Yun Ye had sixty-three students, plus eleven auditing students.

Li Gang didn’t even consult with Yun Ye before appointing himself as the headmaster. He even took up a brush and wrote four large characters “Yushan Academy,” having the Yun residence steward carve them into a plaque to hang on the estate gate. Old Niu and Yun Ye accepted this power grab with smiles. Yun Ye even considered Old Li a genuinely good person—sparing no effort in supporting the younger generation, shouldering troubles himself, letting everyone share in the credit. In the later world, if he had such a leader, would he have fallen into a wormhole and run to the Tang Dynasty?

Yun Ye was weak. Even if his achievements towered over the world, they couldn’t disguise the fact that he was sixteen years old. From Li’er, he learned of the formidable power of scholarly factions. Although every big shot currently cherished and protected Yun Ye, once fundamental interests were touched, they would strike ruthlessly without leaving any mercy. Struggles between scholarly factions had always been bloody. Even the sage Confucius had executed Shao Zhengmao—let alone his disciples and followers. The Shandong aristocratic clans, precisely because they controlled the academic high ground, could look down upon imperial authority, giving Li’er endless headaches with no way to suppress them. Li’er probably would prefer Shandong had never existed rather than face the current situation.

Can’t provoke them? How about this lord hiding? With Li Gang as a shield up front, you all should at least give some face, right? This lord has made up his mind to be like an ant on a great dike—gnawing a bit today, gnawing a bit more tomorrow. I refuse to believe this dike is cast from steel and iron.

Li Tai now felt that Old Niu gave him no face whatsoever. His purple-gold crown was confiscated, his brocade robe confiscated, his deerskin boots confiscated, his money pouch confiscated—even the snacks his wet nurse had packed for him were confiscated. A set of sky-blue hemp clothing and a pair of cloth shoes were neatly held in the hands of a small boy—one of those eleven auditing students who still needed to do menial work at the academy. Although Li Tai was angry, he possessed the magnanimity inherited from the imperial family. Knowing this was Niu Jinda’s order, though his face didn’t look pleased, he didn’t throw a tantrum. Except for his undergarments, everything brought from the palace had to be handed over.

From the moment he became aware of the world, he had learned the importance of rules. What should be yours is yours; what shouldn’t be yours cannot be seized.

The morning at Yushan was cold and tranquil. When the bell rang, only a sparse few stood at the academy gate: Zhangsun Chong, Li Huairen, Li Tai, and Li Ke were among them. Those eleven young boys stood in two rows, hands behind their backs, as if waiting for inspection.

Yun Ye had changed into blue hemp clothing, his long hair tied in a ponytail hanging behind him, his face full of smiles, just like a mischievous neighborhood youth about to pull off the most laugh-inducing prank. In any case, you could take him for an aristocratic dandy or a country rascal—just couldn’t connect him with a marquis.

“Ha! The early bird gets the worm. Let’s go eat breakfast.”

Zhangsun Chong cast a sympathetic glance at those companions who were rubbing their sleepy eyes and cursing as they emerged from their dormitories. He grabbed Li Tai and Li Ke and followed Yun Ye outside.

The Yun family home wasn’t far from the academy. On horseback, it took no more than a meal’s time to arrive beneath the Yun family’s extremely luxurious memorial archway.

Zhuang Santing and the estate guards had been waiting here early for the master’s return. Seeing the group arrive, they quickly came forward to lead horses and hold stirrups, providing thorough service.

Surveying the Yun family estate, Yun Ye gained a rough understanding of this era’s farmers’ standard of living.

So poor! The roads in the estate had perhaps been swept once because the master was arriving today. The dwellings on both sides were almost entirely thatched houses—a Guanzhong characteristic, the half-sided house. Roofs elsewhere were all pitched, but in Guanzhong alone, there was only one side of the pitch. A foot-wide hole in the south wall served as a window. Few households had tiles on their roofs, except for the Yun family’s clearly stratified mansion.

