Act the Villainous Minister Once

Yang Guang ordered a covert investigation into Li Yuan to see if he harbored any rebellious intentions. Upon hearing this, Li Dong was visibly stunned for a moment, but still bowed and replied, "Your Majesty's will is my command!"

Leaning his elbow on the desk and resting his cheek in his hand, Yang Guang sighed helplessly and said slowly to Li Dong, "He, Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, is my cousin. Logically speaking, I should trust him implicitly. But you witnessed what happened just now with your own eyes."

"I called him Shude, hoping to chat with him as family, yet he brushed me off with matters of state. I am truly worried. As an esteemed duke holding such a high position, what more could he possibly want? He is obsessively devoted to state affairs. If he climbs any higher, what position is left for him to reach? To be proclaimed king? To declare himself emperor? To contend with me for dominance under heaven?"

Hearing these words, Li Dong felt a chill run through his heart. As a monarch of a generation, Yang Guang's vision was indeed razor-sharp. From a trivial matter right before his eyes, he could pierce through layers of historical mist and reach the deepest, most hidden recesses of Li Yuan's mind. One had to admit that Yang Guang possessed a certain grandeur and strategic talent.

Li Dong hurriedly covered up, "The Duke of Tang has always harbored grand ambitions, yet his loyalty to the Great Sui is unwavering. This is truly the fortune of our state!"

Li Dong was also probing Yang Guang to see if he had genuinely seen through Li Yuan or was merely acting on a whim. At the same time, he inadvertently smeared Li Yuan, deliberately calling him ambitious to provoke Yang Guang's suspicion. Only by suppressing Li Yuan and preventing him from establishing the Tang Dynasty too early could one hope to achieve greater accomplishments in the future.

Leaning back against the dragon throne, Yang Guang said, "This is a long story, and it must be told from the beginning..."

As it turned out, during the Western Wei dynasty, there were eight illustrious Pillar State Generals who held immense power and prestige: Yuwen Tai, Zhao Gui, Yuan Xin, Li Bi, Yu Jin, Dugu Xin, and Li Hu, among other prominent noble families.

Yuwen Tai, the foremost of the eight Pillar States, possessed talents that could capsize mountains and rivers. He was practically the founder of Western Wei, monopolizing supreme power for over twenty years. His son, Yuwen Jue, forced the Western Wei emperor to abdicate and established the Northern Zhou.

The second emperor of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yun, ignored state affairs and indulged in unbridled debauchery. To fully enjoy the pleasures of the inner palace while still in his prime, he abdicated the throne to his six-year-old son, Yuwen Chan, and died at the mere age of twenty-two. The former emperor, Yang Jian, served as the Grand Chancellor of Northern Zhou. To comply with the will of the realm, he accepted the abdication from the seven-year-old Emperor Yuwen Chan, replacing Zhou with the Sui Dynasty.

Li Yuan's grandfather, Li Hu, had been a fierce tiger-like general under the command of Pillar State Yuwen, honored with the title of Duke of Tang. Li Yuan's father died early, leaving Li Yuan to inherit the title of Duke of Tang at the age of six. During the reign of the late Emperor Yang Jian, Empress Dugu treated Li Yuan exceptionally well, which left Yang Guang feeling deeply uneasy.

The overturned cart ahead is a warning for the carts that follow. A subject who harbors grand ambitions—especially when imperial authority is weak and ministerial power is heavy—can easily usurp the throne and establish himself.

Yang Guang worriedly said, "I am simply afraid that the Great Sui will repeat the mistakes of the past, with supreme power falling into the hands of these great aristocratic families. That is why I want to shower you with immense rewards, so those noble clans can all see that I can accomplish great things just fine without them!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dong broke out in a cold sweat. He hastily dropped to his knees, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and protesting that he dared not accept such praise.

Suddenly standing up, Yang Guang spoke with the air of one who had made a resolute decision: "Once Goguryeo is conquered and I return to the court, I will institute the imperial examinations to broadly gather the brilliant talents of the realm. I will promote them to high offices in the court to stand as a counterweight against these powerful families and weaken their influence. Only in this way can we guarantee the unification of the Great Sui and forge a foundation that will last for a thousand generations!"

