"Then let's go to Xianyang!"

"promise!"

Chang'an is dozens of miles away from Xianyang. Even if you travel by carriage at full speed, it would take three hours to get there.

When Li Shimin arrived in Xianyang, it was already around 3 PM.

Li Shimin's first stop was the Imperial-built Baron's Mansion in Xianyang County.

"This mansion is quite well-built; it looks rather grand from the outside!"

Li Shimin affirmed the work of the magistrate of Xianyang County, but when he pushed open the door of the mansion and saw that it was empty and overgrown with weeds, his face immediately darkened.

"I allocated three thousand strings of cash to the magistrate of Xianyang, and all he did was build me a gate!"

"This is a crime of deceiving the emperor; I shall have him skinned alive!"

Zhang Anan, who was in charge of the Hundred Cavalry Division, had already learned what had happened through his spies placed beside Li Jue. Now, seeing His Majesty so angry, he hurriedly tried to exonerate the magistrate of Xianyang County.

“Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the magistrate of Xianyang County. It is simply that His Highness the Imperial Grandson is kind and could not bear to see the people suffer, so he used the money for building the mansion for other purposes.”

"For something else?"

"What could be more important than building a mansion!"

Zhang Anan led Li Shimin to a place across the street from the mansion and pointed to a rather magnificent building.

"Your Majesty, the money meant for building a mansion for the imperial grandson has all been used here!"

Li Shimin looked at the plaque on the building that read "Xianyang Hope School" with a face full of question marks.

"Is this a school?"

"Your Majesty, this school was built with the money intended for the construction of the imperial grandson's residence!"

"this……"

"Where will my grandson live?"

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, a clanging sound came from inside the school, and a group of children ran out of the school.

Behind the group of children were several young men carrying books, chatting and laughing as they followed the students, who were clearly the teachers of the school.

Just as Li Shimin was about to ask a teacher for advice, a slightly older young man walked towards them.

"May I ask, sir, do you have children at home who are coming to study?"

"As the principal of Xianyang Hope School, you may ask me anything."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately told a lie.

"I do have two grandsons at home, and I plan to send them to school. I just don't know how much your school charges tuition?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianlai knew that the person in front of him was a scholar, otherwise he would never have uttered the words "tuition fee".

"To be honest, our Xianyang Hope School was built with funds from Baron Li Zhong of Xianyang County."

"This Lord Li is so righteous. He not only used all the money the court gave him to build a mansion to build a school, but also stipulated from the beginning that no tuition fees would be charged."

"I have advised Lord Li that without tuition fees, the school would likely be unable to sustain itself. However, Lord Li replied that the people are poor and weak, and they would likely be unable to afford the tuition fees. He would be heartbroken if someone could not study because of poverty..."

Looking at the tall and spacious school before him, and then recalling his eldest grandson's mansion that only had one gate, Li Shimin felt his heart aching.

This child is so sensible, it's heartbreaking how sensible they are...

But why did Li Jue want to set up a school?

Logically speaking, someone his age should hate going to school, let alone spending huge sums of money to run a school.

"May I ask, sir, why is Lord Li so insistent on establishing a school?"

"When I was applying for the position of tutor, I also inquired about Lord Li."

"Lord Li once said, 'It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person.' The Tang Dynasty has become so poor and weak. If we do not establish schools to enlighten the people, we will sooner or later repeat the mistakes of the Five Barbarian Invasions!"

Li Shimin felt extremely awkward upon hearing this. He had always thought that the Tang Dynasty was quite powerful, but how could this child perceive it as impoverished and weak...

"Do you think this is a poorly phrased statement?"

"good!"

"That's so well said!"

"If everyone in the Tang Dynasty had this awareness, how could the Tang Dynasty not be strong and wealthy!"

Li Shimin offered a few perfunctory compliments, but secretly resolved that once he caught the little guy, he would definitely give him a good spanking.

Why do you say that my Tang Dynasty is poor and weak?

Throughout history, who has ever seen a weak nation whose powerful steppe tribes fled in terror?