Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 45

He was originally a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the seventh year of the Tianbao era, and was appointed as the registrar of Guanshi County in Weijun. After his term ended, he was too lazy to go to the Ministry of Personnel to queue up again, so he simply went to the Anxi Protectorate on the recommendation of Li Xian, the prefect of Weijun, and joined the staff of Feng Changqing, the military governor of Anxi, as a judge. In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, when Feng Changqing was recalled to the capital, he immediately submitted a memorial requesting that Li Qijun temporarily serve as the supervising censor (a nominal position) and military commander (a real post), which was equivalent to treating him as a future governor of Anxi. It was because of this that Li Qijun was able to select seven thousand Anxi soldiers to come east to defend the emperor not long after.

In reality, those like Li Qijun, who were Jinshi graduates but aspired to military service on the frontier, were extremely rare. The offices of various military governors were often filled with unsuccessful candidates, such as Gao Shang and Zhou Zhi under An Lushan. This was because Jinshi graduates were mostly employed for their poetry and prose; having devoted themselves to literature, they often lacked practical experience—at least upon their official appointment—and desired more prestigious positions like proofreader, corrector, or county clerk. Therefore, few had the ability or desire to join the military governors' offices. Conversely, the military governors had no need to specifically select decorative figures from among the Jinshi graduates; they valued ability more than reputation.

Just like graduates and postgraduates from top universities in later generations, they often have high aspirations but low abilities. No matter how dazzling the university's reputation is, many employers are unwilling to hire them, and would rather hire fresh graduates from second- or third-tier universities. Or, graduates from prestigious universities can have two or three years of work experience before submitting their resumes to me.

Of course, more importantly, while not exactly considered upright officials, the future prospects of those working for the military governor were far brighter than those of remote county magistrates or assistant magistrates. The best example is Gao Shi and Gao Fu, who had forced Li Ji to abandon his unrealistic ambition of gaining fame through copying poems. Gao Shi failed the imperial examinations and instead used his poetry to curry favor with powerful figures, eventually being recommended by Zhang Jiugao, the prefect of Songzhou, to take the civil service examination and become the magistrate of Fengqiu. Fengqiu was a remote and insignificant county; if he continued down this path, he would likely never even become a prefect—and Gao Shi was already forty-six years old at that time; he couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Therefore, he resigned from his official post and joined the staff of Geshu Han, the military governor of Hexi, as his chief secretary. At that time, Geshu Han was highly valued by Li Longji, and Gao Shi's career also rose accordingly. After only three years in the staff, he was appointed to the important position of Left Remonstrance Official—a position with a nominal salary—and then transferred to the position of Supervising Censor. After the fall of Tongguan, Geshu Han was captured, and Gao Shi escaped back to Sichuan with Li Longji. He was promoted to Grand Master of Remonstrance and then served under Li Heng, who appointed him as the military governor of Huainan.

From resigning as the county magistrate of Fengqiu to becoming the military governor, it was only a short four years. Is there any carriage in the world that is faster than that?

That's why Li Qiyun said to Li Ji, "Others may not know whether joining the military governor's office is a good or bad path, but I've tried it before and it's feasible. Moreover, it might even lead to a bright future. You might want to consider it, Changwei."

From that moment on, Li Ji had already decided on the path he wanted to take. The reason he still pleaded with Li Chu was to ask Prince Cheng to write a letter of recommendation. He wanted to participate in the battle against the Tibetan invasion, whether to serve in Longyou, Hexi, or Anxi; however—at present, all three towns were without a leader…

The former military governor of Longyou was Geshu Han, who later concurrently served as the military governor of Hexi. However, he suffered a stroke while bathing during his trip to the capital, resulting in hemiplegia. He was then forced to remain in Chang'an and subsequently assigned to Tongguan. The Tang Dynasty successively appointed Wang Sili and Prince Feng, Li Gong, as military governors of Hexi, and Guo Yingyi as military governor of Longyou, but these were all nominal appointments—Wang Sili and Guo Yingyi were serving in the marshal's office during the suppression of the rebellion.

