Chapter 149: Crown Prince Li Song

Wei Renshi thought about it, but there was nothing in particular that needed special preparation.

Knowing that Li Song would merely offer some words of encouragement to the newly admitted students of the Chongwen Academy, Wei Renshi felt there was no need for him to be overly eager.

The next day at the Chongwen Academy, everything proceeded as usual. Wei Renshi finally finished copying the textbook, only to find that half of it had already been lectured on. Once the other half was covered, he would have to start copying books all over again.

Wei Renshi sighed, thinking to himself that he should track down a craftsman in Chang'an who specialized in seal carving—preferably one skilled in woodblock carving—and have him carve some clay movable type beforehand. That way, he could typeset and print books himself, saving him the trouble of copying while simultaneously making a contribution to ancient the printing industry.

Oh? Couldn't printing and selling books also be run as a business?

He just wondered if he would incur the dislike of the aristocratic families who monopolized knowledge and books.

However, the aristocratic clans had been dealt with ever since the reign of Emperor Taizong, and by now they were long in decline, a far cry from their peak at the founding of the dynasty.

Therefore, there was nothing to fear.

Listening to the lecture while letting his mind wander, half the morning quickly slipped by.

During the intermission, Wei Renshi finally caught sight of a figure stepping into the Chongwen Academy.

Putting aside his sickly appearance, he indeed looked like a very upright man. It was precisely the same person who had stood before the assembly of ministers beneath the imperial throne on the day Wei Renshi attended the morning court.

The moment that man appeared, the students of the Chongwen Academy who had been resting during the break hurried over in succession.

Fan Zhiyi gave Wei Renshi a tug and also immediately strode forward.

"Greetings to Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" a chorus of students saluted the Crown Prince.

Hailing from the Chongwen Academy, although they were still students, they were already stamped with the label of the Crown Prince's subordinate officials. Even if they subsequently went through the imperial examinations alongside the candidates from the Hongwen Academy and became officials, they would still remain the men of Crown Prince Li Song until Li Song ascended the throne and became Emperor. At that point, the new students entering the Chongwen Academy would be branded with the label of the next Crown Prince.

Thus, the students in the Chongwen Academy held the Crown Prince in the utmost reverence. After all, once the Crown Prince ascended the throne in the future, their status as his close retainers would naturally grant them greater advantages than others.

Li Song offered a few words of encouragement to the assembled students, and then, his gaze sweeping past the crowd, he finally landed on Wei Renshi.

Yet he merely lingered on him with a glance before moving on toward the back.

As soon as Li Song departed, Quan Qiaoqiu and Gu Pengju walked over as well, saying to Wei Renshi, "Renshi, it's estimated that he will summon you shortly."

Wei Renshi nodded.

Sure enough, not long after, an attendant from the Chongwen Academy came over and summoned Wei Renshi to present himself.

Wei Renshi followed the attendant, crossed the threshold, and saw Li Song seated in the primary seat at the head of the room. The elderly man who had assigned him to his "class" on his very first day at the Chongwen Academy, along with several others, sat below.

"This student pays respects to Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, to the Academy Director, and to all the teachers," Wei Renshi said upon entering, performing a student's salute with a calm and composed expression.

"There is no need for such formalities, Scholar Wei," Li Song said with a smile. "I heard long ago that when Scholar Wei was in Fuchang, you improved agricultural tools and constructed ingenious machinery that allowed an entire village's lands to be irrigated without human labor, which I naturally thought remarkable. Later, I heard that Scholar Wei submitted the method of damming valleys to create silt fields and the strategy for improving barren land—these two policies are truly worthy of being statecraft. Even back then, I wished to meet Scholar Wei. Today, my wish has finally been fulfilled."

Look at how well the man spoke!

"Your Highness flatters me too much," Wei Renshi offered a slight bow in return.

Yet he heard Li Song ask once more, "I heard that Scholar Wei originates from a humble family in Changgu. It must be that Scholar Wei deeply understands the hardships of the common folk. In the future, you must speak to me of these things more often, so as to spare me from remaining sequestered deep within the palace, ignorant of the people's affairs."

"Your Highness is truly benevolent," Wei Renshi nodded in agreement.

At that moment, one of the men seated below suddenly chuckled and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, your subject has heard that Baron Wei showed exceptional intelligence from a youth. In conversing with him, one should not treat him as a child, but rather engage with him as an adult. Seeing him today, it appears to be truly the case."

"Indeed, Baron Wei stands here answering Your Highness's inquiries with such calm and poise, neither humble nor pushy, without the slightest change in his complexion—how could this ever be the demeanor of a twelve-year-old child?" another man chimed in. "The two policies he submitted are beyond the grasp of ordinary adults, let alone a mere child!"

Wei Renshi glanced at the two men and replied, "The children of the poor must shoulder the burdens of the household early. With our family fortunes declining and my father having passed away early, I am the only son. How could I bear to watch my mother swallow her grievances and suffer through hardships? The weight of the entire family rests upon my shoulders; I had no choice but to take up the family's burdens at an early age."

