Chapter 13: Storm Clouds Gather, Wind Fills the Tower

Zheng Shuqing, the prefect of Kui Zhou, stirred up a hornet's nest, seriously infringing on the interests of many high officials and nobles.

Kui Zhou itself is of little consequence; what frightens them is that Kui Zhou's customs‑clearance strategy could create a demonstration effect, prompting other river checkpoints to imitate it.

Various families secretly control numerous merchants and transport ships, conducting large trades in secret—from grain and cloth to slave trafficking—each taking a share. There are also many spokespersons at court. Clearly, these high officials and nobles cannot let Zheng Shuqing go unpunished.

In an instant, petitions from all quarters of the court and officials arrived at the Secretariat like snowflakes.

In the early Tang, politics were relatively open; speech was not suppressed, nor were literary persecutions practiced.

Countless cases exist where lower‑rank officials repeatedly reported up to the emperor, and some even succeeded in choosing sides at critical moments and received promotions beyond their rank.

These petitions can be broadly divided into two viewpoints.

The first view holds that Zheng Shuqing acted brazenly, disregarding imperial law; he should be removed from office and investigated as a warning to others. After the investigation, his crimes should be tried. Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint policy of extracting wealth and disturbing the people should be abolished immediately to rectify the root cause.

Another opinion argues that Zheng Shuqing does need to be investigated, but the river‑checkpoint "new policy" he issued bears the court's endorsement. It has already been in effect for over half a month; should it be abolished at once? Would that not be a case of changing imperial orders from morning to evening?

Where, then, is the majesty of imperial law?

If similar new policies are later implemented and aggrieved parties protest, must the policies be discarded as well?

Even if Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint decree is unreasonable, it should run for at least half a year to assess its concrete results and costs; it should not be scrapped merely because a few people make a fuss.

Opening this loophole is a hundred times more dangerous than what Zheng Shuqing is currently doing.

In any case, amid the heated public sentiment, almost everyone believes Zheng Shuqing should be removed, investigated, and escorted to Chang'an for sentencing.

Of course, one grain feeds a hundred kinds of people; with so many Tang officials, there will always be some oddballs.

Amid these clamorous petitions, there is a distinct "crane among chickens" piece.

The Crown Prince's formal name, Liu Yan (akin to a former deputy director of the National Library), submitted a memorial praising Zheng Shuqing's financial acumen and stating that Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint policy could be applied to the canal transport from Yangzhou to Luoyang, reducing capsizing or grounding caused by oversized transport ships and thus preventing canal blockages.

In other words, Zheng Shuqing should not only avoid investigation but also be promoted, with his experience widely disseminated.

Naturally, Liu Yan is a low‑ranking central official who spends his days drafting documents, and no one cares about his words; this memorial was drowned in the clamor of drums and went unnoticed.

Everyone assumes Li Longji pretends to be deaf and mute, never even looking at these petitions.

Who could have guessed that shortly after Liu Yan's memorial was submitted, Li Longji ordered the Secretariat to draft a transfer order, kicking Liu Yan out of Chang'an and appointing him county magistrate of Xia County, Jiangzhou, Hedong Dao.

In an instant, ministers from the chancellor down to runners could not fathom what Li Longji's maneuver meant.

Was this a clear promotion with a hidden demotion, or a pre‑promotion exile for experience? Both possibilities seemed plausible.

Although the Crown Prince's formal name holds little actual power, he is a "pure‑noble" official; staying in the central administration makes it easy to be promoted to a position like Yellow Gate Attendant, becoming a close minister to the emperor.

The rank of county magistrate is high, yet it is a local post, plainly a case of a hidden demotion.

However, in the Tang, promoting and employing officials often required experience abroad in the provinces. A key reason Zheng Shuqing is being clamored against is that he is a capital official on external assignment, whose term ends and who must return to Chang'an to report. Based on his known achievements, he is very likely to be promoted to Assistant Director of the Ministry of Revenue, wielding real authority.

