Li Yuanying, for the first time in a long time, had a restless night. The next morning, he took his men to the harbor and stared out at the ships returning from sea, lost in thought. This wasn’t good news for anyone. He sat alone on a large rock near the shore, pondering for a long time, but couldn’t think of a solution that would satisfy everyone.
Even though he always said he would take his men out to sea and never return, deep down he couldn’t bear to leave Chang’an. He was born and raised in Chang’an, and he didn’t want it to become a place he’d never want to return to. In the end, it was power and wealth that stirred the heart!
After braving the cold wind for a while, Li Yuanying returned to find himself suffering from a chill. He fell into a deep sleep, worrying everyone. Li Yuanying was usually healthy, so this sudden illness was indeed cause for concern. Fortunately, Sun Simiao, a renowned physician, said it was simply due to a lack of sleep and exposure to the cold, and all he needed was some warming soup.
Wei Jiu sat by his bedside, tending to him with care.
In the middle of the night, Li Yuanying woke up. He looked at the gauze canopy above him, then at Wei Jiu sleeping beside him, feeling as if he had just had a vivid dream, but unable to remember what it was about.
In this world, there was no perfect solution that would please everyone. Chengqian and the others were not fools, they simply lacked experience in adapting to change. This kind of hardship was good for them, after all, if he could allow the Eastern Palace to fall into the hands of others today, he could lose the entire Tang Dynasty tomorrow.
Li Yuanying couldn’t sleep, so he carefully sat up, trying to get out of bed without disturbing Wei Jiu. However, Wei Jiu woke up. Seeing that Li Yuanying had regained his usual energetic spirit, Wei Jiu felt relieved and got up, sitting opposite him, asking, “Can’t sleep?”
Li Yuanying nodded, holding her hand and saying, “Did I wake you?”
Wei Jiu shook her head, indicating that it was fine, and asked what he wanted to do.
Li Yuanying replied, “Write letters.” He got out of bed, and the night watchman, Huangli, hearing the noise, lifted the curtain and entered, bringing clothes for Li Yuanying to wear and lighting the lamp for him.
Wei Jiu sat across from Li Yuanying, also spreading out paper to write letters with him. Li Yuanying found this unusual and asked, “You’re writing letters too? Who are you writing to?”
Wei Jiu replied, “To Grandfather and the others, and some other friends.” She knew that Li Yuanying’s words were resolute, but he definitely couldn’t bear to let go. So, whatever Li Yuanying did, she would stand by him.
Before Emperor Li issued this decree, Li Yuanying had already openly stood on the side of the Crown Prince, and the navy was entrusted to the Crown Prince’s trusted advisors for training. The Prince Tang’s Mansion and the Eastern Palace were closely connected.
The current situation was unexpected for Li Yuanying. If other princes really had any ulterior motives, then Li Yuanying would undoubtedly be on the opposite side of them. In these matters, there was little she could do, and she couldn’t rationally persuade Li Yuanying not to get involved. She could only follow in his footsteps and help him do what he wanted.
Wei Jiu didn’t say these words out loud, but Li Yuanying understood. To have such a wife was a stroke of incredible luck. His mood lifted considerably, and he wrote with ease. He first wrote a letter to Li Chengqian, saying that all the ships they had ordered were built and would set sail in the autumn. He hoped Li Chengqian would come to see them, and Li Dejian and Du He were waiting for him to inspect the results.
Li Yuanying had proposed this idea last year, but Li Chengqian had just been injured and his leg hadn’t fully recovered, so Emperor Li hadn’t agreed. Now Li Yuanying thought it was time, after all, Emperor Li had summoned all his sons back to Chang’an, and they didn’t lack Li Chengqian in Chang’an. It would be better to let Li Chengqian go out and experience the world, and if anyone dared to cause trouble along the way, he could practice his skills.
Wasn’t Emperor Li complaining that the Crown Prince lacked experience? Then he should let the Crown Prince go out and experience life. Tengzhou was small, but it stood by the Crown Prince, and that attitude would never change. If the Crown Prince wasn’t good enough, he could learn. Anyway, Emperor Li was only in his early fifties. He could live another thirty or forty years, plenty of time for the Crown Prince to learn.
