Chapter 39: Dou Jing's Request

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Chapter 39: Dou Jing’s Request

The officials of the Court of Agriculture naturally ushered Li Tai inside, serving him tea and refreshments while attending to him in a side hall.

As soon as they learned the reason for his visit, they went to find Dou Jing.

After all, Li Tai and Dou Jing had grown fairly close since their campaign against the locusts. Since Li Tai had come to the Court of Agriculture, it was only proper, both personally and officially, to notify Dou Jing and have him pay his respects.

The registrar was also summoned. Since Li Tai had come to return wheat, the quantity would naturally have to be verified before it could be entered into the storehouses.

Dou Jing happened to be occupied with another matter and asked Li Tai to wait, but the registrar of the Court of Agriculture arrived first.

The registrar looked quite young. Nor did he possess the lofty air of one who believed himself born for greatness rather than obscurity. He probably had not risen through the imperial examinations, but through hereditary appointment—a perfectly ordinary route during the early years of the Great Tang.

Those who entered government through the examinations, even if they passed the Presented Scholar examination, were for the most part granted only a ninth-rank post.

Many more were sent to places such as the Chongwen Library to perform miscellaneous duties, waiting until the court had a vacancy before they could be appointed to an actual office.

Those who entered through hereditary appointment, on the other hand, would generally first serve in the Imperial Guard to acquire some polish, and when sent out, they could immediately receive an official post of the seventh or eighth rank.

“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Yan Xuansui, registrar of the Court of Agriculture. I have come to verify the goods being entered into the storehouses,” Yan Xuansui said to Li Tai in an neither servile nor overbearing manner.

“Everything is in the courtyard. Please go and count it,” Li Tai replied, making a gesture of invitation.

Yan Xuansui did not stand on ceremony. He immediately went to inspect the wheat Li Tai had brought back.

At first, it was indeed wheat. Later, however, he uncovered several pieces of exceptionally fine, top-grade silk and could not help pausing in surprise.

Though somewhat puzzled, Yan Xuansui carefully counted everything, calculated its value, and said, “Your Highness, the wheat you have returned amounts to only three hundred and thirty-seven shi and two dou. The wheat and other grains you borrowed from the Court of Agriculture totaled more than four thousand shi. This is not even one-tenth of the original amount, is it?”

“I know.” Li Tai nodded. “The fields around Gaoling were only just plowed this year, so the wheat harvest was naturally poor. I have therefore returned as much grain as possible for now. The remainder will be repaid in Kaiyuan Tongbao coins and in the silk bestowed upon me by Father. Rest assured, I have added ten percent above market value. The Court of Agriculture will certainly not lose out.”

“This...” Yan Xuansui frowned at Li Tai’s words. Though the transaction would undoubtedly be profitable for the Court of Agriculture, he truly did not have the authority to make such a decision.

Yan Xuansui said, “The Court of Agriculture has not pressed Your Highness for payment. Why not postpone the matter and repay the debt after next year’s harvest?”

Li Tai shook his head.

“Since we agreed at the beginning that I would repay it once there was a harvest this year, then repay it I must, no matter what. The court has established its regulations. If I, a member of the imperial family, do not obey them, how can I expect anyone else to do so?”

Upon hearing this, Yan Xuansui immediately regarded him with solemn respect.

“Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I shall report this to Minister Dou at once and await his decision.”

After saying this, Yan Xuansui quickly tidied things up, invited Li Tai to continue enjoying the tea and refreshments, and then departed.

It was not long before Dou Jing arrived with Yan Xuansui. After the two sides exchanged greetings, they took their seats.

Looking at Dou Jing with some puzzlement, Li Tai asked, “Is this matter important enough to require Minister Dou’s personal attendance?”

He had borrowed grain from the Court of Agriculture, but had chosen to repay the debt with money rather than grain. Dou Jing need only give his approval; there was no need for him to deal with the matter personally.

The principal reason his approval was needed was to prove that this was not a private transaction, which was why the head of the Court of Agriculture had to be informed.

In theory, so long as the transaction was properly recorded, there should be no problem.

After all, the court permitted taxes to be paid in Kaiyuan Tongbao coins and silk. It was simply that those who chose this method generally suffered a slight disadvantage.

“This is naturally only a minor matter.” Dou Jing looked at Li Tai. “I came mainly to thank Your Highness for sending us the curved-shaft plow. Thanks to it, this year’s spring plowing in the Guanzhong region has increased by at least ten thousand mu.”

“That is nothing more than a small matter.” Li Tai shook his head. “So long as you do not mind that the curved-shaft plow is not yet fully perfected.”

Dou Jing nodded. “Besides that, there is another matter I wish to entrust to Your Highness.”