Li Dong praised him inwardly; Yang Guang's move was exceptionally wise. The implementation of the imperial examination system broke the monopoly that aristocratic families held over high government offices. It was an advancement of the times and granted commoners an opportunity to enter the center of power. However, by doing so, he inevitably offended the powerful clans. No wonder that when peasant uprisings blazed across the country like wildfire at the end of the Sui, not a single noble family stepped forward to fight for his life and turn the tide.

This was merely a small setback encountered along the forward-spinning wheel of history, but the wheel of history would never halt because of it, and no one could resist the power of that invisible giant hand. The pity was that Yang Guang would become a tragic hero of an era, reaching a dead end and dying a miserable death at the hands of his own guards.

What should he do right now? Should he use his foresight as a time-traveler to awaken Yang Guang and alter the short-lived fate of the Great Sui, or should he yield to the historical current and remain inactive?

Testing the waters, Li Dong said, "Earlier, when this humble servant met the Duke of Tang, Li Yuan, I noticed his extraordinary bearing and the aura of someone destined for greatness. Your Majesty cannot afford to let your guard down against him!"

Li Dong felt that he had to reach out and lend Yang Guang a hand. If he did not alter the trajectory of history, his time-travel would have been completely wasted. And to help Yang Guang, he had to smear Li Yuan first. This aligned with what Yang Guang had already said about being wary of Li Yuan. Li Dong merely played the role of fanning the flames, while the ultimate initiative remained in Yang Guang's hands.

"Your words resonate deeply with my own thoughts! I will dispatch you to accompany Li Yuan to transport grain to the twin towns of Huaiyuan, and you shall secretly observe whether he harbors any rebellious plots," Yang Guang instructed.

Li Dong was suddenly caught in a dilemma.

He had traveled thousands of miles to Liaodong city, only to leave it now in the blink of an eye. How much devastation had the three expeditions against Goguryeo inflicted upon the common people of the world? The first expedition caused heroes to rise in swarms across the realm; the second caused gods and men alike to boil with anger, sparking fires in the rear. When Minister Yang Xuangan launched his rebellion, internal factions began to stir restlessly; and soon after the third expedition, the Great Sui perished. If it did not perish, there might even have been a fourth or fifth expedition.

Such labor-intensive and financially draining campaigns meant they could not afford three consecutive campaigns; Goguryeo had to be subdued on the very first try. Only then would the world not descend into chaos, and the Great Sui would not have to act like a fire brigade, putting out fires everywhere.

If he went with Li Yuan to escort the grain, he feared there would be no one here with the power of foresight to help Yang Guang achieve victory this time. He absolutely must not agree to personally escort the grain.

With this thought, Li Dong bowed and apologetically replied, "This humble servant wishes to follow Your Majesty and protect Your Majesty's safety. I have a good friend in Qi Commandery whose surname is..."

Li Dong stammered for a moment as he carefully considered who would be the most suitable candidate to send. Dou Jiande and Liu Heita could not go; they were like a dragon and a tiger, and would certainly be unwilling to remain subordinate to others for long. Once they were let loose, effective control over them would be lost. Qin Qiong was an absolute confidant and could not be allowed to leave either; otherwise, should any crisis arise, there would be no one left to consult. Thus, the only choice left was to send Zhang Jinchan.

"His surname is Zhang, and his given name is Jinchan. This man is chivalrous, upholds justice, and deeply admires Your Majesty. This humble servant recommends him to accompany Li Yuan. This way, it neither delays the battle of Liaodong nor impedes Your Majesty's control over Li Yuan. I beg Your Majesty to grant this request."

Yang Guang chuckled, pointed at Li Dong, and scolded playfully, "You clever rascal! I send you out on an errand, and you make all sorts of excuses to wiggle out of it. However, this is not a bad idea. Sending an unknown nobody is the most appropriate choice, as it will not draw Li Yuan's attention. The rest of my personal guards have already been nearly all bought off by those princes and ministers. Right now, I trust only you alone! If it were anyone else, I would never agree."

Li Dong smiled cheerfully and said, "How could these little twists and turns in this humble servant's belly ever escape Your Majesty's discerning eyes? Hehe!"

"Go make the arrangements then! Remember to report back to me afterward," Yang Guang said, waving his hand toward the outside of the tent.

Taking the order, Li Dong left the dragon tent, went straight to the armory, and found Qin Qiong and Zhang Jinchan.

When Li Dong explained his intentions, Zhang Jinchan was utterly dissatisfied. He leaped high into the air and shouted loudly, "I am not going!" (To be continued...)