Dai Ting left without a word.
Logically, after Emperor Li dealt with his brother, the culprit, and confiscated the Li family’s property, even giving Li Yuanying generous rewards to appease him, they shouldn’t pursue the Duke of Xun Guo and his wife.
After all, Emperor Li entrusted the important gateway of Luoyang to the Duke, showing his trust. In comparison, Li Yuanying was just a prince far away from the court.
Li Yuanying was a bright and clear-minded person, never touching anything he shouldn’t, and never thought of competing with high-ranking officials.
However, this time, the Duke’s brother-in-law wanted to take his life, which was unreasonable. If you feel your wealth is being stolen, just speak up, maybe you can negotiate a new way to make money, but you immediately resort to killing someone! Your boldness didn’t develop overnight. You dare to attack him, clearly showing you’ve been doing this kind of collusion with bandits, robbing and killing, for a long time.
This time, the Duke’s quick and decisive help in covering up the incident showed that he knew his brother-in-law’s true character. Li Yuanying didn’t dislike those who loved their wives dearly. In fact, he admired couples like Wei Zheng and his wife who respected and loved each other. But if love for your wife leads you to be blind to right and wrong, helping her when she’s having an affair, burying the body when she murders someone, Li Yuanying believed that was unacceptable!
Therefore, he didn’t oppose Dai Ting going to Luoyang, only instructing him to target the Duke’s entourage, not to harm the city.
Luoyang wasn’t like Goryeo or Japan, it was Tang territory, close to Chang’an. They couldn’t harm Luoyang for the sake of the Duke.
Furthermore, if things escalated to that point, Emperor Li wouldn’t tolerate Dai Ting. Li Yuanying may not be good at other things, but his intuition was sharp. Even though Emperor Li never spoke it out loud, he could sense that Emperor Li had once entertained the thought of killing Dai Ting.
This happened when Dai Ting reported the Duke’s secret adoption of five hundred foster sons.
If Dai Ting had further investigated at that time, it would have appeared to Emperor Li that they were spying on high-ranking officials. They could do whatever they wanted outside of Tang, but they couldn’t extend their hands into Tang territory or the court.
This time, sending Dai Ting to Luoyang, he didn’t know if it was right or wrong.
But if he did nothing, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Li Yuanying felt listless for days after Dai Ting left. Wu Mei and the others could see the pain in his heart. Even Lu Zhaolin, who was about to leave for Chang’an to marry Gaoyang, felt low. They were still too weak, even taking revenge on those who wanted Li Yuanying’s life required careful consideration.
However, they were still too weak.
They would keep those accounts for now and settle them later!
Wu Mei and Wei Jiu discussed organizing a spring hunt to cheer Li Yuanying up.
Li Yuanying was always a man of few worries, he would be happy with any form of entertainment. Besides, it was the season of budding spring, perfect for a trip out.
Li Yuanying loved having fun, and Tengzhou naturally had no shortage of hunting grounds. Before, people were afraid he would be too wild and unrestrained when he went out hunting, so they rarely encouraged him to go. This time, Wu Mei made thorough preparations, even arranging for falcons and hunting dogs, and ordered several camels to carry the hunted animals.
Seeing this grand scale, Li Yuanying immediately forgot his worries and excitedly called his friends to join him.
Lu Zhaolin and the others all took a collective vacation, accompanying Li Yuanying to make merry. They rode out in a grand procession, with people responsible for training the falcons, dogs, and camels following behind. The spectacle was impressive, attracting many citizens to watch.
Some citizens recognized the fine steeds ridden by Li Yuanying and his companions, some recognized the individuals, while others marveled at the falcons, hawks, and camels, which were not often seen. They thought that the Prince of Tang was truly grand, even his hunting expedition had such a grand scale, it seemed like a military campaign!
When they reached the hunting grounds, they saw the lush greenery stretching as far as the eye could see. Wildflowers dotted the distant hills, though no one came to admire them, they still bloomed proudly in the wild grass, vying for beauty. The weather was perfect that day. Li Yuanying looked up and saw the vast expanse of the hunting grounds, with the azure sky meeting the green fields, lifting his spirits.
They settled down and enjoyed their breakfast while taking in the boundless spring scenery. Di Renjie said, “媚娘 is right, it’s much more refreshing to eat outside.”
