Public opinion

Among noble houses, so-called friendship rests upon equality of standing.

Thus, after the head of the Zhao Commandery Li clan had finished entertaining his friends, Li Zhi’s boiler business immediately began to flourish.

The wealthy of Chang'an, eager to save face, all rushed to Pei Mingli to place their orders.

Before long, boilers were in such demand that supply could not keep up.

The thing could not be ramped up at a moment’s notice, so Li Zhi could only spare no effort in searching everywhere for skilled blacksmiths.

He hired them with lavish wages to lend a hand for the time being.

Li Zhe witnessed everything Li Zhi did from beginning to end.

By now, he admired Li Zhi to the point of utter devotion.

If, before this, someone had told him that one man could solve the livelihood problem of more than thirty thousand disaster victims by himself, he would have spat in that person’s face without the slightest hesitation.

Yet now, this tale that sounded like a fairy story was unfolding vividly before his very eyes.

Not only had Li Zhi resettled the refugees, he still had enough strength left to have the streets of Chang'an entirely renovated.

At present, every main road and alley in Chang'an was on the verge of being paved with cement.

Such roads were smooth and sturdy; once the work was complete, the people of Chang'an would never again have to fear being caked in mud after rain or snow.

All of this was thanks to Li Zhi’s extraordinary ability to make money.

Putting aside the earlier gains, the workshops he had established in the resettlement area were each and every day creating him immeasurable wealth.

Li Zhe had never imagined that the spinning machines used by nearly all commoners could, after Li Zhi’s alterations, become dozens of times more efficient.

Most importantly, he used the spun threads entirely for weaving the most expensive brocades and fine silks.

This not only brought him vast wealth, but also did not affect the prices of the cheaper silks woven by the common people.

When Li Zhi distributed the shares before, he had quietly set aside a portion for Li Zhe as well.

This made Li Zhe even more diligent in everything he did.

He knew he had to reveal his value before Li Zhi now.

One day he came to Li Zhi with a face full of worry and said, "Your Highness, many of the scholars in the city have recently been discussing you."

Li Zhi asked in confusion, "Why are they discussing this king?"

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Zhe said, "They are all spreading gossip, saying that Your Highness spends all day busy investing and making money, but has no heart for scholarship, and therefore..."

He stopped there.

Li Zhi said, "Therefore what? Are they saying this king is poor in his studies?"

Li Zhe silently nodded.

Li Zhi waved a hand. "Ignore those litterateurs. Every year they come to the capital for the examinations, and how many of them actually pass?"

What he said was quite true.

Every year, several hundred or even over a thousand candidates came to the capital for the examinations, yet only twenty or thirty truly succeeded.

The great majority merely went through the motions.

To put it bluntly, it was little more than a government-funded holiday.

In order to draw more talent from among the people, Emperor Taizong treated scholars rather well.

They not only paid no taxes, but all food, lodging, and travel were free.

Students from every region, so long as they passed the preliminary assessment, could come to Chang'an each year for the provincial examination.

Along the journey, not only were their meals and lodgings free, but some could even earn pocket money on the road.

In Li Zhi’s view, the court was simply too good to these scholars.

Their lives as students were far too comfortable.

And precisely because they lived so comfortably, they had so much spare time to gossip.

Unfortunately, Li Zhi had no intention of paying them any mind, but those people had no intention of letting him off so easily.

As the New Year drew nearer, more and more scholars arrived in Chang'an.

While marveling at the city’s changes, they were also, under the guidance of others, desperately denigrating Li Zhi.

Their talking points were all the same.

They all said that although Li Zhi possessed great talent in natural studies and commerce, he had no achievement whatsoever to boast of in literature.

Once gossip spread far enough, the clamor of public opinion was built up as well.

So soon enough, someone began shouting for a grand poetry gathering to lend grandeur to this year’s provincial examination.

At the same time, they also invited the two princes, Li Zhi and Li Tai.

They said they wanted to witness the depth of their learning.

The calls grew louder and louder, until even the students of the Imperial Academy began joining in.

In the end, the matter was stirred up to the point that even the ministers of court could no longer ignore it.

Finally, Fang Xuanling and the others decided to report the matter to Emperor Taizong.

When Taizong heard the news, he too was taken aback.

Ever since his return to Chang'an, he had been occupied with state affairs and had not, in truth, spared much thought for his children’s studies lately.

Only after hearing this did he look toward Wang Gui, Fang Xuanling, and the others with an inquiring expression.

What gave him some peace of mind was that all of them nodded to him in affirmation.

Still, even as he felt relieved, he could not help but grow curious.

He had always been fairly confident in Li Tai’s literary accomplishments.

But Li Zhi had been busy all this time resettling the refugees and managing his enterprises; how was it that Fang Xuanling and the other three all seemed so confident as well?

Thus he asked Fang Xuanling, "Minister Fang, from your expressions I take it you all highly approve of Zhi’nu’s studies. Could it be that while he has been occupied with official duties, he has not neglected his scholarship?"

Fang Xuanling stroked his long beard beneath his chin with his right hand and smiled at Emperor Taizong. "Your Majesty speaks truly. Prince Jin’s studies have indeed not fallen behind."

After hearing this, Emperor Taizong’s gaze shifted to Changsun Wuji and Li Jing.

He found that both of them also wore looks of great satisfaction.

This made it even harder for him to understand.

Li Zhi had indeed been busy from dawn till dusk lately; this was common knowledge.

Could it be that after returning to his residence, he still had the energy to continue studying?

Unable to restrain himself, he asked again, "Could it be that after Zhi’nu returns to the residence each day, he still spends a great deal of time on his studies?"

Unexpectedly, this time Fang Xuanling and the other two all shook their heads almost at once.

Just as Emperor Taizong was filled with confusion, Changsun Wuji said, "Zhi’nu does not spend much time each day on his studies."

Emperor Taizong said, "Then why...?"

Changsun Wuji replied, "Your Majesty, you seem to have forgotten that Zhi’nu has been unusual since childhood. His memory is so good that even we are envious."

Emperor Taizong asked in surprise, "Is he truly that exaggerated?"

Li Jing cut in, "Your Majesty, after the Prince of Jin obtained the military treatise that I personally compiled, it took him only two days to come and discuss the art of training troops with me."

As he spoke, he suddenly drew a deep breath, then straightened his chest.

He continued, "At present, the Dragon Cavalry Army is undergoing special training in Shu. Once they return, I shall be able to present Your Majesty with an elite force."

Emperor Taizong let out an "Oh" before saying happily, "Then Master Yao means the Dragon Cavalry Army is already finished?"

Li Jing nodded. "They will return to court in a few days to await Your Majesty’s inspection."