Chapter 670: Secret Negotiations in a Quiet Room

As evening fell, the day-long search finally came to an end. Though the search was over, the arrest of spies from Northern Tang had just begun. The army captured over 5,400 people, most of whom were arrested on charges of hiding military weapons. The large number of arrests angered the people of Chengdu greatly. Cui Yuan, the left chancellor, immediately wrote to Li Heng, pointing out that the reason so many people had military weapons was due to the mass defection of soldiers from Ge Shu Han, who brought those weapons to the civilian population. This had nothing to do with Northern Tang. He urged Li Heng to order the release of these innocent people to maintain stability in Chengdu.

However, Guo Ying, the military governor of Jiannan, firmly insisted that spies from Northern Tang must be among those 5,400 people and must not be released lightly. Every single person needed to be checked; it was better to arrest a thousand innocents than let one spy escape.

It wasn’t until night that Li Heng finally issued an order. He adopted a compromise: the curfew in Chengdu could be lifted, but since spies from Northern Tang might be hidden among the over 5,000 people, the military was expected to quickly identify and release them to restore peace.

At the Prince Peng’s palace, Li Jin was extremely depressed. That afternoon, he had rushed to the palace in haste, hoping to expose Linghu Fei’s plot, but he was met with cold treatment. His father, claiming to be too tired, refused to see him. Soon, news came from the palace that the emperor wasn’t tired at all—Linghu Fei’s words had deeply affected him. Ever since Linghu Fei left, the emperor had been lost in deep thought.

It was clear that Linghu Fei’s words had persuaded his father. Although the emperor hadn’t spoken outright, his refusal to see Li Jin was a hint, a bad omen.

“Sir, what should I do now? My father must have given up on me,” Li Jin said in a sobbing voice, revealing his deep fear. He was a pessimistic and cowardly man who gave up at the slightest setback. He seemed to see the malicious look in Li Fuguo’s eyes and imagined his second brother ordering him to be tied up and taken to the execution ground, with the sharp executioner’s blade raised—filling him with dread.

He no longer had any ambitions; he only wanted to save his own life. He wanted to give up.

“Your Highness, I’ll ask you just one question: will you fight or give up?” Yan Kai stared at Li Jin intently.

“I… I don’t know.”

Li Jin slowly lowered his head, murmuring, “I think the imperial academy might be better suited for me.”

Yan Kai was speechless for a long time. This useless good-for-nothing gave up even before taking action! He was utterly disappointed in him. He had once considered betraying Li Qingan to fully support Li Jin, but now it seemed this man was fundamentally incapable of rising above his weakness.

Li Jin only wanted to give up, but Yan Kai couldn’t. Otherwise, how could he explain himself to Li Qing’an? Just as he tried to persuade Li Jin again, a guard reported from outside, “Prime Minister Wang is urgently requesting an audience!”
Li Jin was a bit afraid of Wang Gong. He looked at Yan Kai for help, hoping to find an excuse to avoid meeting him, but Yan Kai shook his head and said, “Your Highness, if Prime Minister Wang has come, it must be important. You must see him.”
“Then… will you accompany me?”
Yan Kai sighed inwardly. Could just one refusal from the emperor make him so disheartened? This Prince Peng was really too weak.
“Very well! I’ll sit behind you.”
With Yan Kai by his side, Li Jin finally gained some confidence. He immediately ordered, “Please invite Prime Minister Wang to my private chamber.”
The private chamber was actually a secret room, windowless on all sides, with thick bluestone walls. Several surrounding rooms were empty and off-limits to anyone. Most powerful families had such secret rooms to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive discussions.
The study wasn’t far from the secret room, so the two went there first to wait. Moments later, a guard led Wang Gong in in a hurry. From the pace of his steps, it was clear he was anxious. He had received more detailed news: not long after Linghu Fei spoke with Li Hen, Li Fuguo once again advised Li Hen not to rashly decide on replacing the crown prince. With external threats at hand, stability should come first. It was these successive persuasions that finally made Li Hen waver.
Wang Gong knew well that the reason Li Jin had a chance was because Li Hen himself wanted to change the crown prince. It was also Li Hen who hinted to him and Cui Yuan to support Li Jin.
But now, Li Hen was wavering, wanting to back down. As the emperor, the Li faction certainly wouldn’t dare do anything to him. But what about himself? If he openly supported Li Jin, would the Li faction spare him after Li Hen’s death?
Li Hen’s hesitation only pushed Wang Gong into an even more desperate situation. Whatever happened, he had to turn things around. The person who created the problem must solve it—breaking this situation depended on Li Jin.
Wang Gong entered Li Jin’s study and saw Yan Kai standing behind him at once. He was stunned—how was this man here too?
Wang Gong had known Yan Kai for a long time, even back when Yan Kai was still a staff member of Prince Qing. Back then, he already disliked this self-righteous advisor. Later, when Prince Qing died in Anxi, Yan Kai returned, which made Wang Gong suspicious. He felt Yan Kai wasn’t very loyal. Of course, when Prince Qing was sidelined and under house arrest, how could Yan Kai still remain loyal to him until his death? Wouldn’t he turn to Li Qing’an? Or wouldn’t Li Qing’an exploit him?