With the sky as a roof and the earth as a mat, the boundless azure sky and the vast expanse of the wilderness, how could it not be refreshing? Life on earth is only a few decades long. If you can’t even indulge in doing what you want in these few decades, wouldn’t it be a waste of coming to this world?
Li Yuanying raised his cup, first to the heavens, thanking the heavens for nurturing all things, allowing him to witness the blooming spring, the lush summer, the bountiful autumn, and the endless winter snow; second to his parents, thanking them for bringing him into the world, allowing him to enjoy all the beauty of this world; third, to all those present and absent, thanking them for their companionship, making him never feel lonely.
After three toasts, Li Yuanying’s face was flushed. The others also drank three cups with him, but they were not as easily flushed as Li Yuanying, so they looked fine.
Wei Jiu brought him the tea brewed by Huang Li and urged him to drink it to sober up, so he wouldn’t get drunk while riding and hunting.
Li Yuanying, emboldened by the alcohol, said, “姝 sister, you feed me.”
Wei Jiu glanced at the others. Unable to do anything about Li Yuanying’s blatant attempt to shirk responsibility, she had to personally feed him the tea.
Li Yuanying enjoyed the tea and finished half a bowl. The alcohol quickly faded, and he dragged Wei Jiu out to hunt.
Although Wei Jiu and the others had learned archery and riding, they hadn’t actually put it into practice much, at most they just played polo. Li Yuanying thought they should also have some real-world experience, lest they be unable to perform when the occasion called for it. After all, no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t encounter another mindless person like Li Yuanying’s brother, or those desperate criminals.
So, everyone who could ride mounted their horses and entered the hunting grounds with bows and arrows.
The guards, having already received orders, were divided into two groups: one group was responsible for defense, while the other drove the prey from three sides into the area where Li Yuanying and his companions were hunting. The group quickly dispersed and began targeting the driven prey. After half a day, they were all sweating profusely, and the camels carrying their hunting gear were laden with loot.
Li Yuanying ran to Wang Yifang excitedly and asked him to judge who had the best hunting results. Li Yuanying was confident, feeling that first place was already his. Who could have hunted more than him? But then Wu Mei and Di Renjie returned, with several tall camels laden with loot following them, a magnificent sight.
Li Yuanying stared in disbelief, circling the camels. He said unwillingly, “It’s impossible, you must have cheated!”
Wu Mei dismounted, her entire being seemed to radiate light. She smiled and echoed Li Yuanying’s words, “Yes, these animals all ran headfirst into trees and died, we just picked them up.”
Li Yuanying snorted, even more dissatisfied, “That lie is so obvious, you can’t even tell a better one.” Although he was unhappy, Li Yuanying felt much better after sweating profusely. Spring was the season for birds and beasts to reproduce and thrive. Li Yuanying didn’t continue hunting in the afternoon, but chose the prey he wanted to eat, leaving the rest on the camels to be transported back to the city.
Back in the city, Li Yuanying ordered people to find butchers skilled in preparing game, set up stalls, paid them, and asked them to share the meat with the passing citizens. Everyone would get a share, though not much, but everyone could take a piece home to taste.
Upon hearing that they could eat the game personally hunted by Li Yuanying, everyone flocked to the stalls, lining up orderly to receive their share. Some took a hoof, some took a piece of breast meat, all leaving happily. Seeing everyone’s delight, Li Yuanying announced that there would be no curfew this month, allowing people to move freely both day and night. The people of Tengzhou were honest and upright, not afraid of petty thieves!
The citizens were naturally overjoyed, shouting back, “If anyone dares to cause trouble, the government won’t let them go, we’ll be the first to stop them!”
That day in Tengzhou was exceptionally lively. Those who received meat boasted to their neighbors, while those who didn’t were not discouraged, secretly resolving to wait around the butcher shops next time they saw Li Yuanying leading people out of the city, hoping to get a piece of meat to take home. They weren’t actually unable to afford meat, but they wanted to share in the Prince’s good fortune!
By evening, almost every household was filled with the aroma of meat, some from the distribution, some bought themselves. All vied to cook up enticing aromas, as if they feared others wouldn’t know they were having meat for dinner. After nightfall, merchants who learned about the lifted curfew went all out to attract customers, making the streets even livelier than during the day.
Foreign visitors were stunned by the scene: how could Tengzhou be so prosperous?
