Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 265 How could Chang'an not be a paper capital under such circumstances?
Chang'an City.

In front of Sanwei Study, crowds surged and long queues formed.

"Stop pushing, everyone. People inside can't get out."

"Ouch, who stepped on my foot?"

"I bought it! Now my child can become a scholar too."

From impoverished scholars to peddlers and laborers, almost everyone headed towards the East Market.

And on the second floor of the teahouse opposite Sanwei Study.

Wen He, along with Li Tai, Li Ke, and Li You, were watching this scene unfold before them.

"There are too many people here. What are those commoners going to do with the books? Can they even understand them?" Li Tai said, leaning on the windowsill with a pastry in his hand.

Li Ke sat upright, opened the book in front of him, which was different from the scrolls used in the Tang Dynasty, and smiled.

"The book on prosody that the teacher wrote was specifically for teaching young children. People bought it to teach their own children. The teacher also arranged for many literate people to travel to various villages to explain and spread the word. How could it not be a bestseller in Chang'an?"

The first page of the book he opened read: Clouds against rain, snow against wind, sunset against clear sky.

The migrating geese face the departing swallows; the roosting birds face the chirping insects.

A three-foot sword, a six-pound bow, north of the mountains facing east of the river.

"Sir, why didn't you write this book out for us before? Memorizing it used to be such a hassle," Li You said with a hint of resentment.

"Alright, this book is yours. You have three days to memorize it." Wen He smiled and raised an eyebrow at Li You.

The latter was immediately stunned.

This made Li Tai burst into laughter.

"But sir, isn't three coins too little? And you also set aside a thousand strings of cash every month for those traveling scholars to teach in various villages. Why not set up a private school?"

Li Ke couldn't quite understand Wen He's actions.

That's way too expensive.

"Because even if we run a private school, there will still be many people who cannot afford to study."

It wasn't Wen He speaking; the voice came from the other side.

Without even turning her head, Wen He knew who it was.

Li Tai, Li Ke, and Li You stood up immediately.

"I've seen the Great..."

"I'm going out in casual clothes today. We're all family here, no need for this in private."

That's right, it was Li Chengqian who arrived.

Just as the three little ones were about to bow, he stopped them.

His guards found a seat next to him and treated him as a stranger.

But his eyes remained constantly alert to his surroundings.

"sit down."

Wen He turned her head and pushed a plate of snacks in front of him.

"Greetings, sir." Li Chengqian bowed, sat down with a beaming smile, and stared at Wen He like a kitten seeking praise.

“That’s right.” Wen He smiled and nodded at him, then added, “Letting scholars travel and teach can also allow those who couldn’t buy the books to learn together, which will greatly improve the children’s literacy rate.”

That's what Western missionaries did.

He traveled to various places to teach impoverished children to read and write, and also helped people treat illnesses.

Therefore, they gained a large number of believers in a very short period of time.

And those children, when they grew up, remembered the missionaries' kindness and became the most loyal believers.

Unfortunately, this method was much less effective after they came to the East due to language barriers.

That's why they turned around and tried to fool the people in power at the time.

For example, there's this guy with pockmarks who calls himself "the greatest emperor of all time."

Because of the missionaries' instigation, Dai Zi, who had developed the repeating musket, was exiled, which completely curbed the development of firearms.

Thinking of this, Wen He couldn't help but sigh with a touch of melancholy.

His behavior was noticed by the four children, who assumed he was worried about not having enough money.

“Sir, in this case, I’m afraid one bookstore won’t be enough,” Li Chengqian said with some concern.

Wen He shook his head and said, "In the future, you can open one in every county and every village. You shouldn't be worried about not having enough bookstores now, but about not having enough money."

"Huh? Sir, what do you mean?" Li Chengqian was a little confused.

Wen He crossed her arms and chuckled, "Take a look at the title page of the book."

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian was puzzled, but then Li Ke handed him the book. When he opened it, he was immediately startled.

On the title page of the book, a line is prominently printed: "The cost of this book was entirely donated by His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"Me, my father and I donated it?" Li Chengqian pointed to himself in surprise.