After finishing the letter persuading the Crown Prince, Li Yuanying wrote another letter to Li Xiang, urging him to be united and friendly, and to spend more time with his friends. They had many cousins of the same age, so he should invite them to the Eastern Palace more often. The Li family should be united and loving, and not be influenced by adults. Of course, if anyone disobeyed, he should beat them until they obeyed! Li Yuanying generously imparted his wisdom on how to be a leader among children, providing detailed instructions and even giving examples of how he used to play pranks and trick others in the past. If he disregarded the feelings of the victims, it was quite humorous.
When Li Yuanying finished all the letters, he finally picked up his pen to write to Emperor Li. He considered whether to write as a younger brother or as the Prince Tang, but finally decided to ignore the grand scheme, the changing tides, and just give Emperor Li a good scolding first.
Li Yuanying felt a surge of indignation. Putting himself in his brother’s shoes, he thought, if his own son was bullied, he definitely wouldn’t let it go. He would first tear the perpetrator limb from limb to vent his anger, then comfort his son and send more people to protect him, teaching him more skills so he could handle such dangers in the future. How could he do nothing, give him nothing, and then bring out his other sons and tell his hurt son, “Since you’re useless, let’s see if your brother can do it!” That’s too heartbreaking, does he think he’s doing a bad job and won’t teach him properly!
Since you don’t love your son, then let him come to Tengzhou for a change of scenery. I, his Yu Shu, will love my nephew!
Li Yuanying wrote with unrestrained passion, scolding him heartily. But when he was about to seal the envelope, he hesitated. He was afraid that his elder brother would send someone to beat him up. He wavered back and forth, but eventually sealed the letter.
If even he didn’t dare to speak his heart to his elder brother, then there were probably few others who dared. Thinking about it, his elder brother also had a hard time!
The sky had already begun to lighten. Li Yuanying sent the letter to Chang’an and left the house with a renewed spirit. Even if a young man had a minor illness, a good night’s sleep would make them almost completely recovered. Wu Mei and the others, seeing that Li Yuanying was fine, were finally relieved.
Since he had invited the Crown Prince to come and play, Li Yuanying naturally needed to make all the preparations. At the beginning of the year, they had been busy welcoming the imperial visit, so they were used to it. Everyone heard that the Crown Prince might come, and they weren’t very nervous.
Some people heard about the changes in Chang’an and knew that Li Yuanying was inviting the Crown Prince to travel, so they came to persuade him, arguing that they shouldn’t get involved at this critical juncture. Those who tried to persuade Li Yuanying were not the people who had followed him to Tengzhou. Wu Mei and the others didn’t try to persuade him. They knew Li Yuanying’s character very well. Since he had already made his stand to support the Crown Prince, he would never change his position just because the Crown Prince’s status might be shaken.
That wasn’t something Li Yuanying would do.
Li Yuanying’s letter quickly reached Chang’an.
Li Tai and the others also returned to Chang’an.
Li Tai’s carriage met Li Zhi’s at the city gate. Neither of them got off, so they didn’t meet face to face. Little Li Xiaoyuanqiu curiously lifted the carriage curtain to look out, wanting to see if anything had changed in Chang’an. Unexpectedly, he met the gaze of a little bean sprout in the opposite carriage who was equally curious.
Li Xiaoyuanqiu, seeing the other’s clothing, thought they might be family, so he smiled at him. The other child, seeing Li Xiaoyuanqiu smiling at him, immediately returned the smile. Before they could greet each other, the curtain was drawn, blocking the view of the interior of the carriage.
Li Xiaoyuanqiu, finding it boring, lowered the curtain and played with his younger brother.
Li Tai sat there with a sullen face, finding no joy in returning to Chang’an. He even missed the journey to Goryeo, even though the scenery along the way wasn’t very good, it was still better than being cooped up in one place every day.
Seeing Li Tai’s low spirits, Yan Shi reached out and took his hand.
Li Tai looked at Yan Shi, sighed, and gently clasped her hand. If it had been before, he would have been happy to return to Chang’an. But now, knowing that Emperor Li never intended for him to compete for the position of Crown Prince, there was no reason to be happy about being summoned back to the capital.
