Chapter 638: News from the Imperial Concubine

An Lushan’s nap lasted almost two hours, every day without fail. Once he fell asleep, his personal guards would stand watch around his bedroom. Li Zhuer was one of his trusted attendants who helped him sleep. After An Lushan fell asleep, Li Zhuer could either take a short nap nearby or go have lunch. During this time, he had considerable freedom. Of course, he could also go outside without anyone bothering him, but he had to be present when An Lushan woke up; otherwise, he would face severe punishment.

Li Zhuer was just over twenty years old and was an eunuch. Ten years ago, as a teenager, he was brought into An Lushan’s residence. An Lushan, impressed by his intelligence, personally had him castrated. Since then, Li Zhuer never grew up further. Though he was now twenty-two, his physique remained the same as it had been ten years ago—slim and small from behind, looking like a youth.

Li Zhuer lost both parents at a young age and was raised by his uncle, Li Zui. Although it was his uncle who sent him to An Lushan’s place, Li Zhuer held no grudges. His uncle still treated him kindly, just as he would a father.

After leaving Prince Yan’s mansion, Li Zhuer hailed a carriage and hurried northward. Earlier that morning, his uncle had sent someone with a message saying his old illness had flared up and asking Li Zhuer to visit him when he had time. Understanding the message, Li Zhuer rushed to his uncle Li Zui’s residence after attending to An Lushan.

Li Zui used to live in a dilapidated small house in the east of the city, but he had recently moved to a large mansion covering eight acres, hiring more than a dozen maids and servants. Li Zui’s wife had run away with someone three years ago, and now he had married two beautiful women. He had plenty of money, and it was said he also owned five acres of fertile land outside the city.

Despite these dramatic changes, some of Li Zui’s friends weren’t surprised. After all, his nephew Li Zhuer was a trusted attendant to An Lushan and was naturally wealthy.

But Li Zhuer knew all this had nothing to do with him. Though he was a key attendant to An Lushan, in An Lushan’s eyes, he was no different from a dog. Not only was he unlikely to be rewarded with money, but even his food consisted of the leftovers from An Lushan’s meals. Only since last year had An Lushan started giving him three guan per month as a stipend.

Having lived like a dog for ten years, coupled with the physical pain he suffered while urinating due to his disability, all these things filled him with deep hatred for An Lushan, yet he also feared him greatly.

It wasn’t until his uncle Li Zui introduced him to someone who showed him respect that he felt a sense of dignity again. That person was Shi Siming.

Li Zui’s new residence was located in a quiet alley called Wushanren Alley in the northern part of the city. Besides this house, Shi Siming also gave Li Zui two beautiful women and 10,000 guan in money, along with five hectares of fertile land outside the city, all gifts from Shi Siming.

As for Li Zhur, Shi Siming was equally generous, giving him 1,000 taels of gold, which was cast into a large golden Buddha. Li Zhur buried it in his uncle’s old house, using it as a source of income for the rest of his life.

As soon as Li Zhur knocked on the door, it opened, revealing his uncle Li Zui’s plump, fair face. “Why did it take you so long? Come in quickly!” Li Zui complained, “I’ve had others waiting for almost two hours.” “The fat man is in a bad mood today; he just went to bed. Is there anything urgent, uncle?” “I don’t have anything urgent. Someone is waiting for you. Come with me!” Li Zhur followed his uncle into the inner room, where a tall young man was sitting reading. Li Zhur recognized him at once—it was Shi Siming’s son, Shi Chaoyi. He quickly knelt down to pay his respects, but Shi Chaoyi hurriedly helped him up. “Brother Li, don’t do that!” Shi Chaoyi looked nothing like his father, Shi Siming. Shi Siming had dry yellow hair, a thin face, a hawk-like nose, and a cunning expression, while Shi Chaoyi had a square face and large ears, giving him a more Han Chinese appearance, just like his mother. Their temperaments were also different—Shi Siming was fierce, cruel, and heartless, whereas Shi Chaoyi was kind-hearted and highly respected by Shi Siming’s subordinates. He invited Li Zhur to sit and said with a smile, “I know you’re eager to go back, so I’ll get to the point.” Li Zhur thanked him, “Thank you, General Shi, for understanding. That man is in a bad mood today, and I was worried he might wake up early.” “Then I’ll be direct.” Shi Chaoyi glanced at Li Zui, who wisely stepped back and closed the door. Then Shi Chaoyi said, “It’s this: My father has received news that the imperial concubine is hiding in Quyang County, Taiyuan Prefecture…” “Really?” Li Zhur was both surprised and delighted. “An Lushan has been dreaming of capturing the former imperial concubine. When he heard from Yang Huahua that she was hiding in Taiyuan, he launched an attack there. If he really finds her, he’ll be overjoyed.”

