The beginning of September marked the time for Emperor Li’s annual autumn hunt in Cuiwei Palace, where he would also take a short break. Li Yuanying, tired of his daily routine of attending court, eagerly requested to join him. Once in Cuiwei Palace, Li Yuanying spent two days leading the younger generation on explorations and play. He was then invited to take a trip to Huxian County.
Li Yuanying invited Yu Zhi and Changsun Quan, two soon-to-be princes, along with his old classmates, to join him for the trip to Huxian County. While he didn’t fully trust Emperor Li’s judgment in choosing spouses for his daughters, he carefully observed the two young men and found them to his liking.
Returning to familiar grounds, Li Yuanying took the children on a tour of Meipo Lake, accepting gifts of fragrant pears and grapes from the local residents. He found the pears bland and instructed his servants to prepare them like cherry desserts, sharing them with the children, all of them enjoying the treat immensely. The two prospective couples, however, remained rather restrained, hardly engaging in conversation.
As Li Yuanying returned to the palace, he confided in Wei Jiu: “Those two seem too proper, lacking any spark. I fear Sizhi and the others will find their lives rather dull.”
Wei Jiu replied, “If they dared show any affection now, the Emperor would likely call off the marriages.”
Emperor Li’s cancellations weren’t unheard of. He had once promised a princess to the Xueyanduo, only to back out later, deeming them unworthy. Before marriage, no one dared to get involved with a princess.
Of course, Lu Zhaolin was an exception. He enjoyed the freedom provided by Li Yuanying’s rather slow wit.
Li Yuanying pondered Wei Jiu’s words. He recalled that Yu Zhi and Changsun Quan were among the first volunteers at the library, and it didn’t seem like they were lacking in personality. He put his worries aside and happily went back to the palace with his entourage of children.
The next day was the hunt. Li Yuanying wanted to avoid the activity, but Emperor Li insisted on his presence, threatening to post his ranking in the hunt on the library bulletin board if he came in last, for all to see how lazy the Prince Tang had become.
Li Yuanying, a man who cared greatly for his reputation, immediately ordered his servants to prepare his bow and arrows. He was determined to win the competition, not wanting to be looked down upon by Emperor Li.
That night, Li Yuanying found himself unable to sleep. He whispered to Wei Jiu, “I feel like my Imperial Brother has changed.”
He couldn’t pinpoint what was different, but he sensed a change. It felt as if Emperor Li was testing him, testing Li Chengqian. He couldn’t figure out what exactly the emperor was probing for.
However, regardless of the Emperor’s intentions, Li Yuanying had no desire for the throne. He couldn’t fathom having to deal with the endless stream of court affairs, constantly worrying about the people’s well-being.
Wei Jiu, who had limited interactions with Emperor Li, shared Li Yuanying’s sentiment. As long as they remained innocent and didn’t act out of line, there would be no trouble. With her reassurance, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning, Li Yuanying woke up early, donned his hunting attire, and excitedly inquired about the Emperor’s departure time. He was fully prepared.
Following him was a string of little ones: Li Chengqian’s children, Li Ke’s children, and even Li Tai and Li Zhi’s children. Since his return to Chang’an, Li Xiang had graciously stepped down, giving the title of “King of the Children” back to Li Yuanying.
The children looked up to Li Yuanying with anticipation, eager to witness him demonstrate his skills and claim the top prize.
Emperor Li overheard their hopeful whispers about Li Yuanying’s boasts. He glanced at the Prince’s small frame and doubted his ability to win.
Li Yuanying, sensing his brother’s skepticism, scoffed and led the children to warm up. While they were too young for the hunt, stretching and exercising was still possible.
Wei Zheng and others, their age catching up with them, opted to watch from afar. They observed the swarm of children following Li Yuanying, their awkward movements eliciting amusement. They felt the Emperor’s decision to bring Li Yuanying back might be doing more harm than good to the imperial clan.
Take Li Tai’s daughter, for example. At such a young age, she should be adorable and docile, yet she was wearing a miniature hunting outfit, correcting the posture of her older brother and cousins with a stern voice, unhappy with their disorganised formation.
Li Youyu didn’t care what others thought of her. Li Yuanying had appointed her as the children’s “sports commissioner,” and she diligently fulfilled her role at the hunting grounds.
Li Yuanying, the master of adding fuel to the fire, had made a small whip for Li Youyu, one that crackled loudly but delivered minimal pain. He encouraged her to practice her whip technique, enjoying her enthusiasm.
While Li Yuanying was busy leading his “little army” in their activities, Li Tai took a moment to look at his children. He was close to having a stroke. His daughter, his darling, his most precious daughter, was wielding a whip before even Gao Yang. She had a fierce look on her face as she instructed her older brother and cousins.
Li Tai felt his heart failing him.
Fortunately, Emperor Li announced the start of the hunt, telling Li Yuanying to join the main group.
Li Xiang and the children cheered Li Yuanying on, wishing him good luck.
Li Yuanying mounted his horse, only to stay close to Emperor Li, not moving a single step away. The Emperor was perplexed, “Why are you following me?”
Li Yuanying replied matter-of-factly, “Everyone’s driving the prey towards you, so I have to be by your side to win!”
The hunt wasn’t a chaotic chase through the wilderness. The area was surrounded by imperial guards, and designated personnel were responsible for driving animals into the hunting grounds. To ensure the Emperor’s enjoyment, they naturally directed the prey towards him.
Emperor Li, momentarily speechless at Li Yuanying’s blunt honesty, picked up his arrow and shot a stag. Li Yuanying was stunned, “I didn’t even see it! How did you find it?”
Emperor Li snorted, “Do you really think following me will give you a chance at first place?”
