Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

Chapter 82 The Three Routes of Qingzhou County Eliminate Corrupt Officials; A Single Word That Bewitches the Emperor Moves His Face

Upon hearing Wei Shi'an refer to himself as an "official appointed by the Ministry of Personnel," Li Cenji maintained his cold smile, stood with his hands behind his back before his desk, and slowly spoke: "Magistrate Wei, are you unaware that this early spring, due to the disruption of roads and delays by the Ministry of Personnel, the court granted regional military commanders the authority to act expediently, even using imperial edicts to dismiss officials? With this edict issued throughout the land, regional commanders can appoint their own officials to handle urgent matters without waiting for approval from Chang'an. The Emperor is currently in Chengdu, and the roads to Shu are treacherous. Why should officials in this region wait for an imperial decree from Chang'an? I will dismiss you today, and later submit a memorial to the court. If the court has any questions, I will have my answer. You are merely a county magistrate; do you expect the court to stand up for a corrupt official like yourself? Have you not heard that 'the local official is more powerful than the county magistrate'? The 'local official' is me!"

Upon hearing the words "imperial edict to remove officials," Wei Shi'an felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.

He suddenly remembered that when the emperor was on the move last year, Tian Lingzi petitioned the emperor to allow the military governors of the various towns to act as they saw fit and to appoint and dismiss their own officials, citing the reason that "the roads are cut off and the king's orders are difficult to convey".

At that time, no one in the court dared to object. Once this edict was issued, it was tantamount to transferring all power over local personnel to the military governor.

Wei Shi'an didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking it was just a temporary measure that would be withdrawn once the war was over.

Who would have thought that today the word "expedient" would become a sharp blade hanging over his head?

"This was merely a wartime expedient; now that Huang Chao has been defeated, how can we—"

Wei Shian still wanted to defend himself.

Li Cenji replied, "Huang Chao has been quelled, but the imperial edict has not yet been revoked. The position of military commander should be reserved for his successor, who can then act as he sees fit!"

Wei Shi'an's lips moved a few times, and with a "gurgle" in his throat, he couldn't utter another harsh word.

Li Cenji's act of throwing the book in his face was already an act of rage. If he were truly pushed to the limit, even if he were beaten to death right here in the hall, there's no guarantee anyone would stand up for him.

Thinking of this, Wei Shi'an's legs began to tremble like a leaf, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his face, which had just been covered in blood from his nose, was now ashen.

He dared not meet Li Cenji's gaze again, dejectedly lowered his head, took half a step back, and shrank back into the column, fearing that if he said another word, he would be killed.

Seeing that he had yielded, Li Cenji softened his tone, returned to his desk, brushed off imaginary dust from his robes, and surveyed the officials below. His voice, though not loud, was as resonant as a bell: "Since that's the case, please wait patiently. I have already dispatched officers to each department to check the accounts and inventory the treasuries. Once the figures are available, we will settle accounts one by one. Anyone found guilty of serious crimes—embezzlement, misappropriation of relief funds, or forcing people into theft—will be dragged to the execution ground and publicly executed." His family will be exiled to the horse farm in Longzhou to serve in the army, never to return to their hometown. If the amount of embezzlement is less than a major offense, but still considered incorrigible, he will be brought back to the yamen in shackles. If he diligently performs his duties and makes amends, his sentence will be reduced by one degree once sufficient officials are appointed, and he will only need to serve a few years in prison to be released. If the offense is minor, merely involving minor illicit activities, he will be brought back to the yamen in shackles, his embezzled funds will be confiscated, he will be dismissed from his post and never to be employed again. You should weigh the consequences yourselves.”

After saying that, he added, "If anyone is willing to report their colleagues or confess their crimes at this moment, they can be given a lighter sentence, with their punishment reduced by one degree."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with unease.

Those clerks who had been cowering in the corner just moments before now acted as if they had received a pardon, pushing and shoving each other, eager to speak: "Your Excellency, I must report this!" "Your Excellency, please allow me to confess my crimes!"

They stole glances at each other, their eyes full of calculation, wishing they could spill all the blame on others in order to save their own lives.

Wei Shi'an's heart sank suddenly.

He glanced back and saw that the most corrupt officials were secretly giving him meaningful glances.

It was immediately clear that these people were also beginning to waver as the minor officials spoke up.

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and gave the chief clerk behind him a meaningful look.

The registrar, named Zhou Jiliang, was a mature and prudent man. He understood the hint immediately.

