Chapter 9: Little Li Zhi, the Innocent Bystander

Chapter 9: The Innocent Little Li Zhi

Just as Li Shimin was warming up again, the palace doors opened, and a small head peeked in. Seeing Li Shimin, a soft voice called out, "Father?"

"Oh, it’s little Zinu," Li Shimin said with a bloodthirsty smile, addressing Li Zhi. "Come in."

Li Zhi’s sharp eyes caught Li Shimin’s sinister grin. Nervously, he refused, "It’s already late, Your Majesty. I won’t disturb you..."

"Come in when I say so!" Li Shimin insisted without leaving room for refusal.

He urgently needed an outlet for his anger, and Li Zhi, who had unfortunately walked into the line of fire, was clearly the perfect candidate.

Li Qing pulled a hollow plastic tube from a hidden space and handed it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at Li Qing puzzled.

"Use this to hit, but don’t aim for vital spots. It won’t cause real damage," Li Qing said considerately.

Seeing Li Shimin’s tempted expression, he added, "Don’t worry, Brother Li, this thing stings like hell when it hits..."

Of course it hurts—back when he used to sneak into internet cafes, his mother would hit him with just such a stick.

It was because he got caught in the rain and ruined someone else’s umbrella.

"Looks like little brother has some experience," Li Shimin said knowingly.

He waved the white tube in the air, making a whistling sound.

"Fa... Father," Li Zhi stepped closer, obviously seeing the instrument of affection in Li Shimin’s hand.

His rational mind urged him to run, but he knew there was no escape. With his short legs, even without guards, his father could easily catch him.

"Zinu, when you entered the hall just now, which foot did you step in with first?" Li Shimin asked kindly.

Li Zhi swallowed nervously, hesitating before answering, "Right... right foot?"

Suddenly, Li Shimin roared, "Right foot? I told you to step in with your right foot first!"

Smack! The stick hit Li Zhi’s shin.

"Ah—!" Li Zhi screamed in pain.

"I told you to step in with your right foot first!" Li Shimin’s eyes were red as if he wanted to slay Li Zhi on the spot. "I’m hitting this unfilial son! Look at the stick!"

"Ah—Father! I was wrong! It was the left foot! The left foot!" Li Zhi cried out, hurriedly correcting himself.

"You useless thing! You can’t even remember which foot to start with! Take this!" Li Shimin found yet another perfect excuse to strike.

Li Zhi felt like his shin was swelling to the size of a meter-high drum. No matter how pitifully he screamed, Li Shimin was unmoved.

"Ah, Father, I’m sorry!" Li Zhi had no choice but to admit defeat, though he had no idea where he had gone wrong.

In these times, a father wanting to beat his son needed no proper reason; if he wanted to, he could just hit at will.

So ruthless... Li Qing clicked his tongue, clearly seeing that Brother Li was truly angry.

The force, the look in his eyes—it wasn’t an act.

"Falling in love with a wild horse turned my head into a prairie, it fills me with despair, Miss Wu..." Li Qing hummed a tune beside him, spurring Li Shimin on.

After a while, Li Shimin finally grew tired. He called Wang De to take Li Zhi out for treatment.

He hadn’t hit too hard; Li Zhi’s injuries were only superficial.

"Brother Li, you really should be more open-minded. Honestly, Li Zhi is a victim too," Li Qing said leisurely, fanning himself with a folding fan.

"Victim? Hmph," Li Shimin scoffed. "How can he be a victim? Look at him—acts like he’s never seen a woman before, refusing to marry anyone but Wu Meiniang? Ha..."

"He really is, Brother Li," Li Qing shook his head with a sigh. "You’re the first to suffer, but Li Zhi won’t be the last."

"What do you mean?" Li Shimin asked warily. Having spent some time with Li Qing, his instincts told him that what Li Qing just said was not good news.

"Isn’t Li Zhi deeply in love?" Li Qing smiled, sitting beside Li Shimin. He drew a circle on the table and tapped on it with his finger. "The saying goes, ‘One regrets the lack of study when the time comes to use it; one cannot know hardship without experiencing it.’ Let him see what Wu Meiniang did after his death, and he’ll understand."

"Could it be... hiss..." Li Shimin gasped, a chill running down his spine.

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

"To be honest, her experience might be richer than yours, Brother Li," Li Qing said with sympathy in his eyes. "Besides... well, never mind. You’ll find out when you go there."

"Little brother, don’t tease me," Li Shimin said eagerly, his mind racing to hear spoilers about what terrible things Wu Meiniang had done.

"Some things lose their meaning once said," Li Qing held firm. "We have more important matters to attend to... Brother Li, are you interested in unifying the world?"

"The world?" Li Shimin paused, then laughed heartily. "Have I not already unified the world?"

Li Qing knew he had misunderstood. For ancient people, the "world" beyond the nine provinces was mostly considered wilderness.

"I mean the entire world," Li Qing clarified, pulling out a globe modeled after Tang Dynasty maps.

He pointed to a small brown patch on the globe. "Look, Brother Li, this is Tang."

"This brown lump... is Tang?" Li Shimin asked uncertainly. "Then what are these blue areas? And those other colored patches?"

"Look at your choice of words—‘lump’... That’s your Tang," Li Qing said disdainfully. "The blue is ocean, the other colored patches are countries outside Tang, and the unmarked areas are land without ownership."

"Land without ownership?" Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then laughed, "I suppose those unclaimed lands are harsh and uninhabitable, so no one wants them?"

"Oh, not necessarily. If you look north... yes, just beyond the great grasslands, although it’s a cold and harsh place, its natural resources are extremely abundant—iron, copper, coal, oil, natural gas..." With every word Li Qing spoke, Li Shimin’s eyes brightened, even though he didn’t know what coal, oil, or natural gas were.

"These resources are very precious. Even if you don’t want them, you can’t just give them away. If others develop those resources and become strong enough to attack Tang..."

"Who says I don’t want them? They’re mine! All mine!" Li Shimin said proudly.

"Let me ask you another question, Brother Li. Do you know why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west?"

"No."

"Because we are standing on a sphere..."

Li Qing’s words were interrupted.

"A sphere?" Li Shimin stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Zhang Heng once said, ‘The heavens are like an egg, celestial bodies round as pellets, the earth like the yolk inside’... Could it be true?"

(End of Chapter)