Li Tai: Blessed by Misfortune

Li Tai confessed everything without hesitation.

He understood that the worst consequence for his mistakes would be a beating, or at most a period of coldness from his father. Even so, that was still far better than being sent off to Yangzhou. As long as he could remain in Chang’an, there would always be opportunities to regain his father’s favor. But if he were sent to Yangzhou, he feared that even if he died there after a few years, his father would not shed a single tear for him.

After Li Tai had finished his confession, Li Shimin gave a cold laugh and said, “So you’re well aware of your own faults! If that’s so, why did you knowingly commit them again?”

Li Tai dared not admit that his laziness was the reason he neglected to pay respects to his parents, nor could he confess that befriending ministers was part of a bid for succession. He sobbed as he replied, “It was all because my will was weak, and I was too easily swayed by the words of the steward.”

Without hesitation, Li Tai shifted all blame onto the steward he himself had recently promoted. In his mind, if the steward hadn’t egged him on, he would never have made such errors.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin slapped Li Tai so hard he fell to the ground. In a fury, Li Shimin demanded, “The steward? Is it always the steward you trot out to take the blame whenever you err?”

Li Tai blushed and fell silent, afraid to reply.

Seeing his son’s silence, Li Shimin gave him two more angry kicks. “I once thought your faults were due only to youthful ignorance and lack of thought, but now I see you have no sense of responsibility at all.”

At this, he resumed beating Li Tai, his rage clear for all to see.

Li Tai howled in pain and soon could bear it no longer. He turned to the Empress Zhangsun, crying out, “Mother, save me! Father will beat me to death!”

The Empress had been silently grieving for her son all along, yet his mistakes this time were too grave for her to intervene. Now, hearing his plea, she could endure it no longer and pleaded with Li Shimin, “My lord, please calm yourself—if you go on, you’ll truly harm Qingque.”

Li Shimin, still enraged, struck Li Tai a few more times before saying, “A son so disappointing—if I beat him to death, at least I’ll have some peace of mind.”

The Empress said gently, “Qingque is still young. Though he has faults, there is yet time to correct them. My lord, why not invite a worthy tutor to guide him properly?”

Li Shimin fell silent at these words, then sighed. “Shujie is skilled in discerning right from wrong and quick to reward good and punish evil. It seems I must trouble him to teach this wayward son.”

He was referring to Wang Gui, one of the three current chancellors, a former official of the Sui Dynasty with deep political experience and great ability.

Li Tai, dazed from the beating, perked up instantly when he heard that Wang Gui would be his tutor. He rolled off the ground and knelt before Li Shimin. “Thank you, Father, for your care. I will study diligently and never let you or Mother down.”

He had already forgotten his pain, his mind filled only with excitement at the prospect of having Wang Gui as his teacher. After all, as a chancellor, Wang Gui had an extensive network of connections. If Li Tai could win his support, he would surely gain a great advantage in the struggle for the throne.

Li Zhi, who had been silent all this time, could not help but curl his lips when he heard that his father would arrange for Wang Gui to tutor Li Tai. He had schemed for so long to trap Li Tai, only to see him gain a blessing in disguise.

Li Shimin, seeing Li Tai’s delight, snorted coldly. “Don’t be too pleased just yet. If Wang Gui ever reports your misconduct to me, do not blame me for punishing you severely.”

Li Tai quickly replied, “Please rest assured, Father. I will follow my teacher’s guidance and never disappoint you again.”

After a few more admonishments, Li Shimin dismissed Li Tai back to his own residence, and the farce finally ended.

Though Li Zhi had watched an entertaining scene, he found no joy in it. After supper, he quickly summoned Liu An and said, “Now that Fourth Brother’s workshop is competing with ours, we must come up with a countermeasure before we suffer losses.”

Liu An replied apologetically, “Please forgive me, Your Highness. It was my negligence that failed to detect the Prince of Yue’s actions in time.”

Li Zhi waved a hand. “This isn’t your fault. The real issue is our lack of talent in commerce.”

Liu An said, “I will go out tomorrow and make some inquiries. I am sure Chang’an is not lacking in such capable people.”

Li Zhi nodded. “That would be best. After all, we have been in the palace for too long and are at a disadvantage. It is better to leave business matters to professionals.”

Liu An continued, “Now that the Prince of Yue has opened up his market, what does Your Highness intend to do next?”

Li Zhi grew thoughtful at this question.

His situation was different from Li Tai’s. Li Tai had his own residence and could act openly in his own name. Li Zhi, still living in the palace and so young, had no power at court and little weight in his own name. Thus, his only option was to compete through legitimate commercial means and beat Li Tai in pure business.

Yet he did have one advantage: all the new styles of furniture appearing in the market were imitations of his own designs.

With this realization, an idea struck Li Zhi. He said to Liu An, “Tomorrow, find a way to spread word that the Prince of Yue is copying my innovations in furniture—and make sure everyone knows that only pieces originating from our workshop are genuine.”

Liu An, puzzled, asked, “Forgive my ignorance, Your Highness, but these furnishings can be imitated by almost any carpenter. If someone insists on passing off their own as ours, how can we tell the difference?”

Li Zhi gave a mysterious smile. He motioned for Liu An to come closer and whispered in his ear.

Liu An’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. He could hardly believe that someone as young as Li Zhi could devise such a clever solution.

While he was still stunned, Li Zhi added, “For now, don’t put any more of our furniture on the market. Wait until everything is in place.”

Liu An nodded blankly at the instruction, then asked, “What about the pieces already sold, Your Highness? How do you wish to handle those?” He was nervous, for a significant number had already been sold.

Li Zhi laughed. “Just send someone to settle things with each customer. Surely you don’t mean to take them all back?”