Chapter 110: The Two Saints Yield — Deceiving Oneself

After dinner, the oppressive heat refused to dissipate; the surroundings felt as if they were being consumed by flames.

Back in the spring, Li Wei had thought being a Crown Prince was quite good, but by now, he had changed his mind. When it’s cold, you can add layers of clothing, but what do you do when it’s hot? He found himself longing for the days of air conditioning; even a simple electric fan would have been a luxury.

Of course, there were hand fans. Bi’er held a large round fan, waving it incessantly to cool him down. Seeing this loyal little girl drenched in sweat, how could he bear it? Even if it were any other palace servant, he would have felt uneasy. His modern mindset had yet to fully adapt to this era. Even with the fanning, the air that reached him felt like gusts of fire.

Wiping sweat from his brow with a damp towel, Bi’er suggested, "Your Highness, shall we bathe?"

Li Wei shuddered. This matter needed to be addressed immediately. He called Bi’er and Shangguan Wan’er to his side, had them sit down, and said, "Wheat must be harvested only when the ears turn yellow, right?"

"Yes," the two young girls nodded in unison.

"What if one were to harvest the wheat while it was still half-green and half-yellow?"

"The yield would decrease," answered Shangguan Wan’er.

"Not only would the yield decrease, but the grains might be shriveled," added Bi’er, who had done farm work in her childhood, giving a more precise answer.

"And if it were harvested while the ears were still entirely green, what would happen?"

"No one would ever do such a thing," Shangguan Wan’er stated.

"Think about it—if someone were to do that, what would the result be?"

"There would be no harvest at all."

"Exactly. Bi’er, you are like that half-green, half-yellow ear of wheat. Wan’er, you aren't even that ripe yet. If you were to accompany..." Li Wei cut himself off. Wan’er was too young; he couldn't bring himself to say the rest in front of her. He changed his tack: "You think doing this is for my benefit, to make me happy. But you are wrong. It would do your bodies no good at all. If your health suffers, I will not be happy watching it. If I am not happy, how could you be doing this for my benefit?"

"Wan’er is a bit young, but as for me... I am not young anymore. In the world outside, many girls my age are already married and have children."

*Sigh.* In this wretched era, Li Wei sighed inwardly. "That is because they haven't realized the truth. One day, everyone will understand that this is a mistake."

"But, but..."

"No more 'buts.' Before, had anyone ever imagined that paper could be made from bamboo? You must trust me. Let me ask you one more thing: do you want me to be happy?"

"We do," they both nodded.

"If you want me to be happy, never bring this up again. When you are old enough, I will let you serve me. No matter what happens in the future, I will not abandon you. Even if you don't serve me, I will not abandon you. And even after I marry the Crown Princess, it is not certain that I will have her serve me either." Having finished, Li Wei felt quite pleased; he had finally explained the issue clearly.

Bi’er thought to herself: *Your Highness, this time the Crown Princess won't be the young lady from the Yang family. It might be the young lady from the Pei family, who is even a year younger than me.* Many people in Luoyang knew this, and quite a few in the Eastern Palace were aware of it too. Bi’er had only just heard about it, but she wasn't sure if she should inform the Crown Prince. What if it wasn't true?

Bi’er still preferred Yang Min as the Crown Princess. Although she hadn't been very kind before, she was decent to the Crown Prince now. Besides, she was beautiful, familiar to her, and didn't seem to look down on her.

The daughter of the Pei family, however—she had only seen her once at Mount Zhongnan. She was very resilient; she had walked such a long distance without a single complaint. That was the extent of her impression. The most daunting thing was the prestige of the Pei family. Although the Pei family was not among the "Five Surnames and Seven Clans," the Hedong Pei family and the Lanling Xiao family were just as colossal, making a commoner like her feel terrified. The Yang family was fine—an official family—but strictly speaking, even Yang Jian had come from a different branch, and they were far from comparable to the Hedong Peis.

She felt a sense of inferiority.

This was the reality. Facing these prestigious noble clans, even the Emperor himself found it hard to hold his head high, which was why he desperately tried to align himself with the Longxi Li family.

"Bi’er, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing at all, Your Highness."

Did she have something on her mind? Li Wei didn't press her. After convincing the two girls, he was just about to have the servants bring water for his bath when a eunuch arrived, announcing that the Emperor and Empress had summoned him.

"Hong'er, sit," Li Zhi said.

"Yes," Li Wei replied. He took a seat and looked around; besides his father, Hao Chujun and Yan Liben were present. Even his mother had emerged from behind the screen and was sitting to the side.

Li Zhi gestured to the eunuch standing nearby. "Bring all those memorials over for the Crown Prince to read."

"Yes!" The eunuch brought over a large stack of memorials. There were so many that they couldn't possibly be finished in a short time, but his father's command was no different from an imperial decree. He began to read. They covered all sorts of matters—official promotions and demotions, criminals awaiting execution after the autumn, and reports on water conservancy and harvests across the regions. Most were handled by the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and only the most critical or difficult cases were passed to the palace. Some were even sent via express courier from Luoyang because Dai Zhide and his colleagues in the Western Capital couldn't reach a decision.

