LFHYB -Chapter 13 Triple Victory at the Tang Duke’s Mansion

Li Shimin, though energetic, was exhausted today.

Even though he carried Li Xuanba most of the time on his back while repeating his words for hours of study, it would have been impossible to endure without firm resolve.

Li Shimin shifted to the other side of Lady Dou and laid his head on his mother’s lap.

The two children, each resting their head on one of their mother’s legs, slept with their eyes closed—truly like twins.

Lady Dou looked down at them, finally resembling twins in sleep. A trace of the sorrow and anger she had been holding back leaked out.

She missed her parents, her elder brother, and her uncle and aunt.

If they were still alive, she wouldn’t have to restrain her anger or urge the children to hold back.

Lady Dou closed her eyes as the carriage swayed.

Her parents’ and relatives’ voices appeared and vanished before her eyes.

She opened her eyes, regaining calm.

Indeed, as Sanlang said, the outcome was favorable, so her husband would not be angry, even pleased. Yet she could still seek more benefits for the children.

As the carriage reached home, Li Yuan was already waiting at the gate.

Li Shimin rubbed his eyes and jumped down from the carriage.

Li Xuanba tried to get up too, but felt heavy and dizzy; standing made his body sway.

Li Shimin tugged at Li Yuan’s sleeve. “Father, quickly help A-Xuan down.”

Li Yuan laughed and scolded, “You’re even ordering your Father around? Ungrateful child.”

Although he said so, Li Yuan still took Li Xuanba from Lady Dou’s arms and awkwardly patted his back. “You’ve worked hard.”

Li Xuanba rested his head on his father’s shoulder, nodded weakly, and then closed his eyes to continue sleeping.

Li Yuan carried Li Xuanba to his room and had the servants help both Li Xuanba and Li Shimin change clothes, washing their faces and bodies with warm water.

Li Shimin regained his energy, while Li Xuanba grew even sleepier.

“Hang on a bit longer, A-Xuan. I’ll go check the kitchen for something good to eat; we can have a bite before sleeping,” Li Shimin said, patting his brother’s face.

Li Xuanba, eyes still closed, murmured, “Mm.”

Li Shimin jumped off the bed and ran toward the kitchen.

Li Shimin’s claim that Li Yuan would personally roast a lamb was an impromptu excuse, but since Li Shimin had been insisting on eating lamb for several days, Li Yuan had indeed arranged for a lamb to be roasted today for Lady Dou and the two children upon their victorious return.

Of course, he didn’t roast it himself.

Li Yuan had already reviewed the children’s study progress in advance. Even though Li Xuanba had held back to hide some of Li Shimin’s shortcomings, Li Yuan was still very satisfied. He thought that even among the Zheng family of Xingyang, children of their second and third sons’ age were rare, so he had long prepared to “celebrate” them.

After Li Shimin and Li Xuanba left, Lady Dou changed clothes while reporting the day’s events to Li Yuan.

When she told him that the two children had been besieged by a dozen Zheng children, and that a Zheng heir of age had come to challenge them, Li Yuan was puzzled. “The Zheng family isn’t usually so severe. Could it be that Erlang and Sanlang were too proud and had a quarrel with them?”

Lady Dou lowered her gaze. “Husband, even if Erlang and Sanlang were at fault first, does that justify this behavior?”

Li Yuan hurriedly said, “Of course not. It’s just… well, luckily, it ended well.”

Lady Dou said, “For us, the Five Surnames and Seven Lineages are not above us. I see that even after being humiliated by our second and third sons, they still intend to establish ties. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too polite. If we are overly polite, it won’t be the Xingyang Zhengs serving our eldest son—it will be us serving them.”

Li Yuan waved his hand. “I know, you don’t need to say more. You don’t understand the matters of the court.”

A twinge of pain flashed through Lady Dou’s heart.

She had advised her husband many times, but he always told her to mind the household matters.

“Our eldest son is a good boy who cares for his younger brothers. He is spirited and probably doesn’t understand the advantages of the Xingyang Zhengs. Moreover, if the matriarchs, relying on the Zhengs’ reputation, are disrespectful to the Duke of Tang’s household, that’s not good either,” Lady Dou added, speaking from the perspective of the inner residence.

This time Li Yuan listened.

He frowned. “That’s true.”

Lady Dou continued, “The Zheng family has already hinted that they will compensate Erlang and Sanlang, letting them gain fame through the Zhengs.”

Li Yuan was overjoyed. “Such good news? Excellent! I’ll meet with the Zheng head tomorrow and ask how I should cooperate!”

After his joy, he couldn’t help but sigh. “Ah, I didn’t expect Erlang and Sanlang to be so capable. Had I known earlier, I would have taken them to the palace to meet His Majesty.”

Lady Dou wanted to stop him, but because of repeated disagreements over matters with the emperor, she knew he wouldn’t listen. So she wisely remained silent.

Moreover, if the emperor were interested, there was no escaping for their two children anyway.

Seeing that Li Yuan had listened, Lady Dou continued to tactfully discuss how to secure some benefits for the children from the Zheng family.

Li Shimin crouched and sneaked out from under the window, tears welling in his eyes, almost falling.

