Li Daotong had made great contributions in pacifying the Xueyantuo, and in the first month of the year, various tribes from the grasslands came to pledge their allegiance, earnestly requesting the court to establish government offices and postal stations in their territories and send officials with a thorough understanding of governance to administer them.
Emperor Li was quite pleased at the time and intended to bestow further honors upon Li Daotong, but Li Daotong instead declined, citing his ill health as a reason for retiring to a leisurely position. Li Daotong’s refusal of rewards despite his merits already made Emperor Li feel he had wronged him, and now, how could he blame him for this predicament?
These thieves who infiltrated the Tang territory were not Li Daotong’s fault. Could they possibly hold Li Daotong, a meritorious minister, responsible because these people couldn’t kill him and instead targeted the Crown Prince?
Emperor Li could only offer a few words of comfort to Li Daotong, sending him back to recuperate.
With the clues Li Daotong provided, the investigation went smoothly. Those below quickly confirmed that this was indeed the work of Xueyantuo remnants. After their assassination attempt on Li Daotong failed, they realized that it might be difficult to even get close to him directly, so they exploited the grassland people’s knowledge of horses and secretly tampered with them, hoping to create chaos and kill Li Chengqian by surprise.
The entire Xueyantuo had been wiped out, and they had only 30,000 captives from the Xueyantuo. They couldn’t possibly kill all the surrendered people to atone for their crime.
That would make anyone else afraid to surrender to them in the future.
Emperor Li initially intended to make these 30,000 captives work for a few years, reform them, and then find a place to settle them. Now, he no longer thought that way. He directly ordered them to build roads to Lingnan, following the standards set by Li Yuanying, and to continue building all the way to Jiaozhou. They wouldn’t discuss resettlement until they had built a direct road connecting the north and south.
Emperor Li, still simmering with anger, had the others involved executed or punished, ensuring a clean sweep before he was satisfied. Over the past few years, the Crown Prince had shown significant progress, which both he and Changsun Wuji were pleased with.
News of the Crown Prince’s injury was like a giant rock thrown into the court and the populace, instantly causing a great stir, stirring all sorts of thoughts.
Some were concerned about the Crown Prince’s health, some started to think more broadly, and some began to discuss whether the court’s large-scale campaigns were wrong, pointing out that the enemy had even retaliated at their doorstep.
For Emperor Li, avoiding war was impossible. When there was an opportunity, he would fight, and when there wasn’t, he would create one. However, the Crown Prince’s attack served as a reminder that while they fought on the outside, they also needed to strengthen internal management. It would be terrible if they were fighting the enemy while their own backyard was on fire.
Of course, whenever the officials were ready to launch into a vigorous debate, Emperor Li would pretend to listen, to hear what problems they could identify. If there was anything useful, he could make preparations in advance.
Regarding Emperor Li’s unwavering determination in expanding territories, everyone was helpless. After several rounds of discussion, they succumbed. Let him go and fight. After all, every time he fought, they would cry poverty. It was tiring and annoying.
While the court was heatedly debating the issue of war and peace, Li Yuanying also received a letter from Chang’an. It was written by Li Xiang. The Crown Prince’s injuries were kept confidential by the imperial physicians, and the only one who could have authorized Li Xiang to disclose the news was Li Chengqian himself.
The news would eventually reach Tengzhou. Tengzhou was far from the mountains and roads, making it inconvenient to receive accurate information in a timely manner. Li Chengqian was afraid that Li Yuanying might be worried after hearing all sorts of rumors, so he specifically instructed Li Xiang to write the true extent of the injuries in the letter and send it to Tengzhou, stating that by the time Tengzhou received it, the Crown Prince might already be able to walk.
The Crown Prince was carried back to the palace after being injured, making a huge scene. It was impossible to hide it.
When some learned of this, they rushed day and night to Tengzhou to spread the word. Li Yuanying’s first thought was to drop everything and return to Chang’an, but Wu Mei and the others stopped him, fearing he would be punished again if he returned to the capital without permission.
Li Yuanying remembered his previous ocean voyage and could only abandon the idea of going back to the capital.
Because he didn’t know Li Chengqian’s condition, he asked Sun Simiao to select the best doctors in Tengzhou to accompany him to Chang’an to treat Li Chengqian.
Since the injury was sustained from falling off a horse, it was likely a bone fracture or a similar injury. Coincidentally, in recent years, Sun Simiao had been researching this area. He had devoted his life to internal medicine, but he hadn’t neglected pediatrics, gynecology, or surgery. After he began teaching Li Yuanying some medical skills, Sun Simiao soon discovered that Li Yuanying had a unique understanding of bones and muscles. Later, he obtained some anatomical drawings made by Li Yuanying, and he realized that in addition to studying meridian theory, it was also necessary to understand the basic structure of the human body.
