Li Er’s sighs of lament continuously emanated from the quiet pavilion. Zhangsun tightly tied a band around Li Er’s head—the Emperor’s headache had flared up again. Ever since Zhangsun had told the Emperor how that damned progressive tax system came to be, he had begun experiencing headaches. Sun Simiao, who was preparing surgery for Wei Zheng, hurried over to check his pulse and said it was due to excessive worry, requiring no medication—just two days of rest would bring recovery.
“Guanyin Bi, do you think Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Yun Ye are laughing at me? Laughing at me for lifting a rock only to drop it on my own feet. How embarrassing! I’ve handled tens of thousands of government affairs—how can I remember every single trivial detail?”
Zhangsun gently massaged the Emperor’s temples and said, “Your Majesty, this is no trivial matter. I’ve calculated that Hengshun Trading alone underpaid over eighty thousand silver coins in taxes this year. Add to that the taxes that wealthy merchants in Chang’an, Luoyang, Jinyang, Yizhou, Yangzhou, Guangzhou, Dunhuang, and Dengzhou failed to pay—it’s definitely a massive sum. That amount would be enough to build several thousand li of roads.”
“You’ve devoted too much energy to those people in the Bai Qi Si. I’ve always wanted to say something but felt I shouldn’t interfere. I believe today’s incident was beneficial—if Your Majesty can become alert to this, then that money doesn’t matter.”
“I have no choice but to keep watch! The empire grows larger and larger, and I need to maintain the utmost vigilance over this nation. Even so, the Wuyou Grass incident still occurred. If Yun Ye hadn’t been dissatisfied with how the Wuyou Grass was being used, he wouldn’t have tested me, and I would never have known that people in the Bai Qi Si were issuing orders on their own authority. I understand that those few retainers grew restless and wanted to accomplish things, but their methods were too sinister—they would damage the dynasty’s fortune. This cannot be tolerated.”
“They reported to me that secret materials would be transported to the capital, but they didn’t clearly state that the secret materials were actually Wuyou Grass. They were hoping I would be negligent and overlook this matter. If Yun Ye hadn’t mentioned it, I believe that Wuyou Grass would have become a blessing for the Tubo chieftains. Although this would bring benefits to Great Tang, compared to the future troubles of Wuyou Grass, such benefits are better left untaken.”
“This time, executing eighteen people is to show those retainers my true intentions. If I wanted to completely eliminate the Tubo people, I have plenty of methods. In a mountain cave in the Qinling Mountains, there’s an even more terrifying and effective weapon. The fact that I’ve locked that demon away in a sunless cavern rather than use it is sufficient proof of my reverence for Heaven—I only wish for Heaven to favor our Great Tang for a few more years.”
Zhangsun sighed and placed Li Er’s head on her lap, saying with tenderness, “One person’s energy is ultimately limited. Even if you had eight hundred eyes, you couldn’t see everything.”
“Moreover, you have talented people under your command—Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Li Ji, my brother—these old foxes are already enough to worry about. The next generation of young foxes has also matured: Chengqian, Qing Que, Li Ke, Yun Ye, Zhangsun Chong, Cheng Chumo, Niu Jianhu, Ma Zhou, Liu Renyuan, and that Wang Xuance who clamors about pacifying Tubo—each one more cunning than the last, each with more schemes than the other.”
“For the nation, these people are harbingers of a prosperous age. Wave after wave of talented individuals are emerging. I should properly don court dress and lead all the consorts in congratulating you—this is my duty as Empress. But as your wife, I truly don’t want you to exhaust yourself dealing with these people.”
“Never mind others—just dealing with Yun Ye alone is enough to shorten one’s lifespan. Yesterday I merely took some pearls from his house, and you merely wasted one meal at his establishment. This morning, his restaurant specially covered the banquet table Your Majesty ordered yesterday with a gauze canopy and wrote on it: ‘This is the delicacy chosen by His Majesty.’ I heard that people wanting to reserve this same banquet have already queued up until the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“The Pearl Shop didn’t spare me either. On silk cloth at the shop’s entrance, they wrote: ‘Even the Empress loves the pearls here’ in large characters. As a result, women crowded shoulder to shoulder in the Pearl Shop snatching up pearls. Most infuriating of all, the Pearl Shop took the opportunity to raise prices by thirty percent. I estimate they’ve already earned back the cost of those eight moonlight necklaces.”
Li Er was about to sit up and vent his anger when Zhangsun kissed him on the forehead, and his fury dissipated.
“Forget it. What can you say? That banquet table was indeed ordered by you, and I did take the pearls, so we as husband and wife can only swallow this loss in silence. These are all small matters. What I’m most worried about is that one day the Imperial Household’s wealth will exceed the National Treasury. I believe the Imperial Family can no longer keep the bank in its hands. Although the bank is now nominally under the Ministry of Finance, it’s actually still operated by the Imperial Household. This is highly improper.”
“Last night I specifically examined the accounts of the Yuezhou Bank—the figures are astonishing. The bank has grown from an infant in swaddling clothes into an adult. Your Majesty, you should find it a proper place. I can no longer manage the bank. Now someone has proposed using cheap paper to replace gold, silver, and copper as currency. I don’t understand this—if it’s wrong, it will cause a catastrophic disaster.”
