Chapter 543: The Elders of the Imperial Ancestral Temple
Accompanied by over twenty bodyguards, Li Qing’an slowly entered the gates of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Officials like Pei Yi, however, dared not enter without permission and waited outside.
Upon crossing the gates, they came across a vast, open square. Eighteen ornate stone pillars stood tall on either side, with a magnificent hall directly ahead. But as Li Qing’an climbed the eighty-one steps of white jade and approached the hall, he realized it was in a state of disrepair, clearly having not been maintained for many years.
Above them hung a large plaque with chipped paint, bearing two golden characters in seal script: “Imperial Ancestral Temple.” Yet due to years of exposure to wind and rain and damage from insects, the dot in the character for “Imperial” had disappeared, and the outer layer of the character for “Temple” had fallen off, turning it into “Da You.” Li Qing’an shook his head. Despite having experienced the prosperous Kaiyuan era not long ago, how could the Tang Dynasty’s finances be in such decline? They couldn’t even afford to take care of their ancestors’ resting place.
Sighing, he entered the hall. The statue in the center stunned him—a deity about thirty feet tall, with long beard and white hair, holding a dust brush and dressed in a Taoist robe. It was actually a statue of Laozi. But over time, the colored paint on the clay statue had faded, revealing the yellowish base.
At that moment, a hoarse voice came from beside him, “This is the statue of Emperor Xuan Yuan, the great sacred ancestor of the Li family. It was originally enshrined in the Taiwei Palace, but after it collapsed due to neglect, it was moved here.”
Li Qing’an turned and saw an old man standing behind him, his eyes slightly red and a large bulbous nose. His clothes were ragged, and he held a wine gourd, reeking of alcohol—resembling a beggar by a city gate, almost holding a dog-whip as well.
Yet Li Qing’an noticed a purple-gold fish-shaped pouch hanging from his waist, a badge reserved for officials of rank three or higher, indicating that this old man was no ordinary person.
Li Qing’an sized him up and asked, “May I ask who you are?”
The old man took a swig from his wine gourd and narrowed his small eyes. “The great general doesn’t recognize me, but I do recognize the great general. Back then, when you achieved a great victory over Shi Siming at the residence of the Lady of Guo, I was also there watching the battle. Nearly ten years have passed—now I’m in my twilight years, forgotten by the imperial family, with only my drinking companions left.”
Li Qing’an had already guessed that he was also a member of the imperial family and was in charge of the Taime Temple in Luoyang. But after thinking for a long time, he couldn’t recall who this person was, so he apologized, “I’m sorry. I’ve been stationed at the border for a long time and am not very familiar with the situation in the Central Plains. I truly can’t remember your honorable name.”
“Ah! Even aside from the great general, who else among the imperial family could still remember an old man like me? I’m Li Yi, the Marquis of Fengdu. Do you still have any memory of the great general?”
Li Qing’an began to recall. Previously, Li Mi had told him that among the Tang imperial family, there was someone of the oldest lineage—great-grandson of Li Yuan, the Second Emperor of Tang, the Prince of Jiang, named Li Yuanxiang. He forgot his exact name but remembered he had a nickname, something like “the Patriarch of the Beggars of the Clan.” Could it be this man?
“You… are a descendant of the Prince of Jiang?”
Seeing that Li Qing’an actually knew him, the old man exclaimed in amazement, “How rare! The descendants of Emperor Taizong can’t remember me, but a descendant of the hidden crown prince still does.”
Li Qing’an thought for a moment, then took another look at the old man. He seemed to be in his fifties at most, yet he was of the same generation as Emperor Zhongzong, even Li Longji’s father. It was almost unbelievable. But then he realized it made sense—his grandfather, Li Yuanxiang, was born only after Li Yuan abdicated, and his father was born when the Prince of Jiang was already old. Thus, it was natural for the old man to call a younger person “uncle.”
