LFHYB -Chapter 26 Forced to Gamble with the Crown Prince

The Duke of Chu mentioned by Yang Guang and Yuwen Shu was named Yang Su.

In later generations, Yang Su appears quite often in various literary works—but that presence… well, it’s rather green.

In the Tang dynasty note-style novel Benshi Poems by Meng Qi, Yang Su’s beloved concubine, Princess Lechang, misses her former husband Xu Deyan. Yang Su allows Princess Lechang to reunite with her former husband, resulting in the story of “the broken mirror reunited.”

In the Tang dynasty anecdotal work Sui-Tang Jiahua by Liu Su, Yang Su’s favored concubine catches the eye of Li Baitong. Astonishingly, the two openly conduct an affair within Yang Su’s residence and are caught red-handed. Yet Yang Su, seeing that Li Baitong is a handsome and talented youth, gives the concubine to him, “fulfilling another’s happiness.”

In the late Tang legendary tale The Legend of the Bearded Hero by Du Guangting, Yang Su’s singing girl Hongfu elopes with Li Jing. Yang Su again gladly fulfills their union, giving rise to the famous story of “Hongfu’s Night Escape.”

Of these three well-known later tales, aside from “the broken mirror reunited”—which, though not recorded in official histories, is considered possible—both “fulfilling another’s happiness” and “Hongfu’s Night Escape” are entirely fictional.

Li Baiyao came from the Boling branch of the Li clan. At twenty-eight, he inherited the title of Duke of Anping and served as a tongshi sheren under Crown Prince Yang Yong. After Yang Guang ascended the throne, Li Baiyao was sidelined and exiled from the capital. Li Jing came from the Danyang branch of the Longxi Li clan, one of the “Five Great Clans and Seven Prestigious Families,” and was certainly not the commoner scholar depicted in The Legend of the Bearded Hero. Both were scions of great aristocratic families.

Not only were they of noble birth and proud disposition—making secret affairs or elopements unthinkable—but if they ever fancied a woman, they need only casually mention it to Yang Su, who would gladly bestow the beauty upon them.

Although it is unclear why Tang writers were so fond of “greening” Yang Su when writing fiction, the fact that they always wanted to pry away the beauties of Yang Su’s household—and, after doing so, still have Yang Su act as the benefactor who sends officials and money to the protagonist—shows just how immense Yang Su’s power was during the Sui dynasty.

Yang Su rendered repeated meritorious service under Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian. Even during Emperor Wen’s reign, he already held immense power and prestige. Not only was Yang Su himself enfeoffed as the Duke of Yue, but his sons were also granted noble titles by Emperor Wen because of his achievements.

Later, he helped Yang Guang seize the position of crown prince and effortlessly assisted him in suppressing the rebellion of Prince Han, Yang Liang. Yang Guang rewarded him generously.

Yang Su’s power reached its peak in the first year of the Daye era.

Yet after reaching its height, the speed of his decline far exceeded what Yang Su had anticipated.

Once Yang Su had helped Yang Guang firmly secure the throne, in Yang Guang’s heart, Yang Su became a factor that threatened the stability of his reign.

Even though Yang Su had committed no mistakes and even took the initiative to expose his own weaknesses—openly seeking wealth and beautiful women, and even doing absurd things like tearing down a house in the morning only to rebuild it at night, drawing public ridicule—Yang Guang still remained wary of him.

In the second year of Daye, the Grand Astrologer submitted a memorial to Yang Guang stating that “there is great mourning in the fenye.”

At the time, people firmly believed in prophecies and apocryphal doctrines. The Grand Astrologer was not actually a professional historian, but rather an official “astrologer-diviner.” The term fenye dated back to the pre-Qin era and referred to an astrological system that divided the celestial constellations into twelve regions corresponding to earthly territories, in order to predict fortune and calamity.

The name “Sui” was taken from the State of Sui, which belonged to the same Yizhen stellar region as the State of Chu. Both Emperor Wen of Sui and Yang Guang believed in this, which was why the Sui dynasty never had a Prince of Chu or a Duke of Chu.

After hearing the Grand Astrologer’s memorial, Yang Guang quickly changed Yang Su’s title, making him the first Duke of Chu of the Sui dynasty.

Yang Su immediately understood the emperor’s intent.