If he ascends, there will inevitably be those who cannot, and they will jointly keep him barred outside Chang'an—this is the unsaid secret of the court.

That day, Li Longji convened Li Linfu and Zhang Jiuling, the two chancellors, in the Purple Palace Hall to discuss Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint's unauthorized reforms. The Purple Palace Hall is not the main hall; it was formerly a place where the emperor and ministers chatted informally, requiring no formal rites or court dress.

After the twenty‑first year of Kaiyuan, Li Longji rarely held court meetings in the main Hall or Han Yuan Hall, attending only on festivals; routine state affairs were handled in the Purple Palace Hall, where rules were minimal and the emperor‑minister relationship was most relaxed, suiting Li Longji's preferences.

"The matter of Kui Zhou concerns Sichuan's canal transport; what do the two ministers think?"

Li Longji, while pinching the sore, swollen pads of his thumbs, asked casually. He had played polo all afternoon yesterday, and now his thumb pads ached.

No matter how skilled he was in his youth or how diligently he cared for his health, Li Longji had to admit that time spares no one; he no longer possessed the vigor of his younger days.

"Regardless of Zheng Shuqing's motives, the court must not encourage such arrogance. I recommend escorting him to Chang'an, where the Dali Temple will interrogate him before a final decision."

Zhang Jiuling, whose skin was dark and whose beard and hair had turned white, folded his hands inside his sleeves and bowed to Li Longji, saying.

"Hmm, what about the river‑checkpoint policy?"

Li Longji asked plainly, seemingly preoccupied with other thoughts.

"Before the New Year's rest, each region must report its local conditions and revenues for the year. At that time, the policy could be abolished. Now many have followed Zheng Shuqing's orders and replaced the transport ships. If the central administration abolishes the new customs law, those people will be resentful and trouble may arise. I ask the sage to adjudicate."

Zhang Jiuling also spoke in an orderly manner.

He thought it through clearly; the matter had become a rotten ledger, and amid the heated public sentiment, the more they acted, the more mistakes they made. It would be better to hand over Zheng Shuqing to quell the dispute. When a man dies, his policies cease; with Zheng Shuqing no longer in Kui Zhou, the highly contested Kui Zhou river‑checkpoint new policy could not be sustained.

Later, let time dilute this farce; the court need not take any extra action.

"Ge Nu, what do you think?"

Ge Nu is Li Linfu's childhood nickname, evident from the address; now Li Linfu enjoys more trust and closeness to Li Longji than Zhang Jiuling does.

"Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint policy can be extended along the canal waterways; as for Zheng Shuqing, I cannot assess him—everything is for the sage to decide. This is my compilation of Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint new policy; please review, Your Majesty."

Li Linfu handed the memorial to Gao Lishi with both hands; Li Longji had Gao Lishi give it a perfunctory read. In fact, they had long known what had happened at Kui Zhou's river checkpoint, and everything now was merely a formality.

Although the emperor is wealthy across the four seas, the cash he can use directly is not as abundant as outsiders imagine.

A few years earlier, Li Longji met the richest brothers of the Wang family in the Great Tang and bluntly said the Wang brothers' wealth exceeded his own; this was not modesty but a genuine complaint.

Treasury funds must go through the Ministry of Revenue's accounts; Li Longji cannot use them at will.

The emperor's private treasury is funded by tributes from across the realm and war spoils, among other things. Many of these are not cash and cannot be used directly, especially since many are not easily liquidated.

Take, for example, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy; is it expensive? It is undoubtedly priceless.

But if Li Longji wanted to sell it, who could afford it, and who would dare buy it without fearing death?

He has many similar items; sometimes Li Longji feels like a beggar clutching a golden rice bowl.

Thus, the 400,000 guan from Kui Zhou's river checkpoint may not catch the treasury's eye, but for Li Longji it is his pocket money for this year and next! No matter how the state or border defenses fare, what does it matter?

