Chapter 82: Consequences

Li Yi bared his teeth in a fawning smile. “Uncle Li, would you perhaps show me the way?”

Li Er was amused by Li Yi’s timid demeanor. “Look at the state you’re in!” After a quiet chuckle, he grew serious once more. “You rascal, this matter is simple if you look at it one way, but difficult if you look at it another. If you want to enjoy the blessings of many wives, I won’t be the one to break up a pair of lovers, but you must know—I need a reason!”

Li Yi was overjoyed, instantly grasping Li Er’s meaning: he wanted merit. As a man who had traveled through time, merit was the one thing he could easily provide.

He stood up, thumping his chest with resolve. “Uncle Li, rest assured! Leave it to me!”

“Hmph! Why wouldn’t I rest assured? If you can’t give me a reason, I’ll just marry Changle to someone else!”

Li Yi immediately shrank back, his bravado gone. “Uncle Li, please! I’ll do my best!”

“Enough, let’s see how you perform. Now, to business! Take a look, this is the profit from the bank over the past two days.”

Li Yi glanced at Li Er’s smiling face and knew the profits would be impressive.

Sure enough, when he opened the report, he saw the bank had earned fifty thousand strings of coins in just two days. Of that, ten thousand were tied up in three-year fixed deposits.

“So much! Uncle Li, it seems Chang’an has no shortage of wealthy folk!”

Li Er gave a slight smile. “Indeed, and this is only part of it. I specifically had someone investigate—these past two days, many people have wanted to withdraw their silver from the exchange shops and deposit it in our bank. Ha! The staff at the exchange shops must be frantic by now.”

“Yes! That’s excellent. By the way, how are the preparations going for the other branches?”

“They were all organized together originally, and preparations are nearly finished. Some places have already opened for business, though news hasn’t arrived yet due to the distance. By tomorrow, almost all will be open. Wherever there’s an exchange shop, there will be a branch of our bank!”

“That’s wonderful. Looks like the snake is about to leave its hole!”

“Correct. These past two days, I’ve sent people to intensify the investigation. I believe the results will soon be in.” Li Er's tiger-like eyes flashed with murderous intent; from his gaze, it was clear he loathed this hidden power. The empire had only just regained peace, and now a troublemaker had appeared—anyone would feel uneasy. Li Er took a sip of tea to calm himself. “Rascal, I hear you wish to hand the charity foundation over to Changle?”

At the mention of Changle, Li Yi’s hand trembled involuntarily. Now, even hearing her name from Li Er made him jumpy. “Ah, well, that’s just an idea of mine. Whether it’s feasible depends on your decision, Uncle.”

Li Er’s eyes widened. “Rascal, that’s not what you told Guanyin. You sounded quite bold then!”

Li Yi gave an embarrassed laugh. “Heh, that was me making a pledge before the Empress. With you, Uncle, I can only speak honestly.”

“Haha, you brat! But have you considered the consequences?”

Li Yi’s expression grew serious. “Your Majesty, I believe you know well that women are just as capable as men in many areas. Independence for women is the trend of the times. Many women in impoverished families already shoulder the burden of their households. If women are liberated, our Tang dynasty will gain tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of talented people overnight!”

Li Yi paused to give Li Er time to think.

Li Er played with his folding fan, his manner solemn yet tinged with interest.

After a moment, Li Yi continued, “Women managing households is no longer an isolated case; it’s already happening, though few notice. Making the princess president of the charity foundation is a breakthrough. Once that opening is made, the rest will be simple.”

Li Yi was neither reckless nor ignorant. To be honest, in another era, even with ten times the courage, he would not dare such a thing—it could easily lead to execution for his entire clan. But this was different: this was Tang, the reign of Emperor Taizong, the most open period of feudal times and the era with the greatest intellectual freedom. That’s why Li Yi dared to try, believing that even if he failed, Li Er wouldn’t punish him harshly—at most, he’d be demoted to commoner status, which Li Yi feared least. With knowledge spanning a thousand years, as long as he lived, he could thrive anywhere. But if he succeeded, it would be a historic transformation for the Tang dynasty and the Chinese nation! Upon arriving in Tang, Li Yi might have only wanted a peaceful life at first, but after experiencing so much and feeling the dynasty's glory, he gradually found his purpose: studying for the rise of Tang. Now, for Li Yi, this was not just empty words, but a lifelong conviction.

Li Er snapped open his folding fan, gently waving it, his brows furrowed, his gaze grave, silent. Li Yi, meanwhile, calmly sipped his tea. He lacked many virtues, but once he made up his mind, he never turned back. Dangerous as this endeavor was, he was fully prepared and had thought out his escape plan, so he was fearless.

At last, Li Er opened his tiger eyes, staring intently at Li Yi. “Nephew, have you thought through the consequences?”

One was, “Have you considered the consequences?” The other, “Have you thought through the consequences?” A single word changed everything—the first was a casual question, the second pressed Li Yi to declare himself.

Li Yi smiled, straightening his back, and answered with conviction: “Uncle Li, rest assured. Since I proposed it, I have thought through all the consequences! Once I decide, I never regret! Now that I’ve taken this step, I have no intention of turning back!”

Li Yi’s three emphatic refusals rang out, giving Li Er the answer he wanted. In truth, Li Er didn’t care how thorough Li Yi’s plans were—circumstances change faster than plans. What he wanted was Li Yi’s attitude, a definite answer, an unwavering resolve. That mattered more than any lengthy argument.

“Good. Since you’ve decided, go ahead boldly. But this road is perilous; you must be prepared for the consequences. I can’t help you much; everything depends on you. All I can promise is to protect you as much as possible within my power.”

Li Yi shivered. “Uncle Li, could you not frighten me? I’m timid!”

Li Er laughed and scolded, “You rascal, just when you act proper, you fall back into your old ways. Get out, before I can’t resist smacking your behind!”

Li Yi reflexively jumped to his feet. For some reason, he was especially sensitive about being spanked. “Uh, Uncle Li, you sit, please! I won’t trouble you any longer!” As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something. “Uncle Li, I’m currently training King Shu and the others. Should the princess attend as well?”

Li Er pondered for a moment. “Hmm, I’ve heard about your so-called ‘Zhenguan Arithmetic,’ but haven’t seen it yet. Let Changle attend. She can come back and explain it to me, so I can see what new tricks you’ve come up with.”

“Oh! You want to hear it too? That’s fine, Uncle. I think it’s quite useful. I’ll have the princess bring you a textbook.”

“All right, you talk as if it’s something real. Now, get out!”

Li Yi quickly bowed, bid farewell, and left the Hall of Eternal Spring.