Chapter 395: Father and Son Turn Against Each Other

In the Eastern Palace, the sound of clear reading came from the inner chamber. The voice was somewhat youthful, clearly that of a young boy reading aloud.

Confucius said, “Govern with virtue. It is like the North Star, which remains in its place while all the other stars revolve around it.”

Confucius said, “The Book of Songs, with three hundred poems, can be summarized in one phrase: ‘Thoughts without evil.’”

Confucius said, “Guide them with governance and regulate them with virtue, and the people will avoid wrongdoing but lack shame. Guide them with virtue and regulate them with rites, and they will have shame and act properly.”

Confucius said, “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I was free from confusion. At fifty, I understood the will of heaven. At sixty, I could listen to all opinions. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without overstepping limits.”

In a study filled with books, a boy of about eleven or twelve years old was reciting The Analects earnestly with his hands behind his back. Across from him sat a middle-aged man with a serious expression. Whenever the boy paused, the man would frown and show anger, frightening the boy greatly.

The boy was the current crown prince, Li Shi, the eldest son of Li Yu. Born in the first year of the Tianbao era, he was twelve years old. He resembled his mother, Empress Shen, in appearance—handsome and graceful, with exceptional intelligence. Since his father ascended the throne, he had been named crown prince and lived in the Eastern Palace to study. Usually, he studied at the Chongwen Academy, guided by renowned teachers and accompanied by other noble youths. But today, he was not at the Chongwen Academy but reciting in his own study.

The middle-aged man sitting across from him was neither a great scholar teaching him nor an eunuch taking care of his daily life. He was his grandfather, the former emperor Li Heng.

After arguing with his son over differences in strategy regarding the Hexi region, Li Heng, in a fit of anger, stopped interfering in politics. Though he no longer dealt in state affairs, he did not spend his time drinking tea or cultivating his mind as before. Instead, he sought out important officials or came to the Eastern Palace to supervise his grandson’s studies. In his angry words, he had given up on his son and now placed all his hopes on his grandson.

“Stop!” Li Heng waved his hand, stopping his grandson’s recitation. “Do you know what you’re reciting?”

“Your Majesty, your grandson is reciting ‘The Analects: Governance’.”

“Then tell me, what is governance?”

The young Li Shi thought for a moment and replied, “Your Majesty said it is the people who govern.”

“Your father is wrong. It should be the ruler who governs, the state that governs. If your father truly governed for the people, would he issue silver coins? He only talks about it; in reality, it is still the ruler who governs, with the people merely in name. Do you remember that?”

“Your grandson dares not speak ill of his father behind his back.”

“You dare not, but I dare. To me, he is just an unqualified son. You must not take him as an example.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of coughs came from behind. Seeing this, Li Shi quickly bowed in respect, “I pay my respects to Your Majesty!”
Li Heng turned around and saw his son Li Yu standing at the door. He snorted and turned his back, staring at the corner of the room.
Having heard that his father had been going to the Eastern Palace these days, Li Yu grew suspicious. So, taking advantage of having nothing to do in the afternoon, he went to the Eastern Palace to check on him. Unexpectedly, he overheard his father teaching his son some harmful ideas, which filled Li Yu with dissatisfaction. If Li Heng interfered in politics and took away the power to recruit soldiers, he could still tolerate it to some extent. But for his father to secretly teach his grandson such harmful and rebellious ideas was beyond his tolerance. He would never allow anyone to corrupt his son, not even his own father.
With a pale face, Li Yu walked over and said to his son, “Li Shi, go back to your chambers first. I need to talk to your grandfather.”
“Yes! Your servant withdraws.”
Li Shi bowed and left. The room fell into a deathly silence. After a while, Li Yu said coldly, “If Father has any complaints about me, just say them directly. Why speak inappropriate things in front of Li Shi?”
Li Heng snorted, “You are the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. How dare I have any complaints about you? I wouldn’t dare provoke you. I’m just teaching my grandson how to be a ruler in the future, so he won’t let so-called benevolence and righteousness harm himself.”
“What do you mean by that, Father?”
Li Yu replied coldly, “Doesn’t a ruler of the Tang Dynasty deserve to promote benevolence and righteousness? Does being a good emperor mean abandoning propriety, integrity, and shame?”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t practice benevolence and righteousness. Your problem is that you fail to be benevolent when you should be, and you pretend to be benevolent when you shouldn’t. This not only ruins your own affairs but also endangers my grandson.”
Li Heng’s harsh words left Li Yu unable to maintain his composure. Thinking that his father was speaking ill of him in front of his grandson, anger finally drove him to lose his sanity, and his voice rose in pitch.
“Please clarify your words, Father. When have I pretended to be benevolent? When have I tried to harm my own son? I’ve been tolerating you, tolerating your interference in my affairs, because I am your son. But are you acting like an emeritus emperor? And now you even accuse me of pretending to be benevolent? Please explain yourself clearly!”

