Chapter 630: The Appearance of the Great Rat

What Li Qing’an valued most was Anxi—it was his foundation, the source of all his motivation for progress. Anxi was like his son; he strived there, shedding his blood and youth, dedicating his brightest years to that land. In his eyes, it was a flawless piece of jade, and he would never allow anyone to defile it.

Perhaps he could tolerate Cui Ping’s corruption or Pei Zunqing’s lust for power, but he could never tolerate corruption or the concentration of power on Anxi’s soil. To maintain balance of power, he ensured military and political separation by establishing the Anxi Political Council. Even within this council, he upheld the separation of powers: Wang Changling handled administrative affairs, Pei Min oversaw supervision, and Cen Shen had the authority to veto decisions. He did not interfere in daily military and political matters, but all major decisions required his final approval as Li Qing’an.

Though he had left Anxi, military and supreme administrative power there still rested in his hands. He remained the military governor and supreme commander of Anxi, controlling it from afar. To maintain control, he invested heavily in building the Tang Direct Road, setting up post stations every hundred miles equipped with the best horses. Important documents from Anxi were sent to Chang’an via urgent couriers starting from Beiting, reaching his desk in just half a month. Moreover, he trained eagles to deliver messages between Beiting, Kucha, and Suiye to ensure rapid information transmission.

All these efforts paid off—despite his absence, Anxi continued to function efficiently. Yet Li Qing’an never expected corruption to emerge in some hidden corner of Anxi. A young regime could never tolerate such corruption; if left unchecked, it would spread like cancer cells, ultimately destroying Anxi.

With his hands behind his back, Li Qing’an paced back and forth in the room, pondering where the flaws in Anxi’s food supply lay. He needed to cut out this corrupt element and prevent corruption from recurring through institutional reforms.

Anxi’s food supply came from three sources: military farms, civilian farms, and grain from Xinde and India. As the permanent army in Anxi was reduced to 100,000 troops, grain from Xinde and India was no longer supplied to Anxi but shipped directly to Guangzhou or Yangzhou by sea. Thus, the problem must lie with military and civilian farms. Military farm grain was directly supplied to the army. Li Qing’an didn’t believe Feng Changqing would be corrupt; even if he were, lower-ranking officers would report him—Anxi’s military discipline was as solid as an iron barrel.

What worried him the most was the civilian grain stores. Essentially, these were tax systems involving a 20% levy on grain, and the situation was quite complex. Even with strict accounting records, it would be difficult to manipulate things. At that moment, Li Qing’an suddenly remembered something: starting from the previous year, the Anxi Government Office had begun purchasing farmers’ grain reserves from the market. The old grain was exchanged every three years for horses with local herders in Hexi, in large quantities. Could the problem lie here?

“General, General Hu is here, waiting outside.”

The report from his bodyguards at the door lifted Li Qing’an’s spirits. It must be that Hu Peiyun had discovered something. He immediately ordered, “Let him in!”

A moment later, Hu Peiyun hurried in and knelt on one knee, saying, “Your humble servant pays respects to the General!”

“Get up.”

Li Qing’an sat down, staring at him intently, waiting for Hu Peiyun to give him an answer.

“General, your humble servant has seized the Huhang Rice Shop. After interrogating the shopkeeper, he confessed that the owner of the shop is Pei Jiangtian, the transport officer in Hexi.”

“So it’s him!”

Li Qing’an’s pupils gradually constricted. Pei Jiangtian was just a minor figure; the real issue was Pei Jiangtian’s father, Pei Mian, the imperial censor in Anxi.

“Is this rice shop operating normally?”

This was what concerned Li Qing’an the most. If the shop was operating normally with normal purchase costs, even if the grain came from Anxi, Pei Mian would at most be guilty of illegal business practices, and he could be given a warning or have his son dismissed from office. But if it involved embezzling grain from Anxi, it would be a serious crime.

Hu Peiyun replied, “We haven’t found concrete evidence yet, but according to the shopkeeper, their owner even allowed them to sell at fifty coins per dou.”

“Fifty coins!”

Li Qing’an couldn’t help but sneer. The grain price in Anxi’s market was eighty coins per dou, and transporting it to Chang’an added at least another twenty coins in cost. Yet they could sell it for fifty coins—indicating how ‘low’ their purchase price must be.

Hu Peiyun added, “General, I also received intelligence that Pei Jiangtian is currently in Chang’an. He went to the rice shop the day before yesterday, but his whereabouts are unknown now.”

This news took Li Qing’an by surprise. He walked a few steps with his hands behind his back before ordering, “Use every resource to capture this Pei Jiangtian immediately. Under no circumstances must he escape back to Anxi.”

