Living leisurely in Tang Dynasty 164

The issuance of a formal imperial edict wasn’t as simple as Emperor Li having someone draft it. It had to go through the hands of Fang Xuanling and others, be stamped with their seals, and have its validity confirmed. Only then would it be sent to the Menxia Province for their review. If it didn’t pass, it had to be rewritten.

The gatekeeper of the Menxia Province was none other than Wei Zheng, known for his stern demeanor. Countless edicts had met their demise at his hands over the years, each death serving a meaningful purpose – providing Wei Zheng with ample material for his criticisms.

While Emperor Li found Wei Zheng’s temperament both unpleasant and inflexible, he grudgingly accepted him. After all, who could argue with the logic and insight that Wei Zheng possessed? Who else could do the job as well?

Although the edict had been initially stalled by Fang Xuanling, he deemed it necessary to bring Wei Zheng into the fray, fearing that Emperor Li might not be dissuaded otherwise.

Upon reading the edict’s contents, even Wei Zheng agreed with Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji’s concerns.

The edict commanded Li Yuanying, the Prince Tang, to assume his fiefdom. However, Emperor Li had not only granted Li Yuanying the originally intended Tengzhou but had also bestowed upon him the former fiefdom of the Prince of Qi! The Prince of Qi had rebelled a couple of years earlier, and his life had been forfeit. The court had not yet assigned the territory to another prince. It was contiguous with Tengzhou, and it was more expansive and prosperous.

Years ago, when Li Yuanying was initially assigned Tengzhou, Emperor Li hadn’t been so partial to this younger brother, so the chosen territory, while decent, wasn’t particularly vast. As Emperor Li pondered over the map, he felt that such a small place would be a great injustice to his younger brother. With a grand gesture, he annexed the Prince of Qi’s former fiefdom and surrounding areas, placing them under Li Yuanying’s control.

Among all his brothers, this was the one he had raised himself. How could his fiefdom be small? It must be grand!

Numerous prefectures and counties, expansive territory, everything must be done with grandeur!

The Teng Wang Fu had already been completed by the previous Prince Tang, so there was no need to change its location; it would remain in Tengzhou. However, its administrative jurisdiction would be significantly expanded. As for concerns regarding Li Yuanying’s youth and lack of experience, Emperor Li planned to send a team of talented individuals to assist with the administration. How could they possibly manage such a vast territory? Besides, Li Yuanying had already gathered a group of people to accompany him, making this arrangement even more suitable!

Emperor Li believed his plan was perfect, flawless in every way. He effortlessly dictated the content of the edict to Cen Wenben, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Cen Wenben, with a grimace, composed the edict and delivered it expressionlessly to Fang Xuanling and his colleagues. He couldn’t bear to be the only one privy to Emperor Li’s mind-bogglingly brilliant idea!

It was akin to a thunderclap out of the blue, completely stunning Fang Xuanling and the others. Emperor Li had actually allocated almost the entire Henan Road to Li Yuanying’s fiefdom!

Fang Xuanling and his colleagues, armed with the edict, rushed to confront Emperor Li.

Emperor Li was just picturing the delight on his troublesome brother’s face upon receiving the edict when Fang Xuanling and his group interrupted him, demanding that the edict be rewritten.

Emperor Li was displeased. He had been denied the right to campaign against Goguryeo, and now he couldn’t even expand his brother’s fiefdom? If he didn’t extend the fiefdom all the way to the coast, how could he build seafaring vessels? It had to be connected!

Emperor Li locked horns with his loyal advisors, neither side yielding, engaging in heated arguments about the size of Li Yuanying’s fiefdom.

Despite Wei Zheng’s objections, Emperor Li insisted that if the fiefdoms of Li Tai and the others were vast, then Li Yuanying’s could be just as vast. What was even more infuriating was the Prince, who, upon hearing the debate, generously declared that the entire Henan Road could be given to Li Yuanying, no problem.

Even if his granddaughter was going to marry Li Yuanying, Wei Zheng thought that both father and son had either gone mad or lost their minds!

Li Yuanying, the subject of this entire debacle, was completely unaware of the commotion. He was patiently awaiting the edict. It was only when Changsun Wuji reminded Wei Zheng to speak to Li Yuanying about the matter that Wei Zheng, with a dark expression, summoned Li Yuanying and informed him of the hurdle his fiefdom had encountered.

Li Yuanying was overjoyed to hear this, thinking that his brother and nephew were truly thoughtful, secretly securing him a vast fiefdom. He even blamed Wei Zheng: “Why are you hindering such a good thing? Can’t my brother give me more territory?”

Wei Zheng considered the entire Li family irrational.

