Chapter 74: The Abacus Clicking and Clattering

Dou Dan felt for the first time that a person could actually be shameless to this extent; when there was a matter, he would call him Uncle-in-law, and when there was no matter, he would call him Imperial Clan Court official.

"Your Highness, it is not that I do not want to help, but I am already powerless."

"I am currently only in the Imperial Clan Court; although I am in charge of the registers of Taoist priests under Heaven, Buddhism has always been under the jurisdiction of the Court of State Ceremonial."

"Furthermore, the Emperor also believes in Buddhism. With him there, nothing we do can possibly succeed."

"What does the internal strife of Buddhism have to do with Father?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Chengqian explained in a low voice: "A monk set off for Tianzhu to seek Buddhist Sutras before the third year of Zhenguan, and he is now on his way back to Chang'an."

"He is carrying scriptures such as the 'Great Prajna Sutra', which speaks of the emptiness of all phenomena."

Dou Dan's gaze sharpened. He could now be certain that Li Chengqian was not acting on a whim, but had a concrete plan.

If this were truly the case, he would not mind helping him within the limits of his power:

"How much confidence does Your Highness have?"

"Success lies with Heaven!"

Li Chengqian looked relaxed: "In any case, it is not as if there is only one chance. As long as Buddhism enters the fray, they will fail sooner or later; there are plenty of pits waiting for them to jump into."

Dou Dan lowered his head in thought. If this were a struggle for the succession, he would certainly not participate; in any case, whoever became the Crown Prince would have to maintain respect for him, his uncle-in-law.

But since this was an attack on Buddhism, Dou Dan still wanted to help—not for anything else, but to repay the kindness of Li Yuan, who had recognized his talent.

After a moment, Dou Dan spoke in a deep voice: "What does Your Highness want me to do?"

"Hahaha!"

The look of pleasant surprise on Li Chengqian's face was undisguised:

"With Uncle-in-law's help, the result will surely be twice the effort for half the work. Uncle-in-law must have heard about Qingque compiling books; I would like to ask for your help."

"Summon the heads of all the Taoist temples to enter Chang'an, saying that you wish to search for Taoist Scriptures from across the world to compile into the 'Daoist Canon' and include it in the 'Wude Compendium'."

"Is the Prince of Wei not already screening great talents? Doing this would be redundant and would surely arouse suspicion."

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "Rest assured! Qingque is surrounded by Confucian scholars. For you, Uncle-in-law, to support the compilation of the 'Wude Compendium' to repay Grand Ancestor's kindness is only human nature."

Dou Dan was slightly stunned, then chuckled:

"Looking at it this way, it is just as the rumors say: the Prince of Wei has been delaying the time for compiling the books."

"Indeed! How unfilial! Uncle-in-law must teach him a good lesson. If you do not dare, go and ask Aunt Xiangyang to step in and see if Qingque dares to delay any further."

"Fine! I agree to this matter!"

Li Chengqian slowly stood up and bowed solemnly to Dou Dan:

"This concerns the Great Tang. I entrust it to you, Uncle-in-law. Chengqian thanks you here."

"This matter already had a part of me in it; now I am merely continuing to fulfill my original duties. Your Highness should thank Gaozu Huangdi."

"Naturally!"

With Dou Dan's help, Li Chengqian could temporarily set aside matters regarding Taoism; he could use his status as regent to add a few more trump cards for himself.

After resolving this matter, Li Chengqian headed to Liangyi Hall with a smile to review the Memorials. By this time, Zhangsun Wuji and the others had already arrived.

"Big Brother, why have you only arrived when the sun is high in the sky?"

"Why? Are you envious?"

Li Chengqian retorted without ceremony: "Put away your little schemes; handling state affairs honestly is more important than anything else."

"I didn't say anything. Why are you being so aggressive?"

"Hmm?"

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes: "Little Qingque, Big Brother brought the De Book today. Don't force Big Brother to convince you with virtue."

"You, you, you! Forget it! I won't argue with you."

"Tch! Boring!"

Returning to his seat, Li Chengqian picked up a Memorial, and after one glance, he asked:

"The Doctor of State School in Anzhou is old and retiring. The Prince of Wu wishes to ask the imperial court to arrange for a great Confucian scholar well-versed in the classics to go and teach."

"Lord Fang, Uncle, who do you think would be best to send?"

