LFHYB -Chapter 66 Just Trying to Forge an Iron Pot

Whether influenced by others or not, Li Yuanji was inattentive in class, jealous of his talented younger brothers, and even insulted the elders in the household. All of this proved that he had become very unruly and needed strict discipline.

Lady Dou humbly admitted her limitations, saying that she knew how to raise children, but not how to educate them. Guiding already-initiated children was the responsibility of the family head.

At this point, educating sons was indeed the father’s duty.

As the ancients said, “If a child is not taught, the fault lies with the father.” Since the pre-Qin period, educating one’s sons had been a father’s responsibility. The “family instructions” passed down through the ages were all admonitions from fathers to their descendants.

Female family members could care for daily needs and, at most, oversee children during early childhood. Unless widowed, women generally could not intervene in formal education.

Li Yuan was raised by his widowed mother, so he habitually left his sons under the care of female family members. Being a long-term official away from home, he could not personally educate his children.

Persuaded by Lady Dou and worried that Li Yuanji would go astray, Li Yuan had no choice but to bring Li Yuanji under his own supervision and personally guide him again.

He had once tried to teach Li Yuanji, but Li Yuanji’s misbehavior had angered him to the point of losing his appetite. Later, when Li Yuanji became slightly more obedient, Li Yuan decided that as the youngest legitimate son, he did not need many skills, and left him be.

But now Li Yuanji had become even more unruly than before, forcing Li Yuan to grit his teeth and endure the torment of teaching his unmanageable son once more.

Li Shimin was initially saddened to leave his parents.

After finally reuniting with his parents in Luoyang, the days of lounging on their laps were short-lived, as he was forced to live at the separate estate.

Li Shimin was very attached to home, and even though it was by his own decision, he could not help but feel somewhat downhearted.

The estate was located near Luoyang, beside the Luo River.

Luoyang was divided into many small basins by rivers and mountains, and places near water were always close to hills.

Noble families from the Northern Zhou era onward loved hunting. Even though Yang Guang established the Eastern Capital at Luoyang to control the Guanzhong aristocracy, he still allocated large estates to them nearby.

The Tang Duke’s estate was vast, covering river plains and large areas of forested hills.

Ordinary people were not allowed into the private forests. Lady Dou was kind, and only in the dead of winter would nearby villagers be permitted to gather firewood. Anyone caught cutting trees would be reported.

Now it was a season of lush vegetation and active wildlife. As soon as their mother left, the saddened Li Shimin took Li Zhiyun into the forest to hunt.

He had originally planned to bring Li Xuanba as well. But Li Xuanba pointed to the Luo River and warned that if Li Shimin forced him to hunt, he would jump in.

Li Shimin held the still-not-independent Li Zhiyun in front of him, complaining nonstop. “Fifth Son, is this really necessary? I ask him to hunt, and he threatens to jump into the river? Is that really necessary?!”

Li Zhiyun laughed, “giggling,” at the antics of his two older brothers.

Li Shimin ruffled Li Zhiyun’s smooth, shaved head in irritation.

Li Zhiyun’s hair was mostly shaved except for two small tufts, so his head was smooth and pleasant to touch.

Li Zhiyun squinted his eyes, enjoying his brother’s ruffling like a little animal.

Though initially scared to live away from both his birth mother and stepmother, Li Zhiyun was no longer afraid with his brothers keeping him company, taking turns sleeping with him, and now bringing him to ride horses in the forest.

As for why they took turns—naturally, it was because Li Shimin slept so dominantly, and Li Zhiyun only wanted to sleep with Third Brother. Li Shimin, feeling rejected by his younger brother, insisted on holding Li Zhiyun close while sleeping.

In the Tang Duke’s manor, the forests didn’t have any large game, but in the height of summer, rabbits and wild pheasants were plentiful.

Li Shimin spent every day wandering the woods with Li Zhiyun, and soon he was completely “lost in the fun,” forgetting all thoughts of his parents. It wasn’t until Li Xuanba reminded him that he should return home during their father’s rest day that he realized he had grown accustomed to life at the separate villa.

Li Yuan, meanwhile, had been suffering greatly from personally teaching Li Yuanji, and he increasingly missed his clever second and third sons.

Today, when Li Shimin and Li Xuanba returned home with Li Zhiyun, Li Yuan was waiting anxiously at the gate.

When a big and a small black-skinned child stepped down from the carriage, Li Yuan fell silent.

He looked at the one whose appearance hadn’t changed much, Li Xuanba, and asked, “What happened to them?”

Li Xuanba sighed. “What else could it be?They’ve been hunting in the woods every day.”

Even with the trees providing shade, the sun still tanned them.