Emperor Wen of Han had once led his officials in mourning his uncle to death. Yang Guang’s action was similar—it was telling Yang Su: if you choose to die on your own now, you can still preserve dignity for yourself and your clan.

Thus, not long after being re-enfeoffed as Duke of Chu, Yang Su fell ill.

On one hand, Yang Guang dispatched renowned physicians to treat Yang Su; on the other, he secretly inquired into Yang Su’s condition and his reaction to the situation.

After hearing the intelligence gathered by Yuwen Shu, Yang Guang felt a surge of resentment and anger toward Yang Su. Still, since Yang Su obediently walked down the path that had been arranged for him, Yang Guang magnanimously chose to forgive him.

As long as Yang Su died, he could still treat the Yang family generously.

Yang Guang said to Yuwen Shu, “If Yang Su does not die, I will surely exterminate his entire clan!”

Yuwen Shu replied respectfully, “Your Majesty may rest assured. Yang Su would never dare not to die.”

Yang Guang snorted coldly. “Let us hope he knows what is good for him.”

In Daxing City, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba also learned of this matter that would shock both the court and the populace.

At this moment, Gao Jiong was holding a book and tapping Li Shimin on the head with it.

Li Shimin was very intelligent, but ever since he got his little horse, he had found it hard to settle down to study. This time, during an assessment, Gao Jiong noticed clear signs that he had been “rushing the work.”

Although Li Shimin had completed his assignments and grasped the material well, when teaching at this stage, a teacher did not only look at results but also valued the process.

Attitude was crucial.

Li Shimin’s attitude toward studying was improper, so his head had to be tapped.

When Gao Jiong left Daxing, he had already sensed something strange in the atmosphere between the emperor and Yang Su, so he left people behind to observe Yang Su’s movements.

When the household servant came to deliver the message, he glanced at Li Shimin and Li Xuanba.

Gao Jiong asked, “Is it about the Duke of Yue?”

The servant clasped his fists. “Yes.”

Gao Jiong said, “There is nothing about the Duke of Yue that cannot be known by outsiders. Speak plainly.”

The servant weighed his words briefly and summarized, “His Majesty has re-enfeoffed the Duke of Yue as the Duke of Chu, with a fief of two thousand five hundred households.”

Gao Jiong nodded. “Understood. You may go.”

After the servant left, Li Shimin—who had just had his head tapped yet looked completely unbothered—asked curiously, “Teacher, who is the Duke of Yue?”

Li Xuanba was speechless. “Brother, you don’t even know Duke Yang Su, the Duke of Yue?”

Li Shimin thought for a moment and said, “If you say Duke Yang, then I know. And I also know that changing from Duke of Yue to Duke of Chu is a generous reward!”

Li Xuanba muttered, “It should have been.”

Among royal and ducal titles, the highest ranks were named after the “state names” of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. From those eras, the relative strength of states determined the hierarchy of princely and ducal titles.

For example, the “Tang” in “Duke of Tang” came from an obscure minor state of the Spring and Autumn period, so its status was lower than the “Yue” in “Duke of Yue,” since Yue was one of the hegemonic states.

The highest-ranked titles were naturally Qin, Jin, Chu, Qi, Wei, Yan, Zhao, and Han—with Qin, Jin, and Chu standing above the rest. Thus, Yang Su’s change from Duke of Yue to Duke of Chu should have been considered a promotion.

Although Gao Jiong was advanced in age, his hearing was excellent. Even though Li Xuanba muttered softly, he still heard it.

“Li Sanlang, why do you say ‘should have been’?” Gao Jiong asked.

His conclusion had been the same as Li Shimin’s, so after hearing the servant’s report he had not given it further thought, believing that the odd atmosphere he sensed between the emperor and Yang Su earlier had been a misjudgment, and that their relationship remained close.

However, while instructing Li Xuanba, Gao Jiong had already seen that Li Xuanba possessed an unusually sharp political intuition, so he wanted to hear his student’s opinion.

Li Xuanba thought for a moment and did not hide his insight. “When Second Brother and I accompanied His Majesty back to the eastern capital Luoyang, the Grand Astrologer once memorialized that ‘there is the aura of great mourning in the fenye.’”

Li Shimin scratched his head. “Was there such a thing? Hmm… huh? I remember now! There really was! At the time, A-Xuan, you even sighed! I remember it very clearly!”