"That is true as well," the Crown Prince nodded, then pointed to the first man who had spoken, saying, "This is my Reader-in-Waiting, Wang Shuwen, who is also well-versed in the hardships of the common people and frequently speaks of them to me."

He then pointed to the second man and said, "And this is Reader-in-Waiting Wang Pi, who likewise possesses profound insights into current affairs."

Wei Renshi's eyes narrowed slightly. These were the Two Wangs.

They were also two figures Wei Renshi needed to be on guard against—especially this Wang Shuwen.

Wang Shuwen had entered the Hanlin Academy as an attendant scholar on the strength of his chess-playing skills; he possessed a fair grasp of poetry and literature and loved to discuss grand strategies of governance. As Li Song's companion in study, he enjoyed Li Song's deep trust and heavy reliance.

He actually possessed a certain degree of political vision and ambition, and the Yongzhen Reformation centered around him was, in truth, a righteous endeavor. However, he was too eager for quick success, paid no heed to methodology, was overly confident, and saw his personal desires swell once he grasped supreme power, ultimately leading to the failure of the Yongzhen Reformation.

In reality, the cause of the failure of the Wang Shuwen faction did not lie within the implementation of the New Policies themselves, but rather in the manner in which those policies were executed.

For some of the measures within the Yongzhen Reformation were vigorously pushed forward by Emperor Xianzong after he ascended the throne—such as weakening regional warlords, rectifying administrative governance, and strengthening national finances—even giving rise for a time to the so-called "Yuanhe Restoration."

Yet during the process of pushing through the New Policies, Wang Shuwen formed widespread cliques, cultivated favorites, constantly expanded his own "circle," and grew overly confident in his own political clout. Simultaneously, he infringed upon the interests of the eunuchs, regional warlords, senior ministers, prime ministers, and the imperial family, thereby shaking the political foundations of the centralized state apparatus of the Tang Dynasty. Consequently, in the end, Wang Shuwen's "circle" was besieged, fractured, diluted, and disintegrated; his political influence was thoroughly crushed, and the "Yongzhen Reformation," which had lasted less than five months, was forced to a quiet halt.

Posterity has long since reached a fair verdict regarding his legacy: Wang Shuwen was truly no scoundrel; observing the men he brought in, many were the notable scholars of the era. Though they lacked the talent of generals or prime ministers, they were nevertheless literary elites... Observing how he demoted Li Shi, summoned Lu Zhi and Yang Cheng, and abolished the palace tribute markets and the procurement demands of the palace youths—striking down the corrupt practices of the previous reigns and clearing them away step by step—was also enough to comfort the public's expectations. As for wishing to wrest power from the eunuchs and entrust it to senior ministers, that was perhaps a crucial strategic move for the times. The disaster of the eunuchs plaguing the Tang had long become an entrenched habit; if it could truly be swept away in a single stroke, would that not have been a supreme blessing? His fatal mistake lay in having insufficient practical capability while boasting an excess of grandiose delusions. The eunuchs had long guarded against him while he remained entirely self-satisfied. When Wang Shuwen later requested a banquet to vindicate himself and Wang Pi lay groaning in bed, they merely became the laughingstock of those factions. Even before Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, it was already evident that they were incapable of achieving anything. Wei Zhiyi initially attached himself to Wang Shuwen, yet ultimately broke away from him, and both ended up sharing the same ruin. The Eight Banished Officials were successively exiled and demoted, while the power of the corrupt eunuchs grew ever greater. Added to this, figures like Wei Gao, Pei Jun, and Yan Shou submitted memorials requesting the execution of Pi and Wen, thereby reigniting the disaster of external heavyweight warlords overshadowing the internal court. From then on, eunuchs and regional warlords vied with one another for power, uniting and parting ways until the final collapse of the dynasty—how deeply lamentable!

Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan had already begun working for him, and trying to pull him onto their ship was living proof of this.

Wei Renshi knew he could never change Wang Shuwen, let alone stop him.

Therefore, his best course of action at present was neither to enter Wang Shuwen's circle nor to make an enemy of him. After all, there was a period in the middle when Wang Shuwen held immense power.

Wei Renshi's optimal choice right now was simply to honestly study within the Chongwen Academy, develop his own businesses in Chang'an, steer completely clear of the quagmire of political struggles, and incidentally cultivate a good relationship with Li Chun.

He would wait until Wang Shuwen's downfall and Li Chun's ascension to the throne.

Should Li Song enjoy good health, he might not have failed to become a wise and enlightened sovereign. Unfortunately, Wei Renshi was no immortal and had no way to reverse the Crown Prince's failing constitution.

However, if possible, it would be best to find an opportunity in the interim to advise Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan, urging them not to meddle too deeply so as to spare themselves the suffering of historical exile.