Chapter 138: Re-deliberation at the Qianqiu Hall!

After the court dismissed, Li Yi joined Li Jing and prepared to head home. However, after walking only a few steps and before even stepping out of the palace gates, a young eunuch stopped them. The eunuch informed them that Emperor Li Er summoned them at the Qianqiu Hall. Instantly, Li Yi knew that Li Er intended to settle the matter once and for all today!

"Grandfather, what do you think His Majesty has in mind regarding this matter?" On the way, Li Yi could not help but ask Li Jing.

Li Jing stroked his beard, narrowed his eyes, and replied, "What His Majesty thinks does not matter. What matters is whether you can convince that group of people. As long as either side prevails and the two institutions are successfully established, His Majesty will not object!"

Li Yi lowered his head in brief contemplation and understood. To Li Er, the outcome made little difference. If entrusted to Princess Changle, she was his daughter, so there was nothing to worry about. If entrusted to the imperial court, he could dispatch officials to take over, which was equally acceptable. Therefore, Li Er currently adopted the stance of watching a tiger fight from the mountain top. All he needed was a result!

Having figured this out, Li Yi felt somewhat relieved. Dealing with a bunch of stubborn traditionalists still left him with a fair amount of confidence!

Before long, the grandfather and grandson arrived at the Qianqiu Hall. Without waiting for formal announcement, they walked straight inside. Many people had already gathered there, making them the slowest to arrive. Li Er glanced around and thought to himself: good grief, nearly all the civil and military officials of any consequence were present. This virtually resembled a miniature imperial court! The room was filled with high-ranking officials of the third rank and above, with him being the sole low-ranking official of the fifth rank. His sudden appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.

Seeing that Li Yi had arrived, Li Er spoke up, "Very well, now that everyone is here, let us all voice our opinions. This is not the formal court, so feel free to speak casually!"

Just as Li Er's voice faded, Gao Shilian stepped out of the ranks and declared, "Your Majesty! These two institutions must be built by the imperial court!" With that, Gao Shilian shot a hostile glare at Li Yi.

Seeing Gao Shilian take the lead, the others felt no need to rush and simply watched the unfolding drama from the sidelines.

Li Yi felt utterly helpless toward this elderly statesman. Was this not completely unreasonable?

"Elder Sir, why are you looking at me like that? I am supporting you; I never said I opposed it, did I?"

Gao Shilian stared fiercely. "Yet you reclaimed all the shops under the name of the Charitable Foundation! With what funds does the imperial court intend to build the two institutions?"

Li Yi spread his hands. "Is that my fault as well? Those shops belong to Princess Changle; what do they have to do with me? If you want the shops, go find Princess Changle! Why come to me?"

"Hmph! Who does not know your relationship with the Princess? Whether those shops belong to someone else is entirely up to a single word from you. Do not try to fool this old man!"

"Elder Sir, I respect you as an elder and a pillar of the Great Tang, but you cannot bully us juniors like this! Think about it, charity has been established by Princess Changle and me from beginning to end, and the idea for these two institutions was conceived by us together. For the sake of these institutions, Changle has worked from dawn till dusk for nearly a month. To understand the plight of the widowers, widows, orphans, and childless elderly in Chang'an, she even spent five whole days walking through the entire city, going specifically to places where beggars congregated. For a young woman, and a princess at that, to spend five whole days in a den of beggars—what kind of experience is that? Which of you could endure it? To draft a comprehensive proposal, Changle and Princess Li Xueyan scoured the entire West Market just to investigate the latest prices, fearing they might misspend a single penny. They verified every single account three times over to prevent the slightest error! Moreover, for the management of the Charitable Foundation, they studied Zhenguan arithmetic for over a month. Have any of you considered this?" The more Li Yi spoke, the angrier and more impassioned he became. He could not help it; these people were simply being unreasonable, to the point of chilling the heart.

"I say all this not to prove how great Changle and the others are, but to prove that she is fully capable of handling this matter well. I am not putting on airs; let us ask right now, who among you has made any effort for this cause? No need for anything else, just a rough proposal will suffice—you do not even need precise figures, just a general development plan. Can any one of you state even a single point?"

When Li Yi finished, he swept his gaze across the crowd. Everyone looked sheepish under his words, avoiding his gaze and daring not meet his eyes. Even Gao Shilian revealed a trace of shame.