He glanced at Li Cenji, then turned to the clerks and winked, shouting, "Don't panic! As long as everyone stays silent, he won't be able to find anyone to fill our positions anytime soon. Thousands of refugees in the city are starving; what can he do? Is he going to send those soldiers to fill the vacancies in the household registration and land management departments?"

Li Cenji was holding a teacup and looking down at the floating leaves in the tea soup when he heard this, and the corner of his mouth suddenly curled up.

He gently placed the teacup back on the table, stood up, and walked to a soldier on the side of the hall. With a swift movement of his right hand, he drew the sword from the soldier's waist. The sword flashed coldly like a bolt of lightning, dazzlingly white in the light of the hall.

Zhou Jiliang was still trying to calm everyone down when he suddenly saw a dark shadow flash before his eyes. When he looked up, Li Cenji was already in front of him.

Before he could even scream, Li Cenji's left hand reached out, his five fingers gripping the top of his head like iron clamps, pulling it down sharply and then lifting it up again.

Zhou Jiliang winced in pain, his whole body involuntarily leaning back, his neck taut and his Adam's apple protruding, the skin of his throat dazzlingly white under the lamplight.

Li Cenji's right-hand sword was already upon him.

The blade sliced ​​across the throat, like a spring stream cutting through ice.

A thin, long gash appeared in his throat, and blood gushed out like a spring, splashing onto half of Li Cenji's sleeve and onto the faces and clothes of several clerks nearby.

The officials who had been whispering amongst themselves were caught off guard and had their faces splattered with warm blood.

Some screamed in surprise, some froze and staggered back several steps, and some raised their hands to wipe the blood off their faces, only to find their hands were covered in red blood. Their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground.

Zhou Jiliang's eyes widened, and he and his chair tumbled to the ground. His limbs twitched a few times, like a fish thrown onto a riverbank, before finally coming to a stop.

The hall was deathly silent.

No one dared to make a sound, no one dared to move, and even breathing seemed to be choked.

The seven or eight clerks standing behind Zhou Jiliang had their faces and clothes stained with the blood of their colleagues. Some were ashen-faced, some had trembling lips and couldn't speak, and some covered their mouths, making suppressed gagging sounds.

Li Cenji didn't look at the still slightly twitching corpse on the ground. Instead, he turned around, his gaze falling on Wei Shi'an, and slowly walked towards him.

Wei Shi'an froze, his legs rooted to the spot, unable to retreat or kneel down.

I felt a chill run up my spine and up to the top of my head, and my whole body felt cold.

Li Cenji stopped in front of him, reached out and grabbed Wei Shi'an's front, wiping the bloodstains from the horizontal sword on his brand-new blue official robe.

Wei Shi'an was stiff all over, not daring to move an inch, not even daring to move his eyes. He could clearly feel the cold touch of the blade brushing against his clothes, even through the fabric.

Li Cenji paid no attention to his feelings. After wiping the knife, he let go and returned the horizontal sword to the yak's sheath with a "clang".

He walked back behind the desk, sat down, picked up the cup of tea that hadn't cooled down, took a sip, and acted as if nothing had happened.

"Now, does anyone else want to speak?"

No one answered from inside the hall.

A moment later, someone spoke first, and then everyone chimed in, vying to speak.

"Leave it to me! I am willing to atone for my crime with meritorious service! I know how much land reclamation funds Hu Yuanqing, the Registrar of Households, has embezzled!"

"Please keep this in mind! So-and-so has exposed Sun Lu, a clerk under the jurisdiction of Tian Cao, for falsely reporting the number of displaced people! The list is hidden in a secret compartment in his study."

"A report has been filed alleging that Liu Wenli, the official in charge of land management, forged 37 land deeds!"

"So-and-so also reported a "6"

In an instant, the hall was like a beehive in an uproar, buzzing with activity.

My colleagues, who were just sitting together and exchanging toasts, have turned on me faster than turning the pages of a book.

They jostled and pushed forward, eager to reveal the ancestors of others, hoping to save their own lives.

Wei Shi'an stood there, his face ashen, his whole body as if immersed in ice water.

He could hear his former subordinates, who used to respectfully call him "Prefect," now vying to accuse him of his crimes.

Some even brought up the story of how he secretly accepted two bolts of silk from a wealthy family three years ago to help the family acquire more land, recounting it in great detail.

His lips moved a few times, but he ultimately said nothing.

He simply closed his eyes slowly, let out a long sigh, and slumped into the chair behind him as if his spine had been removed.

Li Cenji waved his hand, signaling the several military officers waiting on the side of the hall to come forward.

"Write them all down, and we'll go through them one by one. There's no rush."

