The biggest regret of Li Tai’s life was that he didn’t stop Li Yuanying the first time he used his daughter as a horse.
If there were a magic pill of regret in the world, Li Tai would swallow it whole and then throw Li Yuanying out the door. Sadly, no such pill existed, so he could only swallow his bitterness, just as he had countless times before.
Before Li Yuanying had swept in and stolen their father’s affection for his sons, Li Tai’s life had been smooth sailing. Although he was born a year later than his elder brother, the Crown Prince, and didn’t hold the position of the eldest son, his father favored him. When he wanted to open a literary academy, his father provided the resources; when he wished to build a Buddha niche at Yi Que, his father supplied the funds. He had everything the Crown Prince had, and even enjoyed the secret support of many court officials.
Back then, he believed he had a chance to compete.
When Li Yuanying was born, Li Tai didn’t pay much attention. After all, the Taishang Huang had been constantly having children since abdicating, producing a whole litter of uncles and aunts for him. Even if Li Yuanying was the youngest, Li Tai didn’t think he was anything special.
Li Tai would remember Li Yuanying because he had taken a cherished ancient book to Li Yuanying’s “grasping ceremony” to please the Taishang Huang. Li Yuanying, however, was not polite. He played with other treasures, but when he reached the book, he looked it over, scrutinized it, and then, with a rip, tore it in half without hesitation.
Li Tai felt a pang in his heart and remembered the boy.
He secretly felt that perhaps he and Li Yuanying were incompatible.
Everything that happened later proved his intuition was right. Li Yuanying was born to counter him.
He diligently publicized his love for books to win over scholars, while Li Yuanying, in collusion with the Crown Prince, established a library to attract scholars from all over the empire.
He diligently boasted of his filial piety and devotion to his mother by building a Buddha niche, but Li Yuanying, along with his younger siblings, had a good cry, and their names were added to the inscription.
Even the esteemed Master Xiao, whom he had painstakingly invited to his residence to help compile the “Ku Di Zhi,” showed Li Yuanying special favor, leaving Li Tai constantly worrying that the master might be poached.
Worse still, Li Yuanying was a master at coaxing children, and he charmed Li Tai’s son into constantly repeating “Yao, Yao, Yao…”
Li Tai grew increasingly frustrated and finally decided to strike at Li Yuanying. He spread rumors about how Li Yuanying and the Crown Prince were attracting talent and buying the hearts of the people, hoping to arouse his father’s suspicions.
The results were disastrous. He lost his father’s favor, was sent to his fiefdom in disgrace, and constantly berated by Quan Wanji. Any slip-up was met with a torrent of criticism.
He became despondent and drowned his sorrows in alcohol, drinking himself into oblivion.
He thought that was how his life would be, quietly and unobtrusively spending his days in his fiefdom.
Then, his father suddenly ordered him to serve as an envoy to Goryeo.
He returned to the capital.
Seeing his father again, he noticed the silver strands in his hair and felt a pang of sadness. He couldn’t act like the childish self he once was. He must have hurt his father with his actions back then. He thought he had a chance, and his focus was entirely on that, almost like he was possessed.
Power and riches, weren’t they the demonic forces that beguiled people?
Li Tai learned that Li Yuanying had recommended him for the mission to Goryeo and felt like Li Yuanying was trying to kill him. Goryeo was so far away. The journey would involve countless miles, mountains, rivers, and dealings with countless people with their own hidden motives. Would he ever return safely?
But Li Tai still went.
He traveled on and on, climbed countless towering and rugged mountains, crossed countless deep and shallow rivers, met many people living in fertile and prosperous lands, and also encountered many others struggling in barren wastelands. Born into a life of luxury, he had never endured such hardships, nor had he ever properly seen such a vast world.
He suddenly understood why Li Yuanying always wanted to run away.
Although Li Tai still held some resentment toward Li Yuanying, his thoughts were gradually changing. Life was fleeting, and it didn’t require holding that particular position to be meaningful. Perhaps traveling to all corners of the world, like his mission to Goryeo, was a beautiful thing in itself.