“Your humble servant will obey!”

Pei Peiyun turned and left. Li Qingan felt a sharp pain in his heart. He had a vague premonition that since the shopkeeper had said transporting grain to Chang’an was a loss-making business, it was highly likely Pei Jiangtian was using the official camel caravans. If that was the case, approval from the Anxi Government Office would be necessary, meaning Pei Mian was probably also involved.

If Pei Mian was involved, it would be the biggest scandal since Li Qingan took charge of Anxi, even surpassing the case of Bu Gu Huaen selling official positions. The second-highest administrative official in Anxi involved in corruption—it drove Li Qingan almost mad.

……

Pei Mian’s ancestral home was Wenxi County in Hedong. Although he was also part of the Pei family, he was from a distant branch with little connection to the main Pei clan. Initially, Pei Mian served as a military officer in Hexi under Geshu Han. A few years ago, Cheng Qianli became the governor of Liangzhou and fell into conflict with Pei Mian and others. Pei Mian, Du Hongjian, and others then went west to Anxi and joined Li Qingan.

At that time, Li Qingan was eager for talented people, and the arrival of Pei Mian and others greatly inspired him. He immediately appointed these high-ranking officials from Hexi. Du Hongjian became the chief secretary of Tingzhou, while Pei Mian rose to the position of Director of Agricultural Development in Anxi. Later, he was promoted to Censor of Anxi and entered the Anxi Government Office, becoming the second-most powerful official there, second only to Wang Changling, the chief secretary.

Pei Mian had two sons. The elder, Pei Jiangshan, was currently the chief secretary of Huizhou. The younger, Pei Jiangtian, had always followed his father. Thanks to his father’s connections, he now served as the transport officer for Hexi, responsible for moving goods between Anxi and Hexi. His position was low, just a minor eighth-rank official, but it was considered a lucrative one. He was in charge of transporting stored grain to Hexi in exchange for horses from herders.

Thus, as the owner of the Huhang Old Store, he was suspected of transporting stored grain from Anxi to Chang’an for profit.

According to the confession of the Huhang Old Store’s owner, Pei Jiangtian also owned a jewelry shop in the East Market called Qianhu Jewelry Shop, selling various jewels from Anxi and Xinde Tianzhu.

In the afternoon, when the East Market was bustling with activity, nearly a thousand imperial guards suddenly appeared, closing the market’s gates. Groups of soldiers rushed toward the jewelry shops. Merchants and customers on the streets and in the shops were terrified, not knowing what was happening.

More than 300 cavalry rushed to Qianhu Jewelry Shop, surrounding it with a murderous atmosphere. The shop’s staff and customers turned pale with fear and tried to flee, but the cavalry stopped them from leaving.

“We’re only arresting one person; it has nothing to do with the others. Please stay calm!”

A cavalry officer shouted loudly. The shopkeeper stepped forward nervously and asked, “May I ask who in this shop has committed a crime? We are willing to assist the soldiers.” The officer pointed at him with his whip and asked, “Are you the owner?” “Yes, I am.” “Where is your master?” “My master… is not in the shop.” “Nonsense! Someone just saw him enter the shop.” More than 200 soldiers arrived. The officer waved his whip and ordered, “Search thoroughly!” Over 200 fully armed soldiers rushed into the shop. At that moment, Hu Peiyun also arrived on horseback and asked, “What’s the situation?” The officer bowed from his horse and reported, “General, our scouts have confirmed that the suspect entered the shop fifteen minutes ago and has not come out yet. The soldiers have entered and started a thorough search.” Hu Peiyun nodded. He glanced at the shop, which was of medium size in the Eastern Market. There were also over twenty customers inside, indicating good business. It was said that the jewelry sold here was cheaper than elsewhere, and the shop’s owner was a high-ranking official in Anxi, which raised suspicions about possible tax evasion. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the shop, with someone shouting, “Let me go!” Dozens of soldiers dragged a man out of the shop. The man appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a rather handsome appearance. Hu Peiyun had met Pei Mian before, and upon seeing this man, he immediately realized that he must be Pei Mian’s son, as he resembled his father greatly. The man was pushed in front of Hu Peiyun and gradually stopped struggling. He was indeed Pei Mian’s son, Pei Jiangtian. He clearly recognized Hu Peiyun. Back then, Hu Peiyun had been a lieutenant general in the Anxi Military Discipline Inspection Agency, known for his strictness, toughness, and coldness—referred to as the “Cold-Faced General.” His appearance here outside the shop indicated that the situation was serious. Pei Jiangtian lowered his head in guilt. Whether he had done anything illegal or not, he should not be in the capital at this time. As an incumbent official, entering the capital without official business was a serious crime in Anxi. Now, Pei Jiangtian was hoping that his father’s influence would save him from this trouble. He still didn’t know that the Hu Hang Old Shop in the Western Market had already been seized. Hu Peiyun asked coldly, “Did you come to Chang’an on official business?” Pei Jiangtian slowly raised his head and replied calmly, “You can ask my father.” “Your father?” Hu Peiyun sneered, “I’m afraid your father only wishes he didn’t have you as a son.” He waved his hand and ordered, “Take him away!” The soldiers tied him up, covered his head with a black cloth bag, and pushed him onto a carriage. Hundreds of cavalry followed the carriage at high speed.

