Chapter 46: Wolfish Ambition and Treacherous Schemes

"Your humble subject, Shang Zanhu, pays respect to Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Tang!" Shang Zanhu bowed deeply, performing the full courtesy with an air of utmost reverence, his expression clearly reflecting the admiration of the vassal state of Tibet toward its suzerain, the Great Tang.

Having heard Pei Min’s words the previous day, Emperor Li Longji had also awakened to the reality. These barbarian scoundrels possessed wild ambitions and could not be trusted lightly. Their bellicose intentions would not recede because of his forbearance and temporary yielding; instead, they would only grow more insatiable. The Great Tang was indeed unsuited for military conflict at present, nor did it wish to instigate warfare. Yet if a fight truly proved necessary, they would not cower. Consequently, Li Longji did not hold Shang Zanhu and the other Tibetan envoys in high regard today. He declined to grant them a personal audience and instead directed the Ministry of Rites to host them as state guests. To his surprise, however, Shang Zanhu had unexpectedly requested an audience.

With a calm demeanor, Li Longji said, "Envoy, dispense with the formalities. I trust you have enjoyed your outings today?"

"The Great Tang is blessed with outstanding people and divine land, flourishing in every way. Your humble subject was overwhelmed by the sights and could scarcely bear to leave." As an emissary between the Great Tang and Tibet, Shang Zanhu's cultural attainment was in no way inferior to the learned scholars of the era. Various idioms rolled off his tongue without the slightest awkwardness, and his expression radiated yearning. In truth, however, his heart was consumed by extreme displeasure. Today's itinerary arranged by the Ministry of Rites had taken them to the Great Ci'en Monastery and for a boat ride on the Qujiang River. Visiting the Great Ci'en Monastery inevitably meant viewing one of the Eight Scenic Spots: the Morning Bell of the Wild Goose Pagoda. The fame of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda had been elevated by more than a notch thanks to Pei Min's calligraphed inscription. Upon seeing Pei Min's handwriting, Shang Zanhu immediately recalled the events of the previous night. If not for Pei Min, why would Tibet have suffered such utter humiliation, even losing a martial arts talent of extraordinary skill? Later, during their boat excursion on Qujiang, the officials of the Ministry of Rites recounted the history of the river and mentioned the grand banquets held there, inadvertently bringing up Pei Min's name once more. Shang Zanhu's mind was filled entirely with Pei Min, yet unable to show his resentment, he could only suppress the suffocating frustration deep within his chest.

Li Longji said courteously, "Since the envoy enjoys it so much, you may stay a few more days."

At those words, tears instantly welled up in Shang Zanhu's eyes, streaming down his cheeks.

Unexpecting such a sudden emotional shift, Li Longji asked in astonishment, "Why does the envoy weep?"

Choking with sobs, Shang Zanhu said, "Seeing the prosperity of the Great Tang, and then thinking of the poverty in my own Tibet, where the common people go hungry and lack clothing, sorrow welled up from my heart, and I could not hold back my tears. I beg Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang not to blame me. Your grace, O Great Emperor, is like the bright moon in the sky, and your benevolence is as great as a mother's. Your humble subject dares to plead on behalf of the suffering people of Tibet, begging Your Majesty to bestow upon us historical and classical books, that the sons and daughters of Tibet may study the culture of the Great Tang alongside us; to grant us agricultural and medical texts, that our people may be free from hunger and receive effective treatment when ill; and further, to send us artisans, that our people may dwell in warm houses and be spared the agony of freezing cold..." He described their plight with utmost wretchedness, touching his forehead to the floor in profound piety, treating Li Longji as if he were a living saint.

Had it been earlier, faced with Shang Zanhu's Oscar-worthy performance, Li Longji would surely have been deeply moved and granted his requests for books and artisans to demonstrate the benevolence and virtue of the Celestial Empire. However, his after-dinner stroll with Pei Min the previous night had made him realize that Tibet's current visit to the Great Tang was intended to fleece them before tearing off the mask completely. Helping them would be like the farmer rescuing the viper—bringing no benefit whatsoever.