Thankfully, knowing that Li Yuanying responded better to soft persuasion, Wei Zheng, suppressing his urge to berate him, explained the situation from various perspectives. He spoke of potential future dangers and impending discontent, highlighting that if this precedent were set, the entire Tang Dynasty wouldn’t have enough land to go around.

Previously, Emperor Li had sought to establish a hereditary system for prefects, making princes and noble families hereditary prefects. However, this had faced strong opposition from Changsun Wuji and others. They had willingly forgone this hereditary opportunity to prevent the establishment of such a harmful precedent. Now, Emperor Li, driven by personal favoritism, was attempting to grant Li Yuanying almost half of Henan Road. How could they possibly stand by and do nothing?

Li Yuanying wasn’t entirely deaf to reason. After listening to Wei Zheng’s eloquent explanation, his enthusiasm for a large fiefdom waned.

While he had no aspirations for the throne, he couldn’t guarantee that all his sons would be exceptional or wise. If any of them turned out to be dissolute, good intentions could turn into disasters. It would be better to avoid any special treatment. If any of his descendants truly possessed ability, they could rise to the challenge themselves. As for those lacking ability, they had the privilege of royal status. What purpose would a vast fiefdom serve them? It would only harm the people!

In essence, those capable didn’t need anything handed to them, while those incapable couldn’t manage what they were given, only arousing envy in others!

Li Yuanying, having seen the light, sighed and nodded, “I understand. I was even thinking that with such a large fiefdom, there would be enough land for my wife and I to have many children!”

Wei Zheng’s face twitched.

This boy, barely out of his teens, was already thinking about having a large family! Having children was a perilous journey on the brink of death!

Seeing Wei Zheng’s grim expression, Li Yuanying quickly abandoned his musings about a future filled with children and reassured Wei Zheng, with a thump of his chest, that he would immediately refuse the offer of a large fiefdom, never to set this harmful precedent.

Li Yuanying wasn’t lying to Wei Zheng. Upon learning why his fiefdom edict had been delayed, he immediately went to see Emperor Li and declared that he didn’t need such a large fiefdom.

Emperor Li, having been repeatedly cornered and persuaded by Changsun Wuji and his colleagues for days, had developed a rebellious attitude, determined to stubbornly resist. When Li Yuanying personally expressed his refusal, Emperor Li’s face darkened.

Li Yuanying, adept at reading faces, knew that Emperor Li was in a terrible mood after having lost two arguments. He succinctly articulated his thoughts to Emperor Li, then concluded, “If you want to grant me a large fiefdom, you can do so after I have made significant contributions! If you give me all the good things at once, what would be left to reward me with in the future?”

Seeing his confidence, and his audacious claims of “making significant contributions,” Emperor Li’s irritation dissipated. He pointed at Li Yuanying and said, “You sure have a lot of faith in yourself!”

Li Yuanying replied, “Of course! If I don’t believe in myself, who else will? You just wait, Emperor Brother. I will definitely make a significant contribution! If anyone dares to criticize you for giving me a large fiefdom, I will lead the charge to beat them up. No, I’ll send people to their doorsteps to throw manure, write graffiti, and toss dead chickens, dogs, and rats!”

Emperor Li was touched by the first part of his speech but exploded in anger upon hearing the latter part. “Shut up! Where did you learn such vulgar tactics?!”

Li Yuanying promptly fell silent.

Emperor Li, at this point, felt that his decision had been unwise. Li Yuanying had many good ideas but even more bad ones. When he went on a rampage, ten oxen couldn’t hold him back. If he were to be granted almost half of Henan Road, who knew how many people might suffer? He said, “Alright, I will discuss this further with Fang Xuanling and the others.”

Li Yuanying nodded furiously, adding, “Can I make a small request?”

Emperor Li glanced at him.

Li Yuanying looked at Emperor Li with eager anticipation. “I’ve heard that once a prince assumes his fiefdom, he can’t leave without permission. However, I have to visit Mount Tai and take a trip to the coast. How else can I build roads and seafaring vessels for you, Emperor Brother? How about this. We don’t need to annex those territories to my fiefdom. Just grant me the freedom to travel within those areas.”

This was something Li Yuanying had planned to discuss with Emperor Li anyway, and now that the opportunity presented itself, he naturally seized it.

Emperor Li nodded in agreement and told Li Yuanying to wait for the edict.

Li Yuanying’s request – to forgo a vast fiefdom in exchange for the freedom to travel within Henan Road – was quickly approved by Fang Xuanling and his colleagues after a short discussion.

This was easily resolved. Li Yuanying was a Jinshi (Scholar-Official) prince after all. They could simply grant him an official post with inspection responsibilities, which wouldn’t be considered special treatment. If other princes also desired such privileges, they could take the Jinshi examination! Compared to Emperor Li’s extravagant plan, Li Yuanying’s request was a breeze to handle!

