After speaking with everyone else, Emperor Li had a private conversation with Li Chengqian, mainly about Li Yuanying.
Li Yuanying was a treasure trove of unique ideas and possessions, like a child holding a box of marvels. The problem was that he didn’t know the use of many of his treasures, so he would occasionally open the box, dazzling everyone with its contents, making it hard for others to feel at ease.
Emperor Li urged Li Chengqian to focus on healing. He had told Li Chengqian that he was closest to Li Yuanying after Zhi Nu (a nickname for Li Zhi), and that he needed to watch over him.
Emperor Li knew that he and Li Chengqian, as Emperor and Crown Prince respectively, couldn’t do everything, but they could protect Li Yuanying. They needed to protect him from himself, the fearless young man who was constantly exploring and tinkering.
Li Chengqian was unsure if he should be envious of Li Yuanying. Even they, as Emperor Li’s own sons, had never received such care. Emperor Li was essentially saying, “Out of all your brothers, you and your Yu Shu (younger uncle) are the closest. You need to secure your position as Crown Prince, and after you ascend the throne, you must protect your Yu Shu!”
If Li Chengqian had heard this a few years ago, he might have rebelled. Now, he was past caring. He had learned that worrying too much would only end badly, just like how Qing Que (another nickname for Li Tai) had been driven out of Chang’an by his anger.
At least his father was assuring him that no matter what, his position as Crown Prince would not be threatened, regardless of his leg’s recovery.
Li Chengqian replied, “Yu Shu is a sensible person.” Despite Li Yuanying’s carefree nature, he always knew what he could and couldn’t do.
Emperor Li snorted, “If he were truly sensible, he wouldn’t be so boisterous.”
In Emperor Li’s eyes, the only thing right about Li Yuanying was that he was his younger brother. If Li Yuanying had been born a few years earlier or had a more powerful maternal family, he wouldn’t have been so lenient. He had already spoiled Li Yuanying so much that now, all he could do was continue to indulge and protect him.
Li Yuanying was unaware of Emperor Li’s assessment of him as a “holder of a box of marvels.” After writing his second letter to Emperor Li, he received a reply from Li Tai. Li Tai had been so angered by Li Yuanying’s actions that he even wrote his letter in a less formal manner. Li Yuanying could almost see Li Tai sitting at his desk, furiously writing, his words like a torrent of scolding.
Li Yuanying was very pleased. He quickly wrote back, saying that he was deeply touched to receive his fourth nephew’s letter for the first time. He then reminisced about the past, mentioning how Li Tai would always greet him when he visited Wei Wang Fu (Li Tai’s residence), and how those days were truly memorable. He wondered how Li Tai had grown and if he had been exercising diligently. He reminded Li Tai that nothing was more important than good health, and that a healthy body was essential for a good life.
Li Yuanying wrote at length, sending the letter to Xiangzhou (Li Tai’s residence).
Li Tai received the bulky letter, his face darkening. After reading it, it turned even darker. Who would miss those days? He had been worried that Li Yuanying would poach people from his household. And Li Yuanying had actually done it!
Recalling the past, Li Tai was so annoyed that he even ate less for dinner, silently blaming himself for ever writing to Li Yuanying. Li Yuanying would never listen to scolding, he simply didn’t understand!
Li Tai was fuming when he went out for a ride the next day, only to twist his ankle on his way home. Frustrated, he stayed at home and nursed his injury.
This gave Li Xiao Yuan Qiu (Li Tai’s son) a chance to put his knowledge to use. He and his siblings began attending to Li Tai’s injury according to Li Xiang’s instructions. Li Tai was surrounded by his children, being poked and prodded, a mixture of annoyance and helplessness bubbling inside him.
Time flew by in a flurry of activity, and by the beginning of April, Li Yuanying’s second letter finally reached Emperor Li.
Emperor Li saw that Li Yuanying had been so annoyed by Li Zhi’s actions that he wrote to complain. Not only did Emperor Li not think Li Zhi was wrong, he even felt Li Zhi had done a good thing. The two boys had always played together, and now Li Zhi had three children while Li Yuanying was still unmarried. It was indeed pitiable.