As Qianhu Jewelry Store was sealed, the temporary martial law in Dongshi came to an end, and normal order was restored. Everyone was talking excitedly, wondering what had happened. Two hours later, as dusk fell, Li Qing’an arrived at the Inner Guard Yamen located in the Imperial City. The Inner Guard Yamen was formerly the site of the Left Guard Post, covering a vast area that could accommodate 20,000 soldiers. Currently, 10,000 Inner Guard troops were stationed there. The Inner Guard Intelligence Hall was next to the Yamen, having been the former Left Military Guard Yamen. As soon as Li Qing’an entered the Yamen, Hu Peiyun came forward to greet him. “Reporting to the General, he has confessed everything.” “Mm!” Li Qing’an responded and entered the Intelligence Hall. If he still refused to confess, it would mean Hu Peiyun was incompetent. Hu Peiyun led him to the innermost prison, where the Intelligence Hall detained prisoners and conducted interrogations. Arriving at a stone room, Li Qing’an peeked inside through a small window in the door. The room was filled with various torture devices. Pei Jiangtian, with his upper body bare, was tied handbound to an iron pillar, his head hung low, clearly having been tortured. Li Qing’an sneered and entered the adjacent room. There was a large table in the room, covered with various documents and ledgers—records seized from Huhang Old Store and Qianhu Jewelry Store. Several clerks were busy organizing them. Li Qing’an sat down in a folding chair nearby. A guard brought him a cup of tea, which he sipped slowly. “Any findings?” “Yes!” Hu Peiyun handed over a wooden box and placed it in front of Li Qing’an. “This was found in Pei Jiangtian’s personal belongings—three imperial decrees and a ledger.” Li Qing’an put down his cup and picked up one of the decrees. It was issued by the Agriculture Department of the Anxi Political Affairs Office: “Three thousand dan of high-quality new rice are to be sent to the Dunhuang warehouse.” “What does this mean?” Li Qing’an asked, frowning in confusion. “General, this is about exchanging high-quality new rice for aged rice. According to Pei Jiangtian’s plan, he pretends to sell 50,000 dan of aged rice to the herders in Hexi each year in exchange for horses, but in reality, he only sells 42,000 dan. The remaining 8,000 dan are kept for himself. Meanwhile, Pei Mian will send 8,000 dan of high-quality new rice to the Dunhuang warehouse to exchange for his aged rice. In the end, only 5,000 dan of grain will be recorded in the accounts as stored, with the rest claimed as losses during transportation. But in actuality, the loss during transportation is only 1,000 dan. This way, he ends up with 10,000 dan of grain, which he transports to the capital every year to sell. At two guan per dan, he can earn 20,000 guan purely from grain sales.”

