Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Huairen arrived together.
The three men had three different purposes. Li Chengqian wanted to plant some people inside—this was easy to arrange, as it should naturally be so. For the dignified Crown Prince to know nothing about the empire’s lifeblood was a humiliation.
Li Tai was unwilling to hand over the Wude Hall research institution, believing it to be his own private property. However, he could support Yun Ye with all his blueprints and materials. He made a harsh declaration that in the future when his elder brother became Emperor, Wude Hall would still be his.
Li Huairen only begged Yun Ye to start operations quickly, so that his father could come out from the imperial prison sooner.
Yun Ye paid no attention to the several men’s demands and said not a word. At this time he absolutely could not make any promises. These fellows were constantly trying to coax him into their circles—this would not do. Li Er was still alive, and by the looks of it, living another ten or twenty years would be no problem. Just a few days ago he could still throw spears, piercing through two targets. Taking sides too early had no benefits whatsoever. He could show favor at appropriate times, but absolutely could not openly stand with them. No emperor would like such a person.
The academy had suffered a great impact from this explosion—not just the problem of shattered glass, but more so the shock to people’s hearts. Master Li Gang had fallen gravely ill. Master Yuanzhang was furious about the court placing the gunpowder workshop on Yushan’s back mountain. Even Xu Jingzong, who usually didn’t oppose the Emperor, stepped forward this time to say that the firearms workshop’s location could only be in sparsely populated areas.
Master Li Gang was the person most aware of the academy’s power. In his secret letter to the Emperor, he stated very clearly that if things continued this way, countless weapons that people couldn’t dream of would immediately appear. The academy now already had some teachers and students beginning to observe the microscopic world. Whether it was macroscopic gunpowder and fire oil, or the various poisonous insects of the microscopic world, they had already discovered some bad things. Once these demons were completely released, it would be a disaster for the Great Tang.
Smallpox could now be prevented, but what about new plagues that emerged? With poor supervision, the devastation of all living things was not empty talk. Supervision, supervision—these two words occupied fully half the length of Li Gang’s secret letter.
After reading this letter in the Hall of Ten Thousand People, the Emperor sighed and locked it in a box. The sovereign and minister strolled out of the Hall of Ten Thousand People, and Yun Ye sat down heavily on the steps, not even having the strength left to walk.
He understood even better than the Emperor how terrifying those things in the microscopic world were—plague, cholera, smallpox, anthrax… He could list a long roster of names.
The people at the academy were now interested in everything and wanted to develop everything. The problem was, was it really good to bring out these things before there were any shields to defend against them?
Li Er saw Yun Ye sitting on the steps and sat down himself, looking at the white clouds in the sky and saying: “I am not afraid of stubborn ministers, nor of unreasonable troublemaking, nor even of those who argue forcefully with reason.”
“But the tragic scenes that Master Li Gang painted for me make me shudder! So many terrifying methods exist in the world, so many things that can easily take lives. Yun Ye, all these things are extensions from your White Jade Capital system of learning. What do you think? How should we respond?”
“Your Majesty, the consequences are a hundred times more terrifying than you imagine. There is one thing that killed twenty-five million people in four years. From this you can imagine how terrifying it is.”
“The reason White Jade Capital wanted to lift this terrifying veil was to cure smallpox first. Who knew that as our understanding of these things deepened, we would discover that the first stepping stone has already appeared across the great river that blocks our perception of the microscopic world.”
“From a scholarly perspective, this is a good thing—it’s a kind of recognition of our own world. But from Master Li Gang’s humanistic perspective, we are indeed seeking our own death.”
“Most terrifying is that we cannot forcibly prevent it. Once those researches move from the open to underground, they’ll be even harder to control. At that time, there won’t be a single safe place in our Great Tang.” Yun Ye finally spoke his concerns. Li Er did not speak.
Neither sovereign nor minister had any desire to talk. Yun Ye buried his head in his knees, painfully contemplating countermeasures. Li Er stared at the flowing clouds in the sky, not knowing what he was thinking. Both men understood this was an unsolvable problem. There was no such thing as absolute safety in this world.
The side effects of the insights and learning that Yun Ye brought from later generations were gradually appearing. After tasting the initial sweet flavor, the Great Tang was beginning to pay for its side effects.
This great explosion was just a beginning. Heaven knows what terrifying things would appear afterward. Yun Ye truly wanted to flee. If he could run to a distant island to fish, that would be even better. But having lit the fire, how could there be any reason to just walk away?
“The destructive power of the gunpowder workshop is limited, so naturally it can exist in the capital city. But those fellows researching tiny insects must be moved far away—desert, mountain ranges, islands, wilderness—all are acceptable. They absolutely cannot be allowed to appear in densely populated places. If they also have an accident, it won’t just be a matter of hundreds dying and one mountain collapsing.”
Li Er chuckled and said: “You worry too much. Our ancestors nearly drowned in great floods, were almost eaten by wild beasts, nearly tortured to death by disease, nearly swallowed up by war—didn’t they still survive well?”
