Chapter 35: Another Strange Bit of Knowledge Added to My Repertoire [Please Keep Reading]

Back in the fourth year of the Wude reign, Li Shimin established the world-renowned Hall of Literature, gathering the finest cultural elites of the age, known as the "Eighteen Scholars."

Barely a month after ascending the throne, he built the Hongwen Hall adjacent to the Hongwen Palace. It housed over two hundred thousand volumes of classics, histories, philosophical treatises, and literary collections. Esteemed scholars like Yu Shinan, Chu Liang, Yao Silian, Ouyang Xun, Cai Yungong, and Xiao Deyan were appointed as scholars of the Hongwen Hall in addition to their official duties, taking turns on duty daily.

Li Shimin himself, whenever he had the time, would visit to summon them, discussing the rise and fall of dynasties and deliberating on state affairs, often staying until midnight.

Perhaps it was for this very reason that the little fatty, Li Tai, would run to the Hongwen Hall whenever he had a spare moment, desperate to show off. Li Chengqian saw through all of his posturing. Though he knew these efforts were ultimately useless, Li Chengqian still offered his support, encouraging Li Tai to study astronomy, geography, and ancient texts, urging him to compile an unprecedented magnum opus.

"Let's call it the *Zhenguan Collection*," he suggested.

To Li Chengqian's knowledge, the *Yongle Encyclopedia* of later generations took five years to compile; a *Zhenguan Collection* attempted a thousand years earlier would surely take at least eight or ten years. By the time the little fatty finished it, the opportunity would have long since passed—how could he still be a nuisance or compete for the crown prince position then?

Therefore, Li Chengqian felt it was absolutely necessary to keep the little fatty occupied. Furthermore, there was something else Li Tai possessed that was equally vital: the palace access token. With it, he could leave the palace at will to do as he pleased.

With a chuckle, he pressed the little fatty again: "Qingque, have you given any more thought to the *Zhenguan Collection*?"

"Imperial Brother, are you saying that if I oversee the compilation of such a peerless book, Father will name me Crown Prince?" Li Tai’s eyes shone as he looked at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian smiled and spoke with eloquent persuasion: "To be specific, this is no longer a mere book, but an encyclopedia that covers all of history, encompasses everything, and contains the wealth of all knowledge!"

"Think about it, Qingque: why did Father build the Hongwen Hall and collect so many books? Isn't it because these works are at risk of being lost forever?"

"Although every dynasty has compiled books, their purposes differed. The previous dynasty, for instance, only focused on historical records; few cared for classics or philosophy, let alone medical texts, pharmacopoeia, or treatises on craftsmanship."

"So, what is a grand collection that spans the ages? It is the symbol of a nation's confidence and power!"

"Father aspires to be a sage monarch for the ages. With this collection, his achievements will reach even greater heights. Tell me, for such a monumental feat, if Father doesn't name you Crown Prince, who would he name?"

"This..."

Hearing these words, the little fatty’s young heart was struck with unprecedented force, and his face turned red. Seeing that Li Tai was clearly hooked by the prospect of the *Zhenguan Collection*, Li Chengqian told him the story of Sima Qian—a scholar of the Han Dynasty who, despite being unjustly punished with castration by Emperor Wu, did not lose heart. He endured humiliation and, over decades, compiled the greatest history book of all time, the *Records of the Grand Historian*, capturing the lives of emperors and generals.

"But the most remarkable person was Sima Qian himself!" Li Chengqian added. "Though punished by the Emperor, he became a sage among men."

Compared to the greatness of Sima Qian, the little fatty seemed more curious about something else. "What is this 'punishment' that Emperor Wu inflicted on Sima Qian? Why did he have to endure such humiliation?"

Li Chengqian was surprised by the little fatty’s offbeat focus. He looked at him with astonishment: "You really don't know? Has no teacher ever told you the story of Sima Qian?"

"My teacher has told me the story of the Grand Historian, but he never mentioned the punishment," the little fatty replied truthfully.

Li Chengqian frowned, thinking to himself that the ancients were certainly tight-lipped. In his previous life, when they had the class on reproduction and development in middle school, he had practically worn out his textbook asking the teacher how children were born, almost forcing the teacher to play *Animal World* for them. But realizing the little fatty was not even seven years old, it was understandable that his teachers would avoid such "inappropriate" topics.

Since he had already brought it up, Li Chengqian had to bite the bullet: "There are many types of such punishments; the most common one is cutting off a man's root, so he can no longer have children with women."

"Oh, I see..." The little fatty nodded repeatedly, thinking it was indeed quite humiliating. *Splendid, my repository of strange knowledge has grown once again.*

***

On the other side, the duty scholar Chu Liang, who had been observing the two brothers, was deeply shocked by their conversation and could not help but record it on paper. The concept of the *Zhenguan Collection* was simply ahead of its time. If the Tang Dynasty could compile such a book, wouldn't the great aristocratic families, who prided themselves on their literary heritage, go mad?

After finishing his notes, Chu Liang immediately submitted them to Li Shimin. Of course, he omitted the story of Sima Qian, especially the "inappropriate" part the brothers had discussed later, which he was too embarrassed to record.

However, he still held a great deal of respect for Li Chengqian. As he left the Hongwen Hall, he couldn't help but sigh, "This Prince of Zhongshan is truly no simple character!"

***

Meanwhile, outside the Governor's Mansion in Liangzhou, under a dark, stormy night, Li Youliang, Prince of Changle, looked out at the rain, full of indignation. "What is this nonsense about reducing the fiefs of princes? What use is it that our Li family won this empire? The fiefs are getting smaller and smaller; why even bother with them?"

