Chapter Twenty-Nine: To Give Is to Gain—Sacrificing the Small for the Greater Good

After a bout of commotion courtesy of Li Jing, Li Yi was now officially a member of the Li family. At present, the entire household had gathered in Li Jing’s study for Li Yi’s first family meeting.

Li Jing, seated in the position of honor, spoke first. “Yi’er, from this day forth, you are one of us. I’ve already explained the Li family rules to you, so I won’t repeat myself. Now, if you have any requests, speak freely so that I can make arrangements!”

Before Li Yi could finish his “Hehe, well—,” Lady Hongfu, with her usual authority, interjected. “You brat, enough with the giggling! If you’re thinking of moving out, forget it. Your aunt has already arranged a private courtyard for you. You won’t be disturbed.”

“That’s right, Yi’er, your aunt has everything ready. Don’t move out. You’ve just come home after all this time, stay here with us!” Cui ShuiRou chimed in, after observing Li Yi for an hour and seeing that, despite some oddities, he was actually very easy to get along with. He had already started to accept this nephew wholeheartedly.

“Ah, you’ve misunderstood me. I didn’t say I wanted to move out. I did consider it at first, but that was just because I wasn’t used to everything all of a sudden. Now, I’ve thought it through. With so many dear relatives around, I have no desire to leave!”

“Haha, that’s my good grandson! It’s best you don’t leave, best you don’t leave,” Lady Hongfu beamed.

“Oh! That’s right! I even prepared some gifts for you all—I nearly forgot!” Li Yi smacked his forehead.

Lady Hongfu laughed and scolded him, “Child, what are you giving gifts for? Can we possibly accept your gifts? Our household lacks for nothing. Keep them for yourself!”

“Really? You don’t want them? These are things I invented myself—there aren’t many. I gave one to His Majesty this morning, and there are only a few left!” Li Yi replied with an honest expression.

Li Jing immediately realized these were precious items—anything worthy of gifting the emperor was certainly extraordinary. “Ahem! Yi’er, don’t listen to your grandmother. It’s the thought that counts. How could your grandfather refuse your kindness?” Lady Hongfu, too, reconsidered—her grandson could not be measured by ordinary standards. His gifts, indeed, could not be refused. She composed herself and simply looked at Li Yi, saying no more.

Li Yi produced two fans, the surface streaked with a vivid, blood-red pattern, and handed them to Li Jing and Li Dejian. “These were made last night—there are only seven in all!”

Li Jing and Li Dejian were puzzled at first, but trusting Li Yi, they slowly opened the fans. On the front of Li Jing’s fan were four bold characters: “Utmost Loyalty for the Nation.” The reverse revealed an inscription:

Smoke rises, gaze north to the borderland,
Dragon banners furl, steeds neigh, sword gleams like frost.
A heart as boundless as the Yellow River,
Who in twenty years of battle could stand against me?
Hatred surges where the long blade points,
How many loyal souls lie buried in distant lands?
What regret in dying a hundred deaths for one’s country?
Mute with sorrow, tears of blood fill my eyes.
Horse hooves gallop south as men look north,
Grass green, dust flying.
I would defend our land, restore our borders,
Let the mighty Tang receive tribute from all quarters.

Li Jing was deeply moved—the verse captured his lifetime of achievements and aspirations. “Who in twenty years of battle could stand against me?”—in all of Tang, only Li Jing could claim such words. “Defend our land, restore our borders, let the mighty Tang receive tribute”—such lines were a fitting tribute to him.

“What spirit! What poetry!” Li Jing and Li Dejian exclaimed in unison, then glanced at each other and laughed heartily.

The mischievous Li Yexu darted forward, snatched the fan from his father, and ran off. “Hey, my fan! You rascal, be careful with that! If you so much as damage it, I’ll skin you alive!”

Li Yexu, hiding behind Li Yi and Li Yexi, carefully opened the fan. On its front were four characters: “The Scholar’s Integrity.” The reverse read:

Cling fast to the green mountain, never letting go,
Rooted deep in shattered stone.
Through a thousand trials, still unyielding,
Let the winds from any direction blow.

“Wow! Such bold poetry! Big brother, you’re amazing!” Li Yexu’s eyes widened in awe, with Li Yexi nodding vigorously beside him.

“Hmph! Now you see how impressive your brother is. Learn from him, and stop getting into mischief all the time!” Li Dejian snatched the fan back and carefully hid it, earning a pair of pouting faces from the boys.

“Grandmother, Aunt, these little trinkets are for you. I stumbled upon them by chance—they might earn some money, but as a man, it’s not proper for me to be handling women’s items. Now I can give them to you and not worry anymore!” Li Yi handed perfume and its formula to Lady Hongfu and Madam Cui.

They sniffed the perfume and were instantly captivated. Lady Hongfu examined the formula and, after a moment’s hesitation, said, “This is a fine thing, and from what I see, the ingredients are quite ordinary. This recipe could make a fortune. But as a man, you shouldn’t handle this; let me keep it for you. When you have a wife, you can let her manage this business.”

“No, Grandmother, please don’t. You don’t know—the Empress herself already has this. It’s used up quickly, so we must produce a batch soon and supply it regularly. Otherwise, if the Empress asks for more and I can’t provide it, I’ll be in trouble. So let Aunt keep it—consider it a token of my respect. Don’t worry, Grandmother, I have plenty more where that came from. I just haven’t bothered to make them. If I wanted to make money, this would be nothing to me, so don’t place such weight on it.”

