Chapter Eleven: The Marketplace
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The imperial court had already degenerated into something resembling a marketplace, with all the ministers talking over one another.
Worse still, some of them were looking at Li Chengqian with undisguised disgust, as though he had committed some heinous crime that had enraged both Heaven and man.
Li Tai, Prince of Wei, whom Li Chengqian had just rebuffed, was flushed from head to toe, his face alight with excitement as if he were drunk.
He strode forward several paces, then pointed at Li Chengqian and shouted, “Your Highness, are you plotting rebellion?”
“The frontier armies are the pillars of the state, their existence tied to the life and death of the Great Tang!”
“You speak so lightly of reforming the frontier armies. What if it causes unrest among the troops? Would that not be a policy designed to throw the realm into chaos?”
The more Li Tai spoke, the more excited he became. He was like a man who had found a cripple’s injured leg and was determined to kick it as hard as possible. He continued angrily, “Moreover, as Crown Prince, Your Highness should be thinking of how to assist Father in governing the realm and securing the foundations of the state.”
“First you proposed reforming the commercial taxes, using the opportunity to amass wealth. Now you propose reforming the frontier armies, with the intention of laying your hands on military affairs.”
“Does Your Highness intend to strike on two fronts and repeat the events of the past?”
At that moment, Prince Li Tai had completely lost all restraint.
Believing that he had found the Crown Prince’s fatal weakness, he launched attack after attack.
In the heat of his tirade, he even alluded obliquely to the old affair at Xuanwu Gate, a subject that everyone at court regarded with the utmost trepidation.
He was trying to make Li Shimin recall those shameful events and fly into a rage, demoting the Crown Prince on the spot.
Yet neither Li Shimin nor Li Chengqian showed the slightest abnormality. Not even a word of rebuttal was offered.
Li Tai felt as though he had thrown all his strength into a blow, only for it to land on cotton.
His state of mind began to collapse. Gritting his teeth, he decided that this time he would deliver a killing blow.
Prince Li Tai glanced at Hou Junji, the Minister of War, who had only been released from the Court of Judicial Review and restored to office the previous night. He then turned to Li Shimin and said pointedly, “Father, as I understand it, Your Highness has always enjoyed close relations with Duke Chen.”
“When Duke Chen was previously accused of embezzling the wealth of Gaochang’s treasury, Your Highness even pleaded for leniency on his behalf. In light of that, Your Highness’s present actions are clearly part of some treacherous scheme!”
The dagger had finally been revealed from beneath the cloak.
Li Tai delivered his words with such impassioned fervor that they seemed almost righteous.
Then came a sharp clatter.
Hou Junji, the man who had just been mentioned, suddenly stepped out of the ranks and fell to his knees in the middle of the hall, saying nothing.
He had assumed that since His Majesty had personally pardoned him the previous night, the matter would be over for good.
Who could have imagined that Li Tai would use him as a sharp blade and drive him straight at the Crown Prince?
Hou Junji was utterly dumbfounded. How could he possibly dare say another word?
The court, which had moments before been filled with noisy debate, fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
Yet Li Shimin, seated high above them all, showed no reaction whatsoever. He remained as still as a mountain.
His gaze did not turn toward Li Tai, who had just finished his tirade. Instead, he looked at the Crown Prince.
Could he be waiting for the Crown Prince’s counterattack?
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His Majesty’s most beloved son, Prince of Wei, had openly attacked the Crown Prince in court!
Yet this spectacle of two dragons contending had frightened all the ministers into silence like a flock of quails.
One by one, they kept their heads bowed, not daring even to breathe too loudly.
Even Wei Zheng, the great firebrand who had originally intended to argue with the Crown Prince, did not dare step forward.
Still less would the sly old foxes such as Changsun Wuji make a move.
But the Crown Prince had clearly been driven into a corner by the Prince of Wei this time.
Everyone was secretly wondering how the Crown Prince would strike back.
This was a pass that would be difficult to cross.
One careless step could bring disaster upon the entire realm.
It had to be said that Li Tai’s words were exceptionally vicious.
Whether the Crown Prince’s intentions were truly as disgraceful as Li Tai claimed was beside the point.
