Chapter Forty-Nine: Opening an Era of Everlasting Peace for All Generations!

Li Er was dumbfounded. “Are you saying you encountered a book, and then it entered your mind, and suddenly you understood everything?”

“That’s exactly it!”

“So what was written in that book?”

“I've forgotten!”

“But didn’t you say you remembered?”

“Well... it’s like an old physician. He has countless prescriptions in his mind, but if you ask him to write them all down at once, he wouldn’t recall them. Yet, if a patient arrives, he can prescribe the right medicine on the spot. Similarly, Your Majesty has read many books, but if you tried to recall every book you’ve read over the years, it’d be impossible. Still, if someone jogs your memory, you’ll suddenly realize you’ve read that book. My situation is the same. If you ask me to recall now, I remember nothing, but with a bit of stimulus—like the other day when I said this tea tasted terrible, and the flavor triggered my memory—I immediately recalled the method for processing tea! That’s just how it works!”

Seeing the tea leaves in Li Yi’s hand, Li Er found a new target. “What are you holding?”

Li Yi glanced down and wished he could chop off his own hand. Why did he have to gesture? He looked up and forced a laugh. “This is tea leaves, nothing special.”

“How do you drink it?”

“Just steep it in hot water, no need to add anything else! But Uncle Li, that’s not the main point!”

“Hm! I basically understand what you’re saying, but to confirm further, I’ll need to examine your tea leaves to see if you’re telling the truth!” As he spoke, Li Er took the tea leaves from Li Yi’s hand. “Well then, you two carry on. Chengqian, you’re granted the afternoon off—have a good chat. I’m feeling a bit weary, so I’ll take my leave.”

Li Er finished speaking and strode away, not pausing for a moment.

Li Chengqian, hearing he finally had a holiday, was as delighted as could be.

“Yi! You’re amazing. Whenever you come, my days brighten up. You truly are my lucky star!”

“I know I’m amazing, but your father…”

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“Oh, it’s just a packet of tea leaves! If you fancy anything in my palace someday, just take it!”

“I meant the tea leaves were intended as a gift for you!”

Li Chengqian’s expression froze; he wanted to laugh but didn’t know what was funny, wanted to cry but didn’t know where to start—a mess of tangled emotions.

“Haha! Don’t be like that, it’s just a bit of tea. Don’t dwell on it!”

“Yi, do you have any more?”

“Nope, absolutely none left!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Believe it or not, I really have none. By the way, how old are you this year?”

“Oh! I’m fifteen this year! And you?”

“You don’t even know my age and yet you call me Yi? I’m fifteen too, but you’re not as old as I am!”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter. Yi, I want tea leaves!”

“Hey, Your Highness, look how blue the sky is—maybe it’ll rain tomorrow. The ground’s so dirty, I think I’m hungry. Are there any chicks? Pork would taste great!”

“Yi, you’re shameless!”

“Thank you!”

...

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“Mmm! Yi, this beggar’s chicken is delicious. I’ve never tasted anything so good!”

“Haha! Beggar’s chicken was my master’s favorite dish. Sadly, I don’t know if there’ll ever be another chance to make it for him again.” Li Yi looked up at the sky. He and Li Chengqian sat in the garden, drinking wine and eating chicken. The scene stirred his emotions, and he found himself thinking of his master and senior brother.

“Why do you say that, Yi?”

“I left the mountains this year on the first day of the lunar new year. My master was already one hundred and twenty-one years old then! We all knew he was nearing his end, but he insisted I leave, saying he didn’t want to see someone with my talent wasted, and forced me to promise that if I didn’t earn a noble title, I couldn't visit him. At first, I thought he simply wanted me to succeed, but later I understood—success was part of it, but more so, he didn’t want me to watch him grow old. He understood me; he feared I’d be unable to bear the blow and would never recover. By sending me away early, he ensured I’d always have hope in my heart—that he was still alive. Isn’t that life? Striving for a goal that may or may not exist. Like me, working hard to earn a noble title so I can see my master again. Will I succeed? Maybe, maybe not. But regardless, my master will always live on in my heart!”

“Yi, you speak so profoundly!”

“Haha! I just want to say that living is exhausting for everyone—some toil with their minds, some with their bodies. Even a lazy man, for him, breathing is tiring. So don’t live just to exist, but live for life itself! Learn to find joy amidst hardship. No matter how great the setback, if your heart is filled with sunshine, if you can find a reason to genuinely smile, then you’ve won! Success is simply about who can smile to the end.”

Li Chengqian was thoughtful, though still confused.

“I once heard a rather silly saying: having meaning is living well, and living well is doing meaningful things. Now, thinking about it, it’s truly a wise maxim. There are two kinds of people: those who live for themselves—selfish, possibly without a single friend, but happy on their own; and those who live for others—these people bear the weight of responsibility, perhaps living tired lives themselves, but allowing those around them to thrive. Like your father, who works hard every day, never finishing his petitions or his tasks, yet he brings peace and prosperity to the Tang Empire! Life is short, so you must have a clear goal, something to strive for—whether for yourself or for others, benefiting yourself and others—it all depends on your heart!”

“So, Yi, why do you live?”

“Me?” Li Yi took a sip of wine, gazing into the distance with a hint of world-weariness in his eyes. “To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure the destiny of the people, to continue the lost learning of the sages, and to bring peace to all generations.”

Li Yi spent the afternoon at the Jiang residence. Though he’d been busy these past days, this band of youngsters hadn’t slacked off even a bit. The results were clear—they’d already donned the fitted uniforms designed by Li Yi, jackets with buttons, trousers with belts, comfortable and convenient for both wearing and training, greatly loved by the group. Clad in their new military attire, they looked far more spirited, marching in step with precision, a fierce, robust energy radiating from them. The greatest transformation was seen in two of the smaller boys. Though they’d only been training for four days, it was as if they’d become different people—their manner subdued, unmoving as mountains, their temperament outstanding, the restless air about them greatly diminished.

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