As for the Four Garrisons of Anxi, the former military governor was Feng Changqing. Shortly after being summoned back to the capital, he followed his old superior, Gao Xianzhi, eastward to defend against the rebellion (an army was also established at that time, with Prince Rong, Li Wan, as the marshal and Gao Xianzhi as the deputy marshal). However, they were defeated at the Battle of Sishui and retreated to Tongguan. Soon after, he was slandered by the eunuch Bian Lingcheng and executed along with Gao Xianzhi, leaving the Four Garrisons without a leader. Not long ago, Li Heng appointed Wei Boyu, the former commander of the Shence Army, to succeed him as the military governor of Anxi, but in reality, Wei Boyu still led the Shence Army and was stationed in Shanxian County, never having the opportunity to take up his post.

Li Ji had a certain acquaintance with Wei Boyu—if it weren't for Lao Jing stopping him that day, he might very well have fought with that General Wei—and he had also met Wang Sili and Guo Yingyi several times in the commander's mansion. But that was useless; these men were just figureheads, with no real control over the affairs of the headquarters—especially Wei Boyu, who knew almost no one in the current Anxi Four Garrisons—would they hire him and then send him west? And how would the generals left behind view Li Ji, this colleague who had been parachuted in?

Li Ji is shrewd; he wouldn't deliberately provoke such bad luck.

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That's why I hope Li Chu can find a way to arrange things for me. At least a letter of recommendation from a prince, while perhaps not as weighty as an appointment letter from a military governor, is unlikely to provoke cold shoulders from my colleagues.

Of course, the best way to join the army is through Pugu Huai'en—as previously agreed—but Pugu Huai'en is still Guo Ziyi's deputy general, not a military governor, so it's inconvenient for him to recruit his own subordinates. Besides, judging from the current situation, it will take at least another year or two to pacify Hebei, and Li Ji currently has little interest in fighting a civil war.

Therefore, he pleaded with Li Chu, who thought for a moment and said, "I know, I will definitely find a way to help you." Then he changed the subject and said, "Since you don't have a place to stay yet, I've found a house for Jia Huai to live in temporarily. Why don't you go stay with him and wait for my news?"

This was a clear indication that he was being asked to leave. Li Ji had no choice but to rise, bow, and take his leave. However, as he reached the door, a word stuck in his throat, and he turned back to Li Chu, saying, "I just heard what Lord Zhenyi said; the officials want to nominate Your Highness as Crown Prince..."

Li Chu's face darkened: "This is not something you can comment on."

Li Ji quickly said, "I dare not offer any opinion, but I am thinking about what my elder brother said..."

Li Chu then became interested and hurriedly asked, "What advice does Master Changyuan have for me?"

My elder brother once said, "It is better to take the direct path than to seek it through crooked means." Your Highness, please think it over.

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No sooner had Li Ji left than two people emerged from behind the screen. One had a bald chin, clearly indicating he was impotent, while the other had a long, flowing beard and was a civil official.

The civil official spoke first, saying, "What Li Changyuan said makes a lot of sense, Your Highness must listen to him—you can persuade the officials to submit a memorial to the Daming Palace, but you must not bother the Xingqing Palace!"

The eunuch laughed and said, "Could it be that Master Changyuan is a god who can foresee events thousands of miles away?" He then turned to Li Chu, smiling obsequiously and clasping his hands, saying, "Your Highness, you should know from this that what I said is true."

Li Chu nodded and smiled: "Yuan Zhen has dealt with this person many times and can indeed see through his heart. In fact, when Shen was in Luoyang, he also told me that Li Changwei is a man of great vision and is not an ordinary person."

Upon hearing this, the civil official was slightly taken aback, and then asked, "Could it be that the words 'take the straight and narrow' just now were a special reminder from Li Ji, disguised as Li Changyuan, to Your Highness?"

