LFHYB – Chapter 30 Unexpected but Successful

Gao Jiong was not only skilled in both civil and military strategy, personally capable, but also broad-minded, eager to recommend talented people without seeking reward. He had a remarkable eye for talent, and those he recommended often went on to achieve great success and hold high office.

Yang Su had entered the court through Gao Jiong’s recommendation.

According to the “Dual Sovereign Theory” of aristocratic politics in the Eastern Han and Wei-Jin periods, Gao Jiong was Yang Su’s “benefactor” and “patron.” If Yang Su betrayed Gao Jiong, he would be despised by the world.

Like Lü Bu in the Three Kingdoms: historically, he did not recognize a sworn father, but he was an official under Ding Yuan, and he killed Ding Yuan in office, thus being despised by his contemporaries. The author Luo Guanzhong, not fully understanding the Eastern Han bureaucracy, couldn’t understand why others could freely change patrons but Lü Bu was scolded—hence he added a “sworn father” to Lü Bu’s story.

After the chaotic Southern and Northern Dynasties, the “Dual Sovereign Theory” had waned, weakening the ties between recruited officials and their patrons. But even aside from tradition, Gao Jiong had reason to feel gratitude toward Yang Su.

Gao Jiong had never realized that Empress Dugu disliked him and that Yang Su was especially insidious. He had always thought that the slanders presented before Emperor Wen of Sui were by Yang Su, which caused him to despise Yang Su deeply.

Upon hearing of Yang Su’s death, Gao Jiong thought of the time he had been abandoned by Emperor Wen and laughed until he cried.

He originally intended to personally pay respects to Yang Su, but his sons, fearing that their father would laugh in front of Yang Su’s spirit tablet, persuaded him otherwise, and they went in his place.

Gao Jiong had barely enjoyed a few days of happiness when Li Xuanba delivered a heavy blow to his head, sending stars before his eyes.

Gao Jiong remained dazed for a long while, then looked at Li Xuanba, who was still bowing deeply.

His lips moved as he said, “Sit down. You’re weak; don’t fall.”

Li Xuanba felt a surge of guilt.

The teacher was a good man, unrelated to him, yet treating him well. What he was doing now was, in a way, “deceiving a gentleman with propriety.”

But the guilt quickly faded, and he said with red-rimmed eyes, “Yes, thank you, Teacher.”

Gao Jiong poured a cup of warm water for Li Xuanba. “You shouldn’t have told me you have prophetic abilities.”

Li Xuanba said, “I hesitated before, but I saw that both Lord Gao and Mr. Yuwen would be killed next year for speaking recklessly about state affairs. They are my teachers; I could not remain indifferent.”

Gao Jiong’s hand trembled, spilling the water. “Ah… even that old coot Yuwen will die?”

Li Xuanba said, “…After hearing Lord Gao and Mr. Yuwen constantly argue, I never really know whether they like each other or not.”

Li Xuanba added, “Also, there’s Song Duke He Ruobi.”

This time Gao Jiong was more composed. “Ah… that mouth of his is indeed a source of trouble.”

Li Xuanba said, “Besides those three, there are others. But the Heavenly Book only recorded three; the rest are classified under ‘others.’”

Gao Jiong asked, “Heavenly Book?”

Li Xuanba hesitated, then “confessed”: “Actually, my prophecy cannot be called prophecy. If I am close enough to someone, the ghostly image of the Book of Prophecies appears before me, from which I can read that person’s future deeds.”

Gao Jiong exclaimed, “Could it be the Luo Shu manifesting in the world again?!”

Li Xuanba knew Gao Jiong would not doubt this—people of this era trusted prophecies too much.

He shook his head, hesitated again, and said, “The Book of Prophecies isn’t called Luo Shu; it’s called…”

He paused, made a nervous expression, and whispered, “the Book of Sui.”

Gao Jiong’s excited expression froze. “What?”

Li Xuanba whispered, “Teacher, your Book of Prophecies is… ahem… the Book of Sui, Gao Jiong Biography.”

Gao Jiong: “…”

Li Xuanba’s gaze was utterly innocent.

