The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 26: Informing

Chen Yixing?

Upon hearing this name, Li Ang slowly raised his head from among a pile of documents.

At the same time, the person's basic information flashed through his mind.

As is well known, the three major problems plaguing the late Tang Dynasty were the interference of eunuchs in politics, the factional strife between the Niu and Li parties, and the separatist rule of regional military governors.

Aside from the eunuchs, the people Li Ang could most easily come into contact with were the ministers in the imperial court.

Therefore, in recent days, his primary focus has naturally been on the main members of the Niu and Li factions.

Chen Yixing was one of them.

This man came from a prestigious family, the Yingchuan Chen clan, which has been passed down from the late Han Dynasty to the present day. In his early years, he traveled extensively and served as a staff member in the regional military governorships.

In the seventh year of the Yuanhe era, Chen Yixing passed the imperial examination and served as an official in Luoyang, the eastern capital. He later served as a censor and other official positions. He was known for his outstanding literary talent and participated in the compilation of the "Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong".

In the eighth year of the Taihe era, he was promoted by the original owner to the position of Vice Minister of Works, concurrently serving as a Hanlin Academician and tutor to the Crown Prince. He was one of the few mid-to-high-ranking officials in the Li faction who were deeply trusted by the original owner.

At this point, why did he take the initiative to request a meeting?

Li Ang quickly recalled Zheng Tan's silent behavior in the Yan Ying Hall a little earlier.

It seems that with Linghu Chu making the first move, the Li faction is also starting to get restless.

"Summon him in."

After having the scattered documents tidied up, Li Ang quickly summoned Chen Yixing.

"Chen Yixing, Vice Minister of Works and concurrently Academician of the Hanlin Academy, Drafter of Imperial Edicts, and Tutor to the Crown Prince, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

In the Tang Dynasty, appearance was one of the criteria for selecting officials.

Apart from special cases like Zheng Zhu, they were all generally handsome.

Chen Yixing is a typical example.

He was eight feet tall, with sword-like eyebrows and red eyes, and a long beard hanging down from his chest. His whole body exuded the demeanor of a Confucian and Taoist master.

"Rise," Li Ang said, gesturing with his hand. "Minister Chen, have you come in such a hurry? Is there something urgent?"

Unlike the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Hanlin Academician in the Tang dynasty was more like an additional title for an attendant official. In addition to being responsible for reading imperial edicts, the more important duty was to be able to meet with the emperor at any time to provide advice.

There were seven regular Hanlin Academicians, but the number was often exceeded. Those who could hold this position were basically trusted confidants of the emperor, so they could get along more casually.

Chen Yixing stood up, but did not speak immediately. Instead, he glanced at the eunuchs serving in the hall.

At this time, Lieutenant Xue Jiling had returned to the Inner Palace Secretariat to take charge of affairs, and the person serving him was Yang Qinyi, the Commissioner of Xuanhui.

Seeing this, Chen Yixing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, took two steps forward, and then said.

"Your Majesty, I have come from the Ministry of Personnel and have just met with Minister Zheng. I learned some things from him that I feel I should report to Your Majesty, hence my visit."

"Zheng Qin?"

Li Ang raised an eyebrow slightly, a predictable glint in his eyes.

However, he did not explain, but instead asked.

What did he say to you?

Chen Yixing replied, "Your Majesty, Minister Zheng said that after the audience at Yan Ying Hall today, Minister Linghu kept him behind and said to him..."

Then, Chen Yixing recounted everything he had learned from Zheng Qin.

The hall was somewhat quiet.

Li Ang tapped the table in front of him lightly with his fingers, his expression inscrutable, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"What are you trying to say?"

Chen Yixing was also a little nervous at this moment.

Because he was very clear that what he was doing was actually very risky.

If one is not careful, the emperor will regard him as a petty person who is attacking others in private.

But considering the current situation, he gritted his teeth and continued to look up.

"Your Majesty, there is one thing I do not understand. If what Minister Linghu said is true, then Lieutenant Liu's decision to lead troops out of the capital to arrest Zheng Zhu was a confidential matter. How could Minister Linghu know about something that even the Grand Secretaries of the Council of State Affairs did not know?"