This was also why, upon returning to Chang’an, he restrained himself from kicking Li Yuanying, who had come to see his children, out of the house.
This regret haunted him for many years.
Li Yuanying encouraged his children to do whatever they wanted. He didn’t just harm his own children, he also harmed other people’s children. At one point, he even campaigned to become the head of the royal kindergarten, leading a pack of children around in a frenzy. Even their father was helpless against him, finding him a nuisance but unwilling to let him go too far. He could only grit his teeth and accept it.
After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Li Yuanying became even more reckless. Li Yuanying had many supporters in the court, and Li Tai thought he was asking to be killed. He kindly offered him some advice, but Li Yuanying, instead of backing down, excitedly discussed with him when to recommend his daughter to lead a regiment.
Whose daughter would go to war?!
Li Tai couldn’t help but scoff: “You don’t have a daughter, so you shouldn’t be inflicting this harm on someone else’s daughter!”
These words seemed to strike a raw nerve, and Li Yuanying feigned illness for several days, never appearing in public again. People said he hadn’t even left his house. Even the new Emperor Li Chengqian was deeply concerned and went to visit Li Yuanying personally, worried that something might happen to him.
For several days, Li Tai tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, he sighed and went to visit Li Yuanying with some medicinal supplements.
In his opinion, it was Li Yuanying’s own fault that he had no daughters. If he wanted a daughter, he could have had more children, couldn’t he? If he didn’t want his wife to suffer, he could have taken some concubines. Not just in the royal family, but even among those upright gentlemen who extolled virtue and righteousness, how many didn’t have concubines?
So Li Yuanying deserved to be heartbroken!
But this guy was so stubborn, both amusing and heartbreaking. Though Li Tai didn’t indulge Li Yuanying to the point of being bewitched, like his father and older brother, he still felt a pang of guilt seeing Li Yuanying heartbroken for so many days.
Li Tai was ushered in and heard Li Yuanying’s angry voice from inside: “I don’t want to see him. I never want to see him again. Tell him to go away.”
It’s said that you don’t strike someone’s face, and you don’t expose someone’s weakness. Li Tai was too much. He had to go and poke at his sore spot.
After all, when his third son was born, he had cried with the boy, holding his son close.
He was truly, truly heartbroken. Then he remembered what the Taishang Huang had said about having eighteen sons but never mentioning a daughter. He suspected that even if he had eighteen sons, he wouldn’t have a daughter. He decided that he and Wei Jiu would stop having children. He didn’t want to experience that kind of heartbreak again. He had never been so miserable in his life!
Later, his second son became increasingly mischievous. Learning of his father’s desire for a daughter, he secretly went to Tang Xuan’s house and kidnapped a particularly cute little girl, bringing her home and saying to Li Yuanying, “Don’t be sad, Father. I’ve made an agreement with Nannuan. She’ll come to live with us and be your daughter!” Alas, Nannuan was so adorable, with a slightly round face and a pair of bright, dark eyes, so obedient and well-behaved. Li Yuanying’s eyes lit up, but Tang Xuan soon came chasing after him and took his daughter back.
Soon, his eldest and third sons learned about their second brother’s feat and came to comfort him. The third son even allowed his older brothers to dress him up as a girl and perform “entertaining with colorful clothes,” saying that if he wanted a daughter, he could do it more often. Li Yuanying’s eyes welled up, and he hugged his three sons and wept, finally letting go of his desire for a daughter and focusing on educating his three sons (mostly playing with them).
Every time Li Tai saw Li Yuanying doting on his sons, he felt a pang of envy. He felt that it was a cruel twist of fate that Li Yuanying’s three sons had grown up so well-behaved and sensible. Who would have thought that even after all this time, Li Yuanying would be so heartbroken because of a simple phrase “You can’t have a daughter?” He had thought Li Yuanying had moved on.
Li Tai set the medicinal supplements down and sat on the couch, patting Li Yuanying on the shoulder.
Li Yuanying ignored him, his back still to him, his face turned inwards, resolutely refusing to see Li Tai.