He slowly picked up the teacup, blew away the foam on the surface, took a sip, and remained calm.

The officers each took out pens, ink, and books, and went off to find the scribes and clerks who had spoken first, beginning to record their statements one by one.

After a period of noise, the hall gradually quieted down, leaving only the scratching of paper and pens and the occasional whispered questions.

Li Cenji sat in the main seat, slowly sipping his tea. Occasionally, he would raise his head and glance at the ashen faces below, his eyes showing neither pride nor pity, only a bottomless coldness.

However, auditing the accounts was not something that could be accomplished in a day.

Although Li Cenji killed someone and established his authority in court, it was not something that could be accomplished overnight to thoroughly check all the accounts in Yong County from Zheng Tian's departure to the present.

He selected about a hundred capable and quick-witted officers from among the soldiers, divided them into three shifts, and worked in shifts day and night. The candles burned all night, and the account books were piled up higher than a person.

Those military officers were literate and skilled in arithmetic. They turned the pages one by one and checked each item one by one. Whenever they found a discrepancy, they would list it separately and immediately send someone to the military governor's office to interrogate the person in charge.

It took three whole days of investigation to roughly clear up the accounts of Yong County for the past five years.

During this period, officials were interrogated one after another. Some confessed with tears streaming down their faces, while others gritted their teeth and stubbornly resisted. However, after only three or five rounds of questioning, they were exposed by the military officers and had no choice but to bow their heads and confess.

But Li Cenji was not satisfied with this.

He had intended to investigate a few more years further to dig deeper into the roots of these people's corruption, but he was afraid that the news would leak out and alert the surrounding counties.

Although we have kept these officials and their relatives under close watch, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

So he immediately made the decision: "Stop investigating! Let's stop here. If we continue, the big rats from the neighboring counties will escape."

Li Cenji immediately ordered his men to compare the accounts uncovered over the past three days with the testimonies of the people, and to compile a list of charges based on their severity.

Ultimately, three people were convicted of serious crimes:

County Magistrate Wei Shi'an, County Assistant Tang Jiye, and Zhou Jiliang, the registrar whose throat had been slit by Li Cenji in court.

However, since Zhou Jiliang had already been executed, no further punishment was given; instead, his family was exiled to a horse farm in Longzhou to serve in the army.

The remaining twenty-three criminals were all officials, clerks, and registrars from various departments. They either intercepted relief grain, falsely reported wasteland, or forged land deeds, and each had their own evidence.

The others, whether followers or first-time offenders, were all charged with minor offenses. After being put in shackles to perform their duties, they were simply dismissed from their posts and never to be employed again.

This result was somewhat unexpected for Li Cenji.

He originally thought that those officials must be deeply corrupt and embezzling, but after investigating, the largest amount was only a few hundred strings of cash, which was nothing compared to the tens of thousands of strings of cash embezzled by corrupt officials in later generations.

It is likely that since the military governor is usually in charge of Yong County, these guys don't dare to openly embezzle. In addition, Fengxiang is not a wealthy place, and there is limited profit to be made. Even if these people wanted to embezzle, there would be nowhere for them to do so.

Even so, Li Cenji would absolutely not tolerate it.

After determining the charges, Li Cenji immediately ordered people to copy the charges and announce them to the whole city with gongs and drums. He set the execution of County Magistrate Wei Shi'an and County Assistant Tang Jiye at Caishikou in Yong County the next day at noon.

The news caused an uproar throughout the city.

The people spread the news excitedly: "The acting governor is going to kill corrupt officials!" "Magistrate Wei has been arrested!" "That county clerk, Tang Jiye, is also going to be beheaded!"

The streets and alleys were abuzz with discussion. Some clapped and cheered, some were skeptical, and some huddled behind their doors, too afraid to utter a sound.

The next day at noon, Caishikou was indeed surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

The execution platform was a temporary structure, only about ten feet square, with neatly laid wooden planks. Two wooden stakes stood in front of the platform, and an executioner with a knife stood beside each stake.

Li Cenji sat upright to the side of the platform, still wearing the same black round-necked robe, his face calm and serene.

When the time came, he picked up the written indictment from the table, stood up, faced the sea of ​​heads below, and read it aloud.

He read very slowly, using plain language throughout, and every word was clear and distinct.

The case details how Wei Shi'an embezzled land reclamation funds, how he condoned his subordinates mixing sand into relief grain, how he forged land deeds, and how he misappropriated the rations of displaced people—each and every one of these cases is documented with evidence.

At first, the crowd below the stage was noisy, but gradually they quieted down, and some even began to sob softly.

