Doubt

Li Shimin’s promise ultimately went unfulfilled the next day.

When he presented the notes he had recorded the previous night at the morning council, the three ministers present—Fang Xuanling, Wang Gui, and Li Jing—were all stunned by the legal articles written there. Fang Xuanling, the Left Prime Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and chief examiner of laws, had the most authority to comment on these dozens of statutes. Clutching the manuscript, he spoke with excitement, “Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler for the ages, to conceive such brilliant laws to regulate commerce.”

Wang Gui and Li Jing, attendants at court, echoed in unison, “Your Majesty is wise indeed.”

Li Shimin, hearing their praise, waved his hand in embarrassment and replied, “You three are mistaken. These statutes were all spoken by Prince Jin, Li Zhi; I merely recorded them.”

Upon hearing this, the three ministers exclaimed, almost simultaneously, in shock, “That’s impossible!”

Fang Xuanling, his face now solemn, continued, “We understand Your Majesty’s deep affection for your son. But legislation is not a child’s play; how could Your Majesty attribute such great achievement to a child?”

Wang Gui, his face flushed with anger, interjected, “This act is unacceptable to us, Your Majesty. Please withdraw your statement.”

Li Jing added, “Your Majesty, please reconsider. Such action may in fact harm Prince Jin.”

Seeing their reactions, Li Shimin was not annoyed, but instead burst into hearty laughter.

While Fang Xuanling and the others looked puzzled, not knowing the cause, Li Shimin spoke, “I am gratified by your loyalty to the throne and the state, but indeed, these laws are from Prince Jin. I dare not claim credit.”

He raised his hand, cutting off Fang Xuanling’s impending retort, and continued, “To be honest, when Prince Jin proposed these laws last night, I was just as astonished as you.”

Fang Xuanling, still unconvinced, said, “Your Majesty, forgive our suspicion, but this is too extraordinary.”

He paused, then said, “If Your Majesty insists, I ask that Prince Jin be summoned so I may question him directly.”

Wang Gui and Li Jing said nothing, but their expressions clearly showed agreement.

Li Shimin knew he could not persuade these three ministers by himself.

He sighed and said, “Since you have doubts, let it be as you wish.”

Turning to Zhang Anan, who stood nearby, he said, “Anan, summon Prince Jin to the Hall of Tai Chi for discussion.”

Seeing Li Shimin agree so readily, the three ministers’ faces changed color.

The three ministers exchanged glances, each reading shock and confusion in the others’ eyes.

If this were true, Prince Jin’s renown would soar instantly, even eclipsing all other princes. For him to accomplish such a task at his current age was simply miraculous.

But if they proved the matter was merely the emperor’s attempt to elevate Prince Jin’s status, it would ruin any hope Prince Jin had for advancement.

After Zhang Anan departed, the Hall of Tai Chi fell into a strange silence.

The most at ease was Li Shimin himself, seated high upon the imperial throne, idly stroking the armrests and marveling at Li Zhi’s ingenious ideas.

Time seemed to drag on. Just as the tension in the hall was becoming palpable, sounds finally came from outside.

Zhang Anan’s voice rang out, “Prince Jin has arrived…”

With those words, Li Zhi’s short legs struggled across the threshold of the hall.

He bowed respectfully to each person present, then turned to Li Shimin, asking, “Father Emperor, for what purpose have you summoned your son?”

Li Shimin did not answer, but instead looked toward the three ministers.

Fang Xuanling, catching the emperor’s gaze, spoke directly, “Prince Jin, today we have heard that you contributed a commercial code to the Great Tang. I am but a humble minister, and would like to ask you a few questions.”

Li Zhi replied, “Prime Minister Fang, please ask freely.”

His demeanor was calm and confident, giving Fang Xuanling another jolt. He wondered, “Could these laws truly be from Prince Jin?”

But having come this far, he could only press on, asking Li Zhi about the purpose behind introducing the concept of trademarks and why merchants should be encouraged to register them.

Li Zhi answered smoothly, without hesitation.

Then Wang Gui and Li Jing each posed further questions, some asking the rationale behind specific statutes and what abuses they aimed to prevent.

As Li Zhi answered each question fluently, the expressions of the three ministers grew increasingly astonished.

Now, they could confirm that every statute originated from Li Zhi himself.

This realization shattered their very conception of genius.

The Hall of Tai Chi fell silent once more.

The three ministers looked at Li Zhi with indescribable complexity in their gaze.

After a moment, Fang Xuanling, responsible for revising the Tang Code, suddenly knelt to the ground.

Ashamed, he addressed Li Shimin, “Your Majesty, I am unworthy of your grace. After three years revising the laws, I am still not finished, and compared to Prince Jin, I fall far short.”

Li Shimin was startled by this gesture. He quickly rose from the throne, hurried to Fang Xuanling’s side, and helped him up, saying, “Do not undervalue yourself, beloved minister. The state’s laws are the foundation of the Tang dynasty and must be approached with utmost care. How can they be compared with a mere commercial code?”

Fang Xuanling replied, “Your Majesty need not defend me. Prince Jin’s code is indeed rigorous and ingenious; I am ashamed by comparison.”

Li Shimin comforted him, “Do not trouble yourself further. I will judge this matter fairly.”

He continued, “Though these laws are excellent, they still require adaptation to our times. I ask you to devote yourself to their revision.”

Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, then said, “Your Majesty, I have one humble request and hope you will grant it.”

Li Shimin replied, “Speak freely, dear minister.”

Fang Xuanling glanced at Li Zhi standing nearby, then said, “I ask that Prince Jin assist in consultation, to ensure the code is completed swiftly.”

After Fang Xuanling spoke, Li Shimin did not immediately agree.

He turned to Wang Gui and Li Jing to gauge their opinions.

Wang Gui, seeing the emperor look his way, declared without hesitation, “I support Prime Minister Fang’s proposal.”

Li Jing echoed, “I concur.”

Li Zhi, meanwhile, was so happy he seemed almost lost in delight.

He had never expected that simply borrowing a few dozen articles of property law would earn him such a rare opportunity.