The farmers all stood with hands in sleeves sunning themselves against the walls. Seeing a large group approaching, they instantly scattered. The curious hid in their own houses, peering out through door cracks.

“Little Chong, Huairen, is the situation in your family fiefs also like this?” Yun Ye was somewhat puzzled. Tang law stipulated that male adults receive forty mu of land, women receive twenty mu, plus twenty mu of mulberry fields. Even oxen over four years old received thirty mu of ox-plow fields. This was far better than the later world—so how could they still be this poor?

“Just lazy, that’s all. Mother Empress explained to us that our Great Tang’s equal-field system is the most thorough. As long as men have fields to plow and women have silk to weave, they’ll have good days and certainly won’t go hungry. Marquis Yun, look at them—they’d rather sun themselves against walls than work. Being poor is what they deserve. Your estate is full of lazy bums.” Zhangsun Chong didn’t answer, but Li Tai spoke up first.

“Ah Tai! Let’s not rush to conclusions. Let’s understand the situation first before speaking, otherwise we’ll make fools of ourselves like ‘why don’t they eat meat?’ We’ve all had no contact with farming households and don’t understand why it’s like this. My natural sciences emphasize investigation before drawing conclusions. Without investigation, there’s no right to speak. My teacher said that the subjects of our Great Tang are the most industrious people in this world. There’s absolutely no way an entire estate would be full of lazy bums.” Yun Ye detested this kind of statement.

Li Tai was somewhat unconvinced, but Li Ke nodded, finding it reasonable.

“My family’s estate is also like this. I heard Father say that human strength has its limits. The estates that farming households accumulated over several generations were destroyed by war and chaos. Starting over from scratch naturally won’t make them wealthy so easily. It’s not just our two families’ estates—all estates around Chang’an are the same. After all, landlords all collect the same rents.” Zhangsun Chong’s family understood some things, but even this wasn’t complete. Yun Ye planned to personally investigate the farmers’ income composition during his free time, then find beneficial growth points from it. What suited them would be best.

They arrived home. This was the imposing presence the Yun family should have. The stone lions were tall and mighty. The eight-panel vermillion gate was studded with massive copper nails. Five bats painted on the gate corridor all looked auspicious. The wooden flying eaves were covered with beast heads. The courtyard walls built of blue bricks were tall and sturdy.

Qian Tong led the servants to open the main gate and stand at attention on both sides. Yun Ye, Li Tai, Li Ke, Zhangsun Chong, and Li Huairen entered through the main gate, while the remaining guards entered the Yun residence through side gates.

The two princes paid respects to Grandmother, performing the juniors’ ceremony. Since Grandmother had met the Emperor and Empress twice, she had long grown accustomed to the likes of these princes. She accepted the courtesy openly and grabbed Li Tai’s and Li Ke’s hands, praising them endlessly, saying His Majesty’s two children were so spirited—with thick eyebrows and large eyes, one look showed they were blessed.

Li Tai and Li Ke had probably never been praised like this before. Their faces flushed bright red. They didn’t know whether to stay or leave, making the aunts and other women laugh continuously.

Zhangsun Chong and Li Huairen’s families visited frequently. They were freer at the Yun family than at their own homes. Having not eaten breakfast so early in the morning, they now grabbed snacks from the display plates and ate non-stop. What kind of guests would grab things from display plates? This made Little Li Three and Little Li Four swallow their saliva repeatedly. They too hadn’t eaten since last night, but propriety prevented them from helping themselves.

Grandmother lightly tapped those two fellows on the head. “No manners! The meal has long been prepared. Is it really necessary to eat yesterday’s snacks?”

The two fellows laughingly supported the old grandmother to the dining hall.

The Yun family had an enormous dining hall with a huge round table inside. Maids were placing food plates on the table, one portion per person. Richly cooked preserved-egg and lean-pork congee with green onions sprinkled on top looked appetizing. Oil-drizzled finely cut pickled vegetables still sizzled. Five fist-sized steamed buns, snow-white and steaming hot.