“Just grain? What else?” Li Qing’an could hardly contain his anger anymore.
“There are also jewels!”
Hu Peiyun took out the ledger from the wooden box and flipped through a few pages. “General, please take a look here.”
Li Qing’an glanced at it. It was a list that read: “A batch of Hu people’s jewels was shipped in June, totaling 438 pieces. The details are as follows…”
Below, it was filled with a dense list of various jewels, and in the bottom right corner, there was even Pei Min’s signature.
“What’s going on here?”
“General, do you still remember the Three-Private Warehouse?”
Li Qing’an remembered. Five years ago, he had established a Three-Private Warehouse under the Anxi Supervision Department, where various confiscated goods were stored, including jewels smuggled by Arab merchants, goods secretly sold by Sogdians to Uyghurs, and smuggled goods seized for tax evasion. There were jewels, gold, silver, jade, and various cotton fabrics. This warehouse was kept under record by the Anxi Supervision Department.
“Could these jewels come from that warehouse?”
Hu Peiyun nodded. “According to Pei Jiangtian, all the goods for Qianhu Jewelry Store come from that warehouse. They have already made a profit of 150,000 guan in two years.”
“Damnards!”
Furious, Li Qing’an slammed the ledger onto the table. He was extremely angry. The very thing he least wanted to see had happened—Pei Mian had abused his power to embezzle public goods, and it had gone on for two years without him even knowing.
“Wasn’t there anyone to report it?”
Hu Peiyun shook his head. “Pei Jiangtian said that before taking action, they replaced all the handlers with their own people. And those in lower positions, fearing Pei Mian’s power, didn’t dare to report it.”
Li Qing’an paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. The evidence was conclusive; Pei Mian could no longer deny it. He was thinking about how to deal with Pei Mian and his son, along with all accomplices. Severe punishment was necessary, but the key was to preserve the government’s face—should they handle Pei Mian and his son secretly or publicly, as a warning to others?
Li Qing’an stopped in his tracks. At that moment, he made up his mind: they must act as a warning to others.
…
It was already late at night, but Li Qing’an still sat in his inner study, quietly pondering Pei Mian’s case. He couldn’t fall asleep. Pei Mian, the second most powerful figure in the Anxi government and once a right chancellor in history, turned out to be a huge corrupt official. Over two years, he had embezzled 20,000 dan of grain and over 4,800 pieces of jewelry, worth 200,000 guan. By altering ledgers and exploiting the lack of oversight, he had managed to cover up his actions flawlessly, with no one exposing him. If it weren’t for his own casual inspection, how much longer would Pei Mian and his son have continued to embezzle?

A chill swept through Li Qing’an’s heart. If this had been discovered, how many cases of corruption remained undiscovered? Surely there were many, just hidden deeper. Li Qing’an felt extremely disappointed in Wang Changling. It could be said that Wang Changling was responsible for failing to detect this issue. He believed Wang Changling himself was honest and upright and would not have any problems, but Wang Changling’s weakness was also obvious—he was too upright, and almost no one liked him, making it difficult for his orders to be properly implemented. From Pei Jiangtian’s confession, it was clear that the three private warehouses had not been inspected for over two years, with their accounts altered year after year without anyone paying attention. While this was certainly due to Pei Mian’s excessive power, it also revealed Wang Changling’s weakness—he lacked experience in officialdom and could not overpower Pei Mian. The people in the Agriculture Department even issued grain allocation orders on Pei Mian’s behalf. This was Wang Changling’s most fatal flaw: his lack of experience meant he could not control those beneath him. While in Anxi, perhaps the officials feared his authority and dared not disobey his orders, but once he left Anxi, his prestige vanished immediately. Wang Changling had to be replaced. One could not risk ruining one’s foundation just to preserve face. After pondering for a moment, Li Qing’an realized he had already thought of someone who possessed Wang Changling’s honesty and integrity, along with the experience lacking in Wang Changling and exceptional abilities—this person was Zhang Gao. Sending him to govern Anxi would make it easier to establish a strong administrative government there. Li Qing’an secretly made up his mind. At that moment, the door was gently pushed open. Li Qing’an’s wife, Dugu Mingyue, entered the room carrying a cup of ginseng tea. She placed the cup on the table and gently massaged Li Qing’an’s head. “Husband, it’s so late. Why aren’t you sleeping?” “There’s a major corruption case in Anxi. I can’t sleep!” “Husband, you’re overthinking it. Where isn’t there corruption? It’s impossible to eradicate it completely. I remember my grandfather saying that even if someone is beheaded, they’ll still engage in corruption in the afterlife. Stop worrying and go to bed early!” “I know, but I just can’t bear it! Anxi is like my son. I can’t just stand by and watch my ‘son’ deteriorate.” “Actually, my grandfather said that during the reign of Emperor Zetian, the establishment of the Four Chests led to a significant reduction in corruption. Why don’t you follow her example?”

A single sentence from Mingyue reminded Li Qing’an that Wu Zetian’s so-called “Four Boxes” were actually four large iron chests designed to encourage the public to submit complaints. Although Wu Zetian used them to eliminate political rivals, they indeed served to supervise officials. Their essence was to mobilize the people and lower-ranking officials to oversee corrupt ones. Pei Mian’s corruption was due not only to his excessive power, which made subordinates afraid to report him for fear of retaliation, but also to the lack of a supervision mechanism. If he established such boxes in Anxi and encouraged the public to report corruption, with the supervision department in Chang’an overseeing it, it would undoubtedly serve as a strong deterrent to officials in Anxi. Li Qing’an nodded. With a stronger ruler and an effective supervision mechanism in place, taking both approaches, there should be no more Pei Mians. …… (In history, Pei Mian was notorious for corruption and bribery; he accepted bribes of any amount, so it was only natural for him to be corrupt in Anxi as well.)