Chapter Fifty-Seven: Li Chengqian's Inquiry

"Young Master Kong is here, please come in!"
A servant stationed at the entrance of the main hall saw Li Kong approaching and hurried to greet him, a trace of undisguised admiration on his face.

Li Kong could sense that this was an old soldier, most likely one of the personal guards who followed Li Xiaogong.

"Who's inside?" Li Kong thought for a moment, then decided it was best to ask before entering. After all, it would be awkward to run into someone he'd rather avoid. Even if nothing troublesome would come of it, it was still inauspicious to have an unpleasant encounter during the New Year festivities.

The old soldier hesitated, then replied, "Just a few Dukes from the army..."

"Really?" Li Kong looked at him doubtfully. The old soldier was obviously not the type who could lie with a straight face—his cheeks were already flushed red.

"Er... His Majesty and the Crown Prince are also inside!" the old soldier finally confessed.

Li Kong's mind went blank at this revelation. He quickly said, "I just remembered there's something I need to take care of. I'll be going now—please, whatever you do, don't mention to anyone inside that I was here!"

With those words, Li Kong turned on his heel and left, moving several times faster than when he had arrived.

Yet even so, he hadn't made it out of the rear courtyard before a steady, commanding voice rang out, "You rascal, get over here!"

Well, that was that—there was no getting away now!

Sighing helplessly, Li Kong forced a smile onto his face, turned around, and said to Emperor Taizong, "Uncle Emperor, what a coincidence to find you here! I actually have something to discuss with you—something that will benefit all under heaven, and it won't cost the imperial treasury a single coin."

Emperor Taizong was both amused and exasperated, his beard trembling with suppressed laughter and annoyance. He pointed at Li Kong and said coldly, "Speak. There are no outsiders here. Tell us your clever idea—if it fails to satisfy me, I'll have you carried out of here today!"

He had expected things to turn out like this—after all, he was the one at fault. Li Kong recalled how, just last night, Li Lizhi had actually stood up to Emperor Taizong for his sake. He knew the emperor would never really blame his beloved daughter, but with his famously doting nature, he was bound to vent all his anger on Li Kong, the so-called 'culprit.' Otherwise, why would Li Kong have tried to make a hasty retreat the moment he learned the emperor was present? He was simply terrified.

"The weather is bitterly cold, so I’ve designed a household kang bed-stove. All it requires is a few feet of yellow earth, a few pounds of clear water, and some skilled craftsmanship. Once built, you just keep feeding it firewood, and the whole room will be warm and cozy. Sleeping on it, you won’t feel the cold at all—in fact, it will feel like early summer. Uncle Emperor, wouldn’t you say this is a matter of great benefit to the entire realm?"

"Can this be true?" Emperor Taizong eyed him with suspicion. This rascal had never lied to him before, but throughout history, the problem of people freezing to death in winter had always been beyond remedy. If this so-called kang was truly as effective as Li Kong claimed, it could reduce the number of deaths from cold by half.

As for eliminating such deaths entirely, that was impossible. After all, this was an era dominated by aristocratic clans who controlled most of the population and land, not to mention the countless homeless vagrants.

To solve the problem completely, one would have to eradicate all the powerful clans. Even if Emperor Taizong managed to uproot the old aristocracy, those currently by his side would soon become the new lords of clan and privilege. No one, not even the emperor, had a solution for that.

Still, if Li Kong’s claims were true, it would be a great service. The emperor’s expression softened somewhat, and he let go of his annoyance at Li Kong’s earlier attempt to flee.

Li Kong smiled and said, "Of course it’s true. I’ve already built one at home for myself, and it works wonderfully. I was just thinking of having one constructed in the palace for you and the others this afternoon."

"It’s good of you to have thought of this. In that case, Chengqian, go with your Cousin Kong to take a look, and then bring the craftsmen to the palace. Be sure to see this through!"

Without giving Li Kong a chance to object, Emperor Taizong led Li Ji and the others back into the hall. The various dukes, except for Cheng Yaojin, looked at Li Kong with envy.

After all, in the entire court, only Cheng Yaojin dared to act so brazenly before the emperor, utterly unafraid and irreverent, so he alone felt no envy toward Li Kong.

The others, however, understood that Li Kong’s status in Emperor Taizong’s heart was gradually surpassing that of the old guard. His position as a leading figure among the next generation was now unshakable, and many began contemplating how best to curry favor with him while there was still time.

To avoid frostbite, Li Kong had Cui Zhu and Laifu return to the other residence first, while he strolled leisurely down the bustling street with Li Chengqian, enjoying the lively atmosphere and conversing merrily.

Suddenly, Li Chengqian looked up at Li Kong and said, "Cousin Kong, today Deputy Left Censor Yu Zhengning said something to me that I don’t quite understand. I wonder if you could enlighten me?"

Yu Zhengning? Li Kong had a good impression of him—a man of integrity. According to history, after Li Chengqian developed his leg ailment, Yu Zhengning was the only one who refused to indulge him. He repeatedly submitted memorials with remonstrations, and even reported some of the crown prince’s actions directly to Emperor Taizong.

It became too much for Li Chengqian. When he plotted to assassinate his mentor, Li Gang, he also sent men after Yu Zhengning. Fortunately, Yu was in the side hall of the Daming Palace discussing state affairs with the emperor, so the assassination attempt failed.

What surprised Li Kong was that Yu Zhengning wasn’t supposed to become Deputy Left Censor until the third year of the Zhenguan era—that is, next year. Still, he quickly suppressed his doubts. Perhaps history had already veered off course when he crossed over; there was no need to be surprised.

"So, what did he say?"

Li Chengqian considered for a moment before replying, "He told me not to stay cooped up in the Eastern Palace all the time, but to go out often, experience life among the common people, and understand their hardships. Yet Master Yu Shinan and Master Kong Yingda have both said that studying the classics is the best course—read ten thousand books and you will know all under heaven. One is Deputy Left Censor, the other my teacher—who should I believe?"

Hearing this, Li Kong nearly lost his temper and wanted to confront Kong Yingda again. As for Yu Shinan—he was one of the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials of the Lingyan Pavilion, but judging by Li Chengqian’s words, he wasn’t much of a mentor either. Stroking his chin, Li Kong thought to himself that he must find a way to remove Yu Shinan and Kong Yingda from the Eastern Palace; otherwise, grooming Li Chengqian would be ten times more difficult. People of this era held the great scholars in high esteem—otherwise, Li Chengqian wouldn’t be asking him for advice, but would simply follow his teachers’ instructions.

Of course, it was also possible that Li Chengqian just wanted an excuse to go out and have some fun.

Li Kong resolved that today, he would give Li Chengqian a proper lesson on society!