Chapter Twenty: The Candidate for Imperial Military Inspector

Li Longji had not yet responded to what Li Heng had said when the eunuch Gao Lishi, who was standing in attendance nearby, stepped forward cautiously to echo the sentiment: "Your Majesty, this old servant believes His Highness the Crown Prince is correct. The military system of the Great Tang must not be undermined. Now that the crisis at Tong Pass has been averted and the generals are properly positioned, the post of imperial military supervisor should be reinstated."

Upon hearing Gao Lishi actually speak up for him, Li Heng felt a great weight lift from his shoulders and cast a look of gratitude toward him. Gao Lishi, however, ignored the gaze and returned to his spot, standing expressionless once he had finished speaking.

Li Heng immediately petitioned again: "Father, that is precisely so. The system of military supervisors was established by your own hand and must never be destroyed by anyone. Currently, among all the armies of the Great Tang, only the Tong Pass garrison lacks such a supervisor. Tong Pass is the gateway to Chang'an and holds immense strategic importance; not the slightest negligence can be tolerated. Therefore, I suggest that you, Father, appoint a military supervisor to the Tong Pass garrison as soon as possible."

"Hmm, there is some truth to that! The system of military supervisors must not be dismantled; every army of the Great Tang should have one," Li Longji mused. After a moment of reflection, he agreed with Li Heng and Gao Lishi, then promptly asked, "Since the Crown Prince suggests I appoint a supervisor to the Tong Pass garrison as soon as possible, do you have a suitable candidate to recommend? I have looked into that Yu Chao'en you mentioned last time; although he has been in the palace for years, he has shown no outstanding performance, and he was once reprimanded by Yang Guozhong. It would not be appropriate to send him to Tong Pass."

Hearing Li Longji speak so bluntly, Li Heng’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease washed over him. He opened his mouth, but for a moment, he did not know what to say. He had come to the palace today to suggest the appointment of a supervisor specifically to recommend Yu Chao'en, a eunuch he deeply trusted. He had intended to propose Yu Chao'en the moment Li Longji agreed to the necessity of the position.

He had already prepared how to praise Yu Chao'en’s loyalty to the Great Tang and his competence before Li Longji, but before he could speak, Li Longji had already dismissed the possibility of Yu Chao'en serving at Tong Pass. However, Li Heng’s mind reacted quickly. He immediately thought of someone else and, after a brief pause, replied: "Father, I am aware that Yu Chao'en lacks the necessary ability and might not be suitable for the post of supervisor during these extraordinary times, so I will not trouble you further. I believe there is someone else who is highly suitable. This man has been in the palace for over thirty years, has always lived a life away from conflict, possesses good capability, and has never had any friction with Minister Yang or Commander Yang. I believe he would be very appropriate for the post of supervisor at Tong Pass."

"Who is it?"

"Li Jingzhong, the director of the Palace Domestic Service," Li Heng said, naming his second choice before immediately explaining: "Li Jingzhong has been in the palace for many years and once served by your side, Father, where you even praised him for his competence. He has seniority, is advanced in years, handles matters with great composure, and rarely gets into conflicts with others. Therefore, I believe it is very fitting to send him to Tong Pass."

After hearing this, Li Longji remained noncommittal. He did not express an opinion, simply stroking his beard while gazing steadily at Li Heng.

Li Heng stood with his head bowed after finishing his petition, yet he could feel his father’s gaze from the corner of his eye. He felt extremely nervous, his heart rate quickening. After staring at Li Heng for a while, Li Longji turned his gaze toward Gao Lishi.

Gao Lishi knew that Li Longji was seeking his opinion and wanted to hear his thoughts on Li Jingzhong. He stepped forward and said softly: "Your Majesty, this old servant is acquainted with Li Jingzhong. He has indeed been in the palace for over thirty years and has always worked quietly within the Daming Palace, rarely engaging in disputes. However, he is no longer at the Daming Palace; he is now working in the Eastern Palace, serving His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Oh, so he is an attendant from the Eastern Palace," Li Longji said, as if suddenly enlightened, his eyes falling back on Li Heng.