The controversy settled, the fiefdom edict was promptly stamped with the necessary seals and delivered to Li Yuanying. Naturally, the edict was filled with lavish praise. Li Yuanying couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of all the words, so he carefully read it twice to confirm that all his requests had been met, including the personnel he had requested along with him and Emperor Li.

Li Yuanying was so happy he couldn’t sleep. The next day, he went from place to place, bidding farewell to his acquaintances, expressing his longing for them.

While Li Yuanying spoke of this longing, anyone with eyes could see that he had no hint of sadness, his heart completely focused on the upcoming journey. Instead of a heartfelt goodbye, it seemed more like a show-and-tell of his imminent freedom to roam!

Emperor Li, watching Li Yuanying gallivanting all over, felt that this ungrateful kid was truly thoughtless and carefree. Born and raised in Chang’an, he held no fondness for the city. He had constantly pestered Emperor Li with hints about his desire to leave for his fiefdom even before the date was set. Now that it was, he couldn’t stand still for a single moment!

Li Yuanying said goodbye to everyone he could remember, inevitably adding a few more individuals to his entourage.

One such person was Ouyang Tong, the youngest son of Ouyang Xun. Ouyang Tong was only nineteen years old, not yet a young man.

He had been diligently practicing calligraphy for years but was currently facing a plateau. Upon learning that Li Yuanying would be taking a group of promising young men to his fiefdom, Ouyang Tong felt a desire to broaden his horizons. He couldn’t travel alone because his mother would worry, but with such a large group, she would surely feel more at ease.

Li Yuanying recruited people from one family to the next, steadily increasing the size of his fiefdom entourage. On the eve of his departure, he realized he hadn’t properly bid farewell to Emperor Li. He hastily grabbed a bottle of rich, flavorful Highchang wine and went to see Emperor Li for an evening of wine and conversation.

Emperor Li initially gave him the cold shoulder, but Li Yuanying, always adept at overcoming obstacles, persisted until he had softened Emperor Li’s heart. The two brothers sat down and chatted until late at night, not discussing matters of state, but engaging in lighthearted banter about pulling out beard hairs and infuriating teachers.

As Li Yuanying prepared to leave, Emperor Li, with a stern expression, advised him to refrain from acting recklessly in his fiefdom, to become a truly honorable man, and to stop treating himself like a child.

Li Yuanying readily agreed, then rushed off.

The next day, Li Yuanying set out for Tengzhou. Early in the morning, he departed the palace with his grand entourage. They had many people and an abundance of supplies, creating a long procession that stretched from one end of Tianjie Street to the other, drawing large crowds of curious onlookers. Some people, with nothing better to do, tried counting the number of carriages carrying supplies, only to become dizzy and give up!

As for the people, they were hidden inside the carriages, but those riding on horseback were a mix of men and women, all extremely handsome and possessing a distinguished air! They had never known that Chang’an held so many beautiful people!

Who were these people?

Those who were in the know informed their neighbors that it was the Prince Tang heading to his fiefdom. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone who came out to watch knew the truth, filled with admiration for Emperor Li’s affection for his youngest brother.

Just look at the treasure and the number of people he had granted!

Besides the awestruck onlookers, there were also those who had been beneficiaries of Li Yuanying’s kindness, escorting the procession to the city gates, watching with sadness as the carriages moved out. It looked almost like a scene of mass exodus.

Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince, personally saw Li Yuanying off at the city gates, but even the most loyal companions must eventually part ways. As they reached the end of the long pavilion, he could go no further. He was somewhat reluctant to see his uncle depart, but Li Yuanying was very nonchalant. “Chengqian, you should head back. We’re leaving now. It’s not good to have so many people blocking the gates. Wei Zheng will accuse us of disturbing the peace.”

Li Chengqian stopped escorting him, remaining on his horse and watching as Li Yuanying, leading his long fiefdom procession, rode eastward.

**Author’s Note:**

The Prince: Goodbye, Chang’an!

Lonely Emperor Brother: Time to change my nickname today.

The Prince: ?

Update!

Today’s update is a whopping 7500 words! This level of diligence! Don’t you think it deserves a little… (whispering)

Note: The Henan Road in the Tang Dynasty is not the same as the current Henan province. It was located on the Shandong peninsula. So, in simpler terms, Emperor Li’s plan was to essentially give the entire Shandong peninsula to the younger prince. Talk about generosity!

**Note: The Henan Road in the Tang Dynasty is not the same as the current Henan province. It was located on the Shandong peninsula. So, in simpler terms, Emperor Li’s plan was to essentially give the entire Shandong peninsula to the younger prince. Talk about generosity!**

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