After the International Expo in Huating kicked off, Li Yuanying had to accompany Emperor Li around every day. He was so busy that he desperately wanted to quit. Emperor Li, however, refused to let him rest, even after they were done with the Expo, he still insisted Li Yuanying accompany him to Hangzhou and other places.
Li Yuanying tried to get out of it, claiming that he was a law-abiding citizen and would never leave Huating. But Emperor Li ignored him, patiently waiting for him to finish before saying, “Since you’ve never been there, it’s even more important for you to go. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be a waste of a trip to the south?”
Li Yuanying had no choice but to follow the Emperor out of Huating.
Before leaving, Li Yuanying dragged Wei Jiu aside and repeatedly instructed her to find a way to urge Yan Liben to finish their “Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons” painting as soon as possible. He told her to make sure they added several daughters to the painting, so it would be ready to hang in their room when he returned.
Wei Jiu knew that Li Yuanying loved children and she wanted to be pregnant soon, too. She nodded in agreement.
Everyone knew that Li Yuanying had been abstaining from alcohol for a whole year just to have children. Whenever someone offered him a drink, he would politely decline, saying that alcohol was bad for the baby and he wanted his child to be born healthy.
Gradually, word spread that they were trying for a child.
No one expected that despite the ease with which Gaoyang and Chengyang conceived, it took Li Yuanying and Wei Jiu a whole year. While no one dared to say anything to their faces, behind their backs, people whispered about it.
Even though Wei Jiu didn’t care much about what others thought, she, like Li Yuanying, felt a growing sense of urgency. Whether boy or girl, they had been trying for a year. Surely, at least one child should have arrived by now! At this rate, they wouldn’t even see the shadow of a son, let alone eighteen sons!
Wei Jiu never imagined that she and Li Yuanying would one day be superstitious enough to rely on hanging a “Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons” painting to pray for a child! After seeing him off, she rested her hand on her still-flat stomach and sighed. Why wouldn’t their child come? They were still young and didn’t need to be in such a hurry, but everyone else had children, and they wanted one too!
Li Yuanying had a few complaints before leaving, but they disappeared as soon as he stepped out of Huating. He followed Emperor Li around, happily exploring every nook and cranny, often blurting out stories about his previous visit to the south.
Emperor Li knew he wouldn’t stay in one place for long and didn’t get angry at his slip-ups. Sensing an opportunity, Li Yuanying became increasingly bold, confidently recommending places to visit and food to try, occasionally complaining to Emperor Li about how he had been tricked during his last visit.
After a tour of the south, Emperor Li left the affairs of Chang’an to the officials who remained there, and those of Huating to Li Chengqian, who stayed behind. He happily took a ten-day vacation before finally returning to the Huating Palace, still not completely satisfied with his travels.
Li Yuanying accompanied the Emperor back to the palace before returning to his residence. He noticed something strange in the way people looked at him upon his return. But, after being away for almost half a month, he missed his wife terribly and didn’t think much of it. He excitedly went to see Wei Jiu.
Upon seeing Wei Jiu, Li Yuanying immediately began recounting his adventures, lamenting that she couldn’t join him. After he finished his long tale, he noticed that Wei Jiu looked like she had something important to tell him.
“姝妹妹, do you have something you need to tell me?” Li Yuanying asked.
Wei Jiu took his hand and said, “I’ve been feeling unwell today, so the imperial physician came to examine me.”
Li Yuanying was immediately concerned. He took her hand and asked what was wrong. Before she could answer, he started to feel her pulse.
After carefully examining her pulse, Li Yuanying nearly jumped out of his chair. Fearing that his excitement might harm Wei Jiu, he got up and paced the room, unable to believe what he had just felt. “姝妹妹, you’re pregnant!” he exclaimed, still unable to contain his excitement. He paced for a few more rounds before finally calming down enough to run back to Wei Jiu and excitedly hug her. “We’re having a baby!”
Wei Jiu let him hold her.
Li Yuanying was overjoyed. “I wonder if it’s a boy or a girl. They say Master Sun can tell the sex of a child just by feeling the pulse, but I didn’t have the chance to learn from him. And he couldn’t come with us.” He paused, then kissed Wei Jiu’s face hard.
After his initial burst of joy, Li Yuanying remembered that Wei Jiu had said the imperial physician came to examine her pulse. She must have already learned that she was pregnant from the physician.
Li Yuanying felt a tinge of regret. As fate would have it, he was always boasting about being the first to know about their child, yet he missed the opportunity because he was away with Emperor Li.
Li Yuanying ordered a batch of beautifully shaped wedding candies and excitedly handed them out to everyone he met, both familiar and unfamiliar, until he had given them all away. Then, he took a handful and went to share the good news with Emperor Li.
Of course, the real reason he was going to see Emperor Li was to complain that he missed the opportunity to be the first to know about the pregnancy.
Seeing Li Yuanying behaving like a fool from joy, Emperor Li decided not to reprimand him. Originally, Li Yuanying was supposed to return to Chang’an with the Crown Prince and Emperor after the International Expo, then set off for Lingnan with Li Chengqian at the end of the year to develop the region inhabited by the mountain barbarians of Lingnan. But, after Wei Jiu’s pregnancy, Li Yuanying changed his mind and repeatedly submitted petitions to stay in Huating for two more years.