“What did Yun Ye say?” Li Er couldn’t help but sit up after hearing Zhangsun’s words.
“I asked Yun Ye aboard the Great Emperor. At that time, Yun Ye’s face turned deathly pale, as if he’d seen the most terrifying thing. He said some things I didn’t understand. Finally, with red eyes, Yun Ye said to me: ‘Anyone who dares mention printing paper currency again shall be immediately executed!'”
Li Er closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “Compared to others, I trust Yun Ye’s judgment more. The bank was originally created by him, the Crown Prince, and Ke’er, so if there’s one person in the world who understands the bank’s advantages and disadvantages most clearly, it should be Yun Ye. After returning to Chang’an, we need to have a good talk with him about the bank. I’m only worried that the bank’s development is too rapid and has already exceeded his understanding.”
The husband and wife sat facing each other in silence, simultaneously sighing. The pavilion seemed even quieter.
Yun Ye was picked up by a luxurious carriage to be a guest. His host was Xue Wanche. When Yun Ye arrived at Xue Wanche’s residence in Yuezhou Prefecture, Xu Jingzong was already half-drunk, reclining on a brocade couch while testing the knowledge of Xue Wanche’s eldest son.
“The Master said: ‘To restrain oneself and return to propriety is benevolence. If for a full day you can restrain yourself and return to propriety, all under Heaven will return to benevolence. Does the practice of benevolence depend on oneself, or does it depend on others?’ Yan Yuan said: ‘May I ask about the specifics?’ The Master said: ‘Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement contrary to propriety.’ Xu Yanzu asks Xue Zihuai: what is the meaning of these words?”
Although Xue Wanche’s eldest son had a body as robust as his father’s, his features were refined. He was lowering his head, carefully composing his words, planning to respond only after thorough consideration—clearly a different temperament from his father, one impulsive, the other steady. Xue Wanche, who had always detested literary flourishes, now held his breath and focused intently on his son, his expression tense. The grape wine in his cup had already spilled onto the brocade couch without him noticing.
Xue Wanche’s eldest son finally finished preparing his answer and said with cupped hands, “These words come from the Analects, the Yan Hui chapter, number twelve. Yan Yuan asked how to practice benevolence. Confucius said: Restrain yourself and let everything conform to the requirements of propriety—this is benevolence. Once this is done, everything under Heaven will return to benevolence. The practice of benevolent virtue depends entirely on oneself—how could it depend on others? Yan Yuan said: ‘Please tell me the specific items for practicing benevolence.’ Confucius said: ‘Do not look at what is contrary to propriety, do not listen to what is contrary to propriety, do not speak what is contrary to propriety, do not act contrary to propriety.'”
Yun Ye stood outside the door until Xue Zihuai finished answering, then walked in clapping his hands and laughing: “Brother Yanzu, you’re in such an elegant mood today—how did you think to test Zihuai’s learning? This child has always been diligent and hasn’t changed his aspirations despite living in prosperity. Such a self-disciplined child will surely be accomplished in the future.”
Xue Wanche stood up laughing heartily to greet his guest, followed closely by a refined woman. Seeing Xue Wanche’s satisfied and proud appearance, one could tell this woman fulfilled all his desires for a woman.
“Brother Yun, you arrived late—you can’t escape the penalty wine. Come, come, first drink this cup of penalty wine, then we can have the welcoming wine.” The woman bowed gracefully, expressing gratitude for Yun Ye’s life-saving assistance, then filled a cup of wine. Xue Zihuai knelt to present the wine: “Uncle Yun’s great kindness and virtue, Xue Zihuai will never forget throughout eternity. Please drink!”
“It’s a small matter—why put the child through this?” Yun Ye pretended to be angry but still took the wine cup from Xue Zihuai’s hands. After drinking it in one gulp, he patted the top of his head and said, “Your answer to Master Yanzu’s question just now wasn’t perfect. Listen: ‘To restrain oneself and return to propriety is benevolence’—this is Confucius’s main explanation of what benevolence is. Confucius used propriety to define benevolence; acting according to propriety is the fundamental requirement of benevolence. Therefore, propriety is based on benevolence and maintained by benevolence. Benevolence is internal, propriety is external—only when the two are closely combined can it be called benevolence.”
“You must remember: reading books doesn’t require you to understand a sentence superficially, but to experience it with your heart and explain its meaning in your own words. This is actually what scholarship is—it’s not profound.”
“It seems Brother Yanzu intends to take you as a disciple. Why don’t you seize this excellent opportunity? When you meet a famous teacher like Master Yanzu, you should kowtow at every opportunity—even a thirty percent chance is too much to ask for. Your steady temperament and planning before action won’t always help you gain advantages. People are changeable. When opportunities arise, you must seize them. Heaven won’t give you too many opportunities in your lifetime. Catching one can change your entire life.”
After hearing Yun Ye’s words, Xue Zihuai stood up and immediately knelt before Xu Jingzong’s couch, repeatedly kowtowing, each sound crisp and clear.
When the woman saw blood on Xue Zihuai’s forehead, she instinctively wanted to protect her son, but Xue Wanche firmly held her back. The iron-blooded man said to the woman with tears in his eyes, “This is the child’s fortune—don’t delay him!”