New ideas

Pei Feishu did not allow Zhang Anan’s astonishment to subside. He promptly led Zhang Anan to his own official quarters, where he carefully took a stack of drawings from the bookshelf. Handing them to Zhang Anan, Pei Feishu said, “These are all furniture designs dictated by His Highness the Prince of Jin and personally sketched by a master craftsman from the Office of the Lesser Treasury.”

Zhang Anan took the drawings, first casting a suspicious glance at Pei Feishu. Seeing the certainty on his face, he lowered his head and began to study them earnestly. The more he looked, the more unsettled he felt, much as Pei Feishu had when he first saw them. By the time he had finished, Zhang Anan’s shock knew no bounds. He could not help but confirm again, “Director Pei, are you certain these drawings were all dictated by His Highness the Prince of Jin?”

Pei Feishu nodded. “Rest assured, Manager Zhang. These drawings were made onsite in the carpenters’ workshop, with over a hundred people present at the time.”

Zhang Anan was about to nod in agreement when Pei Feishu’s mention of the location suddenly occurred to him. He asked, “Are you saying His Highness the Prince of Jin personally visited the carpenters’ workshop?”

Pei Feishu nodded emphatically. “Indeed! His Highness came himself.”

With Pei Feishu’s confirmation, Zhang Anan felt a mix of emotions. As the chief steward of the palace, he shared a sense of kinship with Pei Feishu. In departments like theirs, how many servants were truly seen by the nobles? Rarely did anyone even visit the workshops where the servants labored, let alone pay a call on the chief officers. In the ten-plus years since the founding of the Great Tang, the Prince of Jin was the only royal son who had ever deigned to visit the craftsmen’s workshop in person.

Pei Feishu then recounted the events of that day to Zhang Anan, finally concluding with heartfelt admiration, “Though young, His Highness possesses a pure heart unmatched by any other prince!”

When Zhang Anan left the Office of the Lesser Treasury, he had already resolved to keep an eye on the Prince of Jin in the days to come.

The Prince of Jin was still young, and Zhang Anan wanted to see what other astonishing feats he might accomplish in the future.

Li Zhi, unaware that someone had begun to watch him, did not keep anyone waiting long. Since the idea of using duck down as a filling for chairs struck him, Li Zhi’s mind had wandered in many directions. At present, the people of the Great Tang were not accustomed to using cotton, so even the royals lacked cotton clothing or bedding in winter. Poor commoners could only stuff dry grass or rags into their clothes and thin quilts for warmth, while the wealthy used animal hides and fur to make warm garments and blankets. Moreover, people had yet to discover the usefulness of coal, making winter heating an expensive and troublesome affair every year.

This not only revealed an opportunity for Li Zhi but also offered a way for the people of the Great Tang to prosper. Having just outwitted Li Tai, Li Zhi visited the Office of the Lesser Treasury once more.

This time, Pei Feishu’s attitude toward Li Zhi was not only respectful but tinged with gratitude. After all, whether intentionally or not, Li Zhi had helped him vent some frustration and eased the burden of his office.

Pei Feishu greeted Li Zhi and asked, “Your Highness, have you come to check on the progress of the furniture?”

Li Zhi replied courteously, “Director Pei, you misunderstand. I have new ideas and must trouble you once more.”

Pei Feishu responded readily, “If Your Highness has any requests, please command me. I will resolve them as swiftly as possible.”

Li Zhi shook his head. “It is not urgent; I only ask that it be completed before the onset of winter.”

Pei Feishu asked in some confusion, “It is late summer now. Why arrange for winter matters so early?”

Li Zhi answered, “What I ask may pose some difficulties, so I wish to prepare in advance to avoid inconveniencing you later.”

Pei Feishu nodded. “Please elaborate, Your Highness. I will consider it carefully.”

Li Zhi then shared his ideas with Pei Feishu.

Essentially, it involved making down jackets and bedding, as well as some woolen textiles. While making clothes and bedding posed no challenge for the Office of the Lesser Treasury, Li Zhi’s suggestion of woolen fabrics troubled Pei Feishu. First, the Great Tang had yet to develop the technology for spinning wool into yarn. Second, Li Zhi required these yarns to be knitted into garments—a technique never before practiced in Tang.

Li Zhi understood the difficulty. Seeing Pei Feishu’s troubled expression, he reassured him, “Director Pei, do not feel too pressured. Simply do your best.”

Pei Feishu replied, “I shall give it my utmost, but I cannot guarantee success at this stage.”

Li Zhi said, “Just proceed. Even if it cannot be finished on time, I will not blame you.”

Pei Feishu bowed in gratitude. “Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.”

Li Zhi himself had never seen the process of hand-knitting woolen garments, so he could offer little guidance in that area. After a few more words of encouragement, he left the Office of the Lesser Treasury.

Such matters could not be rushed. After all, Li Zhi himself was not well versed in them. To popularize these technologies, he needed the artisans of the Office of the Lesser Treasury to first develop the necessary spinning and knitting equipment and methods.

Even if success did not come quickly, Li Zhi would not be anxious. He believed that once down jackets appeared, they would soon become fashionable throughout the Great Tang. When that time came, the people of Tang would not only solve the problem of keeping warm in winter but would also start duck farming to meet the demand for duck down.

It should be noted that, in the present Great Tang, stir-frying was unknown. People relied almost exclusively on steaming, boiling, and roasting to cook meat, and roast duck would never lack a market.

As Li Zhi left the Office of the Lesser Treasury, he had no inkling that his idea to keep the people of Tang warm in winter would soon be noticed by Li Shimin, who would promptly implement it in the imperial army. This not only increased Li Zhi’s favor in Li Shimin’s eyes but also heightened the sense of threat felt by Li Tai.