“Please speak frankly, Minister Dou.” Li Tai’s expression grew serious as he faced Dou Jing.

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“Ever since the uprising at Jinyang, I have spent my life promoting the tuntian system and have accumulated a modest amount of experience in agricultural administration.

“I compiled those experiences into a manuscript. Unfortunately, it never became a proper book. I could not bear to cut anything, nor could I decide what ought to be added or removed, so I left it as it was.

“But ever since I saw that Your Highness was genuinely devoted to agricultural studies and had even launched the Seed of Civilization Project to preserve and continue our cultural heritage, I too have wished to leave this agricultural treatise behind.

“If any member of the Dou clan in future develops an interest in agriculture, he may go to the library and read it.”

Dou Jing took out a book and presented it to Li Tai with both hands. His voice was earnest and heartfelt.

“I understand what you mean, Minister. Please rest assured. I shall accept this book.”

Li Tai received the volume with both hands.

“Once I take it home and make a handwritten copy, I shall immediately send the original manuscript back to you.”

He accepted the book from Dou Jing with great care. Then, as though he had thought of something, he continued, “Minister Dou, if you compile any new insights in the future, you may notify me so that they can be added or revised.

“Moreover, once you are satisfied with the additions and deletions, I shall have this book published and sold in Gaoling as an agricultural treatise, allowing its benefits to reach the entire realm. Perhaps you may become the Jia Sixie of the Great Tang.”

“I could never presume to deserve such praise.” Dou Jing’s eyes crinkled with delight at the compliment.

For a man as incorruptible as Dou Jing, if he could truly leave behind an agricultural work comparable to the Essential Techniques for the Common People, he would have secured a lasting reputation both in life and after death.

For a moment, Dou Jing felt that besides serving the court, he had found another meaningful pursuit.

With that thought in mind, he found Li Tai even more agreeable and kept him for lunch before finally allowing him to leave.

Having successfully repaid this portion of the grain, Li Tai also felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

From a financial perspective, even borrowed goods counted as one’s own assets. That was why deadbeat debtors could live so comfortably.

But in this world, not everything could be considered solely from an economic perspective. In particular, since he had set his sights on Li Shimin’s throne, the extent of his achievements was secondary. The most important thing was to leave no obvious weakness.

Li Chengqian was not much of a concern. Li Zhi, however, was a calculating and sinister man who was very good at finding loopholes.

When Li Tai returned to Gaoling, he delivered the manuscript to the library and asked Kong Zhiyue to copy and print a duplicate.

Kong Zhiyue glanced at the book that had cut into the queue and could only accept it in silence, setting aside everything else to copy this one first.

After all, besides this book, nearly twenty thousand volumes were still waiting for him to transcribe.

Naturally, he was not the only one working on them. Yu Shinan’s son Yu Chang and the library director Yan Qinli also came by from time to time to make copies.

As Li Tai put it, the original books naturally had to be preserved with care. The books made available in the library would certainly be handwritten copies.

Otherwise, what would they do if the originals were damaged by constant handling?

Since Yan Qinli also had to oversee the liberal arts, the task fell primarily upon Kong Zhiyue and Yu Chang.

Of course, whenever the liberal arts students had free time, most of them were delighted to come and help organize the books.

For the students, it was an excellent opportunity to broaden their horizons.

The aristocratic clans had preserved more than twenty thousand books between them. This single library already held more texts than the collection of any one aristocratic family.

At most, the knowledge contained here could not be considered the core learning of the various clans. But to ordinary people at the bottom of society, it was already knowledge beyond their reach.

Li Tai’s plan was to have the books sorted and reviewed at the academy, determining which were relatively elementary and suitable for widespread circulation. He could then use woodblock printing to publish and sell some of them, providing the academy with a means of generating revenue.

After all, he could not possibly carve printing blocks for all twenty thousand volumes and then put them all on sale.

As for movable type, in this era it was simply not as useful as woodblock printing. One important reason was that there were no constantly changing written forms that required movable type.

Movable type was better suited to phonetic scripts such as English, with its twenty-six letters. In China, before newspapers had been invented, there was a reason woodblock printing remained in use all the way into the Qing dynasty.

Li Tai did not disturb them as they continued copying and organizing the volumes. Yet from Dou Jing, he vaguely sensed that the Seed of Civilization Project, which he had originally devised merely to win people over, might well have developments to come.

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After all, the power of writing books and establishing schools of thought in ancient times seemed extraordinary. Even the famously incorruptible Dou Jing appeared to have been rejuvenated upon hearing the suggestion. At the very least, his spirit and energy looked nothing like those of an old man.

Li Tai even suspected that if Dou Jing failed to complete the work himself, he might have his sons continue writing it.