In the eyes of many, Li Zhi was now a better choice than he was. He was also the Empress’s son, and he had married the daughter of the Wang Clan of Taiyuan. His natural advantages made him more likely to win the support of the major families. Even the Crown Prince was no match for Li Zhi in this regard, after all, the Crown Prince had a good relationship with Li Yuanying, who was always causing trouble, but coincidentally, his troubles had always been directed at the families. Li Yuanying lowered the price of paper, built libraries in various places for scholars to borrow books free of charge, and established new-style academies in Tengzhou, ensuring that all children of school age in Tengzhou had access to education.
Was this good for the common people? Yes, it was good for the common people. But it wasn’t good for the families. The reason why the families were proud of their lineage was because they passed down knowledge through their families. All this originally belonged to them, and even taking in students from humble backgrounds was a generous act of charity on their part.
Li Yuanying, however, came out of nowhere and made the price of paper ridiculously low, making education a common benefit that ordinary people could enjoy. Even if no one dared to say it out loud, there were definitely many who secretly hated Li Yuanying. At least some people had approached Li Tai in the past, asking him if he wanted to join forces to crush Li Yuanying.
To be fair, a few years ago, Li Tai’s most hated person was Li Yuanying, and he had indeed made a move. But now, things were different. Li Tai’s mindset was completely different from a few years ago. He didn’t want Li Yuanying to die; he just wanted to see how far Li Yuanying could go, if he could jump high enough to make those who looked down on him and flattered the powerful die of anger!
So, while Li Tai wouldn’t deliberately sabotage anyone’s plans, he wouldn’t get involved either, lest he get caught in the crossfire. This was the experience Li Tai had accumulated over the years: anyone who wanted to harm Li Yuanying would end up dead!
Li Tai said to Yan Shi, “We’re back in Chang’an. If you want to go out, go ahead. If you don’t want to, don’t force yourself. We can stay in the mansion, read and practice calligraphy. Life is pretty comfortable.”
Yan Shi nodded. If anyone was happiest about Li Tai’s change, it was undoubtedly Yan Shi.
In the past, when Li Tai was ambitious, she always worried day and night, afraid that she would wake up one day and the world would be different. When Emperor Li issued the decree summoning them back to the capital, she felt only anxiety, not joy. Now that Li Tai had said these words, whether genuine or intended to reassure her, she felt much more at ease.
Compared to the calmness at Li Tai’s side, the Jin Wang’s Mansion was much more lively. After the Jin Wang’s family entered the mansion, the stewards were busy placing the chests and boxes they brought back, quickly taking over the affairs of the household. As the Jin Wangfei, Wang Shi didn’t need to do everything herself. After having the wet nurses calm down her three children, she went to the mirror to fix her hair.
The woman in the bronze mirror was not yet twenty years old. She was beautiful and had a slender figure. You couldn’t tell she had already given birth to three children. Compared to the shyness she had when she first married, she could now confidently display everything she had been carefully cultivated for by her family. She was beautiful and dignified, and possessed a level of intelligence and insight that ordinary women could not match.
In the mirror, her eyes sparkled.
After playing with his three children for a while, Li Zhi walked behind the mirror to watch Wang Shi fix her hair. He suddenly met her bright eyes. Ever since they knew they were returning to the capital, Wang Shi’s eyes had always had this kind of shine, making Li Zhi feel a little uneasy.
Li Zhi also thought that Emperor Li might have meant what his brother-in-law had analyzed, but he couldn’t adjust his mindset. Since he was a child, Li Yuanying had always told him that these struggles for the throne had nothing to do with them. If his elder brother wasn’t around, they still had his third and fourth elder brothers. Where would it be his turn?
While Li Zhi felt he had no hope, he was also uncomfortable with Wang Shi and his brother-in-law’s attitude. He hadn’t said anything yet, but they had already made all the plans for him, even planning whom to win over and how to behave in front of his father, all meticulously thought out.
Was he truly going to compete, or were they competing for him? If they won him that position, how would he treat the Wang family in the future?
Li Zhi’s mind raced with countless thoughts, but he didn’t dare to share these feelings with Wang Shi. After all, he hadn’t even decided whether to compete, and even if he did, he might not succeed. It was too early to consider these things!