Those refugees whose grain had been withheld and who had been relegated to rocky huts, those who had suffered humiliation in the past, now stood in the crowd, listening to their suffering being read aloud by this young heir. Some of them, overcome with emotion, could no longer hold back and squatted down, covering their faces.

After the charges were read aloud, Li Cenji threw the document onto the table and declared loudly, "These two men will be executed today as a warning to others! All officials of Fengxiang should take this as a cautionary tale!"

Having said that, he raised his hand and waved it. The executioner stepped forward, and with a flash of the blade, two heads fell to the ground one after the other, rolling off the execution platform and being caught by the soldiers below with winnowing baskets.

Blood splattered on the wooden board, spreading into two dark red pools.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by a deafening cheer.

"Let justice prevail!"

Someone shouted first, and then more people joined in, their voices merging into a vast ocean that echoed over the market.

The cheers rose in waves, almost lifting the roof off the market.

Some people even knelt down and kowtowed to Li Cenji, who was facing the crowd on the stage.

Wei Shi'an's head was displayed on the flagpole. His face, which usually carried a mix of composure and arrogance, now had wide-open eyes and a slightly agape mouth, as if he couldn't believe that this young man would actually dare to kill him, even in death.

Tang Jiye's head was hanging to the side, his face pale and his mouth twisted with fear.

The people gathered around the flagpole, pointing and whispering. Some spat at the head, some picked up stones to throw at it, and some clapped their hands and said, "Serves him right."

Li Cenji sat on the stage, watching this scene with no expression on his face.

He knew in his heart that the cheers, though enthusiastic, were as fragile as morning dew.

The people are cheering for him today because he killed two corrupt officials on their behalf.

But if he fails to govern Fengxiang well tomorrow and the people continue to suffer from hunger and cold, then the cheers will vanish without a trace.

It is difficult to win the hearts of the people, but easy to lose them.

He always kept this in mind.

As the cheers subsided, Li Cenji stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, and announced loudly, "Fellow elders, today's matter is settled. I have a few more words to say: The relief grain that was withheld and the land reclamation funds that were embezzled have been re-verified and re-registered, and will be distributed to each household in a few days. As for the displaced people who were previously allocated rocky wastelands and barren land due to corrupt officials, please do not worry. I have ordered the land to be re-measured, and the land will be redistributed within five days. If there are any grievances that have not been addressed, you may go to the county government office to beat the drum and appeal for justice. I will personally hear your case."

The crowd below cheered again, with some shouting, "The heir is benevolent! The heir is just!"

Li Cenji nodded, said no more, turned around and stepped down from the execution platform, mounted his horse, and returned to the military governor's mansion surrounded by his guards.

In the days that followed, Yong County was completely transformed.

Li Cenji did not intend to create a new position for the three vacant county magistrates.

When Zheng Tian was in power, the position of Prefect of Fengxiang was concurrently held by the Military Governor. Now, it is being held by Li Cenji, who is also acting as the Prefect of Yong County.

The position of registrar will be filled by Shen Yifang. He has never been involved in embezzlement and was the first to report it at a critical moment, which shows that he is upright. We will just have to use him for a while to see how capable he is.

As for the position of county magistrate, Li Cenji selected a temporary replacement from among Zheng Tian's old advisors. This was none other than Lu Zanli, who had been in charge of the ceremony when Li Cenji became an apprentice. However, he should now be referred to as County Magistrate Lu.

After taking over the positions of county magistrate and registrar, the two worked diligently and tirelessly, sorting out the backlog of official documents one by one.

Those corrupt officials who were forced to work in shackles saw that Li Cenji truly meant what he said and that as long as they did their best, their sentences could be reduced. So they abandoned any侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that they could get away with something), and honestly buried themselves in their work, no longer daring to play any tricks.

Li Cenji personally oversaw the resettlement of displaced people.

He ordered people to remeasure the wasteland around Yong County and redistribute arable land to the more than one hundred displaced people who had been relocated to Shitouwozi due to the corruption of officials.

He also ordered that grain seeds, farm tools, and oxen be allocated from the government treasury and distributed to each household in the form of a lease, with no rent or interest charged for the first three years, to be repaid after the harvest.

Those refugees had already given up hope, thinking they would only wait to die in their rocky huts for the rest of their lives, but unexpectedly, Ji Cenji personally intervened.

Reassign.

When the news spread, the refugee camp was filled with jubilation.

Some people knelt on the edge of the field, holding the newly allocated soil in their hands, tears streaming down their faces.