Based on his understanding of Li Qing’an, he suspected that the Prince of Qing being deceived and sent to Anxi was likely related to this Yan advisor. Though he had doubts, Wang Gong had no evidence. Moreover, since Li Qiu vouched for Yan Kai, he had nothing left to say. Still, he really didn’t like this advisor.
“Your servant Wang Gong pays his respects to His Highness, Prince Peng!”
“Prime Minister Wang, please don’t be formal. Sit down!”
Wang Gong sat down and glanced at Yan Kai. Li Jin understood his meaning and said, “Mr. Yan is my confidant. I talk to him about everything. Prime Minister, there’s no need to worry. Speak freely if you have anything to say.”
“Very well! I came to see His Highness urgently to inform him that the situation is extremely unfavorable for us.”
“Do you also feel that?” Li Jin’s voice trembled slightly as his recently calmed nerves became tense again.
Wang Gong nodded. “The main reason is the military deployment by Northern Tang, which has greatly helped the crown prince. The emperor thinks that Northern Tang’s army will attack Shuzhong, so he seeks stability andnot deposing the crown prince for the time being considers deposing the crown prince.”
Li Jin was stunned. He was also afraid that Northern Tang’s army might attack. “Prime Minister, will Northern Tang’s army really attack us?”
“Impossible!”
Wang Gong replied firmly. Although everyone feared Li Qing’an’s invasion, Wang Gong believed that Li Qing’an might not actually destroy Southern Tang. At least before suppressing the An Lushan rebellion, he wouldn’t take action. He kept Southern Tang as a preparation for his own ascension and would only consider attacking it in the end. Shuzhong was temporarily safe. In this attack by Li Qing’an, at most he would capture Xiangyang.
Moreover, Southern Tang also had nearly four hundred thousand troops, so it might be able to resist Li Qing’an. With Shuzhong surrounded on all sides, it wouldn’t be easy to take it.
“Please rest assured, His Highness. As long as An Lushan isn’t defeated, he will never attack us. At most, he might take Jingxiang, but attacking Shuzhong isn’t that easy.”
“I agree with the Prime Minister’s opinion.”
Yan Kai, who had remained silent, spoke up as well. “Attacking our Southern Tang requires many conditions, mainly the deployment of a large number of troops. Right now, Li Qing’an is fighting everywhere, and his troops are scattered. Once he mobilizes a large force, it will surely affect the situation in Hebei. Before An Lushan and Shi Siming are defeated, he won’t deploy troops from Henan and Hedong. How can he then confront Southern Tang’s four hundred thousand troops?”
Yan Kai’s words reassured Li Jin, who breathed a sigh of relief. He then said in a low voice, “So what should we do now? My father has become cold toward me. I’m very worried!”
Yan Kai seized the opportunity to add, “Prime Minister Wang, His Highness wants to give up!”
“No!”

Wang Gong stood up abruptly, furious. “If Your Highness gives up, what shall we do? What about all these ministers who support you? If Li Qi rises to the throne, will he spare us? And Your Highness—he definitely won’t let you go. This is a struggle for the throne. Once you start, you must see it through; otherwise, everyone will die without a chance to survive.”

Li Jin trembled with fear. “But… but we’re not as strong as the Crown Prince. Our father… has changed his mind again. What can I do?”

“Your Highness is confused!”

Wang Gong sat down slowly again and pleaded earnestly, “Where is Your Highness weak? You have the support of your ministers in the court, and the military support of the Jienan Military Governor. Isn’t that enough? I’ve heard even the imperial family supports you. What strength does the Crown Prince have? Just the inner palace—what more? Among the court officials, there’s only the Minister of Revenue, Linghu Fei. What does he have? Besides, the Emperor hasn’t given up on deposing the Crown Prince; it’s just that the situation is tense now, so he’s put it on hold. I know the Emperor well—he never changes his decisions easily. Your Highness should have confidence.”

Yan Kai added, “Prime Minister, I think Your Highness’s biggest weakness is being too weak and not ruthless enough. That’s why the Emperor is hesitant. Your Highness must change that if he wants a chance.”

Yan Kai’s words struck a chord with Wang Gong, who immediately felt some goodwill toward him. He nodded at Yan Kai and said earnestly, “Your Highness, I came here tonight precisely because I want you to make a decision.”

“What… decision?”

Wang Gong stared at Li Jin and said slowly, “Strike first—kill the Crown Prince!”

…

“Your Highness, I object to assassinating the Crown Prince!”

As soon as Wang Gong left, Yan Kai expressed his opposition. Assassinating the Crown Prince would only end the conflict, not intensify it as Li Qingan hoped.

Yan Kai’s objection also reflected Li Jin’s own concerns. He didn’t have the courage to assassinate the Crown Prince. Yan Kai’s opposition relieved him greatly, and he quickly said, “I indeed think assassinating the Crown Prince is inappropriate. The Crown Prince is well-protected; it’s not easy to assassinate him. If we fail, our father won’t spare me.”

“Your Highness, I’m only saying that assassinating the Crown Prince isn’t the right approach, but I’m not saying we shouldn’t assassinate anyone at all.”

Li Jin was stunned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we should assassinate someone, but not the Crown Prince—someone else.”