Living leisurely in Tang Dynasty 171

It was already February, with a chill in the air. Emperor Li summoned Changsun Wuji and several others, to discuss Li Yuanying’s plans for building a port.

Changsun Wuji and the others felt their hearts skip a beat when they saw the letter in the emperor’s hand. They thought Li Yuanying had written another obsequious letter full of flattery. However, when they actually read it, they felt it was even worse than a flattering letter.

Fang Xuanling spoke first, “Even if Prince Tang’s people bring back some goods from Goguryeo, it’s not enough to build a new seaport.” He then explained the costs of building a port to Emperor Li, adding that the spring planting season was approaching and Li Yuanying shouldn’t be allowed to act so recklessly. After all, Henan Road was an important grain production base, and Li Yuanying couldn’t be allowed to delay the spring planting for his grand scheme!

Emperor Li said, “Indeed, it’s not enough, but Nascent Soul said it wouldn’t affect the spring planting. Let him try.”

The reason Emperor Li agreed was because Li Yuanying had praised the benefits of building a large seaport. He said it would be beneficial to set up a customs office and control maritime trade. The port had to be big, impressive, and showcase the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty!

They would start by selecting a good location in Henan Road to build a trial port. If it proved successful, they would build similar ports in other regions like Jiangzhe, Fujian, Guangdong, Yazhou, and the Annam Protectorate, connecting them into a maritime trade network. They would improve the port’s supporting services to ensure people could confidently travel by sea.

Li Yuanying called this plan the “Pearl of the East” project.

According to Li Yuanying, the Tang Dynasty was located where the sun rose in the east, with its coastlines mostly situated on the eastern side of the continent. He wanted to transform these ports into sparkling pearls, providing an endless supply of resources and wealth to the Tang Dynasty.

To protect these ports, they needed to train a strong navy to patrol the seas and conduct daily drills. This would demonstrate the Tang Dynasty’s power and bravery to anyone who dared to enter the ports!

This grand vision was too beautiful to let go. Emperor Li wanted Li Yuanying to try. Li Yuanying had confidently promised that building the port would be profitable, and he wouldn’t even require a single copper coin from the court!

Fang Xuanling and the others exchanged glances, understanding that Emperor Li had made up his mind. They didn’t argue further, letting Emperor Li write a reply to Li Yuanying: The port could be built, but there would be no money, the spring planting couldn’t be delayed, and any profits had to be handed over to the court.

Wei Zheng’s face twitched.

No wonder Li Yuanying could spout theories like “guiding people towards goodness.” He had inherited his shameless ways from his father! Even Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji couldn’t stop Emperor Li from indulging his son’s shenanigans!

Although the court wouldn’t provide any manpower or funds, Emperor Li agreed to send Li Chunfeng to help Li Yuanying choose an auspicious date for the port’s groundbreaking ceremony. This fulfilled all of Li Yuanying’s demands!

As for Li Yuanying’s endless praise for Dai Ting, Emperor Li ignored it.

Dai Ting was a capable and resourceful man, but not suitable for public office. Firstly, as a eunuch, he was at a disadvantage in the court. Secondly, the things he did weren’t meant for the public eye. If his deeds were brought into the open, it would hinder his effectiveness.

Emperor Li ordered the reply to be sent to Li Yuanying, and he also sent Li Chunfeng along.

Joining them on their trip to Tengzhou was the esteemed physician Sun Simiao. Sun Simiao was a man who avoided contact with the court. He had repeatedly declined to join the Imperial Medical Bureau, choosing to remain in Chang’an to work on his “Qianjin Fang” (Thousand Golden Prescriptions).

This spring, Sun Simiao had presented his “Qianjin Fang” to the court, allowing the Imperial Medical Bureau to review, verify, and distribute it throughout the kingdom. This was something Li Yuanying had promised him. Now that the book was completed, Sun Simiao no longer wanted to stay in Chang’an. He decided to accompany Li Chunfeng to Henan Road to help Li Yuanying establish a medical academy.

Although Emperor Li was reluctant to let the renowned physician go, he knew there was no point in forcing him to stay. He could only release Sun Simiao after personally receiving him.

In mid-February, spring had arrived, and the land was teeming with life. Vegetables and fruits were abundant, and animals were fattened. The air was filled with the promise of food, from the wild herbs and fruits on the mountains to the fish and wildlife in the rivers and lakes. The already bustling Fengtai Restaurant launched a major initiative, opening dozens of branches simultaneously and introducing a brand-new cuisine: stir-fries!

The chefs at all the branches were busy practicing their stir-frying techniques. Once they mastered them, they quickly started to experiment with seasonal ingredients, developing local specialties.

When Li Yuanying told them to return to their hometowns and run a Fengtai Restaurant independently, they had thought he was just encouraging them to work harder. Now, it was actually happening!

This filled them with enthusiasm.