Gao Jiong silently wiped the table. “Which scroll? Which biography?”

Li Xuanba said, “Scroll forty-one, Biography six.”

Gao Jiong’s lips twitched. “Not bad. And what about that old fool Yuwen Bi?”

Li Xuanba replied, “Volume Fifty-Six, Biography Twenty-One.”

Gao Jiong nodded in satisfaction. “He only deserves that position anyway.”

Now it was Li Xuanba’s turn to feel speechless. Sir Gao, do you really want to argue over this? What’s there to argue about? Your status is far above Mr. Yuwen’s.

Gao Jiong asked again, “It was slandering the court, not treason, right?”

Li Xuanba said, “Not treason.”

Gao Jiong’s lips twitched again. “If he wanted to kill Yuwen Bi and me, even falsely accusing us of treason would’ve been fine… sigh.”

Li Xuanba was puzzled. How could a false accusation actually be “fine”?

Seeing his expression, Gao Jiong smiled wryly and shook his head. “You don’t understand.”

Li Xuanba nodded. “I don’t understand, sir.”

Gao Jiong explained, “If he had falsely accused Yuwen Bi and me of treason, some at court might believe that we were indeed dissatisfied with His Majesty, while others might think His Majesty was merely wary of my past ties with the late Crown Prince. Either way, the injustice would be limited to us; it wouldn’t have a major impact on the court. But slandering the court is different.”

Li Xuanba thought for a moment and said, “So, if His Majesty executed high officials for slandering the court, and ministers were punished for speaking honestly, then no one would dare give advice anymore?”

Gao Jiong sighed. “Exactly. And His Majesty’s reputation would suffer as well. The court and the realm might not care if he eliminated rivals, but by silencing honest counsel, the wise and virtuous throughout the land will be disheartened. That endangers the Sui Dynasty.”

Li Xuanba could not comprehend Gao Jiong’s lament.

Emperor Yang was about to kill him, yet what he worried about most wasn’t himself or his family—it was Emperor Yang’s reputation and the safety of the Sui state.

Is this… nobility?

Rationally, he knew some people were noble, but emotionally, he couldn’t grasp it.

Gao Jiong sighed, then asked, “When you saw the Heavenly Book… hmm, in the Sui records, do they mention why I offended the court?”

Li Xuanba said, “It was cumulative. You opposed His Majesty’s plan to conscript tens of thousands of musicians.”

Gao Jiong said, “The Northern Zhou Tianyuan Emperor perished because of his love of music—the lesson was right in front of them.”

Li Xuanba continued, “You requested a temporary halt to the construction of the Great Wall, the canals, and Dongjing.”

Gao Jiong said, “The frequent labor conscription was exhausting the people, their livelihoods were failing, and complaints ran rampant. A popular uprising could arise.”

Li Xuanba said, “The last straw was His Majesty’s excessive favor toward the Qimin Khagan.”

Gao Jiong scoffed, “Though Qimin Khagan was old, he had brought his sons to the Central Plains multiple times to gather intelligence. Once he dies, his sons, in their prime and familiar with the Central Plains, would surely become a major threat.”

Li Xuanba said, “You also complained about the recent disorder at court.”

Gao Jiong said, “Isn’t that true? Ministers only know how to flatter His Majesty; the most skilled flatterer gains power. Yang Su is one thing—he has some ability. But Yuwen Shu knows nothing of military matters, yet he is the general His Majesty trusts most. If the frontier erupts in war again, are we to let that incompetent Yuwen Shu lead the troops?!”

Li Xuanba lowered his gaze. “What you say is all correct, sir.”

Gao Jiong closed his eyes, choking up. “But His Majesty does not listen.”

The master and disciple remained silent for a long while.

Finally, Gao Jiong opened his eyes. “Did you see how much longer the Sui Dynasty’s fortune will last?”

Li Xuanba asked, “Do you really want to know, sir?”

Gao Jiong said, “I do.”

Li Xuanba replied, “The Sui Dynasty’s fortune has less than twenty years left. But I cannot tell you what comes next, because after the Sui, a unified dynasty will last three hundred years, bringing prosperity back to the Central Plains. I cannot let you prevent that golden age from arriving.”