Emperor Li pondered for a moment and summoned Li Chunfeng, asking him to choose an auspicious date for Li Yuanying’s wedding. It had to be after the next spring equinox, but not too long after.
Li Chunfeng understood immediately. Emperor Li was setting the wedding date for Li Yuanying. The Emperor planned to visit Mount Tai next spring, and he would likely make a detour to Tengzhou to personally preside over Li Yuanying’s wedding.
Generally, princes were supposed to get married before leaving Chang’an, but Li Yuanying had chosen to make a fool of himself in front of Wei Zheng, boasting about his unmarried state.
While his future wife was capable enough to stand on her own, she was still treated as a future princess, even without the marriage. In truth, it didn’t really matter if they were married or not, the only obstacle was Li Yuanying’s constant troublemaking.
It was fortunate that Emperor Li finally agreed. Li Yuanying would be overjoyed once he heard the news.
Li Chunfeng went to fulfill the order.
After instructing Li Chunfeng, Emperor Li didn’t give Li Yuanying a definitive answer. He only replied by scolding Li Yuanying, reminding him of his own promises. He should live up to the promises he had made, even if he regretted them later. Otherwise, how would he face Wei Zheng?
The Fengtai Straight Road had been completed, so communication between Chang’an and Tengzhou was swift. It didn’t take long for Li Yuanying to receive Emperor Li’s reply.
Seeing that Emperor Li was again scolding him and even boasting about Zhi Nu, Li Yuanying was incredibly angry. He went to Wei Jiu to complain about Emperor Li.
This was Wei Jiu’s first time learning that Li Yuanying had written to Emperor Li again. Honestly, seeing Gao Yang and Lu Zhaolin married, she also wanted to marry Li Yuanying sooner, but since Emperor Li had not taken any action, she didn’t say anything.
Wei Jiu finished reading Emperor Li’s letter and seeing Li Yuanying still fuming, she took his hand and said, “If His Majesty doesn’t mention it next year, we can directly ask your mother and grandfather to intervene.”
Although Li Yuanying was Emperor Li’s younger brother, Liu Baolin was still alive. His grandfather and parents were also present, and the wedding had already been agreed upon. They were not forbidden to marry without Emperor Li’s consent. If he insisted on stopping their marriage, they would just go ahead and get married without him!
Li Yuanying thought this was a fantastic idea, and even considered writing to Wei Zheng to discuss it. Thankfully, Wei Jiu stopped him.
Wei Jiu explained that Emperor Li would likely let them get married at the beginning of next year, because he was going to offer sacrifices at Mount Tai then, and he would likely make a detour to Chang’an to officiate their wedding. To be fair, Emperor Li was actually a good brother to Li Yuanying. The scolding in his letters was just a way to make Li Yuanying anxious.
Li Yuanying found this logical. He immediately wrote to Emperor Li, recounting what Wei Jiu had said, revealing his wife’s cleverness without hesitation. He boasted about his intelligent wife who had seen through Emperor Li’s tricks.
After writing the letter to annoy Emperor Li, Li Yuanying began brainstorming about his wedding. He was only getting married once, and he wouldn’t let Emperor Li simply order everything.
He couldn’t wait for the wedding date to be set, but he could start preparing.
Li Yuanying began bouncing around, his excitement overflowing. Wu Mei and the others were still in Chang’an, having not accompanied him to the pilot county, so they didn’t know about Li Yuanying’s latest antics. Wei Ying, who finally had some time to relax, noticed his brother’s unusual behavior and privately asked Wei Jiu what was going on.
Wei Jiu hadn’t expected her analysis to make Li Yuanying so happy, but she couldn’t help but smile a little. She calmly explained her deductions to Wei Ying.
Wei Ying became a clear contrast. The happier Li Yuanying was, the gloomier Wei Ying became. His beloved sister would likely be taken by Li Yuanying next year!
Li Yuanying never rested. He had his staff handle inventorying the treasury, and he didn’t worry about it. He had people bring out a “fire tree” from the warehouse for examination. This fire tree had been made during the Sui Dynasty, with intricate mechanisms. When special gunpowder was poured into it, it could shoot out bright white flames, also known as “fire tree silver blossoms.”