Compared to striking out on their own, staying under the umbrella of Fengtai Restaurant was much more comfortable. They could share in the profits, earning more the more they made. And with Li Yuanying watching over them, no one dared to cause them trouble. They could fully dedicate themselves to developing new dishes and improving their cooking skills. Anyone with a brain could see that their future was looking brighter than ever!

Therefore, everyone was eagerly anticipating the day their branches would open.

With hot oil sizzling in the wok, the stir-fries, though less visually appealing than meticulously cooked dishes, were quick, fragrant, and unlike anything else!

Fengtai Restaurant’s branches opened simultaneously, and the stir-fries quickly became a sensation in all the regions. The novelty of new things was always exciting, and Fengtai Restaurant rarely disappointed. Naturally, people flocked to the restaurants to sample the fragrant stir-fries.

Perhaps because of the low prices, attracting a wider range of customers, egg fried rice became the most popular new dish!

This egg fried rice craze swept through Chang’an, reaching all the way to Tengzhou, and then spread further through merchants and travelers to other regions. Soon, anyone who saw a Fengtai Restaurant would want to go in and order a plate to try.

Wei Zheng and his colleagues usually didn’t eat out, so they learned about the stir-fry craze a bit later. Instead, it was their younger generations who heard about it first.

When Wei Zheng heard about this, he furrowed his brows in disapproval. Li Yuanying was always stirring up trouble. While others were quietly making money, he was flaunting his wealth, making everyone talk about him!

A few days later, people found out more: These dishes required special stir-frying woks to make them efficiently!

Now, the question was, Fengtai Restaurant had opened so many branches at once, and they were selling stir-fries to so many customers every day. How many iron woks had Li Yuanying had made?!

Most importantly, where did the iron come from? Had he discovered an iron mine in Taiyuan last year and mined it himself?

Wei Zheng couldn’t let Li Yuanying commit such a grave error. He immediately dispatched people to investigate in Taiyuan, while also instructing them to visit Li Yuanying’s businesses in other regions, checking for any unreported mines. Li Yuanying could play around all he wanted, but he couldn’t touch iron mines!

But Wei Zheng’s investigation led him right to Emperor Li, uncovering the brothers’ secret plot to make pots!

These two brothers were truly shameless!

The first and only of their kind throughout history!

Wei Zheng was so angry that he stayed in the council chamber, refusing to leave. He didn’t curse or yell, but simply sat there staring at Emperor Li, as if he were a faithless husband, sending chills down the emperor’s spine.

Emperor Li, realizing he had been caught, shifted the blame onto Li Yuanying. He sighed, lamenting that he had no money to give Li Yuanying and couldn’t give him special treatment regarding the size of his fiefdom. If others discovered an iron mine and offered it to the court, they would be rewarded. He couldn’t let Li Yuanying take his own property for free, could he?

Li Chengqian also helped to defend his younger brother, saying that his “Yao Shu” (younger uncle) had only taken a tiny amount of iron, a mere handful of pots, hardly a significant amount! If the opening of Fengtai Restaurant’s branches hadn’t been such a big deal, no one would have noticed!

Wei Zheng wanted to retire and live out his days in peace.

If they wanted to spoil him rotten, let them. He would see how they would handle the consequences when things went wrong!

…

When Li Chunfeng and Sun Simiao arrived in Tengzhou, the Tengzhou Academy was almost complete.

It was the beautiful season of spring, with flowers blooming and the weather warming up. Li Chunfeng, seeing the busy spring planting scene along the way, thought the scenery was quite pleasant. As soon as he and Sun Simiao reached the outskirts of the city, Li Yuanying welcomed them from afar. He led them into the city with great enthusiasm, saying, “Master Sun, Little Li, I’ve been waiting for you! The academy is almost finished, and we can start enrolling students. Master Sun, you should take a look at the medical academy. If it’s not big enough, I’ll have it expanded!”

Sun Simiao stroked his beard and said, “If you want to cultivate good physicians, the quality of students matters more than the quantity.” Having too many students would make teaching difficult, as it would be impossible to cater to everyone’s needs. It would also be difficult to judge their character. If they admitted students with ill intentions, how could they be sure if they would use their medical skills to save lives or harm others?

Li Yuanying nodded in agreement. He didn’t take Sun Simiao to the government office but directly to the medical academy, letting the physician inspect for any areas needing improvement.

Sun Simiao was straightforward. After inspecting the facility, he announced that he was staying, settling down at the medical academy. The place was spacious, bright, and peaceful. A large garden had been enclosed behind it, filled with various medicinal herbs that thrived in Henan Road, and dedicated apprentices diligently cared for them. Further back, it connected to the back mountain, which was lush with vegetation, suggesting that plenty of wild trees, grasses, and medicinal herbs could be found there.

Sun Simiao was old and loved this semi-rural dwelling. Li Yuanying had provided him with everything he needed for his research. What else could he possibly want? He had no interest in making a name for himself in the city or attending banquets for recognition.

Seeing Sun Simiao’s satisfaction with his arrangements, Li Yuanying happily led Li Chunfeng away.