Gao Jiong: “…”

He got up, walked over to Li Xuanba, and pressed a hand on his shoulder. “What? Twenty years, and a golden age is about to come?!”

Li Xuanba: “…Yes.”

Gao Jiong carefully studied Li Xuanba’s expression.

Li Xuanba met his gaze without fear.

Gao Jiong hesitated, then asked, “Looking at the Heavenly Book… does it take a toll on your health?”

Li Xuanba said, “Physician Sun said I wouldn’t live to twenty, but now Physician Sun says I’m much better.”

He held out his small hands, looking at his tiny palms, and said calmly, “Maybe I will live past twenty, but my whole life will be fragile. Every year I survive is a gift from heaven.”

Gao Jiong’s eyes filled with compassion. “Predicting too much must also take a toll on your body.”

Li Xuanba said, “My life was always like a candle in the wind—it could be extinguished at any moment. That burden is nothing. Compared to divine punishment, the human disasters that follow if prophecies are exposed are far worse.”

Gao Jiong frowned. “If you know this, you shouldn’t have told me.”

Li Xuanba said seriously, “Sir, my life is like a dying candle. If you can be saved, then this life of mine will not have been in vain. I thought long and hard but could not find a way to save you, so I could only tell you the future, bringing you extra worry. I am truly sorry.”

Gao Jiong rubbed Li Xuanba’s head. “How can this be called giving me extra worry?”

He kept rubbing the young disciple’s head, little by little, with eyes full of affection.

A child does not lie, unless taught to. What Li Xuanba said now could not even be fabricated by anyone else.

At this moment, the Sui Dynasty was prosperous. Who would have imagined that in just twenty years, it would collapse?

Yet Gao Jiong believed Li Xuanba’s judgment.

Because he himself knew that if the emperor continued in such misrule, chaos was inevitable.

After the Han, no unified dynasty lasted long. Even the Jin was precarious at its founding.

Then came the era of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, with rapid succession of dynasties. Gao Jiong alone had witnessed the Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and the three Sui generations. The South changed even more frequently.

So even though the Sui had once again unified the realm, no one was optimistic about how long it could last.

Under such circumstances, most nobles naturally sought only to flatter the emperor for personal gain, not to stabilize the state or care for the people.

Gao Jiong asked, “So in twenty years, the realm really will be quickly unified, and then there will be three hundred years of prosperity?”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “Not three hundred years of prosperity—nearly three hundred years of unification. The exact number is a little over two hundred and eighty years. But the true age of prosperity lasts only about a hundred and thirty.”

Gao Jiong laughed. “A hundred years of golden age! That dynasty would rival the mighty Han!”

Li Xuanba nodded. “Yes.”

Gao Jiong said, “I am already old. If I can’t live to see that day, then before I die, tell me who it is that will create that prosperous dynasty.”

Li Xuanba nodded vigorously. “All right. Then, Teacher, have you thought of how to survive your death calamity?”

Gao Jiong smiled. “I haven’t.”

Li Xuanba was puzzled. “Then why are you smiling?”

Gao Jiong patted his disciple on the head. “I’ve just heard that a golden age will arrive in twenty years. Why wouldn’t I smile? Dade, from now on you must not tell anyone else about this. By the way, why didn’t you tell your father?”

With a straight face, Li Xuanba said, “Father has no death calamity. For most people, knowing the future isn’t a good thing—it’s just a burden. If I hadn’t been unable to think of any way to save you, I wouldn’t have told you either.”

Gao Jiong smiled and sighed. “That’s true. And don’t tell Yuwen Bi either. He’s too fragile, and too loyal to the Sui. He’s not suited to hearing this. It’s fortunate you told me.”

Li Xuanba thought to himself: Yuwen has also served under Northern Zhou—how loyal to Sui can he really be?

He wasn’t a loyalist to Sui, but he was a loyal and upright minister who would risk his life to remonstrate with the Sui emperor.

Gao Jiong sighed for a long while. Knowing that he was destined to die, and unable to think of any way to escape it, he was still smiling from ear to ear.