The eunuch—who was none other than Cheng Yuanzhen, whom Li Ji knew well—couldn't help but laugh and say, "The officials secretly conspired to disturb Xingqing Palace and take a roundabout route. It's only been two or three days. How could Master Changyuan, who is far away in Jiangnan, know about this? This must have been revealed to Li Ji by Li Zhenyi (Li Qiyun). Li Ji has such wisdom. Who would call him a fool?"

The civil official frowned and said, "However, judging from His Highness's words about his past actions, he doesn't seem like a very intelligent person..."

Cheng Yuanzhen explained, “Back in Ding’an, Mr. Changyuan and his brother lived in the inner courtyard. I had Huo Xianming and Dou Wenchang serve them. They reported that the two of them would talk in secret behind closed doors every night…” He then clasped his hands in a gesture toward Li Chu and said, “After they moved to the Marshal’s Mansion, I suppose it was the same.”

Li Chu nodded: "Not bad."

"If it were just casual conversation, the two of them had lived together in Jishan for several years, so why would they have so much to say? If it were about teaching Li Ji his studies, why would they need to close the door and avoid people? It must be because Li Ji had been living in the countryside for a long time and had no intention of pursuing an official career, so Master Changyuan was unwilling to teach him about state affairs. After returning to the capital, he learned that his younger brother would eventually take up an official post, so he imparted all his knowledge to him."

"Although Li Ji is brave, he is not necessarily stupid by nature. Having received instruction from Master Changyuan, he is no longer a fool from Wuxia. Moreover, if he were just a reckless man, and had offended some people, then since Master Changyuan has retired, how could he be willing to let him take up an official post?"

The civil official still seemed somewhat skeptical, so he pointed to Li Ji's "Strategy for Defending Against the Barbarians" on the table and asked Li Chu, "May I have a look at it?"

Li Chu picked it up and handed it to him, saying, "Please take a look, Yisun."

This official, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), had served as the magistrate of Shou'an County. Now, he served as the Registrar of the Prince of Cheng's court. His name was Cui Youfu, and his courtesy name was Yisun. Cui Youfu immediately took the "Strategy for Defending Against the Barbarians" with both hands and read it quickly, first scoffing, "The language is quite crude." But after finishing the entire text, he couldn't help but sigh softly, "Indeed, he has some insight..."

"What a pity, Li Changyuan was a man of great talent. If a sage had treated him as Liu Bei treated Zhuge Liang, not by winning him over with favors, but by binding him with righteousness, and had listened to his words and followed his advice, and had not been misled by petty men, then the rebels would not have been able to be quelled, and the world would not have been able to be at peace!"

Li Chu said sternly, "Yisun, you misspoke."

Cui Youfu bowed and said, "I have always been straightforward and say whatever comes to mind. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

After straightening up, he asked, "Your Highness originally intended to employ Li Ji, which I assumed was to prepare for the future recall of Li Changyuan to the court. But since Li Ji is inherently intelligent, why doesn't Your Highness force him into your household? What are your plans for his placement?"

Li Chu laughed and said, “Although Li Ji’s wisdom is not outwardly apparent, I have long known his character. He is very stubborn, just like Yisun. If I had not entrusted him with the affairs of the world in the past, but had only forced him to enter the Cheng Mansion, would Yisun have been willing to speak so frankly?”

Seeing that Cui Youfu was deep in thought and seemed to have understood something, he immediately instructed Cheng Yuanzhen: "You can send Li Ji's article to the Prince of Qi."

“Your Highness,” Cui Youfu immediately objected, “Prince Qi is currently planning to take up a post and devise strategies for the western affairs. If this document is given to him, he will surely favor Li Ji even more. Li Ji was invited by Prince Qi as soon as he arrived at the residence of the Sixteenth Prince, and Prince Qi even wanted to summon him to the Prince’s residence. Such is how much he values ​​him—Prince Qi is probably already well aware of Li Ji’s talent. Even if Your Highness cannot use Li Ji for the time being, you should not give it to Prince Qi. I urge you to think it over.”

