Chapter 40: No One Can Succeed Casually

The one who came forward to impeach Niu Xianke was named Zhou Ziliang, a native of Chang'an. When Zhang Jiuling was appointed Prime Minister, he was recommended by the other party, and Li Longji gave him the post of Supervisory Censor.

Zhou Ziliang's rank was not high, but his authority was not low; even the Prime Minister could be impeached! Tang Censorate officials were, by design, tools for the imperial authority to check the power of the prime minister.

Of course, a tool can only be a tool; it must not have independent thoughts and must stay aligned with the "master's" thinking.

It was clear that Zhou Ziliang had not consciously realized that Li Longji was his master, not Zhang Jiuling.

Zhou Ziliang, at this critical moment, impeached his direct superior Li Shizhi for inaction, which was essentially a veiled rebuke; even the officials who recommended Niu Xianke, and even Li Longji himself, were messing around recklessly.

One could say this bold move was a gamble with his own political life, trying to craft a "lonely minister" and "upright minister" image in order to win the Emperor's favor.

Otherwise, offending even his direct superior Li Shizhi—wouldn't that later result in him being given a hard time?

That was obviously impossible.

In other words, Zhou Ziliang had already thrown caution to the wind!

This is the officialdom of Chang'an, where countless fame and profit abound, and supreme power is available for you to seize.

But it also comes with endless risks.

Li Shizhi, the target of the impeachment, wore a shocked expression; he couldn't understand what was wrong with Zhou Ziliang, since he seemed not to have offended him in daily life.

As for Niu Xianke, the core of the incident, his face alternated between pale and flushed, he lowered his head in silence, not knowing what to say.

This impeachment was not about your character being bad or you being a criminal, nor about your merits or seniority being insufficient.

It was simply that you lacked the ability to be competent!

Such subjectivity, sharpness, and no evidence were presented.

Having no factional support, having never taken the imperial examinations, Niu Xianke, who had honestly worked his way up to the central government, was left speechless.

No matter how much you say, it sounds pale and feeble; if others slander you for stealing three bowls of cold jelly, must you cut open your belly for them to see, to prove yourself?

"Everyone disperse; we'll discuss this again tomorrow in the Purple Palace."

Li Longji flicked his sleeve, turned, and left, surprisingly without launching an immediate outburst.

The other ministers stared at each other in the banquet hall, then all left silently; even Niu Xianke walked away dejectedly. Only Zhou Ziliang and Zhang Jiuling remained.

"You, you, sigh!"

Zhang Jiuling let out a long sigh and walked out of the banquet hall's main gate, disappointed.

He truly did not favor Niu Xianke's promotion, believing the latter's ability could not handle the role of Minister of the Six Ministries, let alone Prime Minister.

But why raise it at this critical moment?

It's true that Zhou Ziliang was promoted with Zhang Jiuling's help, but he did not arrange for this man to give Li Longji a bad impression!

……

Back in the Qinzhengwubenlou study, Li Longji's lingering anger was still unspent!

Why did Zhou Ziliang dare to impeach Niu Xianke? Of course, it was at Zhang Jiuling's behest.

Otherwise, how could a Supervisory Censor dare to overstep like this?

Naturally, it is traditional for a Supervisory Censor to slap the Emperor's face directly; Wei Zheng of the Zhenguan era is a classic example. One may slap the Emperor's face in public, and also in private; many later followed this as a model.

Slapping the Emperor's face is a symbol of defying strong power, historically praised by public opinion. Zhou Ziliang's action may seem absurd, but it has internal logic and is not a reckless, chaotic move.

"Lishi, do you think Niu Xianke could hold the office of Minister of Works?"

After calming down, Li Longji couldn't help but ask.

Whether it was Zhang Jiuling's earlier confrontational words or Zhou Ziliang's bold remonstrance, the core issue was whether Niu Xianke could serve in the central government!

"Niu Xianke is merely a low‑ranking clerk; how could he become a Prime Minister of the court?"

Gao Lishi couldn't help but sigh.

Hm?

Li Longji was startled; he never expected Gao Lishi to say such a thing.

"Why do you share the same thought as Prime Minister Zhang?"

Li Longji asked curiously.

Gao Lishi's loyalty was unquestioned; Li Longji wanted to know what he truly thought inside.

"Niu Xianke is unfit to be Prime Minister because he has no factional support in the court, no backing; the new policies he drafts could never receive widespread endorsement.

But why must the court have two Prime Ministers with clear opinions? That would lead to endless infighting—how long can that go on?

One primary, one assistant, complementing each other—how beautiful would that be?"

Gao Lishi shared his thoughts.

Li Longji couldn't help but nod; after Zhang Jiuling was removed as Prime Minister, a weak secondary prime minister was indeed needed to assist Li Linfu in implementing edicts. This way, the court could run smoothly without left‑prime‑minister versus right‑prime‑minister clashes.

