Chapter 36: Empress Zhangsun’s Guidance

When Zhangsun Wuji and the others departed, Emperor Taizong’s mood was somber, and he barely touched his dinner. His chest tight with frustration, he left the Ganlu Hall to take a walk and clear his mind. Unwittingly, his steps led him to the chambers of Empress Zhangsun.

Noticing the emperor’s gloomy expression, his brows furrowed in dejection, the empress asked with concern, “Your Majesty, what has troubled you so? Has something happened?”

“Ah, my dear Guanyin, my heart is heavy with vexation,” Li Shimin replied dispiritedly as he looked at the empress.

“What matter could leave our wise and valiant emperor so helpless and distressed?” the empress teased gently, her voice soothing.

Li Shimin gazed at her quietly, feeling his heart settle a little. Through all his years, only Empress Zhangsun had been able to comfort him in his darkest moments, offering not just solace but insight and guidance on matters of state.

Moved by this thought, he looked at his wife with renewed tenderness.

Though he was loath to burden her with his troubles, he finally spoke: “Guanyin, did you know that yesterday afternoon I met a most extraordinary young man? This youth is a prodigy, his calligraphy surpassing even Yu Shinan, and his literary talent is unmatched. More remarkably, he possesses unparalleled vision and ability in matters of governance. Though but sixteen, he is brimming with ambition. I wished for him to study at the Imperial Academy for a year before appointing him as a junior official in the Crown Prince’s Secretariat, but he declined without hesitation.

“What’s more, he brought me terrible news: he predicted a severe locust plague in Guanzhong next year. At first, I did not believe him, but when I consulted the venerable Yuan, he confirmed the prediction. I summoned my ministers Fang Xuanling and the others to discuss countermeasures, yet we could devise no effective plan. My heart is truly troubled!

“Guanyin, tell me—did I err in killing my elder brother and fourth brother? Is Heaven warning me, Li Shimin?”

He sighed deeply after speaking.

The empress listened in silence, her heart aching especially at the mention of the impending locust plague, though she betrayed no sign of it. She had no remedy for such a calamity herself, but after a moment’s thought, she glanced at the emperor and asked calmly, “Your Majesty, did the venerable Yuan say nothing else?”

Li Shimin recalled and replied, “The venerable Yuan only said that a great benefactor would aid us in this plague, and that this person is in Chang’an. But, Guanyin, my heart burns with anxiety, thinking of the suffering the people of Guanzhong must endure.”

Upon hearing that the benefactor was in Chang’an, the empress was struck by inspiration. Composed, she said, “Your Majesty, sometimes those at the heart of matters are blinded by them, while bystanders see more clearly. Why not seek out that remarkable youth? Since he could so accurately predict the locust plague, he must indeed be extraordinary—perhaps he has a solution that has not occurred to us.”

The emperor brightened at her words, as if suddenly enlightened. Excited, he exclaimed, “Empress, you truly are my good fortune! I let my anxiety cloud my thinking. When that young man left, he did say that if I trusted him, he would do everything in his power to help us.”

Overjoyed, Li Shimin embraced the empress, beaming. “Guanyin, thank heavens for you! I was trapped in a dead end, not realizing the benefactor was right before my eyes.”

Thanks to her guidance, the emperor felt as delighted as a child, his troubles swept away in an instant.

The empress smiled gently. “I did little to help, Your Majesty. You were simply too anxious to see the answer before you.” Then, with a trace of concern, she added, “But as for that extraordinary youth, you must not let such talent slip away. It would be a great loss if he could not serve our Great Tang.”

“Do not worry, Guanyin. Though he does not wish to enter officialdom now, I am sure his heart belongs to our dynasty. You may not know this, but not long ago, he presented me with a batch of rice seeds—high-yield varieties said to produce over a dozen shi per mu,” the emperor replied with delight.

“Is that so? I am now all the more intrigued by this remarkable youth,” the empress said with a gentle smile.

“Rest assured, Guanyin. When the rice matures, I will make him a county baron and bring him to meet you,” Li Shimin promised, his mood uplifted now that his worries had eased.

“Then let me congratulate Your Majesty in advance,” said the empress.

“Now, Guanyin, you should rest. I will not keep you company tonight. I must summon that youth to the palace at once to consult him about the locust plague.” With that, Li Shimin hastily returned to Ganlu Hall.

He called for a eunuch, intending to issue an edict summoning Du Chengfeng to the palace, but then realized he had no idea where Du was staying in Chang’an. Even Chu Suiliang and the others, who had visited him several times, had not revealed his whereabouts—a series of small obstacles indeed.

Helpless, he ordered the eunuch to send word to Chu Suiliang, instructing him to bring Du Chengfeng to the palace.

When Chu Suiliang received the message, he felt somewhat exasperated—he was fast becoming an errand boy. He had no choice but to hurry once again to Du Chengfeng’s residence and escort him to Ganlu Hall.

Before long, Du Chengfeng arrived at Ganlu Hall. Li Shimin, upon seeing him, looked as though he had spotted his savior. Wasting no time, he dismissed all eunuchs and maids, leaving only Chu Suiliang by his side.

After Du Chengfeng was seated, the emperor spoke anxiously: “Du Chengfeng, your news of the locust plague has troubled me so that I could scarcely sleep last night. Tell me quickly—how can we resolve this crisis?”

Du Chengfeng observed the emperor’s agitation and guessed that his warning had indeed caused great concern. Now that he had been summoned again, it was clear that the ministers had found no effective remedy and so he was being called upon once more.

It was understandable; prior to the Song Dynasty, there were no systematic measures for preventing and controlling locust plagues—people could only resign themselves to fate. Not until the chancellorship of Yao Chong in the Song was there an organized approach.

For a modern person, a locust plague is hardly an insurmountable challenge. Since Li Shimin trusted his word, Du Chengfeng, guided by the principle of putting people first, believed that helping Tang to eradicate locust plagues would be a great service. After all, the common people were innocent; perhaps, in so doing, he might also win the people’s gratitude—a truly happy outcome.

With these thoughts, Du Chengfeng replied unhurriedly, “Your Majesty, the locust plague is not as fearsome as you imagine. So long as the right methods are employed and prevention is thorough, it can be eliminated before it takes hold.”