The White-Robed Chancellor

Liu Zhenhai's The White-Robed Chancellor follows the extraordinary life of Li Mi, a renowned Tang dynasty official, unfolding the political turmoil of the imperial court and the upheavals of a chaotic age from the High Tang through the mid-Tang. At just seven, the child prodigy Li Mi astonished Emperor Xuanzong with his poem "The Chessboard" and formed a close friendship with Li Heng, the Prince of Zhong. But after being framed by Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, he avoided disaster by turning to the Dao. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, he went to Lingwu as a commoner to assist Emperor Suzong, taking charge of military and state affairs and offering strategies to suppress the rebellion. He saved Wang Zhongsi through his wits and coordinated the Uighur reinforcements. Though he held no chancellor's title, he performed the duties of one, earning the name "White-Robed Chancellor" throughout the land. The book portrays the dangers of court intrigue, from Empress Zhang and Li Fuguo's power grabs to the unjust execution of Prince Jianning, while also revealing Li Mi's clear-eyed wisdom. He proposed his "Five Reasons Not to Stay" and insisted on retreating to Mount Heng, yet never ceased to care for the empire. From the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Dance of Xuanzong's reign to the fires of war under Suzong, from debates at court to strategies on the battlefield, the story both recreates historical events such as the Mawei Station Incident and the recovery of the two capitals, and depicts the integrity of a distinguished official who "avoided calamity through the Dao and served the state through wisdom." It offers a glimpse of the vicissitudes of a chaotic age and the life of a remarkable man.