Having lifted the curfew, Li Yuanying naturally had to make preparations. The Tengzhou government office had limited manpower and couldn’t stand guard 24/7, so Li Yuanying filled the two thousand positions Emperor Li had given him, assigning them to various districts and townships in Tengzhou, creating a security network for the city. In times of peace, they would be responsible for solving minor problems for the citizens, while in times of trouble, they would be authorized to don armor, wield blades and bows, and eliminate any evil-minded individuals.
After arranging for security, Li Yuanying turned his attention to the money furnace.
He didn’t plan to train soldiers. The ones he had with him were enough. Ordinary people wouldn’t be as stupid as Li Yuanying’s brother, daring to attack him head-on. But to cast Tengzhou’s own currency, that was truly enticing.
He wanted to make Tengzhou different from other places, different from Chang’an, different from anywhere else in the world.
This difference couldn’t be blatantly displayed, but he wanted to do everything that could set it apart.
Li Yuanying stood at the window, gazing towards Chang’an for a long time, reminiscing about his life from birth to adulthood. He didn’t know if his brother would like this different Tengzhou, or if he would want to nip this difference in the bud.
“Your Highness.” Wu Mei’s voice came from the stairs.
Li Yuanying turned around and saw Wu Mei ascend the stairs, standing beside him, looking towards Chang’an.
Although Tengzhou couldn’t see Chang’an, Wu Mei knew where he was looking.
Wu Mei said earnestly, “Whatever Your Highness wants to do, we will support you.” She raised her bright eyes and looked at Li Yuanying intently, “Your Highness shouldn’t hesitate, it’s not suitable for you.”
Li Yuanying should be full of vigor and unstoppable, daring to do anything and say anything, not restricted by anything. As long as he was in Tengzhou, he could do anything! If anyone wanted to restrain him, they would break the ropes! If Chang’an couldn’t accommodate them, they would never return!
Li Yuanying met Wu Mei’s resolute and determined gaze.
Li Yuanying said, “I haven’t hesitated.” He paused for a moment and continued, “I’m just thinking, can Tengzhou become as prosperous as Chang’an, making those from Chang’an reluctant to leave, making you not regret following me to Tengzhou?” And it would give him the means to protect everyone he wanted to protect, to take revenge himself, without having to worry about too much!
Wu Mei said, “No one regrets it.” Even when Li Yuanying secretly went to sea, no one truly blamed him, they were just worried.
Li Yuanying remained silent. After a long time, he said, “Only in Tengzhou, I will only do what I want to do in Tengzhou.” His voice was low, as if speaking to Wu Mei, but also to himself.
Wu Mei didn’t interrupt Li Yuanying, letting him stand quietly there, gazing at the direction where Chang’an lay.
Li Yuanying had grown up in Chang’an, in the palace, by Emperor Li’s side. He never had any other thoughts, never coveted anything that wasn’t his. But when he walked past death’s door and realized that he had difficulty even protecting those around him, he had to admit that he was naive in the past. He thought that his integrity and his avoidance of anything Emperor Li didn’t want him to touch would shield him from harm, but in fact, there were many open and hidden attacks aimed at them.
They needed to become more important, more important to Tang.
They also needed to become sharper, to strike back fiercely at anyone who dared to touch them.
Only then would no one dare to attack them again.
Now that Li Yuanying had grown up, he couldn’t keep everything tied to his and Emperor Li’s shallow brotherly affection. After all, there was little affection in the royal family.
After talking with Wu Mei for a while, Li Yuanying went back to rest.
The next morning, Li Yuanying appeared as usual, seemingly no different.
After breakfast, Li Yuanying strolled over to the academy, finding a group of painting teachers and students, and went out with them for a spring outing. He wanted to paint the mountains and rivers of Tengzhou, gathering inspiration for the currency molds. These molds were used for stamping coins. Since they were going to mint coins, they had to be beautiful, something found nowhere else.
Li Yuanying and the painters went out in a flurry of activity, which was another sight for the citizens. Upon learning that Li Yuanying was going to mint coins, everyone was eagerly awaiting the new coins belonging to their Tengzhou.
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: Thinking about life again today!
Update!
Diligent!
The only day I stayed in Kaifeng! I actually got so engrossed in writing that it was eleven o’clock! Sigh!
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