Gao Jiong murmured to himself, “Fenye… fenye…”

Li Shimin suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! Aren’t Chu and Sui in the same fenye?!”

Gao Jiong’s hand loosened unconsciously, and the book slipped from his grasp.

Before it hit the ground, Li Shimin sprang forward on reflex and caught it.

“Here you go, Teacher!” Li Shimin said proudly.

Gao Jiong: “……”

Li Xuanba: “……”

The atmosphere had been quite heavy, but now it was impossible to keep it that way.

Gao Jiong expressionlessly took the book and tapped Li Shimin on the head again.

Li Shimin clutched his head in confusion. “Teacher, why did you hit me again?”

Gao Jiong replied, “Nothing in particular. Just did it out of habit.”

Li Shimin snorted indignantly a couple of times and climbed back onto the couch to sit down again.

Li Xuanba reached out and patted his second brother’s head.

Li Shimin: “……What are you doing?”

Li Xuanba said, “Checking whether Second Brother’s skull has evolved to be harder.”

Li Shimin raised his fist at Li Xuanba in warning. Mock your brother and see if I don’t knock your head too.

Seeing that his second brother was about to make a move, Li Xuanba quickly changed the subject. “Teacher, is today’s lesson being suspended first?”

Gao Jiong shook his head. “Continue the lesson. Today we’ll switch topics—I’ll lecture you on Emperor Wen of Han.”

Gao Jiong continued teaching.

When he reached the part about Emperor Wen of Han mourning for an uncle who wasn’t actually dead yet, Li Shimin muttered, “That’s kind of like what His Majesty is doing now. But isn’t Lord Yang His Majesty’s favored minister?”

Li Xuanba reminded him, “Second Brother, just listen properly in class. Court affairs are very far from us—why think so much about them?”

Gao Jiong said, “They’re not far from you. Li Erlang, what else do you think?”

Li Shimin frowned and thought hard for a while. “Could it be that Lord Yang is also a powerful minister, trying to cover the sky with one hand at court?”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “No. Lord Yang is extremely cautious.”

Li Shimin said, “Then is it that Lord Yang’s reputation is too good—his prestige too high?”

Li Xuanba continued shaking his head. “No. Ever since the current emperor ascended the throne, Lord Yang has been publicly spreading a reputation of being greedy and lustful. People of the time all despise him.”

Li Shimin’s brow furrowed even more. “Is that his true nature, or is he deliberately smearing himself? Either way, Lord Yang poses no threat to His Majesty. Though he’s an exceptionally capable general, he has already entered the civil administration and is already old. And he’s utterly loyal to His Majesty… I can’t figure it out. Sigh, I really can’t.”

Gao Jiong clenched the book in his hand, his expression still calm. “Li Sanlang, what do you think?”

Li Xuanba looked at Gao Jiong’s expression for a while, struggled inwardly, then lowered his head to stare at the tabletop. “This matter isn’t about whether Lord Yang threatens His Majesty, but about what His Majesty thinks in his heart. Perhaps Lord Yang’s merits are simply too great—so great that just looking at them makes His Majesty uncomfortable. If His Majesty treats even the meritorious officials who supported his ascension like this, who knows how he would treat those who already had grievances with him.”

Before Li Xuanba had finished speaking, Gao Jiong’s expression changed drastically. “Sanlang, watch your words!”

Li Shimin froze, then lunged forward to cover his brother’s mouth.

But Li Xuanba still managed to finish what he wanted to say.

He calmly raised his head and looked straight into Gao Jiong’s eyes.

Gao Jiong met Li Xuanba’s gaze.

He had long noticed it. Li Xuanba possessed a pair of eyes far too tranquil for a seven-year-old child.

He had seen many gentle and quiet children, but “gentle,” “quiet,” and “tranquil” were different. The first two were merely “still”; the last was about being “deep.”

Without having experienced many things, one should not have such “tranquil” eyes.

A man as wise as Gao Jiong could not possibly miss Li Xuanba’s implication—especially since Li Xuanba had not been the least bit subtle.

He also recalled that when the Crown Prince had advised him and Yuwen Bi to take a step back, he had vaguely mentioned that Li Xuanba and Li Shimin might have heard something in His Majesty’s presence.