Li Chu shook his head and said, "There are many talented people in the world. Do you think I can catch them all? Besides, Li Ji is a rough gem. His talent and ambition are not meant to be in the palace. Why not let him go west and train for a few years before I ask for him again?"

Cheng Yuanzhen added, "Li Ji has offended some people. Not only is it not safe for him to enter the Prince's residence now, but it would also be risky for him to stay in Chang'an for a long time. If he is harmed, I'm afraid Your Highness will have no face to summon Mr. Changyuan in the future. But if he goes west to join the army, even if he dies on the battlefield, he will have achieved his goal. I'm sure Mr. Changyuan will not hold a grudge against Your Highness for this."

Li Chu nodded, then reminded Cui Youfu again: "Although the Prince of Qi and I are not brothers, our bond is stronger than blood, and this will undoubtedly be passed down to our grandsons. Moreover, my current worries do not lie in the Prince of Qi's household!"

As he spoke, his expression was solemn, and he gazed into the distance, lost in thought…

Chapter 45, Lessons from Li Zhongqian

Li Chu couldn't help but recall the conversation he had over a month ago when Li Tan invited him to a banquet under the pretext of his eldest son's fifth birthday, and then, without any attendants, they had a private talk.

Li Tan first expressed his wish to leave the town and Chang'an, earnestly requesting Li Chu to find a way to help him. Li Chu then asked, "Brother, is it to escape those villains?"

Li Tan did not answer, but instead asked, "I wonder if my brother believes me or not?"

Li Chu, slightly intoxicated, grasped his brother's hand, smiled, and said, "Our friendship is very deep, why do you say such a thing? Even if I were to rule the world, I would share it with my worthy brother!"

Li Tan hurriedly waved his hand: "Brother, please don't say such things. How dare I have such a presumptuous thought?" He then withdrew his hand, leaned back slightly, and kowtowed deeply, saying: "I request to leave the town not for myself, but for my brother!"

Li Chu hurriedly pulled him up: "What do you mean by that, my brother?"

“In the past, I was slandered by petty people and almost lost my life. It was only thanks to my elder brother’s protection that I was summoned back to the commander’s mansion and placed under his wing. If we were to compare the two of us, my elder brother would be like Emperor Hui of Han, and I would be like King Ruyi of Zhao. Only my elder brother could save me from death. However, what is there for me to fear in death? I only do not wish to see my elder brother harmed by petty people again!”

"Who would harm me? How could Li Fuguo have such audacity?!"

Li Tan lowered his voice and slowly said, "In the past, Consort Zhang and Li Fuguo conspired to harm my foolish brother. They used my brother's name as a pretext, claiming that my foolish brother wanted to seize the throne. In reality, it was just that my foolish brother was strong-willed and indignant at their incitement of the Emperor, so I often directly denounced their wrongdoings in front of the Emperor. However, now that I have returned to Chang'an and am confined to the residences of these sixteen princes, I often cannot see the Emperor's face for more than a month. So what do they have to fear from me? Now, the only one I fear is my brother!"

"I have just received news that His Majesty intends to make Consort Zhang Empress, and there is no way to stop it. If Consort Zhang is enthroned, who else but you, my brother, will be the target of her jealousy? If Li Fuguo is also on her side, a great calamity will soon befall you, my brother—do you not remember the matter of the deposed Crown Prince during the reign of Emperor Gaozong?!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chu was startled and horrified.

