White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

Chapter 107 Hesitation and Indecision Lead to Inquiry into Past Events

Yanying Hall, the very place proposed by Chancellor Lu Wenji for a private audience between the emperor and his ministers, is a small side hall to the west of the main hall.

Li Congke wore ordinary clothes: a reddish-yellow robe, a folded headscarf, a nine-ringed belt, and six-section boots. This custom originated in the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties for military purposes, and became a regular practice after the Zhenguan era: except for New Year's Day, the winter solstice when receiving court, and major sacrifices, the emperor always wore ordinary clothes.

"Gao Qing, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Li Congke's words were ambiguous, referring not only to the complicated etiquette of the audience.

Gao Xingzhou bows and inquires about His Majesty's well-being.

Li Congke said self-deprecatingly, "Back then, I dared to charge into enemy lines with only an axe, not caring about life or death at all. Now that I'm old and don't even need to go into battle myself, I've been agonizing over this trivial matter for almost a month, making you laugh at me." (Note 1)

The troubles that had plagued the emperor for so long were certainly no small matter.

The 23rd day of the first month, Gui Chou day.

On the Emperor's birthday, a banquet was held for the Spring Festival. After the Princess of Jin finished offering her birthday greetings, she wished to return to Jinyang.

Li Congke, seemingly neither drunk nor sober, uttered the words: "Why not stay? Why leave so suddenly? Are you trying to rebel against Shi Lang?!"

Since then, the window between the capital and Taiyuan has remained in a delicate state, neither fully open nor closed.

Shi Jingtang repeatedly submitted memorials, explaining his illness and requesting to be relieved of his military command and transferred to another prefecture.

Should we go with the flow and grant the request, or should we offer words of comfort and issue an imperial edict denying it?

A difficult problem lay before Li Congke, and he hesitated to make a decision.

"Your Majesty's every thought involves the fate of the nation and the lives of its people, and is naturally different from your past acts of reckless courage."

Gao Xingzhou solemnly replied, not believing that Li Congke's hesitation was cowardice.

"I still miss the simple days when I was a pure military general."

As Li Congke spoke, he took off his folded headscarf and held it in his hand, turning it around and playing with it.

"Wearing this official hat on your head doesn't give you the same peace of mind as wearing a helmet."

"Your Majesty is of inestimable worth. You should remain seated in the capital and let us handle the battle."

"Alright, don't you know what I used to be like? Ever since I sat on this chair, I've become a precious darling, with people serving me everything from eating to relieving myself."

"After two years, I've almost forgotten how to wield a sword and spear. If I went into battle now, I'd probably just be handing my head to the enemy."

Li Congke made a clumsy joke, then composed himself slightly: "Minister Gao, I previously promised you the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry, but the reason I haven't officially appointed you is because someone raised an objection."

Gao Xingzhou was not surprised, and even guessed who was behind it.

"Song Shenqian, I promoted him to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, but I didn't expect that he still wouldn't tolerate you."

The emperor sighed, "He is my trusted confidant Yuan Cong, who risked his life to persuade Wang Sitong, resulting in his arrest and imprisonment. I cannot ignore his opinion."

As expected, it was this person. Gao Xingzhou could probably guess Song Shenqian's thoughts.

"He rose from a lowly military officer to become the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard, making it difficult for him to command respect. If someone with your illustrious record were to become the commander of the cavalry, there would be concerns that you would be sidelined."

Previously, Li Conghou had arranged for Zhu Hongshi to assume this position in order to divide Kang Yicheng's power, so it is not surprising that Song Shenqian had such concerns.

"I understand Your Majesty's difficulties."

Gao Xingzhou didn't mind being subordinate to Song Shenqian, or even whether he became the commander of the cavalry. What worried him was something else entirely.

Song Shenqian's clinging to power is not a major problem. The key issue lies in the fact that Shi Jingtang has many former subordinates within the Imperial Guard. If he cannot control these arrogant and unruly soldiers, and they are instead won over by Shi Jingtang, then things will become troublesome.

"I have made up my mind that we cannot let the importance of the matter be ruined by caring for him alone. We will transfer Song Shenqian to another post."

Since the emperor had made up his mind, Gao Xingzhou had no objections.

However, there is still one thing that is not so easy to decide on.

