With Emperor Li, that shameless elder brother of his, around, Li Yuanying’s long letter naturally poisoned all the officials who had the opportunity to appear before Emperor Li. In the past, Changsun Wuji and others already thought Li Yuanying was shameless, but this time, their understanding of his shamelessness reached new heights.
When Changsun Wuji encountered Kong Yingda, he couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark: “Prince Tang has spent a few years studying at the Imperial Academy. He really has learned a lot.” In the past, Li Yuanying wouldn’t have written such flowery prose; he must have picked up these bad habits from hanging around with old scholars like Kong Yingda at the Imperial Academy.
Kong Yingda also had the “privilege” of reading Li Yuanying’s letter. He also thought Li Yuanying and Emperor Li were incredibly shameless, but since Changsun Wuji had come to directly taunt him, he couldn’t possibly admit to that. Kong Yingda stroked his beard and said, “I, on the other hand, believe that Prince Tang’s literary talent has greatly improved. His writing is fluent and natural, and it exudes a genuine affection and filial devotion towards His Majesty throughout. It’s quite sincere and moving, demonstrating the depth of his feelings.”
Changsun Wuji was disgusted by Kong Yingda yet again.
These scholars really had a way with words, turning black into white! He was certain that if Li Yuanying hadn’t been a student at the Imperial Academy, old Kong would have been the first to jump out and criticize him for flattering the Emperor! Unable to deal with someone who delved into cultural theory, Changsun Wuji found an excuse to separate from Kong Yingda, refusing to listen to him continue praising how natural and fluent Li Yuanying’s letter was.
Actually, upon closer examination, they occasionally spouted similar flattery as Li Yuanying, but few dared to write such a blatant and shameless essay. After all, they were all people of standing, and a congratulatory letter with some flattery or a sarcastic poem praising the emperor’s prowess would suffice.
But they cared about their reputations, while Li Yuanying didn’t. Whenever Li Yuanying received a favor, he’d write a letter back showering praise, completely ignoring how others would feel about it. Even more infuriating was the fact that Emperor Li lapped it up!
Just as Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were finally recovering from the aftershocks of Li Yuanying’s flattery and their stomachs were ready for food, another letter arrived in Chang’an, this time from Tengzhou.
Upon seeing the bulging envelope, Changsun Wuji immediately said to Fang Xuanling, “I suddenly remember I have something to discuss with Li Shangshu. You can go ahead and check this letter, then deliver it to His Majesty.” With that, Changsun Wuji immediately got up and left, his round belly looking surprisingly nimble as he vanished in a flash.
Fang Xuanling: “…”
This letter wasn’t sent through Emperor Li’s private channel, but instead went through them first. The content shouldn’t be as unbearable as the last one.
Fang Xuanling prepared himself mentally and began reading the letter, which was more of a plan than a letter.
Looking at the elegant script with a hint of sharpness, Fang Xuanling relaxed. This was clearly not written by Li Yuanying. After reading the first paragraph, Fang Xuanling instinctively sat up straight.
To be honest, they were all baffled by Li Yuanying’s effort in establishing a post office. They thought it was a whim of his. It seemed impossible for it to be profitable, as a single letter might only cost one copper coin, or at most ten, while the post office required a large workforce, including ticket sellers, sorters, letter carriers, and so on. How many people would write letters? Was it worth the effort?
However, the plan began with a detailed explanation of the significance of the postal system: It wasn’t for profit, but for ensuring smooth information flow throughout the Tang Dynasty, allowing even those living in remote and isolated areas to feel the Emperor’s grace and recognize themselves as Tang citizens.
When Gaochang surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, the court established the Protectorate General of the West in this strategic location along the Silk Road, but how strong was the court’s control over that region? It’s fair to say that if the Protectorate General of the West wasn’t a trading hub, many people in the capital would be reluctant to even oversee it, and anyone sent to defend it was essentially being condemned to death!
After all, it was too far from Chang’an.
Too far, the court couldn’t control it easily; too far, the people’s hearts were hard to win.
Of course, relying solely on a postal system to win over the hearts of the people was impossible. However, placing a simple mailbox in such places, providing people with a channel to send letters to Chang’an and other parts of the Tang Dynasty, represented that Chang’an had not forgotten them, that Chang’an was everyone’s Chang’an—as long as you were born within the territory of the Tang Dynasty, you could enjoy everything that any other Tang citizen could.
Changsun Wuji returned from outside to find Fang Xuanling still reading the letter, calculating something as he did, his expression alternating between excitement and distress. Seeing that the letter wasn’t like the usual nonsense, Changsun Wuji went over to ask him if something important was happening.
Fang Xuanling said, “You’ve come at the right time.” He invited Changsun Wuji to sit down, asking him to help him calculate the cost and manpower needed to implement this postal system.
