Chapter 16: Going Home to Collect the Laundry

Li Chunfeng nodded solemnly: "I will certainly exhaust my efforts and not cease until my death."

"It's not that serious!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand casually: "There is a passage in the *Laozi* that I have never quite understood. Li Taichang is full of talent; I wonder if you could clear up my confusion?"

"My learning is shallow; it is already a great honor to be able to discuss it with Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Attain the utmost emptiness, hold fast to stillness. As the ten thousand things arise together, I watch their return. Things flourish, then each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness, which is called returning to one's destiny. Returning to one's destiny is called the constant; knowing the constant is called enlightenment."

"Each returns to its root; the root of a person is the heart and the spirit. Then, what is the root of the imperial court? Is it the ruler or the people?"

"If it is the ruler, then how should the ruler be still? Does it mean doing nothing, or just issuing orders?"

Li Chunfeng did not even think; he immediately asked in return:

"Can Your Highness see a corpse move?"

"I cannot!"

"The spirit is the master, the body is the tool; we only pick up a wine cup when we want to drink. If the heart does not want to, our bodies cannot automatically pick up the wine cup."

Li Chengqian revealed a look of confusion: "According to your meaning, this 'stillness' used for governing the country is issuing orders, not doing nothing at all?"

"How can a ruler govern a country by doing nothing? 'Returning to the root is called stillness.' For the body, the spirit is still and motionless; no one can see it move."

"Just as Laozi said, when the whole world knows beauty as beauty, there is ugliness. The affairs of the world have no inherent good or evil, beauty or ugliness, high or low; everything is only relative."

"Therefore, I believe that the 'stillness' here does not mean being motionless!"

"Hearing your words is better than reading books for ten years!"

Li Chengqian exclaimed in admiration: "If Li Taichang is willing, could you come to the Hongwen Hall of the Eastern Palace every ten days to teach Daoism to me and the students?"

"This..."

Li Chunfeng was somewhat troubled. He had no interest in being a teacher, nor did he have any interest in being famous. With this time, he would rather study the stars.

"There are also some great talents in astronomy and mathematics in the Hongwen Hall. They all come from prominent families and have many books in their collections, including some lost classics, such as the *Classic of Stars by Gan and Shi*!"

Li Chunfeng stood up abruptly, his breathing rapid: "Is this true? The *Classic of Stars by Gan and Shi* written by Gan De of the Qi state during the Warring States period?"

"Naturally!"

"I will respectfully obey the order of Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Chengqian nodded with satisfaction: "Very good! In the future, if you have any needs, just come to the Eastern Palace and say so."

"Many thanks, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Unintentionally planting a willow, the willow grew into shade. Li Chengqian had not originally thought of Li Chunfeng, so he had never been in the plan.

But now he decided to add Li Chunfeng in; perhaps there would be unexpected results.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian muttered to himself:

"Qingque, Big Brother is truly too good to you, wanting to give you a gift again."

"Giving the reputation to you and the right to speak to Big Brother—isn't this the best of both worlds?"

He looked up at the sky and, seeing it was not yet noon, shouted to the door:

"Prepare the carriage and assemble the Eastern Palace guards; I am going to the Yankang Ward."

"Yes!"

A quarter of an hour later, Li Chengqian passed through the Anfu Gate on the west side of the Imperial City in his carriage, then pulled back the curtain to look outside.

Looking at the earthy-yellow walls, Li Chengqian secretly complained in his heart:

'The entire Chang'an City has one hundred and ten wards, each enclosed by walls. Fighting urban warfare in this place would certainly be spectacular.'

From high above, one could see the Palace City, the Imperial City, and the 110 wards dividing the vast Chang'an City into a neat and tight chessboard pattern.

The population structure of Chang'an City had always been dense in the north and sparse in the south; the closer one was to the Imperial City, the more people lived there.

The Yankang Ward was separated from the Imperial City by only three wards, and the Wei Wang Mansion was located within the Yankang Ward.

Thanks to the Wei Wang Mansion being in the Yankang Ward, the commoners in the ward could be exempted from taxes from time to time, and the elderly could also receive food and cloth bestowed by Li Shimin from time to time.