In order to further verify the accuracy of the anatomical drawings, Sun Simiao even dissected some condemned prisoners with the help of the coroner, and he spent a considerable amount of time with the corpses. For a period of time, many people looked at him with both awe and fear, thinking he had become increasingly eccentric in his old age.
In ancient times, there was a saying about “庖丁解牛,” (**Explanation**: A butcher who became so adept at butchering cattle that he could understand every part of the animal’s anatomy, and could easily cut it up perfectly.) The same could be said for Sun Simiao’s understanding of the human body. The first time he dissected a corpse, he may have felt unfamiliar, but after many dissections, he could close his eyes and still recall the arrangement of bones, muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs in the body.
With this theoretical foundation, Sun Simiao began to explore ways to improve his surgical skills. Setting and mending bones were self-explanatory. Knowing the bones as well as he did, he could easily perform these tasks, although they were physically demanding.
What Sun Simiao researched primarily was techniques for limb replantation. Years of experience dealing with injuries had taught him that the human body has a certain self-healing ability. As long as they could minimize the possibility of infection and create a good healing environment for the wound, even a severed arm could potentially regrow.
Sun Simiao, accompanied by local doctors who had come to seek his guidance and students from the medical academy, started practicing wound cleansing and suturing on pig trotters every day.
Tengzhou’s young medical academy was only three years old, but the apprentices in those days were remarkable for their exceptional obedience to their master and their unwavering commitment to learning. As a result, there was already a group of skilled medical students. They were young and energetic, with bold ideas, and they came up with many ingenious concepts, some of which proved to be impractical, while others were quite useful.
Sun Simiao enjoyed listening to these young disciples share their inspiration, making him feel much younger himself.
In the beginning of last year, their clinical trials had transitioned from livestock to living people. With Sun Simiao overseeing the process, many were willing to trust their new technology. As successful cases spread, not only were the injured people of Tengzhou brought there for treatment, but people from neighboring prefectures also came to Tengzhou for medical help.
If it weren’t for the demanding surgical environment, the high cost, and the need for further exploration and improvement of various drugs and auxiliary materials, Li Yuanying would have already reported this limb replantation technique to the court.
This time, when Li Yuanying heard that Li Chengqian had fallen from his horse and was injured, he immediately asked Sun Simiao to take those skilled in this area to assist him. There might be younger people more suitable for this back-and-forth journey, but without Sun Simiao, Li Yuanying couldn’t rest easy.
Ordinarily, Sun Simiao would have hesitated to get involved in this difficult situation of the Crown Prince’s injury, but this time, Li Yuanying personally requested his help. Sun Simiao, after some deliberation, agreed.
After all, this was the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. If they could treat him, they would do their best.
Sun Simiao, though old, was still in robust health. Leaving Tengzhou, he traveled directly towards Chang’an along the flat Fengtai Direct Road.
Li Xiang’s letter arrived in Tengzhou around the same time. Li Yuanying opened it and read it. He was relieved that he had asked Sun Simiao to return to the capital in the first place.
The imperial physicians all said that the Crown Prince would likely have a slight limp, which indicated that his leg wasn’t broken. Not long ago, Li Yuanying had witnessed Sun Simiao set a broken leg. The leg was almost completely severed, but Sun Simiao had managed to mend it. It was said that although it might not function as well as before, at least it was still his own leg, which was better than having a missing limb.
If a broken leg could be mended, a leg that wasn’t broken should be fine.
Unfortunately, such injuries involving bones and muscles should be treated as soon as possible. Even a delay of just an hour would have a significant impact on the recovery outcome.
Li Yuanying put down the letter and paced back and forth anxiously in his study for a few rounds, finally sighing inwardly. While he was still in Chang’an, he had always longed to be enfeoffed, to be free under the vast sky. Now that he had left Chang’an, he realized that there were many things he missed in Chang’an, such as his older brother, his nieces and nephews.
If his leg couldn’t be completely healed and there was a slight problem, it wouldn’t be a major issue. It was not easy to cultivate a Crown Prince, and his older brother shouldn’t have any thoughts of replacing him. After all, the Empress Dowager was thinking of these few children before she passed away. If Chengqian couldn’t ascend the throne smoothly, how heartbroken she would be.
Li Yuanying couldn’t shake off his anxieties and couldn’t help but chat with the system, which had been quiet lately. “Do you think Chengqian will recover?” he asked.