Shi Chaoyi waved his hand and said with a smile, “Of course it’s not true. In fact, my father already knows that Yang Guifei must be in Li Qing’an’s hands, but An Lushan refuses to believe it. My father has been searching for her all this time, and finally found a woman in the villages of Yizhou who looks very much like Yang Guifei—though only in appearance. She’s just an ignorant village woman, nowhere near as beautiful as the Empress. But my father has been training her, and recently she’s begun to resemble her somewhat. So he hid her in Quyang County of Taiyuan Prefecture. You need to find a chance to tell An Lushan this news.”

Li Zhuer hesitated for a moment and said, “If I tell him, I’m afraid he won’t believe me. I never go outside—how would I know that the Empress is hidden in Quyang County?”

“Of course, it’s not you who tells him directly. Tomorrow morning, a female Taoist priest will come to see An Lushan with information about the Empress being in Quyang County. It would be best if you could go out and lead her to An Lushan. That way, you’ll be involved in this matter. What do you think—what time would be good for her to arrive?”

Li Zhuer thought for a while and said, “Around the si hour! If nothing goes wrong, I can go out. I’m just worried there might be something urgent tomorrow that prevents me from leaving. But if si hour doesn’t work, yi hour and a moment would also do.”

Shi Chaoyi asked again, “In the Prince of Yan’s palace now, are you the only one who has seen the Empress?”

Li Zhuer nodded. “I once served An Lushan when he went to the palace for a banquet, and I saw the Empress there once. Actually, another eunuch, Luo Bingzhong, also saw her, but he died of a serious illness at the beginning of the year.”

“That’s right. You can propose to An Lushan that you go to Quyang County to identify her. If it’s her, bring her back.”

With that, Shi Chaoyi took out a scroll, unrolled it on the table, and said with a smile, “Look at this painting. Tomorrow, the female Taoist priest will take this painting to see An Lushan. There’s also a jade chime that the Empress used. My father paid a heavy price to have an eunuch steal it from the Southern Tang palace. These two items will serve as evidence.”

Li Zhuer stepped forward to take a look at the painting. He saw Yang Guifei dressed in a Taoist priest’s robe, kneeling on a cushion with her hands clasped together. Her beauty was extraordinary. He was immediately astonished and said, “This really is the Empress!”

“Of course it is the Empress. It was painted secretly by a court painter in Huaqing Palace, and my father paid a hefty sum to get it. This painting can be considered a portrait of the Empress at the Taiyin Temple in Quyang. Remember, you need to agree with what the female Taoist priest says. Finally, you must volunteer to go to Quyang County to identify her. Understand?”

Li Zhuer’s heart was pounding with nervousness. He nodded, and Shi Chaoyi patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “I promise you—once this is over, I’ll send you to Chang’an so you can enjoy a life of wealth and comfort for the rest of your days.”

Li Zhuer was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He knelt down and kowtowed twice, saying, “I will always remember General Shi’s kindness.”
“Get up! Please go back quickly! Don’t let An Pangzi suspect you.”
“Then I’ll be leaving.”
Not daring to stay, Li Zhuer turned and left in a hurry. Shi Chaoyi packed up his things and left Li Zui’s house through the back door.
Before returning to the Yan Wangfu, Li Zhuer secretly went to Li Zui’s old house. Since Li Zui now had a new residence, he no longer needed this old house, which was taken by Li Zhuer.
The house was old, with only three rooms, built of bricks and tiles and still quite sturdy. It had originally belonged to Li Zhuer’s father. After his parents passed away, it was occupied by his uncle.
The outer rooms were empty, while the innermost room was filled with miscellaneous items. Li Zhuer went to the corner and dug out a box with a shovel. When he opened it, he found a heavy copper Buddha weighing over sixty pounds. It was made by melting the 1,000 taels of gold given to him by Shi Siming, with a layer of copper plated on top.
Li Zhuer gently stroked the copper Buddha and couldn’t help but grin. 1,000 taels of gold! Worth 30,000 guan—how had he ever had so much money in his life? At that moment, he felt his entire life was filled with hope.
…
Soon, it was the next morning. An Lushan sat in his study, listening to his guards read reports from various regions. His eyes could barely see clearly only in the early morning after waking up, but they would soon become blurry, making it difficult to read text. Even if someone stood in front of him, he could only see them indistinctly, identifying them by sound and intuition. This was one of his secrets, known only to a few trusted guards. He forbade anyone from revealing it, not even his advisor Gao Shang. This was also why An Lushan liked to hold meetings with his generals in the early morning.
After listening to several reports, mostly about requests for money and grain from various places, An Lushan lost interest. Yawning, he asked, “Is there anything else?”
At that moment, Li Zhuer, standing nearby, secretly glanced at the clock—it was almost the third hour. He was so nervous that his heart seemed to be pounding. Seeing An Lushan ask, he quickly stepped forward and said, “My lord, it’s time for some snacks. I’ll go get them for you.”