Li Xuanba was starting to feel he couldn’t keep up the act. This was completely outside his expectations.

Originally, Li Xuanba had thought Gao Jiong would panic, doubt him, and then he could guide Gao Jiong into his own rhythm and get him to help arrange certain things.

Right now, although Gao Jiong was already under Yang Guang’s suspicion, his standing at court was still intact. Before Yang Guang struck, Gao Jiong could do many things.

But who would have thought that Gao Jiong wouldn’t question him at all, and would instead be all smiles, never even mentioning how to avoid the death calamity? How was Li Xuanba supposed to continue now?

“Disciple won’t tell anyone else. But Teacher, you really should think of something—this is a calamity that wipes out your whole family,” Li Xuanba said, pretending he was about to cry.

Gao Jiong smiled and wiped Li Xuanba’s tears with his sleeve. “Why be in such a hurry? This won’t happen until next year. What I’ve already done can’t be changed, and what I haven’t done yet—I don’t know what I’ll do either. We’ll talk about it when the time comes. Still, I can talk to that old scoundrel Yuwen Bi and tell him not to gossip privately. We must be careful.”

Li Xuanba: “…He really won’t take the bait.”

In truth, what Li Xuanba told Gao Jiong was only half true. Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi were indeed condemned because of their words—but the final straw wasn’t their remonstrations. It was that, after their remonstrations failed, they gathered privately to complain.

Basically, several old men drank wine, ate meat, and vented a few grievances together—then someone informed on them, and they were executed for “slandering the court.”

This was even more shocking than being punished for offending the emperor through remonstration. Their case not only proved that Yang Guang couldn’t tolerate criticism, but also that he was secretly monitoring his ministers. From then on, officials didn’t dare to advise him—because even complaining in private could get them killed.

The seeds of disaster in the Daye court had already appeared with the “slandering the court” case of Gao Jiong, Yuwen Bi, and He Ruobi in the third year of Daye.

After that, Yang Guang’s ears became very quiet, and he grew ever more reckless in his rule.

But even if there had been no “slandering the court” case, Yang Guang would still have ruled recklessly—only the people who remonstrated with him would have changed.

Li Xuanba’s “spoilers” had no real impact on the future.

Gao Jiong was already sixty-five. He might not live to see the founding of the Tang, when he could be used by Li Xuanba’s second brother.

The reason Li Xuanba had spoiled the future for Gao Jiong was not only to lure him into cooperating with him and acting against the Jingzhao Wei clan, but also to make Gao Jiong closer to himself and his second brother. That way, if Gao Jiong died a natural death instead of being executed, his network wouldn’t be destroyed—and they could inherit it.

Both Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi were great scholars who did not come from hereditary aristocratic families. They represented the scholar-officials among the Northern Dynasties’ military nobility. Since most of that nobility were generals, those who gathered around them were mostly men of humble origin.

Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi were also generous, often teaching others the Confucian classics with their own annotated editions, unlike the great clans who hoarded their family editions. The books that commoner scholars studied were mostly the versions annotated by these two men.

Once Li Xuanba printed and distributed their annotated classics, the two of them would, in effect, become the teachers of Confucian learning for all the scholars of humble birth under heaven.

As for the military merit faction, his second brother alone was enough to suppress it. Who had greater merit in founding the realm than his brother? His brother would be the greatest of all military merit holders—no other general would dare to refuse to submit.

The great clans relied on the prestige of their ancestors and, more importantly, on their control of “the right to annotate the classics.” They were not only aristocrats, but also academic oligarchs.

To suppress military merit, one needed even greater military merit.

To suppress the academic clans, one needed other academic authorities.

Li Xuanba felt completely stuck.

If Teacher Gao refused to follow the script, how was he supposed to keep this play going?

By now, Gao Jiong had recovered from the initial shock. He asked again about Li Xuanba’s health, carefully planned how Li Xuanba should conceal his “prophetic” ability, and once more warned him not to reveal it lightly.