Zhangsun Wuji smiled slightly: "This must be asked of the Prince of Wei. There are many great talents in the Literature Pavilion; any one of them would do."

Li Chengqian slowly shook his head: "It cannot be arranged casually. This place is close to the Yangtze River and can be considered a land of fish and rice; the lives of the Commoners are also more prosperous than in other places."

"When the granaries are full, people learn etiquette; the Commoners here are also more knowledgeable about etiquette than elsewhere. Arranging someone casually might mean they do not take the task of moral transformation to heart."

"The state school is not only for selecting great talents for the imperial court but also for transforming the Commoners, letting them know the way of loyalty to the Emperor and the country."

Zhangsun Wuji nodded slightly: "What the Crown Prince says is true; it really cannot be arranged casually."

"How about sending the Prefect of Jiaozhou, Du Zhenglun? This man is profoundly learned and is upright and selfless; he will surely be able to transform the Commoners of Anzhou."

Fang Xuanling's gaze shifted between the two. Du Zhenglun was originally a man of the Eastern Palace; it was because he told Li Chengqian about Li Shimin's attitude that he was demoted to Jiaozhou by Li Shimin.

Zhangsun Wuji could also be considered a man of the Eastern Palace originally; the friendship between these two was not low.

'I wonder if the Prince of Wei has noticed!'

Li Tai had not noticed at all. It was just the Prince of Wu, Li Ke; he had not taken it to heart at all. Du Zhenglun, too—a man who had already lost Li Shimin's trust, what use could he be?

Li Tai's lack of reaction worried Zhangsun Wuji and Li Chengqian. The two looked at each other and both saw helplessness in the other's eyes.

Having no choice, Li Chengqian decided to speak up to remind him again:

"No! Du Zhenglun has the talent to govern the people but lacks the talent for moral transformation, and he has been away from the imperial court for too long to know about the reform of the public proclamations."

"Public proclamations can stop rumors, and naturally, they can also transform the masses. I intend to test the feasibility of using public proclamations for moral transformation in Anzhou."

Once these words were spoken, a look of wariness flashed in Zhangsun Wuji's eyes, because this was originally his plan: to use the power of public proclamations to send Su Xu out of Chang'an.

Now that Li Chengqian seemed to have seen through his plan, how could he not be wary?

'No wonder he told me about the reform of public proclamations; so he was waiting for me here.'

Compared to the wariness of Zhangsun Wuji, Li Tai's eyes erupted with a sharp glint, and a sense of greed rose in his heart:

"Big Brother, this matter is of great importance; we should ask Father first."

"No need! Father already issued an edict on this matter long ago; if you don't believe me, you can ask Master Fang and Uncle."

"It is indeed true, though the location for the inspection has not yet been decided. Anzhou is a viable option; after all, the Prince of Wu is in Anzhou."

Li Tai understood this sentence; Li Ke was an Imperial Prince after all, and having him there could ensure the power of the public proclamations remained in the hands of the Li family, preventing it from being tainted by the noble clans.

Through the affair of the Prince of Bohai, he had long since seen the power of public proclamations; with them, he could guide the hearts of the people.

'So this is what Big Brother wants: the power of discourse! No wonder Father kept warning me to be careful; Big Brother is truly insidious.'

'Having the Crown Princess contact Yang Fei before was for this moment, wasn't it! It seems Li Ke has already been bought off by Big Brother.'

'I cannot let him succeed; I must stop him, otherwise it might very well allow him to make a comeback.'

Thinking of this, Li Tai put on a serious face: "Big Brother, I think it would be better to discuss this with the officials at the court assembly."

"The Eighteen Scholars personally appointed by Father are all profoundly learned; no one is more suitable than them."

"Rather than finding talent for governing the people to provide edification, it would be better to choose one from the Eighteen Scholars."

"You certainly have a beautiful plan in mind!"

Li Chengqian spoke with sarcasm: "The Eighteen Scholars are either dead, old, or hold high positions; the only ones left who could go to Anzhou are two: one is Su Guzhang, the other is Xu Jingzong."

"Xu Jingzong is still compiling history, and he is currently in the final stages, so he cannot go either."

"Your abacus clicks so loudly that I could hear it even in Jiaozhi; let me tell you, stop daydreaming."

"Father has already summoned the Prefect of Taizhou to Chang'an, and I will recommend him to edify the Commoners of Anzhou. I want to see if Su Guzhang dares to contend with his own elder brother."

"You... you are shameless!"