He had come to call his parents to eat the lamb and happened to overhear their conversation.

With the house secure, Li Shimin often ran around on his own, avoiding the servants. As dusk fell, a small child running in the courtyard went unnoticed, and no one caught that Li Shimin had eavesdropped.

He found a patch of grass to crouch in, and his tears finally fell.

He pouted as he wiped them away.

He liked Father very much, but A-Xuan never wanted to get close to Father with him.

Although A-Xuan had never spoken ill of Father, Li Shimin couldn’t help noticing that not only did A-Xuan not like Father, but he was somewhat wary of him.

This time was no exception. A-Xuan had concluded that Father wouldn’t intervene for the two of them.

“It’s just a Xingyang Zheng, just relying on old bones in the tomb,” little Li Shimin thought, without blaming his father, placing all resentment on the Zheng family of Xingyang instead.

Only after several mosquito bites on his arms did Li Shimin get too itchy to stay in the grass and climbed out.

He rubbed his eyes hard and ran back to the bedroom, waking the already half-asleep Li Xuanba. “A-Xuan, wake up, wake up! There’s really lamb today!”

Li Xuanba opened his eyes, first noticing his older brother’s red, swollen eyes, then the red welts on his arms.

“So many mosquitoes?” Li Xuanba frowned. “Wait a moment.”

He struggled to get up, patted his face hard, stretched in a big yawn, and finally managed to wake fully.

He opened the travel chest they had brought and took out a small lacquer box.

“Stretch out your arm.” Li Xuanba applied mosquito-repellent ointment on Li Shimin’s arms.

Li Shimin smiled. “It’s cool, and the itching stops immediately.”

Li Xuanba scolded, “Brother, how many times have I told you to wear your mosquito net when playing in the courtyard? And don’t crawl through the grass just to take a shortcut…”

Li Shimin interrupted, “Ah, alright, alright! A-Xuan, are you feeling rested enough to lecture me now? So naggy.”

“Hmph.” Li Xuanba wiped the ointment from his hands and opened a jar of creamy medicine. “Close your eyes. Your eyes are swollen too.”

Li Shimin pressed his lips together and obediently closed his eyes.

Li Xuanba thought: **[You didn’t happen to overhear Father and Mother’s conversation, did you?]**

Li Shimin was silent for a moment. When the ointment was done, he gave a small, “Mm.”

Li Xuanba thought: **[Adults have their own considerations, not as simple as we imagine. Don’t be sad.]**

Li Shimin’s lips curved slightly. “Mm.”

When Lady Dou came to call the two children for the meal, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had both returned to their usual selves.

Li Shimin flopped into Lady Dou’s arms, complaining about the annoying mosquitoes and showing her the red bumps on his arm.

When he saw Li Yuan, he showed the bumps on his arm to him as well.

Li Yuan smiled and said, “Father can’t do anything about it either—he got bitten by mosquitoes too.”

He rolled up his sleeves and revealed the red bumps on his own arm.

Father and son looked at each other and laughed heartily. Even Lady Dou couldn’t help but chuckle.

Only Li Xuanba was still dozing off.

“Are you even going to eat this meal? I’m so sleepy.”

……

A child’s throat is very delicate. Li Shimin had strained his throat the previous day, and after gorging on a little lamb seasoned with spices that night, he woke the next morning with a swollen throat, unable to speak.

Li Xuanba was extremely frustrated.

If our parents don’t understand, do we? Was he too sleepy yesterday and completely forgot? How could he forget something like this?

Li Shimin’s swollen throat led to tonsillitis, which in turn caused a mild fever.

The lively Li Shimin became as listless as Li Xuanba, making Lady Dou and Li Yuan panic like ants on a hot pan.

Li Yuan was not a man of good temper.

Not only was he short-tempered, but he was also petty.

Last night he had thought the conflict between his two sons and the Zheng family was a trivial matter among children. Now that Li Shimin was ill because of yesterday’s events, he could not contain his anger.

Li Yuan scolded Zheng Renji, who had come to pay a visit, and wrote a letter to Zheng Jibo, criticizing the family’s values and threatening that if anything happened to his second son, he would not let the Zheng family off lightly, even though they were technically in-laws.

Hearing that the Haihai Temple had twin king statues, it was said that praying to them was very effective in curing illnesses. Li Yuan also donated to have a stone Maitreya statue made to pray for Li Shimin’s recovery.

The Zheng family had not expected such severe consequences and finally panicked.

Other noble families were quietly watching the Zheng family’s embarrassment.

Although they were all aristocratic families and generally closely connected, there were still hierarchies between them.

If you’re weak in one aspect, I appear stronger in another—there’s always room for a little ridicule.

After some deliberation, realizing they couldn’t hide their fault, the Zheng family finally agreed to Zheng Renji’s suggestion to help the Tang Duke’s household present a “child prodigy.”

Among noble families, it was not uncommon to promote ordinary children to elevate the reputation of more talented individuals.

Although they generally didn’t do this, if the other party had already surpassed them, voluntarily promoting that talent could give the family a reputation for magnanimity and insight. Their own mediocre children could also ride the coattails of a talented peer.