"Heh..." A mysterious laugh sounded from behind him. "Why be so angry, Prince of Changle? A title is a title, big or small!"

"Hmph!" Li Youliang snorted, turned to look at the speaker, and gestured with his little finger. "It’s so small that if you chopped it off, it would only sting a little!"

The speaker laughed again. "And how big would the Prince of Changle like it to be?"

"However big, it would be better than this! If it’s going to be this small, I might as well make a fist myself!"

"Ahem, ahem, I didn't hear that, Prince of Changle!"

"Hahaha!" Li Youliang looked at the speaker with a mocking expression. "Is Lord Zhangsun trying to tempt me into saying something I shouldn't, so you can run back and report me to the Emperor?"

"No, no, I would never think such a thing!" Zhangsun Anye waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of obsequiousness. "How could I dare?"

"You really don't dare?" Li Youliang raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not," Zhangsun Anye smiled. "Reporting you wouldn't benefit me at all. Besides, aren't we business partners?"

"Hmph, good that you don't dare." Li Youliang snorted, then added nonchalantly, "To be honest, even if you did run to the Emperor to report me, I wouldn't be afraid!"

"True, true. You are the Emperor's kin, his elder; no matter what, he wouldn't dare punish you!"

"Hmph, if it weren't for the Retired Emperor, would I have to swallow this indignity?" Li Youliang sneered and walked toward the door, warning, "When working with me, keep your mind clear. Don't push me too far!"

"Eh? What? What did you say, Prince of Changle? I didn't hear you!" Zhangsun Anye feigned deafness.

Li Youliang paused and looked back. "You really didn't hear?"

"Hehe, I heard a little. Others have said similar things." Zhangsun Anye walked over with a sheepish grin.

Li Youliang eyed him suspiciously. "Who said that?"

"The Prince of Yi'an, Li Xiaochang!"

"Him?" Li Youliang’s frown deepened.

Just as he was about to press for more, a voice came from outside: "Reporting to the Prince, the men from Busili have arrived, and the goods are here!"

"Very well," Li Youliang replied, waving his hand. "Let’s go and take a look!"

Soon, Zhangsun Anye followed Li Youliang into a warehouse at the back of the mansion. Inside, several foreign men in fur coats were counting goods with the clerks.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" a guard bowed respectfully.

The foreign man named Busili stepped forward with a grin. "Prince of Changle, my friend, we meet again!"

"Heh, Busili, you're going to make a fortune on this shipment!" Li Youliang joked.

"Doing business with you is more important than the money, my friend. Our Khan often thinks of you!"

"Is that so? Give my regards to Jieli Khan!"

"Shall I tell him to come and visit you when he has time?"

"Hahaha!" Li Youliang laughed, then waved his hand decisively. "That won't be necessary!"

"I hear your Emperor is reducing the fiefs of the princes lately. That shouldn't affect you, should it?"

"Hmph!" Li Youliang’s expression turned sour. "Mind your own business!" He turned to his clerks. "How is the count?"

"Reporting to the Prince, it is almost finished. We only need to inspect the spices!"

Li Youliang waved impatiently. "Fine, leave it to you. Once it’s counted, hand it all over to Lord Zhangsun to take back to Chang'an for sale!"

"Understood!"

Li Youliang suddenly turned back to Busili. "I see the Turks have been moving frequently lately. Is something happening over there?"

"Uh... this..." Busili was caught off guard, but he quickly laughed it off. "Nothing is happening. Just routine drills. You know our Khan—unlike your Emperor, he can't sit still!"

Li Youliang gave a noncommittal laugh. "As long as it doesn't affect the Tang, I don't care what you do!"

He left without further interest in chatting. Busili wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking how lucky he was. If the Tang discovered what was really happening on the grasslands, it would bring disaster upon them. It was fortunate that this Prince of Changle was such a fool.

As they walked away, Zhangsun Anye smiled at Li Youliang. "I gave that deer-tendon lute string to the Retired Emperor. He loved it!"

"Yes, the Retired Emperor has been good to me, and I know his tastes well," Li Youliang nodded.

Zhangsun Anye probed, "If the Retired Emperor were still the Emperor, surely he would have rewarded you better..."

"What do you mean?" Li Youliang stopped in his tracks.

"Ah... well..." Zhangsun Anye pressed on, "If the Retired Emperor were still in power, wouldn't he have transferred you away from this bitter, cold place out of gratitude?"

"Oh, I see. You mean if he were still Emperor, I wouldn't have been demoted!"

"Hahaha, exactly! You catch on so quickly..."

"Hmph!" Li Youliang cut off his smug laughter. "Any other news from Chang'an?"

Zhangsun Anye thought for a moment. "After ascending the throne, the Emperor overhauled the laws, purged the government, abolished many Wude-era decrees, dismissed many officials, and promoted new ones. He seems intent on driving out all the old Wude ministers!"

"Heh, a new emperor brings his own ministers. Not surprising."

"Indeed. Even old ministers like Feng Deyi and Yuwen Shiji received no special treatment..."

"Anything else?"

"Other than the reduction of the fiefs, nothing much... oh, wait! There is one more thing!" Zhangsun Anye laughed. "Consort Zhang was not made Empress; she became the Retired Empress Consort. She is not a happy woman!"

"Heh, that fox Zhang has high ambitions," Li Youliang sneered. "But we have no say in who becomes Empress."

"However," Zhangsun Anye said meaningfully, "someone who failed to become Empress can still meddle in many things!"

Li Youliang raised an eyebrow. "What could she possibly meddle in?"

"Helping the Retired Emperor regain his throne. What do you think?" Zhangsun Anye smiled faintly.