"I discussed with Lu Wenji, Yao Yi, and others the possibility of granting Shi Jingtang's request to move his garrison to Yunzhou. However, Fang Gao, Li Song, and Lü Qi strongly advised against it, believing that an edict should be issued to appease him and reject his request."

"Taiyuan is a strategically important and well-stocked place with abundant grain reserves. If we treat them kindly and leniently, they will still respect the court. If we grant their request, it will only alienate them. If Hedong rebels, it will surely inform neighboring countries and create a powerful enemy in the north. At that time, the fate of the dynasty will be clear in the heavens."

Everyone knows that Shi Jingtang's request to move the garrison was not of his own volition, but rather a test of the court's intentions.

Whether or not to take this step, the pressure of decision-making ultimately rests on the emperor's shoulders.

It sounds simple, but in reality, it tests whether the imperial court has the determination to fight the Hedong army, which is backed by the Khitan.

After careful consideration and weighing of the pros and cons, Li Congke was well aware of the consequences of the failed attempt to reduce the power of the princes.

Two years ago, he rose to power because of this. He was in a hopeless situation and was prepared to have his whole family commit suicide by fire. However, due to an emotional outburst before his death, the situation was unexpectedly reversed.

Who can guarantee that nothing else will happen this time?

"I summoned you here today because I want to ask you something."

Gao Xingzhou was immediately alarmed. Could it be that the emperor wanted him to help make decisions?

"As a military general, I may consult you on military strategy. However, matters concerning the nation's affairs are not something a mere soldier can comment on."

He kept to his duty and was unwilling to let his words affect Li Congke's judgment.

"Haha, you're still as law-abiding as ever. Don't worry, it's not what you're thinking."

Seeing Gao Xingzhou's tense expression, Li Congke couldn't help but chuckle: "You know that the first day of this month is a national day of mourning, right?"

On the first day of the fourth lunar month, the Xingjiao Gate Incident occurred, and Li Cunxu died a violent death.

"My good ministers have stirred up another trouble in order to offer incense to Emperor Zhuangzong."

Gao Xingzhou didn't understand why the emperor was talking about something completely unrelated to the present situation, so he could only listen silently.

On the anniversary of Li Cunxu's death, Liu Xu, the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Kong Zhao, the Right Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, jointly arranged the order of the incense offering. (Note 2)

The Left and Right Attendants-in-Ordinary were subordinate to the Secretariat (left) and the Chancellery (right), respectively, and were of the third rank. Together with the Attendant-in-Ordinary and the Chancellor, there were eight of them, all of whom wore gold cicada-shaped earrings and sable ornaments, and were known as the Eight Sables.

Although he was a minor official with little power, he was one of the few people in the imperial court who could rival a second-rank official.

Kong Zhaoxu suggested: "The Attendant-in-Ordinary is a minister who attends to the emperor, and his conduct and standing should precede that of the Attendant-in-Ordinary."

Liu Xu was strong-willed, which aroused jealousy among many, resulting in him being extremely unpopular. Even his in-law, Feng Dao, suffered as a result. After the memorial was submitted, the newly appointed Grand Secretary, Ma Yisun, seeing the public's displeasure with Liu Xu and Feng Dao, wanted to subtly suppress them and ordered the censorate to search for old precedents.

The Censorate replied: "There is no precedent for this. According to the current ranking system in the North and South, the Attendant-in-Ordinary is in the lead."

Ma Yisun immediately signed and signed the petition from the Censorate, and implemented it accordingly: "Since there is evidence, it is sufficient to follow. Please show it to your respective officials."

Liu Xu was furious and stormed off.

Unexpectedly, Cui Jujian, the Minister of Works, stepped forward and raised a counterargument in the court: "To interpret language based on Kong Zhaoxu's explanations shows that the court has no one who can interpret language!"

"In our dynasty, the Minister of Works (仆射) is in charge of all officials, and the Grand Master of the Palace (中丞大夫) follows the proper order of conduct. The Attendant-in-Ordinary (常侍) is subordinate to the Six Ministers of the Southern Palace (南宫六卿), let alone the Minister of Works (仆射)?"

The title "Pu" means "to manage" or "to be in charge." In ancient times, military affairs were highly valued, and the chief archer held power, hence the establishment of this official position. He was ranked second only to the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. After Emperor Taizong, the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat became vacant, and the Pu She (chief archer) effectively served as the prime minister, holding a high position and wielding great power.

The Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, who accompanied the Emperor and served as his advisor, belonged to the elite class. Yet, he was still inferior to the Six Ministers of the Southern Palace, namely the Ministers of the Six Ministries. It was excessive for him to be ranked above the Vice Minister.

"Having served in the provincial capital for many years, I looked up to the two Vice Ministers of the Southern Palace as if gazing at the heavens. Kong Zhaoxu's foolish behavior shows no understanding of the situation. Why do you ridicule him so deeply!"

The ministers may not have wanted to stand up for Liu Xu, but they could not accept that the former attendant-in-waiting, who was previously ranked below him, had suddenly risen above him, causing endless debate in the court.

Unable to withstand the pressure of public opinion, the Censorate sent a letter to the Secretariat, requesting a review of the old rituals.

After reviewing a pile of old bamboo slips and records, including precedents for regular court sessions, banquets, public consultations, and avoiding roads, I finally concluded that although the Censorate was a separate office, it was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Censor.

The Censorate disagreed, insisting that since the Tongguang era, Li Qi and Lu Zhi had served as assistant secretaries, and that this was the official seating arrangement during their tenure. They also cited the example of the interpreter serving in the first-rank class.

The ministers refuted this, arguing that the Attendant-in-Waiting was responsible for conveying imperial edicts and submitting memorials, naturally placing him between the emperor and the officials. They further argued that Lu Zhi was frivolous and lacked the decorum expected of a teacher, and therefore his example could not be used as evidence.

After a heated debate, the emperor finally issued an edict to redefine the ranks, placing the second rank before the third rank and after the first rank, thus ending the matter with this seemingly pointless conclusion.

"I am preoccupied with the affairs of Hedong and urgently need good strategies, but they are spending their time on these other things."

Li Congke spread his hands: "Ma Yinsun is often indecisive in handling matters. People at the time called him 'the three unopenable': he would not speak to discuss matters, he would not issue an official seal to carry out actions, and he would not open the door to receive guests. The trusted confidant Yuan Cong whom I appointed has not played any role in assisting me."

"I can only rely on myself."

Li Congke appeared utterly exhausted. The once vigorous and robust man showed signs of aging after only two years, which made Gao Xingzhou feel a pang of sympathy; being an emperor was no easy task.

Li Congke looked at Gao Xingzhou and addressed the main topic of today's audience: "The month before last, the late emperor's Veritable Records were finally completed and read to me. However, there are some things that Yao Yi and the others did not know and dared not write down."

February 10th, Gengwu day.

Yao Yi, the supervisor of the national history, along with Zhang Zhaoyuan and Li Xiang, the secretaries of the Imperial Secretariat, Wu Chengfan, the Left Advisor, and Yang Zhaojian, the Right Advisor, compiled the "Veritable Records of Emperor Mingzong" in thirty volumes and presented it to the Emperor.

As if encouraging himself, Li Congke murmured, "I can't rely on any of the court officials. If there's anyone else who can help me, it's only my godfather."

The emperor's tone became low, revealing a hint of weakness, like a child clinging to his father.

Gao Xingzhou understood Li Congke's feelings for Li Siyuan. The emperor was a man of deep emotions, and when he was confused and hesitant, he was bound to think of relying on the late emperor.

But then he thought, if the late emperor were truly watching from heaven, who would he choose to help between his adopted son Li Congke and his beloved son-in-law Shi Jingtang?

"Gao Qing, tell me, what exactly happened that night? Unlike me, the late emperor wasn't forced into rebellion with no other choice. Why was he coerced by the mutinous soldiers into doing such a thing?"

Without further explanation, Gao Xingzhou knew exactly which year, month, and day Li Congke was referring to as "that night."

If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, it will remain an unsolved mystery in the emperor's mind.

Li Congke wanted to understand the ins and outs of that matter. After all, the living have their own interests and demands, and only the experiences and wisdom of the deceased can remain truthful. Listening to the late emperor's story might help him understand the current situation.

Gao Xingzhou composed himself and began to recount the past.

"The story begins when Your Majesty was demoted and exiled to Shimen, and I followed the late Emperor to Zhenzhou..."