Li Yuanying studied the fire tree, wondering if he could replicate it to create more. Wouldn’t it be amazing to light them up at night? However, the fire tree was exquisitely made, even controlling the size and direction of the flames. It was not easy to replicate, and he only had one, making him hesitant to dismantle it for study.
Li Yuanying discussed with the system about scanning the fire tree into the Wanjie Library, using the blueprint to create more. This was just copying existing technology, not a big issue, so the system readily allowed Li Yuanying to exchange for the blueprint.
Only after obtaining the blueprint did Li Yuanying realize that this thing had nearly 3,000 tiny components. He pulled out a cushion and sat down, staring at the fire tree, lost in thought.
When Wei Jiu arrived, she saw the “iron tree,” which looked a bit strange in the daytime, bare and stark.
She sat beside Li Yuanying and asked what he was thinking about.
Li Yuanying replied, “This was a gift from my father.” The Taishang Huang (retired Emperor) loved him dearly and always gave him good things. Once, for his birthday, the Taishang Huang had this iron tree brought to their courtyard and lit the gunpowder within its mechanism. The courtyard was instantly illuminated, the fire tree towering high, its leaves bursting with brilliant flames that lit up the night sky, like a divine tree from heaven.
Li Yuanying was still young then, only finding the tree amusing and beautiful. He clung to the Taishang Huang’s leg, begging for it. The Taishang Huang laughed and said, “It’s already been brought here, why wouldn’t I give it to you?” However, the Taishang Huang passed away the following year, and Li Yuanying never lit the fire tree again.
Li Yuanying recounted the origins of the fire tree to Wei Jiu.
Wei Jiu took his hand.
No matter what kind of emperor or person the Taishang Huang was, to Li Yuanying, he was a kind father.
Li Yuanying said, “I wanted to have some of these fire trees replicated, to light up the front of the mansion for celebration. But after a closer look, I realized how difficult it would be to make. Right now, we need people for farming and road construction in Tengzhou, how can we waste so much manpower on something that’s just for show?” He squeezed Wei Jiu’s hand, “My brothers are more frugal than many noble families, and even more so than the Sui Dynasty. I think this might be the reason.”
They all wanted to use people and money for more useful purposes, so they would avoid these extravagant, decorative items.
Wei Jiu replied, “The Saint (Emperor Li) is a wise ruler.”
Li Yuanying nodded. He hesitated for a while, then discussed with Wei Jiu, “Let’s not make too many, just two. If they are well-made, they will last a long time. Look at this one, it was made long ago, and it’s still good after decades. If we make two, we can light them for our wedding, and for festivals, and even for our children’s weddings in the future. That’s not a bad deal, right?”
Wei Jiu said, “If you want to make them, no one will object.” To Li Yuanying, the fire trees were not just decorations for their wedding, they were also a way to remember the Taishang Huang. She didn’t want Li Yuanying to have any regrets.
With Wei Jiu’s support, Li Yuanying was finally convinced. He excitedly took the blueprint and asked Dong Xiao Yi to find some skilled craftsmen to build the fire trees.
As Li Yuanying was busy with his wedding preparations, Emperor Li also received Li Yuanying’s letter bragging about his wife. Seeing that Wei Jiu had accurately guessed the wedding date, Emperor Li thought she was quite clever and wondered if Li Yuanying would be taken advantage of.
But considering Li Yuanying’s constant desire to cause trouble, having a clever wife by his side was good. It would prevent him from going too far.
Since Wei Jiu had already guessed, Emperor Li didn’t delay any longer. He mentioned it to Wei Zheng, asking about his health and if he would be able to travel to Mount Tai next year.
Wei Zheng had always been the main voice against Emperor Li’s trip to Mount Tai, so he naturally sensed the jest in Emperor Li’s question. Wei Zheng kept a straight face and replied, “Your servant can still eat two large bowls of rice.”
Meaning that he was still in excellent health.
Wei Zheng never believed in divine providence. He thought that the sacrifices at Mount Tai were simply a show, a waste of time and money, and that mobilizing a large army from Chang’an was a burden on the people. And once this precedent was set, it would be hard to stop others from following suit, leading to a costly and exhausting tradition, ultimately hurting the common people.