Changsun Wuji was clueless, but after reading the letter, he and Fang Xuanling looked at each other in silence. Li Yuanying had presented them with a huge challenge. They didn’t expect this, but now that someone had raised the issue, how could they ignore it?
Since Emperor Li ascended the throne, they, the emperor and his ministers, had been discussing how to manage the Tang Dynasty well and ensure the longevity of the Tang Dynasty. Now, someone had presented a method worth trying, a plan worth undertaking, how could they turn a blind eye?
However, this was incredibly difficult. It would require a massive amount of money and manpower. Would they have the people stop farming and just run around delivering letters? Where would they find enough people, where would they find so many letters to send?
Fang Xuanling, who was responsible for domestic affairs, was most aware of how much money and manpower the court had. Thinking about the amount of resources needed, he instantly felt his hair turning white. He dragged Changsun Wuji around to calculate and calculate, and eventually came to the conclusion that Li Yuanying’s phased plan in the letter was more realistic. The idea of launching the postal system comprehensively in one go was an absolute pipe dream.
It could be said that Li Yuanying had grasped the big picture perfectly in the plan he sent. They couldn’t modify anything about it. It was the detailed implementation plan that he left out—choosing when to start, where to pilot it, who to appoint—Li Yuanying didn’t say a word, leaving it entirely to the court to decide.
Changsun Wuji glanced at the signature at the bottom. The first name was naturally Li Yuanying. Then, looking at the second name, he saw that it was Wu Mei!
Judging by the handwriting, the entire plan was obviously written by Wu Mei.
This Wu Mei was originally a consort of Emperor Li. Emperor Li had generously bestowed her upon Li Yuanying. Later, there was no news of any inappropriate relationship between Li Yuanying and her. Instead, she managed to sneak into the jinshi examination and became the top scorer. Changsun Wuji couldn’t figure out what Emperor Li thought about this former consort, so he always turned a blind eye to anything involving Wu Mei. Unexpectedly, such a plan was drafted by her!
This was a talented woman!
If she were a man, with such ability and the jinshi title, countless people would be vying to bring her under their wing. Unfortunately, she was a woman and a former consort of Emperor Li! Such a background and such a temperament—no one dared to employ her, no one dared to marry her. Only a reckless fellow like Li Yuanying would dare to brazenly present her name to the Emperor.
Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged glances, then summoned Fang Xuanling and Chu Suiliang to read this postal plan together, before heading to see Emperor Li.
Emperor Li had been feeling quite relaxed lately. The road was finished, Li Yuanying even said he would cover all the expenses, and invited him to take a trip to Mount Tai, visiting his younger brother in Tengzhou on the way. The Mount Tai investiture ceremony finally seemed to be taking shape. However, the court still needed to discuss it for a while. Even if they reached a conclusion, deciding on a good date and making preparations for the investiture ceremony would take time, so they might not be able to depart this year and would have to wait until spring next year.
Things were pretty much settled, so Emperor Li wasn’t in a hurry. Hearing that Changsun Wuji and the others were together requesting an audience, he immediately invited them in and asked, “Is there something important that you gentlemen have come together to discuss?”
Changsun Wuji presented a letter that looked familiar, the bulging shape resembling Li Yuanying’s previous long letter.
Upon hearing that it was Li Yuanying who had sent someone to deliver it, Emperor Li perked up. He picked up the letter and began to read.
One look at the handwriting, and Emperor Li immediately realized this wasn’t written by Li Yuanying. However, after reading a paragraph, he knew this was definitely Li Yuanying’s idea, just polished by someone else.
Emperor Li finished reading the entire postal plan, then glanced at the budget brought by Fang Xuanling, pondered for a moment, and made a decision: “We will do this, and we will do it well!” Li Yuanying, guarding a single prefecture, could still think of ways to serve the people. He, who ruled the Tang Dynasty, couldn’t just refuse to do anything because of a temporary shortage of money and manpower. Thinking about Li Yuanying’s series of actions, the postal system might not be impossible to become self-sufficient, and the court only needed to provide some subsidies from time to time. Therefore, as long as they got off to a good start, the postal system could slowly function.
With Emperor Li’s decision, Fang Xuanling and the others all put forward their own suggestions to further refine the plan for nationwide mail delivery.
Compared to the anxieties and busyness in Chang’an, Tengzhou in January was filled with cheer. Recently, Fengtai Tower had started staging new stories and musical pieces, with titles like “A Single Letter from Home” or “A Thousand Miles of Love Connected by a Letter.” The plots not only fit the festive atmosphere of the New Year but also subtly encouraged people to write more letters and communicate with their loved ones. After all, sometimes a simple letter could decide your future, your marriage, even your destiny for the next few decades. So, everyone write more letters, relationships require effort. If you don’t say it, I don’t say it, how will anyone know your deep affection?