“Haha, it seems my grandson is destined for great things. Very well, Shuijou, since Yi’er insists, accept it. It’s his way of showing he cares.”

Madam Cui hesitated but finally accepted the formula. She truly liked the item, and though the Li family was wealthy, Li Jing was always frugal, so extra income would help.

“Then I’ll accept it—thank you, Yi’er!”

“No need to thank me, Aunt! We’re family, no need for such formalities!”

“Very well, then I won’t stand on ceremony. If you ever need anything, just tell me!”

“Rest assured, Aunt—I won’t be shy!”

“Brother, what about our gifts?” Li Yexu was anxious, seeing that Li Yi had stopped.

“That’s right! We’re not picky—just give each of us a fan!” Li Yexi, usually the more reserved of the two, could not hold back.

“Impudent! Your brother’s gifts are his token of affection—what business is it of yours! Asking outright for fans—do you know how rare they are?” Though Li Dejian looked the picture of a gentleman, when he lost his temper, he commanded respect. The two boys instantly straightened up, showing that Dejian still held paternal authority.

“Oh, Uncle, what are you saying? It’s only two fans, nothing serious. As it happens, I have exactly two left!” Li Yi replied, producing the remaining fans and eyeing the boys with a half-smile.

The two boys glanced at their father, who scowled even darker. “Your brother is talking to you—why are you looking at me?”

The boys immediately shifted their eager gazes to Li Yi, completely unfazed by their father’s scolding—clearly, this was a common occurrence.

“I did prepare gifts for you, but I didn’t expect you’d prefer the fans. I can’t give you both—a single gift is a token of meeting, but two would be unearned. That is not the conduct of a true man. So, you must choose—do you want the folding fan or the gift I prepared?” Li Yi’s tone turned serious, clearly embracing the role of elder brother.

Li Jing and Dejian nodded approvingly on the side.

“Big brother, can we know what the other gift is?” Li Yexu’s eyes sparkled with cunning.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a real choice, would it? You’d just pick the better one. No, I won’t tell you. Life is all about choices—choose wisely, and you’ll soar to great heights; choose poorly, and you may tumble into the abyss. People call the ability to choose wisely ‘wisdom,’ and the experience of choosing ‘experience.’ This is just a small choice you’ll face in life. Since you’re novices, I’ll give you a hint: ‘To gain, one must let go. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward.’”

“Haha! Well said! What a marvelous insight! I knew sneaking in quietly would bring rewards—see, I just heard such a philosophical remark! What do you all think?”

Li Yi turned to see Li Er swaggering in, fanning himself, nostrils flared, looking every inch the emperor, with a burly, bearded guard behind him.

“Your servant greets Your Majesty! Forgive me, I did not know of your arrival and failed to welcome you properly. I beg your pardon!” Li Jing, seeing the emperor, immediately bowed with the family.

“Sigh, Yao Shi, please rise. I only came on a whim; you couldn’t have known. There’s no need to apologize. It’s I who should beg you not to mind my intrusion.” Li Er stepped forward to raise Li Jing, while Li Yi rose as well.

“Your Majesty is too kind. It is my honor to receive you. Please, take the seat of honor!”

“Haha, then I will! Carry on, everyone, don’t mind me!” With that, Li Er settled grandly into the main seat.

As the others looked his way, Li Er smiled and said, “Why are you all looking at me? Where’s that Li Yi?”

Li Yi had taken the opportunity to sip some tea and eat a little—he hadn’t eaten all day, and his schedule had been thrown off lately. He’d barely swallowed a mouthful before Li Er called his name, nearly choking. He gulped some tea and managed, “Here I am, Your Majesty! What can I do for you?”

Li Er’s face twitched—once again, this boy was getting under his skin. For some reason, whenever he saw Li Yi’s face, he just wanted to kick him. Li Er fanned himself hard, took a deep breath, and said, “You rascal, even in such a short time, you find ways to slack off?”

Li Yi immediately put on a serious face, as if the matter were grave. “Your Majesty, time is the least valuable thing, for as long as one lives, it is endless. Yet time is also the most precious, for wasting time is wasting life. As the Sage once said, ‘An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but you can’t buy an inch of time with an inch of gold.’ So, Your Majesty, I was treasuring time, not slacking off!”

Li Er was covered in cold sweat. “You brat, I only said you were slacking off—did you need to lecture me? And who is this ‘Sage’? I’ve never heard of him! Hmph! But you are quick-witted, if only you used it in the right way!”

“Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. I’ll accept it, though I don’t deserve it!”

“Was that a compliment? Accept it, will you?” At this moment, Li Er wished he could slap Li Yi’s face with his size-forty-four shoe.

The Li family was dumbfounded—was this really their once decorous and well-mannered eldest grandson? Only the two boys looked at Li Yi with admiration.

Li Jing, sensing things might get out of hand, quickly stepped in. “Yi’er, mind your manners—apologize to His Majesty! Your Majesty, please forgive my grandson’s disrespectful words!”

Li Yi gave a quick “Oh!” and said, “Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. You are magnanimous—please forgive me!”

Li Er snorted coldly. “Hmph! Is that what you call knowing your fault? But I can’t be bothered to stoop to your level! Get on with what you were saying—I want to see what gifts you have to offer!” He sipped his tea, nostrils still raised, feigning indifference.

“Oh! Understood, Your Majesty,” Li Yi replied lazily.