The system fell silent after hearing Li Yuanying’s question. It was just a system, capable of searching and analyzing, and could make choices based on its analysis, but it couldn’t understand emotions and thoughts. For this host who had exchanged some cola and peanuts with it and turned the entire Tang Dynasty upside down, the system felt his existence was beyond its analytical scope.
The system was silent for a while before replying, “I don’t know.” It was now very cautious, afraid of falling into Li Yuanying’s trap again by saying a few extra words. But upon seeing the disappointment and dejection on Li Yuanying’s face, the system couldn’t help but add, “Everything is different now, so I don’t know.”
According to the original course of history, the Crown Prince Li Chengqian would have been long gone by now, and probably few people in the entire Tang Dynasty would remember him.
Although the system’s answer was brief, Li Yuanying’s eyes lit up. Yes, everything had changed. What happened in the other “Tang Dynasty” was not a valid reference. As long as they were willing to work hard, nothing was impossible. Even if Chengqian’s leg did have a slight problem, it wouldn’t be a big deal. With his older brother, old Wei, and himself there, no one would ever shake Chengqian’s position as Crown Prince.
Li Yuanying suddenly felt enlightened and no longer worried.
Since he had brought the best medical practitioners from the medical academy, Li Yuanying was afraid that the academy would fall into disarray, so he rolled up his sleeves and personally taught the new medical students some theoretical classes. Although he hadn’t treated many people, his basic knowledge was quite solid.
Seeing that Li Yuanying was acting as usual, everyone felt relieved and continued with their respective tasks. In early March, Li Yuanying received a letter sent back by Sun Simiao, saying that Li Chengqian was recovering well. Although it might be difficult for him to fully recover to his pre-injury condition, he would appear normal if he walked slowly.
Moreover, the future emperor of the nation, the Crown Prince, didn’t need to rush anywhere.
Receiving this letter, Li Yuanying’s heart, which had been hanging for a month, finally settled. He knew Chengqian would be fine! Filled with joy, Li Yuanying held a flowing feast at the Fengtai Building, inviting citizens and guests from all walks of life to eat their fill. Today’s meal was on him!
Dong Xiaoyi and the others were dismayed at the cost, but they knew that Li Yuanying’s happiness was priceless. No one raised any objections, and they immediately dispatched people to make arrangements.
Throughout that day, guests came and went at the Fengtai Building in Tengzhou, with food and drinks constantly being served. The place was never empty.
The merchants who came and went were astonished. They asked the owner what joyous event was taking place that warranted such extravagance with all the fine food and drinks. Upon learning that it was Prince Tang celebrating the Crown Prince’s recovery from his injuries, everyone was amazed.
Some thought that the bond between Prince Tang and the Crown Prince was truly strong. Others secretly labeled Li Yuanying as a “Crown Prince’s faction.” This prince was so brazenly standing by the Crown Prince. Was Emperor Li not at all concerned about his Crown Prince and his younger brother colluding to do something?
Li Yuanying didn’t care about what others were thinking. He had made it clear from the beginning that he supported Chengqian. The people he brought with him, Li Dejian and Du He, were from the Crown Prince’s faction. If his older brother had any suspicions about him and Chengqian, he would have acted long ago. How could he have entrusted the navy to Li Dejian and the others, allowing them to tolerate Li Yuanying’s voyage without a replacement?
Upon learning that Li Chengqian was alright, Li Yuanying was happy for days. Soon, he fulfilled his promise and went to the “pilot county” with the highest investment this year to carry out pilot work. From the selection of the pilot counties, three counties had already started building roads and bridges. They had been busy for half a year and eagerly invited Li Yuanying to inspect the work.
As for Li Yuanying’s three-month residency, they didn’t dare to urge him. After news of the Crown Prince’s injury spread, they were afraid of any unforeseen events and didn’t want to be inconsiderate by asking Li Yuanying to fulfill his promise at this time.
Unexpectedly, Li Yuanying still arrived on time!
The county magistrate was both surprised and overjoyed. He led a group of village heads and elders, standing in a straight line, to welcome Li Yuanying. This great fortune occurring during his tenure was truly a stroke of luck. How could he not be delighted?
Li Yuanying was only staying temporarily and didn’t bother to build a new residence. He simply rented an existing courtyard to make do.
Last time, when Li Yuanying requested a group of people from Emperor Li, many were from local families who would never be able to enter the ranks of the elite, no matter how long they lived. This time, he brought a group of people to Tengzhou to either open classes in the county school or conduct open-air science education. In short, no one was allowed to be idle.
His brother-in-law, Wei Ying, also came along. Initially, Wei Ying felt awkward working under Li Yuanying. Li Yuanying didn’t tell him what to do, and Wei Ying didn’t volunteer to work.
