Chapter 62: The Friendship Between An Yang and Li Qingan

The group arrived at Yang Shenjin’s private residence. The carriage came to a stop, and Yang Shenjin said politely to Li Qingan, “My estate is quite large. Why not stay here as well, General Li?”
Li Qingan bowed slightly with a smile. “Thank you for your kindness, Deputy Yang. I have a friend living nearby. I haven’t seen him in years, and I happen to be going to visit him today. I’ll come disturb you again next time!”
He bowed to Yang Shenjin and then gave a deep bow to Yang’s wife. After that, he turned to Li Feiyuan and waved, “Old Li, let’s go!”
“Deputy Yang, see you again soon!” The two rode off one after another into the darkness, their figures gradually disappearing.
Once they were far away, Yang Shenjin whispered to his wife, “Why did you say those things to him?”
Yang’s wife sighed. “Wuyi is too pitiful. I really want to help her.”
“You don’t have to turn to this Li Qingan to help her!”
Yang Shenjin stared in the direction where Li Qingan had disappeared and snorted disdainfully. “That man doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness. He’s just a warrior—what ability does he have?” He then turned to his wife and said, “From now on, don’t mention Wuyi in front of others. I don’t want to offend the Cui family because of this, understand?”
Yang’s wife didn’t dare argue with her husband and could only sigh secretly before pulling down the carriage curtain. At that moment, the door of the estate opened, and a monk with long hair stepped out. He was Shi Jingzhong, the monk whom Yang Shenjin trusted deeply. Shi Jingzhong stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and smiled, “Amitabha. I was planning to visit you tomorrow, but here you are.”
Yang Shenjin was overjoyed. “Could it be that Master Shi has already figured out the fifth diagram?”
Shi Jingzhong nodded and smiled. “I have. Please come inside, Deputy Yang! I’ll explain it to you thoroughly tonight.”
The attendants led the carriage into the estate. From afar, they heard Shi Jingzhong saying in the courtyard, “Li Chunfeng is truly a genius. He could predict future events a hundred years ago. I admire him greatly.”
“It’s remarkable that Master Shi can understand his prophecies!”
……
The door of the estate closed. Suddenly, the big tree opposite the door moved, revealing a shadow hidden on it. After some time, a slit appeared in the door of Yang Shenjin’s estate, and a person stepped out. They threw something far down under the tree before closing the door. The shadow on the tree leaped down, picked up the object, and quickly disappeared into the night.
……

While Li Qing’an was listening to music in the Liyuan villa, a carriage arrived in Qinren Fang, escorted by a dozen attendants, and stopped in front of An Lushan’s residence. Yang Zhao got off the carriage with enthusiasm, waved at the gatekeeper, and said, “Go and inform General An that Yang Zhao has come as agreed.”

Soon, An Lushan came out upon hearing the news. From afar, he bowed and laughed loudly, saying, “I was just wondering why Commissioner Yang hadn’t arrived yet and was about to send someone to invite you!”

Yang Zhao bowed in return and said, “There were some matters at home when I left, which delayed me. Please forgive me, General.”

“Hehe! The good times are short, so let’s skip the pleasantries. Please come inside, Commissioner Yang.”

An Lushan’s residence was enormous, with layers of courtyards stretching as far as the eye could see. He had many wives and concubines, hundreds of servants and maids, and also kept many strange and unusual people hidden within his estate.

An Lushan led Yang Zhao into his study and ordered a table filled with delicious food and drinks—gold bowls and jade plates, a variety of fine dishes—and brought out 20-year-oldbroken leaf wine wine. The two sat down, host and guest.

After drinking a few cups, Yang Zhao asked concerningly, “General, I heard your son’s condition has worsened. Has it improved now?”

“I’ve already had famous doctors treat him. They say it will take at least a year for him to recover. Alas! I came to the capital excitedly to attend the polo match, but unexpectedly encountered this misfortune.”

An Lushan sighed deeply and shook his head gloomily.

“It’s also the emperor’s fault for spoiling the Anxi Army too much—even ordinary soldiers can be rewarded in the Hanyuan Hall. It’s truly a source of shame for everyone.”

Yang Zhao slammed his wine cup on the table angrily and said, “Are you just going to let this go, General? I’m referring to those reckless people from the Anxi Army.”

An Lushan remained silent. He didn’t quite understand why Yang Zhao said this. Was it a test of him? Since Yang Zhao had become an Imperial Censor, he should know that it was absolutely impossible to provoke the Anxi Army anymore. Did he not even understand this basic common sense?