In the past, the Qin Dynasty had conquered all of China, but Emperor Qin Shi Huang had toured the east many times, spending exorbitant amounts of money, causing the people to resent him. This resentment had fueled rebellion and chaos. Wei Zheng didn’t want Emperor Li to set a bad precedent.
But now that Emperor Li had decided to go to Mount Tai, and Li Yuanying, that foolish boy, had even built a smooth road, Wei Zheng had no reason to stop him.
If someone could build such a road without using government funds or burdening the people, Emperor Li could even go to Yazhou or Jiaozhou!
So, even though Emperor Li was deliberately teasing him, Wei Zheng pretended not to hear it. His beloved granddaughter was getting married, how could he not go? He would shamelessly go to Mount Tai too!
Emperor Li didn’t press Wei Zheng further and began finalizing the list of attendants. After learning about Li Yuanying’s wedding date, Changsun Wuji and others also knew about it.
After returning home, Fang Xuanling mentioned it to his wife, Lu Shi. She started to get upset.
Last year, Lu Zhaolin had married Gao Yang. Their marriage was peaceful and harmonious, with no rumors of trouble.
Yet, the two nieces she favored had already been promised to others, and her son had no chance with them! And recently, she had failed to keep a close eye on her son, allowing him to be seduced by a flirtatious woman. She was furious. How come everyone was getting married except for her precious son?
Lu Shi berated Fang Xuanling, blaming him for matchmaking for Lu Zhaolin. Now, Gao Yang was married, their son was not, and they were always the subject of gossip.
Fang Xuanling had no choice but to listen.
While Chang’an was a mix of emotions, Tengzhou had a unified response. Everyone was delighted to hear about the wedding date and eagerly prepared for Li Yuanying and Wei Jiu’s wedding.
Even though Emperor Li would send officials to organize, they weren’t going to sit around and wait. The preparations in Chang’an were their business, but how could Tengzhou’s preparations be the same?
Suddenly, the entire city of Tengzhou was buzzing with excitement.
Wei Ying, under his parents’ instructions, purchased a small house in the city, and moved Wei Jiu out of the mansion. It was fine before the date was set, but now that the wedding was confirmed, staying in the mansion wouldn’t be appropriate. Would she directly leave from the mansion on the day of the wedding? Even if the Wei family wasn’t prominent, they couldn’t lose face like that.
After Li Yuanying returned from the pilot county three months later, he promptly went to see Wei Ying and Wei Jiu’s new home. He was very dissatisfied with the size, grumbling to Wei Jiu, “This place is so small, how can you stand to live here? We still have half a year before the wedding.”
Wei Jiu replied, “Our house in Chang’an is also this small.” Chang’an was crowded, and many people couldn’t afford a house even if they lived their whole lives. They were able to buy this one thanks to Wei Zheng’s connections.
Li Yuanying recalled that the Wei family had always lived modestly. It was unavoidable. Wei Zheng was a clean official, a righteous advisor. If he himself couldn’t maintain integrity and frugality, his words to Emperor Li would be less convincing, and he might even be targeted and accused of corruption.
Li Yuanying said, “If I become an official, I’ll have to be a big corrupt official, and I won’t be like your grandfather.”
Wei Jiu simply pretended not to hear him. This was the first time she had heard someone so confidently declare that they wanted to be corrupt.
Fortunately, Li Yuanying had more money than he could spend. Even if he ran out of money, he had ways to make a profit with nothing. Otherwise, Wei Jiu would be worried that he would actually go into business and engage in corrupt practices!
Li Yuanying criticized every nook and cranny of the Wei family’s small house, knowing that he couldn’t take Wei Jiu back with him. He could only reluctantly accept this reality, staying with her for a long time before reluctantly leaving.
With the blueprint in hand, the replication of the fire trees went smoothly. A group of craftsmen worked tirelessly for a few months, finally finishing them before Mid-Autumn Festival.
Li Yuanying asked Sun Simiao, who had recently returned from Chang’an, to help with the preparation of the gunpowder. He placed the fire trees by the small lake in front of the mansion and lit them for a test.
