Chapter 126 Persuading Renjie, Fondest of June

"Lord Di, do you know how King Zhuangxiang of Qin ascended to the throne?"

Di Renjie certainly knew, but he did not answer, having already grasped Li Wei's intent.

"When I was in the Western Capital, I entrusted Wang Cainian with a sum of money to facilitate activities within the palace. It was insufficient, and while I couldn't discern any immediate effect, I believe it must have had some impact. But what if it were twenty or thirty thousand strings of cash?"

Even with such a sum, it would be impossible to bribe everyone in the palace, but it would certainly be enough to buy over a significant number of people. It would be a great help to the Crown Prince. After all, if the Crown Prince did not generate wealth, he would have no funds at his disposal. Without money, Lady Wei could barely scrape by; otherwise, she wouldn't have bought a haunted house. As for the Western Gate, it relied entirely on the relief provided by a few people to survive. Di Renjie said helplessly, "While this is a method of self-preservation for Your Highness, it abandons the righteous path."

"I am not entirely righteous, but I am certainly not evil. Furthermore, I have adopted a pseudonym. If I wish to help the people and have some surplus funds, is it not a virtuous act to convert them into grain and, in the names of Liang and Lu, send them to Guanzhong?"

"Your Highness, it is merely a workshop..." He left the rest unsaid. The milk candy business was undeniably prosperous, but the reason for its success was not just the candy itself; it was also driven by merchants who, eager to curry favor, purchased and trafficked it in great quantities regardless of profit. Even so, while the workshop looked promising and hired more and more workers, how much profit could it actually generate in a year?

Perhaps like the great clans, which relied on years of accumulation—lands, estates, properties, and workshops spread across the realm. Or like Zou Fengchi, whose wealth was not built in a year or two. While such wealth might be shocking when held by an individual, what did it amount to when compared to the entire nation? By the time the Crown Prince's wealth became substantial, he would have either successfully ascended the throne or failed. In either case, money would no longer be a concern.

"Lord Di, while storms and heavy rain can be damaging, the gentle spring rain nourishes all things silently. You underestimate this sugarcane. It is not just the two things I mentioned. There is another matter related to the future of the nation. How many people know the technique for making bamboo paper now?"

"Your Highness, this is a good thing. In the future, cheap bamboo paper will be available throughout the country, and many will be able to afford paper."

"That is true. But Lord Di, in terms of profit, who benefits the most?"

The one who benefited the most was not the imperial court. The court did not levy taxes, which was the very thing Li Wei found most peculiar. During this time, he had been preoccupied with survival, though he occasionally pondered other matters. Ministers held merchants in such contempt that many would not even mention them, yet there was no proper commercial tax. Tariffs were vaguely defined, so the court received little benefit, while local officials extorted merchants by various means, leaving them in misery.

Upon inquiry, however, it was not entirely so. The ones who suffered were the true merchants. Certain clans, officials, or other powerful groups conducted trade under pseudonyms, and local grassroots officials dared not harass them. This result was much like the land system. The court hoped for equality—otherwise, they would not have implemented the Equal-Field System or strictly prohibited the sale and transfer of permanent land—yet land was sold regardless. Great clans prospered in good years and bought up land in bad years. Thus, the court remained as it was, and due to land annexation, tax collection became difficult, while the various clans and powerful families enjoyed this peaceful era, growing ever stronger.

Bamboo paper was no different. The fact that paper became cheaper did not mean the merchants lost money; on the contrary, this cheapness was due to lower production costs. Because it was cheap, it was used more, and the profits were even greater. Yet this profit remained in the pockets of those few. In other words, although Li Wei had invented bamboo paper, perhaps Wu Zetian and Li Zhi gained a hollow reputation, and scholars across the world could afford paper, but the greatest benefits went to a minority, further exacerbating the polarization of the country.

"Lord Di, what if the court were to levy a commercial tax?"

"That must not be done," Di Renjie replied. Every time a commercial tax was levied, it involved many matters and people, and the world would be in an uproar. In particular, it must not originate from the Crown Prince.

"But what if the sugarcane merchants themselves were to propose to the court a fifty-percent commercial tax?"

This was the Crown Prince's industry; if he proposed an eighty-percent tax, it would not infringe upon anyone else's interests, and naturally, there would be no controversy. Once the technology spread, it would become a precedent. Li Wei continued, "Lord Di, you must not treat sugarcane as you treat milk candy. You told me you would resolve the issue of Xu Jingzong in half a year. I tell you as well: within ten years, sugarcane will bring the court at least one hundred thousand strings of cash in taxes annually, and within twenty years, at least two hundred thousand. As for salt production, it far exceeds sugarcane. Though it is considered shameful to speak of profit, if the imperial treasury had ample wealth and grain, would the disaster victims in Guanzhong not fare better? In previous years, for the sake of liquidity, the court actually issued decrees for loan interest. Lord Di, you should know what these loans are like. It is fortunate the quantity was small; otherwise, the common people would once again be living in deep misery."

"But it is still not quite right..."

"Not only that, it can support many people. These are all subjects of the Great Tang. However, I can promise you that this matter begins with me and ends with me. It will not reach the next generation."

"That is a must," Di Renjie finally relented.

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. This was Di Renjie; he would not have hoped to convince anyone else. In truth, many officials acted one way to one's face and another behind one's back, much like Wang Rong, who was too embarrassed to even mention money, calling it "that thing," yet would sleep on piles of money at night, reveling in it. It was strange that everyone could accept such hypocrisy.

He was the same with his parents; he could not speak openly and honestly, but had to keep everything bottled up inside. It was the same with the ministers—constantly engaging in underhanded tactics...