Li Qing’an treated him as a treasure, quickly straightened his clothes, and bowed to him. “So you’re my ancestor! I had no idea and have offended you greatly.”
Li Yi hurriedly returned the bow, saying, “How could that be! It’s me who was rude and disturbed the great general.”
Although Li Yi was the oldest among the imperial family, he belonged to a declining branch of the Li clan. His family originally had some wealth left by his father, but Li Yi indulged in wine, women, and gambling. By his thirties, he had squandered all the family assets. With a low salary, he couldn’t support his family, so he relied on being the oldest member of the imperial family to beg from house to house, earning him the nickname “the Patriarch of the Beggars of the Clan.” Eventually, everyone despised him. When he couldn’t get any money, he would stamp his feet and curse at the entrance of the imperial family’s residence, accusing the younger generations of being unfilial. Eventually, even Li Longji could no longer tolerate him. In the eighth year of Tianbao, he granted him a large amount of land in Wugong County—three hundred hectares—prohibiting him from begging among the imperial family anymore.
A few more years passed, and by then he already had over twenty wives and concubines, as well as numerous children. The whole family relied on the substantial annual rent from their lands to live a fairly comfortable life. However, good times didn’t last long. After Li Yu ascended the throne, financial difficulties set in, and he began targeting the imperial clan. Li Yi, who had no power or backing, was the first to suffer. All 300 hectares of his land were confiscated, which was undoubtedly a thunderbolt to him. His family’s source of income was cut off. Li Yi went to Li Yu, crying and begging, saying that he hadn’t seized the land but had received it as a gift from the emperor, and asking to have it returned. But Li Yu was in full swing of confiscating land and refused to return it. In the end, he was appointed as the deputy head of the Imperial Clan Temple in Luoyang, tasked with managing the temple there.
Li Yi’s family had moved to Luoyang. He had over a hundred wives, concubines, and children, along with a large group of maids and servants. His meager salary was far from enough to support them, and coupled with his addiction to alcohol, the family’s expenses kept rising day by day, leaving them in extreme hardship. Out of desperation, he began embezzling and corrupting funds—stealing most of the nearly a thousand guan allocated each year for temple repairs—and secretly taking valuable items from the temple to sell. Even so, it wasn’t enough to cover the family’s expenses. His wives, concubines, and children argued with him every day, causing him great distress. Too afraid to go home, he hid in the temple. Unluckily, he happened to meet Li Qing’an, who had come to pay his respects at the temple.
Of course, Li Yi knew who Li Qing’an was—the most powerful figure in the Tang Dynasty, someone who might even become emperor in the future. How could he miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He quickly bowed and said with flattery, “Then let me show the great general around the temple!”
“Then I’ll rely on you, my ancestor!”
“No! No! Please don’t call me ‘ancestor.’ I’m the Marquis of Fengdu County. Just call me ‘Marquis.’ That’s how Li Sanlang used to address me too.”
Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Then please lead the way, Marquis.”
Li Yi led him through a side door to the central hall, explaining, “The main door to the central hall is a bit damaged. I was planning to have it repaired these days, so I had to ask the great general to use the side door.”
That was just his cover story. The real reason was that there used to be two bronze incense burners on either side of the main door, which he had stolen and sold. Feeling guilty, he didn’t dare lead Li Qing’an through the main door.
Of course, Li Qing’an wasn’t aware of the real reason. Seeing the side door in poor condition and imagining how ruined the main door must be, he frowned and said, “The temple is in such disrepair. Why isn’t it repaired?”
Li Yi didn’t dare say the court hadn’t allocated funds; there were records in the court, and it could be checked at any time. He could only mumble, “The political situation in the court keeps changing, and no one pays attention to the Temple of the Li Dynasty in Luoyang. There’s only a small amount of money allocated each year. With prices soaring these days, it’s not even enough to pay the workers. Last time, it cost two thousand guan to move the statue of Emperor Xuanyuan from the Taiwei Palace—far from enough. I had no choice but to sell some old items from the temple to make up the difference. Otherwise, those workers would only agree to place the statue in the square, which is unacceptable. Sigh! What a pitiful position I hold as the deputy head of the Clan Affairs Office!”
