Chapter 65: Advancing Instead of Retreating

"Has Liu Congxiao driven away the Great Tang troops and seized the prefectures of Quan and Zhang?" Inside the Shenwu Army camp, Yang Lian appeared somewhat surprised.

Gao Shinsi nodded, saying, "This is the latest news. According to my estimation, Liu Congxiao merely wishes to occupy these two prefectures; he likely lacks the ambition to contend for the empire."

Yang Lian pondered briefly. He had no recollection of a figure named Liu Congxiao in his memory, and since he could not recall him, he dismissed the matter. As expected, his reflections proved accurate; two or three days later, news arrived that Liu Congxiao had submitted a memorial to the Great Tang declaring his allegiance. The imperial court once again fell into endless wrangling over whether to dispatch troops to Quan and Zhang.

In the end, Li Jing abandoned the two prefectures, acknowledging Liu Congxiao’s de facto control. He appointed Liu as the Prefect of Quanzhou and summoned the former deputy administrator, Wang Jixun, to Jinling to take on a different post. The imperial court’s agenda had been disrupted by the affairs of Quan and Zhang, causing Han Xizai’s plans to temporarily fall through—a development that left him deeply regretful.

At the Yang Family Inn, Yang Lian could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. That Han Xizai was temporarily forced to pull back was a good thing for the Prince of Qi. In recent days, the offensive from the Han faction had been so fierce that, within a single day, memorials had flown into the imperial city like snowflakes, truly keeping Yang Lian’s heart in his throat. Yang Lian had secretly advised the Prince of Qi several times that, under these circumstances, one must absolutely not intervene. Sometimes, inaction is the best strategy.

Feeling more at ease, the Prince of Qi, Li Jingsui, also arrived at the Yang Family Inn. The two drank tea while playing a game of chess. Li Jingsui held a black stone, hesitating for a long time, unable to place it. It seemed he had lost the match against Yang Lian. After a long silence, Li Jingsui sighed and abandoned the stone, admitting defeat.

"I never imagined that in just a few short months, your chess skills would improve so dramatically. I am no longer your match," Li Jingsui lamented.

"You are too kind, Your Highness," Yang Lian said with a smile, picking the white stones from the board.

As they were speaking, Lin Renzhao rushed in, his face showing signs of alarm. "Your Highness, Commander Yang, news has just arrived: Chancellor Feng has submitted a memorial pleading for mercy on behalf of Feng Yanlu, Chen Jue, and the others."

"When did this happen?" Yang Lian furrowed his brow. This Feng Yanisi still could not restrain himself.

The Prince of Qi’s expression changed slightly. Originally, he had not believed Yang Lian’s words, but as the situation evolved, he realized Yang Lian’s judgment was remarkably accurate, and thus he had chosen to trust him. Before Feng Yanisi’s memorial, although the Han faction had been aggressive and memorials impeaching Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu had poured in like snow, the Emperor had consistently remained silent. In truth, although Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu had been defeated, in Li Jing’s heart, victory and defeat were common occurrences in war; furthermore, Feng Yanlu’s approach had its own logic, and his failure was merely due to a moment of carelessness and the overwhelming strength of the Wuyue forces.

The reason for the delay in punishment was that the memorials from Han Xizai, Xu Xuan, and others were so overwhelming that Li Jing could not openly exonerate them—even as an Emperor, he was constrained. These were Yang Lian’s deductions; in this sense, the more arrogant the Han faction became, the more Li Jing felt compelled to protect Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu.

However, perhaps pressured by his family, Feng Yanisi had submitted a plea for mercy, bringing the once-quiet factional strife back to the surface. Just as expected, on the afternoon of Feng Yanisi’s submission, Han Xizai and Xu Xuan received the news and quickly drafted a joint memorial, demanding that His Majesty severely punish the defeated generals.

None of Yang Lian’s conjectures could compare to the reality of Li Jing’s situation. Li Jing was furious. Even if he were a gentle-tempered monarch, that did not mean he was incapable of anger. In truth, Li Jing was well aware of the founding elders led by Song Qiqiu and the group gathered around him. However, Song Qiqiu was a founding father with immense prestige and status; the Great Tang had been established for little more than a decade, and its foundations were not yet secure. Li Jing was no fool—how could he move against the founding elders?

Yet, the Han faction, led by Han Xizai, consisted of men who had been with Li Jing when he was the Crown Prince, and they were deeply hostile toward the founding elders like Song Qiqiu. Li Jing was aware of this struggle between the old and new factions, but he had deep affection for Han Xizai and thus wished to play the mediator, moving against neither.

It was precisely this conciliatory attitude that had emboldened both factions.

*It is time to discipline them,* Li Jing thought to himself. *Otherwise, they will think the Emperor of the Great Tang is weak and easily bullied.*

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Qi requests an audience," a trusted eunuch announced.

*The Prince of Qi? Could it be that he, too, cannot restrain himself and has come to lobby me, pleading for Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu?* Li Jing thought, feeling a flicker of displeasure. He knew all too well who his brother, the Prince of Qi, associated with.

"Send him in," Li Jing said, stretching his shoulders. He wanted to see just how bold the Prince of Qi had become.

"Greetings, brother!" Prince Li Jingsui entered, bowing respectfully as always.