When the nation grows strong, the emperor must feel it too! Even if the border wins a battle, he may not perceive it directly; once the novelty fades, it disappears, and Li Longji himself cannot inspect the front.

But if he has 400,000 guan in hand and can spend it as he wishes, life would be comfortably prosperous!

Li Longji thought that Zhang Jiuling and the whole court's clamorous calls to punish Zheng Shuqing only added trouble for him as emperor.

If Zheng Shuqing is dealt with, who will bring in the money for them?

"Lishi, what do you think of Kui Zhou's river‑checkpoint policy?"

Li Longji hinted coolly, employing his usual tactic of having Gao Lishi speak for him; the success would be his, the failure Gao Lishi's.

Gao Lishi understood and said leisurely, "The time is still short, making judgment difficult. Perhaps we should wait until after next year's Lantern Festival to discuss. If Zheng Shuqing is investigated, his death would end the policy, which would be highly improper."

Both Zhang Jiuling and Li Linfu knew what was happening; Gao Lishi himself had no personal view—his opinion was Li Longji's.

"If that is the case, I ask Your Majesty to issue an edict to quell the disputes at court and among the public."

Zhang Jiuling bowed to Li Longji and said this. In truth, he did not care much about this matter. Within Chang'an, where dark currents had been surging of late, this was the most inconspicuous piece of government business. A storm was gradually forming, and no one knew when it would turn into a tempest.

Zhang Jiuling was consumed by worry all day long and had no energy to spare for the "trivialities" of Kui Prefecture.

Consort Wu, whom Li Longji doted upon, had been plotting to depose Crown Prince Li Ying! And though Li Longji doted extremely on Consort Wu's son Li Chang, he indeed had no intention of deposing the crown prince for the time being.

Consort Wu's machinations inevitably reminded people of that Wu Meiniang of the past. That's right—Wu Meiniang was this Consort Wu's great-aunt. Crown Prince Li Ying also greatly feared that Consort Wu would succeed. The Wu clan's longstanding fine tradition need not be spoken of. Women interfering in politics was a constant in the Tang dynasty—from Wu Meiniang onward, followed by Lady Wei and Princess Taiping, truly fraying everyone's nerves raw.

The more Li Longji doted on Li Chang, the more dissatisfied and fearful Li Ying and the others became.

Zhang Jiuling had already heard certain things from the palace, but as a "supporter" who strove to protect Crown Prince Li Ying and urged Li Longji not to depose the crown prince, he was not certain what Li Ying and the others were actually plotting.

"Genu, you handle this matter. Give Zheng Shuqing the official title of Court Discussion Gentleman."

Li Longji said this very casually.

Zheng Shuqing had sent him fifty thousand strings of cash; in his eyes, that made him a good dog… a good official. Since he was a good official, he should be rewarded. Court Discussion Gentleman was an honorary rank of the upper sixth grade, and Kui Prefecture was a middle-tier prefecture whose Inspector was rank four, upper grade, so granting an honorary rank of the upper sixth grade was quite appropriate.

"Your Majesty, Zheng Shuqing has undermined the laws and institutions of the court in Kui Prefecture. Promoting him would be improper."

Zhang Jiuling stepped forward to stop it. Letting the Kui Prefecture matter go would be one thing, but how could they promote the chief culprit?

"My mind is made up; there is no need to say more. If Kui Prefecture descends into chaos, I shall simply punish Zheng Shuqing then."

Li Longji raised a hand, signaling Zhang Jiuling to say no more.

"This humble official shall go and attend to it."

Li Linfu bowed and withdrew. Zhang Jiuling, helpless, could only follow him out. When they reached the palace gates, he caught up, panting heavily, with the briskly walking Li Linfu, and asked between breaths, "Left Minister, why did you not speak up to persuade His Majesty?"

"I believed Zheng Shuqing's policy benefits the state, and therefore saw no need to speak against it. Why does the Right Minister say such a thing?"

