Chapter Ninety-Four: The Majesty of the Court

In the early morning of the twenty-ninth day of the sixth month, in the third year of the Zhenguan era of the Great Tang, Emperor Taizong was holding court in the main hall of the Taiji Palace. The civil and military officials stood in orderly ranks to his left and right, each full of vigor and spirit. Among them, the largest cluster of civil officials, headed by Changsun Wuji, stood closest to the emperor.

Emperor Taizong appeared to be in excellent health. Seated upright on the dragon throne, smiling faintly, he spoke in a loud, ringing voice.

“Loyal ministers, two days ago I went to the Pure Land Monastery for cultivation and missed court, so I fear matters may have been delayed. Tomorrow is the day the imperial examinations begin. The scholars of the realm have all gathered in the capital. This is the first time since my accession that I have selected the outstanding talents of our Great Tang. I trust you all will each fulfill your duties, judge men with discerning eyes, and help me choose worthy talents to govern the realm.”

“Your Majesty is diligent in governance and devoted to the people. Your servants shall do all in our power to ease your burdens.”

No sooner had Taizong finished speaking than the civil and military officials, led by Changsun Wuji, raised their voices together in acclaim. Taizong, however, showed little reaction. He merely narrowed his eyes and looked toward Changsun Wuji.

“Since assuming charge of the Ministry of Personnel three years ago, the Duke of Qi has never made a single mistake. I still trust him. But this examination is a special imperial selection, and I alone have made the final decision. The prefectures and circuits were not informed in advance, so inevitably the time has been somewhat rushed. Regarding the various matters of the examinations, does your ministry or the National Academy have any memorial to submit?”

“Your Majesty!”

Changsun Wuji stepped forward, and all the ministers turned their eyes upon him. Yet he suddenly paused and turned instead to look at Wei Zheng, who stood farther back.

“Since receiving Your Majesty’s decree at the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Personnel has already joined with the National Academy to prepare all necessary matters. From issuing proclamations to the prefectures and circuits to setting the essay topics for the jinshi examination, everything has proceeded smoothly. Now the scholars of the realm have poured into the capital. It was nearly time for the examination to begin as scheduled, but in these last two days, Lord Wei Zheng has repeatedly stormed into the National Academy demanding the list of candidates. He has also submitted several memorials to the Secretariat-Chancellery, seeking to suspend the examination. In some of them, his words even disparage my ministry. This servant and the two deputy chancellors have discussed the matter many times, yet we still do not know what Lord Wei’s purpose is. We were awaiting Your Majesty’s return to the palace to pass judgment.”

“Oh? Suspend the examination?”

After hearing Changsun Wuji, the smile on Taizong’s face froze at once. His expression became solemn, and the authority in his gaze deepened.

“The Secretary Bureau oversees the classics of the state and collates the books of the realm; in truth, it is connected to the examinations as well. Secretariat-Chancellery, where are Wei Zheng’s memorials?”

“They have already been presented upon the dragon table, for Your Majesty’s inspection.”

Fang Xuanling stepped out from the ranks and, after speaking, immediately returned to his place. Taizong did not look at him. Instead, he selected two memorials from the stack on the dragon table, both of them written by Wei Zheng. Their contents were simple enough: many of the recommended students from various prefectures and circuits lacked real learning and true ability. Most were sons of powerful clans and officials, and many had long-standing connections with certain ministers, even with some officials of the Ministry of Personnel.

How shrewd a man Taizong was; at a glance, he understood exactly what Wei Zheng meant. After reading the memorials, he closed his eyes in silence for a moment, then suddenly hurled the two memorials to the ground.

The officials above and below the hall were all so startled that they dropped to their knees.

“May Your Majesty calm your wrath.”

Changsun Wuji hastily cried out, his face full of alarm and trepidation. The other ministers also urged the emperor not to be angered. Only Wei Zheng remained silent. After a moment, Taizong slowly opened his eyes again.

“From antiquity to the present, powerful clans and noble houses have always been a hidden danger to the court. How could I fail to understand this? In the thirteenth year of the Great Cause era, I rose in arms with the former emperor from Jinyang and campaigned all the way here. To this day, how many princely strongholds has the court subdued, how many tigers and wolves has it destroyed? But can one slaughter them all? In Bashu, in Lingnan, in the barbarian prefectures and circuits, the court relies on pacification and winning hearts, not on military force. Why? Because we cannot afford to lose so many lives, and this realm can no longer shed so much blood!”

Taizong paused. His gaze drifted into the distance, as though he were remembering the years of war on the battlefield. There seemed to be tears in his eyes, though they did not fall.

“Many great clans and noble families have multiplied and endured for hundreds, even a thousand years, longer than any dynasty has lasted. In those remote regions, can the court’s officials truly govern them? To keep such places stable, even I must rely on the power of local gentry and lineage clans. These people are spread across the realm, but once the court grows weak and the common folk rise in rebellion, the first to step forward to bring down my Great Tang may well be them. I understand all this. How could you not understand it as well? Yet can I exterminate them all? And now these sons of great clans seek rank and fame and wish to enter official service; can I cut off every one of their paths to office?”

Taizong asked three questions in succession, each heavier than the last. Though he addressed the civil and military officials alike, all the ministers’ eyes secretly fell upon Wei Zheng. At that moment, this Secretary of the Imperial Library, proud and unbending as ever, finally changed color. He stepped out alone from the ranks, knelt before Taizong, and bowed low.