Someone worked through the night to make a wooden plaque with the words "Li Liuhou's life-saving grace" crookedly carved on it, and placed it on their table, burning incense and bowing to it every day.

When the news spread to the surrounding counties, the people who had been waiting and watching were all moved when they heard that Li Cenji was punishing corrupt officials, redistributing land, renting out oxen, and exempting them from grain and reducing taxes in Yong County.

Some people packed their bags overnight and rushed towards Yong County with their families.

The military officers who went to check the accounts in various counties encountered groups of refugees along the way, carrying bundles and driving donkey carts, heading towards Yong County.

When Sun Chu was inspecting accounts in Guo County, the local people heard that he was sent by Li Cenji, and dozens of them spontaneously came to testify and expose the corrupt practices of the county officials.

Sun Chu was deeply moved and said to the military officer beside him, "Although Li Liuhou has only recently taken charge of Fengxiang, his reputation has already deeply penetrated the hearts of the people. What we see today is enough to show the people's trust in him."

Wang Chu in Baoji and Zhao Zhang in Purun encountered similar situations.

Even so, investigating all the counties was extremely difficult.

The territory comprises eight counties in Qizhou and three counties in Longzhou. Excluding the seat of Yong County, it consists of ten counties, which is neither particularly large nor small.

The mountain roads were rugged and the post roads were difficult to travel. Upon arriving at each county, all the officials in the county had to be summoned first, and then they had to inspect the warehouses, check the accounts, and interrogate the clerks separately. Each of these tasks was time-consuming and laborious.

Moreover, those counties farther away from Yong County had already gotten wind of the situation and either destroyed the records and evidence, colluded with each other, or simply burned all the documents they had handled, leaving only a clean new booklet for investigation.

The new booklet was filled with clear entries, the numbers were neat and accurate, as if there had never been any embezzlement.

Wang Chu first encountered this situation in Purun County, west of Qishan.

At that time, he led the military officers into the county government office to review the records of land tax, household registration, and granary from the past three years. The granary official slowly brought out three thin booklets with brand-new covers and still-wet ink, indicating that they had been copied not long ago.

When Wang Chu opened it, he found that the entries were complete and the numbers were neat, and he could not find a single mistake or omission.

He remained calm and did not make a scene. He simply ordered his officers to check the items in the warehouse one by one, and secretly visited the people in the city to inquire about the actual situation of taxes and corvée labor over the years.

After several days of investigation, the truth was finally extracted from a dismissed veteran official:

It turned out that the magistrate had heard word from Yong County and burned all the old accounts overnight, then ordered someone to make a clean copy to deal with the inspection.

Having obtained the evidence, Wang Chu immediately arrested the county magistrate and the granary official, and following the confessions, implicated six or seven other people, including the county clerk and the registrar, bringing them all to justice. Only then was the accounts of Purun County finally sorted out.

However, this meant that it took more than half a month just to get to this one county.

In this way, the three groups of people used their unique skills to investigate the accounts, visit the people, persuade the village head to defect, or interrogate the clerks, and finally dragged out those corrupt officials who thought they were infallible.

However, the further away the investigation went, the greater the difficulty and the longer it took. Just like what happened to Wang Chu, the farther away those counties were from Yong County, the earlier the news spread and the more thorough the preparations were.

In some counties, officials at all levels of the government office were even in cahoots, and each of them remained tight-lipped, so no matter how you asked them, you couldn't get a single word out of them.

In such a situation, one can only start from the details. As long as there is a loophole, one can follow the clues and implicate a whole series of people.

It's considered fast to investigate a county in a month. If you encounter those who collude and refuse to talk, it often takes forty or fifty days to pry open a crack in the wall.

While the administration in Fengxiang was becoming more efficient and the people were finding peace, a completely different scene was unfolding in the Chengdu Imperial Palace, a thousand miles away.

The Chengdu Palace was originally the former residence of the Shu King of the previous dynasty. Although it was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters and lush flowers and trees, compared with Chang'an, it was like a quail compared to a phoenix, extremely shabby and improper.

Emperor Li Xuan fled to Sichuan at the end of last year and has been living in Chengdu for nearly a year by July of this year, the second year of Guangming.

This young emperor grew up in the deep palace, accustomed to fine clothes and delicacies, cockfighting and horse racing, and was extremely unaccustomed to the humid and hot climate of Shu.

Moreover, the temporary palace was not as grand and bright as the Daming Palace in Chang'an. The courtyard was cramped and the corridors were winding, making it difficult to even ride horses or shoot arrows.

Fortunately, there was a polo field in Chengdu, which was an old structure from the previous dynasty. Although it was not as spacious as the one in the Chang'an Imperial Palace, it was still large enough to accommodate several riders.