Even without such encouragement, early on the morning of the first day of the New Year, many people were already lining up in front of the mailbox.
This was the first day that the post office officially opened for business. They wanted to be among the first to send a letter through the post office! Being “first” in anything tends to excite people, especially during the New Year. Sending a blessing to friends and family in other places was also a great idea.
For the next few days, the queue outside the post office remained long, leading people to wonder if the entire population of Tengzhou had gone to send letters. The postmen didn’t take a New Year break. They diligently went to work at their assigned time to collect letters, diligently sorting and delivering them.
The post office employees were both male and female, all uniformly trained and dressed, looking very professional. Even burly men who couldn’t read a single word would instinctively lower their voices upon entering, obediently following instructions and looking for someone to write a letter for them.
After a busy half-month of January, everyone had adapted to this workload. They even felt a pang of emptiness when the number of visitors decreased after the New Year.
Li Yuanying personally inspected the post office a few times. He was also bombarded by complaints from some of Tengzhou’s wastrels, who wondered why there were gold-threaded stamps but they weren’t sold in Tengzhou, only in the capital. They felt embarrassed to be shown up by their friends in Chang’an! You’re Prince Tang, why are you favoring others and selling good things to them? Do you look down on us?
Li Yuanying simply thought that the world didn’t lack wealthy people, but those who knew how to create spending opportunities for them. Even with his Imperial Brother sending people to help, there still weren’t enough people! Li Yuanying immediately assured the wastrels enthusiastically, “Don’t worry, Tengzhou will definitely have many things that you can’t find elsewhere. And Tengzhou’s stamps will have new designs every year, with gold-threaded stamps every year.”
Regardless of whether post offices were established in other places, those along the Fengtai Straight Road were operating smoothly. Articles from Henan Road could always reach various locations at the fastest speed.
Meanwhile, a tragic news reached Chang’an: Gao Shilian had passed away.
Gao Shilian was the maternal uncle of Changsun Wuji and Empress Changsun, and Emperor Li and Li Chengqian were very close to him. Though he was already over seventy years old, which wasn’t exactly young, his sudden death still made Emperor Li incredibly heartbroken. If Changsun Wuji hadn’t stopped him forcefully, he would have almost gone to personally escort Gao Shilian’s coffin back to his ancestral grave.
Emperor Li himself didn’t go, but he sent his son, Crown Prince Li Chengqian.
Li Chengqian was also heartbroken. Even if Emperor Li hadn’t given the order, he would have gone to the funeral. After receiving the order, he accompanied Gao’s family to escort the coffin out of the city. This took a few days. Because Gao Shilian had left instructions before his death to refrain from a lavish funeral, the funeral procession kept everything simple, from clothing and food to lodging and travel. Li Chengqian didn’t complain at all, obediently following along the entire way.
There was no problem on the way there, but an incident occurred on the return journey: Last year, Prince Jiangxia Li Daozong had been sent to conquer the Xueyantuo and had beheaded five thousand and captured tens of thousands, effectively wiping them out. While the Xueyantuo had been destroyed, they were not completely extinct. A group of Xueyantuo remnants heard that the Crown Prince’s carriage was passing by and deliberately set an ambush to assassinate him, hoping to make the “Sky Khan” taste the pain of losing his son.
This time, Li Chengqian had gone to the funeral lightly equipped, with few people. They were actually caught by the ambush. Li Chengqian didn’t like riding in carriages, preferring to ride his own horse whenever possible. Though he wasn’t injured, his horse was startled and threw him off. The horses behind him were also startled. In their panic, one of them stepped heavily on his right calf.
Though Li Chengqian was skilled in horseback riding and hunting, he was no stranger to hardship. Suddenly suffering such a severe injury, he immediately fainted. All the guards accompanying him were scared witless. While protecting the unconscious Li Chengqian from the frightened horses, they also disregarded the need to take prisoners and killed the Xueyantuo remnants on the spot.
Upon receiving the news of Li Chengqian’s accident, Emperor Li was furious. He immediately ordered an investigation into the matter, disregarding other affairs and rushing to the East Palace to see Li Chengqian.
By the time Li Chengqian was brought back to the East Palace, he had regained consciousness. The imperial physicians were anxiously examining the injured leg.
Li Xiang nervously grabbed Li Chengqian’s hand and asked, “Father, does it hurt? Father, if it hurts, you can cry. Nobody will laugh at you. We’ll be with you.”