After a night of rest, both sides went to the palace early the next day to pay their respects. Since his sons had gone to their fiefdoms, Emperor Li rarely saw his adult sons together like this. He glanced at his sons and encouraged them, but while the relationship between father and son was not cold, it wasn’t close either.
Li Chengqian, as the eldest brother, even though he knew Emperor Li’s intention in summoning them back, still had to maintain the demeanor of an elder brother. He held a banquet in the Eastern Palace to welcome his long-lost brothers. They were all adults, so they could all say a few polite words. After a meal and drinks, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
After seeing off his brothers, Li Chengqian sat in the room, drinking tea to sober up, when he heard someone report that there was a letter from Li Yuanying. Before he could order it to be presented, Li Xiang, who had been obediently sitting beside him drinking tea, jumped up excitedly and asked, “Is there a letter for me? Did Yao’er write to me?”
Li Xiang had been a little depressed these past few days. Children are the most sensitive. Even if Li Chengqian and the others hadn’t said anything in front of him, he could feel from his teachers’ conversations that the atmosphere in the Eastern Palace had become rather tense.
Li Xiang didn’t like that feeling.
Hearing that there was a letter from Li Yuanying, he was naturally overjoyed. He loved reading Li Yuanying’s letters.
The messenger, seeing the usually calm and composed young prince behaving like a child, couldn’t help but smile. He took the thicker letter and handed it to Li Xiang, “This is from the Prince Tang.”
Li Xiang looked at the letter, which was so thick, and became even happier. He took it and went to the side to open it. Seeing his son’s childish delight, Li Chengqian felt his own mood lighten. He took Li Yuanying’s letter and opened it to read.
Li Yuanying suggested he go to see their harbor and navy.
During this period, the hearts of the court officials were unsettled. Most of them were watching, waiting to see who had the upper hand before they placed their bets. Li Yuanying wasn’t a high-ranking official; he was just a prince who had already been assigned a fiefdom. He could have stayed out of this murky water. But Li Yuanying didn’t remain aloof. He proactively invited Li Chengqian to Tengzhou and mentioned that Li Dejian and Du He were his men, and the navy they commanded was also his.
Even if no one in the world had faith in him as the Crown Prince, Li Yuanying would still stand by him.
Li Chengqian felt the frustration that had been building up in his chest suddenly dissipate.
He was still the Crown Prince.
Since he was the Crown Prince, he should play the role properly, or he would disappoint many people. His brothers returning wasn’t a big deal. As the elder brother, he should show his brotherly generosity. If anyone tried to instigate his brothers to compete for the position of Crown Prince, he would see what they could do to him!
This time, he wouldn’t be easily trapped again.
Li Chengqian’s mood brightened. He turned to see his son still reading the letter, wondering what Li Yuanying had written to him. It seemed thicker than the one for him! Li Chengqian patiently waited for Li Xiang to finish reading the letter before asking, “What did your Yao’er write to you?”
Li Xiang didn’t hide it. He told Li Chengqian everything that Li Yuanying had written in his letter, talking excitedly. “Yao’er set up an academy in Tengzhou. I’m going to set up an academy in the Eastern Palace too, and have everyone study at the Hongwen Academy. We, the royal children, can’t lose to others. Once we’ve learned enough, we’ll all take the imperial examinations and become Jinshi! Whoever fails is a disgrace!” After sharing his plans, Li Xiang took Li Chengqian’s hand and begged him to agree.
Li Chengqian said, “You need to discuss this with your Imperial Grandfather.”
Li Xiang said that was no problem, he would write a plan later and seek his Imperial Grandfather’s approval. Li Xiang was a man of action. With confidence, he hugged the letter and went to his small study, rolling up his sleeves and writing a plan based on the framework provided by Li Yuanying in his letter.
Li Chengqian looked at his son’s energetic back, feeling that Li Yuanying had a higher position in his son’s heart than he did. Li Yuanying could instigate him to do this and that from afar. With his son so enthusiastic, Li Chengqian naturally couldn’t be left behind. He thought for a moment and decided to write a memorial to Emperor Li, expressing his desire to go out and see the people’s livelihoods.
The focus was on seeing the people’s livelihoods in Henan Road.