Li Tan's statement about "the deposed crown prince during Emperor Gaozong's reign" refers to Li Zhong, Emperor Gaozong's eldest son born out of wedlock. Because Empress Wang, the crown prince, had no children, the court officials discussed making Li Zhong the heir and urged him to cultivate a closer relationship with his stepmother. However, this didn't last long. Only three years after Li Zhong entered the crown prince's palace, Emperor Gaozong deposed Empress Wang and installed Empress Wu Zetian. Immediately afterward, Wu Zetian instigated Xu Jingzong, the Minister of Rites, to submit a memorial stating that Li Zhong was not the legitimate son and should be deposed as crown prince, with Empress Wu's son, Li Hong, installed instead. Emperor Gaozong approved the memorial…

Four years after Li Zhong was deposed, he was demoted to a commoner and forced to move to the remote Qianzhou. Four years later, Wu Zetian again sent Xu Jingzong to falsely accuse Shangguan Yi, Wang Fusheng and others of plotting a rebellion, which triggered a major purge. Li Zhong was implicated in the case, and Emperor Gaozong ordered him to be executed at his residence in Qianzhou at the young age of twenty-two.

In fact, Li Chu had already learned of Consort Zhang's impending ascension to the throne and was quite worried about it. However, the example of Li Zhong cited by Li Tan hit the nail on the head and still frightened him quite a bit—because Li Chu's background and situation were practically identical to Li Zhong's!

First of all, Li Chu was not the eldest son of the principal wife, but only the eldest son of a concubine, and his mother, Lady Wu, was of very low status. Lady Wu was sent to the inner palace because of her father's crime. Li Longji ordered Gao Lishi to select maids to serve Li Heng, and Lady Wu happened to be among them, thus gaining Li Heng's favor. To put it bluntly, she was not a concubine who was officially married, but just a bed warmer who rose to power.

Secondly, Consort Zhang is currently favored by Emperor Gaozong, much like Consort Wu during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, and her talent and ambition show signs of emulating those of the ancient sages. Even more crucially, Consort Zhang has two sons: Li Zhao, who was only granted the title of Prince of Heung, and Li Dong, who was only granted the title of Prince of Jeong.

What? You're saying those two children are still young? You have to understand that when Emperor Gaozong deposed Li Zhong and installed Li Hong, the son of Empress Wu Zetian, as emperor, Li Hong was only four years old...

With Consort Wu's promotion to Empress Wu, Li Hong suddenly became the eldest son of the legitimate wife, surpassing even Crown Prince Li Zhong in status. If Consort Zhang were to become Empress Zhang, Li Zhao would also become the eldest son of the legitimate wife. Would Li Chu, the eldest son of a concubine, still have a place? Who knows if the past won't repeat itself today?

Furthermore, Li Chu hasn't even become the Crown Prince yet. Deposing the Crown Prince would cause a stir in the court and among the people, and the resistance would be immense; if he merely breaks a promise that hasn't yet been fulfilled and doesn't appoint a Crown Prince, the resistance would certainly be much less…

Li Chu had discussed countermeasures with his confidants, including Cui Youfu. Cui Youfu first explained that His Highness could not stop Consort Zhang from becoming Empress, and should not try to stop her. He then suggested taking the popular route, with officials submitting memorials stating that the Eastern Palace should not remain vacant for long and requesting Li Heng to quickly appoint Li Chu as Crown Prince.

This was certainly not a perfect solution. While the emperor had to respect the opinions of his officials, the selection of an heir was ultimately a family matter, and the emperor had the final say. Moreover, the court officials were not necessarily of one mind. Many, like Cui Yuan, had already sided with Li Fuguo, and some even secretly pledged their loyalty to Consort Zhang through Li Fuguo. It was just like when Wu Zetian plotted to become empress and Li Hong to become crown prince. The regents, such as Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang, all opposed it, but with the support of Xu Jingzong and others, it ultimately became a reality.

Therefore, Li Chu had been unable to eat or sleep properly for the past few days. Now, hearing Li Tan bring up the matter as well, and even directly comparing him to Li Zhong, his worries deepened. Knowing that his brother was always wise, he immediately grabbed Li Tan's hand and asked him, "What should we do? My good brother, do you have a brilliant plan to solve my predicament?"

Li Tan replied, "I have been pondering this for you for several days and have come up with some ideas, which I will present to you as soon as possible—first of all, you must establish the heir apparent as soon as possible..."

