When Emperor Yang of the Sui went on his progress to Jiangdu, he ordered the Minister of Works, Yang Su, to hold the Western Capital. Yang Su was arrogant and exalted, and since the times were troubled he believed that no one under heaven matched him in power and prestige. He lived in luxury, and the ceremony around him went beyond what befits a subject. Whenever high ministers came to speak with him or guests came to pay their respects, he always received them sprawled on his couch, brought out among beautiful women, with maids ranged in rows about him, very nearly usurping the style of the emperor himself. In his last years it grew worse: he no longer gave any thought to the burden he carried, nor to propping up a tottering realm.
One day Li Jing, later Duke of Wei but then a commoner in plain clothes, came to call and present a bold plan. Yang Su received him sprawled on his couch as usual. Li Jing stepped forward, bowed, and said, "The realm is in chaos and heroes are rising on every side. As a great minister of the imperial house, you should make it your concern to gather men of talent, not receive your guests lounging on a couch." Yang Su composed his face, rose, and apologized. He talked with Li and was greatly pleased, accepted his plan, and Li withdrew. While Li Jing was holding forth, a singing girl of rare beauty, holding a red whisk, stood in front and gazed at him alone. When he had gone, the girl with the whisk went to the balcony, pointed to an officer, and asked, "That gentleman who just left: what is his rank among his brothers? Where does he live?" The officer told her everything, and she repeated it to herself and went away.
Li Jing returned to his inn. That night, at the start of the fifth watch, he heard a soft knock at the door. He got up to ask who it was, and found a person in a purple robe and hat, a bundle slung from a staff. "Who are you?" asked Li. "I am the girl with the red whisk from the Yang household." Li hastily let her in. She took off her fur coat and hat: a beauty of eighteen or nineteen. Her face unpowdered, in a painted robe, she bowed to him. Startled, Li bowed in return. She said, "I have served Minister Yang a long time and seen a great many people of the world, but never one like you. The silk vine cannot grow alone; it longs to cling to a tall tree. So I have run away to you." Li said, "Minister Yang wields great power in the capital. What then?" "He's a corpse with a little breath left in it, nothing to fear. The girls know he will come to nothing, and many have left already. He doesn't pursue them very hard. I have thought it all through. Please, have no doubts." He asked her surname. "Zhang." He asked her place among her siblings. "The eldest." Looking at her skin, her bearing, her speech and her spirit, she was truly a woman from heaven. Li had never imagined winning such a woman; the happier he was, the more afraid, and in a moment ten thousand worries gave him no peace. He kept peering out the door, never still on his feet. After a few days they heard that people were inquiring after her, though not very urgently. So, dressed as a man, she mounted a horse, and they pushed through the door and left, heading back to Taiyuan.
When they reached an inn at Lingshi, the bed had been made and the meat stewing on the stove was nearly done. Zhang's hair was so long it trailed on the ground, and she stood by the bed combing it while Li was grooming the horse. Suddenly a man of middling height with a curly red beard rode up on a lame donkey, tossed a leather bag in front of the stove, took a pillow and lay propped on his side, watching Zhang comb her hair. Li was furious but had not decided what to do, and went on grooming the horse. Zhang studied the man's face closely. Holding her hair in one hand, with the other, shielded by her body, she waved to Li not to be angry, then hurriedly finished combing. She straightened her clothes, stepped forward, and asked the man his surname. The reclining guest answered, "Zhang." She said, "My name is Zhang too. I must be your little sister." She bowed to him at once. She asked, "Which of your brothers are you?" "The third." He asked, "And you, little sister?" "The eldest." He said happily, "What luck, to meet a little sister today!" Zhang called across to Li, "Master Li, come and bow to Third Brother!" Li hurried over and bowed. Then they all sat down together.
