Fang Xuanling pinched his nose and looked down. He had to wade through endless flattery before finally reaching the idea that Emperor Li had mentioned.
Li Yuanying waved his hand grandly, marking off a large expanse of land as a “learning field”. In his letter, Li Yuanying explained that he modeled this “learning field” after the Buddhist “福田” (福田, literally “field of merit”) found in temples. Temples often had “悲养院” (悲养院, literally “compassionate shelters”) where they used land donated by believers as “福田” to support the elderly, widows, and orphans. This practice contributed to the Buddhist reputation for compassion!
Since temples could do this, why not academies? He even planned to emulate the Buddhist practice of “俗讲” (俗讲, literally “popular lectures”), where monks would give accessible lectures on scriptures to the people, aiming to educate them.
Li Yuanying had mentioned the other things in passing, so they weren’t particularly novel. But this “learning field” was a new idea. Seeing his companions go to temples for “俗讲”, Li Yuanying pondered the monks’ approach. Why was it so difficult to educate people, but Buddhist temples flourished everywhere?
He thought long and hard about this and eventually came up with the “learning field”. After he came up with the key concept, he asked Wang Yifang and the others to suggest refinements. Thus, the “learning field” system, which only became popular during the Song dynasty, was completely established by him!
The Song dynasty was an era where people everywhere studied and the happiest time for scholars! The “learning field” wasn’t meant for students to farm, but rather to be allocated to official academies, entrusted to tenant farmers. The taxes they paid to the government were not handed over, but instead used to support the academies!
Land was the foundation of a nation. As long as there were “learning fields”, with strict rules for their exclusive use, official academies wouldn’t need separate funding and wouldn’t have to worry about funds being diverted. With this in place, how could education not flourish?
One couldn’t deny that Li Yuanying’s ability to think critically was truly enviable. At least Fang Xuanling felt that he could tolerate the flattery at the beginning and end of the letter. He focused his attention on the middle section.
Thinking of Changsun Wuji’s smiling face, Fang Xuanling decided he couldn’t be the only one to suffer. He also put on a smile and handed the letter to Changsun Wuji, asking him to read it as well.
Changsun Wuji could only accept the letter. Upon reading the opening lines, he felt the familiar sense of awkwardness, the familiar cloying sweetness. With a sigh, he continued reading, and just like Fang Xuanling, he found the crucial part.
Changsun Wuji looked at Fang Xuanling and said, “I think this idea is feasible.” He knew Emperor Li valued civil governance and dreamed of establishing an era of peace and prosperity. Setting up “learning fields”, an idea that would benefit future generations, would undoubtedly be adopted by Emperor Li!
Hearing Changsun Wuji’s words, Emperor Li asked Fang Xuanling for his opinion.
Proposing an idea was easy, but putting it into practice was hard. If Li Yuanying was in charge, he wouldn’t hesitate to act, without thinking twice. But governing the empire was no child’s play. Before making a decision, one had to consider all aspects of the situation.
Emperor Li, though he occasionally acted foolishly, claiming, “Even though I am the Emperor, I often take on tasks meant for civil and military officials,” was still generally clear-headed. One of his principles was to “ask for advice before making decisions.” He held a small meeting with Fang Xuanling, and after the meeting, both men separately met with others to discuss it. Finally, they decided to implement Li Yuanying’s proposed “learning field” system.
At this time, Li Yuanying was already halfway there. They traveled swiftly, none of them complaining of fatigue, all filled with anticipation for Tengzhou. Even if it was impoverished and backward, even if it was far less prosperous than Chang’an, it was a place where they could make a difference!
Every time Li Yuanying set up camp, he would follow a schedule to take a walk around the city, surveying the local situation, and then have his managers and chefs stay behind to open a branch of Fengtai Lou.
Emperor Li had secretly allocated the iron mines to him, and he had built large, round iron pots, which were loaded into the carriages of the prince’s retinue. Upon reaching a new location, he would leave some people with the pots and instructions to open their businesses. They would seize the market opportunity, leading the way!
