his former glory rather than fading away from the Tang dynasty’s stage.

At that moment, he was extremely excited, even to the point of wanting to cry. As soon as he entered the room, he knelt down and said in a trembling voice, “Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty!”

Li Longji had initially feared he might not want to come and had planned to comfort and encourage him. But seeing his state, he realized there was no need to comfort him further and got straight to the point. “I intend to appoint you as the governor of Anxi. Do you think you’re capable?”

Tears streamed down Fumeng Lingcha’s face as he choked out, “Your humble servant is willing to serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly until his death!”

Li Longji nodded and said, “I do intend to appoint you as the governor of Anxi, but not yet.”

Fu Menglingcha was stunned. He didn’t quite understand Li Longji’s meaning, but he didn’t dare speak up. Then Li Longji continued, “I will first appoint you as the deputy governor of Anxi and commander of the five garrisons. I’ll also give you the title of governor of Xizhou. Once you capture Li Qing’an for me, you will become the governor of Anxi. Do you understand?”
This appointment was within Fu Menglingcha’s expectations. Since Li Qing’an was the crown prince, how could Li Longji tolerate him? To get rid of Li Qing’an in Anxi, who else could he rely on but himself? With that in mind, Fu Menglingcha said proudly, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I have been in Anxi for decades and have a solid base there. Once I go there, I can command at least 80% of the troops, if not all of them. That’s my network of influence.”
Li Longji liked his confidence and said cheerfully, “Very well. I’ll wait and see!”
…
The news that Li Qing’an had become the crown prince spread like wind throughout the court of Chang’an and also reached Li Linfu’s residence. By now, Li Linfu had resigned from all his positions and was recuperating at home. But he was already in his twilight years, on the verge of life’s end. His last public appearance was half a year ago at a court meeting; since then, he hadn’t stepped outside again, and even most of his children had not seen him.
If any official were to visit him now, they would be shocked and unable to believe that the emaciated old man lying in bed could be Li Linfu, who had held power as prime minister of the Tang Dynasty for over a decade. Six months of illness had nearly taken his life. The once tall and robust Li Linfu was now nothing but bones, like a skeleton covered in skin lying in bed. Perhaps because his life was coming to an end, his mind had become clearer in these past two days, and he began to reflect on the moments of his life.
Although his family no longer told him anything about court affairs, his son Li E still informed Li Linfu about the secret that Li Qing’an had become the crown prince.
The news was too shocking. Li E repeated it three times before Li Linfu finally understood. A meaningful smile appeared on his skeleton-like face as he said softly, “I knew… he… wasn’t an ordinary person.”
“What should we do, Father?”
After a long while, Li Linfu asked with difficulty, “Did he… not deny it?”
“No. His Majesty didn’t deny it. It seems he accepted it. The news has already spread.”
There was a hint of mockery in Li Linfu’s smile as he said hesitantly, “Then… he made a mistake.”

