Chapter 91: When the World No Longer Shows You Mercy

Just as the war in Hexi was being hastily prepared, a seemingly insignificant rumor from Jingzhou reached Chang'an, causing Li Longji, who was obsessed with his former daughter‑in‑law Yang Yuhuan, to feel a slight sorrow for a few days.

Zhang Jiuling died of illness while serving in Jingzhou!

So Ji Ge posthumously honored Zhang Jiuling as "Jingzhou Grand Commander" and bestowed the posthumous title "Wenxian", then ordered court experts to select a fengshui auspicious site for his burial.

With Zhang Jiuling's death, the once powerful "Literary Faction" officials of the Kaiyuan era fell silent, leaving only the wine‑loving, reckless He Zhizhang, who idles away in the yamen, shirking official duties.

Perhaps it was a case of one tragedy begetting another, or perhaps his heart was heavy; Zhang Jiuling's death did not move Ji Ge much, but it made Tang Right Prime Minister Li Linfu feel a chill down his spine.

The official arena is treacherous; climbing up is no great skill—many can do it. The difficulty lies in descending smoothly and enjoying a peaceful old age!

Zhang Jiuling's downfall taught Li Linfu a grim political truth: once you enter this circle, the world will no longer be lenient toward you!

In Li Linfu's study at his residence in Pingkang Fang, the Tang Right Prime Minister was perusing a document sent from Youzhou together with Ji Ge's imperial edict response. This is his routine: turning the emperor's decree into a governmental document, then into orders and directives to be enforced.

The document states: Youzhou Military Governor Fang Youde's might has terrified the north, causing the previously wayward Bohai Kingdom to bow in submission; the Khitan and Xian nobles, shocked and fearful, have again requested a marriage alliance! To show goodwill, they have already sent a hostage son to Chang'an, intending, per tradition, to have him study at the Imperial Academy, then after graduation serve in the palace as a guard.

Ji Ge's face lit up with delight, approving the Khitan and Xian request, selecting a royal lady to marry the hostage, and delegating the related ceremonies to Li Linfu. In short, he insists on flaunting Tang's prestige and handling the marriage alliance splendidly.

"Zhang Wenxian (Zhang Jiuling) brought this upon himself; I cannot follow in his footsteps!"

Li Linfu, seated at the desk, let out a sigh of lament.

He retrieved the draft beneath the paperweight and examined it repeatedly; it was a proposal on Tang institutional reform, spurred by Zhang Jiuling's death, and the once‑confident Right Prime Minister now felt uncertain.

Li Linfu knows very well the kind of emperor he serves, and he also fully understands his own situation.

Was Zhang Jiuling expelled from the central administration and dismissed as prime minister because of the incident of killing three sons in one day?

Was Pei Yaoqing's dismissal truly only because he failed to remit the saved transport fees to the emperor?

Only Li Linfu, who knows Li Longji best, understands that these are merely superficial reasons.

Emperor Taizong's personnel policy centered on the person, handling affairs through people: first select the individual, then assign the task.

In the early Kaiyuan years, Li Longji, striving to restore Tang's grandeur, constantly boasted that he inherited Taizong's legacy and sought to compare himself with Taizong at every turn.

Yet in reality, Li Linfu, of royal lineage and long experience in the palace bureaucracy, realized that Ji Ge's hiring principle is the exact opposite of Taizong's.

In short, it is extreme petty cruelty and ingratitude!

Pei Yaoqing's dismissal was merely because Ji Ge felt that although the Grand Canal was opened, transport costs had not decreased, making the treasury's expenditure on freight unprofitable; in a sense, the canal's management succeeded but failed to meet expectations!

After three years of grain shipments, when Chang'an no longer lacked food, Pei Yaoqing, who had been appointed to straighten the canal, was the first to be dismissed.

In short, Ji Ge no longer needed him—plain and simple.

It's not that Pei Yaoqing did anything that incited heaven's wrath or displeased Ji Ge.

In fact, Pei Yaoqing simply lost his utility. Thus he remains in the central administration in Chang'an, reassigned as Left Prime Minister of the Secretariat (a nominal post), ennobled as Marquis of Zhao City, and still holds other offices, granting him some authority and the ability to remonstrate with Li Longji.

His days are even somewhat comfortable.

Ji Ge's logic is actually straightforward and clear: when you're useful, I make good use of you; when you're no longer useful, provided you haven't offended me before, I won't kill you outright!

Because the canal needed repairing to secure Chang'an's food supply, Pei Yaoqing was appointed prime minister for that purpose, not that after his appointment he was sent to manage grain transport.

Ji Ge's personnel logic is the classic "assign people according to the task."

Even worse is Zhang Jiuling.

Zhang Shuo, Zhang Jiuling's mentor, was appointed by Li Longji, whose primary aim was to have him reorganize the northern military affairs and become the "second Zhang Shuo."

However, he botched the task.

This was the main reason Ji Ge finally could no longer tolerate Zhang Jiuling; Zhang's alignment with the Crown Prince merely served as the fuse for Ji Ge's decision to dismiss him.