“Actually it was quite fortunate. Young man, do you think how were the dynasties of past ages established? Most were through luck. If Emperor Gaozu of Han had been killed by Xiang Yu at the Hongmen Feast, the two Han dynasties wouldn’t have existed. If Cao Cao had been a bit more ruthless and killed Sima Yi, likewise there would have been no inheritance of the two Jin dynasties. So you see, human life is full of chance.”
“If you hadn’t encountered Cheng Chumo as soon as you emerged, you wouldn’t have come to the Great Tang. Very possibly you would have stirred up trouble on Great Tang’s territory, or leisurely wandered the mortal world—like your master, walking on Great Tang’s land but never integrating into this nation.”
“The Empress and I expended great effort to make your body and mind breathe together and share the fate of the Great Tang. Do you know how much I paid? Anlan became your concubine in confusion, and the imperial family confusedly accepted this bad debt.”
“Regarding your issue, the Empress and I have never had the self-awareness of rulers. When punishing you, we’ve always done so according to family law—standing as punishment, scolding, beating—all of it! Even in my most furious moments, I never thought to use a monarch’s authority. Do you really think I didn’t know that you and Qing Que were both wearing soft armor?”
“The reason I’m telling you these things—I’m not speaking to you with a monarch’s tone, but standing in an elder’s position to tell you: every step forward we take, we pay a great price. The appearance of new things is not something we can prevent. Often they appear very coincidentally. When the time comes, they appear on their own, as natural as a ripe melon falling from its stem.”
“So your suggestion to send them to wilderness, desert, or islands is actually a method. The vast Qinling Mountains are big enough—select a suitable place there and let them make their troubles. I want to see what it will be like when developed to the extreme.”
“Young man, go ahead boldly. I’m waiting to see your results. A human lifetime of a hundred years passes like a white colt flashing past a gap. To push the Great Tang’s national fortune to its peak is my wish. Even if it must decline, let it decline for a few more years. As for harm—as long as we see it clearly, we’ll always seek benefit and avoid harm. This is human nature.”
The attacks in the court were merely a wisp of smoke that would dissipate at a touch. The interrogation from Li Gang was what was truly fatal—a short piece of text that made one feel cold to the bone.
After Yun Ye left the palace, he planned to thoroughly reorganize the academy. These years he had let the academy develop freely. Now it appeared inappropriate. This tree had grown a bit wild, with too many branches growing sideways. It needed pruning.
“Be gentle in your actions. This tree is still just a small tree. I’m still counting on my children and descendants to pick fruit from it. Don’t damage it too severely. You’ve always been ruthless in your methods. I’m worried you’ll harm the tree. You should go to the academy together with the Empress.”
These were the words Li Er said when Yun Ye was leaving. He hoped Yun Ye would carry out sweeping reforms while also hoping that Zhangsun’s gentle influence would allow this tree to flourish with vigorous life.
Li Gang could no longer speak. Yun Ye knelt on one knee before his bed, holding the old man’s hand. He could even feel the old man’s life flame slowly extinguishing.
This old man was already at the end of his oil and lamp—it was impossible for him to give strength as before. His every breath seemed extraordinarily difficult. There was a slight gurgling sound in his throat.
He wanted to speak but could not.
“Master, your disciple plans to prune the tree that is the academy. If my hand is too heavy, please do not blame me. Your disciple knows that every blade of grass and tree here contains your life’s blood. Some branches growing sideways have their roots buried in your flesh and blood and are growing wildly. If they continue growing like this, they will drain all the nourishment from this great tree, yet your student cannot be certain what they will grow into.”
“Learn broadly, contemplate carefully, distinguish clearly, and then act with dedication—this is your expectation for all teachers and students at the academy. Your student will not forget. This place will become the birthplace of new thought currents, but it cannot become the nurturing cradle for these new thought currents. They must prove through their own efforts that they are beneficial to all of us as humans before they can continue to exist. Otherwise, let them perish.”
“This time your student will completely and thoroughly strip weapons research, gunpowder research, and biological research from the academy and send them to distant deep mountains. Your previous view was correct—the academy is a place that teaches people how to survive better. It is not a place for fame and profit, nor is it a killing research institute. Restoring the academy’s true nature is what I will do from now on, and I will persevere in it.”
Li Gang seemed extremely anxious. His eyes looked around everywhere, and his breathing became rapid.
Yun Ye knew he had something to say, so he dabbed ink on the old man’s finger. He took a sheet of paper and placed the old man’s hand on it. Li Gang’s hand, covered with age spots, moved with difficulty across the paper, stopping only after a long while.
“Good!” This was the last thing Li Gang wanted to say. Looking at this character that was almost indistinguishable, Yun Ye pressed the old man’s hand against his own face, not knowing what to say. In his dying moments, he had still given him the greatest support.
Li Gang’s son had passed away, leaving no grandson, only a granddaughter. So Yun Ye knelt before the old man’s bed and recited congratulatory memorials to him.