Gao Jiong said, “Sanlang, are you saying that His Majesty has also developed killing intent toward me?”

Li Shimin looked at his brother, then at his teacher, and covered Li Xuanba’s mouth even tighter.

“How could that be! Teacher, don’t overthink it. His Majesty today is wise and mighty, broad-minded and tolerant of talent. And you, Teacher, are a great sage known throughout the world—His Majesty will surely treat you generously!” Li Shimin rattled off a whole string of words at lightning speed.

Li Xuanba tried to pry his brother’s hand away from his mouth. Not only did he fail, Li Shimin even added another hand.

Li Xuanba: **[Let go! You’re covering my nose—I’m going to suffocate!]**

“Ah!” Li Shimin hurriedly let go.

Li Xuanba gulped in air.

Li Xuanba, died at age seven—smothered by his second brother, Li Shimin.

Second Brother, did you already want the grand achievement of killing your brother at the age of seven in this lifetime?!

“All right, I won’t ask anymore,” Gao Jiong said quickly, helping Li Xuanba catch his breath while glaring at Li Shimin. “Be more careful!”

Li Shimin pouted. “A-Xuan’s the one who should be careful.”

Gao Jiong tapped Li Xuanba on the head. “Yes, you should be more careful too.”

Li Shimin stopped pouting and grinned. “Hahaha! A-Xuan, you got your head knocked too. Did your skull hardness increase?”

Li Xuanba: “……” Second Brother is so petty—he has to win back even this bit of banter.

He said, “I’ll definitely be careful and cautious from now on.”

Li Shimin cut in, “Teacher, A-Xuan once told me that ‘definitely in the future’ actually means ‘maybe not in the future.’”

Li Xuanba said, “Brother, are you deliberately trying to pick a fight with me?”

Li Shimin spread his hands. “Teacher, look at A-Xuan—he’s getting embarrassed and angry!”

Li Xuanba’s fists clenched.

Gao Jiong turned and knocked Li Shimin on the head, telling him to shut up. “Enough. All of you, be quiet. I don’t think this lesson can go on.”

With that, Gao Jiong began assigning homework.

He assigned triple the usual amount. Even Li Xuanba’s face turned pale.

The teacher is deliberately punishing us, isn’t he?!

The two children walked off hand in hand, heads drooping, with no mood left to argue.

They said “hand in hand,” but in truth it was always Li Shimin striding ahead, dragging along the slow-walking Li Xuanba.

Gao Jiong stroked his beard and muttered, “Li Erlang’s strength is so great—could it be that he trained it from dragging Li Sanlang around since childhood?”

After muttering that, he shook his head and laughed.

Seeing this pair of lively twins, even the gloom he ought to have felt couldn’t take hold.

Gao Jiong sat there pondering for a long while, then set out in his carriage to find Yuwen Bi.

This foul mood—he needed to find someone to share it with.

Although Yuwen Bi had not stood on the former Crown Prince’s side back then, he had also not supported the current emperor, and had repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with His Majesty’s policies. If His Majesty were narrow-minded, Yuwen Bi would certainly be remembered with resentment as well.

What’s more, Yuwen Bi was close to him and would surely be implicated by association.

Thinking of the expression Yuwen Bi might show, Gao Jiong smiled, finding amusement amid bitterness.

…
When Li Shimin and Li Xuanba went to Yuwen Bi’s residence for lessons, although Yuwen Bi didn’t say anything, he still assigned the two children three times the amount of homework.

After hearing the two children complain about having more homework, Yu Shinan promptly assigned them triple the amount of work.

“Lord Gao and Lord Yuwen must believe that your learning progress has reached the point where your workload should be tripled,” Yu Shinan said righteously.

Li Shimin clutched his head and shook it. “Teacher, are you serious?”

Li Xuanba lowered his head, covered his face with both hands, and muttered nonstop, “Too much homework… way too much…”

Yu Shinan couldn’t help but laugh.

Watching the two children fret was indeed very amusing—but the homework could not be reduced.

However, after that, the three teachers later gave Li Shimin and Li Xuanba a short break. The homework could be handed in after the holiday.

When you calculated it that way, their total workload was about the same as usual.

Li Shimin said, “A-Xuan, I feel like we got played by the teachers.”