The fallout also saw Zhang Jiuling removed, Yan Tingzhi dismissed, Zhou Ziliang executed by beating, and He Zhizhang reduced to an idle slacker.

The Tang central "Literary Faction" ministers dwindled visibly, fundamentally because Ji Ge harbored deep doubts about the talent emerging from the imperial examinations, believing they could only compose ornate essays and not handle real affairs.

Additionally, Li Longji tasked Li Linfu with vigorously reforming the imperial examination selection rules and patterns!

Since the Kaiyuan era, Tang has alternately pulled and struck the Khitan and Xian, applying both kindness and force, sowing division between them and the Turkic peoples, thereby shrinking the Turkic sphere of existence.

When Zhang Jiuling served as prime minister, he lacked a deep grasp of the three parties' relations, unilaterally pursuing peace with the waning Turkic forces, attempting to ally with them against the increasingly restless Tibetan Empire in the Western Regions and Longyou.

Such a move terrified the Khitan and Xian, making them feel abandoned by the Tang court; the internal "Turkic faction" gained greater voice, pushing the two further toward the Turkic side.

This became the source of instability on the Youzhou frontier.

In fact, An Lushan was appointed commander of the Pinglu army because he was the leader of a Turkic‑Kushan group in Youzhou; the Tang central authority needed to leverage these "neutral" forces to counter the increasingly distant Khitan and Xian.

The reason Fang Youde's fame has surged in the past two years, earning Ji Ge's trust, is that he used an "unconventional" method: he cleaned up after the dismissed Zhang Jiuling, forced the Khitan and Xian into submission with his fists, and intervened militarily—without bloodshed—in the Bohai Kingdom's internal power transition.

This move struck Ji Ge's sore spot!

As a result, Ji Ge repeatedly tried to have Fang Youde also serve as the Pinglu Military Governor, but strong opposition in court halted the plan.

The same old line: Ji Ge sees Fang Youde as highly useful, so he wants to employ him extensively. Though this carries the "Servant of the Dragon" aura, fundamentally it's because Ji Ge isn't a man of personal connections; he's extremely opportunistic.

In Ji Ge's view, the useful rise and the useless are cast out; there is no tolerance or inclusion.

The Khitan and Xian's submission made Li Linfu realize that, with a slight misstep, he could become the next "Zhang Jiuling"!

"Attendants, ready the carriage; I am heading to Xingqing Palace."

Li Linfu grabbed the stack of drafts on the desk, slipped them into his sleeve, and gave an order to the servant below.

With no other recourse, these papers must ultimately be shown to Li Longji; Li Linfu steeled himself and decided not to revise them further.

……

"Eh, that feels good."

Fang Chongyong, seated at the desk, let out a delighted moan, enjoying Anaye's wrist massage.

The Tibetan military code was finally transcribed by him. I must say, these bird‑brained things are damn long; such metaphysics makes me doubt the Tibetans would follow the code to the letter!

Fang Chongyong inquired about the Tang army's regulations and found the Tibetan code even harsher than the Tang's. He doubted the usual strictness of enforcing military law.

If soldiers devote all their energy to complying with military law, they inevitably lack the capacity to consider warfare; this illustrates the principle that excessive law is as harmful as insufficient law.

For Fang Chongyong, the value of this code lies in the Tibetans' detailed requirements for marching and combat—such as night camp setups, scout deployment, camp layout, optimal fortification placement, and the arrangement of fixed and mobile watchposts.

This work is less a military law than an extremely practical treatise on warfare; its worth lies not in abstract principles like Sun Tzu's Art of War, but in its explicit detailing of marching and combat.

"Are you out of your mind? There are so many officials and clerks in Liangzhou who could copy it, yet you insist on doing it yourself and end up exhausted."

Ana Ye massaged Fang Chongyong's wrist vigorously while unable to help but mutter in a low voice.

She never gives in verbally, yet her body honestly circles around Fang Chongyong, attentively caring for his food and daily life, diligent and conscientious, worthy of her calloused little hands.

"When you go to Chang'an later, you must observe proper rules. As for what you just said, being beaten to death in a noble's house is also understandable."

Fang Chongyong snapped back irritably, then invited her to sit beside him.

Ana Ye sat down obediently, waiting for Fang Chongyong's lecture.

"For you, Chang'an isn't a good place; are you really sure you want to go?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a deep voice, his expression solemn.

Ana Ye bit her lip, then nodded and said, "Yes, I'm already prepared."

A Hexi "local girl", if she doesn't expose her status as the secret illegitimate daughter of King Xin'an, truly has few paths. In ancient times early marriage was common; in two years, Ana Ye will have to choose to marry into a Hexi military household.

She may choose any household, but she cannot avoid choosing!

Going to Chang'an means limitless possibilities.

Perhaps a tragic death far from home, or perhaps soaring to fame on a different path.

Whether to sink into a safe but stagnant life or to gamble for a future, Ana Ye has already decided in her heart.

"Understood, go ahead and sign this contract."

Fang Chongyong handed a contract on the desk to Ana Ye. Its terms were simple: Ana Ye would change from a military household status to become a retinue of Fang Chongyong's family. This also means her future would be at Fang Chongyong's whim.

