Chapter 41: First Meeting with the Prime Minister

Li Qing’an rushed up the steps and said to a gatekeeper, “I’m coming from Anxi with an important message for Prime Minister Li. Please convey it to him for me.”
“The Prime Minister hasn’t left the court yet. Come back later!”
“When will the Prime Minister leave?”
The gatekeeper glanced at him, noticed his tattered military uniform, and replied listlessly, “Who knows? He might return soon or not until evening. Our Prime Minister is very busy! Brother soldier, I advise you to come back at night.”
With no choice, Li Qing’an stepped down the steps. “Old Han, since the Prime Minister isn’t here, let’s find a place to rest for now!”
Just as he spoke, a large group arrived in the distance—over 200 guards escorting a carriage. On the carriage was a flag with a purple border and white background, embroidered with the words “Prime Minister Li” in black thread. It was Li Linfu who had returned.
“The Prime Minister is returning to his residence! Strangers, make way!” Two guards led the way, and Li Qing’an quickly stepped aside.
These past few days, Li Linfu had been quite troubled, rarely showing a smile. One of the reasons was Yang Shenjin, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Recently, Lu Jingrong, the minister of the Ministry of Works, fell seriously ill. Zhang Yun, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, suggested that Yang Shenjin take over his position, and the emperor didn’t object—implying that he wanted Yang Shenjin to become prime minister. Yet Yang Shenjin had only been vice minister for a year, and now he was to be promoted again so quickly. Moreover, he was becoming increasingly arrogant, no longer respecting anyone. Last month, he ordered Zhang Xuan of the Imperial Treasury to mint 150,000 strings of coins without his approval, and the emperor even consented to it. This made Li Linfu break into a cold sweat—could it be that the emperor intended to replace him with Yang Shenjin?
What troubled Li Linfu wasn’t just Yang Shenjin alone, but also a hidden opposition movement within the court against him. Yang Shenjin was one part of this movement, which seemed to be connected to the growing influence of the Yang family, the imperial concubine’s family.
Li Linfu knew that throughout history, when concubines gained favor, it often led to the rise of their relatives, affecting the balance of power in the court. Now that Concubine Yang was the most favored in the six palaces, her influence grew day by day. As her supporters, how could the Yang family not gain power? However, the Yang family lacked talent—both of their uncles, Yang Xian and Yang Qi, were incompetent and foolish, greedy and lustful, and not worth worrying about.
But another uncle of the concubine, Yang Zhao, was shrewd and cunning and couldn’t be underestimated. He already held over a dozen positions, and two months ago, he was even promoted to chief censor.

Li Linfu certainly understood that things were not that simple. The emperor’s urgent promotion of the Yang family could not be seen merely as favoritism toward the imperial concubine; there must be deeper motives at play. Li Linfu sighed secretly. Had he served as prime minister for too long, to the point of making someone impatient? The carriage slowed down, and a slight jolt pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked out the window—the snow was still falling. Suddenly, he noticed several soldiers standing by the wall. Their uniforms were somewhat worn, and their faces showed signs of exhaustion from a long journey. Leading them was a young officer with a long scar on his left forehead. In the dim snowfall, the eyes fixed on him had a piercing gaze, like those of a cat at night, which immediately captivated Li Linfu. “Stop the carriage!” The carriage came to a halt abruptly. The head guard stepped forward and asked in a low voice, “Please give your orders, Prime Minister.” “Ask where they come from and why they’re standing in front of my residence.” The head guard rushed off to inquire and returned shortly later, reporting, “Prime Minister, they come from Anxi. They were ordered by Gao Xianzhi to deliver a letter to you.” “Where is the letter?” “He said it’s very important and must be delivered personally to you.” Li Linfu nodded. “Very well! Have them bathe and change clothes, then bring the leader to my study.” … Although it was icy and snowy outside, the servants had lit braziers early, keeping Li Linfu’s study warm and dry. It was his habit to sit in the study first upon returning home each day—to review the day’s gains and losses and plan for the next day. It was also one of the few times he had alone time. After that, he would attend social engagements or spend time with his family. Li Linfu changed into a loose robe and sat down comfortably. A concubine knelt behind him, gently massaging his temples. That evening, he was going to visit Gao Lishi; he would leave after dinner. “Prime Minister, the messenger from Anxi has arrived,” came the report from outside the door. “Let him in.” Li Linfu waved his hand, and the concubine quietly left. Moments later, Li Qing’an was led into the room by a guard. He stepped forward, knelt at a half-kneeling position, and saluted militarily, saying, “Li Qing’an, a military officer from Anxi, pays his respects to the Prime Minister!”