If constant infighting persisted, Li Longji would eventually have to intervene, and all his energy would be tied up in these ghostly affairs, leaving him no time to relax and enjoy himself.

Li Longji thought:

The Emperor, rich over the four seas, should use the world's manpower and resources to satisfy his own pleasure.

It is not a one‑person emperor who should bear the world's welfare with endless toil.

After a lifetime of struggle, shouldn't he be allowed to enjoy himself? He's already in his fifties; how many good years does he have left?

Gao Lishi indeed understood his own thoughts well.

Li Longji couldn't help but think.

"Yes, as long as there is one Prime Minister who is decisive, that's enough; having so many fight each other serves no purpose."

Li Longji sighed with some emotion.

Zhang Jiuling could no longer be retained; perhaps we should use this opportunity to expel him from the court.

At that moment, an eunuch entered the study with a message: Left Prime Minister Li Linfu requested an audience.

"I knew my eunuch would definitely come."

Upon hearing this, Li Longji burst into hearty laughter.

Li Linfu had long wanted to get rid of Zhang Jiuling; it was no secret, he had merely been waiting for a decisive opportunity. Now, using Zhou Ziliang this "reckless fellow", Li Linfu will deal Zhang Jiuling a final blow.

Although the Left Minister of the Great Tang could achieve his goal even without doing anything, Zhang Jiuling, barring any mishap, will surely be driven out of the court.

But if one can directly eliminate a political rival, why pin hopes on Li Longji? Being passively beaten is not Li Linfu's style.

Li Longji is well aware of this. Zhang Jiuling is straightforward, he will use him; Li Linfu is crafty, he will also use him; Niu Xianke is weak, yet he will still use him.

These people are all Li Longji's tools.

Since they are tools, there is only a difference between being handy and being awkward, no distinction of good and evil.

While mulling over some miscellaneous matters in his mind, Li Longji had a pot of "Spring Drink" prepared, waiting for Li Linfu to come in.

Soon after, Li Linfu entered wearing a purple official robe, having not changed his clothes at all, still the same attire from the banquet.

"Ge nu was waiting outside the palace for a while and then turned back, right?"

Li Longji couldn't help but tease.

"Replying to the Sage, that is indeed the case. Your humble servant has thought of a matter that is not quite proper, so I have returned specifically to report it to the Sage."

Li Linfu said very cautiously.

"It's just about criticizing Minister Zhang, right?"

Li Longji dismissed it with a joke. Officials gossiping behind each other's backs is an old routine.

Even Zhang Jiuling was speaking ill of Niu Xianke in his presence.

"That's not the case. Zhou Ziliang impeached Li Shizhi at the banquet, but actually his target was Niu Xianke. However, his daring to say so is not necessarily due to Minister Zhang's instigation; rather, there is some secret information behind it. The Sage can question him in person tomorrow, and it will surely be true."

Li Linfu said with a solemn expression.

"He isn't speaking ill of Zhang Jiuling anymore?"

Li Longji also began to turn serious, wiping the smile from his face.

"There is an apocryphal text that says: 'Two-horned calves run wild, dragons and serpents fight, blood flows like rivers.' Two-horned calves mean cattle! Dragons and serpents fighting means chaos! When the Sage interrogates Zhou Ziliang tomorrow, he will surely produce this book."

Li Linfu took out a small booklet from his sleeve, an apocryphal text written by a certain "Anonymous", and handed it to Li Longji.

This "Forbidden Book" has long circulated in Chang'an's wards, with wide reach. With the spread of woodblock printing, privately printing books faces no technical difficulty. Such apocryphal texts are all illegally printed forbidden books; private collection, distribution, and borrowing are all illegal acts!

So-called apocryphal texts are just nonsensical booklets that utter strange words, hinting at things. In politics, they are often used to ferment public opinion.

Limited by the high difficulty of debunking rumors in feudal times and low average education levels, many people believe in such things, some even spreading them to the point of being miraculous.

The most famous of these is the "Push Back Diagram".

Of course, this little booklet is far inferior in prestige to the Push Back Diagram.

On the surface these seem like baseless talk, but they actually tread on Li Longji's reverse scale.

"Good! Good! Tomorrow I will personally interrogate Zhou Ziliang!"

Li Longji's temper flared up again.

The purpose having been achieved, Li Linfu, without further ado, bowed and retreated.

This single move could send both Zhang Jiuling and Zhou Ziliang away together.

Li Linfu awaited calmly the coming storm tomorrow.

…

At a court assembly in the spring of the 25th year of Kaiyuan.

Li Longji personally informed Censor Zhou Ziliang that Niu Xianke had labored diligently in Hexi, his merits sufficient to be made a chancellor; if there were no other reasons, the imperial court would certainly appoint Niu Xianke as Minister of Works.

Zhou Ziliang, unaware it was a scheme, directly quoted the apocryphal text's line "Two-horned calves run wild, dragons and serpents fight, blood flows like rivers," and argued to Li Longji: following the principle "better to believe it exists than not," Niu Xianke should not be placed in the central government as a minister of one of the six boards, but should be assigned to a local post.

