Chapter 87 Changes (3) The Emperor and Empress's Entrepreneurial Endeavor Nearly Goes Wrong Before It Was Halfway Through...
Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, seemingly searching for flattery or an explanation for Changsun Qingjing: "Of course not. You are neither lazy nor extravagant, but diligent and frugal, respected and admired by the entire family. How could you be a vain and extravagant person?"
"Are you praising me with such heartfelt sincerity or just trying to tease me?" Changsun Qingjing pressed on relentlessly.
"Of course I sincerely praise your skill in managing the household; heaven and earth can bear witness." Li Shimin smiled and pointed to the sky in the courtyard. "If you don't believe me, you can swear an oath."
"Words may be eloquent, but they are probably not from the heart." Changsun Qingjing's eyes held a hint of mockery as he gently pursed his lips.
Changsun Minxing laughed and said, "Gentlemen, please stop! Let's discuss this at another time. We have other important matters to attend to today."
The official seized the opportunity to remind him, "Young master, I think you have done more than enough to the farmers. Rather than letting them speculate wildly, you should just go along with their wishes and keep things as they are, without pushing any more profits onto them."
Zhuang Li's words dragged Li Shimin from the brief, pleasant atmosphere of his time with Changsun Qingjing and Minxing back into the awkward reality he had to face.
“You explain it to the farmers yourself, and I promise I won’t laugh at you.” A mischievous glint flashed in her bright eyes, her meaning clear.
"Rather than letting people harbor suspicions, I'd better personally explain things to the farmers." Li Shimin stood up briskly and took the stack of land deeds from the estate clerk, which he believed represented the greatest concessions he had made within his father's tolerance.
Seeing that the official had stepped forward to block Li Shimin's path, not allowing the arrogant young master to lose face, Changsun Qingjing suddenly said loudly, "Sir, you are sharing the burden of Duke Tang and the young master. How could Duke Tang be angry with you? Please allow the young master to go first!"
“Sister’s words are very wise!” Changsun Minxing said with renewed vigor, “Shimin, why don’t you put on your cloud shoes, put aside the distinctions of rank, and explain things clearly to the farmers?”
Zhuang Li thought to himself with a sigh, "This young master is surrounded by troublemakers who stir up trouble and are always eager to create chaos. It's truly worrying."
Li Shimin darted past the village clerk, leaped onto a piece of blue-green Lingbi stone with white veins in the central courtyard, and held up the new land deed, shouting, "Gentlemen, hold on, let me say something!"
“I have not seen its goodness, but only its falsehood.” The official stood under the huge tortoise-patterned stone, holding his forehead and muttering to himself.
The arguing, chattering, hesitant, and fearful farmers fell silent for a moment. They treated this young, enthusiastic, yet somewhat helpless nobleman with the utmost kindness and the best manners.
"Please speak." Li Shimin leaped down from the Lingbi stone and solemnly bowed to the young farmer of the same age. He did not feel that his good intentions had been offended, but was just glad that a slight breeze had stirred the stagnant water before him.
A sliver of light peeks through the vermilion gate and the humble dwelling.
“Young master, then I will speak frankly,” the young man asked directly, “Is the young master truly willing to protect us farmers from the suffering of forced labor by the imperial court while promoting profits?”
The two looked at each other for a moment, each trying their best to prove their sincerity.
"You brat, you have no manners at all!" the village official shouted, trying to scare away the only young man who was willing to speak frankly.
That's a sincere explanation. While it may not be a heroic act like burning bonds to uphold justice, which raises many doubts, it's still a mutually beneficial transaction where neither party owes the other anything. It's more convincing than simply boasting about one's benevolence and profit-seeking.
All the farmers, including the young farmer who had raised the issue, smiled and the atmosphere immediately lightened.
"Young master, please allow us a moment to discuss this further. We will give you an answer shortly," the farmers said all at once.
Li Shimin smiled and nodded in agreement. Then, he playfully turned around and hooked his little fingers together, making a "phoenix spreading its wings" gesture above his head to show off to Changsun Qingjing that things had been settled.
Changsun Qingjing stepped forward and said, "Don't rush to drink champagne after the victory (O(∩_∩)O)."
"Just wait and see how I turn this manor into a paradise." Li Shimin put away his pipa gesture, and his fingers, hanging by his side, inadvertently brushed against Changsun Qingjing's fingertips, like two duckweeds that never met, touched, and were swept away by the ripples.
"Thank you for always being there for me..." His joy and satisfaction were palpable, with a proud air of eagerness to share.
Amidst the sparse shadows of the trees in the courtyard, a dragonfly rests, its silhouette poised and still. It is as if a dragon has paused for rest, its scales concealed, awaiting its flight.
Li Shimin gazed intently at the dynamic light and shadow on the ground. The dragonfly silhouette trembled suddenly, transforming into slender fingers, and vanished as the finger shadow game ended.
Changsun Qingjing crossed her hands in front of her, as elegant and serene as ever, resembling a dragon maiden standing by her side in the Guanyin Temple.
Li Shimin gazed at her fingertips, as white as ice and faintly gleaming, and suddenly wanted to ask her about the story of the water nymph's metamorphosis. Although he hadn't been entirely unjustly kicked by her, the story was indeed captivating, so much so that he still couldn't quite grasp its meaning even now.
