The news of the lavish banquet at the Fengtai Tower spread like wildfire, attracting a sea of people. Some came to offer congratulations, others to bask in the joyous atmosphere, and some simply to enjoy a free meal. It was a scene of absolute chaos.
Li Yuanying was incredibly generous, ensuring everyone who came was well-fed and entertained. Fine wine and exquisite dishes were abundant, and those who came were provided with extra bowls and cups. He even took the time to introduce his companions, all dressed in the light blue robes bestowed upon them by the court, showcasing their newfound status as jinshi (advanced scholars).
No matter the time, appearances mattered. Seeing how handsome and refined Li Yuanying and his companions were, both male and female, everyone believed they truly deserved their jinshi titles and sincerely offered their congratulations.
While Li Yuanying and his companions were enjoying the festivities outside, Emperor Li was enduring a barrage of criticism from his court officials.
“It’s fine you chose your own brother to be a jinshi, and it’s fine you let your daughter take the exam. But why this absurdity of selecting a woman as the top scorer? Will anyone even want to take the jinshi examination in the future?!”
“This haphazardly acquired position is unreliable. He’s already messing up his own personal life, and now he’s treating important matters of state like a game!,” some of the more fiery old ministers exclaimed, even submitting their resignations in protest. They simply couldn’t bear to stay in this court!
Fang Xuanling, the Chancellor, was overwhelmed with numerous petitions from officials requesting to retire. He rushed to inform Emperor Li of the situation.
Emperor Li, still simmering with anger, heard from Fang Xuanling that a group of officials were using resignation as a form of threat. He immediately retorted, “If they want to return to their hometowns to enjoy their retirement, let them. It will free up space for capable individuals to rise!”
Fang Xuanling, speechless, returned to convey the Emperor’s message. Emperor Li had already selected several talented individuals through the civil service examination, leaving him with a pool of capable officials. He was no longer the weary emperor who had to shoulder the burden of two people’s duties.
Moreover, this particular woman truly earned her jinshi title through her own merit.
…
After a day of celebration, Li Yuanying visited the East Palace to share his joy with his teacher, Xiao Deyan, about his jinshi achievement.
Xiao Deyan, already aware of Li Yuanying’s success, had heard about it from the gossip circulating in Chang’an. He congratulated Li Yuanying with a smile.
Li Yuanying chatted with Xiao Deyan for a while, only to learn that Emperor Li had been bombarded with criticism for the entire day. He quickly bid farewell to Xiao Deyan and rushed to offer his support to his elder brother. He was overjoyed, but it seemed his brother was suffering for it!
Li Yuanying went to Emperor Li, offering him comfort. He urged him to ignore those who spoke nonsense. If they were truly capable, they should write an essay even better than Wu Mei’s! After consoling his brother, Li Yuanying cautiously asked, “Brother, after I return from Taiyuan, will you be sending me to my fiefdom?”
Emperor Li, who had ignored Li Yuanying’s incessant chatter until this point, finally looked at him, his expression unreadable. Li Yuanying’s heart pounded anxiously. He quickly pledged his loyalty, “Once I reach my fiefdom, I will write to you constantly. And if you permit me to return, I will visit you every year!” He continued to persuade Emperor Li, “Haven’t you said you want to build a road to Mount Tai? I can scout the route first. Once I’m settled in my fiefdom, I will find a way to build the road for you!”
Emperor Li finally responded, “Alright.”
Li Yuanying, overjoyed, seized the opportunity to ask a bolder question, “When can I go see Wen Cheng in Tubo?”
Emperor Li replied, “You can go when the Tang Dynasty achieves what you call ‘peaceful coexistence.'”
Behind-the-scenes maneuvering requires a certain level of awareness. Not everyone is foolish enough to fail to see your intentions. Emperor Yang of Sui also attempted to use a strategy of ‘driving away the wolf to bring in the tiger’, but his execution was clumsy, leading to his chaotic flight south.
Emperor Li was confident in his ability to ensure that the Tuboans would treat others well, but Li Yuanying was a different story. He had come up with this idea and taken so many secretive actions. What if Songtsen Gampo and Lu Dongzan sensed something amiss and found a way to eliminate him in Tubo?
Realizing there was no room for negotiation on this matter, Li Yuanying remained silent, joining Emperor Li in denouncing his critics for a while before finally slipping away.