"The envoy's words touch my heart!" Li Longji also wore a look of profound emotion. As he watched Shang Zanhu already beginning to harbor secret delight, his tone abruptly shifted. "However, the classics, histories, agricultural treatises, and medical texts were all compiled through the wisdom and laborious efforts of the people of the Great Tang. If I were simply to give them away to you for nothing, I would have no way to account for it to my subjects. How about this? The Great Tang is currently short of warhorses; you shall trade war horses with us in exchange for the books. Intercourse between nations should naturally be based on mutual need and reciprocal benefit. What does the envoy think?"

Stunned into speechlessness, Shang Zanhu forced himself to brace and asked, "How does Your Majesty intend for us to exchange them?"

Pondering for a moment, Li Longji said, "Knowledge is priceless, but wealth has its limits. I will not make things difficult for you. As long as you prepare one hundred thousand warhorses, I will grant you ten thousand volumes of books. What say you, Envoy?"

Kowtowing, Shang Zanhu replied, "This matter is beyond your humble subject's authority to decide. I must return to consult with our Tsanpo before making a final determination."

Li Longji smiled. "By all means. I await your good news!"

***

Watching Shang Zanhu depart, Gao Lishi chuckled softly from the side, "These barbarian outlanders indeed harbor malicious intentions."

A cold gleam flashed in Li Longji's eyes as he asked, "You saw it too?"

Gao Lishi replied, "Shang Zanhu's request for classical and historical books at this time must have as its true target the manuscripts kept in the Grand General's estate. If Your Majesty had granted permission today, they could have mixed the two types of books together. Since the books would be imperial bestows, no one would dare inspect them as they travel in and out of various regions of the Great Tang. They could easily transport all the books back to Tibet."

"Traitors within, wild ambitions! I will not spare them lightly!" Li Longji felt a surge of hatred in his heart, and killing intent rose in his eyes.

"Detestable!"

Upon returning to the Bureau of Translators, Shang Zanhu slammed his hand heavily onto the table in vexation, burning with rage as his chest heaved up and down. Reflecting on how Li Longji had played completely outside the rules today, unable to calm his fury, he muttered in a low voice, "One day, my Tibet shall march on Chang'an and let the Li Tang know that we are the true overlords."

The deputy envoy, Lang Zhile, spoke from the side, "Today's events seem somewhat unusual. We must make preparations early and send out the books from Yang's estate as soon as possible."

Turning to business, Shang Zanhu regained his composure and said, "That is easily said, but ten thousand—no, one hundred thousand volumes cannot even fit in twenty-odd large carts; how are we to transport them? Without the cover of the Li Tang emperor, how can we avoid suspicion?" Their scheme was identical to what Gao Lishi had guessed: they intended to use the pretext of the emperor-bestowed books to smuggle the precious texts collected by Yang Ju over the years among them, passing fish eyes for pearls and taking them openly back to Tibet.

Yet now that Li Longji had rejected their request, that method was clearly unviable.

After a brief reflection, Shang Zanhu declared, "Things have reached this point. It is unlikely we can bring all one hundred thousand volumes back to Tibet. Find a way to notify Grand General Yang and ask him to make a selection: gather the treatises on architecture and craftsmanship, medical prescriptions, medical treatises, and agricultural farming guides. Those miscellaneous learnings are the true methods for strengthening a country. As for Confucian doctrines of discerning good and evil, they can be temporarily disregarded. Reduce the one hundred thousand volumes to ten thousand volumes as much as possible. As for how to ship them out—we draw too much attention and it is inconvenient for us to act. Contact Feng Yuan and have him go negotiate with the Grand General, asking the Grand General to find a way to transport the ten thousand volumes out of Chang'an. Then Feng Yuan can arrange for men to meet and receive them. Remember to increase the reward from the original offer by thirty percent, make it sixty percent. At a time like this, do not begrudge spending money. Knowledge is priceless; those ten thousand volumes will bring boundless benefits to Tibet."

Lang Zhile accepted the order and departed.

***

The safe house in Changshou Lane.

Pei Min met with Sun Zhou once again. This time, present were only the two of them plus Wang Xiaobai, who was responsible for liaison.