He looked up at Wen He, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears.

He knew that his husband was trying to make a name for himself, even though he hadn't spent a single penny.

"Alright, stop crying. Your husband is too weak to bear such a heavy public expectation."

Wen He chuckled and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

He doesn't need that much fame. If he were to become famous throughout the world, Li Shimin might actually imprison him.

“I will definitely return this money to you, sir.” Li Chengqian stubbornly raised his head, his eyes burning.

"Snapped!"

Wen He raised her hand and slapped him on the head, then burst into laughter amidst Li Chengqian's bewildered gaze.

Cool!
While this little guy is still small, give him a few more slaps. Once he grows up, you won't have the chance.

"Oh, by the way, take a few books back with you later, so your father can see them," Wen He reminded him.

Li Chengqian rubbed his head and hummed in agreement.

"Is this a book? It's really ingenious. Not only is it easy to carry, but it also contains more information than a scroll."

Several people dressed as scholars came up from the first floor.

"It's convenient, but unfortunately there are too few, and most of them are introductory books, while the classics are very few."

They sat down not far from Wen He. The group didn't look wealthy; they only ordered a pot of tea and didn't even have any snacks.

"Those classics are all in the hands of aristocratic families. It is already quite remarkable that the Prince of Gaoyang has such a collection. With the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects, and the Mencius, we can read them for a long time. Why didn't you buy a few copies just now, Brother Binwang?"

As they talked, their eyes all turned to a young man who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

He looked somewhat embarrassed and was holding a book in his hand.

"I just thought it was novel, so I bought a copy."

“That looks like the elementary mathematics book written by the teacher.” Li Tai, with his sharp eyes, recognized it at a glance.

"I think it only goes up to linear equations in one variable, it's all for kids." He smugly curled his lip.

"Snapped!"

Seeing his arrogance, Wen He slapped him without hesitation.

"Can't you be a little more low-key?"

“Sir, studying isn’t about becoming a turtle. Naturally, one should act in a high-profile manner so that others know that one is well-read,” Li Tai retorted, unconvinced.

That statement does seem to make some sense.

It's like when someone becomes successful; if they don't show it off, it's like wearing fine clothes in the dark.

"Then why don't you raise pigs in a high-profile way?" Li You blinked, looking at him with curiosity.

Li Tai's smile vanished instantly, and his lips twitched uncontrollably.

Although raising pigs is his hobby, it would be a bit embarrassing to admit it to others.

"Shut up!" Li Tai glared at him angrily.

Li You scoffed.

"Alright, stop arguing and let me have some peace and quiet." Wen He raised her hand, and the two of them immediately covered their heads.

"Brilliant! Take some snacks over there and tell the scholar who bought the math book." Wen He handed over a perfectly good plate of snacks in front of her.

"Oh."

Li Chengqian nodded, took the snacks, and walked over.

The three little ones were secretly delighted.

"Sir, you're happy because it's rare for someone to buy math, right?" Li Tai teased.

Wen He chuckled and said, "I guess so."

Meanwhile, when Li Chengqian brought over the snacks, the scholars were all taken aback and turned to look in his direction.

They were even more surprised to see that it was just a few children.

The scholar who had bought the math book looked at Wen He, and suddenly seemed to realize something. He stood up abruptly, straightened his robes, and walked over.

His companions were still puzzled when they saw the scholar come up to Wen He and bow deeply.

"Ma Zhou, Ma Binwang, a native of Chiping in Bozhou, Tang Dynasty, has met with the magistrate of Gaoyang County."

Sure enough it was him.

When Wen He heard those people address him as "Brother Binwang," he guessed his identity.

That's why Li Chengqian was asked to bring over some snacks.

Unexpectedly, this person recognized his identity at a glance.

No wonder he was able to scheme against Chang He later and use it to rise to prominence.

Wen He smiled noncommittally and nodded at him.

Just as I was about to speak, I heard a gasp.

"Gaoyang County? Where is Gaoyang County?"

(End of this chapter)