Seeing this, Li Heng could not retreat and had to bite the bullet to explain: "Father, it is true that Li Jingzhong works in the Eastern Palace. It is precisely because of his service there that I have come to know him and feel that his composed nature makes him capable of taking on such a major responsibility. If you were to give him a few words of instruction before sending him to Tong Pass to oversee military affairs, he would certainly serve you with complete loyalty and never dare to be negligent."

While explaining, he glanced at Gao Lishi on the side, hoping that this old, fox-like eunuch would help him speak a few words.

For many years, Li Heng had sought the support of Gao Lishi, knowing that if he could gain the backing of this eunuch, who was so trusted by his father, his standing in Li Longji’s eyes would surely be transformed. He was also aware that Gao Lishi had been locked in a power struggle with Yang Guozhong for years.

Regrettably, for all these years, Gao Lishi had chosen to ignore his overtures, which had been quite disappointing to him.

However, regarding the matter of the military supervisor, Gao Lishi had vaguely agreed to help speak for him. At this critical moment, Li Heng hoped that Gao Lishi would continue to support him. Li Heng surmised that Gao Lishi was willing to help because the candidates for military supervisor were all eunuchs.

Under Li Heng’s hopeful gaze, Gao Lishi finally spoke again: "Your Majesty, this old servant believes His Highness the Crown Prince makes a valid point. Li Jingzhong is a very steady man, and I also feel he is a suitable candidate for the post of supervisor!"

Li Longji was somewhat surprised that Gao Lishi would say this, but he did not ask any questions. After thinking for a moment, he finally nodded: "Since both the Crown Prince and Lishi believe Li Jingzhong is a suitable candidate, I consent to him serving as the supervisor at Tong Pass. I only hope he does not interfere too much in the military affairs of Tong Pass, and that he can get along well with Yang Xi and strive to win more victories! I would also like to meet this man."

"Your Majesty, this old servant will go and summon Li Jingzhong to the palace immediately," Gao Lishi said, bowing before hurrying out of the hall with short, quick steps.

***

"The imperial court is finally going to appoint a military supervisor to the Tong Pass garrison," Yang Xi said, standing by the window and sighing heavily as he looked at the secret letter Yang Guozhong had sent him.

In this secret letter, Yang Guozhong informed him that the court was going to reinstate a military supervisor for the Tong Pass army and that the eunuch Li Jingzhong from the Palace Domestic Service would be appointed. The Emperor had only informed him after the decision was already made; his protests had been in vain, and he had been forced to agree.

Yang Guozhong warned Yang Xi that Li Jingzhong was a man of the Eastern Palace, deeply trusted by Crown Prince Li Heng, and practically a confidant of the Prince. He advised Yang Xi to handle Li Jingzhong carefully upon his arrival, to suppress him as much as possible, to ensure he could not accomplish anything, and to find a way to discover his shortcomings so that the man could not remain in his position.

"It is fortunate that it is not Yu Chao'en," Yang Xi mused after burning the letter in the candle flame. "If Yu Chao'en had come, he might have been very difficult to deal with."

Yang Xi knew of Yu Chao'en’s reputation in history. He was such a famous eunuch, arguably the most powerful one after Gao Lishi. If a figure like that had come to serve as supervisor, it would have been quite a challenge.

However, Yang Xi’s musing was misplaced. Had he known that Li Jingzhong was known by another name in the original history—Li Fuguo—he would surely have been shocked. History textbooks from middle school contained records of this, noting that the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo once said to the emperor of the time, Emperor Daizong of Tang, Li Yu: "Your Majesty, just sit inside; leave the external affairs to this old servant." He was a eunuch with an even higher historical standing than Yu Chao'en, and even Emperor Daizong was supported by him; his thirst for power was even more extreme than that of Yu Chao'en.

Because he was a confidant of Crown Prince Li Heng, his arrival at Tong Pass would bring a series of troubles for Yang Xi.