Sun Zhou was currently the most crucial winning chess piece in his hand, and Pei Min did not want any accidents to befall him that might ruin the grand strategy.

"How is it? Have you discovered anything?" Pei Min had already obtained Li Longji's authorization: as long as everything proved factual and Tibet was implicated in the matter, he had the authority to make arrests collectively. Now they lacked nothing; they only needed to catch the culprits red-handed with the stolen goods.

With a strange expression, Sun Zhou said, "Things seem to have changed. The books in Yang's estate concerning engineering and craftsmanship, medical treatises, and agricultural farming have all been moved away. I remember Feng Yuan previously saying he wanted all of them, but for some unknown reason, he only took a portion."

Pei Min naturally knew the reason. In truth, the simplest way to deal with Shang Zanhu and Yang Ju was to play along with their ruse—Li Longji could have agreed to Shang Zanhu's request today, and then intercepted and searched them when they retreated back toward Tibet, capturing them red-handed, simple and easy. But doing so would merely eliminate Tibet's surface forces; their hidden chess pieces—namely the forces controlled by Feng Yuan—would remain completely intact.

If they wanted to sweep up the forces controlled by Feng Yuan in one fell swoop, they had to take the difficult path: forcing Shang Zanhu to mobilize Tibet's covert operatives for extraction, thereby turning the hidden pieces into exposed targets.

Learning that the items removed were all the most practical books of applied arts, a fierce murderous glint surged in Pei Min's eyes. Books on miscellaneous learning were the true crystallization of culture; they were the wisdom and insights accumulated bit by bit by their ancestors through thousands of years. How could they allow barbarians to steal them by such means?

Having briefly explained the context, Sun Zhou, possessing a meticulous mind, also figured out the cause and effect.

Pei Min asked, "Do you know where they have hidden those books?"

Shaking his head regretfully, Sun Zhou replied, "They are all at the Yang family ancestral residence. They handled the matter with extreme caution. First, under the pretext of airing out the books, they sorted out all one hundred thousand volumes. Then, using the excuse that the mansion was not large enough to air out so many, they transported over ten thousand volumes of books to the ancestral residence in the east of the city. I had brother Xiaobai follow them secretly, and now those ten thousand-odd volumes have been moved into the Yang family ancestral residence. The ancestral residence has been abandoned for many days, with only a few stewards and maidservants doing daily chores. With just a little arrangement, those ten thousand books could vanish completely. I beg the Vice-Director to dispatch men to monitor the Yang family ancestral residence." Pausing for a moment, he added, "Even though Yang Ju reduced the quantity tenfold, ten thousand-odd volumes are still no small amount. To transport them out of Chang'an without being detected, they must have some special method. Today, I inadvertently overheard a piece of intelligence, though I am not certain if it is of any use." Without drawing it out, he stated directly, "Yang Ju has chartered a painted pleasure boat, apparently intending to host friends for an outing. It is well known that Yang Ju is wealthy and generous, spending money like water. However, his spending is mostly on women; he rarely invites people out for excursions. Having worked in the Yang estate for many years, this is the first time I have ever heard of it. Therefore, I surmise they might intend to use the pleasure boat to smuggle the ten thousand volumes of books out of Chang'an."

Pondering for a moment, Pei Min nodded in approval. "Your line of reasoning is clear, and your deduction is very sound. That must be it—utilizing the Qujiang River to exit Chang'an, entering the Wei River, and shipping the ten thousand books out of Chang'an." He calculated in his heart: It is true that officials patrol and enforce the law on the Qujiang and Wei Rivers, but the patrolling officers mostly keep their eyes on merchant vessels and passenger ships while taking a lenient approach toward pleasure boats. If there were even some oblivious high-ranking officials aboard the pleasure boat, there would be no need for inspection at all. What a clever scheme indeed...

This happened to suit their purpose, and it also demonstrated that Yang Ju was merely responsible for the transport; there must undoubtedly be others responsible for receiving and unloading at the appointed location... And those people were undoubtedly Tibetan spies.

It seems I must pay a visit to Pingkang Quarter...