Li Xuanba nodded.

Although they still had homework, with the break in hand, the two of them went out to play again. Along the way, they also bought gifts for their three teachers to thank them for their careful instruction.

Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi were easy to shop for. Yu Shinan, however, was in mourning, and no matter how long the two children browsed, nothing seemed appropriate.

Moreover, Yu Shinan lived together with his elder brother Yu Shiji, so they also needed to prepare a gift for Yu Shiji. Two sets of gifts—double the trouble.

Yu Shinan and Yu Shiji, a favored minister of Yang Guang, were biological brothers. Although Yu Shinan had been adopted in childhood by an uncle who had no sons—making them cousins in legal terms—they were still brothers by blood. A few months earlier, Yu Shiji’s mother had passed away. When Yu Shinan learned of this after returning from accompanying the emperor, he immediately requested leave to observe mourning.

When Li Xuanba and Li Shimin visited Yu Shinan, they had met Yu Shiji as well.

Yu Shiji and Yu Shinan were similar in talent, but very different in temperament.

Yu Shinan was upright in character and lived plainly. After returning to court once his mourning period ended, he hovered back and forth between seventh-rank and junior sixth-rank positions.

Yu Shiji, on the other hand, once he realized that Yang Guang disliked being remonstrated with, began to flatter and cater to the emperor’s wishes. Later, he would become one of Yang Guang’s most trusted “Seven Nobles of the Selection Bureau,” and his lifestyle grew increasingly extravagant.

Li Shimin chattered beside Li Xuanba’s ear about how close their teacher and his elder brother were, and said that when he and A-Xuan grew up, they would be just as close.

Li Xuanba: **[Don’t curse us.]**

Li Shimin asked in confusion, “What curse?”

Li Xuanba: **[Their character and pursuits are different. In the future, they’ll go their separate ways. Even if they live in the same place, they’ll be almost like strangers.]**

Li Shimin covered his ears. “Little brother.”

Li Xuanba: “Hm?”

Li Shimin said, “Big brother doesn’t want to hear this.”

Li Xuanba was puzzled. “What?”

Li Shimin said with a miserable face, “Such a nice day—and you ruined it.”

Li Xuanba: “……”

He said, “You started it.”

Li Shimin kept his ears covered. “Shut up, shut up! I never asked you to say all that. You should’ve just agreed with me! I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it! That won’t happen!”

Li Xuanba: “……”

Li Xuanba said, “What if I insist on saying it?”

Li Shimin replied, “Then I’ll draw all over your favorite book!”

Li Xuanba’s eyes went wide. “Brother! You’re asking for a beating!”

Li Shimin said, “What did you say before? Whoever starts it first is the cheap one!”

Li Xuanba took a deep breath. What was this? A Harry Potter reference? Potter! Don’t use my own spell against me!

“What are you two up to again?” Third Lady Li saw the two younger brothers suddenly “fall behind” and walked over with her hands on her hips. “This is my last outing before I have to stay home. No fighting!”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba glared at each other, snorted, and said in unison in muffled voices, “Okay.”

Third Lady Li laughed. Even when sulking, they were this in sync—how amusing.

“Third Sister, Second Brother, Third Brother—finally found you!” A panting voice sounded from behind them.

Li Xuanba followed the voice and saw Yang Zhao walking over, out of breath, his silk clothes soaked with sweat.

Li Xuanba then glanced toward a carriage not far away. That should be the Crown Prince’s carriage, traveling incognito.

It was only a few steps away—how did he get this tired?

“I went to the Duke of Tang’s residence today to look for Second and Third Brother,” Yang Zhao said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I wanted to tell you that the land you wanted has already been transferred. I heard you went out to have fun, so I came to find you. Let’s go see the land. Interested?”

Third Lady Li laughed brightly. “Since Cousin invited us personally, how could we refuse? Second Brother, Third Brother—you have land of your own now. Aren’t you happy?”

Li Shimin said, “It’s Third Brother’s. Has nothing to do with me.”

Li Xuanba said, “Right. Nothing to do with Second Brother.”

Li Shimin turned and glared at Li Xuanba. “You’re so petty! You clearly said before that I’d get half!”

Li Xuanba said, “Didn’t you say it had nothing to do with you?”

