Cui Yuan, the prime minister, was poor and forced to live in the area of Jianghuai when he was young. His cousin’s father-in-law, Li Yangyun, was a minister of justice. Cui Yuan came to the capital from the south and waited to see Li Yan Yun to seek a small position. Li Yanyun was studying with his students in the academy at the time and was very contemptuous of Cui Yuan.
One night, Li Yangyun had a dream that he was put in a torture device and two or three hundred soldiers surrounded him in a big official residence. When he arrived at the front of the hall, they all shouted their names and called in, only to see a man in a purple robe sitting in front of the case. So he was at the foot of the dais, begging for mercy. The man in the purple robe smiled and said, “Lock up first.” Li Yanyun woke up and was surprised and scared, so he told his wife. The lady said, “He should be treated well, how do you know it will not be fulfilled?” From then on he treated Cui Yuan with great courtesy. He let him stay in another compound and invited him to eat in the chancel every day.
After staying for a few months, Cui Yuan asked to leave, saying he wanted to find a position in the Jiangnan area. Li Yangyun and his wife took this opportunity to prepare a sumptuous banquet and had the whole family sit together with their children. After the meal, Cui Yuan thanked him and said, “You have been so kind to me, I really don’t know how to thank you and how to repay you in the future. I often wonder if this is a bit too much, I don’t know what the reason is, please tell me clearly.” Li Yan Yun laughed but did not answer. The lady said, “My own cousin and nephew are just like my own son, so I am afraid that I will not be well treated, so what kindness or love is there.” When Li Yan Yun got up to go to the toilet, the lady took the opportunity to say, “Your father-in-law had a strange dream that you would be a great official in the future. Cui Yuan said, “How can there be such a thing!” Li Yanyun came back and repeated the words of his wife, and Cui Yuan did not know what to say. Li Yangyun said, “Jianghuai is too far away from here, and it is not the place to seek advancement. I usually know Yang Sikong better, and I have entrusted him with a position with him.”
At that time, Yang Guozhong was the minister of Xichuan with the title of Chancellor. Cui Yuan went to see him, and Yang Guozhong thought highly of him, so he presented to the emperor to appoint Cui Yuan as the festival inspector and in charge of the posthumous affairs. On the day of his appointment, Li Yan Yun gave him a gift of gold and silk. In less than a year to Xichuan, just when An Lushan revolted, Xuanzong moved the capital, let Cui Yuan become the festival envoy. After another ten days or so, he was appointed as the Chancellor. At that time, the capital had just been recovered and the officials who had surrendered to An Lushan, such as Chen Xilie, were supposed to be executed together with Li Yangyun, who was also among them and had been convicted. At that time, Cui Yuan, who was then the order of the Central Secretary, examined them in detail, really sent soldiers to surround them and arrested them, named them, and pronounced that they were punished according to the law. When Li Yanyun was named, Li Yanyun shouted, “Does the Chancellor remember the dream of that year?” Cui Yuan nodded his head and was sentenced to be imprisoned first.
After the incident, Cui Yuan presented his case to the emperor and asked for his official position to atone for Li Yangyun’s sin. Emperor Su Zong of Tang approved the petition and issued a special edict to absolve Li Yan Yun from the death penalty and sent him to exile.
(from “Yi Shi”)
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