In ancient times, it was entirely normal for a father’s work to be inherited by his son. One saw it in the myths of the Foolish Old Man, and in the Sima family, who produced generations of historians.

But for Li Tai, the real problem was what would happen after he published the work. Would the old ministers in the court decide that they too were learned scholars and send in books of their own insights and reflections?

At that thought, Li Tai cast a sympathetic glance at Kong Zhiyue and Yu Chang, who continued writing furiously inside.

Keep at it, both of you. Once you finish organizing and classifying these twenty thousand volumes, that may only be the beginning of the library project.

Li Tai drew a deep breath and calmly left the library, because he believed that his spirit was with them.

In truth, the academy itself was also extremely busy at that moment.

Ma Zhou had reassigned the heads of all three departments to begin managing Gaoling County, leaving Lü Cai, the head of the music department, to oversee the entire academy. When Li Tai arrived, Lü Cai was so busy that he seemed barely to have time to touch the ground.

Li Tai merely watched the scene without disturbing him, allowing him to continue working.

He could already see that, just as Ma Zhou had said, Lü Cai was precisely the sort of extraordinary talent who became even more capable the more chaotic the circumstances grew.

One order after another appeared, on the surface, to have little connection with the others. Yet under Lü Cai’s arrangements, they quickly fell into an orderly rhythm amid the confusion. Through subtle adjustments to the various appointments and careful sequencing of each task, Lü Cai handled everything with remarkable precision.

Before long, the Agricultural Academy had regained the appearance it had possessed when Ma Zhou and the other six departmental heads were still present. The sensation was quite strange.

Seeing that Lü Cai could truly hold the fort, Li Tai refrained from interfering further. He had already completed the academy’s overall planning, and at least until the institution had proven itself, he did not intend to make excessive changes.

Li Tai did not know how Lü Cai would perform as a strategic planner, but as an executor, he was unquestionably outstanding.

That allowed Li Tai to relax and do as little as possible. There was no need to hurry. He had three years.

After returning to Gaoling County, Li Tai essentially stopped concerning himself with most affairs. Lü Cai was in charge of the academy, while Ma Zhou, serving as county magistrate, had already begun acting with decisive force.

Li Chunfeng had been sent to oversee road construction. Since he had studied geomancy and the principles of yin and yang, knew how to survey mountains and identify the earth’s vital lines, and most importantly possessed a solid grasp of mathematics, Li Tai intended to establish a corvée team skilled in mathematics. If Li Chunfeng did not lead it, who would?

As for Du Chuke, his task was to conduct comprehensive testing of the newly invented waterwheel and then introduce it throughout the farmland of Gaoling County.

As for Li Tai’s request that Du Chuke research an amphibious vessel capable of traveling over land, Du Chuke could only laugh helplessly.

He said they would first need people to build a shipyard and manufacture ordinary boats before attempting to develop such a specialized craft capable of traveling both by land and water.

Thus, Li Tai sent Du Chuke to select a deep and broad stretch of water on which to build a dock, creating the third pillar of Gaoling County.

After dispatching the two men, Ma Zhou began managing Gaoling County on his own.

It had to be said that administering a county was not particularly difficult for Ma Zhou. The county’s principal personnel had been recruited and pacified by Ma Zhou himself, which made handling affairs even easier for him.

When disputes arose between neighbors or arguments broke out between individuals, he usually needed no constables at all. Ma Zhou could resolve the matter simply by appearing in person.

Even when outsiders came to Gaoling County and tried to throw their weight around, one call from Ma Zhou was enough to bring people loyal to him from every direction.

The only thing that irritated Ma Zhou was that he was working himself to the bone while the county magistrate drooled and snored soundly in the main hall.

In other words, Li Tai was responsible for planning, while Ma Zhou was responsible for implementation. After Li Tai completed the plans, his only regular duty in the main hall—apart from the daily copying assignments Yan Qinli brought him—was to sleep on schedule and leave work on time.

“Hmm... The sun has set?”

Li Tai rubbed his eyes, feeling that a beautiful day had come to an end.

“You’re awake?” Seeing Li Tai open his eyes, Ma Zhou handed him a document. “The Prince of Rencheng sent someone with a list. The retired military households Your Highness asked him to locate have all been found. They can be sent here tomorrow.”

“They’ve already been found?” Li Tai asked delightedly. “Let me see the list.”

“What plans do you have for these military households, Your Highness?” Ma Zhou asked, somewhat puzzled.

“They will become our constables in Gaoling County.” Li Tai pondered for a moment. “A large portion of them will be responsible for patrolling the streets. Without a force capable of inspiring fear, there would be far too much petty theft in a large marketplace.”

The End of the Chapter

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