“All right! We just agreed not to fight!” Third Lady Li raised her fist and knocked each of her brothers on the head once.

“Ow!” ×2.

Yang Zhao laughed. “That’s right—no fighting. Come, I’ll take you to see the land. Third Brother, the land you wanted is barren, and it belonged to many different families. Gathering it all together wasn’t easy. Now can you tell your cousin what you plan to do with it? I don’t believe you wanted a piece of land where nothing grows just out of modesty.”

Background-board Chai Shao: “What? What?”

Yang Zhao smiled. “None of your business. Don’t ask.”

“Oh.” Chai Shao sighed helplessly. “You’re cousins, and I’m just an outsider, huh? Aren’t I also your brother-in-law—ahh!”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba threw punches at the same time, landing squarely in Chai Shao’s stomach.

Chai Shao bent over, clutching his belly.

Yang Zhao couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

Third Lady Li shot Chai Shao an annoyed glare, but couldn’t help laughing as well.

Li Shimin said, “My sister isn’t married to you yet! Shut up! Don’t sully my sister’s reputation!”

Li Xuanba said, “Shut up.”

Yang Zhao said, “Hahahahaha—Second and Third Brother are absolutely right.”

Third Lady Li snorted. “Hmph!”

Chai Shao smiled bitterly and begged for mercy.

“All right, stop arguing,” Yang Zhao repeated his question. “Third Brother, what do you want that barren land for? It must be something interesting.”

Li Xuanba smiled bitterly to himself.

Li Xuanba (thinking): **[Brother, the Crown Prince is far too sharp.]**

Li Shimin tapped his fingers against his thigh, taking it as a nod.

Li Xuanba (thinking): **[Who said the Crown Prince has a soft personality? Is this what you call “soft”? Hiding needles in cotton is still soft?]**

Li Shimin’s fingers swayed left and right.

Li Xuanba (thinking): **[Alright, maybe it can’t be called hiding needles in cotton.]**

“Third Cousin?” Yang Zhao urged with a smile. “Your cousin has put in so much effort. You’re not still going to keep secrets from me, are you? Even if you hide it now, I’ll find out later anyway. I just want to satisfy my curiosity a little earlier.”

“I’m not hiding anything from Cousin,” Li Xuanba said. “I just haven’t figured out how to explain it yet.”

Yang Zhao said, “Then take your time thinking?”

Li Xuanba pretended to ponder for a while, then said, “I want to make a bathing product on that land—better than bath beans. It’s called soap.”

Yang Zhao looked puzzled. “What soap?”

“Soap as in fragrant, and soap as in soap pods,” Li Xuanba explained.

The land Li Xuanba chose was located in the area of the original Chang’an City.

After Emperor Wen of Sui established the capital at Chang’an, the old Chang’an—having served as a capital for several hundred years—suffered severe salinization of its groundwater, making it undrinkable. As a result, Daxing City was newly built on the southern slope of Longshou Plateau to the southeast.

The old Chang’an fell into ruin due to the saline-alkali soil and became a sparsely populated village.

However, since nobles had originally lived in old Chang’an, most of the land around it was in their hands. After they moved away, these heavily salinized lands became useless, yet Yang Zhao still had to spend considerable effort to buy them all.

Li Xuanba chose land in old Chang’an for two reasons. First, no one wanted it, so taking it wouldn’t arouse jealousy. Second, this land could be used to produce alkali from the soil. Once filtered, the alkali could be used to make solid soap.

Moreover, while this region found it hard to yield good harvests of rice, wheat, or millet, it could grow soybeans. Soybeans were an excellent oil crop, perfect for pressing oil to make a soap base.

Although soybean oil contained a large amount of linoleic acid, which would cause the soap to gradually soften and “sweat” oil after three months, wasn’t that even better?

Those who could afford his soap—would they really want to use a single bar for four or five months? That would be far too embarrassing for nobles.

“Just bath beans?” Yang Zhao refused to believe that Li Xuanba’s ambitions stopped there.

“It’s soap, not bath beans,” Li Xuanba corrected him.

Yang Zhao shook his head. “Is there really a difference? The bath beans used in the palace are made by grinding together dozens of kinds of flower petals, spices, and medicinal ingredients. Can you really make something better than that? Noble households all make their own bath beans—they wouldn’t buy them from others. Don’t tell me you plan to sell them to commoners?”

