Chapter Twenty-Two: Achieving Multiple Gains in One Move
Li Shimin finished his meal in one breath, burping contentedly. “Changle, when did you learn to cook? And you’re so good at it—your father hardly recognizes you! Are you still my little princess?”
“Hehe… Father, was it delicious?”
“Delicious!” Li Shimin patted his stomach, laughing. “It seems I’ve been too stubborn. Cooking well isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you’re a princess…” He still struggled to accept it. For a princess of such noble status to become a cook—it felt like a disgrace to the imperial family.
Li Zhi hurried in, saying, “Father, there’s something I don’t understand, and I hope you can enlighten me!”
“Speak.”
“Father, do you think the spirit of Confucianism is more important, or the people?”
“This…” Both the spirit of Confucianism and the people are indispensable to a nation. Yet! Li Shimin answered with unwavering conviction, “Nothing is more important than the people! Remember this well: as a prince, you may be bullied by anyone, but you must never bully the common folk!”
“I will remember!” Li Zhi continued, “If the people are more important, why does Father think that cooking disgraces the royal family? Is it just because Confucianism values propriety and looks down on cooks that Father considers cooking improper? You must know, to the people, the most important thing is two meals a day—they must eat to survive…”
“The people see food as heaven! Hungry folk won’t care about your rules!”
“I don’t understand—everyone needs to eat, so how can cooking be considered a disgrace? If everyone thought so, wouldn’t the world starve?”
“We do it every day, yet we resist and despise it in our hearts—how absurd!”
…
Li Shimin slowly stood, deep in thought.
“Your Majesty, Zhi is just speaking nonsense. Don’t take it to heart,” the Empress Changsun said.
“No! Zhi’s words make sense!” Li Shimin gestured, “Zhi, continue. Father is listening!”
“Uh…” Li Zhi had already said all he wanted, what more could he add? Very well! He would improvise a bit more.
After thinking, Li Zhi continued, “Father, I believe that a nation’s strength is measured not only by its military and agriculture, but also by the development of other fields!”
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“For example, cooking!”
“If our neighboring country is renowned for culinary excellence, their dishes exquisitely delicious and their chefs masters of their craft, while ours are clumsy and tasteless, and their envoys come to Tang only to find our food unpalatable—would they not look down on us?”
“Even if we excel in many areas, in their eyes, we would still not be a great nation!”
“There’s also medicine, architecture, clothing… All these must be perfected to win the respect of our neighbors! It’s not just about sending armies to conquer others; history is full of examples where the conquered rebelled because their hearts were not won!”
“Father, isn’t that right?”
In his effort to persuade Li Shimin, Li Zhi spared no effort. These arguments were far beyond what a child should understand! He risked suspicion, but his goal demanded he try.
Hiss!
After hearing Li Zhi’s reasoning, everyone present was stunned! Li Shimin even drew a sharp breath. “My Zhi is truly extraordinary! Such insight surpasses the sages of old—he will surely be a headache for the ministers!”
“Father agrees then?”
“This matter is vast—it would take more than a day to change thousands of years of Confucian thought. However, I will no longer interfere with your culinary pursuits. If you are truly interested, follow your heart!”
“Thank you, Father!”
At this moment, Princess Changle, Li Lizhi, was the most astonished.
“To even win Father’s agreement on this—Zhi is amazing! Truly admirable!” she thought, “Learning to cook is no worse than learning martial arts; I must master both!”
“One day, I’ll make everyone envious!”
…
As she indulged in her daydreams, Li Shimin noticed five large chests neatly arranged at the doorway.
“Zhi, what are those?”
“Father, a few days ago you ordered me to transcribe the Records of the Grand Historian a thousand times. I’ve finished—all stored in these chests. Please have a look!”
As he spoke, Li Zhi stared intently at Li Shimin, his pupils wide and eyes round.
“How is that possible? You truly finished?” Li Shimin hurried over, opened the chests, and found stacks of pristine books before him.
Empress Changsun picked one up at random.
Neatly written characters.
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Orderly arranged.
From the ancient Yellow Emperor to the Han dynasty, not a single omission.
Li Shimin exclaimed in surprise, “When you boasted you’d finish, I imagined countless possibilities—including seeking help from the Ministry of Works to make copies. But even so, such a vast task would take half a year. Yet you, with just a few engravers, managed to print a thousand copies of the Records of the Grand Historian in a few days!”
“Zhi, how did you do it?”
…
Empress Changsun added, “I once had craftsmen print a book for me—it took a year. The process was so tedious that words cannot describe.”
“This… is unbelievably fast!”
“Father, Mother, does this mean I’ve won the wager?” Li Zhi asked with a smile.
“You’ve won, but you must tell me how you managed it!” Li Shimin took a copy, sat aside, and leafed through it with great satisfaction.
“Father, it’s actually very simple. You just need to change the old printing method to movable type printing. I’ve already taught the master engraver Dong Fu in the Ministry of Works—he can do it easily!”
“And…”
“I owe my success in winning the wager to their help. Please reward them according to their talents!” Not only did Li Zhi win the bet, he also seized the opportunity to recommend Dong Fu and others for commendation—a gain on many fronts!
Li Shimin laughed heartily. “Well done, Prince Jin—worthy son of mine!” He was so delighted he could barely contain himself.
He rushed over, scooping Li Zhi into his arms.
Kiss kiss kiss…
He planted several big kisses.
“Ahhh!! Father, what are you doing? Now my face is covered in slobber!” Li Zhi struggled desperately, but his small stature rendered him powerless.
Empress Changsun covered her mouth, laughing. “Zhi has truly surprised us many times—no wonder your father is so happy!”
Li Lizhi, envious of Li Zhi’s favor, hugged Li Shimin’s leg. “Father, you don’t love me anymore…”
“How could that be? You will always be my most beloved little princess!” Li Shimin pulled her into his embrace as well, his affection overflowing.
However…
Behind the screen, Li Chengqian and Li Tai were not as pleased.
Their jealousy was on the verge of erupting!
“This brat… Father and Mother dote on him all day, they’ve almost forgotten about us brothers. Big brother, we need to come up with a way to teach him a lesson—let him know our strength!” Li Tai said angrily.
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