“You were right not to tell Li Yuan. Although you respect your father, Li Yuan, while decent enough, is indecisive, too easily trusting of others, and not as broad-minded as he pretends. He wouldn’t be able to keep this secret,” Gao Jiong said bluntly, criticizing Li Yuan right in front of Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba could only kowtow and say, “I cannot listen to such words.”

Gao Jiong said, “Just pretend you didn’t hear it. I’ll say what I want.”

Li Xuanba put on a bitter smile.

Gao Jiong asked, “Does Daxiong know your secret?”

Li Xuanba said, “Second Brother knows.”

Gao Jiong smiled. “Your second brother is no ordinary man. In twenty years, he will be in the prime of his life, and he will surely occupy an important seat in the new dynasty.”

Li Xuanba nodded. “Oh yes, yes, what you say is absolutely right, honored elder. He became emperor—so in this newly founded dynasty, his position is incredibly important.”

After finishing his lecture, Gao Jiong stood up and took Li Xuanba to find Li Shimin.

Since the disciple had already come, no matter what shocking things had happened today, Gao Jiong still had to teach his lesson and assign homework.

Li Shimin had been playing cuju with Gao Jiong’s third son, Gao Biaoren, when he was dragged over in a daze to be tested on recitation.

Gao Jiong rolled up his book and knocked his disciple on the head. “Can’t you learn from your younger brother and study properly?!”

Li Shimin didn’t dare dodge. He just hugged his head and said, “I really have been studying properly. I knew it before! It’s just that I was playing cuju and forgot—Teacher, please don’t be angry, let me think for a moment, I’ll remember soon!”

He shot a desperate look at Li Xuanba: Brother, save me!

Li Xuanba pretended not to see it.

Li Shimin screamed in his heart: [Save me!!]

Not only did Li Xuanba pretend not to see it, he even took a step back.

Li Shimin stared at him in disbelief. “Ah-Xuan… ow! Teacher, stop hitting me! ‘A small stick is endured, a big stick means run!’ Teacher, it hurts so much—I’m running!”

With that, Li Shimin bolted while holding his head, darting behind Gao Biaoren to hide.

Gao Jiong froze with his raised hand in midair, unable to believe that his student dared to run after being scolded.

Run was one thing—but he even had something to say about it!

Li Xuanba covered his mouth. “Pfft.”

Gao Biaoren forced a dry laugh. “Don’t hide behind me! I can’t block him!”

Li Shimin said, “Just for a moment—don’t be so stingy!”

Gao Biaoren snapped, “How is this being stingy?!”

Gao Jiong snorted coldly. “Come here!”

Li Shimin shuffled over with small steps, clutching his head and shrinking back. “Teacher, don’t hit me anymore. If you hit me again, I really won’t remember anything. Ah-Xuan once said that children’s heads can’t be hit—if you hit them too much, they’ll become stupid. Right, Ah-Xuan?”

Li Xuanba held back his laughter. “That’s right. That’s why Mother only beats Second Brother’s butt.”

Li Shimin jumped. “Ah-Xuan!”

Gao Jiong couldn’t help it. He gently tapped Li Shimin’s shoulder with the book. “Copy it ten times as punishment.”

Li Shimin let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, Teacher.”

Gao Jiong led Li Shimin and Li Xuanba back to study.

As they walked away, Li Shimin turned around and made a face at Gao Biaoren, whispering,
“Next time I’ll make you lose miserably—ow! Teacher, you said you wouldn’t hit my head anymore.”

Gao Jiong gave Li Shimin a sinister look and, in his heart, devised an even stricter teaching plan.

Since he now knew that Li Shimin would shine on the grand stage of a prosperous court twenty years later, he had to increase Li Shimin’s workload.

Before, he hadn’t been so strict with Li Shimin because the current emperor was not a broad-minded man and might not tolerate someone too outstanding. Besides, Li Shimin was only the second son of the Duke of Tang; the title would be inherited by his elder brother, Li Jiancheng. No matter how capable he was, he couldn’t surpass Li Jiancheng.

But a new dynasty was different. From chaos to prosperity, there would certainly be many chances to earn merit. Perhaps Li Shimin could even gain an office and title more impressive than those of Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng.