This was An Lushan’s habit—he would always have a snack around the hour of Si and drink a cup of hot tea. An Lushan nodded, and Li Zhuer hurriedly left. Not long after he left, he happened to see a maid bringing a tray of snacks. He took the tray and looked outside the main gate, where he saw a guard peeking in. He asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Brother Li, there’s a female Taoist priest at the gate. She says she has news about the Imperial Concubine.”
Sure enough, she had come. Li Zhuer’s heart pounded. The guard added, “If Your Lordship is busy, I can send her away.”
This was why Shi Chaoyi had asked Li Zhuer to come and assist—because An Lushan had offered a reward of 100,000 guan for any news about Yang Guifei. Over the past two years, countless people had come with such news. At first, An Lushan was interested, but after repeated disappointments, he grew frustrated. The guards also dared not report casually, only when An Lushan happened to be awake and in a good mood would they dare to inform him.
So if Li Zhuer hadn’t come, the female Taoist priest might not even have had a chance to see An Lushan. Li Zhuer said, “It’s no problem. Let her wait a while. Since Your Lordship is resting, I’ll go inform him.”
Li Zhuer carried the tray into the room. An Lushan was drinking tea, his eyes narrowed as he watched the locust flowers outside.
He set down the tray and said softly, “Your Lordship, there’s a female Taoist priest outside. She says she has news about Yang Guifei.”
An Lushan frowned. “Why is she here again? Is she reliable?”
“I haven’t gone outside, so I don’t know. But I thought—didn’t Yang Guifei also be a female Taoist priest once? Maybe it’s worth a try.”
“Hmm!”
An Lushan nodded. “Then go ask her first. If there’s really some hope, bring her in!”
An Lushan had placed all his hopes on Yang Huahua for finding Yang Guifei, having little hope left for others. Moreover, Yang Huahua had said that Yang Guifei was in Taiyuan City, and since Taiyuan was under strict defense, he had even fewer ideas.
Li Zhuer left and soon rushed back, saying, “Your Lordship, there’s some hope! The female Taoist priest comes from Taiyuan Prefecture.”
An Lushan perked up and said urgently, “Hurry! Bring her in right away!”
Soon, several guards brought in a female Taoist priest. She was in her early forties, with a face full of fleshy features, clearly not a trustworthy person. In her left hand, she held a dust brush, and with her right hand, she bowed to An Lushan, saying, “Venerable Lord! This humble priest pays respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Yan.”
She carried a bag, held by the guards. An Lushan eagerly asked, “Taoist priest, do you know where the Imperial Concubine is?”