While he couldn’t go to Tubo, the matter of going to Taiyuan and establishing his fiefdom was settled, which was enough to make Li Yuanying happy for a long time.
Unfortunately, Chengyang couldn’t go with him.
Chengyang’s wedding had been scheduled after the spring examination results were released.
Many jinshi returned home to celebrate or seek good fortune in marriage. The court, being considerate, allowed a period for these newly-minted scholars to enjoy life’s great pleasures.
Chengyang’s wedding conveniently fell within this timeframe.
Royal weddings were relatively simple, with everything meticulously arranged, requiring only the presence of the individuals involved. Li Zhi’s marriage to Wang shi had been the same, with no stress on Chengyang’s part. She had even focused entirely on her studies leading up to this point.
If Li Yuanying was the first jinshi prince in the Tang Dynasty, then Chengyang was the first jinshi princess.
Unlike the mixed feelings surrounding Wu Mei, people admired Chengyang, envying her future husband, Du He, as not every princess possessed her gentle temperament and exceptional intelligence. Being a驸马 (fuma, the son-in-law of the Emperor, especially one who marries a princess) was no easy feat!
On the day of Chengyang’s wedding, Li Yuanying, as her uncle, naturally took on the role of the escort, personally delivering her into Du He’s hands.
After they formally moved into the princess’s mansion, Li Yuanying seized the opportunity to persuade Du He to accompany him to his fiefdom.
Du He served in the East Palace, and having become the son-in-law of Li Chengqian, his future was secure. However, Li Yuanying felt that a man should seek adventure, finding it dull to be confined to the East Palace.
Though he couldn’t compare to the Crown Prince, the world was vast, offering boundless opportunities for excitement and adventure. Chengyang’s jinshi title wouldn’t be wasted!
He would convince his brother to allow him to build large ships, so they could all go sailing together!
Du He, being a young man, was naturally drawn to Li Yuanying’s proposal. He went to Li Chengqian, who, also feeling helpless to aid Li Yuanying, allowed Du He to accompany him to his fiefdom.
Li Chengqian reassured Du He that if he wished to return, there would always be a place for him in the East Palace.
Li Yuanying, having successfully lured Du He onto his ‘pirate ship,’ continued to discreetly recruit personnel, his list growing longer and longer until he was embarrassed by its sheer length. With great effort, he crossed out a few candidates. Restraining himself from completely plundering the talent pool, he boldly approached his brother with the list, seeking formal approval for those requiring official permits.
Emperor Li, upon reading the list, felt a vein throbbing in his forehead.
Li Yuanying, in his defense, said, “I checked with each person on the list, and they all agreed to go.” He leaned towards his brother and whispered, “Brother, you and Old Wei have been arguing about whether to conquer Goguryeo, haven’t you? I will build large ships to the east and train a formidable naval force. Then, at your command, the ships will sail across the sea, directly to Goguryeo’s doorstep, scaring the wits out of them!”
Emperor Li found Li Yuanying’s idea absolutely outlandish. “By the time you train a naval force, Goguryeo will already be defeated.”
But Emperor Li’s resolve to conquer Goguryeo remained firm.
Li Yuanying retorted, “Even so, we should build large ships. They say the sea is vast, seemingly endless. If you keep sailing east, you can reach Japan. Beyond Japan, there is still more sea, no end in sight. I wonder what lies beyond that, and I want to see for myself!”
Seeing Li Yuanying’s eagerness, Emperor Li, with a stern expression, warned him, “If I find out you’re going out to sea, don’t even think about having any shipbuilding facilities in your fiefdom.” Danger at sea was no joke, even for someone of royal blood with immense fortune. A tempestuous storm could render even the most fortunate powerless, and Emperor Li would never allow Li Yuanying to face such a risk.
Undeterred, Li Yuanying pressed on with his new idea. “If I can’t go out to sea, I’ll build a big ship and have people travel along the coast, seeing how far they can reach. Then, when the ships are bigger, better, and we have more experience, we can send people to explore the vastness of the sea.”
This time, Emperor Li didn’t reject his idea, “You’re free to build them, if you can.”
