Page:Frank Owen - The Scarlett Hill, 1941.djvu/218

RV 213 (LI PO) at once and it so happened that one of his lieutenants in a skirmish with the Kitans was defeated. This defeat, the Generalissimo concealed. Why needlessly worry His Majesty? After all, what was one defeat against a thousand victories? Nevertheless the true facts leaked out. Li Lin-fu had been waiting for just such a morsel to pounce upon. Before he had related the incident to Ming Huang he had embroidered it with intricate fabrication. Then with the full vehemence and strength of his oratory he had warned His Majesty that the whole Empire was in danger of destruction.

"If Chang Shou-kuei has hidden this defeat, how can we be sure that he has not hidden others? What credence can we give to accounts of his victories?"

Ming Huang had been eager to get to Yang Kuei-fei. Li Lin-fu had prepared the edict of dismissal. It took but a moment for the Imperial seal to be applied. Li Lin-fu was dependable, a sturdy rock upon which the Emperor might lean without danger of having his sleep disturbed. Li Lin-fu had been tried time and time again. Not once had he failed in his duty. And more important still, he urged the Emperor on in his extravagances. When Yang Kuei-fei complained that the lichees she was getting were not of the best, even though continuous relays of horsemen sped forward their procurement, it was Li Lin-fu who suggested getting them from Canton from whence came the finest lichees in all the world.

Under the circumstances, what need had the RV 213 (213)