Of course, whenever he reached a new place, Li Yuanying would write to Emperor Li to report on his activities.
Li Yuanying always believed in leaving a good name for himself. Since he was wholeheartedly helping Emperor Li with his “Mount Tai” project, how could he not write about his efforts in his letters to Emperor Li? So, Li Yuanying wrote to Emperor Li every day, showering him with flattery.
Emperor Li enjoyed receiving the letters, thinking that his younger brother was indeed a good brother, so close to him!
Everyone else treated him like an emperor, afraid to speak their minds, either acting upright or cowering in fear. But the emperor was also human, and he needed to be flattered. Li Yuanying was very good at flattering Emperor Li, who was quite pleased by it.
This caused much distress to Fang Xuanling and others. While the idea of “learning fields” had some value and was worth discussing, the later letters were pure flattery, each one basically saying, “Brother, you’re so great! I remember your kindness, so I’m working hard to fulfill my promise.”
Emperor Li, who loved reading such flattery, even invited his advisors to read them, making them remember this troublesome Li Yuanying, even when they wanted to forget him.
Who was the shameless person who taught him to write? It would have been better if he had remained ignorant and not become so skilled at flattery!
After Emperor Li had inflicted this torment upon his close advisors, Li Yuanying finally reached Tengzhou. By this time, he would have had to ride several horses to death to send a letter to Chang’an!
Winter had set in, and the weather was cold. The group had changed into their winter clothes. Li Yuanying wore a thick cloak as he rode, feeling the biting north wind on his face, a feeling as comfortable and enjoyable as if this were his own land!
Leading the way, Li Yuanying, with a cheerful “得儿得儿” (得儿得儿, a sound effect used to describe the sound of horses running), galloped towards Tengzhou City. Compared to the towering grandeur of Chang’an, Tengzhou City was rather delicate, but Li Yuanying had no complaints. He found it very satisfying.
As if heaven was responding to his arrival, a light snow began to fall. Everyone stopped and looked up, watching delicate ice crystals descend, blanketing the world in a light layer of white. Li Yuanying turned to his companions, sharing his joy, “It’s snowing! This is the first snowfall of the year!”
Wu Mei, also on horseback, was not wearing a veil but was dressed in a riding outfit popular among women. She appeared radiant, like a bright pearl, her eyes shining. She smiled, “A snowy day portends a bountiful harvest.”
Di Renjie added, “Yes, it seems we’ll have a good harvest this year.”
Li Yuanying loved auspicious words, and he was naturally delighted to hear his two companions say this.
At this moment, the Prefect of Tengzhou came out to greet them. Though Li Yuanying had never been to Tengzhou, his arrival had caused a stir. The officials of the Tengzhou government office were eagerly waiting, and as soon as they heard of his approach, they rushed out to greet him at the city gate.
The Tengzhou government officials were lined up in order of rank, a spectacular sight. They must have come from all corners of the government. Li Yuanying had been in charge of affairs in Huxian County, and now, he was a seasoned administrator. Seeing the officials giving him due respect, he didn’t make things difficult for them. He dismounted and greeted them, then, under their guidance, entered the city with his lengthy retinue.
Compared to his grand departure from the capital, his entourage was half its original size. After all, he had left behind pots and people along the way. His baggage had shrunk by at least two-thirds. But his procession was still impressive and attracted the attention of the Tengzhou populace. Even though it was snowing, many people stood by the side of the road watching Li Yuanying and his entourage march towards the Prince’s Mansion.
As he passed, Li Yuanying cheerfully greeted the people.
At first, the people were surprised to see Li Yuanying waving at them with a smile. They thought they were seeing things. But when they confirmed that Li Yuanying was indeed smiling at them, they were amazed. They followed him all the way to the Prince’s Mansion without dispersing!
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