Li Gang (547-631) was a minister in the early Ch’ing-Guan period of the Tang Dynasty. From his youth, he often encouraged himself with loyalty and righteousness. Throughout his life, he passed through the Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang dynasties, entering and leaving the imperial court, always remaining loyal and upright. During the Sui Dynasty, Li Gang was once framed by someone. In a difficult time, a scholar asserted that Li Gang would be able to show his ambition only after the change of dynasty. After the Tang Dynasty replaced the Sui Dynasty, the fortune teller’s prediction gradually came true.
Ding Gua reveals his fortune
Li Gang was originally named Yuan, Zi Yu, and changed his name to Li Gang after he read the biography of Zhang Gang in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty and admired Zhang Gang’s courage. In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, King Yu Wen Xian of Qi (545-578) appointed Li Gang as a counsellor. Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou (559-580) wanted to murder Yu Wen Xian and ordered his subordinates to commit perjury to frame him, but Li Gang refused to comply. After the murder of Yu Wen Xian, all of his subordinates were scattered, except for Li Gang who wept over his coffin and buried Yu Wen Xian himself.
During the reign of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty, Li Gang served as the Crown Prince’s horse washer (an ancient Chinese official position, an officer accompanying the Crown Prince). At that time, Yang Su and Su Wei, the left servant archer, were in charge of the court. Since Li Gang’s political views were different from theirs and he often insisted on his own views, Yang and Su disliked him. When General Liu Fang was ordered to conquer Linyi, Yang Su took the opportunity to transfer Li Gang to Linyi. Liu Fang tried to humiliate Li Gang and almost killed him.
Li Gang returned from the army and took up a post in the Qi King’s residence. Shortly thereafter, Su Wei sent Li Gang to Nanhai. When Li Gang did not receive a summons from the court for a long time, he entered the court on his own and Su Wei accused him of being absent without leave.
At that time, Li Gang met a fortune-teller who was good at divination, so he divined a trigram and got the “Ding” trigram. The fortune teller said to Li Gang, “Only after the change of dynasty will you be able to realize your ambition to become a minister and a minister of state.” The fortune teller advised Li Gang that he should retire early, otherwise there would be a danger of overthrowing the government, just like breaking the foot of a tripod. Soon after, Li Gang was pardoned by the court and went into seclusion in Shaanxi County.
Assisting the Prince of the Eastern Palace
He Panren, a Hu from the West, was a rebel general in the Shaanxi area of Chang’an. At the end of Daye, He Panren coerced Li Gang into serving as the chief historian of the rebel army. When the Tang Dynasty was founded to replace the Sui Dynasty, Li Gang surrendered to the Great Tang. Li Yuan, the Gaozu of Tang (566-635), appointed Li Gang as the Minister of Rites and the Crown Prince’s Counselor (in charge of the affairs of the Crown Prince’s palace). The foresight of the fortune-teller was gradually fulfilled.
Li Gang served in the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng (589-626) initially respected him. When someone once offered sashimi to Li Jiancheng, and two attendants of Li Jiancheng each boasted that they were good at making sashimi, Li Jiancheng said, “You can indeed cut carp with flying knives and cook extravagant meals; as for someone who can advise carefully and assist me, I am afraid that only Li Gang is available.”
The emperor thanked him for his straightforward advice
Later, Li Jiancheng, who was close to sycophants and had lost his virtue, was suspicious and jealous of Li Shimin, the King of Qin (598-649), and wanted to plot against him, but Li Gang could not stop his plot even after repeatedly advising him.
Li Gang thought of his previous tripod trigrams, so he wrote several times and asked to resign. Li Yuan, the Tang emperor, was very angry and scolded him: “You could be the chief historian of He Pan Ren in the past, why are you ashamed to be my Shang Shu? Besides, Jiancheng was in the East Palace, and I sent you to assist in teaching, why do you repeatedly think of resigning?”
Li Gang bowed and said, “Although He Pan Ren was a thief, I was able to dissuade him every time he wanted to kill, and thus saved many people. I am not ashamed in the least to be his chief historian. His Majesty has achieved a prosperous empire since the beginning of the country and is now quite conceited. How can I dare to be a minister for a long time, when my talents are so ordinary and poor that I cannot catch up with those of the first emperor, and my words are like stones thrown into the sea? I have served the prince and expressed a lot of shallow opinions, but they were not accepted.
After hearing this, Li Yuan thanked Li Gang and hoped that he would continue to serve the prince, and promoted him to be the Crown Prince’s Young Protector, as well as the Minister of Shang Shu and Zhan Si.
Worried about the Crown Prince’s failure to do the right thing
As Prince Li Jiancheng’s actions were deviating from the right path, Li Gang wrote a letter to advise the prince: “I promised to assist the prince, and I have no way to repay the kindness I have received from him. I think you are drinking too much, which is not the way to maintain health. And as a son, you should do your best to be filial to your parents and to love your brothers, so that you can comfort the heart of your father. You should not listen to evil words and suspicion and hate at will.” When Li Jiancheng saw Li Gang’s petition, he was very unhappy and continued to do as he pleased. Li Gang advised him many times but failed to do so, and he was sad and worried because he saw that the prince was not doing the right thing.
Emperor Taizong treated his old minister with courtesy
In the second year of Wu De, Li Gang resigned due to his old age, and the Tang Emperor decreed to relieve him from his official position, but he still served as the Crown Prince. The Tang emperor treated Li Gang with courtesy and did not call him by his first name in every edict he wrote.
After the reign of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, Li Gang was appointed as the Crown Prince’s Young Master. Since Li Gang suffered from a serious foot disease and could not walk, Emperor Taizong of Tang gave him a special sedan chair so that he did not have to walk in the palace and took the sedan chair directly to the entrance of the court. Emperor Taizong invited him into the palace many times and asked him for advice on how to do politics.
Li Gang’s career was just as the magician said, and after the Tang Dynasty replaced the Sui Dynasty, he became a public minister and a minister of state.
According to: Old Book of Tang, Volume 62
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