Li Ang paused in his tapping, and his gaze toward Chen Yixing became more scrutinizing.

"So, you're trying to tell me that Liu Hongyi and Linghu Chu colluded with each other to leak secrets from within the palace?"

These words were spoken in a heavy tone, carrying a hint of questioning, which immediately made Chen Yixing's heart jump.

"Your Majesty, I have no evidence and dare not speculate on Lieutenant Liu. However, since this matter involves the Forbidden City, I dare not be careless. But since Minister Linghu knows about this, the information must have a source. Your Majesty only needs to summon Minister Linghu and ask him."

Li Ang didn't speak, but continued to tap rhythmically on the table.

The atmosphere in the inner palace of Zichen was somewhat tense. Chen Yixing stood at the lower end, head bowed and eyes downcast, not daring to even breathe loudly.

After a long while, or perhaps only a moment later, the knocking stopped, and Li Ang's voice came through.

"Li Deyu has been away from the capital for more than a year. I have missed him quite a bit. Go back and have Zheng Tan write him a letter, saying that I have been unwell recently and miss my old ministers. I ask him to return to the capital to visit me. Go now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yixing was taken aback.

Immediately, a surge of joy welled up in his heart, and he hurriedly said.

"Your Majesty, I obey your command."

After saying this, he took two steps back, bid farewell, and left.

Silence returned to the hall.

Sunlight slanted through the window and fell on the floor, casting delicate patterns on the surface.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Ang suddenly asked.

"Yang Qinyi, do you have dealings with ministers of the outer court?"

The eunuch serving beside him lowered his head and bowed.

"In reply to everyone, this old servant has served in the palace for generations and has had some interactions with the court officials, but I have never dared to divulge any secrets of the palace. I hope you can understand."

That sounds a bit awkward.

It seems somewhat counterintuitive for a eunuch to claim that his family has served in the palace for generations.

However, this situation was actually extremely common in the Tang Dynasty.

Because eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty were allowed to adopt children.

Moreover, unlike the Ming and Qing dynasties, which only had a nominal name, this was different.

The adopted sons of Tang Dynasty eunuchs were almost identical to their biological fathers and sons, except that they were not related by blood.

Not only must they change their surname and name to be included in the family genealogy and inherit property, but they must also serve their adoptive father for life.

Even among commoners and in the palace, this relationship was regarded as that of a father and son.

If an adopted son does something unfilial, he will also be condemned by others.

It was precisely because of this system that eunuchs, as a special group of officials, were able to have the concept of family succession.

For example, the Yang family, from which Yang Qinyi came, was already the third generation when it came to him. His adoptive father, Yang Zhilian, was the Shence Lieutenant during the reign of Emperor Dezong, and his adoptive grandfather, Yang Yanzuo, was the Inner Attendant during the reign of Emperor Daizong.

It was rare even among eunuch families in the Tang Dynasty for three generations to hold high positions of power and all of them to die peacefully.

Therefore, Yang Qinyi's claim that his family had served the country for generations was not an exaggeration.

Nodding slightly, Li Ang did not dwell on Yang Qinyi, but continued to ask questions.

"So where do you think Linghu Chu got his information from?"

Yang Qinyi kept his head down and said, "As far as this old servant knows, Minister Linghu has not been involved with the palace eunuchs. As Scholar Chen just said, he has no evidence that Minister Linghu is colluding with outsiders. If you are truly uneasy, you may summon Minister Linghu and ask him. We will know the answer."

Li Ang remained silent, simply gazing at Yang Qinyi, who also maintained a slightly bowed posture and said nothing more.

A moment later, a palace attendant came in to report.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Lieutenant Liu Hongyi is waiting for your summons outside the palace."

Li Ang then withdrew his gaze and said calmly.

"Now that the Shence Army has someone in charge, the Privy Council is without a leader. You will take on that role for now. As for the other Privy Councilor and the Xuanhui Envoy, you, Liu Hongyi, and Xue Jiling will each recommend two people. Now, go..."