Anything using gunpowder was dangerous, so Li Yuanying was escorted by his guards to a small pavilion by the lake. They were responsible for lighting the fire trees.
Night quickly fell over Teng Wang Fu (Li Yuanying’s residence). Li Yuanying had deliberately asked for some lights to be turned off, and he sat in the pavilion with Wei Jiu, waiting for the fire trees to be lit. After the guards cleared the area, they gave a command, and the two fire-lighters standing by the fire trees ignited the fuses simultaneously.
The two fire trees erupted in brilliant light, the long flames decorating their bare branches with dazzling beauty.
The pavilion was a distance away from the fire trees, allowing them to have a better view. Li Yuanying took Wei Jiu’s hand and walked to the edge of the pavilion, looking at the beautiful flames that only existed in his memories.
His father loved and pampered him because he was his youngest son, and because he didn’t have any expectations of him. When he was born, his father had just moved to Da’an Palace, officially stepping away from the center of power, becoming a retired emperor who only needed to enjoy himself with beautiful women. So, Li Yuanying’s arrival was perfectly timed. Even if his brothers might have harbored inappropriate desires, he wouldn’t, because he had never seen his father in his prime.
They seemed like the most ordinary father and son in the world.
Hearts are made of flesh. Even if they started with just occasional brief interactions, a real connection would develop over time.
Their father had plenty of time then, and almost every day, he would play with Li Yuanying for a while.
When he was most mischievous, he would even climb onto his father’s neck and ride him like a horse.
As Li Yuanying grew older, he gradually realized that he was just one of his father’s twenty-two sons, and one of his elder brother’s many brothers. He wasn’t special, talented, or capable.
If not for his unexpected opportunity, he might have grown up in the palace, a quiet prince, only taking his mother to his fief when he came of age.
Li Yuanying squeezed Wei Jiu’s hand and said, “We’re getting married. Father will be so happy when he knows.”
Wei Jiu had never met the Taishang Huang, so she nodded after hearing Li Yuanying’s words, quietly standing beside him, watching the flames.
A single fire tree couldn’t hold too much gunpowder, so no matter how beautiful it was, the flames would eventually die down. As the gunpowder in the mechanism burned out, the bright flames gradually extinguished, leaving behind only a bare iron tree under the night sky.
Li Yuanying had people tidy up, preparing to place them in front of the mansion when they got married, for the people to enjoy. It wouldn’t be in vain for all the craftsmen who worked day and night.
Li Yuanying was both joyful and melancholic about the upcoming wedding. Dai Ting, far away in Champa, also received Li Yuanying’s message. He was a close friend who had grown up with Li Yuanying, and Li Yuanying naturally didn’t want him to miss the wedding. He specifically asked someone to deliver the message to Champa as soon as possible, so Dai Ting wouldn’t be late.
After arriving in Champa, Dai Ting immediately started looking for rice seeds. Champa was small, so he quickly found what he was looking for. However, not much rice seed was available on the market, as everyone had kept some for planting next year. So, he had to wait until harvest to get a large quantity of seeds.
He couldn’t leave immediately after the harvest. He needed to wait for the rice seeds to dry before transporting them back. So, Dai Ting found a place to stay in Champa, waiting for the bountiful rice to mature.
This time, he wasn’t going to meddle in any trouble unless it threatened them or damaged their rice seeds. He wouldn’t interfere in anything else, because he had only one goal: to bring the high-yield rice seeds of Champa back to Tengzhou.
The climate there was hot, even after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was still like summer. Many people were shirtless while drying the rice seeds.
Dai Ting finished reading Li Yuanying’s letter and got up, telling his companions, “Collect the rice seeds as soon as possible, we will set off for Tengzhou at the end of the month.” The sea was unpredictable, even though they could sail along the coast, they still needed to be wary of accidents.
They had to bring the rice seeds back, they couldn’t miss Li Yuanying’s wedding.
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: I’m getting married!!
Update!
A whopping six thousand words!
I wasn’t feeling well today, so I started writing late at night, and it’s getting late now, so I didn’t split the chapters. Combined two chapters of three thousand into one!
Barely made it!
I saved the six thousand words full attendance!
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