"What meat is that cooking?" the stranger asked. "Mutton. It should be done by now." "I'm starving!" said the stranger. Li went out to buy flatbread. The stranger drew a dagger from his belt and cut the meat for them all to share. When they had finished, he hacked up the leftover meat and set it before his donkey to eat, all very quickly. He said, "Judging by the look of you, Master Li, you're a poor scholar. How did you come by such a remarkable woman?" "Poor as I am, I am not without ambition. If anyone else asked, I certainly wouldn't say. But since it's you, brother, I'll hide nothing." And he told him the whole story. "Then where are you headed?" "To Taiyuan, to lie low." "Ah. I thought as much: she's not one you could have won on your own." Then: "Got any wine?" "West of the inn there's a wine shop." Li fetched a dou of wine. When it had gone round once, the stranger said, "I've got a little something to go with the wine. Will you join me, Master Li?" "I wouldn't dare," said Li. At that the stranger opened his leather bag and took out a man's head, together with a heart and liver. He put the head back in the bag, sliced the heart and liver with his dagger, and they ate them together. "This man was the most faithless wretch under heaven," he said. "I've nursed my grudge for ten years, and only now have I caught him. My hatred is finally laid to rest."
He went on: "From your bearing and presence, Master Li, you're a real man. Do you know of anyone extraordinary in Taiyuan?" "I once met a man whom I believe to be the True One, destined to rule. The rest are generals and ministers at most." "What's his surname?" "The same as mine." "How old?" "Nearly twenty." "What does he do now?" "He's the favorite son of the regional commander." "That sounds like him. But I must see him for myself. Can you arrange for me to meet him?" "My friend Liu Wenjing is close to him. Through Wenjing you could meet him. But what do you want with him, brother?" "Those who read the air say there's an uncommon aura over Taiyuan, and they've sent me to look into it. You set out tomorrow, Master Li; what day will you reach Taiyuan?" Li worked it out and said, "On such-and-such a day." "The day after you arrive, at first light, wait for me at Fenyang Bridge." With that, he rode off on his donkey, so fast he seemed to fly; when they looked back, he was already gone. Li and Zhang were astonished and delighted. After a long while they said, "A man of honor doesn't deceive people. There's nothing to fear." And they whipped on their horses and went on.
On the appointed day they entered Taiyuan, and sure enough they met again. Delighted, they went together to Liu Wenjing's and told him a fib: "There's a man here skilled at reading faces who'd like to see the young master. Please invite him over." Wenjing had always thought the young man extraordinary, and as soon as he heard a guest could read faces, he quickly set out wine and sent for him. Presently Taizong arrived, with no outer robe and no proper shoes, just a fur coat thrown open, radiant in spirit, his looks unlike any ordinary man's. The Curly-Beard sat silently at the foot of the table; at the sight of him, his heart died within him. After a few rounds of wine he rose, beckoned Li over, and said, "He is the true Son of Heaven." Li told Liu, who was even more delighted and proud of himself. When they had left, the Curly-Beard said, "I'm eight or nine parts sure. But my Taoist brother must see him too. You and our sister should go back to the capital. At noon on such-and-such a day, look for me below the wine tower east of the horse market. If you see this donkey and a skinny mule there, it means my Taoist brother and I are both upstairs. Come straight up." Again he said goodbye and left, and again Li and Zhang agreed.
On the appointed day they went to find him and at once saw the two animals. Gathering up his robe, Li climbed the stairs. The Curly-Beard and a Taoist were sitting face to face drinking. Seeing Li, the Curly-Beard was surprised and pleased, invited him to sit, and they drank a dozen rounds or more. He said, "In the chest downstairs there are a hundred thousand cash. Find a quiet, hidden place to settle our sister. On such-and-such a day, meet me again at Fenyang Bridge."