Seeing Yang Zhao’s expression of righteous anger, which didn’t seem fake, An Lushan quickly changed his tactics and said with a smile, “Let’s not talk about these unpleasant matters. How about we talk about romance?”

With a smiling clap of his hands, music began to play immediately. A musician in the outer room played Hu music, and with a loud drumbeat, two extremely beautiful women came out from the side door. Their skin was as white as snow, and they were stunningly beautiful. What was even more surprising was that the two of them looked exactly alike.

They were tall and slender, dressed in gauzy long skirts. Under the bright lights, with nothing beneath the skirts, their full and soft bodies could be clearly seen. To the rhythm of the intense drumbeats, they danced the whirling dance, their skirts flying up to reveal two pairs of long, fair legs. From Yang Zhao’s perspective, he could even see their plump, round buttocks.

Yang Zhao’s gaze followed the rotation of their bodies, his mouth unconsciously falling open as saliva streamed down his chin. Every movement of theirs seduced him intensely…

An Lushan sipped his wine slowly, not disturbing Yang Zhao’s admiration. After a while, he coughed softly, and the music stopped. The two beautiful women ceased dancing. An Lushan said with a smile, “Hurry up and pour wine for Minister Yang!”

The two women immediately flanked Yang Zhao—one holding a pot, the other a cup.

“Minister Yang, drink some wine.”

The woman delicately handed the cup to Yang Zhao. He quickly took it, looking at one then the other, sniffing them, and said in an intoxicated tone, “The wine is fragrant, and so are you. Good, I’ll drink! I’ll drink!”

He raised the cup and drank it all at once. An Lushan smiled slightly and said, “These twin sisters were bought by me in Youzhou. They’ve been raised in my mansion since childhood. The elder sister is named Fenghua, and the younger one is named Xueyue. Why don’t you guess which one is the elder and which is the younger?”

“Let me guess.”

Yang Zhao wrapped his arms around their delicate shoulders and examined them carefully for a while. One of the women twisted her body in his arms and coquettishly said, “Young Master Yang, guess me first!”

Yang Zhao pinched her cheek and said ambiguously, “I guess you’re the elder sister.”

“You’re wrong. I’m the younger one.”

The other woman picked up the pot and said playfully, “If you’re wrong, you have to drink three more cups as punishment.”

One of the twin sisters poured wine while the other coqueted. Yang Zhao was in extreme delight, laughing repeatedly, “Good! Good! I accept the punishment!”

Overjoyed, Yang Zhao took the cup and drank it all at once, having three cups in a row. He wrapped his arms around the two women’s waists and said to An Lushan with envy, “General, you’re truly lucky! To have such beautiful women by your side—if I could have just one, I’d be willing to live twenty years less.”

“If Minister Yang likes them, they’re yours.”

“How could I dare? A gentleman doesn’t take what belongs to others,” Yang Zhao pretended to decline.

An Lushan waved his hand and said with a smile, “A wife is like clothing, and brothers are like hands and feet. What’s the harm in giving a piece of clothing to my own brother? These two sisters are flawless—even I hesitate to use them. Only you and I would give them away, Yang Zhongcheng!”
Yang Zhao was overjoyed. The sisters were indeed flawless. He quickly stood up and thanked him, “Thank you, General, for your kindness. I will cherish this in my heart.”
An Lushan chuckled. Then he pulled a string beside him, and the butler came in, bowing and saying, “My lord, please give your orders!”
An Lushan instructed him, “Go and pack up their things and send them to Yang Zhongcheng’s residence.”
“Yes!” The butler left.
Yang Zhao felt his mouth dry and his heart pounding. He could enjoy these beauties tonight, but he was also worried. He couldn’t bring these two women back to his house—his wife, Pei Rou, was notoriously fierce.
“General, perhaps I should stay at your residence tonight.”
“Yang Zhongcheng, if we were in Fanyang, you could stay at my place for years without issue. But this is Chang’an. We’d better be cautious and watch out for those with ulterior motives!”
“But…” Yang Zhao truly feared his wife, yet he couldn’t voice his concerns.
As if knowing Yang Zhao’s worries, An Lushan narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, Yang Zhongcheng. I’ll give you a separate house where those two can live. You can visit them anytime. How does that sound?”
Yang Zhao was overjoyed. He stood up and bowed deeply, “Thank you, General, for your kindness.”
An Lushan secretly sneered. He had already seen through Yang Zhao—this man was just a bit clever, winning the emperor’s favor. By using two women to test him, his true nature was immediately revealed. Moreover, the emperor had issued an order forbidding court officials from keeping separate concubines. Yet Yang Zhao had accepted it without hesitation. He was easy to deal with.
With that thought, An Lushan clapped his hands lightly, and the music outside resumed. The twin sisters stopped dancing. The younger sister nestled in Yang Zhao’s arms, serving him food and pouring him wine, while the older sister knelt behind him, gently massaging his shoulders.
Yang Zhao drank and ate, enjoying the service of the beauties. Then he noticed a worried look in An Lushan’s eyes. He raised his wine cup and asked, “Why do you look so troubled, General?”
“I’m worried about my son’s injury.”
An Lushan sighed. “Actually, breaking a leg is easy to treat. The problem is that when I took him to Prime Minister Li to apologize, we stayed in the snow for too long. The cold seeped into his internal organs, worsening his condition.”