“Aren’t you the same? You keep saying you care about the common people, but what have you actually done? Issuing new coins and plundering the people’s wealth— isn’t that just hypocritical pretense? You ruined your reputation as soon as you ascended the throne. This is the time to show kindness and righteousness, yet you fail to do so. I advised you to take back Hexi directly, reestablish the Hexi military governorship, and confront Li Qing’an head-on, but you claimed you were afraid of using extreme measures to take it from him. Do you think he won’t use the same tactics to reclaim Hexi? If you openly turn against him, he won’t dare act rashly. This is when you should show no kindness, yet you insist on doing so.”

The more Li Heng spoke, the more resentful he became. He lowered his voice further and said, “Also, I told you to send him to his grave right away. Who would doubt you at that moment? But what did you do? You cared about some so-called kinship and let him wake up. Now see what you’ll do. If he ignores that kinship and refuses to acknowledge you as emperor, won’t you be stunned?”

Li Yu grew increasingly disgusted by his father’s words. He couldn’t help but retort, “He is my grandfather, just as you are my father. How could I do such a despicable thing? Please stop saying such things in the future.”

“Hmph! There is only one throne. What matters about family ties in the face of the throne? I think you’re getting more and more confused. You’ll die at his hands sooner or later. Just wait and see!”

After saying that, Li Heng turned and left. As he reached the door, he heard Li Yu say coldly, “I don’t have a father like you, and my son doesn’t have a grandfather like you. Please don’t come to the Eastern Palace again.”

Li Heng shuddered. He left without looking back. Li Yu stared intently at his father’s retreating figure. It was only now that he truly saw his father’s true nature, and his heart was filled with endless sorrow.

……

Exhausted, Li Yu returned to Daming Palace. It was already completely dark. Just as he was about to head to his bedroom, Zhang Zhenying, the eunuch in charge of the imperial study, rushed over to report, “Your Majesty, Prime Minister Yang and Doctor Wu Di are urgently seeking an audience. They’ve been waiting for a long time.”

Only then did Li Yu remember that it was the day to issue new coins. Despite his fatigue, he mustered his strength and said, “Take me to the imperial study!”

The carriage turned and headed toward Zichen Pavilion.

Outside the imperial study in Zichen Pavilion, Yang Guozhong and Wu Di had been waiting for a long time. An hour earlier, Wu Di had been beaten severely. Fortunately, the shopkeeper and employees intervened, allowing him to escape through the back door of the tavern. Still, his face and body were covered in bruises, one eye was black and swollen, and his nose was broken—looking utterly disheveled.

After escaping from the tavern, Di Wuqi went straight to Yang Guozhong’s residence. He reported to Yang Guozhong everything that had happened that day. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Yang Guozhong immediately took him to the Zichen Pavilion to see the emperor.

Di Wuqi sat on a soft cushion, back against the wall, the pain in his neck making him wince constantly. Yang Guozhong soothingly said, “Please be assured, Lord Di. I have already ordered the governor of Jingzhao to investigate the suspect who attacked you. I’ll make the tavern owner confess. If he can’t, I’ll have him take the blame. In any case, I will give you an explanation.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister. But this time I didn’t expect someone to leak the information, putting the issuance of silver coins at risk of failure. Prime Minister, as long as the traitors within are not eliminated, the country will never know peace!”

“Then who do you think leaked the information, Lord Di?”

That was what Yang Guozhong was really concerned about. He wasn’t interested in the issuance of silver coins; what interested him was the power struggle. He could use this opportunity to get rid of certain people, and he already had some ideas in mind.

“I believe Pei Min is the most suspicious. He has always opposed the issuance of silver coins. I suspect he leaked the information to Li Qing’an, who then started spreading rumors.”

A few days ago, Yang Guozhong would have agreed with Di Wuqi’s speculation. But after being persuaded by his advisor Linghu Fei, he had changed his mind. In his eyes, although Li Qing’an was a villain, he was far away and wouldn’t cause much harm. But Zhang Yun was a venomous snake—he supported King Li Liu of Shu, while Yang Guozhong supported King Li Mao of Jing. Although the two cooperated at times, they were also irreconcilable enemies. If he wasn’t careful, he could be betrayed by Zhang Yun. So, although he hated Pei Min, Pei Min’s existence kept Zhang Yun in check. If Pei Min fell, Zhang Yun would immediately make a comeback.