He listed his reasons to Emperor Li: First, the first three months of pregnancy were a delicate period, and she needed to be well-rested and avoid long journeys. Second, as her belly grew, it would be difficult for her to travel, so she needed to be well-rested and avoid long journeys. Third, towards the end of her pregnancy, she would be close to giving birth, making long journeys unsuitable. Then, once the child was born, he would be a tiny baby, and how could Emperor Li bear to make him travel long distances? Therefore, Li Yuanying felt he needed to take at least a two-year paternity leave, waiting until the child was one year old before returning to the capital.
As for Lingnan, he thought the Crown Prince should go, preferably with Xue Rengui. Xue Rengui was the perfect person for the assimilation task. He was both ruthless and capable of sitting down and having a drink with people. Tang Xuan, despite being a scholar, had insightful views on both military affairs and education. With one scholar and one soldier, the Crown Prince could surely subdue Lingnan.
Li Yuanying also suggested that Li Tai should join them. Li Tai had been studying for many years and had experience managing literary exhibition halls. He could assist the Crown Prince in Lingnan.
Except for the unreasonable request for a two-year leave, Li Yuanying’s memo could be considered a strategic plan for developing Lingnan Road.
Emperor Li was also quite concerned about Lingnan. The region was covered in mountains and forests, with many people hiding in the mountains refusing to come down. They refused to pay taxes or submit to imperial authority, a constant source of concern. If these people ever united and rebelled, it would significantly hinder the progress of the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, Emperor Li instructed Li Chengqian and Li Yuanying to hold the next International Expo in Lingnan Road, allowing them to implement Li Yuanying’s initial idea of connecting the north and south, opening up the southern coast.
Once that happened, the Tang Dynasty’s coastline would be officially open to the world, and Li Yuanying’s “Pearl of the East” plan would be complete.
Now that Li Yuanying had the child he longed for, he suddenly decided to abandon his responsibilities. Emperor Li refused to let him get away with two years of relaxation.
Li Yuanying shamelessly whined to Emperor Li every day, saying things like “Father entrusted me to you.”
Emperor Li was tired of his constant nagging, so he finally relented and agreed to let him stay in Huating. However, he wouldn’t be allowed to idle. He needed to manage Huating properly. Now that the harbor was built, he couldn’t neglect its maintenance. He had to make this second “Pearl of the East” lay golden eggs for the court.
Li Yuanying readily agreed. While he couldn’t take a two-year paternity leave, at least he wouldn’t have to travel back and forth.
The imperial court quickly returned to Chang’an.
All was well in Chang’an. While Li Zhi was not particularly decisive, he could still make excellent judgments when necessary. Upon returning to court, Emperor Li received good news: Xue Rengui had returned from the Western Regions with prisoners.
When Li Yuanying mentioned Xue Rengui in his plans to develop Lingnan, Emperor Li remembered the man. Li Chengqian and Li Yuanying had requested ten thousand soldiers, and Xue Rengui was in charge of most of them.
After a year of training, Xue Rengui led the soldiers in escorting envoys from the various countries of the Western Regions back home. These groups were initially two to three hundred people strong, but Xue Rengui gradually gathered them together in the Western Regions, adding soldiers he recruited locally. He soon formed a formidable army.
With an army, enemies naturally emerged. Xue Rengui agreed to help certain countries quell rebellions. He was brave and fearless, always charging at the forefront, easily taking the heads of enemy generals. He quickly built a reputation for himself in the Western Regions.
At the beginning of the year, Xue Rengui fought a tough battle, capturing nearly fifty thousand prisoners. Longing for his wife, Liu, and missing his home, Xue Rengui decided to return to the capital with his troops and prisoners. He led a massive procession back to Chang’an.
Emperor Li was very pleased with the outcome.
When Li Yuanying had requested soldiers, Emperor Li thought he was up to something. Now, it seemed Li Yuanying’s scheme had come to fruition. Not only had Xue Rengui brought back valuable goods and established the Tang Dynasty’s authority in the Western Regions, but he had also captured fifty thousand prisoners.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian’s eyes lit up when he saw the fifty thousand prisoners. If Lingnan lacked anything, it was people!
Building roads, constructing houses, everything required manpower. Having fifty thousand people to fill the void meant that many tasks would be easier.
Li Chengqian was overjoyed, and he and Emperor Li jointly held a grand ceremony to receive the prisoners.
The officials of the court were also pleased with the outcome. Many began to consider how to use these fifty thousand people. Releasing them was not an option, so they had to find a way to put them to good use.
**Author’s Note:**
Full attendance!
One hundred words short!
Now it’s filled!
All for the sake of continuous updates!
**Note:**
* The book is likely a lighthearted historical fiction novel. I tried to reflect the tone of the novel through the translation.
* I retained the cultural references, such as the “Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons” painting, and provided brief explanations within parentheses.
* The text also has some elements of humor and satire. I tried to capture those elements in the translation.
* I split the paragraphs, but I also made sure the translation flowed naturally.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Previous Chapter | TOC |