Once you are officially appointed as the Crown Prince, it will be much more difficult for Consort Zhang to have her son replace you; at least it will buy you time—if the Crown Prince is appointed and then deposed without cause within a year, even if Emperor Xu Jingzong were to be resurrected, it would be inconvenient to say such a thing.

"...When the ministers submitted a memorial, they pleaded with His Majesty to establish a crown prince as soon as possible, and that the one chosen must be the eldest among them, because the rebellion was not yet quelled and the national crisis was not yet over..."

Li Hong became crown prince at the age of four—in fact, Li Zhong was only ten years old when he was made crown prince—because the country was at peace, and Emperor Gaozong was still healthy and in his prime, so there were no taboos. Now it is different. There are rebels in the east and Tibetans in the west. Although the country is in danger, it has been restored to peace, and it has only just begun to improve. Therefore, it is certainly more prudent to appoint the older one as crown prince.

"Previously, the Emperor summoned my elder brother back to court and appointed my second elder brother (Prince Li Xi of Yue) as the commander-in-chief, intending to establish my elder brother as the crown prince. However, there has been no news for several months, which must be due to the interference of Consort Zhang..."

Li Chu, as the Grand Marshal, recaptured both capitals, enjoying unparalleled prestige. It's understandable that the old emperor, feeling he might pose a threat to his throne, would hastily recall him to court. The problem is, recalling him to Chang'an was one thing, but there was no need to hastily strip him of his marshalship. If he had remained in a position like the Li faction, or as many previous examples have shown, holding the post remotely, Li Chu wouldn't have been able to cause any real trouble. Why the insistence on stripping him of his marshalship? Clearly, it was a deliberate plan to make him crown prince, and a crown prince concurrently serving as marshal was unprecedented.

Li Chu had made the same assessment at the time, so he excitedly returned to Chang'an with Li Tan. He had no real desire for the position of marshal; the only goal worth striving for was becoming the crown prince. However, he was left at the residence of the Sixteenth Prince for several months without making any progress.

However, Li Tan said that if his father did not intend to make you the crown prince, he could easily find another excuse to release you, which would be tantamount to implying that you should give up the idea of ​​vying for the throne. He did not do so, which shows that he was still hesitant.

"Therefore, I request to be stationed in another region, firstly to provide assistance to my elder brother, and secondly to mislead Consort Zhang."

Li Tan hoped to be able to establish his own military command, which would make Li Fuguo and Consort Zhang somewhat hesitant to harm Li Chu. More importantly, he wanted to send the wrong signal to Consort Zhang, making her believe that Li Tan also harbored ambitions to become the heir apparent.

Ultimately, Li Chu was not Li Zhong. Not only was he an adult, but he also had a large number of sons and had made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. Consort Zhang wanted to get rid of Li Chu directly and put her own son on the throne. This was much more difficult than what Wu Zetian had done back then. This was also one of the reasons why Li Heng hesitated.

If Li Chu stands out from the crowd, with no one among his sons able to rival him, Consort Zhang would certainly not dare to make him the crown prince. Once he gains power and influence as crown prince, who can control him? But if we disregard Li Zhao and Li Tong, Li Chu's position as crown prince may not be secure either. Consort Zhang is shrewd and might not be in a hurry. She could tolerate Li Chu occupying the position for a few years and then participate in the struggle after her two sons have grown up—that way, her chances of winning would be greater.

As for Li Heng, he was also unwilling to appoint a strong crown prince – he himself was a weak crown prince, yet he was able to seize the throne amidst the chaos, let alone the unshakeable position of crown prince.

The couple had long suspected Li Tan of harboring ambitions to seize the throne. Originally, they had considered Li Chu's interests—though Consort Zhang might not have—and thus sought an opportunity to eliminate Li Tan. Now that Li Chu had become a threat, they might as well use Li Tan as a pawn to restrain him. In particular, Consort Zhang believed that if Li Tan could achieve merit outside the capital, he would definitely threaten the throne, and with two tigers fighting, her own son could easily take advantage of the situation.

