Chapter 123 Turmoil at Court
Word Number：335
Author：一曲雨霖铃
Translator：
Release Time：2026-01-25
It is said: At dawn a single memorial is sent to the Ninefold Heaven; By dusk, I am banished eight thousand li toward Chaozhou. I sought only to purge abuses for a sagely reign— How could I spare my withered years and failing strength? Clouds bar the Qin Range—where now is my home? Snow chokes Blue Pass; my horse will not go on. You know I come from afar with purpose true— Then kindly gather my bones by the pestilent river’s side. Since Li Linfu came to hold power, he had continually excluded dissenters and demoted the loyal and upright, so that men of worth at court grew ever fewer. Each day in deliberation, only voices of flattery and compliance were heard; before the Son of Heaven’s throne, it seemed there remained nothing but a swarm of echoing insects. Xuanzong, meanwhile, indulged himself in song and dance and grew increasingly distant from the affairs of state. One day, Li Chenghao, as was customary, reported to Xuanzong on the recent compilation of poetry and prose anthologies. When the matter was concluded, Chenghao seized the opportunity to remonstrate. “Your servant, in sorting documents of late, has seen many memorials recommending talent from the prefectures and commanderies piling up in the ministries, none having received Your Majesty’s perusal. I cannot help recalling the early years of Zhenguan and Kaiyuan, when Your Majesty personally examined scholars from across the realm, and for a time ‘gentlemen filled the court, refined in learning and conduct.’ Now…” Chenghao paused briefly and raised his eyes to observe Xuanzong’s expression. Seeing him thoughtful rather than displeased, he continued in a measured tone. “Your servant does not dare to debate policy. Yet while collating texts, I often encounter the ancient maxim: ‘The essence of governance lies solely in obtaining the right men.’ Now that the four seas are at peace and culture flourishes, how could there be no worthy men hidden among the markets and fields, or concealed within speciali
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