Chapter Sixty-Six: Factional Strife

Song Qiqiu’s residence was also located along the Qinhuai River, though it sat at the southwestern corner of the Imperial City, adjacent to the Imperial Academy, lending the area a profound scholarly atmosphere. The Prince of Qi, Li Jingsui, first went to Song’s residence, only to find him absent. According to the gatekeeper, he had gone to Qixia Temple to burn incense.

Li Jingsui reflected for a moment and then decided to seek out Feng Yansi.

Feng Yansi’s residence was not far from Song Qiqiu’s, both being near the Imperial Academy; it was merely a turn or two away. Upon hearing that the Prince of Qi had come to visit, Feng Yansi hurried out to welcome him. In truth, deep down, Feng Yansi did not consider the Prince of Qi the ideal choice for the heir apparent. However, Li Hongji was deeply hostile toward their faction of veteran officials, and since the Prince of Qi possessed a gentle temperament, Feng Yansi, Song Qiqiu, and their peers had shifted their support to him.

After ushering the Prince into his quarters and ordering servants to serve tea, the two engaged in casual conversation. They spoke of the most pressing topics of the day. Although the struggles within the imperial court drew no blood, they were far more treacherous than warfare. Having spent the better part of his life drifting through the bureaucratic sea, how could Feng Yansi not understand the undercurrents?

When the Prince of Qi recounted his dialogue with the Emperor that day, Feng Yansi was stunned. He could not fathom that the Prince would commit such a foolish act; was this not akin to lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet?

"Chancellor," the Prince of Qi explained, "this was Yang Lian’s plan, and as it stands, it has proven effective."

Feng Yansi sighed. Given the Prince’s status, he could not outright refuse him, so he asked, "Is this Yang Lian the same man who lifted the siege of Changzhou, received the Emperor’s reward, and shares the same name and surname as the former dynasty’s crown prince?"

"The very same," the Prince replied.

Feng Yansi sighed again. "Your Highness, I have heard a little of this man's background. He is but a common soldier with no experience in political struggle. Why does Your Highness trust him so?"

The Prince of Qi smiled. "Though Yang Lian is young, he is steady in his actions. It seems that, thus far, he has never made a major mistake."

"The fact that he has made no mistakes before does not mean he will not make them now or in the future," Feng Yansi retorted bluntly; he had the standing to do so.

The Prince of Qi was slightly taken aback. "That may be true, but I still feel that, according to Yang Lian’s reasoning, the odds of success are greater."

Feng Yansi shook his head and scoffed, "To be blunt, Your Highness, this man was merely lucky to lift the siege of Changzhou, and with many commanders and officers of the Shenwu Army killed in action, he was able to fill the vacancy. But he is, after all, a young man. Perhaps he is adept at warfare, but when it comes to political maneuvering, he is far lacking."

"The Emperor has suppressed the memorials of Han Xizai, Xu Xuan, and others, showing no desire to punish Chen Jue, Feng Yanlu, and their ilk. This is proof enough that the Emperor is already dissatisfied with Han Xizai and his circle."

"At this time, we must reinforce the Emperor’s resolve and not let Han Xizai, Xu Xuan, and Sun Sheng continue to cloud his judgment. If we wait until the Emperor has made up his mind, it will be too late." As he spoke, Feng Yansi withdrew a memorial from his robes. "Han Xizai has organized a joint petition; I, too, shall organize a joint petition. Let us see whose faction has more people and greater influence."

The Prince of Qi took the memorial and examined it. Beyond Feng Yansi’s name, there were those of Cha Wenhui, Gao Shensi, and others, but Song Qiqiu’s name was notably absent.

"This... does this not seem somewhat inappropriate?" the Prince of Qi asked, his heart filled with anxiety.

"What could be inappropriate about it? The Han faction is arrogant and overbearing. If we let them continue, that would be the true impropriety. I intend to strike back and let the Han faction know that even though I am old, I will not allow them to act recklessly and conspire against the pillars of the state," Feng Yansi declared. In truth, like Han Xizai, he had been a long-time official in the Prince’s residence when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince. However, Han Xizai was arrogant by nature and did not get along with him; the two often quarreled, and their relationship was extremely frigid. Even after the Crown Prince ascended the throne and entrusted them both with great responsibilities, their relationship had never improved.

The Prince of Qi sighed, feeling powerless regarding Feng Yansi’s decision. After all, Feng Yanlu was his relative, and now that he was imprisoned in the celestial dungeon, how could Feng Yansi not be anxious? Seeing that he could not sway him, the Prince of Qi chatted for a while longer before rising to take his leave.

He checked Song Qiqiu’s residence once more, but the Minister remained nowhere to be found. Feeling dispirited, Li Jingsui had someone notify Yang Lian before returning to his own estate.

Upon receiving the news, Yang Lian could only sigh. Feng Yansi was, after all, a veteran of the Tang court and a Chancellor—second only to the Emperor. How could a mere commander like him sway such a man? Since matters had developed to this point, he could only leave it to fate.

The one silver lining was that the Prince of Qi had followed Yang Lian’s advice and remained silent during this factional struggle. Song Qiqiu, that old fox, had also begun feigning illness during this battle, skipping several court sessions.

Although Yang Lian lacked the credentials to attend court, news continued to reach him, with the most accurate reports coming from the Prince of Qi. Han Xizai, Xu Xuan, Sun Sheng, and Chang Mengxi filed consecutive impeachment memorials. The Censor-in-Chief, Jiang Wenwei, even spoke out directly in court, claiming that without clear rewards and punishments, the court system would crumble and the state would cease to be a state.