“In other words, it’s exploitation,” Li Xuanba said as he cut a peach into small pieces to feed Li Shimin.

Illness in children comes suddenly and leaves slowly.

Li Shimin’s condition fluctuated repeatedly, and Lady Dou became ill once herself from exhaustion while caring for him.

Li Xuanba, the sickly one, surprisingly didn’t fall ill and was able to help his mother look after his younger brother.

Li Shimin still found speaking uncomfortable but couldn’t help speaking: “Now I understand why A-Xuan doesn’t like to talk. From now on, I won’t bother you if you stay quiet. If you want to be mute, I’ll follow your lead.”

“Shut up! I don’t want to be mute!” Li Xuanba angrily stuffed a piece of peach into his brother’s mouth.

“You’ve got peach to eat and still won’t shut up? Choke on it!”

Li Xuanba suspected that his younger brother’s slow recovery was because he had ignored the doctor’s advice, insisting on talking as soon as he could.

Another month passed, and Li Shimin finally recovered mostly.

The crabapple blossoms had all fallen, and the fragrance of osmanthus quietly filled the air.

The Zheng family and the Tang Duke’s household finally exchanged marriage proposals, confirming the match.

Moreover, to show sincerity, the Zheng family offered a recently widowed young woman from a collateral branch as a concubine for Li Jiancheng, hinting that if their eldest son was born to her, he could stay.

The Zheng family of Xingyang was large, and distant branches, except for having the family name, received almost no support without effort. This widowed young woman came from a poor background; after her husband’s death, her family had little influence at court.

High-ranking men were rarely young, and their children were probably about her age. As a concubine, being given to a sixteen-year-old boy as his first officially recognized concubine, with permission to bear a son, was naturally a source of joy for her.

The future matron of the Tang Duke’s household, known for her virtue from the age of four or five, was said to have approved of this arrangement.

It was said that she even suggested it herself.

Being young and having a fiancé wait for ten years before marriage would have delayed the family’s heirs, which would be unfilial. So she had requested her sisters to marry alongside her—a story now celebrated as a good deed.

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba gained fame, Li Jiancheng gained a beautiful wife and concubine, and the Tang Duke’s household and the Zheng family of Xingyang achieved a successful alliance.

The Tang Duke’s household scored a triple win.

When Li Xuanba learned of the outcome, he was standing on tiptoe, breaking off a sprig of osmanthus to add fragrance to the small study Li Yuan had just set up.

Upon hearing the news, Li Xuanba protected the sprig in his hand and scoffed. Just as he was about to speak, the branch above his head trembled, and golden osmanthus flowers fell all over him.

Looking up, he saw his second brother had somehow climbed the golden osmanthus tree and was scattering flowers on his head.

“A-Xuan, come up here!” Li Shimin laughed, reaching out to Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba hesitated, took a deep breath, and shouted in an unusually loud voice: “Mother! Brother climbed the osmanthus tree! It’s so high and dangerous!”

Li Shimin’s smile froze.

“Li… Shimin!! Get down here!!”

Lady Dou rushed out, holding her skirts, and Li Xuanba immediately offered the sprig of osmanthus he was holding.

He patted the flowers on his head and whistled.

In the golden autumn of August, osmanthus filled the air, and the years were quietly pleasant.

It was the perfect scene for a mother to scold her son.

……

Since Li Yuan had been the governor of Zhengzhou, he had been seeking a Zheng family daughter for his eldest son Li Jiancheng for almost two years, and finally succeeded.

Li Jiancheng had originally been of age to consider a match at thirteen, chosen the Zheng daughter at fourteen, and at sixteen, the marriage was finally arranged, and he gained a beautiful concubine.

He was envied by his friends for the advantages he gained, and at last he felt a bit closer to the younger brothers who had brought him these benefits.

As for the reputation of Li Shimin and Li Xuanba as child prodigies, Li Jiancheng was not jealous.

Being the future Duke of Tang, he had long been taught that all his younger brothers’ achievements were ultimately his support. For example, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba “battling” the dozen or so sons of the Zheng family had effectively earned him lovely wives and concubines, as well as the backing of the Zhengs of Xingyang.

Originally, Li Jiancheng had felt some discontent over his grandmother and mother giving their dowry shops to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba.

He didn’t care about the wealth itself — all the assets of the Duke of Tang’s household would belong to him eventually. His resentment was only toward Li Xuanba, who had once disgusted him.

Now, although Li Jiancheng still didn’t like Li Xuanba, he no longer objected to his grandmother and mother privately supporting the two younger brothers. When he went out with friends, he even often praised Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, saying how clever they had been when he taught them to read.

The Duke of Tang’s household had produced two child prodigies even the Zhengs of Xingyang admired, and news of this reached Yang Guang, who was at the Luoyang palace.

Although the new city of Luoyang was not yet completed, the old city had already been prosperous as the former capital of Northern Wei, and the Sui had their own palaces there.

Yang Guang had just ascended the throne and particularly favored “auspicious omens.”

He immediately issued an order to Li Yuan, instructing Lady Dou to bring Li Shimin and Li Xuanba to Luoyang to pay homage to the emperor.