Chapter Eighty: Once the Bow is Drawn, There Is No Turning Back

In the evening, Li Yi returned home and shared a meal with his grandmother, Lady Red Whisk, and his grandfather, Li Jing. After dinner, Li Jing summoned Li Yi to the study.

"Yi, your merchant alliance seems to be progressing well lately."

Li Yi chuckled. "It's going alright."

"You rascal, give you three pounds of ink and you'd dare open a dye house. Do you know why such a humble merchant alliance can garner the unwavering support of so many princes and nobles?"

Li Yi's gaze sharpened as he pondered. "Grandfather, you mean charity?"

Li Jing nodded with satisfaction. "Precisely, charity. As long as charity is present, the alliance stands on invincible ground—especially with His Majesty's powerful backing. So you must distinguish what's most important. It matters little how much profit the alliance makes; most of these nobles don't care about money. But charity, you must never neglect!"

Li Yi felt a chill in his heart; he'd truly forgotten about charity these past few days. Clearly, age brings wisdom.

"Thank you for the reminder, Grandfather. I understand now!"

Li Jing nodded. "Good! I'm getting old, and soon this family will rely on you to hold it together, so be cautious in all things."

Li Yi nodded solemnly. "You have my word, Grandfather."

"Alright, that's enough for now. Go see your grandmother, then attend to your own affairs."

Li Yi glanced at Li Jing, warmth surging in his heart. He quietly bowed and withdrew.

The next morning, returning from his exercises, Li Yi found a group of young wastrels feasting in his home, including Li Chunfeng, Fatty Luo, Fatty Lan, and ten house stewards—all invited by Li Yi.

"Have you finished eating?" Li Yi entered with a serious expression.

Seeing Li Yi's face, the group quickly put aside their jokes.

"Yi, just give us your instructions," someone said.

"Yesterday I mentioned it: you'll be undergoing special training, from seven in the morning to five in the evening. The content is varied and I'll explain as we go. Now, one last question: anyone wish to quit?"

They exchanged glances; Cheng Chumo was the first to speak. "Once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back. Give us your orders, Yi."

The others echoed, "That's right!"

Li Yi nodded. "Good, follow me."

He led them to a large room in his courtyard and began teaching them mathematics.

"Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, change, space, and information. To master it, you must first learn its basics—the Zhen Guan numerals. What are Zhen Guan numerals? Correct! They're the simplified numerals I invented. Don't laugh! Cheng, stop smiling or you'll stand through the lesson. You there, Yuchi, answer: what are Zhen Guan numerals?"

"Yi Ai, can you write?"

"Ahem, Wei De, are you writing numbers or just drawing circles?"

"If you don't grasp these ten numerals by noon, you can skip a meal; today's food must be earned with your written numerals. Friendly warning: don't try to cheat—I've seen it all before!"

By noon, the group had finally struggled past the torment of numbers. Of course, scoundrels like Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Jingde couldn't resist trying to cheat, but after Li Yi warned them, they behaved, spending an hour writing numerals while holding a horse stance.

That afternoon, Li Yi rode his horse, Absolute Dust, followed by the wastrels and stewards, to the Kong residence. Li Chunfeng left for Xuan Du Temple. Naturally, Li Yi received his share of eye rolls, as he was the only one mounted; his excuse was that Absolute Dust had gained weight and needed exercise. Cheng Chumo had tried to compete for the horse but was ultimately scorned by Absolute Dust.

"Yi, why did you bring us here?" Cheng Chumo eyed the grand Kong residence signboard, his legs trembling—perhaps a lingering effect of the horse stance.

"What do you think? You're to become Confucian merchants; how could you not come here?"

The group looked reluctant, even the most spirited, Li Ke, swallowed hard.

Li Yi clasped his hands behind his back, glanced at them, and smiled. "Enough, look at your timid faces. Sooner or later, you can't avoid this. Go on in!"

Li Ke grabbed Li Yi. "Yi, is this really necessary?"

Li Yi's smile faded, and he spoke seriously. "Do you think Confucian merchants will be accepted by others without Master Kong's endorsement?"

Li Ke hesitated, slowly releasing Li Yi's sleeve.

Li Yi patted Li Ke's shoulder and smiled at the others. "Don't worry, as long as you study earnestly, Master Kong won't make things difficult. But remember one thing," he said, looking at the two troublemakers, Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin. "Master Kong has the right to dismiss you at any time."

"Alright, let's go in." Li Yi led the way into the residence; the others, after brief hesitation, steeled their nerves and followed.

Before they even entered, Kong Xuesong came out to greet them.

"Hahaha, no trouble at all, Brother Xuesong!"

"Ah, Yi, there's nothing troublesome about such a small matter!"

"Since you've come out, I'll leave them to you. Take them inside for me."

"Wait!" Kong Xuesong grabbed Li Yi, a bit embarrassed. "Yi, my grandfather wants to see you."

Li Yi eyed Kong Xuesong suspiciously—his grandfather wanted to see him, but why the embarrassment? He didn't ask further. "Where is Master Kong now?"

Kong Xuesong quickly replied, "He's in the study you visited yesterday!"

Li Yi pointed at the group, then himself. "So I..."

"Oh! Go right ahead. I'll take care of your friends."

"Thank you, Brother Xuesong." Li Yi cupped his hands and headed for Kong Yingda's study.

Soon, Li Yi arrived and knocked. Kong Yingda's aged yet strong voice responded from within.

Li Yi entered to find Kong Yingda practicing calligraphy. Li Yi greeted him, then approached to see that Kong Yingda was practicing his willow-style script.

Kong Yingda glanced at Li Yi. "Curious? Heh, though you're a bit unruly, your calligraphy is exceptional. I must admit, with your skill, you could found your own school."

Li Yi hurriedly replied with humility, "I dare not accept such praise, Master Kong. I'm still young and unworthy of such honor."

Kong Yingda nodded approvingly. "Good, not arrogant nor impatient. That's commendable. Now, tell me what you think of my writing."

Li Yi examined it closely and saw that Kong Yingda had mastered about sixty percent of the willow-style technique. He had to admit that, for such a short time, the old man's progress was impressive.

"Master Kong's script is already about sixty percent mastered. Though it has the form but not yet the spirit, achieving such skill so quickly is remarkable."

Kong Yingda looked at Li Yi in surprise. "You didn't flatter me, hmm, perhaps you're not as slick as you appear."

Li Yi scratched his head awkwardly, caught between a smile and a frown.