"The Emperor appointed my second brother as Marshal, which is also intended to counterbalance my elder brother. This is not difficult to discern. Therefore, if I were to be appointed to a regional command, I would be assisting my elder brother, while pretending to restrain him. The Emperor would then have no further doubts, and Consort Zhang and others might not obstruct my elder brother's ascension to the position of Crown Prince. However, in this case, I would be in a position of suspicion. Therefore, I must first ask my elder brother—do you believe me or not?"

Li Chu hurriedly said, "Of course I trust my brother, however... there is probably no precedent for a prince to be stationed in a remote region..."

In fact, many princes and dukes in the Tang Dynasty served as military governors, but most of them held the position in name only. The few who did hold real power, such as Prince Guo Li Ju and Prince Wu Li Ke, were all from distant relatives and certainly did not pose any threat to the crown prince.

However, Li Tan laughed and said, "How can there be no precedent? Does my brother not think of his uncle, Prince Yong?"

He then said solemnly, “In the past, the Emperor Emeritus sent Prince Yong to govern Jingzhou and Xiangyang to restrain the Emperor. Given this precedent, I believe the Emperor would also like to send his foolish younger brother to restrain his elder brother!”

Many things, if there is no precedent, can easily be shut down with a single sentence, but if there is a precedent, there is room for maneuver—therefore, Li Longji's decision to assign military governorships to his sons (instead of having them lead remotely as before) was a very bad start. Li Tan is now going to use this bad precedent to plan for himself and Li Chu.

Li Chu remained silent in thought, while Li Tan advised, "If I were to govern a region outside the capital, I believe you would surely be promoted to Crown Prince. At that time, with the support of both the inner and outer courts, the Zhang family would be powerless. However, the premise of this plan is that you trust me. If you think I have ulterior motives, this plan will naturally be useless—just consider me drunk and saying some intoxicating things."

Li Chu repeated his previous statement: "How could I not trust my virtuous brother?" However, he refused to make a promise on the spot, only saying: "This matter is of great importance and needs further consideration—and if it is as my virtuous brother wishes, where do you plan to govern?"

Li Tan replied, “Now all the troops in the land are gathered in Dongjing (Kaifeng). Although my two elder brothers are marshals, Guo Ziyi is in real command, leading nine military governors, and will soon advance towards Hebei. As the King of Qi, how can I submit to Guo Ziyi?”

Actually, his original position in the Marshal's Mansion was lower than Guo Ziyi's. The problem was that back then, Li Chu was the Marshal, and he was close to the front lines. Li Tan following him was perfectly legitimate, assisting his elder brother, and it wasn't shameful at all. But now the Marshal is a member of the Li faction, residing in Chang'an, and is merely holding a nominal position. So, if Li Tan were to fall under the Li faction's command, what would be the point if he didn't leave Zhongjing? If he left Zhongjing for the front lines, wouldn't he still have to take orders from Guo Ziyi?

Even if Li Tan himself didn't care, would Guo Ziyi dare to assign a prince to do things? The old man himself would be so uncomfortable that he couldn't sleep.

"...Naturally, I cannot be appointed as the actual marshal. As for Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and Bashu, there is no war at present, so there is no need to send a prince to govern them. Only Longyou and Hexi are being harassed by the Tubo. Even if it is purely for the sake of the country, generals should be appointed to govern them. I would like to request to govern these two regions."

As for the four towns of Anxi or even Beiting, those are too far away. I'm not willing to go, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to help you much.

Li Chu pondered for a long time, still unable to make a decision. In the end, he agreed to Li Tan's request, saying, "Let me think about it some more—especially, how can I help you achieve this? It's impossible for me to speak up myself, as that would surely arouse suspicion from Consort Zhang and Li Fuguo, which would go against our original intentions."

