Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Sudden Thunderclap on the Plain (Part Two)

Government affairs are never accomplished by haste. That much was plain. By Li Xian's original plan, Li Xian's memorial ought indeed to have been presented, but certainly not at this moment. The reason was simple: the emperor had just uttered a remark heavy with implication, and it was obvious that the crown prince had already taken offense. To submit the memorial now would be to slap the crown prince in the face in full view of the court. How, then, could he possibly endure it? A counterblow was inevitable. If things developed along those lines, this morning audience would become a battlefield for a quarrel between brothers. That might suit the emperor's wishes, but it was plainly contrary to Li Xian's original plan to slip through the blockade by stealth. One careless step, and the whole scheme could be ruined. How could this not anger Li Xian inwardly? Alas, anger availed him nothing. At such a moment there was no way for him to step forward and stop Li Xian's impulsiveness. He could only knit his brows slightly and think of a countermeasure.

As Li Xian had expected, the moment Li Xian stepped forward, the crown prince's already dark expression grew even gloomier. Yet at such a court assembly, he dared not show anything too out of line. He could only sweep Li Xian with a cold glance before quickly resuming his composure. Only the smile at the corners of his mouth looked rather stiff.

"Oh? Does the wise son have a memorial to present? Speak freely. I am listening."

The emperor was displeased, but the elder ruler was in high spirits. Smiling broadly, he lifted a hand in a loose gesture to signal Li Xian to rise, then instructed him in an encouraging tone.

"Your son thanks Father Emperor for your great grace." Seeing the emperor's face full of encouragement, Li Xian straightened his back at once, his face faintly reddening with excitement. After offering his thanks, he continued: "I report to Father Emperor that what your son wishes to submit concerns the transport of grain by river and canal. In the Central Plain, the population has steadily increased, and the yield of the fields is no longer sufficient. Grain must urgently be transferred from the south of the Yangtze into the Central Plain. Yet although an imperial canal network exists from earlier dynasties, transport by water has never been smooth. In my son's view, this is because the system is flawed. Your son has five measures that may resolve this crisis, and I beg Father Emperor to examine them."

"Mm? If the wise son has any excellent strategies, let him speak them for me to hear."

The emperor had brought Li Xian into the court merely to keep Li Hong in check; he had never expected much in the way of administrative brilliance from him. But now, hearing that Li Xian's opening words concerned so thorny a matter as grain transport, he was instantly intrigued. Straightening slightly in his seat, he smiled and asked him to continue.

"Father Emperor, your son believes the difficulty lies in the waterways being obstructed at times and open at others. If it is to be solved thoroughly, then the present strategy for grain transport and even the waterways themselves must undergo major reform. Your son here presents five measures. First, the Grand Canal is severely silted and must be reopened. Second, because the Bian Canal carries much yellow silt from the Yellow River, it is prone to blockage and must be assigned a special officer for its maintenance. Third..." Li Xian was gifted with eloquence to begin with, and this memorial had been discussed with Li Xian on many occasions; laid out in such a smooth, measured fashion, it was naturally persuasive. Not only was the emperor captivated, but the ministers too were greatly stirred. By the time Li Xian had finished explaining each item, many of the officials, unable to restrain themselves despite this being deliberation before the sovereign, were already whispering among themselves in private. In an instant, the great hall was filled with the fine, murmuring buzz of overlapping voices.

The emperor had long wished to solve the grain-transport problem once and for all. In recent years he had repeatedly urged the ministers in court to offer suggestions, so he was not entirely unfamiliar with the matter. Now he carefully reviewed Li Xian's five measures one by one and found nothing amiss in them. Seeing the ministers below muttering in disorder, he immediately raised a hand to quiet them, then said thoughtfully, "Hm. I am deeply pleased that the wise son can devote himself earnestly to the state. Ministers, what opinions have you on this memorial? Let us hear them all."

That was that. Before the emperor spoke, the ministers might still murmur in private; once he had spoken, they no longer did so. Yet not a single court official seemed willing to step forward and comment on the proposal. It was not that they had nothing to say about the five measures, but rather that each man had deep misgivings. Li Xian's position was far too sensitive. If they stepped out now to praise him, they would certainly offend the crown prince, and there was no guarantee of winning imperial favor. But if they opposed it, they would plainly offend Li Xian. After all, no one could say with certainty whether the cloud overhead would bring rain. What if Li Xian were to gain power? Would they not simply be inviting disaster? Thus, no matter how ardently the emperor's expectant gaze fell upon them, most of the ministers pretended not to notice. Those officials close to the crown prince had received no signal from him and dared not act rashly; those aligned with Li Xian were caught in the embarrassment of his sudden premature move, unsure whether they ought to come forward now to support him; and the neutral ministers were even less willing to involve themselves in the ruthless struggle among the princes. Silence was the only safe course. With everyone saying nothing, the hall once again sank into a heavy stillness.

"Your Majesty, this humble minister once served in the Department of Works and suffered long from the obstruction of river channels. In my view, if Prince Lu's excellent strategy is put into practice, there will naturally be no need to fear difficulties in grain transport. I beg Your Majesty to make a clear judgment."

