Chapter Four: Unexpected Turns

Xianyu Zhongtong shared deep ties with Yang Guozhong. Yang Guozhong’s rise to power was largely thanks to Xianyu Zhongtong, who came from a merchant background. At the same time, An Lushan, who held the position of Censor in the capital, was also close to the Yang siblings. In Chang’an, only Yang Guozhong and An Lushan had been officially appointed as military governors—Huangfu Weiming’s formal appointment had yet to be issued.

Ordinarily, Yang Guozhong and his faction acted in concert, standing as rivals to Li Linfu, stirring unrest throughout Chang’an. Although Gao Buyi’s actions seemed aimed at curbing Yang Guozhong’s influence, his real target was An Lushan. Gao hoped to take advantage of the moment while An Lushan was still within his grasp, to send him out of Chang’an filled with uncertainty, unsure of the emperor’s true intentions. He wished to rattle the tiger in the mountains, to see if chaos might present a way to resolve the looming crisis.

After all, An Lushan had not held the post of Military Governor of Fanyang for long; Pei An’s influence still lingered there. As long as An Lushan was not pushed to desperation, with the cards he now held, he would not dare to rebel.

Once the imperial edict was composed, Gao Buyi personally reviewed it again. Glancing at the eunuch who still knelt on the floor, he gave no sign to let him rise. Instead, he opened the box containing the imperial jade seal and stamped the edict himself.

“Chen Xuan!”

“I am here, Your Majesty!”

“Take this edict and proclaim it openly to the empire—make no mistakes!”

“Your servant obeys!”

Gao Buyi chose to issue an open edict precisely to leave his opponents no time to react, to prevent any unforeseen trouble. Yet by doing so, he set a precedent since the founding of the Tang: for the first time, an emperor issued such sweeping changes during a holiday period, which was certain to cause a great stir.

After Chen Xuan departed, Gao Buyi said, “Attend me—bring Pei Xiang a ceremonial robe of purple and gold!” The purple-and-gold court robe was the highest honor of the Tang; throughout the dynasty, only a handful ever received it.

Once the robes and insignia were properly donned, Pei An performed a grand salute.

“Rise, my loyal minister. Go home and rest for a few days. Once the Lantern Festival has passed, it will be a new year—may it bring new beginnings! At that time, I will once more rely on you all.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your boundless grace! We take our leave.”

Watching Pei An and Huangfu Weiming leave the great hall, Gao Buyi sighed, “Such worthy men of old! They remember no grudges, only kindness, and their eyes shine with sincerity.”

Outside the hall, in the biting wind, Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong saw Pei An emerge in the purple-and-gold ceremonial robe, and Huangfu Weiming looking calm and composed. Their hearts sank. Pei An cast a cold glance at his former rivals, gave a faint snort, and strode away with Huangfu Weiming.

At that moment, a palace attendant appeared and said, “His Majesty is weary today and will see no more ministers. Gentlemen, please return.”

The attendant’s words left Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong exchanging uneasy looks. In the end, they both snorted coldly and turned their backs on each other, each annoyed with the other. Li Linfu headed for the palace gates, while Yang Guozhong made his way toward the inner palace, intending to visit his sister, Consort Yang, and perhaps learn what had transpired.

As Yang Guozhong walked toward the inner palace, Li Linfu’s face darkened even further. This was the first time, since becoming prime minister, that he had been refused an audience by the emperor. He decided to seek out Lady Wu for news.

Lady Wu was no stranger to him; she was the sister of Wu Sansi, a powerful minister during Empress Wu’s reign. Wu Sansi had once greatly aided the eunuch, and the eunuch, in turn, was a man of deep gratitude. After the Wu clan was purged, the eunuch, favored by the Emperor, cared for Lady Wu as if she were family. Lady Wu later married a prime minister, who died young, leaving her a widow in her forties.

At that time, Li Linfu was a mere vice minister, facing insurmountable challenges in his climb. After many fruitless attempts, he was introduced to Lady Wu. Always a master of honeyed words—that same talent that could charm even the old emperor—Li Linfu soon won her affections. Through Lady Wu’s intercession, the eunuch spoke on Li Linfu’s behalf to the emperor, and with his own skill at earning and spending money, Li Linfu came to be seen as a talent by the emperor.

Thus, Li Linfu’s rise to prime minister came as a matter of course. Once in power, his efforts to eliminate rivals only increased. By framing crown princes and ministers, he achieved his goal of becoming Right Chancellor. But this was still not enough. He had already planned, after the new year, to launch a bold campaign, remove Li Shizhi, install his own people, and transform the inner court into a place where only his voice was heard.

Who could have foreseen the emperor’s sudden and dramatic change in temperament?

Nearing the inner palace, Yang Guozhong was blocked by the imperial guards. He was furious. “Are you blind? Do you not recognize me?”

“Minister Yang, we have just received orders. From this moment onward, no outer official may enter the inner palace without imperial summons.”

“When did this happen?” Only now did Yang Guozhong sense that something momentous was afoot.

“Only just now. His Majesty gave the order himself.”

“Would you please announce me? Tell the Noble Consort that I, her brother, wish to see her.” As he spoke, Yang Guozhong quietly slipped some silver into the guard’s hand.

The guard did not refuse the money, but neither did he go to announce him. “Minister Yang, you’ve been generous as always, but let me be frank: from now on, even the Noble Consort herself is forbidden to see outer officials without direct orders. Don’t make things difficult for me. Even we, the guards, if we enter this gate without orders, the penalty is death.”

“Why such sudden strictness? Has something serious happened?”

“Nothing major, as far as we know. Please, Minister Yang, don’t speculate—we’re just following orders.”

Yang Guozhong was left in utter confusion and, full of suspicion, finally turned away from the palace to seek out Lady Guo. Lady Guo was most favored by the Noble Consort and had a complicated relationship with the emperor; perhaps she could inquire within the palace.

Arriving at Lady Guo’s residence, he found Lady Han and Lady Qin there as well.

“What’s happened? Has some disaster occurred?” Yang Guozhong asked as he entered, noting the worried expressions on all three women.

“The edict has just come. All our privileges have been stripped away. We hold only empty titles now; even getting a taste of lychee in the future will be a rare luxury.”

“What? By what right? Has the Noble Consort said anything?”

“A moment ago, the Noble Consort sent word—just a few words: we are to watch and wait.”

“Watch and wait…” Yang Guozhong paced back and forth, muttering the phrase repeatedly. Lacking any learning, he could not fathom its meaning. At his wit’s end, he thought of An Lushan.

As he prepared to leave, Lady Guo, her robe slipping from her shoulders, called after him, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to gather some news. You should do the same—work your connections and see what you can find out.” With that, he left without a backward glance. This place was a den of debauchery; he could not stand to linger another moment.