But there was one more thing Li Wei dared not say: the more paths he paved and the more disreputable characters he employed, the easier it would become to flee if necessary. He could not bring himself to say it, and he felt a pang of guilt. Di Renjie and the others had staked everything on him, yet he was already planning his escape...

In truth, Di Renjie had underestimated it again. No matter what the Crown Prince said, perhaps sugarcane was more profitable than milk candy, but he did not quite believe it would bring the state one or two hundred thousand strings of cash in taxes annually. He believed in salt, for it was a necessity in every household.

His silence was merely a compromise; it was less about future state taxes and more about the fact that the Crown Prince indeed needed money to clear the path within the palace...

However, it was still early. The sugarcane had not yet matured, and even if it had, it would not suffice. It had to be harvested when fully mature, stored in cellars, and frozen in the cold weather to extract the syrup before it could be crushed. Only then could the highest quality sugarcane be refined.

He would need to go to Jiangnan to look for land and a source of sugarcane. In reality, after two rounds of donations, Liang Jinzhu did not have much property left, and while Lu Ma had money, he needed it for liquidity. They would have to rely on Li Wei's capital. But it did not matter; all Li Wei needed were their business minds and the use of their names. He didn't even need their connections; he had other skills, and when the time came, he could provide secret guidance.

After Lu Ma and Liang Jinzhu left, Di Renjie still looked somewhat displeased. Li Wei said, "Lord Di, I have good news to tell you. The sorghum fields I am experimenting with are growing well."

"Valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the way of a monarch," Di Renjie said sternly. He had heard Di Hao and the other girl mention it, but he had not paid much heed. The Crown Prince had devoted all the fertilizer and effort from the imperial estate to those dozen or so acres of sorghum. How could it not grow well? Yet, this was what he approved of most. Regardless of the harvest, the fact that the Crown Prince valued agriculture was a gesture to the world. This gesture was what mattered.

Li Wei felt rebuffed.

Di Hui and Di Hao brought in a plate of mulberries. Di Hao said, "Father, Your Highness, these are mulberries we just picked. They have been chilled in well water; please, have a taste."

Li Wei picked up a dark, ripe mulberry and tasted it; it was very sweet. He remarked, "Summer is wonderful."

When he was a child, his family was not well off, and being young and naive, he always looked forward to summer. He would go to the water to pick tender water chestnuts and lotus stems, or harvest melons from the fields, or climb mulberry trees to pick these sweet berries. Although those days were not filled with the silk and finery of his current life as the Crown Prince, they were carefree. At this thought, he lost himself for a moment.

"Your Highness, be careful," Di Hui said.

Li Wei looked down and saw that, due to his distraction, a drop of dark mulberry juice had fallen onto his sleeve.

The two young women giggled. With Liang Jinzhu and the others gone, Di Hao and Di Hui had impatiently removed their veils. It seemed they also found it uncomfortable to keep their faces covered all day. Li Wei said, "I have composed a poem; would the two young ladies like to sing it for me?"

"Oh, wonderful!" they exclaimed one after the other. They were not much older than Li Wei—one a year older, the other two. In another life, they would still be in their vibrant youth.

They stood up immediately, one fetching paper for him, the other a brush.

Di Renjie could only smile. In matters of political strategy, the Crown Prince's benevolence made him fall short. But in writing poetry and lyrics, he himself could not compare.

After the ink was ground, they handed the brush to Li Wei with great anticipation. Li Wei gave a bitter smile, thinking, *Do you like me, or just these poems?* He took the brush, and Di Renjie leaned in as well, for he loved the Crown Prince's calligraphy most of all. Yao Yuancong had once said that this was the calligraphy of the righteous spirit of heaven and earth, and one could not write it without a righteous heart. Thus, whenever the Crown Prince wrote in his presence, he always observed it closely. The brush fell: *The bright moon startles the magpies in the branches, the cool breeze carries the chirping of cicadas at midnight... suddenly seen by the creek bridge on the road.*

It was a very refreshing piece, and then: *Seven or eight stars beyond the sky, two or three raindrops before the mountains,* it remained grand and vast.

"What a wonderful poem," the two young women said, pleasantly surprised. Unlike the grand and imposing styles, this one they could sing.

They brought out a zither and began to sing.

Di Renjie, however, was lost in thought. The reason why such lyrics were considered low-brow and even despised by scholars was that they were often filled with vulgar, superficial ditties. But transformed by the Crown Prince, they were not only upright but also possessed a more beautiful rhythmic complexity. Or perhaps, the merchants...

*Sigh*, he must not think about it. That man had tempted the Crown Prince, and he, in turn, had been tempted by the Crown Prince.

When they finished singing, Li Wei looked at the sky and brought up another serious matter: "Two young ladies, I must inform you in advance that the Empress may summon you, along with the young ladies of the Yang, Xu, and Pei families, to the palace within these two days."

"The Empress summons us to the palace? For what purpose?"

"I do not know either," Li Wei replied, his eyes fixed on Di Renjie. Di Renjie was equally puzzled.

Di Hao asked anxiously, "Father, if the Empress asks about our background, how should we answer?"

If their true origins were exposed, they could forget about ever entering the Eastern Palace.

"That shouldn't happen. At the very least, the Empress will consider my reputation. There are three other young ladies accompanying you. Besides, the Empress may not even know. Just don't answer if she doesn't ask," Di Renjie said, contemplating Wu Zetian's intentions, then added casually, "However, when you enter the palace and the Empress wishes to see you, it will be inappropriate to wear your veils, but you must stay away from His Majesty."

Li Wei was about to ask why, when he suddenly realized, and a strange expression crossed his face...

He must never say it was impossible.