Third Chapter: The Upper Arm (I)
Within the Xingqing Palace’s main administrative building, the Great Tang Emperor Li Longji was truly enraged. Having not played in the Furong Garden for a few days, he received a memorial from the Taiyuan Prefect Pei Xingda, claiming a severe drought in Hedong and requesting imperial relief. (Note 1) « Useless lot, a bunch of useless people! I didn’t expect to have raised such a bunch of waste! » Li Longji grabbed a pile of memorials from the imperial desk and hurled them violently to the floor below.
« Your Majesty, calm down. »
Li Linfu picked up the scattered memorials and advised, « Hedong has suffered a prolonged drought; famine is perfectly normal. As long as the court timely provides relief, the disaster situation will soon be resolved. »
Li Longji let out a light scoff: « It’s easy for the Prime Minister to say. Providing relief—with what? The war in Longyou has already depleted years of stored grain from the Imperial Granary. Recently, Your Majesty also purchased large quantities of rice at low prices from the Guannei aristocrats to stabilize grain prices in Chang’an. Now you ask me, what am I supposed to use for relief! »
Li Linfu sighed lightly: « Your Majesty, Hedong is the land of the Dragon’s Rise, and Jincheng is the northern capital of our dynasty. If the court does not timely relieve the commoners, disaster may strike. »
« Oh, then Prime Minister, how should I provide relief? Is it not to transport the grain from the Imperial Private Treasury to Hedong, so that Pei Xingda can distribute it for relief? »
Li Longji glared fiercely at Li Linfu, his tone full of anger.
Li Linfu immediately knelt on the ground: « Your Majesty, this minister dares not. In the old minister’s opinion, the situation has not yet reached the worst state. Why not first issue an edict to Pei Xingda to open the grain stores of Jincheng and the various counties of Hedong for emergency use? »
« No! »
Before he had finished speaking, Li Longji angrily interrupted Li Linfu’s suggestion: « Does the Prime Minister not know that Hedong is the major grain-producing region of the Great Tang? Year after year, the salaries of court officials are paid from the royal grain collected from Hedong. It is now near the end of the year; if all the grain in the treasury is used to relieve the disaster-stricken people, then what will the civil and military officials of the Great Tang eat when the time comes! »
Li Linfu shook his head and smiled wryly: « Your Majesty, relieving disaster is like putting out a fire. As for the court officials’ side, they can first use silk and cloth to replace grain, and wait until the grain from Jianghuai arrives in Chang’an next year before distributing it to the officials. »
Li Longji pondered for a moment and waved his hand: « No. As the Son of Heaven, how could I not even afford to pay the officials’ salaries? If the barbarians hear of this, where will the prestige of this Heavenly Khan go! »
« Your Majesty! »
Li Linfu bowed his hands to Li Longji and said, « There are many officials in the court and grain in their homes. I’m sure they can hold out until next spring. But the people of Hedong Road have empty rice bowls; if we don’t provide relief, I fear they will starve to death. When that happens, the land will be filled with corpses, and pestilence may spread! »
Li Linfu had served Li Longji for over a decade and knew his master’s psychology all too well. Li Longji’s greatest flaw was his love of fame and his desire to save face. If the harm of not speaking out was not made clear to him, he might not agree to open the granaries to relieve the victims.
« This… » Li Longji finally fell into hesitation. Although he was not very afraid of the famine and drought, for the Tang Empire, droughts happened in some places every year. If he worried about every single drought, the Emperor would have no need to reign; it would be better to become a monk and enjoy a carefree life. It was the pestilence that truly worried him. After great disasters, great plagues were inevitable. If the epidemic developed unchecked, the affected areas would not be limited to Hedong.
« Your Majesty, please think thrice! Opening the granaries to distribute grain may only bring temporary relief, but if the disaster develops, there may be trouble! » Li Linfu bowed low again, pleading with Li Longji to issue the order.
Yet Li Longji suddenly remembered something and gave a cold smile: « Chancellor, I suddenly recall that Mr. Pei Xundao seems to be your disciple, Chancellor. If you insist on petitioning me to allow the release of grain, is it not to favor your disciple and enhance his reputation for benevolence? »
« Your Majesty, the old minister is terrified, terrified! » Upon hearing this, Li Linfu immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed. « The old minister serves the Emperor wholeheartedly, with no private desires. Mr. Pei is indeed my disciple, but I have not seen him for a long time. I do this for Your Majesty, for the Tang Dynasty! »
Li Linfu’s back was already drenched with sweat; he kept nodding and shouting.