Li Chengqian was still shaken. His heart, which had been clutching in fear, calmed down after Li Xiang’s comfort. He said, “It hurt a lot at the time, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.” This was obviously to reassure his son. In fact, he was very conscious and the pain in his leg had intensified. But a man of his stature, how could he cry out in pain in front of his son!
Li Xiang ran to change a hot towel to wipe his father’s sweat, taking care of his injured father with his own hands. His younger sister had told him that when family members were sick, it was best to stay by their side. Even though the attendants could take meticulous care of them, it couldn’t compare to having a truly loved one by their side. After busying himself, Li Xiang continued to hold his father’s hand and eagerly asked, “Father, are you hungry? If you are, I’ll ask for some porridge to be sent!”
Emperor Li arrived to witness this touching scene of fatherly love and filial piety. He suppressed the anger on his face and told Li Chengqian and Li Xiang to relax, personally sitting down on the bed and examining the injury on Li Chengqian’s leg. He then summoned the imperial physicians to inquire about the situation. Gao Shilian had just passed away, and now Li Chengqian was hurt. He was truly heartbroken.
The imperial physicians mumbled the results of their consultation: The leg could be mended and would not affect walking, but there might be some slight problems walking. In simple terms, he would be slightly lame, but not seriously. If he walked slowly, it wouldn’t be noticeable.
Li Chengqian didn’t show any change in expression after hearing the physician’s words. He looked at Emperor Li, hoping to gauge his thoughts, but only saw a grim expression.
No matter how subtle, it was still a defect. There had never been a lame Crown Prince, nor a lame Emperor in history.
Emperor Li never expected that after Li Yuanying was attacked last year, the Crown Prince would suffer the same fate this year. Targeting others while they were going to a funeral—these people were truly despicable!
Emperor Li told Li Chengqian to lie down and recover, assuring him, “I’ve ordered people to thoroughly investigate this matter. If they find out who is involved, I will have their entire families executed!” He had seen Li Chengqian and confirmed the facts, but the truth was still unknown. Emperor Li urged the Crown Princess and Li Xiang to take good care of Li Chengqian, then left. He had to personally follow up on who was so audacious.
Before the people sent to investigate returned, Prince Jiangxia Li Daozong entered the palace to plead guilty.
Li Daozong was the cousin of the Taishang Huang, the younger brother of Emperor Li, a few years younger than him. Last year, he had conquered the Xueyantuo and made a great contribution. However, he had requested a transfer to a less demanding position, citing his health.
Recently, Li Daozong had been feeling inexplicably uneasy, as if something was about to happen. Soon after, he was indeed attacked by a group of Xueyantuo remnants seeking revenge. To them, he was the enemy who destroyed their homeland, so it was normal for them to attack him. He hadn’t been hurt, so he thought it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble and hadn’t reported it. He just had people secretly track down the whereabouts of this group of Xueyantuo remnants. After all, he and Emperor Li were not particularly close brothers, and he couldn’t go running to Emperor Li for every minor incident.
Unexpectedly, these people failed to ambush him but dared to attack the Crown Prince, and they actually succeeded in injuring him!
Although he didn’t know the extent of the Crown Prince’s injuries, the fact that he was hurt was undeniable. Li Daozong didn’t dare to delay any longer. He immediately went to the palace to see Emperor Li and inform him that he was pursuing the Xueyantuo remnants.
**Author’s Notes:**
Little Prince: Let me out, I want to take care of my great-nephew!
Update!
A full five thousand two!
Adding up today, it’s another ten thousand!
Tiantianchun’s math is flawless! One full subscription gets the author one bottle, and at the same time, the reader gets ten bottles. Added together, wouldn’t that be eleven bottles? Ten thousand times eleven bottles is one hundred and ten thousand bottles! Perfect calculation, QAQ. Of course, many people will use it to water other stories or are too lazy to water them. That’s all normal, after all, everyone goes out to steal nutrients to raise the Little Prince. But if you’re giving it to someone else, then give it to someone else. Please don’t tell Tiantianchun “I gave it to someone else,” Tiantianchun will be heartbroken, with his glass heart shattered into pieces, QAQ.
Also, please don’t keep saying “I feel like it’s going to end soon.” I don’t feel like it’s going to end at all. Every time I see that comment, I get all gloomy… Maybe I have those particularly low moods a few days every month… Like this chapter, I actually wrote four thousand words early this morning, then inexplicably got bummed out and dragged it out until now. _(:3∠)_
So, another ten thousand words today! Want to continue to ask for nutrients!
Click “Water Nutrients” on the back cover page to do it!
**[Note to readers: Times are changing, free websites are becoming harder to maintain, and the trend is to switch to mobile apps with multiple sources. The site administrator recommends this app, which has a variety of audiobook voices, good source switching, and easy book searching!]**
+ Add bookmark +
Previous Chapter | TOC |