Li Jing Reveals His Ambitions To The God Of The Western Mountain; Zhang Heng Fabricates Prophecies To Endanger Li Yuan (4)

Now let us speak of the places submerged by the heavy rain.

The responsible local officials reported the disaster to their superiors, who submitted memorials to the imperial court.

Upon reading the reports, the Sui ruler issued an edict ordering the appropriate offices to take measures against the floodwaters and provide relief to the afflicted people.

He thought:

“I once dreamed of a flood bringing disaster. Now many places near the capital have indeed suffered flooding. My dream has been fulfilled!”

From then onward, some of his suspicions subsided.

In the sixth month of the first year of Renshou, Yang Xiu, Prince of Shu and third son of the Sui ruler, was dissatisfied that Yang Guang had been appointed Crown Prince.

Fearing that Yang Xiu might become a threat, the Crown Prince secretly instructed Yang Su to search for faults with which to slander him.

The Sui ruler believed these accusations and summoned Yang Xiu back to the capital, ordering Yang Su to investigate him.

Yang Su falsely accused him of cruelty and oppression toward the people.

By imperial command, Yang Xiu was stripped of his rank, reduced to commoner status, and confined in a separate palace.

The fearless Duke of Tang, Li Yuan, once again submitted a memorial of earnest remonstrance.

He argued that although the former Crown Prince Yang Yong and the Prince of Shu Yang Xiu had both been deposed, they should merely have been reduced to lesser princely ranks rather than stripped of all status and made commoners.

The Sui ruler rejected his memorial but did not punish him.

The Crown Prince, however, came to resent Li Yuan still more.

He therefore consulted Zhang Heng, Yuwen Shu, and others.

“What clever plan can you devise to eliminate this man? Then my position in the Eastern Palace will be secure, and your wealth and honor will be preserved.”

Yuwen Shu replied:

“Had Your Highness spoken earlier of eliminating Li Yuan, we could have implicated him in the factions of the two deposed princes. He and his entire family would certainly have been exterminated.

“But His Majesty has long known Li Yuan to be loyal and upright. I fear we cannot easily bring him down now.”

Zhang Heng said:

“That is not difficult!”

“His Majesty has always been suspicious and distrustful. He once dreamed of floodwaters submerging the capital, and the dream greatly disturbed him.”

“Recently, because Hong’er, the son of Li Hun, Duke of Cheng, bore a name that seemed to correspond to the prophecy, His Majesty secretly ordered the boy put to death.”

“I propose to imitate the precedent of Zu Ting of Northern Qi in the affair of Hülü Guang and spread rumors.”

“The characters Hun and Yuan both contain the water radical. How could this fail to arouse His Majesty’s suspicion?”

“I fear Li Yuan will scarcely escape the destruction of his household and the loss of his life.”

The Crown Prince nodded and praised the plan.

Treacherous schemes are deadly as sand-shooting insects,
Striking unseen from the darkness.
In troubled times, the loyal and upright suffer;
Without cause, they tread upon the seeds of disaster.

Zhang Heng went forth and secretly spread rumors.

At first, they were repeated idly in the villages. Later, they circulated noisily through the marketplaces.

Initially, only children repeated the words, but gradually adults began spreading them as well.

Everyone was saying:

“The children of the peach and plum shall possess the realm.”

Another saying declared:

“The Yang house shall perish, and the Li house shall rise.”

No one in the streets knew where these sayings had originated.

The patrol officers could not suppress them, and eventually they reached the imperial palace.

The Crown Prince deliberately submitted a memorial:

“These ominous sayings circulating through the streets are inauspicious. I beg Your Majesty to prohibit them.”

The Sui ruler was deeply displeased upon hearing of them.

Even Li Yuan became implicated and was so uneasy that he could neither sit nor stand in peace.

But the Sui ruler already harbored suspicions and directed his thoughts chiefly toward Li Hun.

At this time, a malicious official skilled at making false accusations, the Palace Gentleman-General Pei Renji, came forward.

“Li Hun, Duke of Cheng, bears a name that corresponds to the prophetic writings. Recently, because Your Majesty ordered his son’s death, he has conceived a bitter resentment and is plotting rebellion.”

An imperial decree was issued ordering an investigation.

There was no shortage of men willing to support the accusation.