Li Linfu asked with feigned surprise.

"Alas!"

Zhang Jiuling let out a long sigh and strode away with a sweep of his sleeves!

Watching his retreating figure, a cold gleam flashed in Li Linfu's eyes.

It was not as though he had no faction; though their numbers were not great, in truth quite a few people had secretly thrown in with him.

This time, he had instructed those men to join in the outcry to attack and condemn Zheng Shuqing. In this way, it would seem as though the entire court—civil and military officials alike—were all Zhang Jiuling's men!

In Li Longji's eyes, this was as if Zhang Jiuling were pressuring him at court; it would be a ghost story if he agreed to punish Zheng Shuqing.

But contrary to Li Linfu's expectations, Li Longji actually granted Zheng Shuqing an honorary rank, a highly unusual move. Li Linfu walked toward Pingkong Ward while enduring the raucous noise of revelry all around him.

"The Qin-era moon, the Han-era pass; ten thousand miles on campaign, men have not returned.

But if the Flying General of Dragon City still stands, no barbarian horse shall cross Mount Yin.

A fine poem! A toast to our Great Tang! Drain this cup!"

The wild, boisterous toast of a scholar reached his ears. A mocking expression flickered across Li Linfu's face, then vanished in an instant.

These people were all still living in a dream! Did they not know that the present was no longer the state of affairs of the early Kaiyuan years?

Li Linfu exhaled a long breath. He had already perceived that the times had changed. That's right—the era belonging to him, Li Linfu, was about to arrive!

……

To guard against a possible ambush, on Fang Chongyong's advice, Zheng Shuqing dispatched men to spread rumors throughout Kui Prefecture city, claiming that lawless foreign merchants had colluded with river bandits and mountain bandits in a plot to burn and destroy the shipyards along the Kui Prefecture river pass, and might even raid the wealthy Kui Prefecture seat!

For a time, the city's people were panicky yet fired with righteous indignation.

Soon, Zheng Shuqing invited the representatives of the city's prominent families into the prefectural office to discuss important matters. He had nothing else to say and directly acknowledged that someone, unable to stomach Kui Prefecture's locals raking in enormous profits, wanted to destroy the current stable and united situation!

What was to be done?

As everyone was at a loss, Zheng Shuqing brought out the plan he and Fang Chongyong had discussed through the night. In short: use magic to defeat magic!

Every outsider who entered the prefectural seat would be secretly tailed by locals; at the first sign of wrongdoing, someone would report to the prefectural office. Zheng Shuqing divided the prefectural seat, including the ferry docks, into twelve "strictly controlled zones"; the shipyards outside the city were divided into ten "patrol zones" spaced relatively far apart, with each family responsible for one zone.

Each prominent family was responsible for organizing the merchants and common households living nearby—tailing, surveillance, and daily reports of anything unusual; any emergency situation had to be reported to the prefectural office immediately.

The seven bureau adjutants under the Inspector's command—Personnel, Revenue, Households, Fields, Military, Justice, and Works—each oversaw their own area, reported separately, and the reports were ultimately consolidated with Zheng Shuqing. Of course, it was actually Fang Chongyong who personally handled the screening of the daily consolidated information.

The plan he gave Zheng Shuqing was to mobilize the populace, organize the populace, and let the populace participate.

Not enough militia troops in the city?

Then turn everyone in the entire city into "militia"!

They need not guard against thieves for a thousand days—just one or two months would suffice.

This plan met with enthusiastic support from the local prominent families. The constant shipbuilding orders had brought them considerable ancillary benefits, and now that someone wanted to cause trouble, they absolutely would not stand for it.

Fang Chongyong had originally thought his plan would scare off those with ill intent. Unexpectedly, after only three days of implementation, several people in the prefectural seat sent reports saying that a group of people departed from Baidicheng for the Kui Prefecture seat every morning and returned to Baidicheng every evening. Every single day was like this—their movements were highly suspicious!