Upon returning home, Li Chu consulted with his confidants. They initially objected, believing that Li Tan's departure to govern a region was undoubtedly an attempt to seize the throne. Li Chu repeatedly explained, "I trust my brother; he certainly has no such intention. Besides, if he wanted to seize the throne, he could have done it long ago. Back in Pengyuan, when he was in charge of the imperial guards, he had far more opportunities to meet with our father than I did. If he had acted swiftly, even Li Fuguo and Consort Zhang wouldn't have been able to stop him."

"Even if King Qi's plan is not truly for my benefit, it is merely an attempt to emulate Chong'er and Yiwu by fleeing abroad to avoid disaster. Do you think you can prevent me from becoming like Xi Qi and Zhuo Zi?"

Putting aside the concern that Li Tan intended to seize the throne, after careful discussion, the confidants unanimously agreed that the Prince of Qi's plan was feasible, but—"we must also devise a strategy to prevent him from becoming too powerful and ultimately causing trouble."

However, this matter must be carried out in secrecy. Not only must Your Highness Prince Cheng not speak out, but anyone considered a member of Prince Cheng's faction must also refrain from showing their face. Cheng Yuanzhen suggested sending someone to the two garrisons of Longyou and Hexi to instigate their generals to jointly submit a memorial, citing the rampant barbarian harassment as the reason, hoping that the court would quickly appoint a substantive military governor, and—preferably a prince, to gain the support of the people.

Otherwise, if a general is parachuted in temporarily, suspicion will arise from both superiors and subordinates, which will be detrimental to the war against the barbarians.

At the same time, he subtly hinted to Guo Ziyi that he should keep Wei Boyu, Guo Yingyi, Wang Sili, Ma Lin and other generals detained, saying that they would be indispensable in the future campaign to conquer Hebei.

That's all the Cheng family can do. As for which prince will be appointed to govern the region, that will depend on the efforts of Prince Qi himself.

Chapter 46, The Romantic Life in Pingkang

Prince Qi, Li Tan, was not merely a prince in name only—perhaps he was in the past, but after the twists and turns in Lingwu, Pengyuan, and Fengxiang, he had long since secretly cultivated his own power. He would not place all his hopes on the Cheng family's servants, and would naturally seek to achieve his own wishes through certain channels.

Therefore, shortly after Consort Zhang was promoted to Empress, news spread in the palace that Li Heng intended to appoint Prince Qi, Li Tan, as the military governor of Longyou and Hexi, and to transfer half of the Shence Army to accompany him on a westward expedition to defend against the barbarians.

This naturally drew many objections from court officials, but thanks to the secret instructions of the Cheng family, the resistance was much weaker than expected.

By the time Li Ji returned to Chang'an, Li Tan's departure to govern a region was essentially finalized, though the official edict had not yet been issued. Li Chu hoped that Li Tan would leave after he had officially become the Crown Prince; Li Tan understood this and considered it a matter of course.

That is why Li Tan didn't press or insist that Li Ji join his Qi household—after all, you can't escape, unless you want to follow Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en to suppress the rebels, and if you want to go west to defend against the barbarians, you'll eventually fall into my hands. Therefore, Li Chu ordered Cheng Yuanzhen to deliver Li Ji's "Strategy for Defending Against the Barbarians" to Li Tan for review.

Cui Youfu objected, saying that since Your Highness considers Li Ji to be both wise and brave, and that Li Changyuan is backing him, then you shouldn't just hand him over to the Qi family—we still need to maintain a certain level of vigilance towards the Prince of Qi. Li Chu said it was alright, let Li Ji go to the western front to make some contributions first, and then he can be summoned back to the capital for greater use.

Otherwise, if he stays in Chang'an, he'll easily become a target of Li Fuguo and his ilk—and if it involves me, it will be even more troublesome—even if he manages to stay alive, given his resume, he has no military achievements and won't get promoted, so what use is a lowly official to me? Just because he's in the palace giving advice? I already have you all, why would I need another one to chime in?