But the majority concerned the drought. For instance, Qinzhou reported that since the Cold Food Festival, there had been only four rainfalls, each stopping as soon as it began, leaving "a thousand miles of scorched earth and ten thousand miles of desolation." Officials were no longer concerned with their performance records; some even exaggerated the disaster to secure more supplies from the court. They requested grain from Bashu, but the roads were treacherous, and little could be transported. They begged the court to divert grain from the Huai River region to the people of Qinzhou, pleading that they, too, were the Emperor’s subjects.

Parts of the Hedong and Henan circuits were also complaining bitterly. Reading these memorials was a harrowing experience.

Li Zhi didn't actually expect him to read them all. After Li Wei had gone through several, Li Zhi asked, "Hong'er, what do you see?"

Li Wei answered honestly, "I only see that the drought has not eased; it is only growing worse."

"Indeed," Li Zhi sighed.

Bamboo paper had allowed him and his wife to claim the moral high ground and suppress some public resentment, but this drought could not be ignored. If things continued this way, the people in Guanzhong, Hedong, and Henan would struggle to survive. With the autumn harvest ruined, they would have no grain to eat until next summer. If this crisis wasn't resolved, how could they possibly survive?

Li Wei remained silent. Though he felt pity for the commoners, he had no solution. The last time he had suggested an idea, his father had scolded him so severely he couldn't hold his head up. He dared not speak now.

Li Zhi spoke again: "Hong'er, that idea you had last time..."

"That was just me speaking nonsense," Li Wei quickly replied. Just as Di Renjie had predicted, faced with the long-unresolved drought, his parents were beginning to yield to his suggestion. But that might not be a good thing. Di Renjie had been cold and dismissive, knowing full well it would save countless lives, yet refusing to entertain it.

Empress Wu spoke from the side: "Hong'er, that idea of yours is not a way to govern a state."

"Yes, Mother, I was wrong."

"Listen to what I have to say. While it is not a proper way to govern, the situation is dire. If a large amount of grain were to enter Guanzhong, grain prices would plummet, saving countless lives. Conversely, not only will Guanzhong face a famine, but grain prices will continue to soar. With the drought lasting this long, the national grain supply is already insufficient, and merchants will drive prices up across the entire country."

"Mother, that is only a temporary pain. Once the drought eases, the situation will improve. But if we adopt my idea, it will create a misunderstanding—the whole country will shift from valuing agriculture and disparaging commerce to valuing commerce and disparaging agriculture, which could affect the nation’s foundations for generations to come." Li Wei repeated Di Renjie’s words verbatim.

Empress Wu frowned and turned to Hao Chujun. "Minister Hao, you speak."

"Yes," Hao Chujun responded, then said to Li Wei, "Your Highness is correct. However, this year's drought is severe; in some mountainous areas, even drinking water has run out. Minister Yan and I discussed this for a long time in the Secretariat. We concluded that although your method was not entirely appropriate, in an emergency, one must act with flexibility. If we can alleviate the disaster and save countless lives, it would be worth it for the court to grant three or four viscountcies or baronies. But the Emperor cannot issue a formal decree, or it will shock the court and leave a shameful mark in history. Is there any way to make these merchants believe that such a thing is happening, so they will rush their grain into Guanzhong of their own accord? We could then bestow rewards upon them in the name of commendation. That would be a way to solve it."

Hao Chujun looked at Li Wei with an expectant gaze.

Since they couldn't defeat the Empress, they had to move forward with the matter. The disaster couldn't wait another day. Despite their disdain for merchants, there was no other way. Li Zhi and Empress Wu, weighed down by the massive drought, had lowered their heads, and even this stubborn minister had been forced to do the same.

At first glance, it sounded like "plugging one's ears while stealing a bell," but the nature of the situation was different. Without a second thought, Li Wei said, "Minister Hao, that is impossible. Without a decree, merchants—though cunning and profit-driven—occupy a low status. If the court reneges, who could they complain to? Since they love profit, if they don't see tangible assurances, they won't believe it, and they won't dare to act."

"That is why we summoned you—to see if you can come up with a 'devious' idea," Li Zhi said.

A devious idea? Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Li Wei closed his mouth.

Empress Wu nudged Li Zhi’s elbow and said to Li Wei, "Hong'er, you have a kind heart. Every day we delay, more people will die. The longer we wait, the more will perish. Think again. Is there any other way?"

Even if there were, he couldn't say it. If this were exposed later, he would be the one to bear the infamy. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Mother, I do have a plan, but it requires Father, Mother, and the two ministers to step out together."

*Let's all jump into the water together.*

"Cough, cough," Li Zhi choked. *He* had to step out? It would be easier to just issue an open decree.

Empress Wu nudged his dragon robe again and asked, "What is the method?"

"Mother, we can invite a high-ranking monk and hint to him to hold a grand charity event at Baima Temple, much like Master Kuiji did. Then, under the guise of rewards, invite the merchants who donated at the Daci’en Temple event to the Eastern Capital for a banquet in the Imperial Palace. It just so happens that the Baima Temple event is about to begin. Merchants from the two capitals—at least those with a sense of charity—will gather in the Eastern Capital. At the banquet, we can have someone casually let slip this news. Father, Mother, and the two ministers need not deny or confirm it. Since you are all present, the merchants will understand the implication. And even if someone were to impeach the idea, Father, you haven't admitted to anything, so there would be no basis for it."

It was similar to Hao Chujun's suggestion—still "plugging one's ears while stealing a bell"—but it was more cleverly masked, less direct.

It truly was a devious idea.

"Cough, cough," Li Zhi choked again.