What rotten luck—going out for a stroll on the street and still getting caught red-handed by Li Er. Clearly, in the entire capital, he only needed to avoid him, yet unfortunately he ran into the very person he shouldn’t have. Fortunately, Li Er gave him some face—the insults were conducted between just the two of them. Listening to Li Er endlessly recount his heroic exploits of yesteryear was a terrifying form of torture. Too many things made no sense. Clearly, he’d been struck by a chain hammer and the tiger head on his shoulder armor had been smashed to pieces, yet he could still use his lance to unhorse the enemy. Clearly, the enemy’s axe-wielders had chopped down one of his horse’s legs, yet he could still ride a three-legged warhorse to slay generals and capture banners.
He knew Li Er had done some slight exaggeration. Yun Ye had done this kind of thing too—clearly knocked unconscious by a yellow croaker fish, yet insisting it was a huge shark. So he completely understood Li Er’s feelings. He didn’t have many opportunities to boast wildly. Before court officials, he had to be a dignified emperor; before the princes, he had to be a strict father; before Zhangsun, he had to put on the appearance of an affectionate husband. As for what he was like before his consorts, Yun Ye didn’t know—anyone who knew would be chopped in half.
Before him, Yun Ye could act as a junior—acting as a peer wouldn’t be appropriate. Most rare was that this kid was perceptive and tactful. Naturally, bragging alone wouldn’t be right. Having a conversation partner who from time to time asked questions right on point made things much more pleasant. Every time Yun Ye inquired about details, it was exactly the part Li Er was preparing to elaborate on. The conversation proceeded enthusiastically. Unknowingly, time flew rapidly past. When several young children were all sound asleep, the refreshed Li Er finally waved his hand to prepare to return to the palace, only saying lightly at the end that if he dared privately enter Chang’an again, his legs would be broken.
Li Tai looked at Yun Ye with admiration. Yun Ye was the only person who could boast enthusiastically with his father emperor. He himself, every time he saw his father, was always trembling with trepidation—never having such bold moments.
“Qing Que, how did your father heroically slay enemies while riding a three-legged warhorse?” After respectfully seeing off His Majesty the Emperor, Li Tai, who was preparing to return to the academy together with Yun Ye, became his venting target.
“This is nothing. You were struck by a thousand-pound shark falling from the sky and were fine. What’s improper about my father emperor charging into battle riding a three-legged warhorse?”
“You’re right. This is an advanced art of conversation that ordinary people can’t master. We won’t delve deeper into it. Only, why didn’t your father emperor properly drink wine and watch song and dance in the imperial palace, instead running to the marketplace and causing me to be captured alive?”
Li Tai said with a curled lip, “If you have the ability, try interfering with my father emperor’s whereabouts. He goes incognito all the time. When I was little, I most enjoyed following behind father emperor to stroll the streets, listening to him tell me about marketplace curiosities. Back then, I held a pinwheel in my hand, a rattle drum in my bosom, and a meat pie in my mouth. When I got tired walking, I’d insist father emperor hold me. If others approached, I’d cry loudly. Back then, father emperor was always very busy—he wore armor far more often than regular clothes. Such times were rare, so I always cherished them. Unfortunately, I’ve already grown up and can’t have father emperor hold me anymore. Yun Ye, when you have time, see my father emperor more often. You’re a son-in-law, so showing filial piety to him is proper. I haven’t seen him so happy in a long time.”
Li Tai was talking nonsense. Emperors were destined to be solitary—whoever got close took one step closer to death, because the dragon’s nature determined his selfish character. A hyena running before a great dragon showing its smiling face for no reason—when in a good mood, he’d play with you; when in a bad mood, with one turn of his body, the hyena would meet a flattened fate.
Except for Zhangsun, an animal of similar size who could get close, other animals, even elephants, would ultimately end up as a pile of dragon dung. Especially Li Er, this dragon among dragons—when he sneezed, heavy rain would fall in the mortal world. Staying far away was the best strategy.
The children were all asleep. One carriage clearly couldn’t accommodate them all for sleeping, so they had no choice but to commandeer Li Tai’s carriage. The two of them straddled the carriage shaft, chatting sentence by sentence.
“The gunpowder matter is progressing very smoothly. That Xiao Cangsheng is quite good—he actually taught those slaves how to make gunpowder. A few days ago, I tested it at Southern Mountain. It splits mountains and cracks rocks with extraordinary effectiveness. Father emperor is very satisfied. Only this thing isn’t very stable—it’s already exploded on its own three times, and thirteen slaves have died. If this continues, those slaves won’t last long.”
“It was never a benevolent thing to begin with. You insist on militarizing it—casualties are naturally unavoidable. You don’t need to tell me what you’ve researched, and I don’t want to hear it. You know about it yourself—just be careful.”
“Ye Zi, in my view, you’re no different from family. Why do you always isolate yourself outside the Li clan? Could it be you’re always worried about those matters without substance?”
“Qing Que, this is a world with clear hierarchies. His Majesty gives me face, so I must know to be self-aware and not recklessly demand more. His Majesty keeps to his duty, you keep to your duty, and I have my duty to keep. Only when everyone keeps to their duty will this world operate peacefully.”