"No one? Heh! If not, then so be it! All my uncles are older than I am and possess far richer administrative experience; perhaps you consider things more profoundly than I do! Therefore, when I heard you propose bringing the two institutions under the imperial court's ownership, I did not object. That is the honest truth. Changle has been busy back and forth for over two months for this, and she has grown a circle thinner. It pains my heart more than anyone else's to see her like that. If she can rest, I can rest easy. But you cannot bully people like this. Not only do you dismiss her efforts with a single sentence, but you also attempt to seize her personal property. Tell me, is this not going too far? My uncles, I grew a bit excited and spoke somewhat harshly. I hope you will not take offense!"

Li Yi bowed to the assembled veteran ministers to express his apology. Regardless of the circumstances, he had lacked proper etiquette just now. The men before him were foundational heroes of the Great Tang, and speaking to them in such a manner was indeed crossing a line. Li Yi knew he had gone too far, but he simply could not help himself!

Fortunately, all the ministers knew Li Yi was young and spoke without malice. Furthermore, harsh as his words sounded, they were not groundless complaints, so none of those present held a grudge against him.

It was also the first time Li Er had witnessed Li Yi display such emotional fervor. He felt simultaneously pleased, regretful, and heartbroken. What pleased him was that Li Yi's outburst was entirely for Changle's sake; as Changle's father, how could he not be gratified? What he regretted was failing to consider Changle's feelings, knowing he had hurt her heart. What broke his heart, however, was Changle's dedication to this cause. Hearing Li Yi mention that Changle had grown a circle thinner made him feel as though something was wrenching his chest, causing a dull ache. Li Er genuinely cherished Changle from the bottom of his heart—a rare display of true familial affection for an emperor!

Li Er took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions surging within him. No matter how displeased he felt inside, he had to maintain a poker face. Such was the sorrow of an emperor. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Gao Shilian paused, intending to return Li Yi's bow, but Li Yi quickly stopped him.

"Little Lord Li!"

"Elder Sir can just call me kid Yi. Being called Little Lord Li feels rather unnatural to me!"

Gao Shilian smiled slightly. "Very well, then I shall call you kid Yi. Kid Yi, this old man must first offer you an apology. Everything you said just now is true; this old man truly failed to consider things thoroughly beforehand!"

Li Yi immediately said brightly, "No, no, we are both juniors, there is no need for such formalities. We are still young, and encountering a few setbacks is all for the best!"

Gao Shilian sighed and praised, "Kid Yi, truthfully, this old man rather likes you. Putting everything else aside, this indomitable spirit of yours, this daring to strive, coupled with your single-minded devotion to the country and willingness to contribute, is entirely worthy of my admiration!"

Li Yi blushed. "Not at all, not at all, Elder Sir flatters me! This junior also admires your loyalty to the country and your lofty moral standing!"

The old man and the youth looked at each other, then suddenly burst into loud laughter, sharing a distinct sense of mutual appreciation.

The rest of the officials watched the pair in speechlessness. Just moments ago, they had glared at each other with fury, yet now they were indulging in mutual admiration! Could they maintain any sense of decorum at all?

Fortunately, Gao Shilian remained an obstinate traditionalist!

After the laughter subsided, Gao Shilian continued, "However, kid Yi, an apology is an apology, but the matter of the two institutions cannot be altered. It is not that this old man wishes to make things difficult for you; you should understand the gravity of this affair. Therefore, give this old man a straight answer: is this Charitable Foundation exclusively dependent on Changle?"

Gao Shilian's question contained a subtle trap. The reason Li Er agreed to the existence of charity was because it could bolster his political achievements. However, if the Charitable Foundation became the personal property of a single family, he would never allow such a thing to happen—not even if it belonged to his own biological daughter!

Thus, the moment Gao Shilian uttered those words, Li Er's expression froze instantly.

Li Yi perceived the underlying issue as well, so he hurriedly explained, "How could that be? Since we are on the subject, let me explain the Charitable Foundation! Actually, the primary source of funding for the Charitable Foundation is not running shops at all. To be honest, the money earned from shops, if given entirely to a single individual, is indeed a substantial sum. But placed within the foundation, it is merely a drop in the ocean. That money cannot even fully cover the two institutions, let alone anything else. In truth, the primary economic source of the Charitable Foundation is donations!"