Li Xuan often took the strong soldiers from the Shence Army there to play polo for fun, sometimes for most of the day, which helped to relieve some of the boredom of being in a foreign land.

On this day, the autumn sky was clear and the air was crisp. Banners fluttered at the polo field outside the Chengdu Imperial Palace.

Li Xuan was riding a snow-white steed, holding a moon staff, charging left and right across the arena.

He was only twenty years old and had not yet grown to his full height, but he sat upright on horseback, and his eyes were bright and full of the spirit unique to young people.

The generals accompanying the emperor were skilled fighters from the Shence Army. They were ordered to keep the emperor entertained, so how could they dare to actually compete with him?

Whenever Li Xuan swung his staff to hit the ball, they would pretend to be unable to catch up, allowing the emperor to easily send the ball into the goal.

After several rounds, Li Xuan achieved the highest score in all three categories, winning cheers from the crowd. His face flushed with pride, he reined in his horse and laughed loudly, "That was exhilarating! That was exhilarating! Much more interesting than spending all day cooped up in the palace reading memorials!"

After saying this, he dismounted and was about to return to the palace to change his clothes when he looked up and saw a person standing under a pillar by the ball field.

Wearing a yellow robe and jade belt, with a fair complexion and no beard, he was none other than Tian Lingzi, the Left General of the Golden Guard, the Judge of the Four Guards, and the Duke of Jin.

Although this man was a eunuch, he was tall and broad-shouldered with narrow eyes. At this moment, he stood bowing under the corridor with a smile on his face, holding a plain handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

Seeing the emperor approaching, he quickly stepped forward, presented the white handkerchief with both hands, and said, "Your Majesty won a great victory in polo today and is overjoyed. I, as a subject, am also honored to have witnessed this."

, 7

Li Xuan took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow, then casually tossed it to the attendant beside him, smiling as he asked, "Father, you've come at the perfect time. I have something to ask you. Have the preparations for moving the luggage been completed? I'd like to set off for the capital as soon as possible. The weather in Chengdu is unbearably muggy, unlike the crisp autumn air of Chang'an. Even the breeze in front of Hanyuan Hall is refreshing. Staying in the temporary palace all day is so stifling."

Upon hearing this, Tian Lingzi's smile remained unchanged as he bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I have already ordered that the carriages, ceremonial guards, and the boats and carriages for the accompanying civil and military officials be arranged. However, we must wait for the supplies sent by Prime Minister Zheng to be in place before we can set off. After all, the journey from Shu to Qin is arduous and the mountain roads are rugged. I dare not let Your Majesty suffer even a day of shortage."

Li Xuan nodded and walked towards the temporary palace, saying as he went, "That old prime minister Zheng Tian is quite reliable. I initially appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the four armies surrounding the capital simply because there was no one else available in the court, so I gave him a try. I never expected that he would set out in March and recapture Chang'an and behead Huang Chao in May—this speed is comparable to Li Weigong during Emperor Taizong's reign! If we had listened to him earlier, how could Huang Chao have entered Chang'an? I read his report the other day, and the more I read, the more I felt that this man truly deserves to be called a meritorious official."

A loyal and virtuous minister. Upon his return to the capital, I will certainly reward him handsomely.

Tian Lingzi followed behind Li Xuan, and when he heard the words "loyal and virtuous minister," the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

He quickened his pace, lowering his voice but still maintaining a degree of respect: "Your Majesty is wise. Prime Minister Zheng's recapture of the capital and capture of Huang Chao are meritorious deeds beyond measure. How could I dare to have any objections? But—how could Your Majesty have forgotten about Peng Jingrou?"

Li Xuan paused in his movements, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

Peng Jingrou.

He naturally remembered the name.

When Zheng Tian was leading troops in Fengxiang, the emperor was worried and sent Peng Jingrou to supervise him.

Later, Huang Chao sent an envoy to Fengxiang to persuade Peng Jingrou to surrender. Peng Jingrou actually made peace with the envoy and was captured in public by Li Cenji, who was then a captain, and escorted to Xingyuan Camp.

At that time, Li Xuan believed that Peng Jingrou must have been a traitor and was about to issue an order to execute him. However, when Peng Jingrou arrived at the camp, he changed his story in court and tearfully claimed that he was not a traitor. He said that he had no choice but to pretend to be friendly with Huang Chao's envoy in order to buy time for the court, since Zheng Tian had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed, unable to speak or move his hands, and the Fengxiang army was leaderless.

