Chapter 137: Sophistry in the Imperial Court (Continued)

Li Yi took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and asked the man who had submitted the petition, "May I ask for your honorable name, sir?"

The other party returned the salute and replied coolly, "My surname is Wu."

Li Yi gave a soft "Oh," and then said, "In that case, may I ask what you find inappropriate about the Charity Foundation establishing orphanages and nursing homes, Magistrate Wu?"

Magistrate Wu replied calmly, "The establishment of orphanages and nursing homes concerns the welfare of the people; it is a matter for the Ministry of Revenue! It is inappropriate to leave it to a charity foundation!"

Li Yi responded, "I see. Very well, so as not to trouble the imperial court, the Charity Foundation will no longer proceed with these orphanages and nursing homes!"

A commotion erupted throughout the hall. No one expected Li Yi to concede so readily. The military officials, sitting on one side, could not remain still. After all, Li Yi was the grandson of Li Jing and one of their own; they could not ignore this. Just as they were about to rise, Li Jing signaled them to stop. He knew his grandson well and did not believe Li Yi would surrender so easily.

On the civil official side, Zhangsun Wuji and the others wore grave expressions. They were too familiar with Li Yi to believe for a second that he would simply give up—that would be a joke.

Li Er maintained a stoic expression, but his eyes revealed his growing interest.

Magistrate Wu clearly had not anticipated this turn of events. Unfamiliar with Li Yi's character, he assumed Li Yi had truly conceded and felt a surge of joy. "Since Young Master Li is so considerate of the overall situation, that is perfect. May I ask when you will be sending over the funds?"

Li Yi wore a look of confusion. "What funds?"

Magistrate Wu was stunned. "The funds for building the orphanages and nursing homes, of course!"

Li Yi rolled his eyes quite bluntly. "Since the imperial court wishes to establish these orphanages and nursing homes, the funds should naturally come from the court. Why are you asking me for money? You yourself stated that the Charity Foundation is a private organization and has nothing to do with the court. Why would you be asking me for money?"

Once Li Yi finished speaking, Magistrate Wu was dumbfounded. Building orphanages and nursing homes would cost a fortune, and it was a bottomless pit requiring long-term investment. The court could likely not even afford to build them in Chang'an, let alone nationwide. If the court had that kind of money, who would be here bickering with Li Yi?

The military officials were suppressing laughter. Cheng Yaojin’s face turned bright red; he knew Li Yi would not be so easily dealt with. Just like that, he had found the opponent’s fatal weakness.

Li Er also chuckled, though he had to admit that Li Yi had indeed hit the nail on the head.

Magistrate Wu was on the verge of tears. How could things be played this way?

"Master Li, that is not how one speaks. The money for building these two institutions is in your foundation; if you don't provide it, who will?"

Li Yi frowned. "Magistrate Wu, the Charity Foundation does not belong to the imperial court—do you admit this?"

Magistrate Wu desperately wanted to deny it, but this had been established beforehand, and he had no choice but to admit it. "I admit it!"

"Good. Since you admit it, the money should not come from the foundation. Because you said this is a matter for the court, it has nothing to do with the foundation. There is no room for dispute here!"

"No, what I mean is..." Magistrate Wu tried to continue, but he was interrupted.

"Your Majesty, I have a petition!"

As soon as Magistrate Wu saw who it was, he retreated silently. Li Yi turned his gaze toward the newcomer. It was an elderly man in his fifties with an imposing demeanor. Judging by his robes, he was a high-ranking official of the third grade.

"Your Majesty, what Magistrate Wu said just now was indeed slightly biased. These orphanages and nursing homes are the Charity Foundation's own affairs. They are contributing to the nation, and the court should offer its full support."

Li Er showed no surprise at the sight of him. "Shilian, you agree with this?"

"Indeed. Young Master Li is wholeheartedly loyal to the country. Even in his business dealings, he keeps the nation's interests at heart. I know that the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce is largely due to Young Master Li's efforts—it would be no exaggeration to say that without him, there would be no Chamber of Commerce. Yet, he gave up nearly ninety percent of the profits, even leaving a portion for the court! For this alone, I admire him."

Li Er nodded after hearing this. "True, the boy has indeed done well in this regard."

Li Yi had initially thought the man was there to find fault, but he was surprised to hear him speak in his favor. For this alone, Li Yi felt a sense of goodwill toward him. Even though he knew the man was likely there to oppose the matter, he admired his straightforwardness—he called a spade a spade. Li Yi loved dealing with such people because they were easier to manipulate.

Li Yi flashed a friendly smile. "May I ask how to address you, Elder?" In truth, he had already guessed the man's identity, but asking was a safe bet.

"I am Gao Shilian, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"So it is Elder Gao, my apologies for the discourtesy!" Li Yi realized at once. It was indeed him. Gao Shilian was no ordinary figure; he was a famous civil official of the Zhenguan era. By the latter part of the era, his status was second only to Fang Xuanling. Furthermore, he was upright and capable, having discovered many talents for the Tang Dynasty during his tenure. Li Yi held him in high regard.