They arrived on the appointed day; the Taoist and the Curly-Beard were already there, and together they called on Wenjing, who was in the middle of a game of weiqi. He rose, bowed, and chatted with them. Shortly after, Wenjing dashed off a note inviting Taizong to come and watch the game. The Taoist played against Wenjing, while the Curly-Beard and Li stood by in attendance. Soon Taizong arrived, dazzling, his presence astonishing. He bowed deeply and took his seat; his spirit was clear and bright, the whole company seemed to stir as if a breeze had risen, and his glance shone. The moment the Taoist saw him, his face fell. Gathering up the stones, he said, "This game is utterly lost! To lose the whole board right here, how strange! There's no way to save it. What more is there to say?" He stopped playing and asked to leave. Once outside, he said to the Curly-Beard, "This world is not your world. You may have prospects elsewhere. Strive on, and put this place out of your mind!" Then they went to the capital together. The Curly-Beard said, "By my reckoning of your journey, Master Li, you'll arrive on such-and-such a day. The day after you arrive, come with our sister to call on me at a little house in such-and-such a ward and lane. You've been following me about, and our sister has nothing to her name. I'd like my wife to meet you and pay her respects, and to talk things over at leisure. Don't hold back." With that, he sighed and left.
Li too whipped his horse on and soon reached the capital. He went with Zhang to the address: a small plank door. They knocked, and someone answered and bowed. "Third Master ordered us to wait for Master Li and the Lady, and we have waited a long while." They were led through gate after gate, each grander than the last. Forty maids stood in rows before the courtyard, and twenty menservants led Li into the eastern hall. Its furnishings were rare and precious beyond compare: chests of linens, dressing cases, hats and mirrors, jewelry in such splendor that they seemed not of this world. When they had washed, combed and made themselves ready, they were invited to change their clothes, and the clothes too were rare and marvelous. When they had finished, word came: "Third Master is here!" In came the Curly-Beard in a gauze cap and fur robe, with the air of a dragon or a tiger, and greeted them joyfully. He urged his wife to come out and pay her respects; she too was like a woman from heaven. Then he led them into the main hall, where the feast laid out was so lavish that not even the households of princes could match it.
When the four had dined, twenty female musicians were arrayed before them to play; the food and the music seemed to have descended from heaven, no tunes of this world. After the meal, wine was poured. Servants carried out twenty couches from the east side of the hall, each draped with an embroidered brocade cloth. When they had been set out, the cloths were all pulled away, revealing nothing but ledgers and keys. The Curly-Beard said, "These are the full accounts of my treasure and coin. Everything I own, I give to you. Why? I meant to make my way in this world, perhaps fight like a dragon for twenty or thirty years and build some small achievement. But now that the world has its master, what is the use of staying? Li of Taiyuan is a truly heroic ruler; within three to five years, the realm will be at peace. You, Master Li, with your extraordinary talent, will serve a ruler of peace and order. Give him all your heart and your best, and you will rise to the very height a subject can reach. And you, our sister, with your heavenly beauty and rare gifts, will share your husband's honors and ride in carriages and robes of splendor. No one but our sister could have recognized Master Li, and no one but Master Li could bring our sister honor. When sages and worthies rise from the ground, there are signs; the meeting of ruler and minister comes in its season. When the tiger roars, the wind rises; when the dragon soars, the clouds gather. None of it is by chance. Take my gifts and help the true ruler build his achievements. Strive on! Some ten years from now, something remarkable will happen several thousand li to the southeast. That will be my season of success. Then you two may pour wine toward the southeast to congratulate me." He had his household servants line up and bow, saying, "Master Li and our sister are your masters now!" With that, he and his wife, followed by a single servant, rode away. After a few paces, they could no longer be seen.
Li took possession of the house and became a man of great wealth, able to supply Taizong with the means to found his dynasty, and so set the realm to rights.
In the tenth year of Zhenguan, when Li Jing had risen to Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Chief Minister, envoys from the southeastern tribes came to court and reported: "A thousand seagoing ships carrying a hundred thousand armored troops have invaded the kingdom of Fuyu, killed its ruler, and set up their leader in his place. The kingdom is already secured." Li knew in his heart that the Curly-Beard had succeeded. He went home and told Zhang, and with all due ceremony they offered their congratulations, pouring wine toward the southeast and bowing in prayer. From this we know that the rise of the True One is not something even heroes can hope for, much less those who are no heroes at all. A subject who foolishly dreams of rebellion is a mantis raising its arms against a rolling wheel. Our imperial house's blessings will pass down for ten thousand generations; how could that be in vain?
Some say, "Half of the Duke of Wei's art of war was taught him by the Curly-Beard."