Aside from himself, the Li family really did have strong constitutions. After so much sun exposure, they hadn’t suffered heatstroke or sunburn—only their skin had darkened.

Li Yuan hesitated, unsure what to say.

He had expected his second son to miss him so much that he’d be crying, but this brat spent every day hunting with his younger brother and didn’t seem to miss him at all!

Li Shimin assured him that he did miss their parents and had even prepared many gifts for them, all from the game he and the fifth brother had hunted.

Li Yuan asked, “Why are there only the game you and the fifth brother hunted? Where’s the third brother’s game?”

Li Shimin said plaintively, “A-Xuan said that if I dragged him to hunt, he’d jump into the Luo River.”

Li Yuan was stunned and looked helplessly at Li Xuanba. “Even the fifth son has taken to hunting, the fourth says he wants to hunt too, and you’re the only one who doesn’t like it?”

Li Xuanba nodded. “Right, I just don’t like it.”

Lady Dou said, “Don’t keep the children outside. Come in quickly. Today I’ve had beef prepared—rarely do we have a young calf for you, you’ll have a treat.”

Li Shimin threw himself into Lady Dou’s arms. “Great! I’m going to eat the whole cow by myself!”

Lady Dou laughed, pinched the little black-skinned boy’s cheek, then ruffled the other small black-skinned boy’s head. “Come on, your aunt has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Li Zhiyun smiled shyly.

Lady Dou beckoned Li Xuanba over too. With a look of helpless resignation, she pinched Li Xuanba’s thin little face and led the three children inside to eat.

At the dinner table, Li Jiancheng was very polite to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, especially towards Li Xuanba, his expression unusually gentle.

Li Xuanba guessed this was probably because he and his second brother had moved to the separate villa, making Li Jiancheng think they were showing humility.

To Li Xuanba’s surprise, Li Yuanji obediently called him “brother,” showing no trace of his usual mischief.

How long had it been? Had Li Yuanji really changed his nature already?

Li Shimin leaned toward Li Xuanba and whispered, “I saw that Li Yuanji’s palms are still swollen. He must have been beaten quite a bit.”

Li Xuanba glanced at Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji was kneeling on the couch in a slightly twisted posture.

It seemed not only were his palms swollen, but his buttocks had taken a beating too.

“What are you twisting for? Sit properly!” Li Yuan scolded.

Li Yuanji shivered and straightened up obediently.

Li Xuanba thought: The one who beat Li Yuanji must be father.

Li Shimin nodded. And it wasn’t light—hee hee!

Seeing Li Yuanji punished, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba enjoyed their meal all the more.

They stayed the night at the manor and returned to the separate villa with Li Zhiyun the next day.

Seeing that the children were doing well at the villa, Li Yuan and Lady Dou were relieved and gave them full authority to manage the villa, allowing them to use its resources freely.

This time, Li Jiancheng generously suggested officially transferring the villa to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, making it their private property.

Seeing that his younger brothers had no ambition to contest the dukedom, Li Jiancheng’s skill in raising worthy heirs was evident once again.

Since Concubine Zheng was pregnant, she had also found Li Jiancheng a new concubine. Li Jiancheng appreciated Concubine Zheng’s virtuousness, generosity, and thoughtfulness, and felt affectionate for the child in her womb, restoring their harmonious relationship.

He sighed to Concubine Zheng, “If those two don’t fixate on the dukedom, the better they are, the more it benefits me. I’ve always had a good relationship with them. If not for grandmother being old and confused back then… never mind, I shouldn’t speak ill of the deceased.”

This time, Concubine Zheng quietly smiled, refraining from comment.

Since Li Jiancheng had this protective attitude toward his brothers, Li Yuan and Lady Dou gladly accepted his suggestion.

Li Yuan told Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, “Your elder brother cares for you, and has specially given this villa to you.”

Li Shimin: “…Oh.” Initially pleased, now not so much.

Li Xuanba respectfully said, “Second brother and I are very grateful for elder brother’s care. Father, please help us convey our thanks.”

Li Xuanba thought: [Second brother, hurry up and thank him! Or I’ll split your bow and burn it as firewood!]

Li Shimin quickly said, “Y-Yes! We are very grateful. Please be sure to convey our thanks.”

Li Yuan replied with satisfaction, “I will definitely convey it.”

With the eldest son’s relationship with the second and third sons improving, and the fourth son becoming more sensible while the fifth remained clever, life was finally going smoothly. Li Yuan’s fatigue from teaching Li Yuanji had also lessened considerably.

After Li Yuan left, Li Shimin’s face fell, and he said sarcastically, “Heh heh, thanks a lot.”

Li Xuanba said, “We got a real benefit—what’s wrong with thanking him? For every villa he gives me, I’ll give him a thank you.”

Li Shimin complained, “A-Xuan, you’re so mercenary.”

