The news of the Crown Prince’s return to the capital was no small matter, and soon the entire court knew about it. Emperor Li, naturally, had also heard the news. If Li Chengqian had gone elsewhere, Emperor Li might not have been interested in hearing about it in detail, but Li Chengqian had gone to Tengzhou, and Emperor Li was very curious about what Li Yuanying’s intentions were in inviting Li Chengqian there.
Hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived, Emperor Li had him ushered in. Besides Emperor Li, the meeting hall was also occupied by Changsun Wuji and others who often stayed late to discuss matters of state. Emperor Li felt that Li Yuanying was surely up to something, so he didn’t dismiss the others and told them to stay and listen.
Upon entering and seeing this grand gathering, Li Chengqian respectfully greeted Emperor Li, and then proceeded to tell him about what he had seen and heard in Tengzhou. He also mentioned the talented people he had brought back with him.
This was all routine, and Emperor Li listened with a lack of interest, not paying much attention. It wasn’t until Li Chengqian started talking about inspecting the naval forces that he perked up and listened attentively. After hearing Li Chengqian’s exciting descriptions, Emperor Li had to admit he was jealous.
Then, Li Chengqian began to enumerate the various marine products he had encountered, like a seasoned expert, adding that he had brought back many specimens and live creatures which he planned to display at the Royal Kindergarten. Emperor Li nodded in agreement, finding Li Chengqian’s idea commendable. It was indeed time to broaden the children’s horizons.
He hadn’t visited the Royal Kindergarten in all this time, and he happened to have some free time now, so he decided to go see his grandsons and granddaughters. Emperor Li granted Li Chengqian’s request and told him to take the exhibits directly to the Hongwen Academy for the children to learn from.
Seeing that Emperor Li was in a good mood, Li Chengqian presented his idea for the International Expo to him, even bringing out the plan he and Li Yuanying had drafted and presenting it to Emperor Li: “Your son believes that this International Expo is worth holding, as it would not only showcase the might of our Great Tang, but also allow the officials and the common people to learn about the products and cultures of various places.”
Having spent over half a month with Li Yuanying, Li Chengqian’s speech had also acquired some new expressions, though they were easily understood by everyone present.
This International Expo was indeed worth holding, but Emperor Li wasn’t happy. The last time they had gone to Tengzhou, Li Yuanying had been too busy getting married and hadn’t shown them much hospitality, leaving them at the palace without any attention. This time, however, Li Yuanying had personally accompanied Li Chengqian, shown him all these new and interesting things, and come up with a massive plan for the International Expo.
Clearly, this little rascal was a hypocrite. He only shared the good things with his nephew and completely forgot about his elder brother.
Emperor Li snorted coldly and said to Li Chengqian, “The plan is good, but how can we host such a grand event in two places at once? Where will people go, to Tengzhou or Chang’an? No need to host it in Tengzhou, just hold it in Chang’an.”
Li Chengqian could tell that Emperor Li was angry but didn’t know what he was angry about. Emperor Li had directly seized the hosting rights for the International Expo for Chang’an. Li Yuanying would surely be furious when he found out!
Being a man of loyalty, Li Chengqian bravely pleaded for Li Yuanying, “Father, this isn’t right, is it? My uncle came up with the idea, how can you allow it to be held only in Chang’an and not Tengzhou?”
Emperor Li said, “Does he dare to have any objections?”
There was no point in arguing further.
Li Chengqian couldn’t believe that Emperor Li would do such a shameless thing. After seeing Emperor Li, he quickly went to write a letter to Li Yuanying, informing him about Emperor Li’s act of seizing the hosting rights.
The International Expo wasn’t to be held until next year, so there was still plenty of time, and Li Chengqian thought there was still a chance to convince Emperor Li to change his mind. Before then, they needed to get other preparations underway. After all, it would take at least six months just to send envoys to different places, and even a year wouldn’t be enough time for a round trip, so the envoys had to be sent out first.
In recent years, following Li Yuanying’s suggestion, Li Tai and Li Ke had taken turns being envoys to different countries, and Li Chengqian hadn’t left them out, gathering them together to discuss who would be responsible for organizing which exhibition area. Firstly, they might have acquaintances, and secondly, they had some knowledge of the local situation and could judge whether those attending the exhibition were genuinely interested or just trying to deceive the Great Tang.
Li Chengqian had become much more open-minded now. If his younger brothers were willing to let him be a carefree feudal prince, he would even be willing to give up the position of Crown Prince. Of course, this was just a fantasy, as it was obvious that no one would tolerate a former Crown Prince, who had been the heir apparent for over a decade, living a carefree life.
Having undergone a change in perspective, Li Chengqian’s attitude towards his brothers was completely different. While previously he had held some reservations and worried about whether they were trying to usurp the position of Crown Prince, now he simply saw Li Tai and the others as his brothers. When it came to organizing the International Expo, he discussed it with them openly, hoping everyone would contribute to this grand event.
Li Ke and Li Tai could sense this change.
Li Tai, who would never reconcile with Li Chengqian under normal circumstances, also felt the need to take this International Expo seriously upon hearing Li Chengqian repeatedly say, “This is what we need to do for our Great Tang.” If they could make this into a regular event, even if the merchants of the Great Tang didn’t go out themselves, they could still sit at home and enjoy the treasures and delicacies from all over the world!
The brothers sat together and boasted about their grand plans, feeling refreshed and not averse to putting in the effort. They all expressed their willingness to do their best to make this International Expo a huge success.
Li Chengqian was very happy to have his brothers’ support, and he ordered some good wine to be brought out for them to drink freely.