Silence, then silence again. But it was plainly impossible for the court to remain silent forever. Not only was the emperor's expression gradually growing unsightly, even Li Xian was beginning to feel unable to hold his ground. Fortunately, at this moment Deputy Minister Yang Wu of the Department of Works stepped forward in time to break the oppressive stillness and firmly supported Li Xian.

"Your Majesty, this subject also believes these five measures to be excellent and should be implemented at once!"

"Your Majesty, this humble minister believes Prince Lu's plan can resolve the difficulty of grain transport. It is truly a beneficial policy for state and people alike!"

"Your Majesty, I second the motion!"

...

According to Li Xian's prior arrangement, Yang Wu, the deputy minister who had himself once worked on river channels, was the banner of his faction. Once Yang Wu made his move, everyone else was to follow immediately. Now that Yang Wu had stepped forward, Lin Qi and more than a dozen other mid- and lower-ranking officials naturally dared not lag behind. They came out in succession to declare their support for Li Xian. Though the number of officials stepping forth was not large and their rank not particularly high, each spoke loudly enough, and the momentum they created was indeed rather imposing.

The emperor seemed quite satisfied with the declarations made by the officials aligned with Li Xian. Though he did not immediately voice approval, the smile on his face grew ever gentler, and from time to time he nodded lightly. This sight, falling into Li Hong's eyes, struck his heart like a thunderclap from clear sky, leaving him momentarily dizzy and stunned.

He did not understand. Li Hong could not, for the life of him, understand what he had done wrong. He had been properly overseeing state affairs, yet suddenly there had appeared this inexplicable morning audience. Nor could he understand why his father, who had always done his utmost to protect him, would forcibly seat those two hateful younger brothers, Li Xian and Li Xian, in the court. But one thing he did understand: Li Xian's memorial on grain transport had come in with ferocious force and would not be easy to handle. If Li Xian were truly allowed to take control of the matter, it would inevitably shift the course of the entire court and pose a tremendous threat to his own position as crown prince. Such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable to Li Hong. The trouble was, first, that Li Hong himself was not familiar enough with grain transport to find loopholes in Li Xian's proposal in a short time; second, at such a sensitive juncture, it was inconvenient for him to step forward personally and go head-to-head with Li Xian. To do so would be too blatant and liable to invite criticism, making him seem intolerant and narrow-minded. Yet whatever the case, Li Hong could absolutely not allow Li Xian to seize the grain-transport affair.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has some questions I would like to ask Prince Lu, and I beg Your Majesty's permission."

Li Hong's mind turned swiftly. Having already decided that he could not sit and watch Li Xian take away the matter of grain transport, he no longer hesitated. He quickly signaled to Yan Liben, who stood near the front of the civil official ranks. Seeing Yan Liben give a subtle nod, he strode into the center of the hall, bowed to the emperor seated on the high throne, and reported in a loud voice.

"Hm. Lord Yan has long served in the Department of Works and should surely have much insight into grain transport. Since that is so, I imagine he can add something useful to the wise son's memorial. Granted."

Yan Liben had been personally summoned back to the capital by the emperor to assist the crown prince, so it was perfectly clear that he belonged to the crown prince's camp. Seeing him step forward now, how could the emperor fail to understand that the crown prince was about to mount a counterattack? This plainly accorded with his own intentions, so he was naturally pleased to see it happen and readily nodded his assent with a smile.

"Many thanks for Your Majesty's great grace." Yan Liben thanked him without hurry, then shifted slightly and looked at Li Xian with calm eyes. Bowing just a little, he clasped his hands and said, "Prince Lu, this humble official has a few questions for instruction. I beg Your Highness to enlighten me. I would be exceedingly grateful."

"Not at all. Lord Yan exaggerates. Speak your questions without concern. Whatever this prince can answer, I will certainly not disappoint Lord Yan."

Li Xian had long since known that he would be subjected to difficulties by officials of the crown prince's faction, so Yan Liben's appearance did not surprise him. He returned the gesture with a calm expression and replied in an even tone.

"May I ask Your Highness: if these five measures are carried out as proposed, how much time will be required, and how many laborers and how much money will be needed to bring them fully to completion?" Yan Liben was an old hand from the Department of Works and knew river engineering and grain transport inside out. He naturally understood that Li Xian's five measures did indeed have the potential to solve the problem of grain transport. He would not, of course, try to make things difficult by attacking the practical details. Instead, he struck directly at two crucial points.

"Lord Yan asks well. Though these five measures are part of one whole, they may be carried out separately in practice. First, segmented grain transport can begin immediately. If the various departments cooperate wholeheartedly, results can be seen within half a year. Second, the Grand Canal must be tackled first, and the Sanmen Canal afterward. The former will require two years, the latter three. The two may be carried out in overlapping fashion, and together they will take about four years. As for the maintenance of the Bian Canal, that must be carried out year after year, with no fixed term. The manpower required must be coordinated by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, with allocation along the route by the prefectures concerned. The overall plan will cost nearly ten million strings of cash. Spread over four years, that comes to no less than two and a half million strings per year."

Li Xian had long since calculated these figures in private with Li Xian on many occasions. He would not dare claim they were exact to the last detail, but he could estimate the approximate expenditure. Naturally, the number was frighteningly large. Even though Li Xian had already compressed the original estimate as much as possible, once such an astounding sum was revealed, the entire hall drew a sharp breath. In an instant, the low, murmuring buzz of debate burst up once more in full force.