Li Yuanying might not have brought all of Tengzhou’s talents to the pilot county, but he had more than enough to plan and revitalize the entire county.
Wei Ying had been working hard lately, and in his exhaustion, he felt an odd sense of satisfaction. It was as if his body no longer belonged to him, but his heart was full. Every day, watching the wasteland being cultivated, the oxen and horses each finding their place, he felt like his day hadn’t been wasted.
He couldn’t feel this kind of satisfaction sitting at home, reading and writing.
Wei Ying had to admit that Li Yuanying was a nemesis in his life. Whenever he encountered him, he always came out on the bottom. This day, Wei Ying was busy as usual. He got up early to inspect the stables and only went back for breakfast after finishing his work. He hadn’t even reached the dining area when someone ran to tell him that the little prince and his princess had arrived.
Ugh, his sister hadn’t even married yet, how could she be a princess?
But Wei Ying had to admit that Wei Jiu was the most comfortable marrying Li Yuanying. She could freely do everything she wanted, never being criticized by her in-laws for being too public.
Hearing that his sister had arrived, Wei Ying quickened his pace, and from afar, he saw Li Yuanying and Wei Jiu sitting under the eaves eating his breakfast, whispering to each other intimately.
Wei Ying strode over and took a bite of a bun before starting a conversation with Li Yuanying about the stables. Tengzhou didn’t have many places to raise horses, but there was a high demand for horses, so the stables were always bustling.
People really needed to be pushed to grow. When Wei Ying first arrived, he still had some of the arrogance of a noble son. Now, all he talked about was his work. Wei Jiu felt that Li Yuanying intentionally provoking Wei Ying wasn’t a bad thing. She didn’t say much, only reminding Wei Ying to rest.
Seeing that Wei Ying was in good spirits, Li Yuanying thought they had finished checking in with his brother-in-law and, with a quick grab of his sister’s hand, set off to see what fun things were around.
Seeing a bamboo grove nearby, Li Yuanying strolled over to see if the bamboo was growing well and if any bamboo shoots had sprung up in the beautiful spring.
Li Yuanying’s luck was good. He met an old man fishing by the water, who enthusiastically showed him the spot where bamboo shoots were growing most recently, and generously allowed him to pick any bamboo shoots he liked. This whole patch was his, so he could take as much as he wanted.
Li Yuanying had no intention of taking anything from the commoners, so he happily accepted the gifts offered to him. Hearing the old man’s words, he cheerfully pulled Wei Jiu to find some bamboo shoots. When they were in the Sunflower Garden, he had dug bamboo shoots himself. The freshly grown bamboo shoots were the tastiest, crisp and sweet. He felt a little nostalgic thinking about it.
The two lovebirds wandered around the bamboo grove and soon found the spot where the bamboo shoots were growing. Li Yuanying excitedly said, “I heard that there’s a dish in the Jiang-Huai region called ‘Bamboo Shoot Fresh’. They have a lot of bamboo there, and they don’t use any seasonings or meat. They simply pile up the bamboo leaves in the bamboo forest and roast the bamboo shoots on the side. I wonder what it tastes like. How about we try it?”
Li Yuanying was excited, and Wei Jiu naturally wouldn’t object. They improvised and made the “Bamboo Shoot Fresh” Li Yuanying described.
The two worked together, and after a while, Li Yuanying felt tired and sat down on a pile of bamboo leaves, watching the fire burn vigorously.
Wei Jiu sat beside him, flipping the bamboo shoot with a twig from time to time, making sure the fire wouldn’t die out. Li Yuanying summed up the experience: “Next time, we should invite more people to come with us. That way, we won’t have to do anything ourselves.”
Wei Jiu laughed: “How can you just sit around and wait to eat without doing anything every time?”
Li Yuanying argued, “I’ve never done anything but eat since I was little.”
It was the truth. Who ever asked him to lift a finger since he was born?
Wei Jiu didn’t argue further when she heard this. After the bamboo shoots were roasted, she took them out and shared them with Li Yuanying. This method was indeed fresh, but it lacked flavor. Li Yuanying still preferred the ones prepared by others! However, the two rarely had the chance to go out and play, so Li Yuanying didn’t feel disappointed. After resting for a while, he pulled Wei Jiu to play elsewhere. If someone offered him watermelon, he ate it. If someone offered him snacks, he ate them. He wasn’t afraid at all of being poisoned or getting sick.
