Thought

Li Tai, having been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Li Zhi, left the imperial palace in tears, escorted by Zhang Anan. Even now, he could not understand how he had ended up striking Li Zhi. He distinctly remembered that Li Zhi had been at least two steps away from him at the time; how had he appeared before him in an instant? Like everyone else, Li Tai never suspected that Li Zhi had set him up deliberately. He simply believed that he was unfortunate to have encountered such a coincidence today. Nevertheless, Li Tai already harbored resentment against Li Zhi. In his view, if not for Li Zhi, he would not have suffered such a beating.

Compared to Li Tai’s miserable state, Li Zhi was in a far happier position. After dealing with Li Tai, Emperor Taizong returned to the Hall of Governance, carrying Li Zhi in his arms. Along the way, both he and Empress Zhangsun fussed over the injuries on Li Zhi’s face. To be honest, Li Zhi had profited greatly from today’s events; his face bore only a single accidental blow from Li Tai. Li Tai, on the other hand, had received a genuine thrashing from Emperor Taizong.

On their way back to the palace, Empress Zhangsun recounted to Emperor Taizong everything that had transpired earlier. This only confirmed his suspicions. As soon as they entered the Hall of Governance, Emperor Taizong, visibly angered, declared, “Qingque is far too prone to jealousy. It seems I must educate him more thoroughly on this matter in the future.”

Empress Zhangsun, puzzled, replied, “Qingque was never like this before. I wonder why he behaved so today.”

Emperor Taizong offered his thoughts: “Qingque has always been proud of his literary talent, a quality few of his brothers can match. I fear his behavior today stems from feeling threatened by Zhinu’s performance.”

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhangsun stroked Li Zhi’s head and said, “Zhinu only spoke childish words. How could he have taken them so seriously?”

Emperor Taizong did not reply, but his brows furrowed deeply. He silently reflected, wondering if he had favored Li Tai too much because of his talents. Judging by today’s events, Li Tai must have felt threatened by Li Zhi’s performance, leading to his outburst. After much deliberation, Emperor Taizong resolved to observe Li Tai’s future conduct more closely.

He wondered if this incident would bring about any change in Li Tai. After a moment of silence, Emperor Taizong said to Empress Zhangsun, “Let’s set Qingque’s matter aside for now. I am rather tired today. We should dine early and rest.”

With these words, he seated himself on a folding stool and began to massage his legs lightly with his fists.

By this time, Li Zhi had stopped crying. Seeing Emperor Taizong’s actions, he quickly hurried over and, before Empress Zhangsun could react, began to help massage the emperor’s legs with his small hands. Having watched his father discipline Li Tai on his behalf, Li Zhi felt especially grateful, so he was particularly diligent. Such a good “enforcer” was worth serving well; who knew when he might need him again?

Emperor Taizong and Empress Zhangsun were delighted by Li Zhi’s display of filial piety and showered him with praise. While responding to his parents’ compliments, Li Zhi asked, “Father, do you always have to kneel to read memorials every day?”

Li Zhi’s question was not without reason. In Great Tang, tall tables and chairs had yet to appear. People either knelt, sat on folding stools, or used crescent-shaped benches. All the desks were low, suited for kneeling.

Emperor Taizong replied, “Most of the time, I kneel, but sometimes I sit on a stool or even stand to read the memorials.”

Li Zhi then asked, “Why don’t you simply sit on the stool all the time to read?”

Emperor Taizong laughed. “Because it’s uncomfortable to write while sitting on a stool.”

Feigning confusion, Li Zhi continued, “But Father, I feel very comfortable writing while sitting on a stool.”

Emperor Taizong chuckled. “That’s because you’re still small; the desk is just the right height for you.”

Li Zhi pretended to understand and nodded. He fell silent and continued massaging diligently. In his heart, a plan had formed: he would craft a set of special tables and chairs for Emperor Taizong so that he could work comfortably. He also intended to redesign all the furniture in the Hall of Governance. If Emperor Taizong and Empress Zhangsun approved, his next step would be to establish a workshop outside the palace to manufacture modern furniture.

He was convinced that, given the practicality of modern furniture, it would soon be widely adopted throughout Great Tang. Not only could he earn some extra income, but many local carpenters could also increase their earnings as well. The development of Tang would undoubtedly depend on industry and commerce. With his knowledge from a past life, he saw no difficulty in creating new industries in this era.

His only concern now was finding someone trustworthy to manage these outside ventures. At this thought, Liu An’s image surfaced in Li Zhi’s mind. Today’s events had proven Liu An’s reliability: despite knowing it was all a ruse, Liu An had still cooperated without hesitation in front of Emperor Taizong. While this did not make Liu An an immediate confidant, it was enough to let him handle some affairs.

Li Zhi was keenly aware that, given his age, he could not afford to appear too extraordinary. He could not reveal anything related to modern science too soon. Thus, he would focus his efforts on civilian industries, which meant he did not have to worry too much about Liu An’s abilities.

With this plan in mind, a satisfied smile appeared on Li Zhi’s small face.

Emperor Taizong and Empress Zhangsun chatted for a while. Noticing Li Zhi’s prolonged silence, they looked down and caught sight of his delighted expression.

Surprised, Emperor Taizong asked, “Zhinu, have you thought of something that makes you so happy?”

Li Zhi shook his head with a smile, “I want to give Father a gift, but I haven’t decided what it will be yet.”

Emperor Taizong laughed heartily and teased, “Can you at least tell Father what kind of gift it is?”

Li Zhi shook his head again. “Father, please don’t ask. All I can promise is that you’ll be pleased.”

Seeing that Li Zhi would not reveal the secret no matter what, Emperor Taizong could only suppress his curiosity for now.