"Hmph." Li Jingsui, in a foul mood, gave a dry laugh and waved his hand. "Rise."

Prince Li Jingsui straightened up. Seeing Li Jing’s displeased expression, he asked, "Brother, you look unwell. Did you not rest well last night?" He sighed, adding, "Your subject is incompetent and unable to share the burdens of the state; I am truly useless."

Li Jing pursed his lips and sipped his tea. The Prince of Qi was still playing games. He pointed to the memorials on the desk and said, "In these last few days, I have been unable to finish reading the memorials impeaching Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu." He picked one up at random and continued, "Look at this—it is a memorial from the Censor-in-Chief, Jiang Wenwei. Look at what he says: 'associating with petty men, favoring the wicked; if this continues, the state will cease to be a state.' He compares me to the Last Ruler of Chen! Hmph, in his eyes, am I, the sovereign of a nation, truly that pathetic?"

He flung the memorial to the ground, his anger still burning.

Prince Li Jingsui bent down to pick it up. After a brief glance, his own expression changed. Jiang Wenwei was known for his upright character, but this was going too far. Was he not afraid of the Emperor’s wrath? He quickly said, "Brother, Jiang Wenwei’s words are truly outrageous. He should be punished."

"How should he be punished?" Li Jing asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Jiang Wenwei used the pretext of worrying for the country to attack you, brother. He deserves execution, but to demonstrate your benevolence, I believe a penalty of one year’s salary would suffice," Prince Li Jingsui suggested.

Li Jing looked at the Prince of Qi with some surprise. "Do you truly believe so?"

"Brother, the memorials impeaching Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu have piled up in rooms over these past few days. Whether it be Han Xizai or Jiang Wenwei, they all enjoy great reputations among the people; regardless of whether they are right or wrong, you cannot move against them. Conversely, it is an undeniable fact that Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu were defeated. The same goes for Li Zheng’gu, Zhu Kuangye, and Gao Shinsi—they were all defeated, bringing shame upon the Great Tang. I believe that merit must be rewarded and faults must be punished. Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu must be severely punished." Li Jingsui spoke at length, leaving Li Jing feeling strangely unsettled.

"Prince of Qi, how then should they be punished?" Li Jing asked.

"Execution, as a warning to others!" Li Jingsui said with conviction.

"Execution?" Li Jing was startled. This had not been his original thought, so the word "execution" from Li Jingsui took him by surprise.

"Execution!" Li Jingsui repeated.

"This is a grave matter. I must think on it," Li Jing said, rubbing his temples.

Li Jingsui narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of unease. He had followed Yang Lian’s plan—instead of retreating, he had advanced, calling for even harsher punishment for Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu than the Han faction. He had no idea what the outcome would be.

"I am tired. You may withdraw," Li Jing said.

"As you command." Li Jingsui bowed. As he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. "Brother, now that spring is here, will the annual Spring Hunt still be held?"

"The Spring Hunt..." Li Jing pondered. Recently, there had been too many vexing matters; a trip to clear his mind might be beneficial. "I leave the arrangements to you."

"Yes, brother!" Li Jingsui withdrew. Once he left the imperial city, he headed straight for the Yang Family Inn.

Yang Lian was in the courtyard practicing archery. He had great arm strength and could pull a three-stone bow, but his accuracy was lacking, so he still used a two-stone bow. Compared to martial arts, archery was the most difficult to master; it required sharp eyesight and precision.

When Prince Li Jingsui arrived, Yang Lian was drenched in sweat. He quickly wiped his brow with a cloth and went to meet the Prince.

Li Jingsui was pacing in the room, feeling restless. Would following Yang Lian’s plan backfire? After seeing the Emperor, his heart had only grown more anxious. Upon meeting Yang Lian, he voiced his concerns.

"Your Highness, do not worry. His Majesty has a clear mirror in his heart. The more severe the impeachment of Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu becomes, the more cautious he will be," Yang Lian comforted him.

Li Jingsui nodded. "I hope so."

"Your Highness should not worry about how His Majesty will judge them, but rather worry about one thing: Chancellor Song and Chancellor Feng must absolutely not plead for Chen and Feng again," Yang Lian cautioned.

Prince Li Jingsui thought for a moment. "I shall go to the residences of Chancellor Song and Chancellor Feng at once!" With that, he hurried away. Escorted by his coachman and guards, he first set off for the residence of Song Qiqiu.

Yang Lian watched the Prince depart, a cold smile playing on his lips. The imperial heart is difficult to fathom, yet not entirely devoid of patterns. By taking a counter-intuitive approach, Prince Li Jingsui was bound to see results. Whether Chancellor Song and Chancellor Feng would follow Yang Lian’s plan was beyond his control.

However, even if they did not listen to Yang Lian’s advice, the loss would be minimal. He only needed to maintain a certain posture—reminding the Prince at the right time to do this or that—and that would suffice.

If Chancellor Song and Chancellor Feng did follow his advice, Yang Lian was confident that the Emperor would not execute Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu. The punishment would likely be demotion to a local post, or at most, exile. But the Great Tang was not vast, and even in exile, there were no truly remote locations. As long as they survived this period and had people working for them in the court, they would eventually return.

The plan had been set, and Yang Lian had done what he could. The rest was up to the Prince. Returning to his room, Yang Lian continued his archery practice.