“I was with her seven days ago, but she is no longer the Imperial Concubine; her Daoist name is Taizhen.”
An Lushan was stunned for a moment, then Li Zhuer spoke up, “Your Highness, before Yang Guifei was officially named Imperial Concubine, didn’t she become a Daoist nun named Taizhen?”
An Lushan was overjoyed and asked, “Hurry up and tell me, where is she?”
The female Daoist replied calmly, “Your Highness, I come from Taiyin Temple in Quyang County, Taiyuan Prefecture. Our temple was built with donations from the Lady of Qin, who is also the elder sister of the Imperial Concubine. Last September, a female Daoist came from Chang’an to practice in our temple. She was very generous and won the respect of the temple head, who allocated a separate courtyard for her to worship the Three Pure Ones. I happened to hear that her Daoist name was Taizhen, but I had never seen her face. It wasn’t until two months ago, when she fell ill, that the temple head ordered me to accompany her there. Only then did I see her true appearance—truly a beauty of unparalleled grace. By chance, I overheard her maid call her ‘Imperial Concubine,’ and when she scolded the maid, I realized she was none other than the famous Yang Guifei.”
An Lushan was eager to hear more and quickly asked, “Do you have any evidence?”
“O Infinite Sovereign, I came here seeking rewards—how could I lack evidence?”
She turned and pointed to the package in the guard’s hands. The guard promptly placed it on the table and untied it. Inside were two items: a purple jade chime and a painting scroll.
An Lushan pointed at the jade chime, and Li Zhuer quickly picked it up and handed it to him. An Lushan examined the chime carefully. It was crystal clear and smooth, with a faint purple tint and not a trace of impurities—undoubtedly top-quality jade. He turned the chime to look at the bottom and saw inscriptions, but he couldn’t read them. So he asked Li Zhuer, “What does it say?”
Li Zhuer knew few characters, but happened to recognize those on the chime. He read them one by one: “In the fourth year of Tianbao, An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, presented this as a gift for the Imperial Concubine’s appointment.”
“That’s it!” An Lushan became excited immediately. “I knew this jade chime looked familiar. It was the gift I gave during the Imperial Concubine’s appointment in the fourth year of Tianbao—this very purple jade chime.”
Li Zhuer quickly flattered him, “Congratulations, Your Highness! The Imperial Concubine still keeps the gifts you gave her, which shows she still holds grudges against you.”
An Lushan laughed happily and ordered, “Unroll the painting!”
Li Zhuer promptly unrolled the scroll. An Lushan couldn’t see other details clearly, but when it came to Yang Guifei’s face, his eyes suddenly became sharp. It was a painting of her as a Daoist nun—simple in design, with no background. Yang Guifei wore a Daoist robe, her hair loose, kneeling on a cushion with clasped hands in prayer. Her beauty was breathtaking, evoking pity in everyone who saw her.

An Lushan was stunned. After a long while, he asked the middle-aged nun, “Who painted this?”
“It was me who painted it. I am skilled in painting. Before becoming a monk, I was a painter in the northern capital.”
“It’s excellent! Truly excellent!”
An Lushan finally began to believe it. Overjoyed, he realized that Yang Guifei, whom he had long dreamed of seeing, was finally here. He didn’t know what to do at first. He thought of sending his son An Qingxu to bring her back, but An Qingxu had already led his troops south. At that moment, Li Zhuer said, “My lord, how about I go? I have seen the concubine before; I can identify her. If it really is her, I’ll bring her back to Youzhou.”
“Good!”
An Lushan agreed immediately. “Take a thousand cavalry to Quyang County. Have Artist Jiang go with you as well and paint another portrait for me. Under no circumstances may you fail to bring her back to Hebei. If you succeed, I’ll reward you with five hundred strings of coins.”
This was arguably the largest reward An Lushan had ever given to one of his servants. Worried that the thousand cavalry might be attacked by Guo Ziyi, he ordered, “Order Yin Ziqi to lead a large army to besiege Taiyuan again. Do not withdraw without my orders!”
To get the woman he had long desired, An Lushan was ready to do anything.
……
These days, Shi Siming’s illness had completely healed. He had led his army back to Dingzhou. He received urgent news that Lei Wanchun, a general of the Anxi Army, and Xin Yunjing, the governor of Daizhou, had led 15,000 troops into Dingzhou via the Feihu Road, blocking a supply of grain destined for Taiyuan Prefecture.
Shi Siming kept this from An Lushan. The Feihu Road was within his own defensive area. His defenses were weak, allowing the Anxi Army to launch a surprise attack. If An Lushan found out, he would face serious consequences.
Shi Siming immediately sent 50,000 troops to Dingzhou to confront the invading Anxi Army. But the Anxi Army was elusive—hard to track. By the time he arrived in Dingzhou, the Anxi Army had moved on to Yizhou, setting fire to a grain warehouse there and causing losses of over 200,000 bushels of grain, leaving Shi Siming in a desperate situation.
That afternoon, Shi Siming finally received news that the Pugu tribe of the Turks had sent 80,000 troops south to assist in the battle. As a result, Lei Wanchun’s army had withdrawn to Hedong. This relieved Shi Siming greatly. Not only had the Pugu tribe fulfilled their promise to send troops, but they had sent 80,000 of them—this was like giving him extra wings. With this support, he could achieve great things.