Yang Guozhong pretended to think for a moment and said, “I don’t think Li Qing’an is likely to be the culprit. We decided to issue silver coins on the eighth day of the month, just seven days ago. Even if messengers were used, given the distance to Anxi, it would be too late to send and receive messages. I don’t think it was Pei Min who leaked it.”

Di Wuqi was stunned. Out of the three most suspicious people, after excluding Yang Guozhong and Pei Min, only Yang Shenyu was left. Could it be him?

“Do you mean it was someone from Yang’s household?”

“That’s just a guess. Without evidence, I can’t speak rashly.”

Di Wuqi’s mind shifted suddenly, and he realized that Yang Guozhong wanted to use this incident to deal with Zhang Yun. Just then, a eunuch’s loud shout came from afar, “His Majesty is arriving!”

Di Wuqi and Yang Guozhong quickly stood up. Several lanterns approached, and Li Yu walked swiftly toward them, surrounded by a group of guards.

“Your servants pay their respects to Your Majesty!”

“Stand up, my lords. Let’s go to the imperial study and talk.”

Li Yu went straight to the imperial study. The room was brightly lit, with eunuchs already lighting a fire to keep it warm. Li Yu sat down and then noticed something unusual about Di Wuqi, exclaiming in surprise, “Minister Di Wuqi, what’s going on with you?”
“Your Majesty, I was beaten by a crowd of people who opposed the introduction of silver coins.”
Di Wuqi briefly recounted what had happened in the tavern and concluded, “I find this matter highly suspicious. The rumors started just two days before the silver coins were to be introduced. It’s clear that someone is deliberately trying to sabotage this plan. Your Majesty, we were too careless.”
Li Yu remained silent for a long time. Gradually, anger appeared on his face. He slammed the table and cursed, “Who leaked this secret? If I find out, I’ll have him executed!”
At that moment, Yang Guozhong bowed and said, “Your Majesty, only six people know the exact date for introducing the silver coins. Besides us three, there’s Deputy Minister Pei, Scholar Li, and the supervisor of the Yang household. Although Deputy Minister Pei opposes the introduction of silver coins, he comes from a prestigious family. He would speak out openly rather than resort to secret schemes. I don’t think it’s him, nor is it related to Li Qing’an from Anxi—the distance is too great, and there wouldn’t be enough time. So, it leaves Scholar Li and the supervisor of the Yang household.”
“Li Mi is my mentor. He would never betray me. I trust him.”
At that point, all three fell silent. Now, only Yang Shenyu, the supervisor of the Imperial Treasury, was left. Could it be him? Some things didn’t need to be said by Yang Guozhong—Li Yu could figure them out himself. Yang Shenyu was the younger brother of Yang Shenjin and a close ally of Zhang Yun. Since the introduction of silver coins was intended to raise troops to deal with the three princes and was related to the interests of Prince Li of Shu, could Zhang Yun be involved? The answer was almost obvious.
With a gloomy expression, Li Yu paced back and forth in the imperial study. For some reason, he kept thinking of his father’s words: “To be unkind when kindness is due, and kind when kindness is not.” To some extent, those words weren’t entirely wrong. Sometimes he was too weak, like with Zhang Yun. Even though he knew Zhang Yun supported Prince Li of Shu and had been secretly opposing him, he couldn’t do anything about it. Could he really not take any action against him?
Li Yu glanced over and saw Yang Guozhong’s hopeful face. He suddenly remembered what Li Mi had said: to skillfully exploit the conflicts among different factions of ministers—that was the art of being an emperor. Since Yang Guozhong intended to deal with Zhang Yun, why not let him do it?
With that thought, Li Yu said to Yang Guozhong, “Prime Minister Yang, you are fully responsible for investigating this leak. No matter who’s involved, as long as there’s sufficient evidence, I will punish them severely.”

Yang Guozhong was overjoyed. With Li Yu’s words, he could act freely. He immediately bowed and said, “I shall obey the order! I’ll go right away to trace the source of the information.”

After Yang Guozhong left, Li Yu sighed to Di Wuqi, “Minister Di Wuqi, public opinion is currently unfavorable to our issuance of silver coins. Do you have any strategies?”