Poor Li Hun, Duke of Cheng, was forcibly convicted of treason.

All thirty-two members of his household were delivered to the execution ground.

Sincere virtue may move Heaven through prayer;
Trusting prophecies and imposing cruel punishments are futile.
The Jin prophecy of Niu Jin and the Qin warning of Hu
Show how mountains and rivers change masters unseen.

Because of this, Li Yuan felt somewhat relieved.

But Zhang Heng now devised an even more ruthless scheme.

He bribed a diviner named An Jiatuo, whom the Sui ruler trusted, to declare that a man surnamed Li would become emperor.

An Jiatuo advised the Sui ruler to kill everyone in the realm who bore the surname Li.

Fortunately, Gao Jiong, Right Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs, submitted a memorial:

“Some prophecies concern actual events, while others do not. Some prove true, and others false.”

“Among those without a connection to human affairs is the saying that when Heaven is about to send rain, the shangyang bird dances.”

“Among those that concern actual events is the prophecy of the mulberry bow and the quiver of reeds, which foretold the destruction of Zhou.”

“Among the true prophecies is the saying, ‘Though Chu has only three households, Chu shall certainly destroy Qin.’ Later, Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, did indeed overthrow Qin.”

“Among the false is the saying, ‘The high mountain will fall without being pushed, and the bright moon will rise without assistance.’ Zu Ting fabricated this to destroy Hülü Guang, bringing ruin upon the state.”

“Then there was Qin Shi Huang, who believed the prophecy that Hu would destroy Qin, without knowing that the Hu in question would be his own son Huhai.”

“And there was the prophecy of Emperor Xuan of Jin that an ox would replace the horse. It was fulfilled when a minor official surnamed Niu had illicit relations with the consort of the Prince of Langya, producing the future Emperor Yuan.”

“Heaven’s workings are obscure and subtle. They cannot be understood through mere conjecture.”

“If Your Majesty wishes to turn Heaven’s will, the means lie in cultivating virtue, not in employing punishments that will only unsettle the people’s hearts.”

“If Your Majesty remains suspicious, it will suffice to forbid those surnamed Li from holding court office or commanding troops.”

At this time, Li Mi, the young lord of Pushan, held a post among the Thousand Bull Guards.

The Sui ruler suspected that he possessed the appearance of a rebel and was distrustful of him.

Li Mi, however, was on close terms with Yang Su.

Wishing to protect him, Yang Su supported Gao Jiong’s arguments and secretly instructed Li Mi to resign his office.

At that time, many officials surnamed Li requested permission to retire to their homes or surrender their military commands.

Li Yuan took advantage of the circumstances to request leave to return to Taiyuan and recover from illness.

His request was granted by imperial decree.

He was also appointed Assistant Administrator of Taiyuan Prefecture, with authority over the Western Capital.

Gao Jiong’s memorial had thus saved Li Yuan in particular.

It was simply another instance of the saying that a man destined to become king cannot be killed.

The fierce tiger has escaped its cage;
The hungry hawk has slipped its tether.
With an anxious heart, he leaves the imperial palace,
Concealing his presence among woods and hills.

By now, it was the seventh month of the first year of Renshou.

When the Crown Prince learned that Li Yuan had resigned his former post, he said to Yuwen Shu:

“That pockmarked Zhang’s plan was excellent. Unfortunately, it needlessly destroyed Li Hun and actually helped this fellow preserve his household and return home safely.”

Yuwen Shu replied:

“If Your Highness is willing to spare the man, that is the end of it. But if you cannot let him go, I have another plan that will certainly destroy Li Yuan and his entire family.”

The Crown Prince laughed.

“Had you devised such a plan earlier, we need not have expended so much thought!”

Yuwen Shu said:

“This plan can only be carried out now.”

He leaned close to the Crown Prince’s ear and whispered several sentences.

The Crown Prince clapped his hands.

“An excellent scheme! Once it succeeds, I shall bestow all the women and wealth of his household upon you.

“But he is also an experienced general. It will not be easy to eliminate him.”

Yuwen Shu replied:

“With my plan, I shall certainly fulfill Your Highness’s command.

“Even if I cannot destroy him entirely, I shall frighten him so thoroughly that he will never again consider taking office.”

Thus the two settled upon their scheme to destroy Li Yuan.

Whether he would survive remains to be seen.