He said, "If that reckless Li Cenji hadn't seized me without distinguishing right from wrong, and if my delaying tactic had succeeded, Huang Chao might not have dared to rashly advance westward, and Prime Minister Zheng might not have been able to recover so calmly on his sickbed. I have been wronged!"

At that time, Tian Lingzi also spoke up, saying, "When Prime Minister Zheng suffered a stroke and became paralyzed and unable to speak, he recovered his mobility in just over a month and was able to lead troops into battle and command various towns. This speed of recovery is a bit too fast. Your Majesty should think that Prime Minister Zheng was deliberately pretending to be paralyzed and unable to get up."

"By using Peng Jingrou as a intermediary to negotiate with Huang Chao's envoy, and then having Li Cenji arrest Peng Jingrou—in this way, both the emperor's eyes and ears will be removed, and the generals under his command will be united—Your Majesty, how dare I speak ill of Minister Zheng? However, this matter is of great importance, and I dare not remain silent."

Li Xuan was somewhat skeptical at the time, but with the war raging and Zheng Tian fighting Huang Chao on the front lines, he couldn't delve too deeply into the matter.

At this moment, Tian Lingzi brought up the old matter again, and the thorn in his heart was touched once more.

"Have you found any evidence these days, Father?"

Where could Tian Lingzi find any evidence? It's just baseless speculation.

So he said, "This old servant just feels that this matter is too much of a coincidence. Zheng Tian fell ill, which conveniently led to the departure of the military supervisor sent by His Majesty; he took in Li Cenji as his disciple, and coincidentally, this disciple turned out to be an unparalleled general who slew Shang Rang, killed Huang Chao, and recaptured Chang'an. All the credit went to his disciple, and he helped Li Cenji become the military governor of Fengxiang and Longyou. You should know that once you become the military governor, you can command the troops of Fengxiang and Longyou alone. If you call these events coincidences, they are too much of a coincidence."

Li Xuan remained silent for a moment; the exhilarating feeling he had just experienced from playing polo had largely dissipated.

He recalled Peng Jingrou's pale face when he was brought in, and how he tearfully argued in court, "I was acting in the best interests of the court."

A sudden, inexplicable irritation welled up within him: "Zheng Tian did, after all, recapture Chang'an and kill Huang Chao; this is an unparalleled achievement—"

Tian Lingzi interjected, "Your Majesty is right. But that's precisely why we must be even more vigilant."

He took another half step forward, his voice so low that only Li Xuan could hear it, "Your Majesty, think about it. If Zheng Tian and his disciple Li Cenji, one in the court and the other in the field, were to work together from within and without, would the tens of thousands of elite troops in Fengxiang and Longyou truly be the court's troops, or the Zheng family's troops?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan's face lost all trace of a smile.

He stood with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the courtyard a few times, then suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice, "I understand."

Seeing this, Tian Lingzi stopped talking and didn't say anything more. He simply bowed, took a step back, and stood with his hands at his sides.

Li Xuan paced a few more steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "I remember Li Cenji was originally a captain in the Shence Army before he joined Zheng Tian's forces. Since he has made such a great contribution, I will naturally reward him."

He paused, as if making a decision, "After I return to the capital, I will issue an edict to transfer him to the court, appoint him as the Right General of the Martial Guard, and grant him the title of Grand Master of the Palace, to remain before the Emperor and receive orders. Since he has the ability to kill Shang Rang and force Huang Chao to his death, it would be a waste of his talent to leave him to guard a corner of Fengxiang. It would be better for him to come to my side, so that I can see this tiger general from time to time, and also to prevent some people from harboring their own troops and having any improper thoughts."

He said it so casually, as if it were truly just "rewarding those who have made contributions."

But everyone knows that although the Right Martial Guard General is a third-rank military officer, he is a capital official. Once he enters the capital, it is equivalent to leaving Fengxiang's troops and becoming a fierce tiger locked in a cage.

Upon hearing this, Tian Lingzi smiled inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, saying only in a low voice, "Your Majesty is wise. However—this old servant dares to say something more."

Li Xuan glanced at him and said, "Speak."

Tian Lingzi said slowly, "After Li Cenji recaptured Chang'an, he didn't stay and led his troops back to Fengxiang on his own. Now that His Majesty has summoned him to the capital, what if he refuses to come on the grounds that 'the border affairs are not yet settled'?"

Li Xuan's expression changed, and he was about to lash out.

Tian Lingzi quickly added, "This old servant is merely reminding Your Majesty that in case of any unforeseen circumstances, a contingency plan must be in place."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan's face turned extremely pale, and he slammed the moon staff he had been clutching onto the ground.