“You’ll know when the time comes,” Li Xuanba said. “Just talking about it now won’t make it clear.”

Yang Zhao blinked, a sly look appearing on his chubby face. “Want to make a bet?”

Li Xuanba immediately shook his head. “No betting. Gambling is bad.”

Yang Zhao hadn’t expected such a flat refusal and was left speechless.

“Ahem.” Yang Zhao cleared his throat and said with a smile, “As the Crown Prince, I order you—come, Third Cousin, make a bet with me. If you really can make something better than the palace bath beans, I’ll make your product an imperial tribute.”

Li Shimin waved his hand up and down, interrupting without giving the Crown Prince any face at all. “But Cousin, if A-Xuan really makes something better than what the palace has, he would definitely present it to His Majesty anyway, making it an imperial tribute. Your stake isn’t sincere at all.”

Li Xuanba said firmly, “I don’t want to bet.”

Yang Zhao pinched his double chin. “That makes sense. Then… if Third Cousin wins, I’ll allow him to freely enter the palace library at any time?”

Li Xuanba brightened. “That could work! Ah—no, I’m not betting!”

Li Shimin shook his head. “Cousin, if Third Cousin wants to enter the palace to read, isn’t it just a matter of writing a letter to His Majesty? His Majesty would never refuse a junior borrowing books.”

Yang Zhao grew troubled. “That’s true too. Then Second Cousin, what do you think we should bet?”

“I already said I’m not betting!” Li Xuanba protested.

Li Shimin said, “Of course it should be fine horses—ow!”

Li Xuanba viciously pinched his second brother’s cheek, pulling it long before letting go. “I said I’m not betting!”

Li Shimin rubbed his rebounding cheek. “A-Xuan, this is an order from the Crown Prince. How can you disobey? If Father and Mother find out, they’ll definitely beat you.”

Li Xuanba was rendered speechless.

Yang Zhao cleared his throat again, echoing, “That’s right—this is an order from the Crown Prince!”

Li Shimin rubbed his face and said, “It’s settled—I want fine horses!”

Third Lady Li said with a beaming smile, “Elder Sister wants a set of gemstone jewelry.”

Chai Shao immediately said, “I’ll give it to you!”

The smile vanished from Third Lady Li’s face. “Shut up. I’m fooling around with my younger brothers.”

“Oh…” Chai Shao wilted.

Yang Zhao laughed. “Alright—fine horses and jeweled ornaments. A-Xuan, what else do you want? Of course, the status of imperial tribute and access to the library will be yours as well.”

Li Xuanba sighed and said, “One set of jewelry each for Grandmother, Mother, and my elder sisters at home; one fine horse each for Father and my elder brothers; a set of tribute-grade brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for my two younger brothers. As for me…”

He thought for a moment. “I don’t really want anything.”

Yang Zhao shook his head. “That won’t do. Hurry and say what you want.”

Li Shimin and Third Lady Li nodded repeatedly. “Yes, you must think of something.”

Li Xuanba sighed again. “Alright. This business will be nominally run by my elder sister. If it succeeds, Mother will also be involved. If Cousin thinks well of it, could you let the Crown Princess take a share as well? Consider it protection for us.”

Yang Zhao laughed. “Wouldn’t that mean I’m the one profiting? I’ll persuade the Empress to protect you instead. Now it’s my turn. If you can’t make it, how about becoming a study companion for my son You’er?”

Li Xuanba’s back stiffened.

Yang You— the Crown Prince’s third son—was born just last year. In the future, he would be supported by Li Yuan to ascend the throne, then forced to abdicate, and was ultimately said to have been poisoned by Li Yuan.

That in itself wasn’t the issue.

The key point was that the Crown Prince already had two sons, and the eldest, Yang Tan, was deeply favored by Yang Guang. Given Yang Guang’s temperament, he would likely prefer to pave the way for the child he loved, caring little about distinctions of legitimacy or birth order…

Li Xuanba said solemnly, “Cousin, I don’t want to get involved in the succession struggle.”

Yang Zhao sighed. “I know. This is at the request of the Crown Princess. I can’t refuse. So you try your best to make better soap beans, okay? You’re confident, aren’t you?”

Li Xuanba: “…” Well, that’s not so easy to refuse.