But when everyone else was busy, he still had nothing to do, and Li Yuanying didn’t assign him any tasks. Wei Ying was dumbfounded. Everyone else was working hard, and he was just sitting there doing nothing. What was that all about?
Wei Ying couldn’t sit still anymore and quickly went to find Li Yuanying.
Li Yuanying knew that Wei Ying had always looked down on him. This time, he deliberately ignored him to see how he would react. He remembered how Wei Ying had made his sister, Jiu, cry. What good was being a brother-in-law? He had a long memory!
Seeing Wei Ying’s anxious state, Li Yuanying stopped teasing him. He enthusiastically pulled Wei Ying over and asked him what he wanted to do.
Wei Ying said gruffly, “I don’t care what I do, as long as I have something to do.” He scorned the idea of using his connections and didn’t want to be given preferential treatment because he was Li Yuanying’s brother-in-law.
As it turned out, Wei Ying had overthought. Li Yuanying had no intention of giving him preferential treatment. He gave Wei Ying the job of managing livestock. It seemed simple, but it was actually quite tedious. Not only did he need to understand how many horses, mules, donkeys, and cattle there were in the county, but he also needed to know where they were being used and whether they could be redistributed in a timely manner to ensure that every place that needed them had enough.
Once Wei Ying barely got the hang of it, Li Yuanying piled more work on him, asking him to build a water wheel here, a canal there, and to promote some new farm implements, persuading farmers to try using them to cultivate land.
The publication of the *Qimin Yaoshu* quarterly was going smoothly. The editor-in-chief, who oversaw the editorial department, was a descendant of Jia Sixie, the author of *Qimin Yaoshu*.
Jia Sixie was a native of the Northern Wei Dynasty and happened to be from Henan Road. His hometown was in the area of Shouguang County. His descendants were deeply moved to hear that Li Yuanying wanted to use the name of *Qimin Yaoshu* to compile a continuously updated agricultural book. Li Yuanying invited him to Tengzhou to serve as the editor-in-chief of *Qimin Yaoshu*.
Li Yuanying planned to use the words “智如禹汤，不如常耕” (**Explanation**: Intelligence like Yu and Tang cannot surpass ordinary farming.) written by Jia Sixie in the preface as the cover design and also post them on the bulletin board to encourage everyone to contribute to *Qimin Yaoshu* and share their own farming experiences.
Those who were most eager to contribute were none other than the students of Tengzhou Academy. They gathered young people from various prefectures of Henan Road. Some were descendants of prestigious families, while others were scholars from humble backgrounds. Hearing that there was money to be made from submitting articles, the scholars from humble backgrounds rolled up their sleeves and wrote down their family-passed-down farming experiences.
The descendants of prestigious families saw this and realized there was no room for them to shine. Seeing that the limelight was about to be stolen by those from humble backgrounds, they begrudgingly asked for leave to return home and thoroughly understand the situation from the tenants on their family estates. They then transformed the tenants’ oral accounts into written form and submitted them for publication.
As a result, all sorts of farming implements and planting and animal husbandry techniques, whether passed down from ancestors or widely known, from the Henan Road area, were sent to the editorial department of *Qimin Yaoshu*.
These experiences were precisely what were most suitable for promotion in Henan Road.
Li Yuanying selected a few that he believed had promotional value and ordered people to test them in various townships and counties.
This kind of tedious promotion and testing was excellent for training people. It required them to summarize and analyze, communicate and collaborate!
With the intention of giving his brother-in-law some training, Li Yuanying gave all this work to Wei Ying.
As a result, when Wei Jiu came to visit Li Yuanying on her day off, she couldn’t find her brother anywhere. She only found out that her brother was busy as a bee, running back and forth all day long without a break! Li Yuanying, with great enthusiasm, pulled her aside and said, “Well, my brother-in-law is great in everything else, but he’s just a bit stubborn and has a strong personality. I told him to rest, but he wouldn’t listen. He insisted on finishing the work. Since you’re here, let’s go visit my brother-in-law.”
Wei Jiu was perhaps the person who understood Li Yuanying best. After hearing his nonsense, she asked, “How did you persuade him?”
Li Yuanying said, “I just persuaded him normally, like saying, ‘If you can’t handle it, don’t do it. You’re my brother-in-law. Even if you just eat for free, no one would dare to say anything.’ He almost gave up several times because he was so tired, but every time I encouraged him, he’d immediately come back to life and head out to the countryside.” He sighed, “I really have no way to deal with him!”
Wei Jiu: “…”
She hoped her brother wouldn’t work himself to death in Tengzhou. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to explain it to her parents.
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