The pole struck the bluestone ground with a crisp "snap," bounced twice, and rolled a long way away.

"He dares!"

Li Xuan retorted sharply, "I am the Emperor! How dare he, a mere military governor, defy my imperial decree?!"

Tian Lingzi quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This old servant was just being cautious and spoke offhand. I doubt Li Cenji would dare to be so rebellious."

But the more he said that, the deeper Li Xuan's suspicions became.

He paced back and forth in the courtyard several times, feeling increasingly agitated.

The Chengdu Imperial Palace was already small, and the courtyard was so cramped that it was hard to breathe. At this moment, he was burning with anger, and everything he saw seemed unpleasant.

He suddenly stopped and turned to Tian Lingzi, saying, "Father, I—I don't want to go back to Chang'an."

97

Tian Lingzi was taken aback, then looked up and asked, "What makes Your Majesty say such a thing?"

Li Xuan waved his hand irritably: "Chang'an is controlled by Zheng Tian. And Li Cenji holds military power in Guanzhong. What would I do if I went back? Sit in the Hanyuan Hall as an empty emperor, watching those two put on a show for me? It's better to stay in Chengdu; at least there's some peace and quiet!"

Tian Lingzi's heart skipped a beat.

He was naturally pleased to see the emperor stay in Chengdu. His elder brother, Chen Jingxuan, was the military governor of Xichuan. As long as the emperor was in Chengdu, it was as if the emperor was under the control of the Tian family. He could legitimately use the pretext of "protecting the emperor" to control the government and use the emperor to command the feudal lords.

But this thought only lingered in Tian Lingzi's mind before he dismissed it.

He knew that if the emperor truly stayed in Chengdu and was far away from Chang'an, the center of power in the world, then the title of "emperor" would become increasingly worthless.

Those regional military governors already harbored their own ambitions. If they heard that the emperor didn't even dare to return to Chang'an, they would likely despise the court even more. At that time, let alone "holding the emperor hostage to command the princes," even the emperor's own safety might not be guaranteed.

Moreover, the civil officials in the court would not allow him to have his way.

Although Zheng Tian was no longer alive, there were still those self-proclaimed loyal and virtuous censors and remonstrating officials.

These people submitted petitions every day, earnestly requesting the emperor to return to the capital. If the emperor insisted on staying in Shu, they feared that he would cause even greater trouble.

Tian Lingzi pondered these thoughts for a moment, but his face remained impassive. He feigned concern and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. If Your Majesty is unwilling to return to the capital, I will naturally do my utmost to help you. However—Your Majesty is, after all, the Emperor of the Great Tang. If you remain in Sichuan for too long, it may affect the hearts of the people. Moreover, those court officials submit memorials every day urging you to return. Although I have tried my best to deflect some of the criticisms for Your Majesty, I cannot completely go against the will of the people. If Your Majesty truly stays in Chengdu, I fear that as time goes on, the administration will become neglected, and the military governors of the various garrisons will no longer respect the court. If Zheng Tian secretly raises troops and rebels in Chang'an, Your Majesty, being far away in Sichuan, will be unable to reach him, making it even more difficult to deal with him."

His words were extremely earnest, as if he were considering the emperor's best interests at every turn. However, upon closer listening, each sentence seemed to drive the nail of "Zheng Tian's disloyalty" even deeper.

After listening, Li Xuan remained silent for a long time.

The autumn wind lifted the hem of his robe and then let it fall, then let it fall and then lifted it again.

He gazed at the moon staff on the ground, then suddenly sighed deeply: "Father is right. If I stay in Chengdu, I'll be playing right into their hands. They'd love for me to be as far away from Chang'an as possible. I'll refuse to grant their wish!"

He bent down to pick up the moon staff, clutching it in his hand as if using the wooden staff to support the young emperor's stubbornness: "Back to Chang'an! I must go back to Chang'an! This palace in Chengdu is so cramped I can barely turn around, they can't even build a decent polo field. What fun can I have here? Back to Chang'an, I'll live in the Daming Palace, I can do whatever I want. Those foreign officials dare to play tricks under my nose? I'll see how many heads they have!"

Tian Lingzi naturally agreed to all of them.

If the emperor is willing to return to the capital, then so be it. In any case, Tian Lingzi has been by the emperor's side for many years and has accumulated considerable influence. The emperor listens to him and obeys his every word. Even if he returns to Chang'an, he will still be the powerful father who holds sway over the court.

The real concern is how to completely bring down this old rival after Zheng Tian enters the court.

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