A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Steward, what position is An Lushan seeking?"

Li Linfu asked the steward with great interest.

The steward respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, An Lushan is seeking the position of Military Governor of Pinglu."

"The military governor of Pinglu? That's a good eye, but the Pinglu army?!"

Li Linfu frowned slightly. The Pinglu Army was one of the most elite troops in the Tang Dynasty. He was preparing to dismantle the Pinglu Army to prevent its commander from threatening his position.

In addition to sending Li Linfu a generous gift, An Lushan also prepared a small but valuable gift for Li Linfu's steward.

In consideration of this generous gift, the steward didn't mind saying some good words for An Lushan.

"Prime Minister, after the Pinglu Army was split up, the military strength on the frontier of the Tang Dynasty has weakened. If any mistakes are made, it will certainly affect the Prime Minister's position in His Majesty's eyes."

"An Lushan is a general from a non-Han ethnic group, and his ancestors were naturalized people. This is exactly what the Prime Minister wants. Making him the military governor of Pinglu is the most suitable option. Even if he becomes too powerful, he will not be able to threaten the Prime Minister's position."

Li Linfu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, realizing that what the steward said made sense.

"Tell me, how much did you receive in bribes from An Lushan?"

Li Linfu laughed.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from the Prime Minister. It's not much, it's not much. Your share will definitely be delivered to you on time."

The butler chuckled obsequiously, saying that he had also made a fortune by taking advantage of Li Linfu's position as his butler.

However, his smartest point was that he would return a portion of his earnings to Li Linfu, which is why he was able to remain Li Linfu's steward for so long.

Li Linfu nodded in satisfaction, "Since An Lushan is so sincere, he has good judgment. Then we agree."

The next day, the imperial decree appointing An Lushan as the military governor of Pinglu was issued, and from that moment on, An Lushan's rise to power became unstoppable.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

"An Lushan is a naturalized citizen; how can he be entrusted with such an important task!"

At Li Bai's residence, Gao Shi was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. He had always been fond of the frontier and had great respect for the famous ministers and generals who guarded the border in history.

He also wrote many frontier poems describing the scenery of the border regions, while diligently practicing his family's traditional spear technique, preparing to join the army if he failed the imperial examinations.

Of all the people, he found it most difficult to accept that An Lushan had become a military governor in charge of a region of the Tang Dynasty.

Others were also indignant, but what they felt most was that An Lushan was able to rise to a high position simply by bribing Li Linfu, and that he disregarded the laws and regulations of the court!

Where are the laws and regulations of the imperial court? Has Li Linfu already gained absolute power in the court?!

"Official positions throughout the land can actually be bought and sold with money! How is this any different from Emperor Ling of Han selling official posts and titles?"

"The military governor governs several prefectures, commands tens of thousands of soldiers, and holds absolute power over civil administration, finance, and military affairs—what an immense responsibility!"

"If one can obtain something solely through bribery, without regard for military merit or moral character, where is the discipline and order of the state?"

Du Fu was so angry that he opened his robe, picked up the wine jar, drank it down in one gulp, and then slammed it down.

Among the group, Cen Shen was the most knowledgeable about the border affairs. He frowned, more concerned about the threat posed by An Lushan than anything else.

"It is widely rumored in the border regions that An Lushan was a cruel and capricious man, extremely bloodthirsty on the battlefield, and even secretly learned the language of the ancient nomadic tribes, with great ambitions."

"Now that he has bribed Li Linfu to become the military governor of Pinglu, he will surely become a major threat to the Tang Dynasty in the future, and the Tang borders will probably never have peace."

"Moreover, border generals have always been promoted based on merit, with the incompetent being demoted. All official positions require military achievements as proof, and the court conducts extensive assessments of their loyalty before appointing them."

"An Lushan rose to the position of border governor through bribery, setting a very bad precedent for others."

"I'm afraid that in the future, the generals on the border will no longer fight bravely, but will try every means to embezzle, accept bribes and plunder money to bribe Li Linfu."

"The border defenses are lax and in grave danger."

Wang Wei appeared the most relaxed among the crowd. Having lived in Luoyang for a long time and having also entered officialdom, he was already accustomed to the dark side of officialdom.

Influenced by the crowd, he couldn't help but recall his own journey to seek an official position.

Wang Wei became famous at a young age; he could compose poetry when he was only nine years old.

At the age of fifteen, he traveled to Chang'an and Luoyang with his younger brother Wang Jin to study. He frequented the residences of Prince Ning and Prince Qi, and powerful figures vied to befriend him.

At the age of seventeen, he created the world-famous poem "Remembering My Brothers in Shandong on the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month".

He later gained the favor of powerful figures and won the appreciation of Princess Yuzhen with his pipa piece "Yulunpao". In the same year, he passed the imperial examination and entered the court.

After entering the imperial court, he experienced many twists and turns, and finally realized that the imperial court was not as good as he had imagined.

His youthful spirit had been worn away, and he began to find solace in nature.

After his term ended, he resigned and traveled all over the country, writing one magnificent poem after another.

Love and Longing

Red beans grow in the south; how many branches will sprout in spring?

I wish you would gather more of this, for it is the most evocative of longing.

Envoy to the Frontier

A lone rider seeks the border, passing through the vassal state of Juyan.

Like a tumbleweed drifting beyond the Han border, or a wild goose returning to the land of the barbarians.

The desert is solitary and straight, and the long river falls into the sun.

I met a scout at Xiaoguan Pass; the Protector-General was at Yanran.

Both of these famous poems were written during this period.

"Brother Taibai, what do you think?"

Everyone looked at Li Bai. In terms of status and position, Li Bai was second to none among those present.

They dared not imagine that Li Bai had the ability to bring down Li Linfu, but given Li Bai's status, he should know more inside information than they did.

"A few years ago, Li Linfu submitted a memorial to His Majesty, proposing to appoint Sinicized generals to guard the border, in order to prevent the border generals from becoming too powerful and threatening the imperial authority."

"I just didn't expect Li Linfu to turn this matter into a business deal. I've heard that recently many envoys from border generals have come to Luoyang, each carrying large chests of treasure. Their purpose is self-evident."

"Since the death of Prince Ning, the imperial clan has been powerless to resist Li Linfu. Now that Li Linfu has seized power, this is also a test by Li Linfu to find out those officials in the court who still dare to oppose him."

"The imperial court is a mess because of people like these."

"When I enter the court, I will surely restore order and justice to the nation!"

Li Bai said in a deep voice.

"Brother Taibai, be careful with your words."

Wang Wei exclaimed in shock, "In the imperial court, Li Linfu wields great power and enjoys the Emperor's utmost trust."

"Bringing him down is easier said than done."

"It's not difficult."

Li Bai confidently asked, "Do you gentlemen know who my teacher is?"