The mere suspicion was enough to bring the lofty Crown Prince crashing down.
Even Changsun Wuji, who had supported the Crown Prince unwaveringly from the beginning, shook his head softly.
The accusation that the commercial-tax reforms were merely a means of enriching himself could be set aside for now.
But for the heir apparent to meddle in military affairs had, since ancient times, been one of the imperial family’s greatest taboos. Taking that path was often tantamount to choosing death.
What was more, the present Emperor had seized the throne through a military coup. Before rising to power, he had been only a prince.
If Li Tai’s accusations against the Crown Prince were truly confirmed, then the bloodshed that would fill the court today would be no joke.
How many years had it been since the Incident at Xuanwu Gate?
As the ministers speculated among themselves, most felt that the Crown Prince was in grave danger this time.
Changsun Wuji was even considering whether he should risk speaking up and offer a few words in the Crown Prince’s defense when—
“Heh.”
Li Chengqian merely looked down at the Prince of Wei with utter disdain and gave a cold laugh.
He turned around without offering any rebuttal, then bowed toward Li Shimin.
“Father, the reform of frontier military farms that I have proposed is modeled after Geng Shouchang’s ever-normal granary system during the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han.”
“Simply in terms of the grain and transport costs that could be saved each year, the amount would be as much as three hundred thousand dan…”
The faster Li Chengqian spoke, the more vivid the memory that surfaced in his mind: Zhao Mu’s eloquent stream of advice from the previous night.
It was as though Zhao Mu were feeding him his lines from beside his ear. As a result, Li Chengqian spoke of this grand plan for the state with effortless fluency, without the slightest pause or stumble.
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Just as he reached the height of his enthusiasm, he suddenly turned and addressed Hou Junji, who was still kneeling on the ground and trembling.
“Minister Hou, I recall that when you once led the army in the campaign that destroyed Gaochang, you ordered the merchants of the Western Regions to provide provisions on the spot. You even brewed wine from Western grapes to reward the troops, did you not?”
Hou Junji’s expression changed drastically. For a moment, he did not know whether he ought to answer.
After much deliberation, he could only reply in a trembling voice, “Your Highness, at the time, this servant truly had no other choice.”
“The army was campaigning far from home, and our provisions were running low. We had no choice but to order the merchants of the Western Regions to replenish our supplies and stabilize the soldiers’ morale…”
What an old fox.
He admitted that the matter had indeed occurred, yet at the same time he had forcibly offered an excuse for himself.
But was the Crown Prince mad?
Unease began to spread through the hearts of everyone present.
Those who supported the Crown Prince were especially anxious, nearly burning with worry.
The Prince of Wei’s blade was already pressed against the Crown Prince’s throat.
Instead of hastening to defend himself, the Crown Prince was still clinging to the matter he had proposed. Could he be planning to break the cauldrons and sink the boats?
He was insane! Completely insane!
The officials who supported the Crown Prince felt their hearts sinking toward the abyss.
Only Changsun Wuji, who had been secretly watching the imperial throne, saw the light in Li Shimin’s eyes. His own confidence quietly grew, and he abandoned the decision to speak up in the Crown Prince’s defense.
He would first see how the Crown Prince intended to respond.
Like Li Shimin, Changsun Wuji began to look forward to what would happen next.
Sure enough, after seeing Hou Junji admit it, Li Chengqian smiled faintly.
“In that case, the reform of frontier military farms that I have proposed has great promise.”
“The military farms established by the court are currently restricted to growing grain.”
“But the land of Hexi produces less than a third of the yield found in the central plains. By contrast, Western grapes are highly productive there.”
“In truth, the court could hand over all the Hexi military-farm land unsuitable for growing grain or fodder to merchants, allowing them to lease it for grape cultivation.”
“The lease payments for the land must all be made in grain. A fixed amount would be delivered to the court, which would then allocate it locally to the frontier armies.”
“As everyone knows, grape wine commands enormous profits throughout the Great Tang. Once the merchants see the advantages, they will surely flock there. When that happens, not only will we save grain and provisions, we may even increase the court’s revenues!”
When the Crown Prince finished speaking, the imperial court fell into absolute silence.
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