As for Li Xuanba, Gao Jiong had no intention of being harsh.

Li Xuanba already had an extremely proper attitude toward learning and needed no supervision. His body was weak, and with such great supernatural abilities, Gao Jiong only worried about Li Xuanba’s lifespan.

As evening fell, Li Shimin dragged his exhausted body home with Li Xuanba, softly sniffling.

Li Xuanba took out a piece of candied fruit and stuffed it into his brother’s mouth. “Stop fake-crying.”

Li Shimin chewed it, his lips puckered enough to hang a wine jug from. “Why do I have twice as much homework as you? That’s not fair!”

Li Xuanba said, “That’s retribution for you neglecting your studies lately.”

Li Shimin snorted.

He stuffed the rest of the candied fruit into his mouth, swallowed it, licked his lips, and stretched. “So, how’s your plan going?”

Li Xuanba switched to his inner voice:

[I spoiled to Master Gao that he’ll be executed next year for offending with his words, that the Sui dynasty will fall within twenty years. Master Gao was very calm and didn’t react according to the usual … Why are you covering your ears again?]

Li Shimin gave a bitter smile. “Ah-Xuan, you didn’t even tell me about this.”

Li Xuanba replied, [Huh? Didn’t I?]

Li Shimin shook his head hard.

[That’s because I was worried about increasing your psychological burden.]

Li Shimin covered his ears and shook his head wildly. “Then why are you telling me now?!”

Li Xuanba rolled his eyes. [You were the one who asked.]

Li Shimin let out a few quiet screams of “Ahhh,” then drooped and put his hands down. “So what do you want Master Gao to do?”

[I want Master Gao to cooperate with me and clash with the Wei clan in court. The Crown Prince will definitely mediate. Master Gao can then take the opportunity to plead guilty before His Majesty and ask to retire on the grounds of old age and illness.]

Li Shimin rubbed his chin. “If Master Gao steps down, they’ll have to step down too, or at least demote one or two people. Wow—then the Wei clan will have to swallow the loss in silence. But Ah-Xuan, how are you going to make Master Gao clash with the Wei clan? There has to be a reason.”

[There are plenty of reasons. The Wei clan are also sycophants.]

Li Shimin shook his head. “Ah-Xuan, I’m not talking about the reason for Master Gao to impeach the Wei clan. I’m talking about the reason for Master Gao to cooperate with you and choose the Wei clan as his target. Master Gao is on good terms with the Crown Prince—why would he impeach the family of the Crown Princess?”

Li Xuanba: “……”

Li Shimin asked suspiciously, “Little brother… you didn’t think this through, did you?”

Li Xuanba’s eyes darted away.

Li Shimin pressed his hands to his cheeks, mouth wide open. “My god, you really didn’t.”

Li Xuanba: “……”

Now it was Li Xuanba’s turn to clutch his head.

He had only been thinking about how to shock Master Gao and then guide him to impeach the Wei clan, put on a show with the Crown Prince, and seize the chance to retire.

But… right. How was he supposed to directly steer this toward the Wei clan rather than someone else? Impeaching others and then resigning would also work—but why the Wei clan specifically? On what grounds could he target them?

Li Xuanba clutched his head and collapsed back onto the carriage seat. His second-hand embarrassment was about to explode.

He had confidently laid a trap—but it turned out the rope of that trap had been broken from the very start?

Li Shimin sighed with the air of a world-weary old man.

“A-Xuan, we’re still kids. How could we possibly outscheme someone as formidable as Teacher Gao? Don’t do this kind of thing again. And if you must, at least discuss it with me first. If we add our ages together, we barely… well, barely approach adulthood. Maybe then we could go a round with grown-ups.”

Li Xuanba felt even more embarrassed.

His soul wasn’t that of a seven-year-old.

Well… even though he’d clawed his way through the bottom of society in his previous life and had some street smarts, when it came to court politics, he still had a long way to go.

…

What Li Xuanba hadn’t expected was that, although he thought his scheme had failed, Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi actually launched an attack on the Wei clan at the same time.