As long as she is willing.

Signing this contract means that the hard‑won achievements of the Western Region Hu women are erased, reduced again to the nobles' slaves, with no guarantee of status or rank, even bringing disaster to future generations.

Of course, calling someone a retinue sounds nicer than slave, but in essence there's little difference.

Signing this contract also means Fang Chongyong could later toy with Ana Ye at will, with no moral bottom line, the specifics depending on personal virtue. Even if he later gives Ana Ye away, no one would object.

That's how the noble circles play!

This is the price one must pay to go to Chang'an.

Fang Chongyong has already "settled" with Doctor Li, yet he still redundantly discusses it with Ana Ye once more.

Lifting her brush, Ana Ye signed her name on the contract and immediately pressed a cinnabar hand seal. After finishing, she glared at Fang Chongyong without a word, unwilling to appear weak.

Fang Chongyong's insistence on this procedure seemed ruthless to Ana Ye. Yet she didn't know that it was the well‑informed Doctor Li who suggested it, as a protection for her.

The explicit rules on the table always differ from the underlying hidden rules of how things operate; only those deeply familiar with the inner workings can make the right judgment.

Fang Chongyong tucked the contract close to his body, then laughed heartily, "From now on you can wield the titles of Fang Military Envoy and Fang Staff Officer to bully people in Liangzhou."

"How could I possibly do such a thing!"

Ana Ye said irritably.

She also guessed that her father had "sold" her. Though such matters are commonplace in Liangzhou city, when it happens to her it still feels odd.

She wanted to lose her temper but didn't know whom to direct it at.

"A beauty as companion, red sleeves adding fragrance, Fang Staff Officer truly has refined tastes."

From outside the pharmacy, Hexi Jiedushi Xiao Jiong's voice was heard; Ana Ye quickly rose, hurriedly bowed and stepped out of the pharmacy.

"That young lady from Hexi will surely grow into a beauty; Fang Staff Officer really has good eye."

Xiao Jiong teased in a familiar, casual manner.

If the other party weren't the Hexi Jiedushi, Fang Chongyong would be too lazy to bother with this coarse, uncultured bird‑person. This petty Xiao Jiong, who never strays three sentences from his own business, what he's doing here Fang Chongyong could guess with his toes.

"The saint's birthday is near, the medicine is almost ready. Still, I'm a bit worried—has Jiedushi Xiao really thought this through?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a hint of meaning.

"The arrow is on the string and must be released; naturally, the sooner the better!"

Xiao Jiong clenched his fists, eyes wide open, clearly not wanting to continue the polite banter with Fang Chongyong.

More importantly, he himself has taken this medicine before; it seems... rather interesting.

"First, this is tea, not medicine, right? As long as the saint likes it, adding some lukewarm tea is fine."

Fang Chongyong opened his eyes and retorted as if spouting nonsense.

Xiao Jiong nodded like a chick pecking grain, "Yes, yes, this is tea from Hexi, not medicine."

In the Tang dynasty, "tea" didn't necessarily contain tea leaves; such cases were actually common in Fang Chongyong's previous life.

Regions contributed "tea" as auspicious offerings, a risk far lower than offering "medicine".

Just on this point, Xiao Jiong concluded that Fang Chongyong is a man of great ambition!

"This tea's main function is to regulate the five organs and smooth Qi. As for any aphrodisiac effect, we know nothing about that, right?"

Fang Chongyong hinted quite explicitly.

"Yes, yes, this tea is specifically for regulating the five organs. If the body is restored and a man's vigor returns, that's normal, and we naturally know nothing about that."

Xiao Jiong quickly followed up, saying that talking with a clever person is comfortable, efficient, and unpretentious!

"Even tea isn't for everyone. Since each person's constitution differs, before drinking it's best to ask the medical office's physician whether the body can tolerate it—that's only proper, right?"

Fang Chongyong delivered the final decisive blow.

"Who says not? Even Chang'an's tea isn't for everyone. Those with weak liver or spleen shouldn't drink tea or should limit consumption."

Xiao Jiong gave Fang Chongyong a thumbs‑up, saying everything without words!

"Write down this tea's effects and contraindications, then send it to Chang'an for the saint to evaluate. I'm sure the physicians of the Imperial Medical Office won't disappoint the saint."

Fang Chongyong pulled a sheet of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Jiong, saying.

Critical matters, of course, must be handled personally to be safe; many big figures have perished over unnoticed details, and Fang Chongyong will not make that mistake.

He had already prepared the relevant instructions for the prescription, just waiting for Xiao Jiong to request them!

"Hehe, I've noted this favor, Xiao, and there will be a great repayment."

Xiao Jiong took the paper and left, without any hesitation.

Watching his departing back, Fang Chongyong let out a long sigh. The matter of the Baiting Army making money had already ended here; it was time to go to Baiting Sea for a vacation.

As a yamen scion with connections, why must I live so hard?

Fang Chongyong decided to set off today for the Baiting Army, taking the Tibetan military law with him to properly study there.

Once the work is done, it's also time to go enjoy the beautiful scenery of Baiting Sea!

(End of chapter)