Chapter 462: Using Their Own Methods (Part 2)

Before dawn, the thunderous sound of drums dispelled the sleeping mist. Lanterns in front of the mansion gates lit up in the dark night, their glow reflecting off the stars in the sky. Carriages left their homes, gathered on the streets, then left the district and joined the even larger crowd heading to court. Today was the fifth day of the eighth month, the day of the monthly court assembly. As this was the first major assembly since the new emperor Li Shi ascended the throne, every official took it very seriously. No one asked for leave; all officials of rank nine and above were required to attend. Before sunrise, almost all courtiers had already set out.

Although the Tang Dynasty was a magnanimous empire, hierarchy still prevailed among the ruling class. Not every official could ride in a carriage—only those of rank five and above were eligible for special carriages. Carriages themselves came in four grades: Gengxian, Tongxian, Yaoche, and Luxche. For example, officials of rank five rode Gengxian carriages, those of rank three and above rode Tongxian carriages. Both types had blue carriages with an increasing number of horses—from five to seven. High-ranking officials of rank one rode red Yaoche carriages pulled by nine horses. As for the highest-grade Luxche carriages, they were reserved for the emperor, the crown prince, and princes; ordinary ministers could only ride them when summoned to the palace.

Most mid- and lower-ranking officials rode horses. The clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels formed a vast procession on Zhuque Street.

As the drums sounded, the major city gates of Chang’an also opened simultaneously. Mingde Gate slowly swung open under the light of torches. Li Qing’an’s personal guard, who had been waiting outside the city, began entering. The carriage was escorted by over 500 guards. Li Qing’an set off from the military camp at exactly three o’clock in the early morning. Although there were still a dozen civilian officers in his camp, they did not qualify as court officials and thus did not need to attend the monthly assembly, only the annual one.

As a prince, Li Qing’an could, by protocol, ride one of the Luxche carriages. But to avoid drawing attention, he still rode a nine-horse Yaoche carriage with black walls and simple decorations—black background with silver trim, which looked very elegant.

In fact, his black-and-silver carriage and 500 guards made it impossible for him to remain low-key. On the streets, everyone knew it was Li Qing’an’s carriage.

The carriage passed through Mingde Gate and entered Zhuque Street. There were few officials living in the districts at the southern end of Zhuque Street, so the street was very quiet. Only over a hundred merchants who had risen early to leave the city gathered on both sides of the gate. They were about to rush out when they were stopped by the soldiers guarding the city, waiting for Li Qing’an’s carriage to enter first. About fifty steps away from the gate, there were several men in black on horseback. When Li Qing’an’s party entered the city, they immediately approached. The leader was Hu Yunpei, Li Qing’an’s intelligence chief in Chang’an. Hu Yunpei rushed forward, took out a gold plaque, and waved it, saying, “I want to see the General.”

The bodyguards recognized him as well as Hu Yunpei’s gold plaque, so they all stepped aside to make way. The carriage also stopped. Hu Yunpei dismounted and stepped forward, bowing and saying, “Your subordinate Hu Yunpei has urgent matters to report to the General.”

“What matters?” came Li Qing’an’s voice from inside the carriage.

“To report to the General, your subordinate has just received news that Wei Jiansu has been released from the Dali Temple and is now at home.”

“How long ago?”

Hu Yunpei’s face turned red as he hurriedly replied, “According to a subordinate working at the Dali Temple, Wei Jiansu was released at the fourth watch, and a carriage took him straight home. Your subordinate is investigating the background of that carriage.”

Just then, one of Hu Yunpei’s subordinates rushed over and whispered something in his ear. Hu Yunpei quickly said, “The background of the carriage has been identified. It ended up at the Prince of Yong’s mansion—it was the regent’s carriage.”

Inside the carriage, Li Qing’an did not turn on the light. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest. Although Wei Jiansu’s release was within his expectations, he had miscalculated the timing. He thought Wei Jiansu would be released last night, but it turned out it was delayed until the early morning—almost at the last moment. This showed Li Heng’s mindset: worried about his own retaliation yet unwilling to yield, and only releasing Wei Jiansu under duress.

A mocking smirk appeared on Li Qing’an’s lips. Did he really think this was yielding? Could releasing Wei Jiansu make up for the serious impact it had had on him? If it were that simple, why release him now? It was clear that Li Heng was aware of the severity of the situation but still took a half-hearted action, which ultimately reflected his contempt for himself.

Thinking of this, Li Qing’an said to Hu Yunpei, “Keep a close watch on Wei Jiansu’s movements. Do not let him leave Chang’an at all. Also, continue to strengthen surveillance over the major families. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”

“Your subordinate understands!”

Hu Yunpei bowed and was about to leave when Li Qing’an called him back, “Have you found the person I asked you to find last time?”

Li Qing’an was looking for Li Mi. After the Huangzhuang incident, Li Mi and Changsun Quanxu were locked up in Huangzhuang together and not released until eight days later. Changsun Quanxu was dismissed and returned home, while Li Mi disappeared. So Li Qing’an ordered Hu Yunpei to search for Li Mi in Chang’an or Guanzhong.

Hu Yunpei shook his head and said, “Reporting to the general, I sent 500 men to search for Mr. Li, but he vanished like mist, leaving no trace. There are reports that he may have left Guanzhong. Someone saw a Taoist priest who looked very much like him heading east beyond Tongguan.”

Li Qing’an sighed slightly. It must be true. Li Mi had indeed tried to become a Taoist priest several times. It was a pity he had to let him go; he couldn’t use him for his own purposes.