They impeached the Wei clan on the grounds that the Weis had obstructed their printing of the Confucian Classics, and had secretly spread rumors saying that Confucian texts must only be hand-copied to show respect for the sages, and that printing them was an insult to the words of the sages—therefore all printed Confucian books should be burned.

In truth, the families displeased by Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi printing and selling annotated Confucian texts were far more than just the Wei clan.

But Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi chose only the Weis.

Clearly, this was Gao Jiong signaling goodwill to Li Xuanba—helping his disciple step on the Wei clan.

Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi jointly memorialized Emperor Yang Guang: “Among the Sage’s three thousand disciples were many from humble origins. The Sage’s wish was never to lock his words away on high shelves, but to educate all under Heaven.”

“In the past, the Sage’s words were carved on bamboo and wood, later written on paper. Great scholars once traveled the land, using branches as pens and earth as paper, teaching the ignorant masses.”

“When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, you restored learning throughout the realm, upheld trust and harmony, rewarded orthodox teachings, and revived the Sage’s great mission of moral instruction.”

“If the Confucian Classics can be printed, all poor scholars under Heaven will be able to read. They will all praise Your Majesty’s virtue—Your Majesty will be like the Sage reborn!”

“The Wei clan dares to obstruct this. Do they wish to repeat the act of abolishing education across the realm?”

“We beg that, in Your Majesty’s name, the Confucian Classics be printed, to instruct the people and revitalize Great Sui’s culture!”

After reading their joint memorial, Yang Guang was deeply shaken.

He said in disbelief to Empress Xiao, “Those two old bastards actually called me a Sage?!”

Empress Xiao laughed. “The late emperor abolished education across the realm, and as soon as Your Majesty ascended the throne, you rebuilt schools everywhere. To the scholars of the realm, of course you are a Sage.”

Yang Guang sighed. “Those two old bastards usually slander me nonstop. Who would’ve thought that on this matter they’d praise me as a Sage?”

Empress Xiao found his constant muttering both funny and exasperating.

Yang Guang said, “But they’re right about one thing. I do want to educate the people, and this printing technology really is useful. I remember the Crown Prince once mentioned it?”

Empress Xiao replied, “Yes. It was led by the Crown Prince, who had the Li family’s Second and Third sons test it under the pretext of children’s play.”

“The Wei clan couldn’t rope in the Duke of Tang’s household, so they resorted to such petty tricks?” Yang Guang snorted, also a little dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. “I’ve long said Zhao is too soft-hearted and indecisive. Look at this—still running trials? If this printing method is truly useful, then print all the Confucian Classics used in the schools across the realm. Isn’t he always advising me to save money? Wouldn’t that save a fortune?”

Empress Xiao sighed inwardly and agreed, “Yes, it would.”

Yang Guang continued, “Those two old fellows also asked me to open the imperial library, compile a collection gathering all rare books under Heaven, and print several copies. That was exactly what I had been planning. Who knew their thinking would align with mine?”

Empress Xiao said, “Then why not grant their request and have them compile the books? That way they won’t keep bothering Your Majesty.”

Yang Guang’s eyes lit up. “Good idea!”

Seeing him agree, Empress Xiao finally relaxed.

She thought of the private letters Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi had sent her, begging for her help.

She had always known the emperor wanted to kill them. Though she thought it inappropriate, she had never dared remonstrate. Now, going with the flow, these two old ministers would probably survive.

She hadn’t expected that Gao Jiong and Yuwen Bi would actually come to her for help.

These were men with spines of iron. Precisely because the emperor knew their stubbornness and their tendency to criticize the court, he had wanted them dead.

Who would have thought they would retreat of their own accord and even curry favor with the emperor?

After his excitement wore off, Yang Guang also sensed their attempt to ingratiate themselves.

“They probably saw Yang Su’s death and grew afraid,” he said coldly. “Hmph. They look stubborn, but in the end they’re just greedy cowards who fear death. Fine. I’ll let them go compile the books.”

Empress Xiao said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

…

Li Shimin stared in shock. “Ah—this really developed exactly according to your plan! A-Xuan, what are you hiding from me?!”

Li Xuanba shook his head hard.

I’m shocked too, okay?!