Zhangsun Chong pulled out chairs while Li Huairen supported the old grandmother, placing her in the seat of honor. They immediately sat in the lower seats, continuously urging Little Li Three and Little Li Four to take the guest seats.

Having never seen such a large table or eaten meals this way—normally they knelt properly at low tables to dine alone—who would have over a dozen people surrounding an enormous round table to eat together? However, the food seemed very delicious. They sat in the positions Zhangsun Chong indicated, and maids fastened napkins around their necks. Tang Dynasty clothing was loose and flowing—one careless moment and it would be covered in food. Just for this, Yun Ye had received plenty of scolding from Grandmother, who said only those without fortune got food all over themselves while eating. In anger, he produced these napkins. Afterward, wearing these things while eating started with a few young maids, then spread throughout the entire household. Now those in the family who didn’t use napkins would be looked down upon.

Li Huairen gulped down a big mouthful of congee, exhaled comfortably, then bit into a bun. Eh? Chive and egg filling. He grabbed another and bit into it—shiitake mushroom and bok choy filling. Another bite—scallion and lamb filling. He scratched his head and bit open the remaining two buns—vegetables he didn’t recognize.

Zhangsun Chong, Li Tai, and Li Ke were completely immersed in the temptation of delicious food, busily drinking congee in large gulps and tearing into buns, when they heard Li Huairen say, “Ye-zi, did you raid the Hot Springs Bureau? Next time call brother along—let’s go together and bring back more. I’ve eaten dried vegetables all winter. Even my burps smell moldy.”

“Brother Huairen, raiding the Hot Springs Bureau will get you beheaded.” Li Ke was a well-mannered good child.

“What are you saying? Ye-zi is fine, isn’t he? I don’t believe that stealing a few pounds of vegetables would make Uncle Emperor chop off my head.”

“Who told you my family’s vegetables were stolen from the Hot Springs Bureau?”

“Then where did the bun fillings come from? Don’t tell me His Majesty bestowed them. My father injured his stomach, and His Majesty only sent two pounds of spinach—and it was wilted. Ask Ah Tai and Ah Ke if they’ve eaten fresh vegetables in the palace during the dead of winter.”

Grandmother set down her chopsticks and said to the boys arguing back and forth, “Enough, enough. Ye’er is a good child—how could he go raiding? These were all grown at home. Eat properly. After eating, have Ye’er take you to see. Making such a fuss, you boys.”

“Grown?” Li Huairen’s eyes nearly popped out. He looked at the still-bare paulownia trees outside the hall, not understanding how vegetables could be grown in winter.

Like a whirlwind through remaining clouds, another whirlwind through remaining clouds. Li Huairen stuffed the fist-sized buns entirely into his mouth, chewed a few times with bulging cheeks and swallowed—just like a snake, not afraid of choking to death. Zhangsun Chong poured a large bowl of meat congee down his throat with a clang, didn’t even wipe his mouth, just clutched a bun in his teeth with two in his hands and was about to head outside. Li Tai and Li Ke also abandoned imperial elegance. Congee covered their faces. Eating urgently, they even choked and coughed a few times.

Grandmother rubbed their backs while saying, “Heavens, eat slower, don’t choke. The vegetables are in the greenhouse—they won’t run away.”

By the time Yun Ye had eaten and drunk his fill, Li Huairen practically wanted to burn down the house.

Passing through the rear garden, they came to the estate’s greenhouse. It was no different from the one at the Chang’an home, just much larger. Grandmother had specially sent Second Aunt back to plant things.

The warm February sunlight shone down. All the greenhouse windows were fully open. The various vegetables in the greenhouse were vigorously absorbing the sun’s essence, appearing full of vitality. Zhangsun Chong, Li Huairen, Li Ke, and Li Tai stared dumbfounded.

“This is the skill of the natural sciences you will be studying.” Yun Ye said triumphantly.