Li Jing, already furious over Jiang Wenwei’s memorial and seeing him ranting in court, flew into a rage and ordered his execution. It was only through the intercession of Han Xizai and Xu Xuan that Jiang Wenwei escaped with his life, eventually being demoted to a military advisor in Jiangzhou.

With Jiang Wenwei demoted, Feng Yansi believed he had found an opening and launched a counterattack. Unexpectedly, Han Xizai accused Feng Yansi, Feng Yanlu, and Chen Jue of forming a clique for personal gain and abusing their power to the detriment of the state. The debate in court spilled over into the public sphere. Yang Lian, hearing the common people express deep dissatisfaction with Feng Yansi and Feng Yanlu while at a tavern, knew the outcome of this struggle.

Sure enough, two days later, the Emperor finally made his decision. Chen Jue was exiled to Qizhou, and Feng Yanlu to Shuzhou. Feng Yansi was also implicated; after being severely reprimanded by the Emperor, he was forced to resign. Recalling his service as an old official from his time as a prince, Li Jing appointed him as the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince—a mere honorary title, as no crown prince had yet been named.

As for Li Zhenggu, Gao Shensi, and the others, the original sentences stood. Gao Shensi, weary of such a life, requested to retire to his hometown, a request Li Jing granted after some consideration. The court factional struggle temporarily drew to a close. The Han faction held the upper hand, and Feng Yansi had been defeated, forced to relinquish his position as Chancellor. The victory of the Han faction brought great joy to Han Xizai, who held a grand banquet to celebrate with Xu Xuan and Sun Sheng.

Yang Lian continued his quiet life, leading his soldiers in training daily. When the Prince of Qi came to visit, he could only sigh repeatedly, lamenting that if Feng Yansi had listened to Yang Lian earlier, he would not have ended up in such a state. But regret was useless now. Yang Lian could only smile.

In mid-May, news arrived from the Central Plains that the Khitan, having extinguished the Jin dynasty, were preparing to return north under the leadership of Yelü Deguang. Back when the Tang and Wuyue kingdoms were deadlocked in Fuzhou and Suzhou/Changzhou, the Khitan had destroyed the Later Jin and captured Shi Chonggui. Because the Khitan had been burning, killing, and looting in the Central Plains, the local people had risen in resistance, and many Khitan soldiers died every day.

Yelü Deguang had sent troops to suppress them several times, but the local people, familiar with the terrain, fought a guerrilla war. Having suffered heavy losses and facing the onset of warmer weather—which the Khitan, accustomed to the cold north, could not endure—his officers urged a return north. Yelü Deguang, also feeling unwell, announced last month that he was returning to his own country.

Upon hearing this, Yang Lian’s mind raced. He recalled that after the Later Jin was extinguished by the Khitan, Liu Zhiyuan, who occupied Taiyuan, had quickly seized the Central Plains with almost no bloodshed. However, the Later Han he hastily established lacked a firm foundation; within two or three years of Liu Zhiyuan’s death and his successor’s ascension, it was replaced by Guo Wei.

Since Liu Zhiyuan had relied on the people of the Central Plains to drive out the Khitan and faced no strong opposition, and because the Five Dynasties period was rife with warlordism, his hold on the heartland was fragile. If the Tang were to march north, they might achieve something great.

As a Commander of the Shenwu Army and a fifth-rank official, Yang Lian now possessed a measure of authority. He immediately wrote a memorial proposing that the Tang dispatch fifty thousand elite troops north along the Grand Canal to recapture Luoyang and Bianliang before the other warlords of the Central Plains could seize them. By securing the region south of the Yellow River and sending a detachment to take Shandong, the Tang would establish a defensive barrier for the Huai region, allowing them to hold their ground or launch further offensives into the Hebei plains. If possible, they could even strike at Guanzhong from Henan.

Given the current instability in the Central Plains, Yang Lian believed this would be easy. Yet, days after the memorial was submitted, there was no news; he did not know where it had been blocked.

After some thought, he went personally to see the Prince of Qi to discuss the matter. Yang Lian intended to persuade the court to send at least ten thousand troops north, should a full-scale invasion prove impossible.

The Prince of Qi now trusted Yang Lian implicitly; at the very least, his predictions regarding the recent factional struggle had proven accurate. He did not know that Yang Lian had simply divined the Emperor’s heart.

The Prince of Qi hurried into the palace to speak with Li Jing. Upon hearing the suggestion, Li Jing felt a sense of foreboding. The war with Wuyue had left him terrified. If they could not even defeat Wuyue, how could they contend with the great powers of the Central Plains? Moreover, this was the same Khitan force that had destroyed the Jin!

Li Jing rejected the proposal almost instantly, instead asking the Prince of Qi about the spring hunt. It was already quite late in the season, as the court’s infighting had wasted too much time. Li Jing, feeling miserable, wished to get out and clear his head.

The Prince of Qi replied that preparations were nearly complete. He had chosen Mount Zhong, known for its beauty, as the site for the hunt. The mountain spanned over sixty li, with its highest peak rising over one hundred and thirty zhang. With its dense forests and abundant game, now fattened by the spring, it was the perfect place for a hunt.

Li Jing was delighted at the news and, after a moment’s thought, set the date for the hunt five days later.