“Does Father mean that the emperor should deny that Li Qing’an is a descendant of Li Jiancheng?”
Li Linfu did not answer. He closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them and said to his son, “Send people to spread this news throughout the various provinces of the Tang Dynasty. And you… write a letter to him!”
That night, Li Linfu fell into a deep coma and never woke up again. Ten days later, he passed away without even leaving a will. Yet in his final moments, he pointed out a path for his son—to ally with Li Qing’an.
…
The secret that Li Qing’an was a descendant of Li Jiancheng, the crown prince at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, initially spread only within the court. But within just one night, through deliberate dissemination by those like Li Linfu’s family, it spread throughout every corner of Chang’an. This secret was extremely intriguing. Soon, teahouses, taverns, brothels, inns—almost all public places—were discussing it. Everyone was shocked by this news. Coincidentally, at that time, a poem written by Cen Shen about General Li’s western expedition also became popular in Chang’an.
Do you not see the snowy shores of Zouma Chuan?
Vast deserts where yellow sands reach the sky.
In September, the wind howls over Luntai at night;
Rivers of broken stones as big as buckets,
Scattered across the ground by the wind.
The Xiongnu’s grass turns yellow and their horses grow fat;
Smoke rises from the west of Jinshan.
The Han generals march westward.
The general wears his golden armor night and day;
In the middle of the night, soldiers clash their weapons;
The wind cuts like a knife, the face feels like it’s being sliced…
…
It was under the influence of this poem that Li Qing’an once again became the focus of attention in Chang’an, reigniting the people’s longing for Anxi. Within just three days, over a hundred passionate students from the Imperial Academy resolved to embark on a journey to Anxi, determined to follow Li Qing’an and achieve great feats.
This poem not only filled commoners and Imperial Academy students with admiration for Li Qing’an but also made many scholars and officials look at him differently. Especially since Li Qing’an was a descendant of the imperial family, he carried an aura of nobility. This aura transformed his humble origins into something noble, and moreover, he was actually the great-great-grandson of Li Jiancheng, the eldest son of Emperor Gaozu—a lineage even more noble than that of Li Shimin’s descendants. This was extremely important in the Tang Dynasty, where background and bloodline were highly valued.
Thus, Li Qing’an was no longer an ordinary general, nor a worthless poplar tree. He became a giant parasol tree capable of attracting phoenixes to perch on it. In particular, some of the powerful clans from Guanlong began to harbor special intentions toward him. They wondered whether Li Qing’an could become their advocate for interests.

But where there is admiration, there is envy. Just as Li Qing’an’s reputation was at its peak, an imperial edict from Li Longji once again made his fate uncertain. Fu Menglingcha was appointed as the deputy governor of Anxi, governor of Xizhou, commander of the five military garrisons, and in charge of agricultural affairs in Anxi.
……
Fu Menglingcha was so excited that he barely slept all night. He took out an old map of Anxi from the top of the bookshelf, stroking those once-familiar places. Memories of past battles resurfaced in his mind—Kucha, Yanqi, Yutian, Shule, Suiye. The original four military garrisons had become five; this was the most powerful position in Anxi after that of the governor, currently held by Li Qing’an, who controlled the military forces there.
Of course, Fu Menglingcha knew Li Qing’an wouldn’t give up easily, but it was an imperial order, an official appointment from the court. Unless he rebelled, he had no choice but to obey. Once he arrived in Anxi, his former subordinates—Bi Sichen, Wang Tao, Kang Huaishun, Chen Fengzhong, and others—who he had promoted and who were still serving there under Li Qing’an’s rule, would surely resent him for having been sidelined. They wouldn’t tolerate Li Qing’an’s arbitrary actions and would definitely support him, helping him quickly build his own power. Fu Menglingcha was confident about this.
“Sir, please take a short nap!”
As dawn approached, Fu Menglingcha’s wife brought a bowl of ginseng tea into the study. Seeing that he had stayed up all night due to excitement, she sighed and advised him, “Sir, you’re already sixty-seven. In just three years, you’ll retire. Why go to Anxi again? I’ve heard that Li Qing’an is talented and ambitious, even being the prince of Anxi. At your age, what can you possibly compete with him? With so many grandchildren, you should stay at home and enjoy your later years with your family.”
Fu Menglingcha was dissatisfied by her words. He slammed the table and snapped, “You old woman, stop talking nonsense! How can a man endure being powerless even for a day? Would I be willing to die in obscurity? I’ve waited for years—finally, I have my chance. Li Qing’an is nothing! When I was the governor of Anxi, he was just a lowly soldier. How dare he challenge me?”
“Sir, calm down. I won’t say anything more. Go to sleep for a while. You’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Spend more time with your family!”
With no other choice, his wife comforted him briefly before leaving. Fu Menglingcha’s thoughts returned to the map. What should be his first step to take Li Qing’an’s power away? His gaze fell on Gaochang. As governor of Xizhou, his first move should surely be to firmly control the Tianshan military forces, so he would have a solid base to fight against Li Qing’an.