In fact, Li Yi had guessed that someone from the Ministry of Personnel would eventually step in. The most important aspect of the two institutions—especially the orphanage—was not just reputation, but talent. To run an orphanage, one must teach, otherwise, it was meaningless. These orphans, suddenly given the chance to learn, would surely study twice as hard. There was a high probability they would become talented individuals. If they had connections in the court, securing official positions wouldn't be difficult. This touched upon the darkest aspect of court factionalism: whoever controlled the orphanages controlled the cradle of future officials. Who wouldn't be jealous? It was only natural for Gao Shilian to step out; as the Minister of Personnel, he needed to keep such power within his own grasp.

Since he had guessed Gao Shilian's intentions, Li Yi would not be polite. The two institutions belonged to his wife, Princess Changle; no one could take them away.

"Elder, let us discuss this objectively. If I say anything excessive later, I hope you will forgive me."

Gao Shilian was slightly surprised. "I haven't even said I oppose you yet! What is it you want to discuss?"

Li Yi waved his hand. "Elder, we are both intelligent people, there is no need for such empty gestures."

Gao Shilian was choked by Li Yi's words; this boy had no respect for him at all.

Li Er interjected, "Li Yi, mind your tongue!"

Li Yi quickly agreed and signaled for Gao Shilian to continue.

Gao Shilian pondered and said, "Young Master Li, the building of these two institutions by the Charity Foundation is unquestionable, but the head of the Charity Foundation must be replaced!"

Li Yi replied, "Elder, let us take things one by one. Let us first discuss who is to build the two institutions. It was agreed just now that the court would build them. Now, because of the money, you have pushed the task back to the foundation with one sentence. This is unfair. If in the future, the foundation comes up with an idea that is beneficial to the country without costing much, and the court snatches it away with a single word, to whom shall I go to seek justice?"

Everyone in the court was amused by Li Yi's roguish behavior, though they had to admit he was indeed very shrewd.

Li Er smiled helplessly. "Boy, we shall discuss this later. Rest assured, what is yours shall not be snatched away by anyone!"

Li Yi continued, "Very well! Then let us talk about the second point. Elder, are you saying that it is inappropriate for Princess Changle to serve as the head of the foundation?"

Gao Shilian nodded. "Indeed!"

"But the foundation is a private organization. It seems the court has no authority to interfere in whom they choose as their head!"

Gao Shilian straightened his expression. "Hmph! Under the vast heaven, all land belongs to the King, and all within the borders are subjects of the King! Is there any private organization in this world that is not under the control of the imperial court?"

Li Yi suddenly realized this was ancient times—there were no human rights here. It seemed there was no arguing this point. "Fine! If you say you have control, then you have control. However, I truly cannot fathom why it is inappropriate for the Princess to be the head. How about this? Can you provide a suggestion?"

Gao Shilian became instantly vigilant. This boy had just used the tactic of retreating to advance—was he doing it again? "Hmph! This matter must be handled by someone appointed by the court!"

"Then why go through all this trouble? Why not just bring the Charity Foundation under the direct control of the imperial court? By then, the money the Chamber of Commerce gives to the Charity Foundation can go directly to the court! How wonderful!"

Gao Shilian was stunned, clearly not understanding what game Li Yi was playing. "Are you willing to do that?"

Li Yi looked perplexed. "Why would I be unwilling? This Charity Foundation is a bottomless pit; the amount of money lost every month is staggering. The others in the Chamber of Commerce have long wanted to be rid of it. Now that someone finally wants it, I am overjoyed! This is great. Without the Charity Foundation, Princess Changle can just focus on her small business—it will be easy and profitable!"

Gao Shilian had a vague, ominous feeling. "What small business?"

"What else could it be? The small businesses like fans, perfumes, and furniture—nothing worth mentioning!"

Once Li Yi finished, the entire hall erupted in chaos. They finally realized what Li Yi's trump card was. He had the nerve to call the fan, perfume, and furniture businesses "small"? They had all investigated recently; the daily revenue from these shops alone was a sum that made people green with envy—it was literally a gold mine. It could be said that the vast majority of the charity's current income came from these very shops. The only reason so many people had opposed the foundation was that they had their eyes on these profits. Now, with a single sentence, Li Yi had snatched them away along with the foundation. What would they want with the foundation now? It would just be asking for trouble, taking on a bottomless pit.

Gao Shilian stared at Li Yi in astonishment. "Are you saying these shops do not belong to the Charity Foundation?"

Li Yi waved his hand. "Of course they don't. As you may have heard, my relationship with Changle..." Before Li Yi could finish, he heard a sharp cough from Li Er, who was seated at the head. Li Yi sighed, forced to skip the topic. "Ahem, my relationship with Princess Changle is good, and I enjoy inventing things in my spare time, so I gave these to the Princess to use for her pocket money. Who knew the Princess was so kind-hearted that she would donate the earnings to the foundation? I didn't stop her. Money is meant to be spent, it doesn't matter how! As long as she is happy!"

The officials were all speechless. Look at them—such a massive amount of money, a group of "golden geese," was given away as if it were mere pocket money! Was this not infuriating?

Gao Shilian’s brow was deeply furrowed. He was now in a dilemma. Li Yi's meaning was clear: if Princess Changle were not the head, the money would be gone, as those shops belonged to her.

Li Er clearly had not expected things to develop to this point, and he too was now caught in a bind. After a moment of thought, he could only say, "We shall discuss this matter at a later time. Court dismissed!"