"Donations?" This was the first time everyone was hearing this term, sparking intense curiosity.

"Indeed, donations! So-called donations mean raising funds from wealthy merchants, inspiring them to willingly donate money to the foundation!"

"How can that be?" The crowd remained baffled. Willing donors contributing to a foundation—was that not sheer fantasy? Were there truly so many great philanthropists in this world?

"Heh, nothing is impossible in this world! If you cannot achieve it, it is simply because you have not found the method to solve the problem!"

Hearing this, Li Er immediately praised, "Oh? Well said! You brat, you always speak with eloquence. Go on and explain your method!" Pondering the remark, the audience found it remarkably profound. They could not help but admire Li Yi's talent!

"Heh, actually it is quite simple. The people of the world flock for profit and bustle for gain; as long as there is sufficient profit, there is no need to fear they will not be moved! The greatest function of charity is winning the hearts of the people. When charity develops to a certain stage, it gains renown abroad, and at that point, advertising becomes possible. So-called advertising is simply spreading information far and wide. For example, if the Jinding Commercial Alliance donates a sum of money to the foundation, the foundation will explicitly note that this money was donated by the Jinding Commercial Alliance when spending it. By then, the common people will know of this. When those informed citizens wish to purchase goods, tell me, will they consider the Commercial Alliance first or other shops?"

"This?" Everyone present was a clever person. Once Li Yi reached this point, they understood completely. They then looked at Li Yi with a mixture of wonder and astonishment, struggling to comprehend how he could conceive of such a scheme. It was linked ring by ring, leaving not a single loophole in the plan. Everyone was forced to offer their silent admiration in their hearts.

"My uncles, to accomplish this endeavor requires immense assistance and cannot be achieved overnight. Take the merchant community alone—it is a formidable challenge. Most merchants presently operate as scattered sand, each managing a tiny patch of territory around themselves. Thus, the Commercial Alliance's advertisements are useless to them. Therefore, to facilitate this matter, one must first integrate the merchants. But those are matters for the future. The most crucial task right now is to make the foundation's reputation widespread. Hence, the affair of the two institutions must be handled by the foundation, and the president must be none other than Changle. It is not that I am being unreasonable, my uncles. Think about it: what is the fundamental foundation upon which the Charitable Foundation rests?"

Fang Xuanling thought for a moment and said with a solemn voice, "It is reputation!"

"Correct, it is reputation. This is the bedrock of the Charitable Foundation. Once its reputation is ruined, the foundation is finished. Therefore, the candidate for the foundation's president must be chosen with the utmost caution. My uncles, what kind of place is this foundation? It is a place that handles money—and large sums of money at that. If, according to your wishes, we dispatch an official or some other man to manage it, who among you can guarantee they will not commit corruption? Who can guarantee they will not touch these funds? Which of you dares? As long as my uncles dare to sign a military pledge before His Majesty, I will have Changle surrender all the shops to the imperial court. I keep my word!"

After Li Yi finished speaking, he scanned the crowd once more. Silence descended upon them again. Regarding such a matter, truly no one dared to offer guarantees!

Gao Shilian could not help asking, "Do you dare to sign a military pledge guaranteeing that Changle will not engage in corruption?"

Li Yi chuckled. "Why wouldn't I dare? There is no need for me to sign a military pledge. Everyone, think about it: what kind of person is Changle? She has absolutely no need to commit corruption. Setting aside the fact that she has offered all her shops, what motive would she even have for corruption? None can be found! If she were to commit corruption, it would only be for two reasons: either for herself or for someone else. If for someone else, that would mean His Majesty. Do you all think His Majesty would touch this money, or do you think His Majesty lacks this paltry sum? As for the other reason—doing it for herself—that makes even less sense. Do you uncles think I am short of this bit of money?"

When Li Yi finished his explanation, everyone felt entirely helpless. It was precisely as he had said; neither Li Er nor Li Yi were people lacking money, especially Li Yi, who had relinquished nearly ninety percent of the profits from the Commercial Alliance. Would he lack this bit of money? Absurd!

Gao Shilian wanted to say something more, only to find himself utterly speechless. In the end, he could only offer a parting remark: "Yet, for such a massive undertaking, can a mere princess manage it well?"