When they returned, Li Yuanying was still carrying a bunch of trinkets and snacks given to him by the commoners, boasting to Wei Ying, “Look, you wouldn’t get this kind of treatment when you go out and play, would you? This is all given to me for free by the people.”
Wei Ying knew Li Yuanying had been eating his way through the county, and he was worried, so he told Wei Jiu disapprovingly, “You let him eat whatever he wants? Last time, someone ambushed you in the valley and wanted to kill you! How can you be so careless?”
Li Yuanying said, “Don’t worry, I have a very discerning tongue and nose. I’ll definitely be able to tell if anyone tampers with my food.” He hummed at Wei Ying, “I think you’re just jealous!”
Wei Ying was exasperated.
He would be a fool to continue meddling in Li Yuanying’s affairs.
Li Yuanying had spent the whole day wandering around the county with Wei Jiu, and he was very satisfied. After returning that night, he was inspired to write a travelogue for Emperor Li, focusing on how much fun he and Wei Jiu had, how enthusiastic the commoners were towards them, and how everyone led the way for them and offered them food and drink wherever they went.
Li Yuanying even brazenly claimed at the end of the letter that he was the most beloved person among the people of Tengzhou. Even if his elder brother came, he wouldn’t be as popular as him!
Emperor Li was planning to go to Mount Tai next spring to perform the Ceremony of Sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. Li Yuanying also gave his opinion on the matter: “When the emperor goes out to play, the crown prince must stay behind. It’ll be too pitiful if Chengqian is left behind and cannot come to Mount Tai. After a month or two, when Chengqian’s wound has healed, why not let him come and climb Mount Tai to get rid of bad luck? It’s also a chance for him to scout the location for next year’s grand ceremony.”
In Li Yuanying’s view, the Ceremony of Sacrifice to Heaven and Earth was secondary. The main purpose of going to Mount Tai was to have fun!
After Li Chengqian’s accident, everyone advised him to “stay close to home, as a son of a wealthy family should,” and to avoid going out.
Li Yuanying had a different idea. He thought that Li Chengqian shouldn’t stop going out just because of this incident, making it seem like they were afraid of those lurking in the shadows. He believed that Li Chengqian not only shouldn’t stay in the East Palace all the time, but he should also go out more and never let those people feel smug!
Moreover, how could a crown prince who always stayed in the East Palace govern the Great Tang well? The emperor and the crown prince could certainly learn about the affairs of the world from the officials, but some things needed to be seen with their own eyes.
Li Yuanying actively encouraged Emperor Li to let Li Chengqian out to roam, so that he could see if his nephew was really okay. He couldn’t go back to Chang’an himself, and without seeing his nephew’s recovery firsthand, he couldn’t feel at ease.
Compared to Li Yuanying’s sincere concern, the various princes had mixed reactions upon learning of the crown prince’s accident.
Emperor Li’s brothers didn’t dare to say anything. After all, whatever happened to the crown prince didn’t concern them. They would rather embrace beautiful women and have fun. Li Chengqian’s brothers were more active. Whether sincere or not, they all wrote letters of condolences to Chang’an and sent local medicinal herbs, expressing their concern for their brother and the crown prince.
Li Tai initially didn’t want to write. He felt that writing this letter would be too hypocritical. He didn’t wish Li Chengqian well at all. Of course, even if Li Chengqian wasn’t well, it wouldn’t affect him. It was better to have a few more drinks.
Unfortunately, Li Xiaoyuanqiu got up early and followed him around, asking when he would send a letter to Chang’an, as he wanted to write a letter to Li Xiang. He and Li Xiang had a revolutionary friendship from running after Yao’er together. Their bond was very strong. Li Xiang had also written back to him, reporting that he was safe and sharing his experience of taking care of his injured father, passing on Yao’er’s words to Li Xiaoyuanqiu, encouraging him to care for his parents as well.
Li Xiang could write letters outside, but Li Xiaoyuanqiu’s letter to Li Xiang was more complicated. He had to include it in Li Tai’s letter. So, Li Xiaoyuanqiu had written the letter the night before and was following Li Tai around early in the morning, hoping to convince Li Tai to write a letter and include his letter.