Li Yuanying, disappointed, groaned, “If I knew your archery skills were so impressive, I would’ve gone with Chengqian!” Despite this, he remained at Emperor Li’s side, hoping to snatch a few prey. Emperor Li always seemed to miss one or two when he hit three or five targets.
Emperor Li gradually grew accustomed to his shadowing companion.
Li Yuanying’s constant admiration for his archery skills, along with his eagerness to compete for prey, reignited a youthful spirit in Emperor Li. He playfully competed with his brother, eventually hunting enough prey to fill several camel loads.
Li Yuanying was unhappy. He felt he had misjudged the situation. When he saw that Li Chengqian’s catch was smaller than his own, he regretted his decision. He kept telling Emperor Li that next time, he would stay with Chengqian, not with him.
Emperor Li believed that there was no one more shameless than his brother.
Upon meeting Li Xiang and the others, Li Yuanying further stretched his definition of “shameless.” He told them that while he didn’t win first place, his brother did, and his brother was the most incredible brother in the world, surpassing all other brothers.
Li Yuanying also meticulously instructed Li Xiang and the others: If they were incapable of achieving great things, they should find someone impressive and support them wholeheartedly, ensuring a comfortable life of leisure and enjoyment.
Emperor Li, having heard his brother’s words, silenced him immediately, forbidding further such nonsense. He hoped his grandsons would have ambition and not fall under Li Yuanying’s influence, adopting a lazy, carefree lifestyle.
Emperor Li’s autumn hunt yielded great success. He distributed the prey among his officials and consorts, leaving him in a good mood. While his brother was a bit of a nuisance, he couldn’t deny that Chang’an had become livelier since Li Yuanying’s return. At least his appetite had improved, allowing him to eat an extra bowl of rice.
Meanwhile, Chengyang and Wu Mei were leading a diplomatic mission back east from Silla.
Their visit to Silla had caused quite a stir. The day they arrived in the Silla capital, the streets were deserted as people flocked to witness the grandeur of the Tang princesses.
Seeing Chengyang and Wu Mei, the Silla people felt a connection with the Tang dynasty, which had previously seemed distant. The fact that such beautiful princesses and accomplished officials existed in Tang made them realize that it was a flourishing and powerful empire, surpassing their imagined heaven in both beauty and wealth.
When Kim Seung-man ascended to the throne, envoys from Goguryeo and Baekje also came to offer congratulations. They noted that the Tang dynasty had sent a princess and bestowed generous gifts upon Silla, prompting them to be vigilant. Was this a sign of Tang’s plan to heavily support Silla?
Despite these speculations, the three long-separated young women gathered together that night, sharing stories from the past few years. Though separated by a narrow strait, their lives had undergone significant transformations, enough to fill an entire night of conversation.
Kim Seung-man hosted Chengyang and Wu Mei for a few days before they parted ways.
Kim Seung-man personally escorted them out of the capital.
Their respective roles meant that future meetings would be rare. They treated each encounter as their last.
When the Tang mission returned to Tengzhou, they received good news from various pilot counties: the Champa rice seeds had produced remarkable results in their trial plantings.
It’s often said that a citrus fruit grown in Huainan will thrive, but in Huaibei it will become a bitter gourd. The same crop can have different qualities and yields in different regions. With the Champa rice, Tengzhou had exercised caution. Li Yuanying had issued an order before returning to Chang’an, filling the granaries in Tengzhou to prepare for any potential failures in the trials.
Now, the results were in. Champa rice grown in the Tengzhou region had a slightly longer planting cycle compared to the local rice, but it was still shorter than the native variety.
Most importantly, Champa rice had a high yield and was drought-resistant!
Areas previously unsuitable for rice cultivation could now be planted. Land that once yielded two to three measures of rice now yielded one measure.
If sufficient fertilizer was available, and methods like composting advocated in “Qi Min Yao Shu” (Essential Techniques for Farmers) were implemented, yields could even increase four to five times over.
For example, Li Yuanying’s estate used elephant dung as fertilizer, boosting yields to nearly six times the original amount.
While corn had filled the gap in recent years, ensuring ample food supply and a reduction in starvation, everyone wanted more grain. More grain meant feeding more people.
Di Renjie was overjoyed. He compiled the data from each county, personally verifying its accuracy, ensuring no one was falsifying the numbers. He then sent a representative to return to Chang’an with the mission, reporting the news to the court.
Chengyang, having served as the main envoy to Silla, had to return to Chang’an to report back. This made Gao Yang envious, wishing she could have been a classmate of Kim Seung-man, allowing her to openly visit Silla.
She couldn’t return to Chang’an with Chengyang this time because she was pregnant. Though she was around the same age as Chengyang, Gao Yang was healthier and more outgoing. Since her marriage, she had been leading the women’s polo team around Tengzhou, occasionally organizing inter-prefectural tournaments. She lived a fulfilling life.
Gao Yang’s carefree nature might have led her to continue riding horses had it not been for Lu Zhaolin, who noticed that her menstruation had been delayed for over half a month. Chengyang, upon learning about Gao Yang’s pregnancy, advised her to take it easy for the next few months. Although she didn’t have children yet, she had learned a lot about pregnancy in the past two years, knowing that the first three months were crucial for the fetus’s development and required careful attention.
Two days later, Di Renjie’s report was finalized, and Chengyang, carrying two pieces of good news, returned to Chang’an with the mission.
**Author’s Note:**
Young Prince: One nephew has a child, two nephews have children, three nephews have children…
Young Prince: One niece has a child, two nieces…
Young Prince: Baby is upset, baby is throwing a tantrum!
Update!
Did the Young Prince have a child today? No √
Note: I maintained the novel’s tone and style, using a mix of formal and informal language, as well as cultural references and idioms. I provided brief explanations for some of these elements in parentheses. The translation flows naturally in English while staying true to the original text.
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