“Li Qing’an?” Li Linfu suddenly found the name somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and asked, “A few days ago, General Gao sent an urgent report from Xiao Bulu. The officer ranked second among the meritorious soldiers, right after General Li Siye of the Mo Dao Army—was that also Li Qing’an? It must be you!”
“It is indeed this humble servant,” Li Qing’an replied in a deep voice. “I was sent by General Gao to deliver a message to the Prime Minister.”
With that, he took out a letter written in Gao Xianzhi’s own hand and held it above his head. The guards beside him passed the letter to Li Linfu. After receiving it, Li Linfu glanced at Li Qing’an once more before slowly opening the letter. “Willing to serve the Prime Minister loyally!” Gao Xianzhi’s words made Li Linfu’s eyebrows lift slightly, and a glimmer appeared in his eyes, but soon his expression returned to calmness as he read the letter without showing any emotion.
“How much time did it take for Captain Li to travel all the way east?”
“Reporting to the Prime Minister, this humble servant and his party came from Lianyun Fort, traveling day and night. It took us fifty days in total.”
“Oh! Lianyun Fort is thousands of miles away from Chang’an. It’s quite remarkable that you only took fifty days. If I’m not mistaken, you must be here for the polo tournament!”
“Partly for the polo tournament, and partly because some of the soldiers who contributed to the battles in Xiao Bulu have also come to the capital.”
Li Linfu’s smile was very gentle—a hallmark of his character. Especially toward lower-ranking officials, he showed great care, never raising his voice in anger. He also promoted officials in an orderly manner, following the rules of the Tang Dynasty. For this reason, he was deeply loved by lower-ranking officials, which was one of the reasons he could serve as Prime Minister for over a decade.
Li Qing’an also felt very pleased. Regardless of how later generations might judge Li Linfu as being insincere, at least Li Qing’an thought he was good at dealing with people. He didn’t act like a Prime Minister just because Li Qing’an was a low-ranking captain. On the contrary, he was kind and approachable.
Li Linfu waved his hand and smiled, “I am a firm supporter of your Anxi Polo Team. If you perform well, it brings honor to me as the Grand Protector of Anxi. If you have any requests or difficulties, feel free to come to me.”
“Thank you for your concern, Prime Minister.”
At that moment, someone outside reported, “Prime Minister, Vice Minister Yang of the Ministry of Revenue sent over a basket of Songjiang perch, saying it’s a gift for you. I wonder if it can be accepted?”
Li Linfu’s expression immediately darkened, and he said coldly, “Send it back. Tell them I’m not in the mood to eat fish these days.”

Although Li Linfu always greeted people with a smile, Li Qing’an accidentally saw a moment when he looked cold. Vice Minister Yang of the Ministry of Revenue was none other than Yang Shenjin—wasn’t he Li Linfu’s confidant? When did they fall out?
Li Qing’an didn’t dare think too much and quickly bowed, saying, “If the Prime Minister has no further business, I shall take my leave first.”
Li Linfu was somewhat distracted. After a while, he suddenly came back to his senses, glanced at the hourglass in the corner of the room, and smiled, “Captain Li, do you have any plans for the evening?”
“Reporting to the Prime Minister, I have no plans for the evening.”
“Good. I’m going to visit a high-ranking official tonight; you shall come with me.”