Li Tai couldn’t do anything against his son, so he resentfully picked up his pen and wrote a letter of condolence to Li Chengqian, expressing his brotherly concern. It must be said that Li Tai had high standards in literature. Even if he wrote reluctantly, the letter was still beautifully written, a masterpiece whether read horizontally or vertically.
Li Xiaoyuanqiu stood beside Li Tai and watched him write, reading each line as he wrote. After reading the entire piece, he sighed sadly, “Father’s writing is not good. Yao’er said that letters are not written this way.” He also corresponded with Li Yuanying, and their communication was relatively free. He wrote about big things and small things. At first, he followed Li Tai’s instructions, writing formally and pursuing beauty and embellishment in his writing. Later, Li Yuanying gave him a good lesson, personally demonstrating how to write to a relative.
Li Xiaoyuanqiu was enlightened and changed his writing style. He didn’t know how others viewed it, but both he and Li Xiang always felt very good after reading each other’s letters. They felt like they were awesome and everyone else was awesome too. If they had any problems or thoughts, they wouldn’t beat around the bush, but would write directly to each other, and the recipient would know exactly how to respond upon reading the letter.
Li Tai was convinced by Li Xiaoyuanqiu’s confident tone, unaware of the trap in front of him. He stepped into it and asked, “Then how should I write it?”
Li Xiaoyuanqiu immediately perked up, taking out Li Yuanying’s instructional letter and reading it to Li Tai.
Li Tai’s face grew darker and darker as he listened, eventually becoming as black as the bottom of a pot.
That guy Li Yuanying, even when far away, was still stretching his claws towards his son. What had he taught his son? Was this even a letter? He had the nerve to call this kind of thing writing and send it to others to read? If they wrote like this, not only would they not feel any beauty in the language, but others who read it would probably even vomit up their dinner!
Li Tai was furious. After sealing the letter of condolence for Li Chengqian and sending Li Xiaoyuanqiu away, he quickly wrote a letter to Li Yuanying. The main point was to scold Li Yuanying for misleading his son!
It was outrageous! It was fine for him to be a flatterer, but don’t turn his son into a flatterer too!
Compared to Li Tai’s reluctance, Li Zhi’s letter was more sincere. Among all the princes, only the three of them were truly full siblings. Of course, he was worried when Li Chengqian was injured.
Li Zhi immediately wrote a letter to Chang’an to express his concern. Not long after, he received a letter from Li Chengqian himself, saying that he was fine and recovering well.
Li Zhi felt relieved and started writing a letter to Li Yuanying. Since he had been granted a fiefdom, he had encountered no trouble, devoting himself to his family life and having three children with his princess, Wang Shi: two boys and one girl, each as beautiful as jade. They were his three treasures that he boasted about in his letters to Li Yuanying. Compared to Li Yuanying who was always busy doing this and that, his life was a typical prince’s life. Unlike Li Yuanying, who was about to bring his princess to his fiefdom but hadn’t even married her yet!
Rarely having a chance to outshine Li Yuanying, Li Zhi naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to tease him. He constantly wrote to Li Yuanying about his children’s antics, and even went out of his way to learn some painting skills and drew portraits of his children to send with his letter!
Li Yuanying was diligently engaged in grassroots construction when he received Li Zhi’s letter, and he was furious.
The little prince was angry, the little prince had a bad mood!
Li Yuanying wrote a letter to Emperor Li, complaining that Li Zhi was complacent. He had three children in three years, clearly addicted to having children with his princess, too slack and lazy. The emperor, as his father, should manage this! There were so many mineral resources in Taiyuan, shouldn’t the roads be properly repaired? Let Li Zhi do it! Taiyuan was a crucial region for strategizing against the north. The postal system should be prioritized and established. Let Li Zhi do it! As a prince of the Great Tang, a son of the emperor and the empress, he should have some achievements!
After complaining, Li Yuanying also threw a tantrum, expressing his desire to get married: “If I don’t get married soon, I’ll be of age and still single. Even peasant sons who don’t marry by the age of twenty are considered old bachelors. The court should organize matchmaking events for them to find partners quickly. I’m a prince of the Great Tang, how can I become an old bachelor?”