An Lushan inadvertently brought the conversation to Li Linfu. At the mention of Li Linfu, a hint of envy flashed in Yang Zhao’s eyes, but he dared not criticize him, so he comforted An Lushan by saying, “General, rest assured! The Prime Minister is already old. The Emperor once told the Imperial Concubine that he won’t be able to hold the position for much longer.”

Yang Zhao suddenly realized he had spoken too much and quickly forced a laugh, saying, “I just heard it; it can’t be taken seriously.”

An Lushan was overjoyed. This Yang Zhao was indeed foolish—spilling such important information without thinking. Now confident, he smiled and said, “Censor Yang, I think the Emperor is using the Imperial Concubine to imply that the position of Prime Minister should belong to you in the future.”

“Young Yang, have a drink!” His sister Xueyue stretched out her delicate hand and brought a cup of wine to Yang Zhao’s lips.

“Miss, you’re really thoughtful,” Yang Zhao said with a smile, squishing her soft cheeks. Without taking the cup, he stretched his neck and let her feed him the wine.

Yang Zhao tasted it and immediately exclaimed with enthusiasm, “Mm! Not bad—wine fed by a beauty is especially delicious!”

Then he turned to An Lushan and said, “I’ve only been in the capital and serving as an official for a year. How could I dare think of becoming Prime Minister? General, you’re joking too much.”

“Not necessarily!” An Lushan said seriously. “Even I, An Lushan, started as a small merchant. Over a decade ago, I was selling smuggled goods at the border. Who would have thought that I would now be a military governor of two regions and a Grand General? Censor Yang is intelligent, capable, and full of energy. He’s highly regarded by the Emperor and is also the brother of the Imperial Concubine—his future is bright. So why doesn’t he get the chance to be Prime Minister? It all depends on effort.”

An Lushan’s words struck Yang Zhao deeply. No longer able to enjoy the beauty, he fell into deep thought. Just a year ago, he was a minor official in Bashu. In just one year, he had risen to become Censor-in-Chief and held over a dozen other positions, including Deputy Governor of Jingzhao. Such effortless promotions had inflated his ambition. On one hand, he relied on Li Linfu, acting as his lackey and actively participating in the Du Youlin case by accusing Li Yong of Beihai. On the other hand, he tried every means to replace Li Linfu, though he knew his own strength was still weak—he wasn’t a match for Li Linfu yet.

After a long silence, he sighed softly, “Shaking a tree with a dragonfly—how easy could that be?”

By now, An Lushan had fully understood Yang Zhao. With a cold smile, he said, “A dragonfly certainly can’t shake a big tree. But what if it’s a strong ox pushing against rotten wood?”

Yang Zhao sensed there was more to An Lushan’s words and quickly said, “General, why not speak plainly?”

“Well, since we’re fated to drink together and share a romantic bond, it’s as if we’ve become brothers. Let me be clear—Yang Zhongcheng isn’t weak at all. With the Empress Consort’s support behind him and me backing him up, he’s by no means a weakling; he’s like a strong ox. But even a strong ox might not be able to shake this mighty tree now. So we need to find a way to turn this tree into rotten wood.”
Yang Zhao was already under An Lushan’s influence. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “How can we turn this tree into rotten wood?”
An Lushan waved his hand and said to the two sisters, “You may go now! Someone will take you to another residence later. From now on, you’ll belong to Yang Zhongcheng—take good care of him.”
“Yes!” The two sisters stood up, casting one last reluctant glance at An Lushan before slowly retreating. Now, only An Lushan and Yang Zhao were left in the room. An Lushan stepped forward and lowered his voice, “There’s an opportunity now…”