Li Yuanying had promised to write back to Chang’an every day, but the truth was that Chang’an was far from Tengzhou. Otherwise, Wei Zheng wouldn’t have repeatedly dissuaded Emperor Li from his trip to Mount Tai.
Li Yuanying’s retinue was enormous, drawing attention wherever they went. To avoid disturbing the local populace, he ordered that everyone, except for the women who would rest at the post stations, would camp outside the county towns to prevent a massive influx of people from overcrowding the towns.
Tang Guan and the others, having spent much time with Li Yuanying, were used to camping and efficiently cooperated with the guards in selecting and setting up camp.
However, Ouyang Tong and Lu Zhaolin, unfamiliar with this, stood around uncertainly, unsure of what to do.
Li Yuanying, never one to neglect his friends and eager to show off, smugly guided them in setting up tents.
Lu Zhaolin realized why Li Yuanying possessed so many things. He had obviously planned to avoid post stations from the start and had meticulously prepared everything needed.
Having boarded the same ship as his teacher, Wang Yifang, Lu Zhaolin couldn’t voice his objections and could only prepare for the first camping and picnic after leaving the capital.
Emperor Li had appointed not only Li Yuanying’s chosen Wang Yifang as his staff member, but also several scholars from the Hongwen Academy, a high level of respect for a prince. It was likely that Emperor Li had personally inquired about the scholars, as none were the kind of pedants who would speak only of scriptures and doctrines.
Without prompting from Li Yuanying, they settled down in a designated area, prepared by Li Yuanying’s men, and watched the young people busy themselves.
Most of Li Yuanying’s chosen were young, with few older ones. Only the accompanying guards, like Li Jing’s son Li Dejian, were older. The vibrant energy of these youngsters, running around the camp, could infect anyone with their cheer.
Wang Yifang observed Li Yuanying.
The job of a staff officer wasn’t easy. It was fine if the prince was well-behaved, but a troublemaker could be disastrous. You might dissuade him, only to be resented; or, you might not, only to be held accountable by Emperor Li if something went wrong. It was a thankless job.
Li Yuanying, in particular, was complicated. Some lauded him, despite his bad reputation, while others fiercely criticized him. The only certainty was that he wasn’t the type to quietly stay in his palace and do nothing. This very journey was testament to that!
Being the staff officer of the Teng Wang Fu wouldn’t be easy!
Why would Emperor Li suddenly choose him from his comfortable position at the Hongwen Academy? Could it be Wei Zheng’s suggestion? Remembering Wei Zheng, who had tried to arrange a marriage for him, Wang Yifang thought it might be possible.
As Wang Yifang pondered, Li Yuanying, after showing off, came rushing to chat with Wang Yifang and the other scholars. Emperor Li had assigned them to him for a reason. Of course, to help him establish a grand academy!
Li Yuanying, having happily settled his companions, took Wei Jiu to meet his staff and scholars to avoid giving the impression of neglect.
Satisfied that they had no objections to camping outside the county, Li Yuanying praised Emperor Li’s choices and shared his vision for the academy.
He intended to incorporate the vast mountains and plains behind the Teng Wang Fu into the academy. The farmland in the plains would serve as academy fields to sustain it. Anyone who came to study and passed the assessments would not only be exempted from taxes and corvée labor, but also receive a stipend!
The academy wouldn’t restrict its curriculum to specific fields of knowledge. It would teach anything useful. Those with an aptitude for academics could strive for the civil service exams, while those without could learn a craft, a skill, ultimately becoming productive citizens for the Tang Dynasty.
As students would receive stipends and food from the academy, they would also have to fulfill their duty of education. Having learned literacy, they would teach others in turn, those who had learned arithmetic would teach others, ten by ten, a hundred by a hundred. He envisioned a Tengzhou without illiteracy or innumeracy!
Wang Yifang and the others were energized. Despite their location in the eastern suburbs of the capital, without grand pavilions, charming courtesans, and the chilling wind, they felt a surge of excitement.
Li Yuanying’s words had dispelled their chill.
Had he spoken of cultivating scholars and pillars of the state, they might have considered it ambitious but unrealistic. But he spoke of making everyone in Tengzhou literate and numerate!
It was common for farmers to have only one literate child in the family, a child supported by the entire household. It wasn’t easy to achieve. If someone knew a few characters and could calculate, they could work as an accountant in the city, perhaps even a coveted position!
Who would bother to teach literacy and numeracy to everyone?
Li Yuanying had no such reservations. He saw books as treasure troves of knowledge and words as the greatest inventions. But even with his library, it was mostly scholars who frequented it. Many people never entered it throughout their lives.
That’s because books, though treasure troves, were inaccessible to them. Many farming and cultivation techniques could be easily written down and followed, but to truly teach them to the majority, it required face-to-face, hands-on instruction!
Li Yuanying believed that universal basic education, a complete literacy program in Tengzhou, would make many things easier. He hoped that in the future, when his children and grandchildren went out, they would encounter people with whom they could converse. Even if they didn’t become great scholars, they would at least be able to hold a conversation.
He couldn’t choose his fiefdom, but he could shape its future. This was the foundation he would leave for his descendants, so he needed to lay it well!
Li Yuanying didn’t hide his thoughts. He shared all his considerations with Wang Yifang and the others. He didn’t need prodigies; if such talents appeared, he would gladly entrust them to their tutelage, for them to serve the court in the future. He simply wanted their help in promoting education, in not hindering him from offering diverse subjects, allowing students to pursue whatever talents they possessed.