Li Xuanba nodded. “Yep, I am.”

He was thinking about how to get their parents to officially transfer the villa under their names when he was just about to doze off—Li Jiancheng sent a pillow.

No need to say thanks—if this were the modern world, he could make a hundred accounts to vote for Li Jiancheng as Emperor of the Ages and promote him online without problem.

Li Xuanba handed Li Zhiyun over to his second brother, letting him supervise that brother to study properly instead of going hunting every day. Then he went to the workshop beside the villa, finally able to do something he had wanted to do ever since he had transmigrated:

Forge an iron pot.

Li Xuanba had always thought that making an iron pot was as simple as having iron. After transmigrating, he asked the family blacksmiths and discovered that making an iron pot actually required a lot of technical skill.

Just as in ancient times only the best craftsmen could cast tripods, if a blacksmith could forge a pot that heated evenly, then that same skill could also produce armor.

No wonder in the Song Dynasty, with the unprecedented development of iron smelting, iron pots finally became common household items.

Though the Song military was weak, their equipment was far from it.

The Tang Duke’s residence did have craftsmen who could make iron pots, but such craftsmen were normally tasked with making armor for the noble household. Li Xuanba could not simply ask them to make pots instead.

Every villa had its own full set of workshops for clothing, food, and daily necessities, including a blacksmith shop.

Now that the villa was assigned to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, all the staff belonged to them as well. Li Xuanba could finally put them to work, honing their iron-forging skills to make a proper iron pot for himself.

He hoped that with a stir-fry pan, he could improve his second brother’s eating habits—after all, getting him to eat vegetables was even harder than giving him medicine.

Li Xuanba found the head of the blacksmith shop and explained the detailed requirements for the pot.

The old blacksmith with a lame leg looked skeptical: “Third Young Master, are you sure you just want an iron pot and not armor?”

Li Xuanba replied, “Just an iron pot, to satisfy the appetite, nothing more.”

The old blacksmith fell silent for a long while, then sighed: “I am already under your command, Third Young Master. Whatever you want, I will try. The requirements for this pot are very high. The current furnace may not suffice; we will need one with a large bellows.”

Li Xuanba asked curiously, “If you have the furnace, can you make it?”

The old blacksmith said, “Whether it works or not, we’ll only know by trying.”

Li Xuanba smiled: “Go ahead and try, don’t worry about wasting materials. I’ll handle the furnace, fuel, and iron ore. Once it works, I’ll also need you to bring your apprentices. I plan to give these pots as gifts to friends and relatives.”

The old blacksmith asked, “Do you want to make many pots?”

Li Xuanba said, “Yes, many.”

The old blacksmith fell silent again.

“I have a son of great strength. If Third Young Master doesn’t mind, could I let him take on some of the work?” he asked hesitantly.

Li Xuanba replied, “I happen to need a guard.”

The old blacksmith breathed a sigh of relief: “Thank you, Third Young Master! I will do my utmost!”

Li Xuanba encouraged the lame old blacksmith a little, then went off to tell his second brother the good news, his heart full of delight at this unexpected windfall.

As expected of the Duke’s residence, its resources were truly vast—even the villa’s blacksmiths were skilled enough to claim they could make armor.

Li Xuanba suspected that every villa of the Duke’s residence had such skilled craftsmen.

It should be noted that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, those who could hold the title of Duke had their own private armies. Even the generals of today prepared their own armor and equipment for themselves and their soldiers. So it was only natural that the Tang Duke’s residence would have many blacksmiths capable of making armor.

When Li Shimin learned of this, he was first delighted, then puzzled: “Is this normal? Does that mean every noble family can make their own armor and weapons and maintain private armies?”

Li Xuanba said, “Yes, indeed. So when the emperor is strong, finding armor in a noble household counts as treason. But we’re just making iron pots, so don’t worry.”

Li Shimin whispered: “A-Xuan, you won’t make me go to battle wearing an iron pot, right?”

Li Xuanba was speechless: “As a noble’s son, you are allowed to have your own armor on the battlefield. Making a few sets of spare armor for yourself isn’t treason.”

Li Shimin patted his chest in relief: “That’s good. I like shiny, golden, multicolored armor!”

Li Xuanba: “…Shiny and multicolored? What kind of flashy, ostentatious armor is this? Are you afraid you won’t stand out enough on the battlefield?”

Li Xuanba’s memory automatically activated, retrieving “keywords.”

When Emperor Taizong campaigned in Liaodong, he personally led 10,000 armored cavalry and “applied gold lacquer to their iron armor, with colors gilded and dyed with five pigments,” so that “their golden radiance dazzled, and they met Li Ji at the city gate.”

His second brother really did like flashy, showy things.