The Emperor， still living in ignorance of the state affairs and his officials was completely unaware that two of his highest-ranking men were engaged in fierce fight.
An Lushan， who had won the Emperor’s trust by pretending to be simple-minded， had been promoted to governor. This made him look down upon other officials， including the Prime Minister Yang Guozhong. But Yang was also high-ranking and well liked by the Emperor. Angered by An Lushan’s pretensions， the Prime Minister found fault with everything about him. He even ordered men to find out about An’s private life.
Yang Guozhong reported to the Emperor on several occasions that he suspected Lushan was about to start a coup d’état， in hopes of convincing the Emperor to remove An Lushan from power. But the Emperor paid little attention to these reports， believing it was only conflict between his general and minister.
One day， on his way to court， Yang Guozhong heard a series of loud cries， and noticed An Lushan and his men were riding towards him. An only gave a casual salute to the Prime Minister and continued on his way through the palace gates.
“An Lushan！” Yang Guozhong yelled. “This is a sacred and forbidden place. How dare you make so much noise？”
“I’m qualified to do so as the militar y governor in the capital，” Lushan replied rudely. “ You’re just a civilian Deputy Prime Minister and probably aren’t given that honor！”
“Qualified，” Yang sneered， “Do you remember how you looked when you came to me on your knees as a prisoner？” “It was in the past. What’s the use of recalling that？” Lushan waved his hand dismissively.
Yang Guozhong became even angrier and fight began.
“You were just a criminal， waiting for your death penalty. You knelt down in front of me， begging me for your life.”
“It was the Emperor’s grace，” An Lushan replied calmly. “It had nothing to do with you.”
“You ungrateful bastard！ I should have let you die！”
An Lushan laughed. “You have no room to talk. Take a good look at yourself. How many times did you deceive the Emperor and embezzle public property？”
This scared Yang Guozhong ， for he worried that his wrongdoings would be exposed. He wanted to end the fight with An Lushan but was too stubborn to admit defeat.
“How dare you frame me，” he threatened. “Come and face the Emperor with me！”
“Do you think I am afraid？ Let’s go！”
They arrived at the Palace of Supreme Harmony， still fighting as they approached the Emperor. Yang Guozhong hurried to be the first one to speak.
“Your Majesty， An Lushan only pretends to be loyal. He harbors treacherous intentions.” He continued with a list of criminal acts and implored that the Emperor eliminate this potential danger once and for all.
“I was given a high status by Your Majesty，” said An Lushan， who had dropped down to his knees. “And because of this the Prime Minister envies me. Your Majesty， I’m alone here with no friends or relatives. I worry that I won’t be able to stay here long. I hope that Your Majesty can have mercy and allow me to return to the frontier.”
An Lushan’s show of loyalty deeply moved the Emperor. He had complete confidence in his loyalty and was well aware of Yang Guozhong’s incompetence. He knew that Guozhong was not a responsible prime minister， but he was Lady Yang’s cousin and could not be easily removed from office. It was an ongoing dilemma， one that often embarrassed the Emperor. Finally， he decided to intercede as peacemaker.
“If the head of my military and my official assistant are always at odds with one another， how can the government duties be fulfilled？ An Lushan， I am making you the governor of Fanyang. Choose a date and assume your new post soon.”
An Lushan thanked the Emperor and left the palace. Holding the imperial decree in his hand， he said to Yang Guozhong， “Your Excellency， I’m leaving now. From this day on you can run things however you see fit，” He turned in anger and stopped after a few steps. “I leave now，” he spit the word through clenched teeth. “But one day I shall be back！ And until that day…” he laughed as the words trailed off， and he walked away before Yang Guozhong could respond. The Emperor’s decision was exactly what An Lushan wanted. Now he could hide away at the frontier， gathering up forces and prepare for a revolt.
Though the Prime Minister had gotten what he wanted， An Lushan’s final remarks made him uncomfortable. He stood there， speechless， watching the general ride away.