Li Yi was an extremely cunning man. Moving the statue of Laozi was merely a tactic to cover his tracks; it was actually unnecessary. Without some construction projects, how could he manipulate things? In reality, moving the statue of Laozi cost less than a hundred guan, but he inflated the cost by twenty times, so as to have an excuse if the temple was inspected later. After all, he kept the records himself—who would know how much money was spent?
Especially since he needed to clear himself with Li Qing’an, he could later claim firmly when the Clan Affairs Office in Chang’an investigated him, “I reported this to Li Qing’an back then. You can ask him.”
This way, he could shirk responsibility. Li Qing’an had merely asked casually; he was thinking of something else at the time and didn’t pay any attention to Li Yi’s little schemes.
The two arrived at the central hall, where the ancestral tablets of the Li family were kept. It consisted of a main hall and two side halls. The largest and highest tablet at the center belonged to Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan. Below it, slightly smaller, was Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, followed by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian, Emperor Ruizong Li Dan, Emperor Jingzong Li Yu, and so on. At that time, Li Longji had already died and was titled Emperor Xuanzong, but the news hadn’t reached Luoyang yet, so his tablet wasn’t there yet.
The main hall held the tablets of the emperors, while the right side hall contained the tablets of princes and high-ranking members of the royal family. The left side hall held the tablets of lower-ranking members of the Li family, such as county kings and dukes. The hierarchy was strict, with no room for error. Officials from the Clan Affairs Office would come to verify everything every year.
Li Qing’an stood with his hands behind his back in front of the main hall, silently gazing at the ancestral tablets of the Li Tang ancestors. He wasn’t in a hurry to pay his respects, and in fact, he couldn’t do so either—except for Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, the tablets of his other ancestors weren’t here.
Standing by, Li Yi’s heart suddenly started pounding. He had suddenly discovered a huge opportunity—one that could change the course of his life for the rest of his days. Though he still felt some hesitation, thinking of his family’s dire financial situation, of his concubine crying to him about her parents’ inability to afford medical treatment, and of having no means of support for the rest of his life, he felt a surge of audacity. After all, Li Shimin wasn’t his ancestor—what was there to fear?
He rushed to a side hall, brought over a dusty spirit tablet, and in front of Li Qing’an, moved Emperor Taizong Li Shimin’s spirit tablet aside and cleaned this one thoroughly before placing it respectfully beneath Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan: “Spirit of Crown Prince Jiancheng.”
Li Qing’an’s pupils constricted instantly. He glanced slowly at Li Yi, not expecting him to be so bold. Yet this was exactly what he needed—he required the highest-ranking member of the Li Tang royal family; this was a priceless gift from heaven.
Li Yi lit three incense sticks and handed them to Li Qing’an. Li Qing’an nodded gently, took the incense, and a rare smile appeared on his face. Li Yi felt a sudden sense of relief. He had gambled his entire life, and he knew he had made the biggest bet of his life—and won.
Li Qing’an bowed three times respectfully toward Jiancheng’s spirit tablet while holding the incense, then placed the incense in front of it. He also took three more incense sticks to pay homage to Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan’s spirit tablet. Gazing at the rising smoke, he was filled with deep emotion. He gave Li Yi a slight nod before turning and leaving.
Li Yi watched Li Qing’an’s retreating figure, his mind in turmoil. He didn’t know what to do next—or how long he still needed to keep this spirit tablet in place.
A month later, Li Yi, the Marquis of Fengdu County, was promoted to Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs and Protector of the Crown Prince, granted the title of Prince of Sijiang, and received an additional 20,000 strings of coins from the Anxi Military Governor’s office. This news shocked many people, as no one understood how this once-down-and-out “beggar ancestor of the clan” could suddenly receive such high honors and rewards.