"Why a dragonfly?" he asked rashly.
Just as Changsun Qingjing was still trying to figure out what strange question Li Shimin was asking her, her family soldiers and retainers, who had been traveling along the paths, hurriedly ran into Jingyin Temple, broke through several doors, and found her husband and the village official.
"The Henan County has dispatched officials to conscript laborers!" the head of the troops reported to Li Shimin, still panting. "They are posting notices and taking attendance in every village and hamlet. The group is heading towards Jingyin Temple."
"If only the imperial court could provide famine relief this efficiently during the first month of the lunar year," Li Shimin grumbled unhappily.
"We have to bite the bullet and go through with it."
"Brother, Erlang, keep your voices down," Changsun Qingjing said, touching his lips. "Are you two really not afraid of being overheard?"
“Yes, it’s not appropriate for so many adults to gather in the temple all at once. It will only arouse suspicion from the officials and their entourage.” Changsun Minxing discussed with Li Shimin and Zhuangli, “It would be better to have the farmers hide in the various halls and pretend to be taking a break, so as not to attract too much attention.”
After saying this, Changsun Minxing winked at the novice monks in the Dharma Hall who were teaching the children to recite the conversion formulas for measurement: "Anyway, you all deal with these lackeys first. I'll go and replace the novice monks so the children can recite some poems about loyalty and love for the country..."
After everyone had reached an agreement, the village official instructed the farmers to disperse, while the women gathered at the entrance of the court hall, chatting and waiting for the children to finish school. Changsun Qingjing snatched the land deed from Li Shimin's hand, put it into her deerskin bag, and fastened it with an agate hairpin to prevent the clerk from seeing it and causing trouble. She then followed Changsun Minxing into the court hall and sat in a corner by the window. The students once again opened the "Jijiupian" and began to recite it absentmindedly.
The commotion of men and horses drew near. The head clerk hurriedly greeted the novice monk and the estate clerk.
"I have come here on orders from the Henan government to post a notice of requisition on the land of Jingyin Temple. Master, may I inform the abbot?"
The novice monk replied, "Reporting to the Prefect, the Zen Master is currently reciting scriptures for the refugees who were buried the day before, in accordance with the imperial edict. It is inconvenient to disturb him. He instructed that we should proceed according to the established procedure and there is no need to inform him."
The clerk nodded in greeting, then said to the village clerk, "Is Your Excellency here today? There are many people gathered at the temple; are there any servants available?"
As expected, there were both jokes and tests.
"In times of wind and rain, all things flourish. Locust plagues do not arise, and the five grains are ripe. Wise men and sages advance together, and scholars and gentlemen abound. May we enjoy boundless happiness and longevity."
The sound of children reciting their lessons echoed from the Dharma Hall, praising the Celestial Empire's favorable weather, light taxes, and abundance of talented individuals.
“These are all registered servants,” Li Shimin said to the clerk. “Their ancestors had a long-standing relationship with my great-grandfather and grandfather. Although they were not conscripted and had no duty to carry a halberd, they still followed the law and were educated. In times of famine, they assisted their employers in providing relief to the starving and burying the dead. These common people also always cherished a sincere desire to serve the country and worked diligently to share the burdens of the court.”
Seeing the young man spouting the absurd claim that "the imperial corvée labor has nothing to do with my family" with such conviction, the head clerk, curious about his identity, turned to the village official and asked, "Sir, who is this young master...?"
“The second son of Lord Tang,” the official replied.
"Indeed, you possess a profound and dignified bearing," the clerk remarked.
“Your Excellency, you have been running around all day and are quite tired. You should take a rest.” Li Shimin bowed to the clerk of the Household Department and said, “Jingyin Temple was built with donations from my parents, and I can barely be considered half of the person in charge. If Your Excellency and the other officials don’t mind, please have some ginger and cinnamon soup and sesame cakes in the temple before you go.”
"It's too kind of you, but we are busy with official duties and have no time to eat." After politely declining, the clerk couldn't help but look around, seemingly still questioning the true identities of these so-called "guests."
Changsun Qingjing and Changsun Minxing, who were huddled in a corner of the court, exchanged a glance and called several clever children to their side, whispering a few words of advice in their ears.
"Go, scare them away!" Changsun Qingjing mischievously distributed bamboo whistles, spinning tops, wooden kites, and bamboo horses to the children, then put his hands on Zheng Fuyou's shoulders and forcefully pushed him out of the Dharma Hall.
The small courtyard was soon filled with children, some riding bamboo horses and wielding bamboo swords to fight, some climbing on the tortoise-patterned stones to play with various herbs, some finding a flat piece of land to compete in spinning tops, and some chasing and playing while shaking earthenware bells, which annoyed the clerks to no end.
"Is this a family worshipping Buddha?" the clerk asked with a smile.
A horsehair tied to the back of a bamboo pole swung past his shoulder, raising a cloud of dust that made him sneeze repeatedly.
Changsun Qingjing stood behind the swirling dust, her amber eyes reflecting the tranquility and compassion that had transformed her from a girl to a goddess.
The author's note: Let's stop with a little bit of ambiguity.
Everything will be alright.
It's not very sweet; I'll add a chapter tomorrow.
And in the next chapter, Erfeng's date invitation is ignored by his hardworking wife [crying emoji]
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