“If you want to be lazy, just say so. Don’t drag everything to imperial authority. I’m sick of hearing these two words now. I’m having a good scholarly discussion with you, and you’re rambling about that? If you’re unwilling to dig out what’s in your belly, just say so. I most detest this pretense of profundity. I endlessly conduct experiments, wasting state funds, wasting human lives—you can bear to watch?”
Yun Ye ignored him. Knowledge gained through one’s own suffering was true knowledge—Li Tai still didn’t understand this principle even now, always wanting to take shortcuts. This was the common ailment of clever people.
Li Tai poked Yun Ye twice. Seeing he wouldn’t speak, he knew his wish for results had come to nothing. He sighed and could only go through what he’d mastered in his mind again, contemplating how to develop gunpowder’s greatest power based on its characteristics.
Arriving home, the eight little ones rubbed their eyes and went to their own rooms to sleep. After instructing their maids to take good care of them, he himself contentedly returned to the study to sleep. As for Li Tai’s unreasonable request to stay overnight, it was directly rejected. He could run a bit further and sleep in his own small building, lest he be annoying all day long asking this and that.
Just as he lay down, Xinyue came over holding a blanket. These past few days had been overcast, and she worried her husband would catch cold. Hearing the very fake snoring sounds, she rudely hauled Yun Ye up.
“Take off your clothes before sleeping. From now on, no matter how late you return, come back to the bedroom to sleep. I’m not afraid of being disturbed. Curling up alone in the study playing pitiful?”
What he hated most was being pulled up to undress after lying down, demanding this and that. Just when he’d found the most comfortable position, all sleepiness disappeared at once.
Take off clothes, is it? Then he’d strip completely naked, even removing his underwear, standing stark naked waiting for her to arrange his sleeping position. Xinyue didn’t even blink, looking at the nude body with interest, then slapping Yun Ye’s bare bottom and saying, “What are you showing off with such an ugly appearance? It’s not even as good-looking as my son’s. Hurry up and put it away.”
This woman just needed discipline. Since clothes were already off, it shouldn’t be wasted. Taking them off again wouldn’t cost much effort either. Xinyue resisted vigorously, but the strange thing was, amid fierce resistance, clothes came off very smoothly without much effort. When Yun Ye pounced, she still knew to use the fan to extinguish the candles…
When dawn broke, the person who had administered punishment was sleeping like mud. The one who had been punished rose early. Today was the day to collect rent. The tenant farmers had long been queuing up at the warehouse waiting. The master’s household couldn’t make a joke of themselves—they must receive them well, otherwise people would spread gossip.
The county registrar of Lantian County had also called early. The Yun family was the county’s largest taxpayer. As long as the Yun family’s tax payment was completed, thirty percent of the entire county’s taxes would be settled. Collecting from the Yun family first every year had already become routine.
Under the grape arbor, the Yun family’s specially made chess set was laid out with a pot of fragrant tea. The registrar and Old Qian began their battle, not even glancing at the rent collection scene. The Yun family’s rent collection was probably the most uninteresting—all little brats carrying burlap sacks. When the steward and accountant called whose family, that family’s boy would thump down the burlap sack on the table and start reciting.
“My family rents forty mu of fields. Twenty percent of each mu’s harvest goes to the master’s family. This year the rain was good and the harvest was good. From forty mu, my family harvested one hundred seventeen dan and three dou of wheat. My dad said calculating fractions is embarrassing. This year we’re paying twenty-four dan. The extra will let the master’s family feed the silly one. The Chang’an market price is four wen and three per dou, forty-one wen per dan. My dad said calculate by the dou price, calculating by whole dan makes the master’s family lose out. My family’s total is…”
Before finishing the calculation, he was kicked aside by the steward, who shouted at the child, “After pressing your handprint, hurry up and scram. Go to the shed outside and pick some snacks you haven’t eaten to take back. It’s getting late. Any later and you’ll be late for class—watch out for the teacher’s paddle.”
The aggrieved child made a long face and went to the accountant’s side, refusing to press a handprint. He picked up a brush and wrote the three neat characters “Zhang Erniu,” then happily took the basket in his hand to the shed to fill it with snacks. Now no one was willing to squat under the shed gnawing flatbread—it was embarrassing. In the whole estate, only the estate master liked to squat while eating.
The children of the Yun family estate were all clever. With the first child as a cautionary example, each one who came up directly reported the total. Watching the steward and accountant record it properly, they picked up writing brushes to sign. Several children’s brush calligraphy was truly excellent. The accountant always smiled and patted the child’s head, praising “good child, you’ll definitely be academy material in the future. Hurry and get snacks—good children should be rewarded, take more.”
“Old Qian, your family doesn’t collect grain? I see those coming to pay rent are all children. Why aren’t adults visible for such an important matter?”
“What would adults come for? They can’t read or calculate—they’re not as clear-headed as these children. Naturally, it’s the children who come to pay rent. Our family’s wheat is new seed the Marquis got from the Department of State Farms. The yield is higher, but making wheat foods isn’t quite as good. The tenant farmers all sell their own wheat, then buy back the better-tasting wheat. In and out, the family has all the good-tasting wheat. The bad-tasting wheat goes to city people. The Marquis said city people are hardy—even poisoning them wouldn’t kill them.”
The registrar opened his mouth wide wanting to say something, rubbed his face, and secretly vowed never to buy grain in Chang’an city again. Resentfully picking up a chess piece, he placed it in front of his cannon and shouted loudly, “Horse behind cannon!”