Li Yuanying, mentally organizing his plans for his fiefdom, decided to start with a large academy to attract talent from all over. He would also build a road connecting Chang’an to Mount Tai and finally, he would construct large ships to encourage people to explore the sea.
Li Yuanying, pleased with his plans, sought confirmation from Emperor Li, asking if he could truly do all these things. He wanted to be upfront about any limitations so that no one would accuse him of rebelling!
Emperor Li replied, “The court will not grant you additional funds or personnel. If you can manage it, then go ahead.”
His stance was clear: you can build roads, the court has no money, so you’ll have to find a way yourself. You can build ships, the court has no money, so you’ll have to find a way yourself. You want to promote education, infrastructure, and sea exploration, that’s fine. But the court won’t give you personnel, you’ll have to find a way yourself!
As for concerns of rebellion, Emperor Li didn’t even consider it. Seeing how Li Yuanying’s mind was already wandering elsewhere, even before leaving Chang’an, he knew just how much Li Yuanying disliked being cooped up in the capital.
His biggest worry was that Li Yuanying might get bored and sneak off to sea.
Li Yuanying didn’t expect Emperor Li to give him money or manpower. He thought his brother was too poor, and he was happy as long as Emperor Li allowed him to indulge his ambitions.
Having agreed on the terms of his fiefdom, Emperor Li sent over a pot of wine and shared a couple of cups with Li Yuanying before they parted ways.
Li Yuanying, flushed from the wine, rushed back home, where Liu Baolin anxiously examined him for a long time, finally preparing some tea for him to sober up.
Li Yuanying, after drinking the tea, felt the alcohol completely disappear. He said, “My brother made me drink, but I only had a couple of cups.” He shared his good news with Liu Baolin, “I asked my brother for some people, and he agreed. Once we return from Taiyuan, we can go to our fiefdom together.”
Li Yuanying began listing the names.
Wu Mei would definitely be going with him.
Since Wu Mei and the others had all earned their jinshi titles, the court should have assigned them official positions. However, even for jinshi, there weren’t many available positions. Even to become a county magistrate, one would need the recommendation of a court official of the fifth rank or higher.
In the current circumstances, even though some might recognize their jinshi titles as rightfully earned, they would likely hesitate to recommend them for posts outside the capital.
Besides, if they would be relegated to minor local positions or trivial posts in the capital, why not go to his fiefdom instead? In his fiefdom, there would be much more for them to do!
Di Renjie and others were also willing to join him.
His teacher had recommended a group of students, some with official positions and some without. Li Yuanying had met with them, finding them congenial and decided to take them all.
His nephew had also assigned some personnel to Du He, fearing he would constantly have people running errands for him without someone to protect him.
His brother agreed to allow Wang Yifang to serve as his court historian, and Lu Zhaolin would also accompany them to the fiefdom.
Gongyang would naturally go with them. Li Yuanying had promised to take her to his fiefdom for fun.
Si Zi and Heng Shan could not go. First, they were too young. Second, they didn’t have Gongyang’s convenient nun’s identity, which allowed her to move freely. Third, he couldn’t take all of his brother’s people with him. His brother would be left alone!
Li Yuanying, meticulously listing each name for Liu Baolin, was bubbling with enthusiasm.
Even though the day they left for the fiefdom was still a long way off, Liu Baolin could already imagine the bustling departure, her eyes reflecting her own anticipation for that day. However, she noticed a problem. “What about your sister-in-law, Wei Jiu?”
Li Yuanying, suddenly alarmed, realized he had forgotten a crucial detail.
He hadn’t married Wei Jiu yet! What if Old Wei wouldn’t allow him to take her to his fiefdom?!
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: What? My wife isn’t my wife yet?! *rolls around on the floor*
Shocked!
You guys actually tipped two thousand one hundred nutrient solution!
Scared, Sweet Spring Spring retreats her probing feet, flips over like a salted fish, and writes a second update! If you have any remaining… unwatered nutrient solutions, please continue to irrigate… I’m going to start brainstorming what to write for tomorrow’s six thousand words, because it looks like I’ll be on the list tomorrow too…
Celebrating the arrival of a new month! The beginning of a new whole attendance period!! I’m going to randomly distribute 100 small red envelopes in the comments of this chapter! It’s generous!!! Jinjiang red envelopes are not self-collected, you need to leave a comment to see the send button!
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