Li Yan, fourth son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was the Prince of Di. According to the histories, suspected of practicing witchcraft, he was imprisoned in the Eagle and Hound Bureau and died in despair. He was a tragic, overlooked prince of the Tianbao era.
In the winter of the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan, a modern soul possessed his body. Yang Yuhuan had only just entered religious life, and the golden age bloomed all around him, yet a twelve-year countdown to his death hung over his head.
Knowing the future did not make him invincible. The butterfly effect would constantly render his foresight obsolete, and modern knowledge could only be put to use through experimentation, skepticism, and meritorious service. With Li Linfu’s web of false accusations closing around him, he had to fight for survival at every turn. Rather than offering blunt remonstrations, he presented a checklist of looming crises. As problems with grain transport, drought, border threats, and the crimes of powerful ministers all came to pass one by one, even the suspicious Li Longji finally came to his senses.
He kept his distance from Yang Yuhuan. After the An Lushan Rebellion was crushed, the Yang clan fell, and Yang Yuhuan met her tragic end in the cold palace, with a white silk cord. An Lushan was captured and executed on the eve of his rebellion. Li Linfu’s coffin was opened and his corpse mutilated, while the entire Yang Guozhong clan was held to account.
Following the traditions of good governance established by Yao Chong and Song Jing, holding firm to Zhang Jiuling’s integrity and applying Pei Yaoqing’s sound policies for grain transport, he took in the bustle of Chang’an’s two markets, attended banquets at Qujiang, and visited the hot springs at Mount Li. He heard the Silk Road’s camel bells and the hubbub of foreign merchants. He traded a golden tortoise wine cup with He Zhizhang, discussed the state of the world with Du Fu, and savored Buddhist philosophy with Wang Wei. He witnessed the brilliance of Li Bai, Gao Shi, Cen Shen, Wang Changling, and other gifted poets; admired Wu Daozi’s paintings and Zhang Xu’s wild calligraphy; watched Lady Gongsun’s sword dance and heard Li Guinian’s exquisite music; studied the calendar with the monk Yi Xing; and saw Jianzhen set sail for Japan. And before chaos descended, he gathered a host of famous generals, including Guo Ziyi and Wang Zhongsi.
The tragic prince of old lay low at court, using the knowledge of later generations to overturn his fate. He would do everything in his power to protect the vast Tang realm and preserve the Kaiyuan golden age so it would never fade!
