Chapter Twenty-One: The Royal Bank of the Great Tang

Hearing what Li Yi said, Li Er’s gaze sharpened once again. “Continue!”

“This discovery begins with that inexplicable letter. There was nothing in it except rows of three numbers per line. At first, I didn’t understand, but when I saw the book where the token was kept, a thought struck me: perhaps those numbers were a code, each line representing a character, and the key was a specific book. Simply put, the three numbers in a line represented the page, the line, and the character in a certain book!”

“What a strange method! And you managed to guess it? Incredible!” Li Er’s eyes widened; this was the first time he’d heard of such a way to send messages.

After a modest smile, Li Yi continued, “With this idea in mind, I focused on the books in Li Zihao’s room, and sure enough, I found it!” As he spoke, Li Yi pulled a copy of the Thousand Character Classic from his robe and handed it to Li Er.

“How did you determine it was this book?” Li Er took the book, not surprised this time. He found himself becoming immune to Li Yi’s antics.

“First, because this book is most suitable—it contains all the characters. Second, because Li Zihao was lacking in intelligence!”

Everyone was amused by Li Yi’s explanation, and even the heavy atmosphere eased a bit.

“Stop joking! Answer properly!” Li Er laughed and scolded.

“I’m not joking. Li Zihao actually placed a worn, grimy book among a pile of new ones, and even put a primer among a bunch of Confucian classics. It was hard not to notice. Who knows what he was thinking? Maybe he thought it would be easier to find, but he might as well have left it out in the open—wasn’t this just drawing attention to himself? That’s why I say his intelligence was low. Honestly, I’m lucky he died early; otherwise, my own intellect might have been contaminated!”

“Pfft!” Li Er and his ministers couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

“Haha! That sharp tongue of yours! No wonder that Li Zihao lost to you so thoroughly. Now that you’ve found the book, tell us what the letter said,” Li Er asked with a laugh.

“The content is very simple—just two lines: ‘In the fourth year of Zhenguan, the Chang’an Cabinet Bank received five hundred taels of gold and one hundred taels of silver.’”

“What? Cabinet Bank? My heavens!” At the mention of the Cabinet Bank, Li Er’s body jolted and a strange light flashed in his eyes. The Cabinet Bank had branches all over the country, and countless wealthy merchants and officials kept their money there. If something happened to the Cabinet Bank, chaos would ensue nationwide. If the Cabinet Bank was left untouched, even greater trouble could arise!

“From Wen Yong’s analysis, the cards held by this hidden power are almost all revealed: they use the Cabinet Bank to amass wealth, and the brothels to control officials or their sons. If they rise in rebellion, things will spiral out of control. And even though we can see through their moves, we’re powerless to stop them. It’s both a conspiracy and an open plot,” Fang Xuanling concluded immediately after Li Yi’s analysis.

Li Er’s expression was dark enough to drip water; after all, this was the empire of the Li family, and now it had been poisoned without anyone noticing, the poison spreading everywhere—almost impossible to cure.

Everyone present was anxious and gloomy, but Li Yi muttered to himself, “Is it really that difficult? It’s such a simple problem! Why all this fuss?”

“Hm? Li Yi, what are you muttering about?”

“Oh! Your Majesty, I was just saying that perhaps I have a way to solve this.”

“Li Yi, this is a matter of state—you must not joke!”

“Hehe! I’ll offer my suggestion, Your Majesty, and you may judge its usefulness.”

“Hahaha, you little fox! Go on, let’s hear your clever plan.”

“I obey. The crux of the matter lies in the Cabinet Bank’s reputation. If Your Majesty moves against the hidden power, the Cabinet Bank will surely be the first target. If it gets into trouble, the court will have to reimburse the people for their lost funds. Should the hidden power destroy all records, the court will suffer great losses, as we won’t know who deposited money. Anyone with a receipt from the Cabinet Bank could make a claim, and with current technology, forging a receipt wouldn’t be difficult. Fraud would be rampant, causing immense damage to the treasury.”

Li Er nodded knowingly. He had suspected the situation was complicated, but hadn’t considered such depths. Now, hearing Li Yi’s explanation, he broke out in a cold sweat.

“Wen Yong’s analysis is spot on. Even if there’s no fraud, if the people rush to exchange their deposits for cash, the court won’t be able to pay out so much at once. If we can’t obtain the silver amassed by the hidden power before the Cabinet Bank is compromised, disaster will follow,” Fang Xuanling frowned, the problem becoming clearer yet more daunting.

Li Er pondered for a while, finding no solution. He looked up at the leisurely Li Yi and suddenly realized, “You rascal, didn’t you say you had a way? Hurry up and explain!”

Everyone’s gaze immediately focused on Li Yi.

Li Yi cleared his throat and continued, “There are still many unresolved questions. First, how did the Cabinet Bank grow so rapidly in just a few years? To establish such a bank, reputation is paramount—there must be a guarantor or backing force. Who is it? Second, with so much silver collected, where has it gone? Such massive expenditure has escaped the court’s notice, which is suspicious. Third, since the hidden power intends to rebel, they must be maintaining an army—where is it? And so on. But now we know they have two open forces: the brothels and the Cabinet Bank. The brothels, frankly, are just for intelligence gathering and expanding influence. Thus, the core of all these questions is the Cabinet Bank. If we wish to deal with the hidden power, we must take action against the Cabinet Bank—shake the grass to startle the snake.”

Li Yi paused to catch his breath, giving Li Er and the others time to think.

After a while, Li Er signaled Li Yi to continue.