Not only that, as long as it was not a capital crime, Li Shimin could also waive the punishment for the sake of the Prince of Wei.

Because of this, the reputation of the Prince of Wei, Li Tai, was even better than Li Shimin's in the Yankang Ward. As long as anyone dared to speak ill of the Prince of Wei, the people of the entire Yankang Ward could beat the excrement out of them.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we have arrived! Should we wait for His Highness the Prince of Wei to come out and welcome you?"

"No need! Go straight in!"

A quarter of an hour later, Li Chengqian met Li Tai in the main hall of the Wei Wang Mansion.

Li Tai looked Li Chengqian up and down, his gaze focusing on Li Chengqian's two sleeves.

"Big Brother, how did you find the time to come see me today?"

"Stop looking!"

Li Chengqian said indifferently: "I didn't plan to hit you today; I didn't bring the 'Virtue' book with me!"

"You said it! You are the Crown Prince; you cannot lie."

"I came here this time to ask you one thing: was the Ique Buddha Niche Stele, which was for praying for Mother, written by Chu Daifu?"

"Yes! It was drafted by Cen Wenben and written by Chu Suiliang himself."

"That's good!"

A gentle smile appeared on Li Chengqian's face: "Qingque, am I good to you, Big Brother?"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Seeing this smile, Li Tai could not help but take a step back:

"Don't be like this; I'm scared!"

"Look at how timid you are; where is the momentum to compete with me for the position of Crown Prince?"

"I just want you to do me a favor!"

"Speak, as long as you leave the Wei Wang Mansion quickly, I will agree to anything."

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up: "Help me find a Buddha temple somewhere in Great Tang, as long as it is not in Chang'an, one with many monks and many believers."

"By the way, ask Chu Daifu to carve a stele to pray for your nephew."

Speaking of this, Li Chengqian's voice began to choke with sobs:

"Your nephew died before he was even a month old; these past few years I haven't been able to pray for him, and these days I keep dreaming of him."

"Qingque, do you know? Every time I think of Erlang, I feel incompetent, unable to even protect my own child."

Li Tai frowned slightly: "Why must it be Chu Suiliang, why won't the many temples inside Chang'an City do?"

"I feel like you are playing with me; this is not about praying for a nephew at all."

"Also, your acting is not convincing at all; a grieving person doesn't look like you."

"I also think it doesn't look like it; this matter still requires Zhinu."

Li Chengqian slowly stood up: "Let's go! It is getting late; if I don't go back now, I won't have time to take in the laundry."

"Right, I heard that younger sister Gaoyang has always had a fondness for Buddhism; when you have time, take her to visit Buddha temples more often."

"Lady of Liang State respects rituals and believes in Buddha; it can be considered as making some preparations for younger sister Gaoyang in advance."

"Fine!"

Li Tai nodded subconsciously in agreement, then immediately seemed to remember something and hurriedly called out to stop Li Chengqian:

"Big brother! What laundry are you taking in? You came here today just to tell me these things?"

Li Chengqian turned his head, a cryptic smile hanging on the corners of his mouth:

"What else? You have been slow to act, and big brother is anxious! I can only come to help you!"

"Oh my! Enough talking! If I don't go back to cook, your sister-in-law will punish me by making me kneel on a washboard again."

The corners of Li Tai's mouth twitched slightly; he was already certain that not a single word from this guy could be trusted, even making up a reason like cooking, which was simply outrageous!

"Kneeling on a washboard! You might as well just kneel until you die!"

Li Tai was no fool; Li Chengqian's last sentence had reminded him.

Carefully recalling the words Li Chengqian had just said, a plan emerged in Li Tai's mind, a plan that could make Chu Suiliang get out of Chang'an, a plan that even Zhangsun Wuji could not protect him from.

For the sake of caution, Li Tai immediately set off for the Literature Pavilion; he needed to find Su Xu to discuss it!

Having walked halfway, Li Tai suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with disbelief:

'Zhinu, Gaoyang, Lady of Liang State, kneeling on a washboard—not a single word was nonsense.'