Over this period, Dai Ting had exchanged all the goods he had brought back from Goguryeo for cash. Everything was in place, just waiting for the busiest period of spring planting to end so Li Yuanying’s grand “Pearl of the East” plan could begin.

Li Chunfeng had only been sent by Emperor Li to choose the date, unaware of the grandiose promises Li Yuanying and Emperor Li had made. Hearing Li Yuanying talk about building seaports along the entire Tang coastline, connecting the coastlines with a string of “Pearls of the East,” Li Chunfeng couldn’t help but calculate how much it would cost.

Li Chunfeng asked, “Are you opening all these Fengtai Restaurant branches to fund the construction of this seaport?”

Li Yuanying replied, “Not at all. I already have plans for how to use the money from Fengtai Restaurant.” Since Li Chunfeng had brought up Fengtai Restaurant, Li Yuanying revealed another one of his grand plans: He would build a wide, smooth road from Mount Tai to Chang’an and equip the stations along the way with the largest and best pack animals. This way, his brother could visit Mount Tai as many times as he wanted without burdening the people.

Li Chunfeng finally understood why Emperor Li was so indulgent towards Li Yuanying.

Li Chunfeng then asked, “So, where are you going to get the money to build the seaport?”

Li Yuanying played coy. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Li Chunfeng, seeing that Li Yuanying wouldn’t reveal anything, stopped asking and settled into life in Tengzhou.

The necessary manpower was not yet available. Li Yuanying only ordered the materials and funds for expanding the seaport to be prepared, not rushing Li Chunfeng into choosing a date for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Li Yuanying was fully committed to setting up the Tengzhou Academy. The people萧德言 had recommended to him were arriving gradually, but they were not enough to meet the demands of his grand academy. Even before enrolling any students, he needed to secure a strong faculty!

Li Yuanying had already issued a call for talented individuals, encouraging people to recommend or self-recommend, even those from neighboring prefectures. If they were willing to come, he would help them with their travel documents and other formalities!

Li Yuanying offered generous compensation, and many people came to apply for jobs after the New Year. Li Yuanying had Wu Mei and the others take turns selecting candidates. They managed to find quite a few suitable individuals. These people didn’t need extraordinary talents, just a decent education and good character, which were enough to become teachers.

Li Yuanying also sent people to preach in the various prefectures and counties of Henan Road, bringing children from impoverished families, orphaned by their parents, to the academy. While they received some assistance, education was not an option for them. The academy had built many dormitories, not particularly luxurious, but they could provide shelter from the wind and rain. The meals provided were not particularly diverse, but they wouldn’t let any student go hungry.

Li Yuanying offered them the opportunity to study in Tengzhou without needing to register as permanent residents. If they became successful in the future and could afford to pay for their meals and lodging at the academy, they could use their surplus money to support the academy. If they couldn’t afford it, they didn’t have to pay. They could find a way to support themselves.

Education wasn’t a business, and Li Yuanying never intended for the academy to make money. He could afford to support an academy.

With the academy completed, the number of people pouring into Tengzhou from the various prefectures and counties of Henan Road grew every day. Li Yuanying regularly met with selected teachers, engaging in heartfelt conversations to articulate the academy’s educational philosophy and ensure his staff wouldn’t let him down.

One day, as Li Yuanying was finishing a meeting with a group of teachers, he saw Gao Yang coming, beaming with excitement. She told him they had found an interesting talent, someone even Lu Zhaolin considered to be quick-witted and skilled in writing poetry. Gao Yang said, “I heard his poem written when he was seven years old. It was truly catchy, even I remembered it!”

Li Yuanying was curious. “Then recite it for me.”

Gao Yang felt Li Yuanying was questioning her, so she was unhappy. She loved reading and poetry too!

Gao Yang snorted, “Don’t underestimate me. I heard it once and memorized it!” She recited “Yong’e” (Ode to the Goose), which she had just memorized, for Li Yuanying.

When he heard “Goose, goose, goose,” Li Yuanying thought Gao Yang was messing around. But when he heard “White feathers float on green water, red webbed feet paddle the clear waves,” he realized the boy truly had a talent. If he had written it at the age of seven, it was truly remarkable! Li Yuanying asked, “He wrote this poem when he was seven. How old is he now?”

Gao Yang replied, “How would I know how old he is! But he doesn’t look much older than us, probably around fourteen or fifteen.”

Li Yuanying nodded. He had finished his work for the day and felt bored staying in the government office. So he decided to stroll with Gao Yang towards the academy to meet up with Wei Jiu and the others. He wanted to meet this young prodigy who could write poetry at the age of seven.

**Author’s Note:**

The little prince: I’m the best at blowing hot air and drawing grand plans!

Update!

A whopping four thousand words!

The first day of single updates!

Tiantian Chun’s emotions are stable!

I even watched a brief Chinese history lesson before bed! Study hard, make progress every day! If this continues, Tiantian Chun will become a cultured Tiantian Chun! (Dream on)

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