Li Tai could only helplessly make a concession: “As long as you can convince the Emperor and everyone else, I’ll agree to let Youyu join the army.”
These past few days, his daughter had been angry with him, thinking he didn’t understand her. She was always with her “female warrior” group, laughing and giggling, training in the training ground that Li Yuanying had built for her. She even ate with them, acting like she wanted to cut off ties with her “father.”
Li Yuanying’s reach was already long enough, but now he wanted to send his daughter to the army. Li Tai was furious! But things had come to this, and he couldn’t watch Li Yuanying continue to be sick, whether it was a real illness or just a charade, it was his fault.
Li Yuanying, upon hearing this, immediately turned to face him and confirmed: “Really?”
Li Tai replied, “Even if it’s not true, you can make it true.” Li Tai now had no doubt about Li Yuanying’s ability to influence people. Otherwise, why was even he scrambling to coax this guy? Li Tai sighed and apologized, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that to you. Don’t get sick. Get well soon.”
Li Yuanying instantly perked up: “You promised. Don’t go back on your word.” He took Li Tai’s hand and said earnestly, “I knew you loved your daughter. If I had a daughter as intelligent and adorable as Youyu, I wouldn’t know how to cherish her! Don’t worry, I’ve already compiled all of Old Li’s teachings for Youyu to study. As long as Youyu trains with Xue Rengui and the others, she’ll definitely become a capable general!”
“Old Li” referred to Li Jing. He and Hongfu had passed away in the same year, peacefully, and Li Yuanying had personally helped Li Dejian and the others carry their coffins back to their final resting place.
All of Li Jing’s manuscripts were copied for Li Yuanying. Some, deemed essential learning for everyone, were organized by Li Yuanying into a martial arts curriculum. Others, only suitable for a few gifted individuals, were never shared. Only Li Yuanying and Li Dejian kept copies. Li Yuanying’s copy had the widest circulation, and he had secretly given it to Xue Rengui, Tang Xuan, Liu Renqui, and others. He shared the “Art of War by Wei Gong” with anyone he believed could expand the empire’s borders.
Li Youyu also received a copy.
Interest is the greatest teacher. Li Yuanying had encouraged Li Youyu to pursue her dream of becoming a general since she was a child. She learned to read and write solely to study military strategy. In recent years, not only had she mastered the “Art of War by Wei Gong,” but she had also studied countless other military works available on the market. Even in her sleep, she was strategizing.
This was why Li Tai would not easily give in to Li Yuanying.
His daughter’s heart was set on the battlefield. What could he, her father, do?
He could only let them be.
Author’s Note:
Little Prince: Wuwuwuwu qaq
Little Prince: I don’t have a daughter, I need some nutritional liquid to comfort me!
“Not on the list” means I didn’t make the artificial ranking! In the ancient Chinese romance channel, books usually get on the list for a week, then are off for a week. When they’re off, they have no exposure, which means less revenue and affects the next list. So we can only rely on our own efforts and see if we can climb the reader cultivation list to rescue ourselves! It turns out that begging for a little bit can actually get 9,000 bottles of nutritional liquid! Sweet Spring, who has been a lazy fish for a long time, jumped up to update another chapter to beg for some nutritional liquid. Couldn’t we get 10,000? More people read, the better the ranking for the Little Prince’s Artificial List, allowing the Little Prince to have a grand ending qaq
Finally, I recommend a new story by my friend, Meat. Meat has a few first-golden stories that set a solid foundation, and the quality is very stable! There are also small red envelopes dropped in every chapter. You can go leave a comment and pick them up!
“Back to the Boyhood of the Big Boss”
Author: Crystal Emerald Meat
Blurb:
In her previous life, when Yu Jing was at her most destitute, Lu Beiyao stepped in to help her. As her life was about to end, he leaned close to her ear and gritted his teeth, saying, “Remember, you owe me a lifetime.”
When she woke up again, she was back in his teenage years, and he owed her a lifetime again.
Yu Jing: …
A one-sentence summary: My love story with the big boss
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