Li Longji flew into a rage, ordering Zhou Ziliang to be beaten to death with sticks in the Zichen Hall of Daming Palace! Moreover, since Zhou Ziliang had been recommended by Zhang Jiuling, according to court regulations, when a major incident occurs the chancellor must bear joint liability, and Zhang Jiuling could hardly escape suspicion of instigation.

Thus Li Longji, because of this incident involving Zhou Ziliang, also dismissed Zhang Jiuling from the chancellorship and demoted him to Prefect of Jingzhou.

The post of Director of the Secretariat was temporarily assumed by Li Linfu, who also appointed Niu Xianke as Minister of Works, effective immediately.

As for who should succeed Zheng Shuqing's concern, the Vice Minister of Revenue post, no one even bothered to mention it.

That day, Li Linfu had just left court, returning from Daming Palace to his residence in Pingkang Ward, when he saw Zheng Shuqing already waiting outside the gate, his attitude very humble.

Li Linfu loved dealing with such obedient lackeys, and hurriedly greeted Zheng Shuqing to come inside for a detailed talk.

After the two sat down in the study, Zheng Shuqing took out a list from his sleeve and handed it over, saying: "The Vice Minister of Revenue manages finances, but this is for the military supplies of the Hexi front line. Your subordinate is not well acquainted with Hexi's situation; some account books and such need to be examined in order to have a response; please, Minister Li, facilitate this."

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu took the paper Zheng Shuqing handed over and examined it repeatedly.

This list covered the population distribution, troop deployment, transportation routes, water conservancy facilities, local special products, etc., of the four prefectures of Hexi (Liangzhou, Suzhou, Ganzhou, Guazhou).

Of course, it merely put forward a request.

"Going to Kuizhou on a trip has shown considerable improvement. I originally thought entrusting you with the Vice Minister of Revenue post would be unwise, but now it seems you are capable enough; however……"

Li Linfu smiled faintly, then fell into deep thought.

"Minister Li, do you feel there is something improper?"

Zheng Shuqing asked doubtfully.

"There indeed is something improper, but it is not that your actions are improper."

Li Linfu sighed and continued:

"The court's document management is strict; if I were to send someone to fetch a few copies for you to peruse, that would hardly be a problem.

But you need too much; even setting aside whether you could finish reading it, even if you could, I could not produce that many documents concerning Hexi affairs.

Your idea is good, but I cannot meet this request. Of course, if you were already serving in one of the six ministries, going to the archives to look things up would be unproblematic."

Fang Chongyong had not anticipated one thing: that the Tang central government actually divides authority and responsibility very finely. Although Li Linfu holds great weight, he can never surpass Li Longji no matter how great he becomes.

In the unwritten rules, Li Linfu using his authority to take a few files from the storage place to bring home for reading is permissible; the Right Minister of the Great Tang certainly is not devoid of such power.

But if Li Linfu were to have people haul a whole cart of documents back home for Zheng Shuqing to examine, what would that look like?

Realizing this, Zheng Shuqing inwardly cursed Fang Chongyong as being callow and unreliable, failing even to consider such basic common sense.

Of course, he himself is also a fool, not having considered this either.

But, this matter is actually not difficult to solve.

Li Linfu said leisurely, today he was in a great mood, finally sending his political rival Zhang Jiuling off to Jingxiang to fish, so he naturally didn't mind chatting a bit more with Zheng Shuqing.

Please, Minister Li, instruct me!

Zheng Shuqing bowed and performed the salute.

Today, Niu Xianke has been appointed by the Emperor as Minister of Works. He has no support in the court, so now is the time to seek allies. I am drafting a letter; take it to Niu Xianke and ask him about the people's conditions in Hexi, and that will suffice.

Niu Xianke started as a low-level clerk in Hexi and has managed affairs there for decades. Whatever is in the documents, he surely knows; what isn't, he likely knows as well. With Niu Xianke's guidance, you can then draft a memorial to me, and this matter will be settled securely.

Li Linfu nodded slightly as he spoke, stroking his long beard.

Don't look at Li Linfu currently holding both the left and right chancellorships; that's only temporary. Emperor Li Longji will soon reappoint a left chancellor—it's just a matter of time. Niu Xianke, this Minister of Works, won't last long in the position.

Li Linfu sending Zheng Shuqing to find Niu Xianke can be called killing two birds with one stone!

First, to give his trusted aides assistance; second, to draw closer his relationship with Niu Xianke.

Once Niu Xianke enters the chancellery, this honest man will not impede my policies; then my comfortable days will arrive.

Thank you, Minister Li, for your guidance; I, your subordinate, truly have nothing to repay.

Zheng Shuqing, excited, was about to perform a great bow to Li Linfu.

Please wait a moment; I will first write the letter, then we'll talk.

Li Linfu spoke with a smile, his manner very amiable.