Chapter 5: Jiangzuo (5)

Zhang Yanji’s predictions were correct. After clashing with Li Kuo, Li Yi, the Prince of Gaoyou, personally wrote a letter and had it sent overnight to the capital, Chang’an, asking Prince Yong to intercede on his behalf. (Note 1) Although Prince Yong, Li Lin, had been granted a princely title and fiefdom since the 15th year of the Yuan dynasty, the emperor doted on him so much that he made an exception and did not require him to go to his fiefdom after reaching adulthood; instead, he remained in Chang’an. Such cases were not rare—there were several during the Taizong era, like Prince Wei Tai and Prince Jin Zhi, who later became Emperor Gaozong, who also failed to go to their fiefdoms. But such things usually happened to legitimate sons; it was truly a miracle for an illegitimate son like Prince Yong to receive such favor from the emperor.

Anyway, Li Yi, the Prince of Gaoyou, was not willing to give up. He didn’t care what Li Kuo was—some kind of military commander in Huainan. If you stop me from having women, I’ll make you leave! He’s just a subject working hard for the royal family; even the highest-ranking ministers must bow their heads in front of the true royal family!

“Your Highness, Prince Seven asks you to visit his residence for a talk!”

The old steward, Li Quanan, saw that Li Yi’s anger had subsided somewhat and leaned in slightly to remind him.

“Oh? I forgot. Why didn’t you remind me earlier, old man?”

Li Yi winked at the old steward, clearly dissatisfied.

Li Quanan sighed inwardly but forced a smile. “How could I not? I was afraid you’d get too angry and harm your health. We can’t afford to neglect our own health, even if we miss someone else. When the old prince left, he specifically asked me to take care of you, saying you have a weak constitution and must not let anger get the best of you…”

“Enough! Stop mentioning him in front of me. I heard his nagging all his life while he was alive. Now that he’s finally gone, you keep nagging me too—it’s annoying!”

Li Yi waved his hand impatiently, cutting off the steward’s reminder. “Just do your job. I’m not a three-year-old child; I don’t need you to worry about everything!”

“Ah, ah.”

Li Quanan nodded repeatedly and took a robe from the hanger to dress Li Yi. “But, with all due respect, Prince Seven is straightforward. You need to be careful, Your Highness.”

Hearing this, Li Yi said unhappily, “What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything wrong. Why do I need to be cautious? Though Uncle Seven is a bit rigid, he can still distinguish right from wrong, right? Besides, I’m the Prince of Gaoyou. Even though I’m his nephew, I hold a first-rank position. If I really stood my ground, he might not even be able to say anything to me.”

“Your Highness, the Seventh Prince and the Elder Prince are brothers. If you do this, how can the Elder Prince rest in peace in heaven?”
“Enough, stop talking. Prepare a horse for me!”
Li Yi strode out of the room, stirring up a cloud of dust。……
“How much silver is this book, ‘The Record of the Ancient Mirror’, worth?”
Li Kuo nodded at the bookstore owner and asked earnestly. (Note 2) The owner was a middle-aged man in his early thirties, dressed in a faded white robe, sitting behind a waist-high dark ink table reading an ancient book.
“I don’t sell this book.”
The middle-aged man shook his head in reply.
“Oh? Why not?”
Curious, Li Kuo put the book back on the shelf.
“You’re really strange. If I say I don’t sell it, that’s it. Why so many questions? Young people these days… well, never mind.”
The middle-aged man glanced at Li Kuo, shook his head, and said, “My bookstore has a rule: the books on the top row are only for reading, those on the second row can be borrowed, and only the books on the bottom row are for sale.”
With that, he ignored Li Kuo again and continued reading his book with interest.
Li Kuo was amazed. This owner was truly strange—running a bookstore yet setting so many rules. Merchants are all profit-driven; wouldn’t so many rules block their own sources of income?
“Owner, may I ask where these three rules come from?”
“Hm?”
The middle-aged man was slightly surprised before smiling and saying, “Well, not many young people these days are as inquisitive as you. I’ll tell you then.”
He stood up, walked to the shelf, and stroked the books on the top row, sighing, “These books are all unique volumes I’ve collected over half my life—ranging from astronomy and geography to ghost stories and legends.”
Smiling proudly, he added, “Would you sell the fruit of half a lifetime’s work? Even if you piled up a mountain of gold in front of my store, I wouldn’t be tempted!”
“Oh? Then why are the books on the second layer only for borrowing, not for sale?”
Finding it interesting, Li Kuo pressed on.
“The books on that layer are all Confucian classics and historical records from various dynasties.”

The middle-aged man said slowly, “Most books of this kind are meant for scholars at county and prefectural schools. Aside from a few wealthy children, they don’t have much money—how can they afford books when they can’t even get enough to eat? My rent is just one coin per ten days, something even poor children can afford. After they finish reading them, they return them, so it doesn’t cost much at all. I charge this rent just as a formality, as a way to do good.”

After saying that, the middle-aged man bent down and pointed at the books on the lower shelves. “As for these, they’re just flowery and vulgar writings unfit for public display. Yet it’s the nobles who buy them. These parasites of the Tang Dynasty spend their days feasting with beauties, listening to music, and fighting chickens—they need such things to amuse themselves. I sell this book for a hundred coins. Do you believe it? There are even many servants and page boys competing to buy it?”

After hearing this, Li Kuo suddenly understood. So this shopkeeper was “robbing the rich to help the poor”—a truly admirable act. Indeed, it was admirable that he was willing to share his rare books, which he had cherished for years, with strangers he didn’t know.

But it seemed unlikely he could afford such a book himself!

Li Kuo smiled bitterly. He had returned to the city from the training camp and happened to pass by this bookstore in an alley. He had hoped to find a good book by chance, but never expected to meet such an extraordinary person.

“Grandpa, grandpa, sell this book to him!”

A sound like silver bells came from the back room, followed by the appearance of a young woman in a red dress.