The feast was a mixed bag of emotions for everyone, but they all agreed that this kind of Crown Prince, this kind of older brother, was actually not bad.
Li Tai took a detour to pick up Li Xiaoyuanqiu and his siblings from school.
Seeing Li Tai arrive, Li Xiaoyuanqiu, holding his younger brother and sister by the hand, ran towards him excitedly. The three siblings were of different ages and studied different things, so they weren’t in the same class. After getting into the carriage, they started chattering to Li Tai, each vying to tell him what they had done at the Hongwen Academy, sometimes even arguing about who got to speak first.
Li Tai was getting a headache from their incessant chatter, but he didn’t show any impatience. They were his children after all, could he really leave them behind? He had no choice but to listen patiently, offering words of encouragement to each child at appropriate times.
It wasn’t so bad that Emperor Li had sent these little rascals to study at the Hongwen Academy. At least sending them off to the Hongwen Academy during the day meant that he and his wife wouldn’t be bothered by them wanting to do this or that!
Li Ke and the others had nearly the same thought: Little brats are a nuisance when you’re with them, but you miss them when they’re not around. So sending them to the Hongwen Academy to play together during the day, and bringing them home to tease them in the evening, actually felt pretty good!
Everything in Chang’an was going well, and the envoys who were tasked with sending out invitations for the International Expo were all in place and ready to depart.
In contrast, things weren’t so peaceful in Tengzhou. Li Yuanying had been in high spirits after his heart-to-heart talk with his grand-nephew. He cheerfully assigned tasks, sending envoys to different countries to invite people to the International Expo. Regardless of whether it was a powerful nation or a small country, whether prosperous or backward, if they were willing to come, they could be picked up by sea and transported easily, without having to worry about transportation.
This atmosphere of bustling activity and joy lasted only until Li Chengqian’s urgent letter arrived.
Upon reading Li Chengqian’s letter, Li Yuanying was furious. He couldn’t imagine a worse person than Emperor Li. The idea was his (although he had gotten some advice from the system and Wu Mei) yet Emperor Li wanted to snatch the hosting rights, forbidding them to hold it in Tengzhou. This was outrageous! It was truly inconceivable that Emperor Li, as the ruler of the nation, could act in such a shameless way.
Li Yuanying was fuming for the entire day, unable to even enjoy his meal. He thought Emperor Li was truly bullying him. Upon returning from the academy, Wei Jiu saw Li Yuanying’s sullen face and learned that he hadn’t even eaten much. She immediately sat beside him and asked what was wrong.
Li Yuanying was feeling extremely angry and wronged. He immediately demanded a kiss and a hug from Wei Jiu, nuzzling against her neck for a while before finally launching into a denunciation of Emperor Li’s evil deeds. He recounted all the times Emperor Li had wronged him, from stealing his corn as a child to now stealing the hosting rights of the International Expo. It only reinforced his belief that Emperor Li had a nasty habit of snatching things.
Li Yuanying angrily exclaimed, “A ruler of a country actually acts in such a way, he’s truly shameless!”
Wei Jiu also thought that Emperor Li was going too far, and she joined Li Yuanying in his anger. It was true that they were merely feudal princes, but Emperor Li couldn’t just arbitrarily snatch something without giving any explanation. This was truly hurtful!
Li Yuanying and Wei Jiu angrily berated Emperor Li for a while, but they still couldn’t let it go. They went to the study and wrote a letter to Emperor Li, criticizing him. Li Yuanying was just as adept at insulting as he was at flattering. This time, he wrote several thousand words, each sentence different, entirely focused on berating Emperor Li’s shamelessness.
Li Yuanying, fuming, had the letter sent to Chang’an, instructing them to deliver it as quickly as possible. If Emperor Li didn’t give him a satisfactory explanation, he would go back to Chang’an and demand one himself!
After sending the letter, Wei Jiu asked Li Yuanying if he still wanted to send envoys to invite neighboring countries.
Li Yuanying replied, “I’ve already made an agreement with Chengqian, we definitely need to invite them.” Though he had cursed Emperor Li out, if Emperor Li was determined to prevent him from hosting the event in Tengzhou, there was nothing he could do. Regardless of whether it was held in Chang’an or Tengzhou, he would still invite people, and it would be too late to send envoys before the exhibition began.
If necessary, he would simply find a different excuse to host it in Tengzhou. The name might not be as prestigious as “International Expo,” but it could certainly be held in a lively and festive way!
The blank documents Li Chengqian had left behind were already filled with invitation letters of uniform format, with only the country names missing. Only the ones for Silla and a few other confirmed countries were filled in, while the rest were left for the envoys to handle as they saw fit. They could fill in the names of previously unknown countries with which they had no prior contact and send out invitations to them.
Seeing that Li Yuanying was no longer so angry, Wei Jiu took him to have dinner. After venting his anger at Emperor Li, Li Yuanying felt much better. Sitting down, he finally felt hungry as the aroma of the food filled his senses. He hummed and said to Wei Jiu, “Next time I’m angry, I’ll have to remember to eat properly, can’t let myself go hungry.”
Wei Jiu replied, “That’s the right attitude.”
With his wife beside him to comfort him, Li Yuanying was back in high spirits the next day. He enthusiastically finished arranging work for the envoys before going to visit the newly arrived talent, encouraging them to settle down in Tengzhou, work hard, and together build a better Tengzhou and a better Great Tang.
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: Shameless elder brother! (points accusingly)
Update!
Second update complete √
My sleep schedule is ruined x
Please give me some nutrient solution!
**[Please note that this is a translation of the Chinese text and may not capture all the nuances of the original. Some cultural references and idioms have been explained in parentheses.]**
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