“Your Majesty, I still hold the same view: first issue the silver coins and let the people gradually adapt. The people’s fear of silver coins now stems from the previous emperor’s improper issuance—setting the exchange rate at one to a hundred is utterly absurd. Moreover, there are too many counterfeit coins. From my investigations, if we slightly increase the silver content and lower the exchange rate, the people will eventually accept it. The key issue is the existence of Anxi silver coins; no matter what, we can’t compete with them. As long as they exist, silver coins won’t circulate. Your Majesty has done well by blocking the source of Anxi silver coins. As a result, they will become increasingly rare in the market, as everyone will store them at home, unwilling to use them. Thus, they will lose their function as currency and become treasures. So I’m confident that once our second batch of silver coins hits the market, Anxi silver coins will disappear. Your Majesty should then order the abolition of old silver coins and allow exchanges of old for new. That way, only copper coins and Dali silver coins will remain in the market, and our silver coin issuance will succeed.”

Di Wuqi’s analysis greatly boosted Li Yu’s confidence. After some thought, he said, “Though that’s the case, we still need to change our strategy promptly and not remain too passive. If we proceed with issuing new silver coins as planned tomorrow, I’m worried there might already be no coins left to exchange. We must take action immediately.”

“What does Your Majesty intend to do?”

Li Yu pondered for a moment before ordering, “Summon Changsun Quanxu here at once!”

Changsun Quanxu was currently the commander of the Yulin Army, in charge of 80,000 troops loyal to Li Yu, and was one of his most trusted ministers. He was on duty that day, and upon hearing the summons, he rushed to see Li Yu.

“Your servant Changsun Quanxu pays his respects to Your Majesty!”

“General Changsun, I have a task to entrust to you.”

“Please give the order, Your Majesty. I am willing to die for it.”

“Very good!” Li Yu nodded and ordered, “Send troops immediately overnight to take control of all money exchanges and major shops in Chang’an. No matter who’s behind them, they must be brought under control. Under no circumstances shall they be allowed to transfer a single copper coin out.”

“I shall obey the order!”

Changsun Quanxu strode away. At that moment, Li Yu suddenly felt his heart harden—he finally had a sense of being an emperor.

“Didn’t you say I was good for nothing, weak and useless? Tonight, I’ll show you my ruthless methods!” Li Yu murmured to himself.
…
In the darkness of the night, groups of fully armed soldiers rushed into the West Market and East Market. They broke down the doors of many large shops, forced the clerks and shop owners inside to gather in empty rooms, and sealed their money chests and vaults with seals, preventing them from taking any money away.
Generally, there were several ways the imperial court could issue large coins or silver coins. One method was to force purchases, especially of necessities like grain, which would cause prices to soar. Then, the grain would be sold at a price slightly below market rate, under the pretense of suppressing prices. In reality, this allowed for the circulation of hard copper coins, thereby pushing large coins into the market. This was exactly what Li Longji did two years ago when he issued silver coins, resulting in grain prices doubling. Fortunately, there was a good harvest in Longyou last year; otherwise, prices would have skyrocketed.
Another method was to force exchanges at places where copper coins were concentrated, mainly at money houses and large shops. Since Li Yu had just ascended the throne, using the grain purchase method would cause prices to soar and provoke public outrage. Moreover, prices were already high, and any further increase could lead to starvation and even uprisings. So he opted for the latter method—forcing exchanges at money houses. Since most of those who deposited money at these houses were merchants, it was the merchants who suffered the most losses, while the ordinary people of Chang’an were less affected. Throughout history, it was always the merchants who were targeted first.
The Yang Family Money House was the third-largest in Chang’an, owned by Lady Yang Huahua of the Guo State. The issuance of new silver coins inevitably affected it as well. Yang Huahua had heard about the new coins in recent days, and her money house also faced a rush by depositors. She had 250,000 guan stored in her vault in the West Market, but in just two days, nearly 150,000 guan was withdrawn. Panicked, she immediately ordered the money house to close, claiming it was out of funds. Meanwhile, she used the night to transport 100,000 guan out of the house.
Last night, they had already transported 60,000 guan, and tonight they planned to take away the remaining 40,000 guan. The doors of the money house were tightly closed, and the hall was dimly lit. Over thirty clerks were anxiously counting and packing copper coins. Yang Huahua also came to the money house to supervise personally, constantly urging them in a low voice, “Hurry up! There’s no need to count anymore—just pack them! The boat is waiting outside!”
Just then, the doors were suddenly banged on violently, followed by a fierce voice, “Open the door! The army is coming to inspect!”