Later, he could go to other places. Now that there were so many brothers in the court, they didn’t lack him. He could finally get out and see the beautiful rivers and mountains of the Tang Dynasty. He shouldn’t spend his whole life born in the palace and raised in the palace, with no knowledge of how the people lived or what kind of ruler they wanted.
As for whether he would encounter any accidents after leaving the capital, or whether there would be any changes in the court, Li Chengqian also played a little trick, saying that he was very reassured with his father and so many brothers. He believed in his father and brothers.
There were some things he couldn’t say directly, so he took this opportunity to write them in this memorial. This was all inspired by Li Yuanying. Some things were difficult to say face to face, but it was easy to write them down. As long as you were shameless enough, many difficulties would be easily resolved!
Emperor Li was still unaware that his son and grandson were being encouraged by Li Yuanying to cause trouble for him. He heard that Li Yuanying’s letter had arrived, but he didn’t pay any attention. He calmly finished reviewing all the memorials before him, then had a cup of tea, making sure he had nothing else to do before ordering someone to bring him Li Yuanying’s letter.
Emperor Li leaned back against the armrest and read the letter. After reading only a paragraph, his face darkened. Who had given this young man the audacity to second-guess his decisions?!
He even said, “If it were my son.” Did he have a son? He didn’t even have a shadow of a son now, and according to him, “His wife was still young and couldn’t have children yet.” It was estimated that he wouldn’t have any children to show off for the next few years! This young man, who hadn’t even grown his first mustache, dared to say, “You don’t love your great-nephew, so I’ll love him.” Did his Crown Prince need this scoundrel to love him?
After finishing Li Yuanying’s letter, Emperor Li’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He had issued the decree for so long, but only Li Yuanying dared to write to him about this. Even Changsun Wuji and the others only hinted that he should reconsider, and he didn’t encounter any objections when he actually gave the order.
Everyone’s opinion was consistent: the Crown Prince indeed needed some tempering.
No one thought they actually wanted to remove the Crown Prince. They all wanted to see who wanted to bring the Crown Prince down and who was interested in having a ruler they could control. It proved that there were many who were willing to swallow this bait. Many hidden figures would gradually emerge.
Of all these people, only Li Yuanying wrote directly to him, scolding him for being unkind to the Crown Prince and not loving him.
Was the Crown Prince meant to be loved?
Emperor Li threw Li Yuanying’s letter onto the table. He felt that this kid was completely out of control, daring to point his finger at him and scold him!
While Emperor Li was still fuming, someone reported that Wei Zheng had requested an audience. When Emperor Li heard this, he thought it was Wei Zheng who had taught Li Yuanying to be like this. Why teach him the right thing, but instead teach him to love scolding people? What was that about?
Although angry, Emperor Li still ordered Wei Zheng to be summoned and listened to his complaints about recent issues. After Wei Zheng had finished his tirade, Emperor Li looked at him quietly and said, “Wei Qing, your son-in-law’s letter is just like yours. There are probably only the two of you who dare to scold me like this in the whole world.”
Wei Zheng, upon hearing this, thought that Emperor Li was wrong. There was still a difference between his scolding and Li Yuanying’s scolding. The main difference was that he was more objective, while Li Yuanying was definitely subjective. The two were vastly different and couldn’t be compared! Wei Zheng earnestly corrected Emperor Li’s incorrect opinion and resolutely refused to acknowledge that he had taught Li Yuanying. He was sometimes annoyed by Li Yuanying’s antics, and he wouldn’t take the blame for this!
Emperor Li was baffled by Wei Zheng’s roundabout arguments. He deeply regretted picking on Wei Zheng about this. He never won in arguments with Wei Zheng. Next time, he wouldn’t make things difficult for himself!
Emperor Li politely dealt with Wei Zheng, but his anger grew. He immediately wrote a letter back to Li Yuanying and gave him a good scolding.
After scolding him, Emperor Li’s pent-up frustration for days finally subsided.
This method was good. He could use it earlier next time.
The author has something to say:
Emperor Li: Scolding people is so stress-relieving!
Update!
Six thousand full attendance is still alive!
Two elders came to my house today, asking me to take them and my mother to Yunnan in June o(╥﹏╥)o. It took up quite a lot of time.
Actually, I haven’t been out much. I don’t want to be the leader; I want to be a fool o(╥﹏╥)o
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