After a long silence, Li Longji laughed heartily. « Haha, look how nervous the Chancellor is. I was just joking with the Chancellor. »
After saying this, Li Longji descended from the dais and stood beside Li Linfu, virtually supporting him: « Chancellor, Your Majesty knows your loyal heart. Why be nervous? You need not be nervous. »
Li Longji turned around, paused, and changed his tone: « However, Mr. Pei Xundao has achieved no merits in governing Hedong, leading to famine. It is indeed inappropriate for him to appear in relief efforts. Thinking it over, I believe it is appropriate to send a high-ranking minister from the court to Hedong to open the granaries and distribute grain. Firstly, this can demonstrate Your Majesty’s concern for the disaster. Secondly, it can supervise Hedong and prevent officials from embezzling relief grain. »
Having served the Holy Emperor for over a decade, edong and prevent officials from embezzling relief grain.fr, Having served the Holy Emperor for over a decade, Li Linfeng and prevent officials from embezzling relief grain.:
Having served the Holy Emperor for over a decade, Li Linfu naturally knew his character. The Emperor’s suspicions are indeed heavy, and he never feels at ease entrusting the governance of the realm to a single person. The Pei family is naturally a prominent clan from Hedong, and Pei Xingda has risen to the high position of Yin of Taiyuan. Indeed, it would be inappropriate for him to attract further attention. Otherwise, the people of Hedong would soon reach a state where they only know the Pei family and are unaware of the great Tang dynasty.
« Your Majesty is sagacious; it is a blessing for the realm and a blessing for the people of Hedong. »
Li Linfu let out a breath, subtly patting Li Longji on the back. « As for the appointment… » Li Longji glanced at Li Linfu and said calmly.
« Your servant dare not. Your Majesty is wise and martial, and can alone manage the affairs of state. »
At this critical juncture, Li Linfu did not wish to court displeasure by touching a sore spot, especially since Li Longji has a strong desire to control power and will never allow anyone to act against his will.
« Indeed. »
Li Longji nodded in satisfaction and said: « I think the Censor-in-Chief Yang Zhao is adept at calculation and is very loyal to me. Why not send him to Hedong? »
« This… » Li Linfu simply could not have imagined that the person Li Longji mentioned would be Yang Zhao, and for a moment he found himself at a loss. Yang Zhao has now been promoted to Censor-in-Chief, and entering the Hall of State Affairs is but a step away. If at this time he were sent to Hedong to relieve the people, he would gain great popular support, which would undoubtedly greatly strengthen the power of the Yang family in the capital. (Note 2) « What is it, Prime Minister? Does Your Majesty’s arrangement seem unsuitable? »
Li Longji glanced at Li Linfu with some displeasure, and his voice suddenly turned cold.
« Your servant dare not. I think Yang Da is both virtuous and talented, and he is the ideal candidate for an envoy to Hedong to relieve the suffering of the people. »
Since the matter had come to this, although Li Linfu had a thousand unwillingness in his heart, he was powerless and could only acknowledge Yang Zhao’s appointment as envoy.
« Then let the edict be drafted. »
Li Longji waved his hand without a trace of emotion and sat back on the desk. The Undersecretary, Yan Cangyue, then dipped his brush in ink and began drafting the edict.
« Recently, Hedong has suffered from drought. Since May there has been no rain until the seventh month of autumn. On the day of Yi You, due to the drought, I command the Chancellors, the Ministries, and the county magistrates to review and execute prisoners: those sentenced to death shall be executed or transported, those sentenced to exile shall be exiled, and those below exile shall be pardoned. Additionally, Yang Zhao, the Censor-in-Chief, is appointed as the Xinglue Prefect of Hedong, to depart for Taiyuan Prefecture within three days to relieve the people, in order to express Your Majesty’s will. » (Note 3)
After brushing the final stroke, the Undersecretary Yan Cangyue submitted the edict to Li Longji for review. Li Longji scanned it, confirmed there were no errors, and nodded, saying: « Submit it to the Ministry of Personnel for examination. »
« Your Majesty is somewhat weary. You may retire first, Prime Minister. »
Li Longji felt a wave of fatigue. Irritated, he gestured to Li Linfu.
« Please take care of Your Majesty’s dragon body, Old Minister takes his leave. »
« Veuillez Majesté attention au corps du dragon.，Veuillez Majesté attention au corps du dragon., vieil：Veuillez Majesté attention au corps du dragon., vieilVeuillez Majesté attention au corps du dragon., vieil。。 »
Li Linfu bowed again to Li Longji, sighed in his heart, and tremblingly retreated from the Hall of Government Affairs.
1 : Le gouverneur de Taiyuan : Pendant les ères Kaiyuan et Tianbao…1: The Governor of Taiyuan: During the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods of the Tang Dynasty, the administrative planning was truly complex. The title of the governor of Taiyuan Prefecture was called « Yin » (Governor). When the Emperor was not present, he served as the acting governor.
1 : Le gouverneur de Taiyuan : Pendant les ères Kaiyuan et Tianbao…2: Only the three officials of the San Province (Zhongshu Ling, Situ, and Shangshu Zuo You Pushe) participated in the Council of State; they were the chancellors of the current dynasty.
1 : Le gouverneur de Taiyuan : Pendant les ères Kaiyuan et Tianbao…3: The Military Governor of Hedong: This was also a rather empty office. It was first established in important border regions during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (628). Later, it was often held concurrently by military governors and used mainly for patrolling and inspection.