“To shake the grass and startle the snake is actually simple. The Cabinet Bank is, at its heart, a shady operation. Your Majesty, if the court establishes an imperial bank, whom do you think the people will trust more?”

Everyone was instantly astonished.

“An imperial bank? Brilliant! With the court and royal family’s backing, the people would surely trust the government more. They’d withdraw their money from the Cabinet Bank and deposit it in the imperial bank, avoiding all risk. If the hidden power can’t produce funds, they’ll be forced into desperate action, exposing themselves for us to catch. Most importantly, the imperial bank would gather all the silver for the court, ensuring financial stability. What a marvelous plan!” Fang Xuanling’s eyes gleamed, growing more excited as he spoke.

“Excellent! Haha! What a fine Wen Yong, what a fine imperial bank! Very good!” Li Er was equally pleased, though he maintained a dignified composure for the sake of royal authority.

“Your Majesty, forgive me for dampening your spirits, but an imperial bank is still a commercial venture, competing with the people for profit. That group of Confucian officials led by Kong Yingda will surely cause trouble again!” The only one who could say this was Changsun Wuji, since he was closest to Li Er. Hearing Kong Yingda’s name, Li Er felt as if he’d swallowed a fly.

“Ha! That’s not a problem. Who says banks must charge fees for deposits? Your Majesty, I can devise a new banking model: not only will the people not pay to deposit their money, we can offer them incentives, and we won’t lose—on the contrary, we’ll profit!”

Li Er was stunned, then delighted, his gaze fixed on Li Yi. “Nephew, are you certain?”

“Hehe, the time is too short now. Please give me a day—I’ll write a proposal for Your Majesty. As I said, I can come up with solutions, but whether they can be adopted depends on Your Majesty and the wise ministers.”

Li Er pointed at Li Yi with a helpless smile. “You really are a sly one! But what is this proposal?”

“Oh, a proposal is a written plan for upcoming work, outlining tasks, setting targets, timelines, solutions, and methods. It’s prepared after scientific research, analysis, information gathering, and organization, according to specific formats and requirements, to achieve development goals.

To avoid blind action, we must have plans before work and summaries after. A plan establishes order and clarifies objectives, serving as the basis for leadership, supervision, examination, and assessment.”

Li Er’s eyes lit up. “What a proposal! This will be extremely useful for handling state affairs. Xuanling, from now on, every major project must have a proposal.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Fang Xuanling was also amazed, realizing its significance as prime minister.

“Young man, I’ll give you one day. Write this proposal well—if you don’t, I’ll have to punish you!”

“Really? Your Majesty, that’s unreasonable! I—”

Li Yi tried to protest, but Li Er cut him off mercilessly. “Ahem! It’s getting late. Everyone, you may retire.”

As soon as Li Er finished speaking, Li Jing dragged the still-protesting Li Yi out.

Li Jing and the ministers walked all the way to the gates of Taiji Palace before putting Li Yi down.

No sooner had Li Jing released him than he scolded, “You rascal, the emperor asked you to write the proposal because he values you. Instead of thanking him, you try to bargain—what nonsense! Watch how I deal with you!”

Li Jing pretended to hit Li Yi, but before he could react, Fang Xuanling and the others stopped him.

“Pharmacist, enough! I don’t believe you’d actually go through with it—in front of us, acting is unnecessary!” Fang Xuanling gave Li Jing an embarrassed look, then turned to Li Yi. “Nephew, jokes aside, you must write this proposal well. For our Great Tang, minor rebellions are just minor ailments and not worth much concern, but the Cabinet Bank and the imperial bank involve the people’s livelihood. Great Tang has only recently found peace and cannot endure such upheaval, so you must be extremely cautious.”

“That’s right, boy. You may act too freely, but I must admit you have some unconventional talent. Work hard—we’re all old now, and the future will depend on your generation. I hope you stay true to yourself!” Wei Zheng, the stubborn old man, surprisingly offered encouragement to Li Yi. Perhaps he truly felt it was time to nurture the next generation.

“You are quite impressive, young man. Though we’re meeting for the first time, I’ll leave you with these words: national affairs outweigh all else!” Changsun Wuji approached with a smile. Though he was cunning, he meant what he said—national interest comes first. His words were a reminder to Li Yi: whatever happens, the nation must come first!

Li Yi’s expression grew solemn. He gave the three elders a respectful salute. “I will remember your words, uncles. Please rest assured—I will always remain Li Yi and never change!”

The three looked deeply at Li Yi, nodded, and departed.

“Wen Yong!” After they left, Li Jing spoke again.

“Grandfather, yes?”

“Don’t blame me, boy. I have too much merit—I must act like this.”

“Grandfather, you don’t need a reason to discipline your grandson. I understand you, and you can be sure I won’t act recklessly!”

“Haha! Good, then I won’t say more. I believe in you. Come home with me tonight!”

Li Yi thought for a moment. “Grandfather, tonight I’d rather stay at the Prince of Rencheng’s residence. My friends are all there, and it’s so late—going back to the Li residence now would be inconvenient. Besides, I don’t want to return just yet. Tomorrow morning, I want to come home in the best shape and spirit.”

Li Jing considered for a moment. “Very well, I respect your choice! Tomorrow morning, your grandmother, uncles, and brother will all welcome you home.” With that, he turned to leave.

“Grandfather, wait!” Li Jing looked back, puzzled. “What is it? Something else?”

Li Yi, for once embarrassed, grinned sheepishly. “Well...it’s too dark—I can’t find the way!”

“Too dark?” Li Jing looked at the moonlit streets, his mouth twitching.

“Yes! Too dark! I’m extremely nearsighted! Grandfather, you must believe me!”