While Wang Yifang found Li Yuanying’s plans overly optimistic, they wouldn’t oppose a cause that promoted education.
Li Yuanying had also said that promising students would be prioritized for studying the classics. Those who wouldn’t flourish in a hundred or eighty years, he argued, could learn other things, at least there was a group of students trained at the Kuiyuan School among his entourage.
While those students had only learned for a little over three years, Li Yuanying had combined their learning with practice, and they were now useful talents. Even those with less aptitude had found employment in the Kuiyuan or Fengtai Lou, ensuring a future for them.
With his status, wealth, and ambition, Li Yuanying wouldn’t let his trainees become useless!
Li Yuanying and Wang Yifang spoke heart-to-heart for a long time. Wang Yifang and the others, no longer idle, rolled up their sleeves, eager to show off their culinary skills to Li Yuanying and add two dishes to his picnic feast.
Li Yuanying pulled Wei Jiu to assist them.
Seeing Li Yuanying and Wang Yifang all participating, everyone showed their skills. They raided the county for whatever they could buy, the surrounding area for what they could gather, and the waters for whatever they could catch. Though the final dishes weren’t exactly a symphony of flavors, no one minded. They were all delicious!
Before Li Yuanying even settled down, news of their first day learning to camp reached the capital. They heard that Wang and the other scholars had even cooked!
At the time, _Mencius_ wasn’t yet popular, so the saying “a gentleman is far from the kitchen” wasn’t a common excuse for men to avoid cooking. Both men and women were praised for their ability to prepare delicious food to entertain friends and family.
Wang Yifang, hailing from humble origins, wasn’t surprising for knowing how to cook. But what surprised people was that he was camping with Li Yuanying!
Could Li Yuanying’s staff officer be trusted? Would he be swayed by Li Yuanying and turn a blind eye to everything he did?
Emperor Li soon heard about this. He scoffed at Li Yuanying’s behavior. He had spent his youth living and eating with his soldiers, becoming as close as brothers. Li Yuanying was merely playing at his old games!
Emperor Li reminisced about those days, a touch of melancholy creeping in. He wanted to summon someone to share those memories, but realizing that those who had fought alongside him had either died, fallen ill, or been posted elsewhere, leaving few in Chang’an who could join him in conversation, he sighed and abandoned the idea.
Early the next morning, Emperor Li received a letter from Li Yuanying. It was extremely thick, filled with flattery towards Emperor Li, essentially praising his brother as “Oh, you’re so good, brother! How can you be so good?” Only after reading several pages of exaggerated compliments did Li Yuanying get to the point, explaining why he was writing. He mentioned inviting Wang and the other scholars for a late-night discussion, only to discover that these seemingly ordinary scholars were extraordinary, each incredibly talented. With their help, he felt like he had wings!
Next, he outlined his literacy program. Li Yuanying envisioned his academy being as grand as the Imperial Academy, refusing to settle for less than three to five thousand students! He declared that once he reached his fiefdom, he would have Yan Lide draw a design and send it back, so his brother could see the academy first-hand!
Indeed, Emperor Li had included Yan Lide in Li Yuanying’s retinue. He knew that Li Yuanying would certainly need to renovate his palace and had sent Yan Lide to advise him.
Finally, Li Yuanying concluded with more flattery, echoing his opening sentiment. He had only been gone a day, but already missed his brother terribly. He wished him good health and long life, so Li Yuanying could continue to be a lawless rogue!
Emperor Li received countless letters daily from various sources, but no one could write like Li Yuanying, showering him with phrases like “You are so good, brother” and “You are so wise, brother,” which most people would find embarrassing.
Emperor Li didn’t consider this approach improper. On the contrary, he found it comfortable. He had acted out of concern for his brother, and his brother appreciated his kindness. How could that be considered improper? It was called brotherly love. As the emperor, it was his duty to set an example for the world.
Emperor Li summoned Fang Xuanling and the others.
Since Li Yuanying’s departure from Chang’an, the city seemed calmer. Even if there were some discussions, they were about Li Yuanying’s new fiefdom.
Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji were in good spirits. Though Li Yuanying hadn’t done anything wicked or malicious, he was a destabilizing factor, always capable of stirring up trouble. Now, that destabilizing factor was finally gone!
Many wanted to gather for a drink to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, meeting at the council hall, exchanged glances, both seeing the same question in the other’s eyes: Why had Emperor Li summoned them now of all times?
Their eyes briefly met, but neither found an answer in the other, and they both entered the hall.
Changsun Wuji took a seat next to Emperor Li, his heart suddenly skipping a beat.
This scene felt familiar.
The last time Emperor Li summoned him, he had shown him a letter.
He had been unable to enjoy his meals for days after reading that letter!
It was simply too sickening.
Fortunately, this time, Emperor Li called on Fang Xuanling first. “玄龄 [Xuanling], Nascent Soul wrote me a letter this morning. He had an idea I found quite good,” he said, handing Li Yuanying’s letter to Fang Xuanling. “Have a look.”
Changsun Wuji, with a chuckle, turned to Fang Xuanling, unable to contain his glee. “I didn’t expect the Prince of Teng to write to His Majesty so soon after leaving the capital.”
Fang Xuanling followed suit with a few compliments, but his smile faded as he unfolded the letter and began to read.
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