At that moment, Hu Yunpei remembered something else and quickly reported, “General, I received news from Huaqing Palace yesterday. It seems there are unidentified people lurking near Huaqing Palace.”

Li Qing’an was stunned. Huaqing Palace was empty, with only Yang Guifei living there. If someone wanted to harm Huaqing Palace, it would definitely be targeting Yang Guifei. Who could it be?

Thinking of this, he immediately ordered, “Send more troops to protect the concubine strictly. No mistakes are allowed!”

“Yes!”

Hu Yunpei left quickly. Li Qing’an thought for a while more. He had to move Yang Guifei out of Huaqing Palace. It was indeed a bit dangerous for her to live there alone.

The carriage continued moving forward. Li Qing’an simply opened the window. The night breeze blew in, cool and refreshing, clearing his mind. Looking at the scattered carriages in the distance, thinking about the upcoming court session and the evidence he had, Li Qing’an felt the excitement before a major battle once again.

…

Li Hen arrived at Mingde Gate of Daming Palace at the fifth watch. He had stayed up all night, with swollen eyelids, looking very tired. As the regent king and also the retired emperor, he could have lived in the palace and enjoyed imperial privileges. But he gave up such superficial glory. If he lived in the palace, he would lose his freedom and be under the surveillance of the Yulin Army. Li Hen, who valued power above everything, preferred to attend court like an ordinary minister.

In the palace’s official hierarchy, there was no position for a regent king. Li Hen’s title was Prince of Yong. His father, Emperor Li Longji, had once appointed him as Grand Marshal and Protector of the Xiongnu. Thus, Li Hen was in a position that was half-king and half-minister. For today’s court session, he also had to enter Daming Palace through Danfeng Gate like other ministers, but he could directly go to Qifeng Pavilion next to Hanyuan Hall to rest and wait.

Li Heng entered the Daming Palace. A faint light was already visible on the horizon, and a gentle breeze brought a refreshing sensation. The spacious Danfeng Gate Square was already filled with officials gathered in small groups. Li Heng’s carriage passed through a crowd of lower-ranking officials, who immediately parted respectfully, wearing flattering smiles as they rushed to greet him, “Good morning, Your Highness!” “It must be hard for you to come here so early, Your Highness.” Mental exhaustion made Li Heng feel annoyed toward these officials, but he still suppressed his disgust, forcing a smile as he nodded at them. At that moment, a guard stepped forward and whispered, “Your Highness, I’ve checked—Li Qing’an hasn’t arrived yet.” “Hmm! What about Wang Gong? Has he come?” “Prime Minister Wang has already arrived.” The guard pointed ahead, where Wang Gong was hurrying toward them. Wang Gong stepped forward quickly and bowed, “Your servant pays his respects to Your Highness!” Li Heng glanced at the officials, who wisely stepped back. “Get in the carriage! I have something to say to you.” Wang Gong boarded the carriage, and it set off again toward Qifeng Pavilion. Inside the carriage, Li Heng slowly said, “Early this morning, I ordered Wei Jiansu to be released.” Wang Gong was stunned. Hadn’t it been agreed yesterday not to compromise? Why the change of heart? He saw bloodshot eyes and a slightly hoarse voice in Li Heng—clear signs of a sleepless night—and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. The battle hadn’t even begun, yet defeat seemed inevitable. “What? Do you think it’s inappropriate?” Li Heng glanced at him. “Your servant merely finds it sudden. Releasing someone in the early morning—I’m worried Li Qing’an won’t know.” “Then you underestimate him. From last year’s silver coin dispute, I knew he has a sophisticated intelligence network. If I release Wei Jiansu, he’ll be the first to know.” “But…” Wang Gong hesitated. “Just releasing Wei Jiansu—will he be grateful?” Wang Gong was more rational. Putting himself in Li Qing’an’s shoes, he knew Li Qing’an wouldn’t accept such a release either. On this point, Wang Gong disapproved of Li Heng’s approach. Either make a firm concession, apologize to the Pei and Wei families, and punish the Guanzhong troops responsible for the arrest, or stick to one’s principles and refuse to compromise. Such a half-hearted release would not only be ineffective but also lead to ridicule. Yet Wang Gong said nothing and remained silent. At that moment, heavy bell sounds came from afar—the first bell for the court session. In half an hour, the meeting would officially begin. Wang Gong said, “Your Highness, I’ll leave now.” “Go ahead! When the meeting starts, fight if necessary—don’t give in easily.”

“I understand!”
Once the carriage came to a stop, Wang Gong pushed open the door and got out. Li Heng watched his back, feeling troubled.
He had thought about it all night. Although Li Qingan found it difficult to manipulate his subordinates, Li Heng was worried that Li Qingan might expose the incident of him trying to kill Emperor Jingzong. Li Heng knew his actions back then weren’t foolproof—many people around Li Yu hadn’t died, and most of his guards had been released. Although Changsun Quanxu claimed to know nothing, he was now dismissed and at home; might he harbor resentment over time? And then there was Li Bi, whose whereabouts were unknown. He had once been Li Qingan’s advisor—could he be hiding near Li Qingan and expose this matter?
All these doubts filled Li Heng with worry. In the end, he couldn’t hold firm to his principles and ordered his gold medal to be used to release Wei Jiansu. Now he regretted it—why release Wei Jiansu? The evidence was clear; he deserved it!
Li Heng was in a state of turmoil, unsure of what kind of counterattack Li Qingan would launch at him in the upcoming court meeting.