“This servant was short-sighted and could not fathom Your Majesty’s painstaking intentions. I have committed a grave error. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”

“Enough. You, loyal minister, were only thinking of the court’s interests. I know your intentions. But this examination concerns matters of great importance and cannot be postponed. It shall still be overseen by the Ministry of Personnel, while the remaining ministries and the Nine Ministers will coordinate from the side. You must ensure that I see the talents of the realm. Wei Zheng is rewarded for his remonstrance: one hundred taels of gold and ten bolts of Shu brocade. You may withdraw.”

Taizong waved a hand and closed his eyes again. On hearing this, Wei Zheng hastily prostrated himself in thanks and retreated to the ranks. The other ministers looked at one another, each seeing astonishment on the other’s face. The emperor had been clearly furious, yet in the end he not only spared Wei Zheng but even granted him a reward. Such an outcome was truly beyond anyone’s expectations.

Seeing Wei Zheng return unharmed, Changsun Wuji’s eyes flickered twice, and he quickly cried out, “Your Majesty is sagacious!” At his lead, the other civil and military officials echoed the praise. In an instant, the vast court chamber seemed almost unnaturally harmonious.

Taizong remained silent with his eyes closed, no one knowing what he was thinking. Only after two minutes had passed did the chief eunuch at his side step forward.

“If there are matters to report, speak now. If not, the court is dismissed.”

“This servant from the Ministry of War has a memorial to present.”

Suddenly, a middle-aged official in his forties stepped out from the ranks. Judging by his court robes, he was the Minister of War, a third-rank official. Though broad-shouldered and imposing, he looked somewhat worn and weary, his spirits not in good shape. Taizong glanced at him and sat more upright.

“What matter does the Ministry of War wish to report?”

“Your Majesty, according to reports from our scouts, the king of Tubo, Langri Songtsen, was poisoned to death several days ago. His twelve-year-old eldest son, Songtsen Gampo, has succeeded as the thirty-third Gampo of Tubo. At present, the great clans, nobles, and many tribes within Tubo have risen in armed rebellion, and the realm is in complete disorder. A prince of Sumpa has sent a letter to the Ministry of War, hoping our Great Tang will dispatch troops to help restore his state.”

“A prince of Sumpa?”

At this, Taizong’s expression shifted several times, and then he turned toward Fang and Du.

“What does the Secretariat-Chancellery think of this matter?”

“Your Majesty! Sumpa is a women’s kingdom, ruled entirely by women, and it has long since submitted to Tubo. Now this so-called prince of Sumpa has written to ask for aid; that is truly a bit overreaching. In these last two years, our Great Tang has only just repaired relations with Tubo. If we now break the agreement and send troops against Tubo for the sake of a tiny state, we would not only earn the reputation of being untrustworthy and unkind, but may not even gain any benefit.”

“I concur!”

No sooner had Fang Xuanling finished speaking than Du Ruhui also stepped forward to state his position. Taizong nodded, then turned to ask Changsun Wuji. After receiving the same answer, he looked next to Li Jing, the Minister of Justice.

“You have led armies for many years. What is your view of Tubo’s internal strife?”

“Your Majesty, this servant believes Tubo to be a barbarous and desolate land, with steep mountains and barren soil. Since ancient times, the people of our Han have had no thought of coveting it. And now, with the farming season at hand, our Great Tang should not launch a campaign. However...”

As he spoke, Li Jing suddenly stopped. It seemed he had more to say, yet hesitated. Taizong understood at once and smiled, telling him to speak freely.

“Your Majesty, when our dynasty was founded, Tubo repeatedly sent troops to plunder the prefectures of the Jiannan Circuit. It even allied with the Turks and invaded places such as Ganzhou and Liangzhou, leaving those regions in misery. Though several great wars later brought both sides to peace, conflict is sure to arise again one day. I believe that if we can take advantage of Tubo’s internal chaos and send our troops to aid the new ruler in ascending the throne, first, it will awe the noble factions within Tubo; second, it will also awe the new ruler, Songtsen Gampo. As for the third point, if our Great Tang confers the favor of suppressing rebellion upon Tubo, why should we fear that he will not submit to Your Majesty?”

“Hahaha, well said! What you say is exactly what I intend. Tubo, as far as our Great Tang is concerned, is not as threatening as the Turks, but it is still a nuisance. What I wish to see is not merely a restored peace between the two sides. I want Tubo to submit to our Great Tang and never dare invade again for all eternity.”

As Taizong spoke, he rose abruptly to his feet. The officials below immediately knelt and shouted long live the emperor, and not one person voiced opposition. Just as Li Jing had said, to send troops now to attack Tubo would bring harm and no benefit. Yet from another angle, if troops were sent to help the new Tubo ruler ascend the throne and suppress the internal chaos, then the venture would bring a hundred advantages and no harm at all.

After hearing Li Jing’s words, Fang, Du, and Changsun Wuji all nodded, no longer bothering to conceal their admiration.

“Very well. Since all of you loyal ministers have no objection, I shall issue the decree. Li Jing, Minister of Justice, shall immediately be transferred to the Ministry of War and appointed Grand Commander of the Jiannan Circuit, in charge of all matters concerning the expedition to Tubo. The Secretariat-Chancellery will assist from the side, and within three days the necessary funds, provisions, soldiers, and horses must all be assembled.”

...

Leaving aside what Emperor Taizong was plotting in court, half a day later Lu Xin opened his eyes on Dragon Head Plateau. Before him, a ball of golden light the size of a fist flickered in the void. After two breaths, it changed back into the form of the Yin-Yang Traveling Immortal Sword.

“Alas, still not enough! Master, with my present cultivation, I can only keep the Traveling Immortal Sword transformed for at most nine breaths. And I can no longer make it shrink.”

“No matter. At least there has been some growth. At the very least, you can now bring out one-tenth of this divine weapon’s power. Come, the Chang’an of tonight is bound to be lively. It is time for us to descend the mountain.”