After finishing his letter, Li Yuanying, regardless of the fact that he hadn’t sent his previous letter long ago, immediately ordered someone to send it to Chang’an. This was a matter of his entire life, he couldn’t be shy, and he couldn’t delay!
Emperor Li just received Li Yuanying’s previous letter.
Reading about Li Yuanying’s escapades, how he was warmly welcomed by the commoners, Emperor Li thought that the boy was practically asking for a beating. Why else would he come to show off about his fun times with his future princess?
Then he saw Li Yuanying boasting that he was more beloved by the people of Tengzhou than the emperor himself. Emperor Li felt that he wasn’t asking for a beating but asking for his death.
Who gave him the guts to write such things in a letter? Which emperor wouldn’t want to kill him after reading such words?
Emperor Li felt that his younger brother was sometimes quite intelligent, but other times he was so foolish that he worried about him killing himself one day. As he continued to read, seeing Li Yuanying arguing eloquently about how letting Li Chengqian go out would demonstrate the Great Tang’s power and fearlessness towards petty villains, Emperor Li’s expression completely vanished.
Emperor Li, of course, wouldn’t agree to such a ridiculous suggestion, but after reading the letter, he personally went to the East Palace to visit his eldest son, who was recovering from his injuries.
Li Chengqian was talking to Sun Simiao when he heard that Emperor Li had arrived and was about to get up to greet him.
Emperor Li told him not to move. As he walked closer and sat down, he discovered that Li Chengqian’s right calf was wrapped in a white bandage, completely protecting his leg. His seat was also special. It looked like a small cart with two wheels. It was clear at a glance what it was for: even someone without legs could move around freely sitting on it.
Li Chengqian introduced it to Emperor Li: “This was made for me by my uncle. The study has also been changed to have a high table and high chairs. This way, I can sit with my legs hanging down without hurting my injury.”
Emperor Li looked at the furniture in the room, which was higher than usual, and nodded. Li Yuanying was good at nothing else, but he was unmatched in his thoughtfulness. High chairs weren’t unheard of, but they were usually used in Buddhist temples, not in ordinary homes. Li Yuanying had also raised the legs of the desk by a few inches, so the table and chairs matched.
Emperor Li went forward and tried it out, discovering that it was indeed more comfortable to sit with his legs hanging down. No matter how he sat, his legs would become uncomfortable after a while. This way of sitting with his legs hanging down was not only good for Li Chengqian, who was injured, but also for those of them who were a little older!
Emperor Li said, “Good, we can make a few more sets.”
Li Chengqian agreed. But the table and chairs were secondary. Li Chengqian informed Emperor Li of a more important matter: his injury was not serious, but it prompted Li Yuanying to bring out another, more useful thing: limb reattachment surgery!
Not to mention the past. Last year, when Li Daozong fought against the Xueyantuo, there were many casualties, with many suffering fatal injuries or losing arms or legs.
Emperor Li wanted to strategize for the Western Regions, solidify the草原 (grasslands), conquer Goguryeo, and incidentally also civilize the Tubo. In short, he wanted to move everywhere! Therefore, there would be no shortage of warfare in the future. If more people could master this medical technique to reattach severed limbs, the Great Tang could minimize losses!
Even if there wasn’t a war, it would be good for ordinary people, after all, every man was the pillar of his family. Saving one was equivalent to saving a whole family!
Li Chengqian also called in a guard who had recently had his wounds sutured by Sun Simiao. The guard had accidentally been injured during training. The wound had exposed bone and was quite frightening. After Sun Simiao sutured it, it healed quickly, no longer looking like it did before.
Seeing the suture marks on the wound, Emperor Li roughly understood what kind of technique it was. He felt that this boy Li Yuanying had many good things hidden away, and he always gave them surprises. He immediately invited Sun Simiao to sit down and discuss the details.
After learning about the various requirements and high cost of the surgery, Emperor Li understood that Li Yuanying wasn’t intentionally keeping it a secret, but felt that it needed to be improved and then popularized. At the very least, the cost needed to be lowered. He said to Sun Simiao, “Chang’an will inevitably have times when this medical technique is needed. Please teach the people of the Imperial Medical Bureau and then return to Tengzhou.”
Sun Simiao naturally agreed without hesitation.
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